This is book 6in the series but could be read as a standalone. It is captivating and beautifully written. Full of community spirit. A great series

This is book six and the last book in the shop girls series. I have loved following the lives of Lily, Beryl and Gladys and their families as they struggled through the difficult years of the War. I shall miss Marlows and everyone but I look forward to seeing what Joanna has in store for us readers next.

It has been lovely to see how the lives of these young people (and some older) pan out after the war has ended. A great number of people in this country had the same problems and trials as things came very slowly back to normal. This is the last in the series and these characters will be sadly missed. The whole series is well worth reading and I give it 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

Another and final book from Joanna Toye Keith The Shop Girls series. As in all series it’s best to read them in order and you won’t be disappointed. With more than one wedding and the coming and goings of the staff of Marlows each chapter is packed full of loveable characters intertwined with the odd rouge. Thanks to Joanna Toye and your publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley.

Wedding Bells for the Victory Girls (book 6) by Joanna Toye

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 out of 5 stars)

Firstly a big thank you to harper Collins and random thing tours for gifting me this book.

I have shied away from books set in this era. Some of my earliest memories are watching my nan who adored books set in this era and watching her totally captivated . Since her passing 10 years ago I have been worried I wouldn’t be able to focus on the stories but instead would be focused on how much I miss her. Luckily and joyously I found I was completely captivated by this tale.

This is the sixth book in the series and by worries of reading this as a stand-alone without reading the prior books was quickly reassured . The writing only teases at past storylines and you can easily pick this up. Although I enjoyed this so much I will definitely be buying the rest in the series !

This book was joyful and simply charming. It was such a beautiful story, calming , relaxing, uplifting and delightful , exactly the kind of book we need more of in the world right now.

Love characters book about friendship and love
The characters are perfectly constructed and immediately I could picture all of them vividly.
The only selfish character Robert only highlighted the camaraderie, selflessness and friendship of the other characters .

Would highly recommend !!

Wow! What a fantastic read. Highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an honest and unbiased review.

Another great installation catching up with the victory girls, this time at a wedding or two, love this series and look forward to more being written about these girls in the backdrop of ww2.
The book was well written and the girls have become good friends.
Highly recommended read

Loved reading about lily, Jim, Gladys and the others again. Like meeting up with old friends.
Joanna Toye makes the characters so believable and likeable, you wish you knew them.
Just a bit sad to discovery that this looks like the last book in the series.
Thank you Joanna for writing such a fantastic series.
Thank you netgalley.

Last in the series featuring the girls who worked in the shipyard during the war. Great to catch up with them all ,they are excellent characters who stand by each other through thick and thin..Heartwarming.

To say I was late to the Shop Girls series by Joanna Toye would be an understatement as Wedding Bells for the Victory Girls is the sixth and final instalment. None the less, I wanted to give this book a try as I love historical fiction set during World War Two. Also, I am always saying a book can be read as a standalone no matter what point you join a series and I wanted to see if this was the case with this book. This is a lovely, easy, relaxing read which I read in a day and yes it can be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel in the slightest that I had missed out on all that had gone before as it was so easy to fill in the gaps and to establish who was who and their connections to each other and to discover what had previously happened. Yes, I didn’t get specific details regarding certain storylines but I wasn’t in any way confused or lost and in fact it has made me want to go back and read the entire series in the future when time allows.

Given it’s the final book there is a sense of wrapping things up but I thoroughly enjoyed becoming familiar with the setting, the various characters and their backstories and how things were coming together for them following the conclusion of the war. I found the start to be quite slow and I was waiting for some more characters to be introduced. It seemed as if not much would happen bar detailing their lives and the work they do in the Marlow’s store. But around the quarter mark I found things settled down and the introductions were completed that the plot branched out a bit and things started to happen. A few challenges and twists and turns were thrown in for each character as they navigated their way to what would hopefully be happy endings for all involved. Things then did seem slightly rushed as problems were solved in a page or two but I understood the need for this as there was clearly a lot to resolve knowing this was the final book.

There is a lovely cast of characters awaiting you between the cover of this book and I soon found myself familiar with each of them and slowly their stories came to light and as I have said filling in the gaps wasn’t too difficult. The reader is not overloaded with information and therefore things would have become confusing and it would have been challenging to keep track of who was who. Instead, there is a gentle, relaxed pace and it suited the book well.

The first person we are introduced to is Lily as she is about to marry her long-term love Jim. They both work together in Marlow’s store in the midlands town of Hinton and now that the war is over they feel the time is right to cement their union. Lily appeared to be the female focal point of the story and I enjoyed her as a characte, she was still fairly young and not always worldly wise. I enjoyed reading the descriptions of the work she does in the store. In fact , the descriptions of the store and all its various departments were wonderful. It truly was fascinating and really brought home how much things have changed. I doubt those characters would even have given any consideration to how we would shop in the present day. The store provided plenty of mini plots throughout the book.

The arrival of new girl Nancy seeking her old job in the children’s wear department had Lily on edge as she knows there is not room for two people. She has come to love her job and it gave her a real sense of achievement given she had been too young to join the ATS. There are changes a foot for Lily and Jim. One major one which this reader would have thought would have had her jumping for joy but the author showed that things are not always clear cut and plain sailing and I felt she gave really valid reasons for the way Lily was feeling when she found out something. She has to cope with guilt when the situation alters, and it really brought home the theme of women in the workplace and their changing roles away from home due to the war. Could women just go back to the way things were or could they find a new position and balance both home and work life?

The storyline that intrigued me the most and is one of the reasons I would love to go back and read the whole series is that of Robert, the son of store owner Cedric Marlow. I sense he was the bad guy who caused much trouble for the store and Lily in the past. It seems the leopard hasn’t changed his spots and following the breakdown of his marriage and the loss of his job due to his shady dealings, Robert is now back on the scene and wants to cause trouble and get his own way. This was a real meaty part to the book and I wanted to know more but I know I should go back and read the backstory to get this. No one seems to like him not even his father not to mention his estranged wife Evelyn. Robert is a self-centred, feckless individual who only thinks of himself and not others in the slightest and you could sense that he was determined that another female main character Beryl would be out on her ear from the unit she rented in the store. He was just out to cause trouble for people and it seemed disrepute and scandal followed where ever he went.

Evelyn featured briefly and I loved how she was utilised within Beryl’s aspect of the plot. Beryl seems to be a kind hearted woman whose passion for her shop renting bridal wear shines through whenever she was featured. But just when she thinks her business is going well her unit is needed by the store now that they can have proper window displays again. Herself and her husband Les haven’t the money to rent a shop of their own and Beryl fears all her hopes and dreams will be quashed in one fell swoop. Is there any way to save the day and see her career go from strength to strength or is the front room of her small house destined to be as far as her little business will go?

The character alongside Lily that I loved the most was her mother Dora. She really was the matriarch of the story and I sense that she is the glue that has been holding everyone together throughout the series. She raised Lily and her two brothers Reg and Sid single handedly following the death of her husband when he was very young and you sense that deep down she too is longing for her own happy ending. She would do anything for anyone as is demonstrated by the help and care she gives to Gladys and her family at the drop of a hat so you hope she too can receive the kindness, love and attention that she so richly deserves. Canadian Sam seems to have caught her eye and they have formed a lovely friendship but I got the feeling she wanted this to develop into something more but how can this happen now that he has returned home and is many miles away across the Atlantic Ocean? Dora was one character I was definitely keeping a close eye on to see how things would work out for her. I felt she had been though so much and deserved a positive outcome.

Everyone has been through a lot in the war and they have all changed and grown up but still there is plenty to navigate their way though as things don’t all suddenly go back to the way they used to be now that the war has been declared over. Rationing is one of the big themes featured here not to mention how the returning men, demobbed from their units, have to cope and adapt to a new way of life having emerged victorious from six hellish years of danger and brutality. The author dealt with the theme of adjustment very well. Most noticeably using the character of Bill, Gladys’ husband, trying to find work away from the coast having served as a sailor during the war. He finds it difficult to return to normal as so much has changed. He loves Gladys and their one year old twins Victor and Joy but trying to provide for them when work is so scarce and his longing for the sea still strong in his heart and mind is not easy. Not to mention dealing with Gladys cantankerous grandmother Florence who seems to have the couple at her every beck and call. I loved reading of the ups and downs the pair faced and the resolution to their story was just so lovely, thoughtful and heartfelt. War had taught them all that in good times and bad that life must go on. This is certainly true for Bill and Gladys and I loved how she always had her husband and children at the centre of everything she did and was trying to do her best to establish a new life for themselves where happiness and contentment would be at its centre.

Wedding Bells for the Victory Girls was a gorgeous read and it’s to my shame that I hadn’t discovered this series much earlier. I know I would have loved it from the very start given the feelings I got from this book. As a new reader, I really enjoyed it and I can tell that long-time fans will be deeply satisfied with the ending. I would love to read more from Joanna Toye in the future and will definitely keep an eye out for any new series she may right. This in the meantime is the perfect book to while away a few hours with.

I ouldnt wait to read about what happened to Beryl, Gladys and Lily and read how things workout for them now that life is returning to normal after the war years.
It really did not disappoint.

Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

A Fabulous End To A Fabulous Series. Joanna Toye.

Felt really good to be back with the girls and their partners Lily and Jim, Gladys and Bill, as well as Dora and Beryl.

The characters have all been through a lot during the war. But with the war coming to an end, will they be able to go back to how things were?

Throughout the series we saw how they dealt with daily trials, now we will see how they move towards a better future, even though Britain is trying to overcome the effects of the war, food rationing still ongoing, but with changes to rules.

The men that came back, trying to get into living as a civilian again was interesting to read. The book was about what happens after all the hardships that both ladies and the men went through.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve not read the previous books in this series, but it is nice to know how the story of each character began. The characters had so much to look forward to, weddings, romance and the job that they loved.

There was a lot happening in the book, couldn’t put it down. I wanted to read more about what happens next.

I’m sad that this series has ended, it was a joy to read, but the ending was beautiful. A series you can reread again, and I will be doing so.

Highly recommend this series.

The wedding bells are ringing. We join Beryl, Gladys and Lily to see how things workout for them now that life is returning to normal after the war years. Will they find happiness as they prepare for Lily’s wedding?
Beryl has a business proposition put to her from an unlikely source and discovers that she is stronger than she thinks.
Gladys and Bill struggle to settle, then with help from a surprise person manage to plan for the future.
Lily’s wedding preparations go well but she is feeling guilty about leaving her mum on her own, however Doris has plans of her own.
Recommended reading.

A lovely gentle concluding instalment to the Victory Girl series. I've read a couple of the others and I would recommend that you read the other books first as there are a lot of back references which pull together the storyline in this book. A real retro feel throughout and just leaves you feeling happy for all the characters.

Reunited with my favourite shop girls again! I’ve been loving this series and relished the chance to rejoin Lily and her Jim, Gladys and Bill, Dora and Sam and Beryl. So much has happened over the duration of the war, and the characters have been through a lot over the years! Now with the war over, how will they adjust?

I love that this series has weathered the storms of war and now we get to journey with the characters through the war’s end and into a new era. A time when Britain is recovering from the devastating events, still dealing with food rationing but enjoying the let ups of a few of the stricter rules.

It was so interesting reading some of the men’s return and inserting themselves into a civilian life. With all the struggles for the ladies and the men, this book got straight into life after the war.

With weddings, romances and their beloved work and stories at Marlowe’s, it was a perfect follow up to the previous books. And what I always find is great with these, is that you don’t need to have read all of the others (although it is nice to know the backstory and some of the previous going’s on) to be able to appreciate and enjoy this story.

So much happened in this book and it was a delight to read. I’m certainly left wanting more and will always have a special place for this series in my heart! I’ve loved reading it over the years and I’m sad to see it concluded. But what a perfect book to continue to story and end on a high! Loved it and my heart is certainly happy after how it ended. Will definitely have to come back and reread this series as life with the shop girls never gets boring. Definitely recommend this lovely, heartwarming series!

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC
Love this author love these family saga books
Absolutely brilliant feel like I have been part of the gang since Day 1