If you enjoy Rhys Bowen’s books, you know to expect a feisty heroine who has had it rough, but who perseveres until she ultimately triumphs. This book is no exception. Josie Banks grew up in London’s East End, raising her siblings when their mother died. England is fighting for its life in WWII, and bombs are hitting London regularly. Her husband goes off to fight in the war, and when Josie is badly injured in one bombing, she ie evacuated to the country, taken in reluctantly by an old woman with a big house. As Josie heals and begins to navigate her unfamiliar surroundings, she slowly makes a new life for herself. This book is full of twists and turns, tragedy, romance and intrigue, and characters you grow to love. The narrative moves along and then: wham!—something else happens. It is remarkable: one of Rhys Bowen’s best! Thanks to Net Galley providing this book in exchange for my honest review.

Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen is another wonderful book by a wonderful author. Bowen brings a new perspective to the trauma of living through WWII. The heartwarming, funny, romantic read is a true success that every historical fiction fan should read!

Josie Banks loves her job in a small East End tea room, but when her husband is drafted into the service, and she is injured in the blitz that destroys her workplace and home, she reluctantly joins a group of children being evacuated to the English countryside. Although Josie is billeted at the beautiful home of Miss Harcourt, her reception is very chilly in more ways than one. Despite her reluctant host, Josie quickly finds she loves the peace of the countryside and the kindness of the village people. After Josie meets Canadian transplant Mike Johnson and other airmen from a nearby field, Josie convinces Miss Harcourt that a tea room would help both her own finances and offer the servicemen a place to be reminded of home and family. Josie's new-found peace is shattered when Stan returns from the war and wants her back in London, and Josie learns that a spy is sharing information that threatens her new friends. What will the future hold for this survivor? Fans of Jennifer Ryan's Kitchen Front and A.J. Pearce's Cheerfully Yours will enjoy this WWII story from the talented Rhys Bowen.

This is a historical fiction set during the Second World War. It follows the life of one woman who leaves London after being injured during a bombing raid. She moves to the countryside into the manor house of a reclusive lady and slowly starts integrating herself into the village’s fabric. This book is about the resilience of the human spirit and the never die attitude of one woman who finds herself despite the repeated blows fate deals her. It is a pretty straightforward story and is a one time read. Thank You for the advance copy.

I could not put this book down! Historical fiction is my favorite genre and I have ready many books covering WWII but this is definitely at the top of my list for favorites!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book.

I really enjoy the books that Rhys Bowen writes. Historical fiction, strong female characters, interesting story. This book was no different.

When Josie's husband is sent off to war and she is injured in a bombing she is sent out to the countryside to recover. She gets placed with a reclusive older woman and her maid. With perseverance and a cheerful attitude Josie slowly begins to make friends and find a spot for herself

I enjoyed watching Josie make friends with the village people and learn how to do things that city folk never knew how to do like grow vegetables and raise chickens. She also learns to stand up for herself and finds an inner strength she didn't know she had.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the author or light historical fiction.

Having read this authors books before I was delighted to receive an early copy.
It's a nice easy read can recommend.

I am a huge WWII novel fan and love Rhys Bowen - The Venice Sketchbook being a favourite.

I'd firstly like to note that the version I received was an uncorrected proof and it does contain some typos etc which I have overlooked and not considered in my rating.

Story is nice - this is a light read which I finished in one day. Josie is married and stays in London. Her and her Hubby are not a good fit for each other, War breaks out and he is sent off to fight which gives Josie new opportunities at life. Her work is bombed, her home is bombed and she is sent to the country to recuperate with an unwilling host.

Id have loved to see this split into two books - more details about her at Bletchley Park but (no spoilers) I understand why it ended as it did.

For me the story was predictable and the character info is basic - you don't feel the connection between them other than being told they like each other and I would have loved to have a deeper connection with Josie.

Thank you for the ARC!

Exactly what I expected.

Perhaps I have read too many World War 2 novels, but this book held few surprises. A very easy read - one to take on holiday.

Rhys Bowen's #WheretheSkyBegins is a historical and suspence gripping fiction novel based on WWII during 1940s.

Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC to review. Release date: August 2 2022.
It's a woman centric story.
Josie , a housewife married to Stanley for 5 years. Stanley was asked to joined army due to war. Josie had taken up a job in a tea shop owned by a Jew woman in London.
Josie caught into the rubbles when her house was bombed. She was rescued and sent to
country side as a evacuee and started living with an old woman, Mrs. Harcourt who lives alone with a helper. for a brief period. .
She get along with the people around.

With the permission of Mrs. Harcourt, she starts a cafe in one of the rooms , with the help of a neighbour she grows vegetables and hen for eggs which was rationed by the government.
She meets Mike , a RAF squadron leader. Their friendship grows.

A man from domestic security official(M15) and asked her to keep a note of all the Airmen visits her cafe. He reveals about Mike's personal life secret. He asked her to find out the transmitter which is placed in the house to communicate with Germans.
Did she able to find out the transmitter? Who was it? Mike? RFA team members? Or Mrs. Harcourt?
What happens to her life? Did she move with her husband or Mike?

Rhys Bowen projected the protagonist as a strong and brave woman. Though Josie is a poor uneducated woman , she did not stop herself by learning new things, reading books and grabbing the opportunity to tryout gardening and to run a small cafe.
The book has almost everything- suspence, romance, courage,the culture and food habits of the country side and so on.
It's a great delight reading this book.

This book takes us through some of the horrific bombings in London during WWII and how it affected and misplaced those that survived. The author made me really realize and feel for the misplaced people that she wrote about and the suffering of people during this period of time. There is some espionage thrown into the mix, and mistrust issues with one of the men. This was well done and had me reading as fast as I could. Thank you NetGalley for being able to read and review this amazing book.

I would like to start out by saying Rhys Bowen is one of my favorite authors and I know her books will not disappoint. This book caught me into the story right away. London, 1940 with all the bombings and lives lost, there is Josie Banks. My heart went out to her. Josie lost everything and had to be evacuated from London to England with nothing. This is a book full of second chances and survival.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read this heart warming novel.

(3.5 rounded up)

This was an interesting historical fiction. It follows Josie Bank who escapes from London to a small country town during World War II. We follow her journey as she tries to find her own place in the craziness of war. I really loved how she was portrayed as a smart, strong, and caring. My main criticism with the book was the pacing. It seemed to jump around and the ending was a little rushed. It was an enjoyable read.

*Thanks Netgalley for the arc

I received an ARC copy of Where the Sky Begins and read the entire book in one day. I'm always amazed at the stories, real and fictional, that come out of World War II. This one, although fictional, was epic. Following London East Ender Josie Banks through her wartime experience was nothing short of a roller coaster, but I fell in love with her character. I love reading about strong women and she is a fantastic heroine. And, just when I thought I knew where the plot was going it swerved in one unexpected direction after another. All the better! Truly a wonderful, wonderful book. My first ARC from NetGalley! A tough act to follow

Where the Sky Begins is one of a series of World War II era novels written by Rhys Bowen describing what everyday life was like during the war. This novel centers on city life and country life in England. Josie Banks is a working class woman who seems to get bad breaks every time her life is on the up swing. She did well in school but had to quit when her mother died. Like others in her situation she married young but made a poor choice. When the story begins her husband is drafted and shipped off to fight. Josie finds a job working in a London cafe and is a big success. I won't say more to avoid spoiling the reader's enjoyment of the book. But suffice it to say Josie has to deal with everyday issues like rationing and scarcity of food and the basic necessities of life as well as expriencing bombing raids and the deaths and injuries of friends and family members. Forced to evacuate London, she settles in the a small rural town with new sets of issues to cope with. But every time she falls down, she picks herself right up and moves on making a lot of friends in the process.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a complementary copy of Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen for my impartial review. I'm a fan of her mysteries and more recently I've started reading and enjoying her World War II era romances. Where the Sky Begins is well worth reading and I highly recommend it.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, I read a lot of it, and especially with the wealth of books available, it can be hard to find stand out authors. This was the first novel I've read by Rhys Bowen, but I anticipate it will likely not be my last.

Josie Banks is a woman living on the East End of London, working in a small tea house while her husband is called away to serve during WWII. Unfortunately, during the London Blitz first the tea house is destroyed, and then her own home, and Josie is left with nothing. She is injured and suffers from PTSD after her bombing experience and evacuated London for the country.

The main bulk of the novel takes place after she is evacuated to a small village in the country. We meet the villagers and Josie finds her place amongst them, eventually opening her own tea house and making friends, learning how to live the country life she had never previously experienced.

There is a bit of espionage and some heartbreak along the way for Josie and the villagers along the way. This novel was enjoyable to me because it felt like an authentic portrayal of living through the London Blitz and subsequent evacuation and war years in Great Britain. There's a lot of "making do" and rising above obstacles that shows that Josie and her peers were strong in the face of adversity, still finding joy in life despite the rationing and constant fear of bombings and invasion.

My main criticism is that the book wraps up very rapidly and very neatly. There is certainly a happy ending of Josie and I don't begrudge her that, but it seemed to come rushing in the last 15% of the book and then it was over.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the electronic ARC copy of this novel for review.

Brilliant historical fiction set in East Anglia during the second world war. Josie Banks hasn't had the best of starts in life, she married a man who turned out to be selfish and uncaring so when he is called up to fight Josie felt relief and was looking forward to continuing to work in the local tea room. This was not to be, as well as her home being destroyed so was the tea room. Her friend and owner of the tea room was killed and Josie was left buried in what remained of her home. Fortunately Josie, although injured, survived her ordeal and was. evacuated with children to the countryside of East Anglia. This brought it's own trials and tribulations. but Josie is determined to make her own way and deal with whatever comes along. ..i loved how the book progressed and was eager to find out what the outcome was for Josie

Where the Sky Begins is a beautiful story about resilience and finding yourself when all else is lost. Rhys Bowen has another winner here!

Josie’s husband is fighting in the war when a bomb destroys their home in London, leaving Josie injured and with nothing to her name. She is evacuated from London and placed in a home in the countryside to recover. But the owner of the home is extremely unfriendly and makes it clear she is not wanted there. So Josie starts over and begins making friends in the small village and with the airmen at the base nearby. She opens up a tea shop to give the airmen a piece of home and meets a pilot that teaches her what love could be. But what happens when her husband returns from war and she has to decide what life she wants to follow?

Thanks to #NetGalley, Rhys Bowen, and Lake Union Publishing for this e-ARC of #WheretheSkyBegins in exchange for an honest review.

WHERE THE SKY BEGINS by Rhys Bowen
After barely surviving a bombing in London, Josie is sent to recuperate in the countryside, forced upon a reclusive woman, in a grand house but with no income. Despite a surly non-welcome, Josie tries to make things better, cooking, planting vegetables, opening a small tea room, and making friends. The constant stream of problems for her to sort and endure is almost too much. One can understand the impulse to give up in despair, and doubly admire the “grit” that keeps people working to move forward . . . and the essential nature of honest communication.
I read this as the news was filled with images from Ukraine, which made the book feel even more real, with parallels in the inhumane destruction as well as the human spirit finding moments of joy where it can. This is stirring book, hard to put down, and these characters and lessons will stay with me for a long while.

Where the Sky Begins is another of Rhys Bowen’s wonderful WWII books that envelopes readers in the story, and what a story this is. Josie is a character to cheer for as she goes from a bored, put upon and put down wife to a survivor with purpose and organizational skills as the circumstances of war take her out of London to the country and back again. Bowen’s characters showcase all facets of 1940s British society as well as the prejudices of each group…and there are lots of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.