This is a pretty good book. Yes, it’s a historical novel and there’s a lot about the war but it is more about people than anything. It’s about Josie, a twenty/thirty something young woman from London. It’s about Ms. Harcourt and Kathleen who lived in a fire old house in the country, several miles outside of London. The characters are very well developed and the story is very well written. It’s been a while since I had read one of Ms. Bowen’s books. I had forgotten how good her stories are. I will not be waiting so long to read another by her. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

An interesting and engaging read. Josie banks , a working class woman is evacuated from London to the countryside, during WW2 bombings. She’s a strong woman, who discovers love, survives and thrives despite all the hardships and challenges.

#wheretheskybegins #netgalley publication date 02 Aug 2022
Very well written and likeable characters although there wasn't much action and no suspense I still really enjoyed this book. It was a quick and easy read.4/5 stars

Rhys Bowen writes great books. The characters are great and although there wasn't a lot of action, the story kept you reading! I got a great feel for the countryside and the small village the main character, Josie, was put in during the war after she was bombed out of her home and had nowhere to go. She had to recoup from injuries and this old lady in the big house was forced to take her in. Good story, great characters. Highly recommend.

Spanning 1940-1944, Where the Sky Begins follows Josie Banks as she rebuilds her life in World War II Britain. The novel opens as Josie’s London home and tearoom are bombed in the Blitz and her boorish husband is drafted into the military. Josie escapes to the country, where she recuperates in a manor home with a kindly aristocratic hostess, opens her own teashop, and builds a friendship with Mike Johnson, a charming Canadian pilot. When her husband— long-thought dead— returns to reclaim his wife and to make her return to London, she must choose where (and with whom) her future lies.

Rhys Bowen is very popular with our patrons and, as this book attests, it is for good reason. Where the Sky Begins features engaging characters and a wonderful story of a woman rebuilding her life. The writing flowed smoothly, and I was rapt until the final page. As with all of Rhys Bowen’s works, Where the Sky Begins is sure to be a hit with our patrons. 4 stars.

I really love Josie. She goes through so much (as many people did during the war) and comes out stronger than before. Her interactions with Miss Harcourt and Kathleen were often humorous since their personalities were so at odds. The Badgers and the children staying with them made wonderful supporting characters too, such kind souls.

Where the Sky Begins by Rhys Bowen is an historical novel set in Britain during WW2.
We follow Josie Banks and her survival journey during her life changing experience when she is evacuated from a bombed out London to the English Countryside and ends up at the estate of the aristocratic Miss Harcourt.
I really enjoyed this WW2 tale, it’s a pacy, well written story which is so immersive it’s easy to imagine living alongside this cast of characters during wartime Britain…yes, a great sense of time and place, I thoroughly recommend Where the Sky Begins.
Big thanks to Rhys Bowen, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC which I chose to read in return for my honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. I am a huge fan of author and was thrilled to get to read. Thank you to publisher and NetGalley for chance to read and review this ARC.

Where the sky begins, set partly in London and the countryside during the 1940s, peak of WW2.

Josie is the lead character whose life we follow as she changes her circumstances for the better despite being born in East End. She is a fantastic character with such audacity that you will cheer for her and enjoy getting to know her as she journeys from being bombed to finding love again in love.

This is my second book I’ve read by Rhys Bowen and I continue to be a fan! This was a great WWII book (believe me, I’ve read a lot of them) and I loved that it focused on how the war affected a more rural area instead of a larger city as many WWII books do.

The characters were very enjoyable, especially the main character, Josie. Her personality and warmth were captivating and her optimism jumped off the page. I felt like I was reading about a friend instead of a character in a book!

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for the advanced copy of this delightful read!

Rhys Bowen is an easy-to-read and easy to get into author, which I appreciate! This book is well researched and had me quite captivated with great characters and an interesting story. Historical fiction fans should scoop this one up, they won't be disappointed!

I tried reading it but couldn't get past the first chapter, it was okey but didn't capture me enough to make me want to read further.

In this WWII novel from Rhys Bowen, Josie was a sympathetic character and the plot moved briskly. But (spoiler alert)...


I didn't like the infidelity aspect. That spoiled things a bit for me.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this booked. The main character, Josie, is resilient and likeable. This novel follows her displacement during the war and focuses on developing her passions and using them to create a new community. My only criticism is that it felt a little slow in the middle.

Rhys Bowen always does a great job developing her characters while using historically-accurate details to build a world within each of her books. Set in WWII, this book takes us on a life-changing adventure for the protagonist, Josie Banks. Josie is spit-fire, brave, kind, and extraordinary. I love how open Josie is to the people and places around her. I highly recommend this book if you love historical fiction and strong female leads.

This book is well researched, has a compelling setting, rich with detail and wonderfully drawn characters. I was interested from the first chapter and never lost interest. I can't get enough WWII books, honestly, and this was a fantastic read. I am giving it 4 stars instead of 5 simply because I found it a little too long, but that is a personal taste. Other readers might not find this is an issue. A great book I'd recommend.

Rhys Bowen delivers a compelling story in Where The Sky Begins. The story begins as WWII is becoming a reality in London. The bombings, the sacrifices, the separations and losses, the will to survive are all met with the very Brittish matter-of-fact philosophy of putting one foot in front of the other. Each step of the way Josie takes a deep breath and does what she can to bring a bit of joy to others despite losing her job and employer during an early bombing, almost getting killed in her own home in another bombing after her husband shipped out. The story continues and time passes as Josie works hard to survive and make life a bit better for those around her. The ending is well earned.

Steep a pot of tea, step back in time to 1940 London, and enjoy WHERE THE SKY BEGINS, Rhys Bowen’s heartwarming story of Josie, a young woman whose husband is fighting in the war. To bide her time during Stan’s absence, Josie works for Madame Olga at The Copper Kettle Tearoom near the banks of the Thames River. When a bomb destroys her home and the teahouse, Madame Olga is killed and Josie is severely injured. She is evacuated and placed in a home in the countryside to recover. Josie begins a new life, making friends from the nearby village and with RAF soldiers stationed nearby. She opens a tea shop in her host home. One problem after another does not quell the determination and spirit of young Josie. This book accurately describes the destruction of war along with the indefatigable human spirit that always finds moments of joy in the worst of circumstances. The characters are well-developed, the story real and touching. Rhys Bowen has written a touching tale about human strength and the will to press on when all seems lost. Publication date is August 2, 2022. Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

London, 1940. Josie Banks arbeitet in einem Teehaus. Es ist für sie der Himmel, nach fünf Jahren nur Hausfrau wurde ihr Mann Stan einberufen und sie konnte ihn überzeugen, dass auch sie einen Anteil zu den Kriegsanstrengungen beitragen muss. Früher war sie mal in einer Kleiderfabrik beschäftigt, aber dann sah sie das Schild, dass dort Unterstützung gesucht wird. Aber es benötigt einige Überzeugungsarbeit bei der russischstämmigen Besitzerin und eine Probewoche bis sie anfangen konnte. Ihr Mann ist nicht einfach, meistens kritisiert er nur, was sie alles falsch macht und dazu gehört auch, dass sie noch nicht schwanger geworden ist. So ist sie froh, dass er 1940 endgültig eingezogen wird, obwohl er im Lebensmittelbereich arbeitet. Aber sie fühlt sich auch schuldig, dass sie so eine Erleichterung empfindet. Josie war eine gute Schülerin und sollte eigentlich Lehrerin werden, aber dann starb ihre Mutter im Kindbett und sie musste sich um die zahlreichen Geschwister kümmern. Sie hat dann später den erst besten Mann geheiratet, der sich für sie interessierte, um den Umständen zu Hause zu entkommen. Nach der Rettung von Dünkirchen kommt ichr Mann Stan erstmals plötzlich heim, aber nur übers Wochenende bis zum nächsten Einsatz.

Dann begannen auch in London die Bombardements. Eines Tages trifft es dann auch den Teesalon und seine Besitzerin, es gibt nichts zu retten, und Josie braucht eine neue Arbeit, um sich finanziell über Wasser halten zu können. Doch einige Tage später wird auch ihr Zuhause getroffen und sie verschüttet, sie wird zwar schnell gerettet, hat aber ein gebrochenes Schlüsselbein und ihr ganzes Hab und Gut verloren. Eine Krankenschwester hat Mitleid mit ihr und lässt sie zunächst in ein Konvent verlegen, später wird sie aufs Land evakuiert. Trotz ihrer widrigen Lebensumstände lernt sie hier ein ganz anderes Leben kennen mit vielen neuen Perspektiven, Ideen und neuen Freundschaften. Es gelingt ihr ein ganz anderes Leben aufzubauen und Josie weiß bald nicht mehr, ob sie überhaupt jemals in die Stadt zurückkehren will. Aber es warten noch manche Wendungen und Schicksalsschläge auf sie.

Die Protagonistin Josie ist sympathisch und nachvollziehbar. Die Geschichte lebt auch durch ihre zahlreichen interessante Nebencharaktere. Man erfährt viel über das englische Leben während des 2 Weltkrieges, über die Entbehrungen und Mühen der Bevölkerung. Man bangt und hofft mit Josie mit und die Erzählung fliest schnell dahin. Vor dem aktuellen Hintergrund des Krieges in der Ukraine ist das Buch schon fast grausam aktuell.

Ein interessanter historischer Rahmen. Das Buch konnte mich gut unterhalten.

Told from the perspective of a woman initially living in London during WWII, it follows her as she loses everything and gets sent to the countryside for evacuation. It was great to read about her growth and getting to experience new lifestyles and learn what she wanted out of life. It was also interesting to learn more about what it would have been like to be a civilian in England at the time, something I had little to no knowledge of. It's full of characters both enjoyable (Mike, the Badgers, Lottie) and characters that made me want to slap them on the regular (Stan, Kathleen). The ending seemed a bit rushed and easily concluded - I would have liked to have seen it be more fleshed out. Could have cut some of the descriptions of food to do so! Overall it was a pleasant, enjoyable read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.