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

I enjoyed reading this book set during World War Two.

It was lovely to see the friendship between Cordelia, Jans and Mavis flourish. We also meet Tom, who joins the team helping to make the library a place where people can meet.

They begin to arrange activities where everyone can take part.

I recommend this book.

it was so good catching up with the people in east end again. you know a series is good when you miss the characters, reading about their lives, when you laugh with them, and your heart break for them.
so if you like a book with quirky, strong, loveable characters e this is a book you must absolutely read
thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinio

Great to see the girls back again for this second book in the series. Using the same great characters we follow their lives through WW2 in London. Great book and I give it 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

An entertaining, cosy story set in the Second World War. Three young women work in a London library during the Blitz (although actually very little is made of the regular impact air raids had on their lives, other than one losing her flat). The story follows their lives - Jane has a husband injured and sent home, while her daughter has been evacuated to the countryside; Mavis has a past (I haven't read the first in the series to know much more) and wants to adopt a child she found after a bombing and Cordelia comes from a privileged background and has a doctor boyfriend.

The story is told well, albeit with a few continuity issues, and is an entertaining read. The setting in the library is unusual and interesting, particularly when the library has to expand its remit to include other uses, very much like today. The characters evoke sympathy and the reader is interested in what happens to them.

I enjoyed it and will look out for more. Thank you to NetGalley and for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

this is book two in a series but can be read as a stand alone. wonderful characters and setting. I enjoyed it very much.

Library Girls #2

War strikes close to home for chief librarian Cordelia when her flat is bombed, and her beloved husband is called up and sent abroad. Fortunately, her colleagues, Mavis and Jane, can help see her through hard times. The three friends find purpose in making the Silvertown library a friendly sanctuary for their deprived and devastated community. But sinister forces, from callous bureaucrats to crafty criminals, still lurk among the stacks. Worse, Jane's soldier husband is injured and suffers both physically and mentally. With so many struggles, Cordelia and her friends might need more than books to survive the war's shadow. Can they find light in the darkness?

The war has now entered its second year. Cordelia, Mavis, and Jane have new obstacles to overcome. We have a new part-time volunteer at the East End library, Tom - a conscientious objector. We learn about the Blitz and the horrors of living through that awful time. We get trauma and tragedies in this addictive read. There are no twists, just the godawful truth about women trying to give others something to focus on whilst dealing with their own dramas.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #PatricaMcBride for my ARC of #HardTimesfortheEastEndLibraryGirls in exchange for an honest review.

How great to see all the characters in silvertown again, great storyline and loved catching up with all the characters cant wait to read the next book in the saga

I enjoyed being back in Silvertown library and catching up with Cordelia, Mavis and Jane. The war has is hitting London hard and each of the main characters have their individual issues to deal with. Cordelia has to cope with her beloved Robert being called up, Jane is struggling with her husband George fighting on the front line whilst their daughter has been evacuated, and Mavis is waiting to hear about Joyce the young girl she rescued . We are introduced to new volunteer Tom who has his own story and catch up with some of library regulars from the first book. This ultimately shows how with support, friendships and determination a community can work together to face even the worse things that life throws at them. A great historical read that gives an insight into what the East End was like during the war. It is very clear that the author has done some in depth research. I would recommend reading the previous book but key events and each of the characters backgrounds are covered well if you haven’t. Thanks to Boldwood Books and Netgalley for the ARC

Any title or cover with books or the library is going to grab my attention right away. I really enjoyed this one!

Hard Times for the East End Library Girls is a heartwarming read that has you hooked from the first chapter.

Although it is Book 2 , I had not read the first in the series but I had no trouble picking up the story.

Cordelia head librarian , Mavis and Jane are more than co workers , they are friends and they are there for each other in good times and hard times.

Its WWII so the times are mainly hard, but the ladies along with Tom a volunteer have a purpose to provide a safe place and an escape for the hard East End of London.

Patricia McBride writes so well that I felt I was walking along the side these remarkable ladies who are facing their own hardships.

I am a new fan of Patricia McBride and I am off to read the first book in this series.

I am excited to see what happens to East End Library Girls.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for introducing me to the author and this series.

Enjoyable book - I didn't realize it was #2 in a series, so I will be looking for #1 now!

Three major characters work at an East End library during WWII; Cordelia comes from money and essentially manages the library with the help of two employees, Jane and Mavis. A conscientious objector, Tom, also joins the library team as a volunteer. Together these four create an unlikely friendship and we are introduced to others in their orbit.

I wish I had started with the first book of the series but I am going to remedy that now.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Another brilliant family saga series just love the books and the author

An amazing saga. About ww2 in London. Amazing characters again plus lovely to see the friendship bond
Will be on the lookout for more coz I want to no what happens next to the characters. I'm invested now

Another excellent title in the series. The characters are so likeable, each with their own distinctive personalities which the author continues to develop as the series goes on.

The storyline was easy to read and easy to relate too. It was an enjoyable read for an hour before bed every night!

I look forward to the next instalment in the series. Highly recommend the series to others.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and of course the author for allowing me to read, enjoy and review this Arc copy.

An inspirational novel about three women set against WW2 London. The characters are well developed, and you can find yourself caring about what happens to them. An easy read, that I found hard to put down! A great read.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Hard Times for the East End Library Girls by Patricia McBride

Pages 275
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Release Date: April 19, 2024

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, British, World War II

Cordelia, the head librarian, was returning home from the Christmas holidays when she realized there was an empty space where her flat used to be. Her friend Rosalind was out of town, so she slept in a shelter. She will have to start over from scratch since everything she owned was lost in the bombing. As soon as she could, she went out looking for another flat in a nice neighborhood that had not been bombed. Her boyfriend, Dr. Robert Fernsby was sent to the front. She worries about him but if she gets letters from him, she knows he is okay.

Jane gets a telegraph informing her of her husband’s injury. George has a broken leg and a concussion. They are sending in back to recover near their home. She already has a lot of responsibilities in taking care of her landlady, checking in on her mother, and working at the library. Their daughter has been sent to live on a farm out of the way of the bombing.

Mavis rescued Joyce, a young girl. After visiting her neighborhood, Mavis determines Joyce has no family. She goes to the children’s home and declares her intent to adopt her. Unfortunately, since she cannot prove she was married or a widow, the path to adoption will be long.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are well developed, and it is written in the third person point of view. I was not aware this was the second book in the series, but I did not feel as if I missed any vital information. If you liked historical fiction, you will enjoy reading this book.

Loved this book.
I hope Mavis gets to adopt
I hope George comes back whole again
I hope Robert stays safe
I liked the fact it stayed the same characters as the first one and we found out why the councillor was against things changing at the library

Loved the depth of the characters. Three women striving to keep up hope while running a library in East End London during WW2. McBride brought us the depth of despair, heart break and the heights of the spirits the people rose to make the best of the odds. A must read this year

There were definitely hard times in the second year of World War II for these three women as their significant others were serving overseas. Having loved the first book, I appreciated that this one picks right up where the first one ended. The reader gets an inside look at how the war affected those who live in the poorer neighborhoods. As the Blitz destroys more and more buildings, the East End Library picks up the slack by offering its space to help the community. Volunteers of all ages did incredible work and did it with such compassion and professionalism.

I loved the newest member of the staff at the East End Library. Tom works part-time as a volunteer and is a conscientious objector, a touchy subject in wartime. He had spent some time in India where he became a Buddhist and is a real asset helping the library patrons. I thought he was a perfect addition to the series. This book only covers one year so I hope that means the series will continue. Although there were no blockbuster events, it was pure comfort reading to catch up with the lives of Cordelia, Mavis, and Jane and there is much to be said for that. In a week of bad news, it was just what I needed.

My thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the digital ARC. All opinions and the review are entirely my own.

It was a joy to see how each of the girls flourished, not only as librarians but as their friendship blossomed.
Cordelia, Mavis and Jane love to instigate new ideas to bring more people into the Silvertown library, where it helps to bring the community together. This has a positive effect on the unlikeliest characters, Floppy Flossie (love the name), and unbelievably Mrs Montague- Smythe.
All the while the east end is being battered with bombs. Never was a truer saying that them with the least give the most.
Apart from enjoying the story, I love the descriptions of characters and places which makes it so easy to bring them to mind.