Member Reviews
I love historical fiction that features women during WWII and Christmas stories. This is a good mix and kept me reading and rooting for the characters
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Christmas for the Holiday Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin is the story of those left behind to work on winning the war from home. All the women in the book had jobs, some paid, some volunteer that were moving the war effort forward, all both. The main characters are Betty, who was nearly engaged to Samuel; Sally, who was married to Andrew; and Lorna, who had created a scandal by suing for breach of promise after her broken engagement. They all worked at what would now be called a recycling center. It was dirty work but it had to be done. That fact came in handy later while the government was solving a crime and used Lorna’s job to help. Lorna had been returning from an appointment when there was a bombing raid. After it was over, she helped some people out of some tight situations, primarily because she was small and could fit through the openings. When it was all over and the masks came off, it turned out she had been working with, George, her ex-fiance. If that wasn’t a twist. What was he doing in Manchester?
I love these stories. So often those at home are not recognized for their part in the war effort. It is a shame because there are so many stories. In this one these three women and their land lady worked together to make Christmas happen and well as Betty and Samuel’s wedding. Andrew’s mother, who lived in the boarding house with them was a good, hard-working character who determined to go live with her sister when Andrew left to be a soldier. She wanted Sally to go, too, but Sally stuck to her guns and stayed with her friends. No real plot, just a slice-of-life. It was a moving and heart-warming story, with touches of romance and so much more. Good read.
I was invited to read Christmas for the Home Front Girls by Bookoutre. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #SusannaBavin #ChristmasForTheHomeFrontGirls
Another book that continues from the other books and certainly this book is just as good as the other two.
Sally, Betty and Lorna continue to work at the salvage yard and also have their war duties helping out in the worst time of the war with the blitz of Manchester in where so many people lost their life’s. It show how the people were not defeated and took courage in carrying on.
The had romance and sadness as well and certainly was well researched the book carried on where it left of from the previous book and certainly was very interesting to read more.
The way it ended I hope there is more books in the series as it would be interesting to find out what happens to the woman.
Would recommend this book.
What a welcome return to the home front girls, one I wouldn’t have missed!
Sally is enjoying married life with Andrew, even learning to cope with the unexpected along the way, Betty is slowly getting used to living away from her dear father Trevor, mainly to keep away from his evil wife Grace who sees Betty as a threat to any attention she should be getting.
Sally is feeling quite comfortable in her role in charge of the salvage yard, even although the dreaded Mrs Lockwood is still on the go (could her days be numbered, I do hope so!) When there is an air raid Sally instantly helps out when someone is trapped, when the rescue squad speak to her afterwards she gets quite the shock on realising that the person is familiar to her, will it be a pleasure/unhappy experience?
I loved the girls were still enjoying staying at the boarding house and being looked after admirably by their “professional “ landlady.
Refreshing that Lorna was living her life her way and not living up to her parents aspirations.
My favourite character was Samuel, so sweet. Least favourite - I didn’t really have one, that’s a first for me.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love this series. Betty, Sally and Lorna are back. It’s December 1940 and The Blitz is in full swing. The girls of the Salvage Yard are trying to stay strong and get in the Christmas spirit. There was a great deal of heartache. The Blitz was devastating but the girls “carried on”.
If you are looking for a feel good read, this book is for you. It will fill your heart with love and hope.
I absolutely DEVOURED this book. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
This is Book 3 in Susanna's The Home Front Girls Series, and this was the first one in the series I've read.
What a lovely book!
The story essentially follows 3 Home Front Girls during WW2, and this book focuses around Christmas and the sagas that occur.
I love reading books during this time as while it ws a horrendous time with regards to the war but it was a brilliant time of comradery, national support and resilience so I love reading about how all the different characters and jobs at the time supported the war effort.
I really enjoyed reading about the 3 different women in this period and their very different lives. Each woman is incredibly different, and I enjoyed meeting them and learning more about their lives during WW2.
It is evident that Savanna has done lots of research, and the story felt authentic and realistic as I read the pages.
It is a lovely book that offers a very different perspective of Christmas time.
Christmas for the Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin is a sweet, nostalgic journey into the tenacity, spirit and enduring fortitude of the homefront during World War 2. This book is based in Manchester, 1940 during the blitz that occurred there, which is a departure from London, where many books of this era are based
The beauty of this book, is the focus on friendships and hope in the face of extreme adversity. It is book 3 in the series and I have previously read Book 2 - Courage for the Home Front Girls so I really need to balance it out and read book 1! The characters are so relatable that you feel you are revisiting old friends and that you are sharing their lives
A lovely read and perfect to cosy up with as the weather cools
Thank you to Bookouture, NetGalley and Susanna Bavin for this Lovely ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
Oh, I've been looking forward to reading Christmas for the Home Front Girls - the latest book (#3) in Susanna Bavin's Home Front Girls series. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a wonderful series to read.
This latest book focuses on Betty, Sally and Lorna. Settling in to read this latest is like catching up with old friends. They all have back stories but you can absolute read this as a stand alone.
Christmas is the air - and unfortunately, so are the enemy bombers. Manchester is taking a beating, but they'll never give up. Bavin has done a wonderful job of capturing and presenting this time in history. The devastation and the losses don't stop the residents from adopting the the 'The 'Keep Calm and Carry On' attitude, looking out for your neighbours, the social mores, and family. There are lots of hard choices to be made - and duty to follow.
But life continues on - and romance is also in the air. I quite enjoyed this plot line very much. Making the most of what you have. And embracing life. I also enjoyed learning about how the shortages were dealt with and Christmas was celebrated.
And the big one is the relationship of the three. We all need friends like Betty, Sally and Lorna. I'm looking forward to another entry in this series.
We are back with the girls at Star House working at the salvage yard.Lorna has been jilted by Geroge,Betty is with Samuel and Sally is married to Andrew Henshaw.This tells of what happens next for the 3 girls through the bombings.I really enjoyed reading this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookature.
Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.
I had read the earlier books in the series and though this could be read as a standalone the context is better if you have read the previous ones.
And you really should.
This book centres more around Lorna who appeared in book 2. To put too much more would provide enormous spoilers.
Christmas is a convenient time of year to set the book - but the privations of the war are well depicted.
So is the resilience of Mancunians in the Blitz.
As always this is well written and researched and it was a pleasure to meet up with the Salvage ladies again.
I hope we find out more about their lives and adventures - perhaps an after war story?
Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc
What a family saga based in the war just loved it
Can’t wait to read more by this author
A very uplifting story that follows friends Sally, Betty, and Lorna, along with their families and friends. A good portion of it takes place during the blitz, which is causing mass destruction and deaths all around them. There is so much sadness surrounding war, yet they are still so compassionate and kind to each other and those around them. They each find their own ways to support the war effort, as well as supporting each other through the ups and downs of war and every day life. They each have their own personal battles they're dealing with and rely on each other to get through them.
This is a mostly sweet story with a very sweet ending. If you enjoy historical fiction and want an uplifting story, I highly recommend this book.
I read this series out of order, and now I need to go back and read the first two books. Looking forward to reading more about these lovely ladies!
As world war two continues everyone is trying to bring the magic of Christmas cheer. Lorna is reunited with ex fiance George and they need to work together to do their bit but George may have other intentions. Will Lorna help and what will happen when the snow starts to fall? I appreciated catching up with the girls and the rest of the community. I am always in awe of how the characters manage to stay cheerful and positive in such trying times. I have great admiration and respect for all the characters in this book. I enjoyed the vivid setting of festive spirit and I was thinking of ways that they could celebrate but I think there ideas are better than mine. A great historical saga of friends, romance, neighbours and drama.
#bookouture
#netgalley
This is book three in this series and after enjoying the first two books I couldn't wait to read this one.
It's December 1940 and in the back garden of Star House there was a discussion going on as to whether they should decorate the Anderson Shelter. Sally Henshaw, her husband Andrew, and her mother in law, plus Betty, Lorna and Mrs Beaumont the landlady were wondering if this was going to be a good decision as space was tight with the six of them and the decorations were likely to get spoilt by the damp conditions in the shelter. Very soon the bombs and incenderies are falling around them and in the areas where their loved ones lived. The girls at the Salvage Yard are busy with fire watching at night and their day job sorting through the Salvage and working out how things can be sorted out and reused, a kind of recycling from the war years. Sally has to put up with Mrs Lockwood trying to be one better than her as usual and she will do what she can to prove she can manage just as well if not better.
Betty and Samuel are getting along really well, are there wedding bells on the horizon? Lorna can't help herself falling for George all over again, but she is not sure what his intentions really are! When she meets his new girlfriend Virginia, she soon finds out what she is letting herself in for.
The girls at the Salvage Yard are busier now than ever but will they be able to cope with what lays around the corner and with a wedding to organise too, many hands certainly make light work.
Get transported back to the dark days of WW2 with the lives and loves of these people who are willing to do their part in the war effort. Full of friendships, strong female characters, romance and drama.
Loved it, couldn't put it down, 5 stars from me.
4.5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨part of the series ( book 3)
✨friendship
✨ historical fiction
✨ Wow. The kindness and friendship on this book was an eye opener. As this is a historical fiction, it was a story from the world war 2. The life and the emotion was written and you can feel what they gone through.
✨ As this is a part 3 of a book, this is more focus on Christmas time. Even though the emotion was very low, the ladies in this book tried their best to have a normal Christmas. The kindness and friendship of the ladies is such a vibe.
✨ I highly recommend this book for someone who loves historical fiction. Definitely a worth the read.
✨ Thankyou @bookouture for the opportunity to read this arc for a honest review:)
🫶🏼 Shaye.Reads
This is the third book in the Home Front Girls series by Susanna Bavin - I have loved every book and by now Sally, Betty and Lorna feel like my old friends!
This book particularly draws our attention to some horrific destruction in Manchester that took place during the Christmas Blitz in December 1940. But the girls are an example of how love, friendship and kindness can be enough to get one another through the worst of times.
Once again, the dialogue is wonderful and the girls’ personal mishaps and encounters keep us on our toes from beginning to end. And what a perfect ending it is…..I’m sure I was grinning from ear to ear as I read the final chapter!
I highly recommend this delightful story and look forward to a future instalment from the Home Front Girls and their salvage depot.
Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for an advanced digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is book four and I am gutted it’s come to a end, I really hope there is a book 5
I enjoyed each and every book and can’t wait to see what the author suzanna Bavin writes next
I find it a little hard to write about this book, because it is number 3 in the series , and I do not want to spoil the previous books for you. But it was so great to see the girls again, taking a part of their lives. It was a Great mixture of hard times and good times. I really want to read the next book in the series , if there is one. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion
Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book set in 1940, in Manchester.
It was lovely meeting the three main characters again and how they carry on doing their work through the blitz
up to the Christmas.
Betty, Sally and Lorna are living with Mrs Beaumont at Star House, all three work at the salvage depot. They are always there for each other in times of need.
I highly recommend this book.
Christmas for the Home Front Girls is the story I didn't know I needed. There is so much sadness in World War 2 historical fiction. There is so much destruction in World War 2 historical fiction. The loss of life and the numerous injuries in World War 2 historical fiction leave me broken even after all these years.
Christmas for the Home Front Girls reminded me that even in darkness there was light. The girls of the Salvage Yard were happy to do their duty. They worked hard in support of the war effort. The were the epitome of "Keep Calm and Carry On". Their dedication is inspirational.
Some of this story takes place during the Christmas Blitz. The women found ways to help by working in the WVS, ambulance duty and even participating in rescues. The author's words transported me to Manchester. The descriptions of the devasation felt so real. They witnessed such horrors and yet still celebrated Christmas as best the can.
Christmas for the Home Front Girls was so much more than a Christmas story. In fact Christmas was just the beginning of the celebrations and the continuation of challenges. There is so much drama within the pages that the story became real life. There is always something happening. Love decorates the pages reminding the reader that love can make the worst day a little brighter.