Set in the late 1940s young women are recruited to work in DC at Arlington Hall decoding Russian messages to find American spies. 5 women become close friends as they live and work together and find romance. Catherine and Jonathan have a relationship that changes as they work together. Any information shared at all from their jobs is considered treason. The women work long hours trying to break the codes to protect the nuclear bomb info. This is historical fiction but there really were teams of women in these positions working on the Verona Project

Fast paced, heartfelt, and full of hidden history

The Women of Arlington Hall is a historical fiction Set in WWII-era in Washington, D.C. This novel follows a group of women working in codebreaking and intelligence roles essential to the war effort.

The story is filled with strong female characters, friendship, and the bravery of women who sacrificed so much without recognition. Healey has a way of creating an immersive world and characters you care about.

This is a great read anyone who loves untold stories of incredible women.

Thank You To Net Galley!!

I enjoyed reading this historical fiction about the female codebreakers in Washington who helped find Soviet spies in the Cold War era. Inspired loosely by the teams that brought down The Rosenbergs and the Cambridge 5, but this story focuses more on the women who worked at Arlington Hall.

4.5 stars. A fantastic cast of characters and a truly great read. Jane Healey brings us into the world of code breakers during the late 1940’s at the beginning of the Cold War. Although it’s historical fiction, it’s based on actual people and events. From the point of view of Catherine “Cat” Killeen, we enter Washington DC to find a highly intelligent group of individuals who are working on a top-secret project. It was an easy to read story and though the author could have bogged it down with details on how code breaking works, instead she gives just enough details to help readers understand the general idea and just how difficult it is. Jane balances out the work side of things with the personal lives of these code breakers. I love the camaraderie form between the workers. Although the focus is on a group of the women who become best friends (a huge thing for Cat, who always felt like an outsider before), there are some endearing men in the story as well. Jane develops their personalities so well that I am sad to let them go now that the book has ended! Cecil, a very intelligent, goofy oddball, is one I definitely came to love! He reminds me of an excited puppy.
Hearing about how the group broke codes in letters between Soviets and the spies they had in the U.S. sharing secrets that led them to discover how to make an atomic bomb is eye opening. In the story, that part is well balanced with getting to see the workers have some fun in any free time they had. Their social lives and fun they had surely helped keep them going during the difficult, frustrating times of what they did for work. Thank you to Jane Healey for another piece of great storytelling!
Thank you also to Netgalley and Lake Union for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this book are my own.

This was an exceptional book that looks into the women code breakers just after World War II ended and just before the United States entered the Korean War. In my opinion, it was the perfect blending of history, romance, and chick-lit.

Much of this book was factual, which made it a valuable learning experience for me. I could have done with a tad less romance, but that means that this book has something for everyone. We have mystery, espionage, romance, the Cold War, and a glimpse into the lives of the women who gave their all due to their loyalty to their country.

This would be a book that is high up on the list of books for Book Clubs. This book will provide you with plenty to discuss, regardless of your age. However, it may resonate more with older readers who lived through most of this.

I highly recommend this novel.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, Lake Union Publishing, the author Jane Healey, and NetGalley.

Friends, I hate to be the outlier, but I will give my honest opinion.

Summary: Cat has been selected to join a codebreaking office in D.C. in the aftermath of WW2. They are working on Soviet exchanges. Cat recently left her fiance at the altar looking for a more exciting life, and she meets a wonderful group of new friends in D.C. She also meets her archenemy from college, Jonathan, and you know what happens with that. As Cat gets more involved in the effort, it becomes clear that she has a personal stake in uncovering a spy ring.

Pros: There are so many novels about codebreaking in ww2, so this was interesting new territory. The story was well-told with good pacing and a likable cast of characters, and it kept me turning the pages.

Cons: This lacked sophistication. The romance was very strong as well as cheesy and sappy. Everything boils down to love here. And there were no red herrings. The suspicious people? Yup, they were the bad guys.

The ending had our heroine and her man coming up with a plan obviously full of holes, even though these two are described as brilliant throughout the book. You want to shake some sense into them. But of course everything turns out perfectly.

I still enjoyed reading it, but the ending definitely bumped it down from 3.5 to 3.

Bottom line: I recommend this for readers who enjoy a historical romance.

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, and Jane Healey for the opportunity to review an advanced copy.

Women codebreakers are getting the recognition they deserve in this historical fiction book. There have been other good non-fiction books that tell the details and back stories, but this book gives us a great story about these amazing women and the quest to root out Russian spies after WW2. Catherine, Effie, Gia, Rosemary, and many other women spent thousands of hours trying to break into the Russian codebook to decipher intercepted messages throughout the war, and now must figure out who gave the Russians the atomic secrets. There are the men in the office that hold the higher positions and get the limelight, but these women are the backbone of the agency who figured out who the real people were behind the code names and cryptic messages. These brilliant women also knew how to have fun at local pubs and dance halls with colleagues and nearby FBI agents. Jonathan and Cecil are love interests. Jonathan is an FBI agent who knew Cat from college days and Cecil is the quirkiest character who I grew to enjoy. If you love stories about women who did challenging work and side-stepped societal norms, this is the book for you. I thoroughly enjoyed getting the know the women, their work, and how the mystery of the spies played out.
Slight spoiler, but most of the women are composite figures of the many female workers at Arlington Hall back in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The author notes explain the choices of who was kept real and who had to be fictionalized. A little disappointed that these women weren't actual figures, but the reasoning made sense to the book.
#TheWomenofArlingtonHall #NetGalley
Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
Wow! This is such a good book! It is a story about a group of scientists who are working on a confidential military project. It takes place in 1947 during the Cold War. Cat Killeen is a student of cryptoanalysis, and she is working to root out Soviet spies who are in the US. This story was so well-written. I felt like I was there, or I was watching a movie. I could see all the action. The characters were also so vivid I could see them in my head. The ending was very suspenseful. I think this is one of Jane Healey's best!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I loved this book - couldn't put it down. I only gave it 4 stars though because I don't think it's a book that EVERYONE would love.

I loved learning about a time in history I didn't know much about (the Cold War after WW2). I loved the will they/won't they romance. I loved that it wasn't really sad or scary or stupid. It was interesting, the author explained codes very well, the lead character was brilliant as were her friends. It was fun! If you enjoy historical fiction with a hint of love then definitely read this one.

This Cold War historical fiction novel’s an espionage thriller with a tenacious, fiercely intelligent codebreaker, Catherine Killeen, at its helm. Catherine and her troop of “government girl” friends are crypto analysts working for the United Stated as part of the Venona Project—a US counterintelligence program that decrypted intel to uncover a Soviet spy ring and discover what the Soviets knew about the atomic bomb. The novel’s a page-turning read that highlights these women’s essential contributions to Cold War intelligence-gathering, their sisterhood and friendships. The “will-they-won’t-they” romance between Cat and FBI agent Jonathan added a delicious fun to the story as well. Based on true historical figures and drawn from real events, this is a fast-paced, suspenseful read about exceptional women and their fight to win the Cold War with their wits.

The premise of this book was so interesting. I think if you love a strong female lead and historical fiction this is going to be a great fit. As a woman with a STEM background, I really enjoy when books have a women in STEM element. It was a bit drier than I prefer and did feel like the plot dragged at times but overall I enjoyed it.

It is so refreshing to pick up a book that covers a time period I know almost nothing about. <i>The Women of Arlington Hall</i> is about the codebreakers charged with deciphering Russian messages post WWII. While the story has been fictionalized, it is based on the real-life Verona Project.

What is especially lovely about this book is how beautifully it balances the codebreaking aspects with the development of the characters. After graduating Radcliffe, Cat Killeen left her fiancé at the altar and takes a challenging position in the Russian Building of the codebreaking. She loves the math and the puzzles and finds the work engaging, although she also develops deep relationships with her female coworkers (I love a book that passes the Bechdel Test!). There is a love interest, but I appreciated that the focus of the story remained on Cat and her work. As a member of a super secret project, Cat must be careful to remain silent on her work; any hints of misdeed is an act of treason that could lead to a prison sentence. Of course, parts of her past resurface threatening the work she loves doing.

The Cold War is a time that hasn't been written as much about in historical fiction. I was fascinated by the seeking out and demonizing of Communists. Healey has written a remarkable novel, and fans of WWII novels will love reading about what comes next for the world. Terrific book!

I could not put this book down! Codebreaking in the 1940s to find Soviet spies, a family history on the "wrong" side of the line and a Harvard rival turned love interest. The Women of Arlington Hall reminded me of The Imitation Game, but from a female perspective. I loved Cat's character and how she paved her own path, found her people, and took risks.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Greatly enjoyed this historical fiction novel! Although characters were fictionalized the familiar stories gave credence to the novel. The women from Arlington Hall are fantastic characters. Each of their stories is personal and draws you into the novel. I was cheering for each of them on their journey. The detail used to describe code breaking really made it come alive for me and detail the challenges the men and women faced in the late 40s and 50s trying to flesh out Soviet spies.

Interesting book on the history after the Cold War and the espionage and secrecy of the time . Thanks to Netgalley for letting me review the book

What a fascinating and informative story! I devoured this story. Based on a group of young women working for the government in Washington post WW2. The central character, Cat Killeen runs from the altar when she gets the chance of a career. But her career is not everyday, as a bright young graduate she has been sought out to work on crypto analysis-specifically decoding messages sent by the Russians-in a bid to find undercover agents working within the USA. This story highlights the endeavours of the young women who worked at Arlington Hall in the mid-40s and at the start of what would become the Cold War.
I really enjoyed the story which kept me reading late into the night. The characters are well-written and convincing in their roles, I enjoyed the female camaraderie as well as the various love interests amongst the girls. A highly enjoyable read, with a gripping story!

Jane Healey for years has been my go to for historical fiction. She has a way of building a story, developing characters and weaving history in a way that leaves me turning page after page. She also includes real people and events which is absolute perfection. The Women of Arlington Hall is a new era literally as this book is based post-WWII. To say I loved it would be an understatement.

The fact that we get a well written book that covers the early part of the Cold War era has me absolutely giddy. Cat, an absolute genius with puzzles, has an opportunity to work in DC on code breaking efforts that will have huge impacts on the Cold War era for not just the US, but the world. She jumps at the opportunity and soon builds herself a community of supportive and amazing sub-characters and also reconnects with some people in her past. There is also a b-plot romance that had me in a swoon.

Please stop reading this review and start reading The Women of Arlington Hall. I can't recommend it enough!

I loved this!! It has real Bletchley Park historical fiction vibes but it's set in the US about a decade later. Having lived in Arlington for 10 years, I adored the setting. The mysterious/thriller bits were just the right amount of tension. I was guessing who to trust throughout. The friend group is goals and the romance hit the mark. It's also fascinating as I'd never even heard of this project or Arlington Hall.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Cat Killeen, recent runaway bride and Radcliffe graduate, finds herself navigating Cold War politics, nuclear espionage, and Russian code-breaking when she joins a top secret government group at Arlington Hall. As she meets friends and foes, including a past Harvard classmate, she finds herself embroiled in the mission of rooting out a Soviet spy network in the United States.

I enjoyed this immensely. I appreciated the author's care for details and how she balanced the much larger context of early Cold War America and the day to day lives of the people at Arlington Hall. I also really liked that the work of Cat and the others did had a significant presence in the novel rather than simply being a backdrop. Loved the characters and the relationships that Cat forms throughout her department and Arlington Hall.

I also really liked how the author developed Cat and Jonathan's relationship. Jonathan is quite the romantic lead and it is refreshing to have a male lead who is so besotted with the protagonist even if she doesn't realize it at first. His belief in her and her abilities also makes him incredibly endearing.

I read “The Saturday Evening Girls Club” a few years ago and really liked it so I was excited to see this new book from the same author come up as an ARC on NetGalley. I really enjoyed reading about a period in time that I wasn’t very familiar with (post-WW2 and early Cold War). I thought Jane Healy did a great job of mixing fictional characters with real people and events from history. Plus I always love when a historical fiction novel has a strong b-plot romance that adds to the story and isn’t just a side note. All in all, I’d highly recommend this for historical fiction lovers and I will certainly be looking for other books by this author.