Another gorgeous, light story of Miss Lake’s (now Mrs Mayhew) adventures as she navigates the trials of living in London during WW2 and working on a women’s magazine as they try to help women in all aspects of their daily lives.
There are some of the more serious and sad aspects of the war but they are balanced with the sense of fun and hope that many young people have, especially when faced with challenges.

I just loved this book. The story is so well written and structured. Though it covers difficult topics of war and grief, it does so in a way that makes you feel the highs with the lows and maintains a light-hearted tone wherever possible throughout. An easy read that isn’t too intense and one that I will definitely recommend.

Dear Miss Lake is the fourth and final book in her World War Two set series set in the world of a woman's magazine at the time and is the perfect way to say goodbye to these beloved characters. In London 1944 Emmy Lake is about to face her biggest personal challenge to date, Career wise things could not be better, her magazine is going from strength to strength and their efforts in encouraging and supporting the home front have not gone unnoticed by the Ministry, in fact Emmy is granted the rare privilege of becoming a Lady War Correspondent and being sent to a recently liberated part of Belgium to report on the nurses who are doing such valuable work caring for injured soldiers. Her happy marriage to Charles is bolstered by his posting near to home but when he is sent abroad on one final mission and is reported missing, presumed captured she is left in a state of worried ignorance and it will take all of her friend's support to help her through this tough time which opens her eyes to how poorly the wives and families of the missing service men are treated, The war may be nearly over but the nation is struggling , it has been almost five years of war and though it looks like things are drawing to a close there is still a lot of uncertainty about what the future will hold and how society will reshape itself after the war, as evidenced by the letters pouring into Emmy's office, she and her team will have to pull together through some very hard times before they get their happily ever afters.
This was a beautiful way to end the series, which has brought me so much pleasure over the years. These characters almost feel like friends at this point and by the end of the book I felt happy with what the future held for all of them despite the struggles they had faced on the way. The coziness of the series is a velvet glove over the steel fist of the tough situations that so many people faced during the war, the author does a wonderful job of keeping that balance which I am sure is not an easy thing to do. I am sorry to be saying goodbye to Emmy, Bunty and all the rest of the wonderul characters that I met over the course of the series but I can only recommend this book as the perfect send off.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

I was thrilled to be approved for a review copy of Desr Miss Lake as I have been a diehard fan of Emmy Lake since the beginning. Although I was sad that this is the last book in the series, it makes total sense to end things here. This is a perfect way to say goodbye to Emmy, Bunty and all the beloved characters who have become friends as the series has progressed. I loved it.

The fourth and final part of Emmy's story is as pitch perfect as the previous three in the series.
I was delighted to receive an earc copy from NetGalley and the publishers, Picador and equally pleased to be able to give the book a rave review!
All the characters in the book are so well established and, if, like me, you have read, and enjoyed the three previous books in the series, you will eagerly await what happens next in their lives
There is such a gentle cozy atmosphere to much of the book, but the steel backbone of it is the harsh reality of the last few months of the second world war and the chaos that marked that period.
The heroine, Emmy has to endure as much worry and fear as any of those whose letters she reads and seeks to answer in her pages of the Woman's Friend.
AJ Pearce has undoubtedly done her research very well and the result, for me at least, was a book I couldn't, and wouldn't put down until I finished it!

As with the other books in this series, I loved every minute I spent with Emmy and the team as they navigated the end of the war and what that meant for the troops.
The bonds between the friends and colleagues of the magazine were just wonderful to read and I read it with a smile on my face despite the sadder sections.
I highly recommend reading this series if you haven't already. These characters will just stay with me.

The final installment of the Emmy Lake chronicles has arrived. It was good to return to the world of Woman's Friend and the lives of those involved with it. The story combined the series' usual warmth with some of the difficulties and social history of World War 2. It was a fitting end to an enjoyable series.

I wasn’t aware that there was one more book coming in this series - it was a really charming story as usual, that makes you feel more emotional than you expect thanks to great writing and endearing characters. A really good insight into the final months of the war, and a perfect wrap for this series

It was a joy to return to wartime Britain with Emmy, Bunty, and the Women’s Friend team in AJ Pearce’s Dear Miss Lake. This final instalment in the Emmy Lake series offers another heart-warming glimpse into the charm, camaraderie, and quiet resilience of life on the home front.

The story opens with Emmy riding a wave of success, finally realising her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent whilst still carrying on the important job of answering the letters sent into the magazine’s advice column. But with the nation weary after nearly five years of war, she and the team have their hands full encouraging everyone to pull together and push on. Victory may be in sight, but nothing is certain, particularly for those who still have loved ones serving at the front. And then disaster strikes, thrusting Emmy even further into the thick of things once again.

What I particularly enjoyed about Dear Miss Lake was the richness of the character development and as Emmy and those around her navigate an ever-changing, uncertain world. A J Pearce captures the complexity, uncertainty and bittersweet nature of life during wartime with a deft hand and her ability to weave a plot twist into the story can take your breath away. Like the first three books in the series, this well-researched book also goes behind the propaganda and offers a heartfelt, sometimes poignant, glimpse of what life was really like for women on the home front during the second World War.

Although Emmy is at the centre of the story, one of the things I liked is going on around her. From Bunty’s ongoing personal journey to the issues facing Guy, Monica and members of the Women’s Friend team, there is a real sense of everyone helping each other. These subplots - including threads involving family, friendship and romance - add depth, heart and a sense of real life that makes the world A J Pearce has created feel authentic and alive.

I would recommend this book and indeed the whole series to anyone who enjoys World War II historical fiction as well as stories about resilience, friendship, community and the strength of women supporting one another through challenging times. I enjoyed Dear Miss Lake and the whole series so much. I was sad to see it end. I may just have to go back to the beginning and read all four books from the beginning once again!

Wow ,the final part of this trilogy and in my opinion the best book of all ,really show what women went through when their loved ones were killed or missing or as prisoners of war .Its simply an amazing read and will stay with me for a long time .

What a terrific end to the series! I’ve loved spending time with Emmy, Charles, Bunty, Guy and all the rest of the gang and so it was an emotional read, knowing it was time to say goodbye. This story contained all the usual charm, warmth and good spirit but there was also a sobering reminder of the real impact of war with the scenes in the war hospital and the storyline about the prisoners of war. I’d highly recommend this whole series and look forward to seeing where AJ Pearce turns her talents next.

This is another delightful story from AJ Pearce. I have read all the others in this series and while the first was probably my favourite, there is something nice about the growing team of characters in the subsequent novels.

In this one, we are approaching the end of the war, which seems to be stretching on forever. Decamping to the countryside to escape the bombing means an opportunity for the whole team to achieve a sense of peace. But given the war is still happening in Europe, the peace doesn't last long.

We see our main character face new problems and explore new horizons. That said, this is still a fairly breezy novel and not one to create too much drama. It is an easy read and I enjoyed it very much.

Dear Miss Lake, A.J. Pearce

The fourth and final instalment of the Emmy Lake Wartime Chronicles. It was such a pleasure to restart this journey, rereading books 1-3 to get to this very bittersweet finale.

Dear Miss Lake is set with the end of this "bloody war" in sight. But not quite there yet.

Increased air raids on London take the 'Woman's Friend' gang out to live and work together in Mrs Tavistock (aka Bunty's granny)'s country estate. They are welcomed with open arms.

Amidst the new norm, the colleagues live and work together in idyllic settings, another wedding is on the cards, the Ministry are very happy with everyone - Emmy is finally sent overseas as a genuine lady war correspondent, fulfilling her dreams from the earliest pages. What does it say about me that in all these happy times I was waiting for it, something terrible was due to happen!

Then came a telegram... and we all know what that can mean.

This catalyst rouses everyone into action, and Emmy and the team into meeting a whole new host of wives and families of the men out there. Somewhere. Fighting this "bloody war".

With the usual peaks and troughs, chin up and carry ons, frustrated readers, emotional plots, absolute charm and wit to boot, this book brings our journey with these wonderful characters through such tough times to an end. But I think they'll all live on in my head and my heart for a while to come.

Highly recommend this whole series. With thanks to @netgalley and publishers @panmacmillan @picador

#DearMissLake #NetGalley #Picador #PanMacmillan #EmmelineLakeChronicles #WartimeChronicles

Dear Miss Lake delivered in every way – dreams were realised, weddings were celebrated and the war finally came to an end. We follow Emmy and her friends as they push on into the final year of the Second World War. When the opportunity presents itself to work on Woman’s Friend in the idyllic rural setting of Hampshire away from the danger and devastation of the London bombing, the magazine’s staff need little persuasion to relocate. And so begins a summer of adventure.

This final instalment in the Emmy Lake Chronicles had all the charm and optimism of the earlier books in the series, but was not without darkness, peril and heartache. The theme of waiting permeated the novel – waiting for news, waiting for loved ones to come home and waiting for the war to end. It shone a light on how challenging it was for women to navigate wartime bureaucracy when trying to get information about prisoners of war and highlighted the importance of publications like Woman’s Friend in keeping up morale and signposting women to the organisations which could help them.

I found the way that the characters cared for one another and maintained a can-do attitude in adverse circumstances extremely uplifting. Their willingness to leap into action whenever they could be of help to others drove the plot forward. In this wonderful conclusion to the series, AJ Pearce struck the perfect balance between portraying the cost of war while keeping alive the hope that families could be reunited as the end of the war approached. I hope that other readers enjoy this final instalment as much as I did.

I wholeheartedly recommend the series and was absolutely delighted to receive this eARC of the final book. Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for sharing this copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

I have been in such a big mood for WWII fiction recently and I always look forward to a new Emmy Lake book! I was big fans of the first and third books in the series and wasn't that keen on the second and this fell somewhere in the middle. I suppose sometimes it all felt a bit too cosy for my tastes, the way everyone they meet instantly becomes best friends, and it didn't have the fun idiosyncratic writing (like the first book) and the great plot (like the third book) to make this a fave. But it actually did make me quite emotional at points and it was interesting reading a book that was set in the last year of the war, when things were in theory getting better but nothing had really changed.

I have really enjoyed these books about Emmy, and so I was very happy to receive a copy for review of this, the final episode which saw me let out a large, unexpected sob near the end! In this story we see the end of the war approaching and yet still unknown...and whilst it looks like the horrors might soon end, nobody knows when, or how, and London is still facing a barrage of bombs, and the women at home are still living through rationing, shortages, working, keeping their children safe whilst not knowing, in some cases, where their husbands are or if they're even alive. Emmy and the magazine's team continue their work to encourage and support these women, whilst living through wartime horrors of their own.
I whip through these stories so quickly. I did wish for a little more Bunty, and a little more Stan too (because he really makes me laugh), but I loved the country gathering then return to London, and Emmy's fierce, passionate quest. And Guy, dear lovely Guy. It made me want to read some of the actual magazines from the time. It made me think about my Nan, and the work she was doing during the war, and of how her sister, my great aunt, must have felt watching her husband go up in the planes (he was a navigator), and of their wedding photo where she and my Nan look so beautiful, but how much their clothes must have been cobbled together and remade.
Anyway, these are lovely stories and I feel sad they're at an end, though they ended just as I would have wished. I'm looking forward to see what the author will write next!
With thanks to the publisher, and Net Galley, for my review copy.

What a lovely final book in this series. The book joins Emmy, Guy, Bunty and all the gang still struggling through the war. Women’s Friend is still doing its bit to support the war effort and keep the spirits of its readers up. The book made me cry, both happy and sad tears. Like a lovely warm hug in a book. Highly recommend.

I’ve enjoyed all the books in this series set in the 2nd World War in the offices of the magazine,Woman’s Friend,where Emmy Lake answers the problems page.The story and characters have all developed so well throughout the series,and as the letters are based on real life problems faced by women at the time,it feels very realistic.It’s cheerful and lighthearted in part,but doesn’t gloss over the tragedy and difficulty of every day life in war time London.
I don’t want to spoil the plot,but in this book there is a plot development which was similar to one faced by my family when an uncle of mine was captured in Germany,and it really brought home to me how it must have been for my grandmother.
Highly recommend this book-I loved it.Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

London, July 1944: Emmy Lake's career as a journalist is flourishing. Working at Woman's Friend magazine, she’s on the cusp of realising her dream of becoming a Lady War Correspondent. Personally, things are looking brighter too—her husband, Charles, has been posted closer to home, and they, along with their close friends Bunty and Harold, are enjoying a few peaceful days in the countryside. They know how lucky they are, given the ongoing war.

But after nearly five years of conflict, the nation is weary. The Yours Cheerfully advice column is overwhelmed with letters, and even though there’s hope the war may end by Christmas, the hardships are far from over. For Emmy and her team, it's all about sticking together and pushing forward.

But just as things seem to be improving, disaster strikes. In this moment, Emmy will need the support of her friends more than ever. Dear Miss Lake is an uplifting, heartwarming story about friendship and resilience in the toughest of times—a beautiful testament to the bonds that hold us up when life seems most uncertain.

I found Dear Miss Lake to be a truly heartwarming and emotionally satisfying read. The characters, especially Emmy, are so well-crafted, and you can’t help but root for them as they navigate the challenges of war and personal loss. I loved the sense of community and camaraderie that runs through the story—it’s a reminder of how crucial our relationships are when times are tough. It’s a book that balances the sadness of the era with moments of light, and I found myself smiling through tears. It’s definitely a book that leaves you feeling grateful for the people in your life and inspired by the strength we all have to endure.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

It was a sad day when I finished Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce. I knew that this was the final book in the series and, indeed, it had to be. But I have so enjoyed the company of Emmy, Bunty and their friends that I was in no hurry to get to the end of the book. As you might expect, the tone is the same as it's been all the way though the sequence: hopeful in spite of the realities of war which it doesn't attempt to minimise.
If you haven't read the rest of the series, so that first but make sure that you read this.