I've loved this series and meeting the characters again is like meeting an old friend. Highly recommended

This is the fourth and last instalment of Dear Mrs. Bird series, by A. J. Pearce, that is set during the World War II in the UK.

I have been reading the series since the first book, when Emily wants to be a war correspondent and finds herself working for a "problems/advice column" in a women's magazine. It was a delight to be with these beloved characters again.

In this book (as in the others), you will cry, and you will laugh, but for me the most important is that it will also seed hope in your heart. I loved how the characters get together to solve problems, in an horrible circumstance like a war, and really help each other. Not only because that's how literally you solve problems, but looking at our times that's something we also need to re-learn urgently.

Pearce consulted women's magazines from that era and interviewed women that still remembered the war time and that research work shows. Both in language and writing style, but also in the characterisation of the personages: you will be easily attached to them. I was very impressed by a scene where soldiers ask the reporter to print their name in the magazine, so their families knew they were alive: in the 60s/70s my country sent soldiers to a war and we have tv recordings of soldiers forming a queue to the camera to say Merry Christmas so their families back home could see them. So journalists and journalism also had this function.

I also found very insightful how the government was interest and worried about what woman magazines would publish and how our characters reacted and deal with those pressures.

I think you can read this book as a standalone, but I really recommend to get the four volumes and start from the beginning. I know, and understand, many readers are sad this is the last book, but I'm hoping Pearce has more stories to tell and more characters for us to attach to.

(I was given an ARC from NetGalley).

I am a bit late to the party with AJ Pearce's books, however the was an enjoyable read and highly recommend. Will be catching up with previous publications shortly.

A bittersweet read, it was lovely to catch up with Emmy , Bunty and the team but sad to say goodbye after 4 books. However they could do with a rest and some peace . They have had a rather busy time of it, trying to remain calm and cheerful while having everything thrown at them and yes I know they are fictional but they are real to me. I did feel it was a bit full of plots and some/a lot of anxiety and I was exhausted reading it and very grateful not to have been living it for real.
Thank you

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

I’ve enjoyed reading this book.

The story is about the final year of the Second World War.

It’s not that good in London, with the bombings, so the team are in the countryside where it’s much safer to carry on the work for the magazine Women's Friend, reading the letters sent in, answering them, giving them advice and encouragement.

Emmy, having spent time with her husband while he was leave, with her friends, he’s now back in Europe about to head to Berlin!

Emmy receives communication that Charles is a POW, she has other things to worry about and now this news makes her more anxious. Emmy continues to send him letters and await them back from him.

Emmy tries to ask those that she knows to find out more about how Charles is along with his crew.

The women had to make the most of the food they had due to rationing. Helping each other out when and where needed.

I’ve enjoyed reading this series.

I highly recommend this book.

The fourth and final instalment of The Emmy Lake Chronicles, set in July 1944, finds Emmy Lake juggling her role at Woman’s Friend magazine, burgeoning career ambitions and personal trials amidst the war. Now a war correspondent, Emmy faces growing pressure both professionally and emotionally. When disaster strikes, she must lean on her friends and her own indomitable spirit to carry on.

Central themes include resilience, community, and the power of friendship under pressure. Emmy’s “can-do” spirit shines throughout, making the narrative a heartening tribute to everyday heroines of the Home Front.

The characters are wonderfully familiar & Dear Miss Lake is a deeply satisfying conclusion to Emmy Lake’s journey. The story is uplifting, well-crafted, and emotionally genuine. A.J. Pearce delivers laughter, tears, and unshakable hope in equal measure, creating a heartfelt homage to women’s resilience during the darkest chapter of history. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and character-driven stories rooted in friendship and courage.

I'm grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Dear Miss Lake. I've absolutely loved this whole series, and this fourth and final installment did not disappoint.

It was a joy to be reunited with the familiar team from The Woman’s Friend magazine and to get to know the characters even more. After following Emmy, Bunty, Charles, and Guy through their joys and sorrows, I’ve really grown attached to them and I’ll miss them.

This book, like the others, is feelgood and heartfelt. Amongst the sadness of war, it’s full of warmth, fun, and a strong sense of community. The characters continue to support one another through the hardships of the Second World War with compassion. The move to the countryside added a lovely new dimension, and I especially enjoyed reading about the camaraderie that grew from it.

The writing is well structured, thoroughly researched, and easy to read. This series as a whole is a celebration of friendship, resilience, and the power of women helping each other through difficult times. A thoroughly satisfying and uplifting read.

This book doesn't shy away from showing the realities and heartbreak of war, offering a clear and thoughtful insight into its emotional toll. I wholeheartedly recommend the entire series.

A wonderful end to this series. WW2 is coming to an end in Europe but the Women’s Friend has its last push to encourage and support the women of the UK but especially those waiting for news of their loved ones. Emmy is married to Charles and others are waiting for the men to return before they can marry. A lovely ending. Thanks to AJ Pearce and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

It was a pleasure to leap back into the world of Emmy Lake and her fellow Magazine colleagues as they clamber through the murky end-of-war years.
We are treated to weddings, a relocation, and a fair few tragedies, as well as some mystery as Hester disappears for a while.
I loved this last installment, and AJ Pearce really helps the reader get a feel for what many families on the home front would have felt like, nervously awaiting news of their loved ones in Europe, as war sounds like it is ending.
There are less of the Dear Miss Lake letters, as Emmy gets engrossed in helping women and families trying to trace their family members who are prisoners of war, and that is not without emotion.
An enjoyable addition to the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

This is the fourth and final book in the series and IMO the best one. It could be a standalone book. You will find that there are a lot of characters, and you won't know much about them. Best to just begin with the first book and have the joy of reading the whole series.

What I like about these books, is the social history aspect of them, rather than the war aspect. Although in this book there is a little more about the war and those serving with the impact on their loved ones. I also like the angle of the Woman's Friend magazine and the letters they receive. It really brought home to me what life was like for people day to day during the war. The writing is so easy and engaging to read, the characters really brought to life together with their hopes and fears.

Set in 1944 all know that WW2 is about to end from the the timeline without even reading the book. What we don't know is the fate of all the people we have met over the previous three books. I had my favourites and was hoping they would be safe. I did shed a few tears near the end, you will need to read it to find out for yourself why that was.

I will miss Emmy and the others, but I think it's the right decision to end the story with this book.

This book brings to an end this series . Emmy Lake has transformed from an ambitious young lady wanting to make her way in Journalism to being a war correspondent . Meet Emmyvand her associates on that journey

I was so looking forward to reading this one after having read the others in the series and loving them. This one was just as good and wonderful to catch up with all the characters. These books are written in a way that I can totally immerse myself into the book and never like leaving it.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Dear Miss Lake by AJ Pearce

Emmy's 'Yours Cheerfully' advice column at the Woman's Friend magazine is busier than ever as WW2 enters its fifth year, and although the end is sight there are considerable problems in the here and now. Emmy and her friends have many challenges to overcome in the final year before VE Day, not least Emmy's husband Charles being captured and placed in a prisoner of war camp.

A lovely final book in this series and a very fitting end. This was a lovely warmhearted read with the usual mix of problems and more lighthearted moments, and a fabulous cast of characters. This is a fascinating time in history which the author does a great job of bringing to life with lots of period details. All 4 books would make a fantastic TV/Netflix series! Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I thought this was a brilliant story. I'd never considered looking at WW2 from this angle before or how interested the government would of course be in making sure that women's magazines were writing "the right" articles and steering their readership into certain directions on the home front of WW2. Emmy was very likeable, as indeed were all the characters on the staff, and I thought it was clever to have the novel experiencing life in the country, back in the city, and even with a brief sojurn to Europe. It was excellently written and felt very accurate, from the troubles women were experiencing to day-to-day life during the Blitz. It felt like the perfect combination of drama and concern for certain individual characters whilst also following along the general events of the latter few years of the war. I enjoyed it so much and will definitely look out for other novels by AJ Pearce.

A sweet book set at the end of WW2. I had not read the predecessors, perhaps explaining why the huge amount of characters seemed a little overwhelming but other than that it worked fine as a standalone. More of a gentle meander of a read; not an awful lot happens, but it’s cosy and informative.

The fourth book in this popular series and lovely to receive an ARC for it, thank you Net Galley. I have read the first two but not the third so although this is technically a stand alone I think it would have helped to have read the one preceding it. A very sweet and heartwarming depiction of the final months of WW2 seen from the standpoint of those holding the fort at home & struggling to keep spirits up despite the worry and trauma of missing husbands and sons. I enjoyed catching up with all the characters from The Women’s Friend & seeing how they coped with the ongoing wartime challenges. My favourite part is reading the reader letters and replies. I did find it all a little ‘twee’ & a tad slow at times but (without spoilers) enough happening to keep turning the pages. A nice way to end the series. 3.5 stars.

Really enjoyed this fourth and final book in the Emmy Lake series. It was warm, engaging and really well written. I’d read all of the other books in the series and this was a lovely way to see how the characters’ stories came to a conclusion.

While it is engaging and easy to read there’s a good lot of research behind this book. I studied history and know a lot about World War 2, but I found I was learning things here. Other reviewers have said that they think this would make a great tv programme and I really agree with that!

Thank you so much for this review copy.

Dear Miss Lake is the fourth and final instalment of the Emmy Lake series and even better than it’s wonderful predecessors. It’s been an engaging look at a women’s magazine throughout World War II, its charm and warmth managing to balance with the darker days and tragedies of the period.

This final book takes us to the last months of the war, which seems as though it will never end and needs a final push from the magazine to help retain morale among its readership. There are so many little detours and stories within, from a period of the magazine’s staff working in a country house to Emmy’s spell as a reporter in Belgium, but it manages to show what hard work and dedication were required from the home front as well as those serving. There is obviously a huge amount of research behind the scenes to make it all seem so real and it’s a wonderful tribute to the work of women in all fields throughout the war.

I’m a little sad that this is the last book and would encourage anybody to begin from Book 1 for the sheer pleasure, although this could easily be read as a standalone. I fully understand that the author is ready to try something new and look forward to reading it but must admit, I very much hope it’s not the last we see of all these characters that we’ve come to know and love.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

"Our job was to help, not to dwell. But as I sat listing the saddest of situations...I felt somehow remiss. It was as if I had been purely reeling off an inventory of misery, without the emotion any single one of these problems, or more to the point, the person who had written to us, deserved."

The final book in the British wartime, Emmy Lake Chronicles series sees the end of the war approaching but still see plenty of humour, drama and poignant moments for Emmy and her friends working at Woman's Friend magazine. With all the series usual hallmarks, it was a privilege to be able to read an advanced copy, a joy to be back in Emmy, best friend Bunty and and editor Guy's world. If you haven't read any of these series, there are four books, you are in for a treat, start with Dear Mrs Bird. I look forward to reading what the author writes next.

I read Dear Mrs Bird and absolutely loved it.
Dear Miss Lake continues the story . As the war continues and the bombing of London escalates, the team have the opportunity to transfer their operation to the country.
I love the conversations in this book, you can hear the characters voices in your head and visualise them in your mind..
Full of interesting facts about the home life during the war, concentrating on the small heroes rather than the well known ones.
A wonderful story of friendship, resilience and hope for the future.