
Member Reviews

Susanna Bavin never disappoints with her WW2 historical fiction stories. Her words transport me back to England in World War Two. The books give me a better understanding of what my relatives went through and why the never spoke of the war. I lost count of how many times I realized that I didn't know something that had occurred.
The author brought some of the struggles experienced by those on the Home Front into my living room. Conflict riddles the pages as parents and daughters do not agree. Women are doing men's work. Daughters are moving out of their familial homes. Women are wanting to marry and still need their parents approval until they are twenty. At the same time it was hard to find a church for a ceremony because so many were getting married before the husband went off to war.
The strength exhibited by the ladies of the Salvage Depot is inspirational. They watch over their area at night. During the day they worked endlessly to secure materials for the war effort. They taught me and scouts what items could be used for, that it was important to sacrafice for the war effort.
I was fascinated with all of the rationing. It wasn't just food. During the war new wedding dresses could not be found. They were borrowed. They were replaced with every day clothing or uniforms. To learn how people would come together to give a bride a wedding she will never forget was beautiful. Twisting events around so others could benefit showed me how during hard times people open their hearts, their homes their lives with others.
I was reminded that anything is possible. Women could help save others. Women could do things they would never have thought to do before the war. They are the unsung heroes that crawled through holes to ease the pain of the injured. They drove into danger as other ran away.

Book 4 of 5 - WWII England. The girls are planning a wedding for their friend. Such a warm, loving story during the uncertainty of war. I was given an ARC of this book. This review is my own.

This is book 4 in an utterly delightful series set in Manchester in the 1940s. I've read the previous three books, and have come to love the girls, I almost wish I could step inside the pages and be their friend.
The characters are so lovely, well mostly! They are real, genuine and believable. I adore Betty, and love how much she's grown since book one. At times they seem so mature that it's easy to forget they are only meant to be 20/21. And the attitudes towards young women in those days seems shocking to the modern reader.
As well as love and friendship, this book also sees some heartbreak which was written with regards to the attitudes of the time, which feels so different to how we talk about such things now, and at times made me a little angry. I'm so glad things have changed, and loved the attitudes of the girls as being a new generation who would change things. I know that's vague, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers!
Overall I'm loving this series and can't wait for book 5 to find out what's next for the Home Front Girls.

A Wedding for the Home Front Girls* is the fourth installment in the Home Front series by Susanna Bavin.
The narrative centres around Lorna and George as they pursue their happily ever after in a chance for renewed love. Will the ladies be able to create a memorable wedding for the couple?
I am truly enjoying this series; I find myself completely immersed, feeling like an extra friend to the women as I share in their hopes, dreams, challenges, and victories. I especially appreciated Lorna's newfound confidence as she stands up to her father.
While the book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the previous books in the series to get the full picture.

A Wedding For the Home Front Girls is the 4th entry in Susanna Bavin's wonderful series - The Home Front Girls.
The series is set in 1941 Manchester, during WWII.
Opening up the latest book in the series is like sitting down with old friends and getting caught up.
The setting is written so well. The danger, the loss, the moments of joy and the camaraderie. Everyone is doing their part to win the war. Women have taken on jobs that no one could have imagined. They’re stalwart and determined to play their part. Life goes despite the war. And actually, the number of weddings has increased!
The core group of characters moves and changes throughout the books, but there’s threads that tie it all together. I really enjoy this group of friends. The details of life is just as interesting. What can you substitute? What can you do without? Keep calm. And carry on.
I’m very much looking forward to the next in this series. Can’t wait to see what’s going on with the girls!

A Wedding for the Home Front Girls is the fourth book in the Homefront Girls series by Susanna Bavin. This book carried on more or less from where the previous one had left off but readers new to the series needn’t worry as there was plenty of back story provided to the characters and significant events that had already occurred. As with each of the previous books, this was a quick, lovely and relaxing read which didn’t require significant over thinking into details or trying to identify mysterious events or twists. Instead, what you see is what you get with the girls and there is just a lovely, general, overall, wholesome feeling of brave and courageous women doing their bit for the war and trying their utmost to get through it without falling to pieces.
I enjoyed this book from beginning to end as it was great to catch up with the girls who have become like firm friends. It’s now April 1941 and Betty is revelling in her recent marriage to bookshop owner Samuel. She didn’t feature that much throughout the book but was there in a supportive role to the other girls when needed. Sally and Lorna are the two that primarily feature and have major plot points surrounding them. Sally is enjoying her job as the manager of the salvage depot and the war work herself Betty and Lorna do is so vital and worthwhile. This series has really highlighted how women stepped out of the confines of the home during the war due to the absence of the men who were called up to fight. They demonstrated that when push came to shove and realistically when given the opportunities they had secretly longed for that they could turn their hand to anything. The were enthusiastic and resourceful and took on the burden of their new responsibilities and dealt with them with grace and good nature. The trio and the minor characters of Deborah and Louise that feature this time around deserve nothing but praise and respect. I love how the author has conveyed all the above mentioned sentiments but done so in a conversational and relaxed style.
Sally is going through a tough time in this book. She hasn’t been married all that long to her husband Andrew but he has decided although he had been working in a reserved occupation that he feels the need to enlist. Sally is utterly heartbroken and I felt despite previously showing such strength and determination that she fell apart. It was like she had let a façade slide and she was exposing her true self. This was further evident when something traumatic befalls her but in this case I felt she was justified in her thoughts and actions. The way this issue was dealt with throughout the book was sensitively done with such tact and respect for the subject matter. Although, I will say I did think Mrs.Beaumont, the landlady of the boarding house that Sally and Lorna reside in, was rather forward in something she asked Sally and it seemed to me rather strange to ask something of that nature to a boarder no matter how close they had gotten. This is not a major gripe I had with the book more so that it just didn’t sit right with me. Sally has a lot of emotional turmoil to deal with and once again her friends are there to rally around her but I was glad to see they weren’t overbearing or over powering in any way.
Perhaps the person who has grown the most since she was first introduced was Lorna. She has been through a lot in the public eye thanks to her father bringing a case to court of an unfairly jilted bride which was met with such contempt and ridicule. So much so that she virtually had to go into hiding and that’s how she came to get a job working at the salvage depot. She had come from a good business background. Her father having done very well for himself but her fall from grace was spectacular. When she first arrived at the depot I don’t think she ingratiated herself with the other girls all that well. But now it’s like she has done a complete 360 and is one of the gang. I think she has a lot more empathy and understanding towards people and she comes across as being like the others and on their level. She is definitely a lot more worldly wise and doesn’t make rash statements or decisions. I liked her much more in this book than I had before. She has matured in a big way and this led to her making some courageous decisions in the book that would bring her the ultimate happiness she had so long desired. I felt she was on much more of an even keel with George this time around and that getting married would be the right thing to do. It was nice to read of the prep for this and it took up the last quarter or so of the book. I would have loved a bit of drama or tension happening with something to be solved or overcome as happened with the last book towards the end. This was lacking here.
Overall, A Wedding for the Homefront Girls was a good addition to the series which highlights how ell the girls work together. It’s lovely to see the bonds of friendship and sisterhood growing stronger all the time. If you want an easy, light hearted and nostalgic family saga then you won’t go far wrong with this one. I’m already looking forward to the publication of A Baby for the Homefront Girls in September.

The series continues and it certainly is an amazing book and a wonderful story.
We continue to see what Sally, Betty & Lorna have been up to. Sally has her troubles and we see her ups and downs., Betty is newly married to Samuel and is still in her honeymoon period. Lorna is taking things slowly with George will their family be happy with them back together only time will tell. The woman go from strength to strength and work well together.
The book was wonderful and it was sad and happy in places the characters certainly work all well together and you just want to read on and find out what happens.
Well written and is a fantastic book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wartime saga. Sad at times, loss and separation which is always hard but, these girls railed round and helped their friends out. A really easy read and I look forward to more from this talented author. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

This is 4th installment in the Home Front Girls series. This focuses on the friendships between Lorna, Betty, and Sally. Betty and Sally are now happily married, and George and Lorna are back together and happier than ever. =It's WWII, and the girls are working in the Salvage Depot and are Fire Watchers. Deborah, Sally's childhood best friend, is back and ready for some independence. Things are changing in England as women are enjoying a new found independence as they find war work and move out on their own.
I really enjoyed the 4th installment of the series. It's like catching up with old friends. Betty, Lorna, and Sally are back as they deal with living through wartime and the constant bombing they had to deal with in England. I can't imagine living there during this time. Even though the Nazi's never invaded the Brits had to deal with constant bombing and supporting the war effort during WWII. There are some new girls in the series, Debra and Louise, and I hope we hear more about them in the future series.
Thanks @bookouture, @netgalley and the author for this arc

We are back with Lorna ,Sally and Betty.It is 1941 and all the girls are still working in the salvage depot sorting out .Lorna gets proposed to by George before he gets sent to America by the War Office. Sally goes through troubles when her mother in law want her to move with her too her sisters and finding she is pregnant. Betty is married and living at the shop her husband Sam runs.Will George be safe travelling,how will Sally’s pregnancy go and what’s in store for Betty.Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture.

Part of a series featuring the salvage girls. We follow their lives through no!ends of heartbreak and joy. An excellent read.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc
Another brilliant book in this series
Family saga wartime what more can you ask for

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
I loved reading this book, and read it in one sitting.
It’s 1941, the field are continuing their work at the salvage yard. Sally is trying to keep her feeling to herself about her husband, who is leaving to fight in the war.
Betty is now happy living her married life as well as enjoying her work with her friends.
For Lorna, she’s now engaged and is hoping that both sets of parents will be happy for her and George, after what happened last time.
A wedding date is set, but there follows hurdles in the way as George has to leave on war business and getting a church booked for the ceremony is proving difficult. Will they get married on the set date?
We read about how things were done differently during the war.
I love Sally, Lorna and Betty, reading what is happening in their lives.
I highly recommend this book.

This is book four in the home front girls saga series which are all set in WW2. It can be read as a stand-alone but if you have read the previous books you will immediately know the characters.
It's April 1941, and Sally and Betty are still good friends from working at the Salvage depot and when Lorna joined them, although at first she hated working there, she was very soon one of the team and is good friends with Sally and Betty. Sally and her husband Andrew have just said their goodbyes to each other, although only married for a short while, they knew they were soul mates and destined to be together for ever, but Andrew must go to war to do his duty. Lorna is still having trouble with her parents about her boyfriend George, whom her father wanted her to marry as she would eventually inherit a title. But are her feelings towards George slowly changing? Sally has some welcome good news, but in wartime will it be enough to be good news for long. She very soon has both good and upsetting news that she has to deal with on her own, she seems strong enough, but is she really?
With a wedding to plan everyone pulls together and in the wartime spirit, borrowing items plus pulling some strings along the way and hoping that there will be no bomb attacks on the day.
As with the previous books in this series I really enjoyed the camaraderie between everyone and even those who thought they were better than others find themselves drawn together and working together to get help and give support to others caught up in the nightly air attacks, when most of Manchester seemed to be burning, as well as the preparations for the upcoming wedding.
I was excited to read that there is another book in this series coming soon, I can't wait to find out more about all these fabulous characters. A great wartime saga and a well deserved five-star read from me.
#aweddingforthehomefrontgirls
#SusannaBavin
#bookouture
#Netgalley

I have read all the series so far and this one didn't disappoint.I
Some sad times for Sally. but her good friends as always were there to help her through it
Some new characters In the book with a story not yet revealed
I'm looking forward to the next book, plenty more story lines and happier times left to come

Manchester, 1941: Amid the heartbreak of war, can the girls band together to give their friend the wedding she deserves? Phenomenal . . . truly remarkable and amazingly unpredictable

Back with the Homefront girls! These band of plucky, resourceful and strong women have completely captured me since the first book and I’ve really enjoyed my time with them as they live through their respective wartimes.
It’s been great to see their relationships blossom and with a wedding looming, how will they cope with the shortages and struggles of war?
I find these books just so heartwarming and love spending my morning with a coffee and a (fair few) chapters of this book! So easy to pick up and so easy to get lost in the story. I’m so happy to hear that there will be a next one in this series and I honestly can’t wait.

This is the fourth book in the Home Front Girls series by Susanna Bavin - I have loved every book and it’s always a joy to be reunited with Sally, Betty and Lorna, who by now, feel very much like my own chums!
This book touches upon some very personal heartache, particularly for Sally - and these scenes were emotional but also quite shocking in the way such matters were handled decades ago, in comparison to the modern day. But once again, the girls are an example of how love, friendship and kindness can be enough to get one another through the worst of times.
The dialogue is wonderful and the girls’ mishaps and encounters keep us on our toes from beginning to end. The remarkable resilience of civilians during wartime truly shines from these pages.
I highly recommend this delightful story and look forward to the next 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 the 4th book in the series and as exciting as the first. It would be possible to read as a stand-alone but the series is delightful and far more context would be gained from the whole series.
Full of new facts regarding the salvage girls and their work during the war and bringing back Lorna, Sally and Betty and giving a role to new character Louisa and a larger role for Sally’s old friend Deborah.
This books centred mostly around Lorna and her romance with her ex-fiancé - the references to the way the media dealt with Lorna and her previous court case brought by her father for breach of promise and the fact that she and George had rekindled their love made for difficult reading at times. Even booking a Church for their wedding proved problematic with journalists round every corner.
The book also dealt with partners leaving loved ones and the devastation of losing a baby.
As with the previous books there were light hearted moments amongst the hardships of war - the way Lorna got her fabric for her dress was very moving.
The book was well researched and well written and frankly a delight to read. I look forward to the next one which we know is coming - the ‘blurb’ might give a little too much information in my view.
Thank you

Another enjoyable book in the Home Front Girls series. Some of the issues covered are really important issues and are discussed with compassion and integrity. The title is a mixture of both happy and sadness which makes it a good all round book. I thoroughly enjoy the series, not least as my husband is from Manchester.
Highly recommend the series to people who enjoy historical fiction with some romance.
Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read an Arc copy.