A wonderful second book as the series continues for the Dunbars. The main characters from book one all appear as Kitty tries to reinvent the hotel as a storage business as well as a reception venue. Great characters as well as a fabulous plot. I can’t wait for book 3. Thanks to Maisie and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

An excellent book that kept me reading well into the early hours. From the very first chapter, I was drawn into the lives of Kitty, Lily and Beatrice, and the way they come together during such challenging times. Maisie has a wonderful gift for creating characters and settings that feel real, and she brings the era to life in a way that is both vivid and heartfelt.

The story balances hope, friendship, and resilience beautifully, and I found myself completely absorbed throughout. A truly enjoyable read — I can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.

The next instalment in the Wartime Hotel was an enjoyable read. Kitty's character gets even stronger in book 2 and it was a joy to read. Lily has had a tough life and if you think it can't get anymore tough it does in this book, I hope the next instalment in the series will be a turn for Lily as she really deserves it. Beatrice was my favourite character in book one but this book I really struggled to like her in parts it really didn't take away from the story. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Lily, Kitty, and Beatrice are firm friends, more like family since they all moved into the Dunbar Hotel, which is now a storage facility. I very much enjoy reading about their lives and the changes they face because of the war. Each of them has had their share of hardship, which makes reading about their happy times that much more special.

Kitty has a husband that I want to slap. Beatrice has an opportunity for romance involving an old flame, and lovely Lily - well, she deserves so much happiness. Will she get it? You will have to read the book to find out.

There are plenty of other characters that have places in the three women's lives, some lovable, some you won't like at all. Between the good and the bad, and it all being set during the war, there isn't a dull moment. This is yet another wonderful book in this fabulous series.

The moment I started to read this book I felt I was walking back into my friend’s home .Dunbar’s sucked me in with its warm welcome and friendly supportive friends .Kitty was a wonderful woman who has to be admired for her strength but also her compassion and loyalty to her friends especially lily .
I loved this book because it flowed so easily and it made me part of it.
I thought book one was amazing and it definitely was but this book surpasses it .Maisie has nailed it once again . Now the long anticipated wait for book 3 .How exciting it is to have something to look forward too.
Thank you to #NetGalley #BoldWoodPublisher and of course to Maisie Thomas for allowing me to read this book before it’s published.#GoodreadsReviewer and #AmazonReviewer

I was so happy to get an advance copy of this to review. I really enjoyed the first so couldn't wait to start this. This made me angry, sad and happy. loved catching up with Kitty, Lily and Beatrice again

oh its lovely to be back at Dunbars hotel with our brave and fantastic found family and friends. the hotel having been closed and now a storage house the woman are ready to try new things to make their lives workable and safe.
Kitty is once again someone i fell in love with all over again. the first book showed just what this woman is made of and shes still coming through with the bravery and gumption. especially against that awful ex who left her in the trouble in the first place. she has managed to diversify the hotel and make a life for herself. but times are still hard and in this book she needs to go further in making things work to keep profits going.
Beatrice is such a warming character. shes got such a kind heart. what shes trying to do for those in more need even in times of strife herself is such a selfless thing. in this book someone from the past comes back into her life and we aren't sure what to think of this.
Lily of course is still affected by her loss and you can almost feel how its haunting her.
all the characters in this book make you want the best for them. you are inspired by them and feel for them all. the courage and resilience they all show is something special about these books. its touched my heart more than others ive read and the way Maisie writes such heart throughout her books is stunning.
it was also really interesting if a little frustrating to see how much life was affected just for being a woman. how these woman had to find new ways just to live, just because of restriction from being woman is never not going to anger me. sadly we don't seem to have move on too much and we seem to be almost reseeding into such beliefs once again in our own society.

The Wartime Hotel, Book 2

Manchester, 1942: When Kitty Dunbar was forced to confront her husband's debts and close the family hotel, she transformed Dunbar's into a storage business for bombed-out families. But with her daughter to support, and relishing her new independence, Kitty is keen to come up with more ways to use the prestigious hotel. Sharing her home with former chambermaid Lily, and kindhearted welfare worker Beatrice, both haunted by their past loss. Together, the three women create a new kind of family in the heart of the Manchester Blitz: one built on respect and resilience. When Kitty suggests hosting wedding receptions in the old dining room, her friends are happy to lend a hand - and help her serve "Dunbar's Wartime Wedding Punch."

The writing flows from the pages in this quick and easy read. It has a lot of historical detail. The characters are well-developed. There were lots of things I didn't know about that were told in this story, one of them being that a woman couldn't open a bank account without their husband's written permission. Thankfully, that rule has changed. This is a well-written and informative read.

Published 15th September 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #MaisieThomas for my ARC of #HopefulHeartsAtTheWartimeHotel in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realize this was the second book I the series, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this one.

I loved the strong female characters, the friendship and the hard work the ladies willing did.
I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to find out what happens.

Overall, I liked the time period, setting and the storyline.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. Opinions are my own.

Kitty’s husband was reckless with money and showing off after he inherited the Dunbar Hotel from his Uncle he ran it into the ground and soon they had the bailiffs at their door. After getting her husband sent off to war Kitty sets about making a new business for her family. Using the hotel’s empty rooms for people to store their possessions when their property gets damaged is a great idea but Kitty soon needs new ways to earn money after Bill has been spending the money she’s earned and refuses to allow her access to Dunbars bank account. I loved catching up with the characters in this second book in this series as the women all pull together to help each other through these difficult times.

Another great read by Maisie Thomas. Kitty Dunbar has had to find other ways of making a living since her husband put them in debt and had to close the Dunbar Hotel when the bailiffs came and took things away to cover his debts.Barbara and Lily are living there to help her.Barbara has a job with the Corporation and runs a club for the children that miss school because of having to look after a sick parent.Lily helps run Dunbar Storage which was what Kitty turned the hotel into when they had to close.They store furniture for people that have been bombed out of their homes but have been able to save some of their furniture.Kitty’s mother in law then gets bombed out so comes to live with them even though at one time her and Kitty didn’t get on.Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books.

This was the second in the series and it was great to meet up with the staff and families of all at the Dunbar Hotel.

Kitty is doing well and diversifying while trying to avoid her feckless husband from getting his hands on all the profits. It was heartwarming for it to be his own mother to find a solution for the banking issue.

Then there was Beatrice and her mission to help children who were care-givers and missing out on childhood. She re-encounters an old flame who in some ways has betrayed her in the worst way possible.

And Lily still badly affected by a loss from book one and her inability to realise her husband, Daniel, also had his own grief to overcome.

Whilst it’s easy to read this as a stand-alone one gets far more context if you read the first book in the series - as the characters have been developed more fully in this book. Whatever will come in book 3.

It’s not a spoiler to say that Maisie Thomas writes under other names - and I have just read one of those novels. It was slightly confusing to read a part of this book that was directly taken from the other one I had read. It was a character name that hit me. But what a clever cross over - no mention anywhere in either books blurb that this might happen - but there was definite crossover.

Brilliant writing well researched and executed.

Can’t wait for the next instalment. I wonder how things will work for Lily and the predicament she finds herself in

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

It was great to be back at Dunbar Hotel with Kitty, Lily and Beatrice.

The story had you feeling almost every emotion and turning the pages to read what happens next.

I love reading about the friendship that are formed between the women and how they help each other in times of need.

The story is also about Lily and how she’s coping with her loss and learn to make the most of her life, helping others and finding what makes her happy.

The story was well written by Maisie Thomas and it has you feeling like you’re there to witness what people lived through in wartime.

I highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed reading this second book in the Wartime Hotel Series.I'm not sure what it was, but I really connected with the returning characters and felt truly involved in all their hopes and fears. The description of a near miss at an air raid had me holding my breath and the fortitude shown by the women was inspiring. I was shocked to learn that a woman could not open a bank account without her husband's written permission! Thankfully things have changed through the years. I am already looking forward to book three in the series whenever it might come! I would definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy wartime stories told in a way that depicts resilience (especially of women)!

Many thanks to #NetGalley and ##BoldwoodBooks for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

A sweet, light, and heartwarming read. Just when you think there’s nothing new to say about England in WWII, Maisie Thomas introduces another strong and resilient heroine. Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel brings comfort, camaraderie, and a dash of intrigue, especially with Kitty’s secret still hanging over from Book 1. Fans of historical women’s fiction will enjoy this delightful installment.

Hopeful hearts at the wartime hotel, the second book in this series, full of true friendship during the heartbreaking times of ww2, the women pull together to get through hard times.

What a joy to walk through the doors of Dunbar’s Hotel again and be reunited with Kitty, Beatrice and Lily!

Hopeful Hearts at the Wartime Hotel is the second book in this series which sees Kitty, Beatrice and Lily all experience a range of heartache, complications, anger and sorrow. But these three female friends of differing ages and backgrounds truly support each other through both the good and the bad times. I won’t say anything more about these good and bad times other than to add that the storyline is captivating, with numerous twists, incidents and some prickly characters who are not short of criticism!

I really enjoyed the ways in which each of these three female main characters truly shines and proves just how capable they really are; through their day jobs, their voluntary war work and even a rescue operation!

Dunbar’s is a place of refuge for Kitty, Beatrice and Lily; a safety net where their valuable friendship continues to flourish. I can’t wait to see what happens next for the ladies of Dunbar’s!

Thank you to Boldwood Books for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kitty Dunbar was forced to turn the hotel into a storage facility when her husbands debts brought the bailiffs round and they stripped the hotel of everything.
She lives with friends Lily and Beatrice then when her mother in law is bombed outshe also joins the women. To help with finanaces they band together to turn the downstairs into a wedding venue.
Lily finds herself caught up with a local doctor and Beatrice runs into an old flame, will the girls all survive the Blitz and find what they are looking for.
Love this series and looking forward to the next instalment.

Simba gives this book 2 paws.

Maisie Thomas takes us to WW 2 England and into the lives of three women struggling to survive in war torn England. Kitty Dunbar, was forced to close the hotel when faced with her spendthrift husband's debts and transform the once famous hotel into a storage facility for families displaced due to German bombs. She is raising her 14 year old daughter and has invited former chambermaid Lily and welfare worker Beatrice to share her home. When her own mother-in-law is bombed out of her beloved home this threesome of ladies becomes a foursome along with an impressionable teenage daughter.

While this was a sweet, and sentimental tale, I felt that there was a lot going on as she jumped from character to character in each chapter, and it was hard to follow one individual story. I know that there is a third book coming up in the series, and hopefully more character development as she finishes their stories.

A wonderful English saga the characters the setting drew me right in.A really special story that I hated to put down.# NetGalley #boldwoodbooks.