Am very happy to read another book about the important role women played in winning the First World War.

A wonderful start to what promises to be a lovely saga. Fantastic characters and a writing style that really draws you in. Looking forward to more!

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

I loved this book, it was a great insight into what happened with the mail during World War One. I worked for the post office myself and was very interested to learn how things were all those years ago. The friendship between Liza/Beth, Nora and Milly was nice even though they all came from completely different backgrounds. I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from the three friends.

It was a great novel. Loved reading it and the writer is great. Would most likely read again and recommend to others.

Absolutely brilliant, a must read, loved it from the first to the last and really didn't want it end,
A first for me from this Author and will read other books in the future that she writes.
Lovely characters and a story that flows well.

My goodness what a book I really was engrossed in this book and could not put it down. It is a different angle from most books about woman in the War and of course before they had the vote as well. Well done and really cleverly written.

Beth, Nora & Milly end up together working in the depot of the Post Office repackaging parcels for the soldiers that are serving in the war. They forge a friendship which I would imagine will go on and get stronger.

It was very interesting to see what they did in the Post Office. I certainly look forward to reading the next book well done to the author..

Sadly not for me. I didn’t find that it gripped me and I did not like the characters enough. In the end I never finished it unfortunately

What a brilliant start to a series!
I really enjoyed The Post Office Girls. It felt like Cooper had really captured what it was like for the women at home during the war - and the men who didn’t sign up, and I felt really involved in Beth/Liza’s life. I loved the suffragette bits and how Beth was left feeling conflicted/confused about where she stood with it all and who to support as I feel like lots of women probably felt like that at the time. Also, the love interests developing throughout kept me intrigued and I really wasn’t expecting what happened at the end - it was a great bit of drama to finish with and really had me on the edge of my seat! Which I wasn’t expecting!
I can't wait for book no2!

Wartime sagas always make for a great read and this one is very good. Very well written and researched, this makes for a great read. This book deserves every one of the 5 stars that I am giving it.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

A heart-warming saga full of delightful characters and an engaging storyline that will keep traditional saga readers happy and bring new readers into the genre.

This is a lovely debut from an author I will be keen to add to my must read list. I love books set around the war years and this one added another angle to the working lives of those on the home front. I hadn't heard about the post depot dealing with the post for the soldiers and the parcels that they received from home.
Beth works in the family shop, but yearns for a bit of excitement and is encouraged to go for an interview at the new depot. Although intimidated, she does accept the job. She makes friends with 2 girls around her age on the first day and although they are totally different they form a firm friendship.
You are transported back in time, experiencing travel difficulties, difference in class and learning more about the suffragette movement.
A great book about friendships, family life, wartime worries and life in new jobs helping the war effort.
I will definitely be waiting for the second book in the series to be released.

The Post Office Girls is a WW1 “women at home” story, which focusses on three young women from different backgrounds who are brought together through their “war work” and quickly form a strong bond.
Our central character is Beth. She is 18 years old, and lives in a small Hertfordshire village where she helps her parents to run the village grocery store. She is loving & loyal, always following the rules and doing the right thing, but the war is starting to be felt closer to home as one by one the young men of the village are leaving to fight – when her twin brother Ned joins up on his 18th birthday, Beth is determined to do her part too. Thanks to a suggestion from the local postman & friend, Sam, she applies for a job with the post office & accepts a job based in London, much to her parent’s disappointment/horror. Beth’s experience packaging the goods in the family shop lead to her working in the Broken Parcel Department, where she repacks damaged parcels being sent to soldiers and she soon starts to realise how important “news from home” and little home comforts are to the men away. This reinforces her promises to write to both Ned & Sam.
Milly is a true “East Ender”, she is blunt, but fiercely loyal with a strong sense of right and wrong – though her idea of right & wrong is rather influenced by Sylvia Pankhurst & her East London Federation of Suffragettes. She got the job thanks to “a good word” put in by influential members of the ELFS.
Nora is a privileged young lady who is working despite her mother’s desire for her to find a suitable man, get married & have babies as quickly as possible! Nora is very supportive of the “votes for women” but seems opposed to Milly’s militant views and more aligned with the Women’s Social & Political Union led by Emmeline Pankhurst. She arrived at the depot because her uncle is in charge of it – a fact that Nora is very keen to keep to herself!

I didn't know much about the postal service in WW1, though I did know of the “stamp code” and that all sorts of packages were sent to the troops & made it through - however I am still not sure why anyone would think that sending a full roast dinner complete with gravy was a good idea! It was fascinating to learn more about the WW1 postal system, especially the honour envelope system and the items that were considered contraband (no alcohol, but cocaine and heroin were fine!)

Overall this is a well-paced “historical fiction based on fact” book, with well developed characters, strong friendships, shifting priorities and moments of conflict between people who have different attitudes to the war. It’s not all happy, but there is just the right amount of sadness and romance to balance each other. The book is well researched and the authors notes at the beginning & end are worth reading - there are also some photographs from the real Home-Depot.
I understand this is the first in a series & can only hope that future books live up to this first one! Highly recommended for anyone who like WW1 historical fiction, or genres like “women in the war”, home front, family saga or similar books.
Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher & author for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #HodderStoughton #PoppyCooper #ThePostOfficeGirls

The history that gave the inspiration behind this fictional story, which is the first in a brand new series, is truly fascinating. It’s worth reading the note by the author at the beginning of the book for this.

It’s Beth’s 18th birthday and its 1915 and has the formidable sounding Mrs McBride at the shop, where both of them work, on her case over butter. The scene with the tones of voices opens up magnificently.

It has the nostalgic air that you’d perhaps expect, but just manages not to be saccharine sweet. It does have a Sunday night, gentle-paced period drama feel about it, but doesn’t shy away from certain hard-hitting, home-truths about war here and there. It can be bit slow in places, but stay with it as a whole world opens up and it does become quite hard to put down.

The war is captured well, from those staying at home, in the rationing at the shop, a clever hint of people trying to, not quite bulk buy, but certainly buy a bit more than they need and not thinking of others and leaving enough of even flour to go around and the emotion of Beth from this, it’s like a subtle thought to people today, which I approve of; and Florence who had stepped out with Ralph, a footman from Maitland Hall who went out to fight and the worry about hearing from him and the excitement of letters when she does. It has a feel of authenticity and the scenes are picture perfect in Woodhampstead.

Beth later, travels to London as recruitment in Regent’s Park, where a mailing depot is set- up for army post, and encounters Sergeant Major Cunningham. The reactions of an 18 year old is captured well to the Major, who had a very different life, as a postal worker before and all is new to Beth, who was a shopworker, now to work in the Home Depot, sorting through the mail coming in from soldiers.
You can feel her coil up a little and then ping into anger as she attempts to stand-up for herself. The empathy of soldiers at war and the letters that show signs of where they are and perhaps been whilst writing, further hits home to her. The details from an envelope and codes add interest and the interesting markings as each new chapter starts is too as are the letters between her brother Ned and her. She does however come across a gentler mannered man – Mr Blackford. Her achievement of getting an interview for the post hasn’t got the reaction she would have liked from her parents, different from today’s times, but very true of the times of the setting.

There are a few twists that grab you further in, here and there and no more so than near the end, within the characters lives you will want to continue to get to know.

Readers of the book would do well to read the acknowledgements. It gives a fascinating insight into the research that was done for the book and some real-life photos of the women working in the Home-Depot.

This is a fantastic read set in WW1 and the good news is, it’s the first in a series.

It tells the story of Beth who works in her parents village store but yearns to do ‘her bit’ for the war. Going against her parents wishes she signs up for a job working in London at the Post Office to help sort the mail for the soldiers on the front line.
The girls she meets, Nora and Milly become firm friends who share the ups and downs of day to day life during the war.
The Post Office Girls is an easy read full of laughter and sorrow in equal measure which draws you in from the first page. I couldn’t put this book down and can’t wait for the next one in the series.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy for an honest review.

A good historical fiction that kept me hooked.
There's a lot going on in this book and loved the character development and the character's friendship.
The historical background is vivid and well researched.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Beth Healey works in her parent’s village shop in Woodhampstead, getting orders ready and serving customers. Beth and her twin brother Ned have just turned eighteen, like all young men Ned signs up to fight for his king and country. Beth also wants to contribute to the war, others are doing their bit and her parents have very old fashioned ideas about what young ladies can do.

Beth secretly applies to join the Army Post Office’s new Home Depot on the Regent’s Park, and she can’t believe it when she’s offered a job. The postal service was of great significance during WW I and it handled over twelve million letters a week. Beth works in the damaged parcel department, she repacks and readdresses damaged parcels being sent to soldiers, it’s an important job and a very busy one.

Despite traveling and long work days, Beth enjoys her new job, she makes friends with two girls employed in the same department, Milly Woods and Nora Benhams. By working and staying at her new friends houses overnight; Beth discovers life is very different in London, Nora comes from a well to do family and Milly is involved with the suffragette movement. At the Home Depot she also meets the attractive James Blackford, he’s of age and yet he’s not fighting in the war?

The Post Office Girls takes you back to 1915 and when women’s roles changed during WW I and it gives you an insight into life in England at the time. I enjoyed reading about the friendship formed between the three young women, they faced many challenges together and the important work they did. The mail service was extremely vital during WW I, receiving a letter boosted morale in the trenches and at home.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me.

What a really lovely read this is.
Historical Fiction isn’t a genre I turn to very often, but knowing who wrote this book, (under a pen name), I knew I had to read it.
From the minute I picked it up I felt completely in the zone and clearly imagined the scene as the story went on.
The characters are brilliant. I just loved Beth as soon as I was introduced to her and felt a real connection to her. She is such a determined, caring girl and I can’t wait to see where her story leads her in the next part of the saga.
The book has good pace and so many interesting historical facts in it that that just added to the authenticity of what was going on. This was also reinforced by some fabulous photos in the back of the book showing what it was like in the Home Depot. It was just how I imagined as I was reading this book.
This is a brilliantly written book which I thoroughly enjoyed and I look forward to reading the next book.

1915: On Beth Healey's eighteenth birthday, she hopes she will ne able to forget the war and celebrate. But that evening, her twin brother Ned announces that he has signed up to fight. No longer able to stand working in her parents village shop while others are doing their bit, Beth applies to join the Post Office's Army Depot on the Regent's Park. Beth is thrilled to be a crucial part of the war effort, making sure letters and parcels get through to the front line. It's not long before she makes firm friends with Milly and Nora.

Beth, Milly and Nora all come from different backgrounds but they quickly form a strong bond. I didn't know much about the post office girls army jobs, but i do now. I liked the three girls and Beth's love interest James. The girls shared experiences brought them really closed. I'm looking forward to reading A Post Office Christmas: Book 2 in this new series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #HodderStoughton and the author #PoppyCooper for my ARC of #ThePostOfficeGirls in exchange for an honest review.

Another charming and easy read, I thoroughly enjoyed this. Fun story, great characters and well written.