I struggled to read this book, although I did make it to the end, because I found the writing style so pedestrian it was boring to read. A shame, because the Bletchley Park storyline is potentially fascinating. The present day storyline featuring Julia again was written in an uninteresting way. The life-changing events of her business being ruined by a gambling addicted business partner, at the same time as her marriage breaks down, seem to be written off as just a minor blip. Unbelievable and unconvincing on both counts, for me.

A great read set in the present day but with a side story of a family history filled with secrets during WW2. The girl from Bletchley Park stakes on an historical journey during the war years highlighting the secretive work that was carried out by the code breaking men and women. Even when the work there could be spoken about, they chose to retain the mystery and take it to the grave.

Julia is a business woman, mother and wife, juggling her own company and life whilst trying to keep all happy. However her husband’s mind is elsewhere and her business isn’t what it appears despite being jointly owned with an old friend. When her brother visits and engages her interest in their grandmother’s war work along with an old camera which still has the film inside, Julia’s interest is piqued. What unfolds is a story of intrigue and emotion.

Will Julia survive what the present throws at her whilst travelling alongside her grandparent’s experiences of WW2?

I really enjoyed this story, however, I feel it ended quite abruptly with all threads tied up in what seemed a rush - would have liked to have heard more how Julia settles into her new regime and perhaps more of a celebration to those who kept the secrets that helped win the war.

As I’m really interested in Bletchley Park and have been there I was delighted to get this book as an ARC. I certainly wasn’t disappointed, I loved this book, I preferred Pamela to Julia but that’s a personal preference.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for a review. I will put this on Amazon too.

I love the styles of these books, the way past and present are drawn together.
For me, I felt this one was a little different from previous titles from McGurl. I felt the history grabbed me more than the present day story line, the main character in present times not really pulling me in to her story. Previously the two tales have seemed more intertwined with each other and I found myself wanting to read on and read on to find out what all the clues mean.
However, I really enjoyed the story, learning lots about that era that I did not know about.
Definitely worth a read and I look forward to her next book.

Sworn to secrecy, the ladies of Bletchley park worked with out talking. They left their jobs at the end of the war without talking. Many died without talking. As restrictions have been lifted; the world has praised the women and men of Bletchley Park thanks to stories like this one.

Julia is struggling in her life. Her business and her marriage are in question. She escapes into researching her grandmother's life after developing film from a Brownie camera. With the help of Her grandmother's best friend, Clarissa, Julia unburies a past she did not know existed.

The author allows the reader to discover what happened through the eyes of Julia. Taking a trip to Bletchley Park spurs on her research. There is a data base listing employees and and their role in assisting the war effort.

Reading this book has me wanting to learn more. Reading this book has me wanting to travel to England and explore Bletchley Park, showing respect to those that kept their silence for all those years.

I was given an ARC by the publisher for an honest review.
I wanted to love this book because I love historical fiction and this particular time period so much. However, I've now read several books that follow this dual timeline plot with old photographs and it has become a little tired. I wasn't very interested in Julia as a character. Pamela was a lot more interesting though.

In modern day we meet Julia, a mum who is let down badly by her husband and her business partner both of whom had for years been her rocks.
During the war we meet Pam who joins the Wrens and secures a job at Bletchley Park making a huge difference to the war effort and navigating the perils of young love.
Highly recommend and a 5 star read for me. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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.

Julia is trying to juggle work, life, marriage and motherhood. With little help from her chauvinist husband Marc, or her teenage boys.

When her brother Bob, drops off some items belonging to their grandmother Pamela, she becomes intrigued.

And here we veer off into the dual narrative of Pamela. Recruited as a maths prodigy to work at Bletchley Park in WWII, she is excited to be part of the war effort. And to make friends and find romance.

We switch to and fro between Julia and Pamela, and both storylines are equally absorbing.

As Julia's life implodes, she finds herself increasingly inspired by her grandmother's story which she kept secret all her life.

I really loved flipping between such different worlds, and both stories were fascinating. A bold and courageous Pamela. And a hard-working, kind and brave Julia.

A wonderful story, beautifully written.

If you follow my blog, you will know that I am a big fan of WWII fiction - having a split timeline novel is a great way of reading about something more contemporary whilst also following a story from the past. Kathleen McGurl has managed to write the dual timeline in a very effective way. The characters in both timelines are loosely linked, but the stories are obviously so different that there is no room for confusion. I also liked the fact that she has kept the total number of characters to a minimum. I sometimes find dual timeline novels a little confusing if there are too many characters involved - I find myself losing the thread of each story, so I am pleased to confirm that this did not happen with The Girl at Bletchley Park!

Bletchley Park thanks to her math skills, she is keen to throw herself into the work knowing that in some small way she will be helping the war effort. Having signed the Official Secrets Act, Pam takes the confidentiality of her work very seriously, not even discussing what she does with those she works with. When she meets two young men, both of whom try to catch her eye, she finds herself experiencing freedom and love for the first time. Working at Bletchley Park could never be that straight forward though!

Julia, Pam's Granddaughter, is struggling to find a good balance in her life, as she tries to look after her sons, maintain a successful business and keep her marriage alive in the face of her husbands jealousy at her success. When her brother gives her a box of photographs of their late Grandmother, she is keen to find out more about Pam's time at Bletchley Park, something none of them knew anything about. Finding out more about her Garndmothers incredible life might just help Julia re-evaluate her own life choices.

Park - in so many novels the focus is on frontline fighting, whether that be soldiers or pilots, so it's nice to see the work that was going on behind the scenes being highlighted in this way. I really enjoyed following the characters in both timelines. They were believable, well rounded characters for whom I had empathy. I could really understand Julia's position as a mother, wife and a business woman, and I really felt for her as she fought to create balance between her numerous roles in life. Pam also really fascinated me - I loved her morals in terms of her commitment to the job as well as her commitment to secrecy. She understood the importance of her role in the war, and she relished that.

I am more than happy to recommend this novel to you all - it will make you want to learn more about Bletchley Park and its significance in the war effort, whilst also providing you with lovely character stories.

The Girl from Bletchley Park is a combination of historical fiction with some mystery and romance. It’s a story that tells a tale of lies and betrayal through a dual time period narrative. I have read some other of Kathleen’s books and she can always be relied on to present an interesting tale.

We are all losing the most interesting jobs that we will ever have.

This book is about the famous WWII Bletchley Park - quite a few books have been written about this of late. There is the historical tale during the war and then some eighty years later when the granddaughter discovers lost photos of her grandmother from this wartime period. Dual time narratives are always appealing (two stories) but once again, the historical tale I found to hold more interest for obvious reasons eg. facts about coding in Bletchley Park. Both stories do have a parallel theme running through them about trusting those closest to you.

‘… do you remember how Grandma used to say no one was better at keeping secrets than her? I wonder if this was what she was referring to - that she’d kept her wartime role secret all those years?’

At times this story is a little slow and I had some frustration with the female leads in both timelines. It’s hard to put a finger on, but the romance/love story and the characters' actions I did not fully connect with. I would have preferred more about the fascinating history of Bletchley Park and less time on relationships. Admittedly, this would have been difficult for Kathleen to write as it was during Covid and she had to rely on online resources.

The Girl from Bletchley Park will appeal to those who enjoy a dual timeline and the historical mystery that comes with it. Bletchley Park is always an attraction in recognising the many contributions of women to the war effort.

It’s amazing what they achieved there. They reckon the work that went on at Bletchley Park had a huge impact on the outcome of the war. Imagine being a part of that!






This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

While trying to run her IT company, Julia discovers that her grandmother had worked at Bletchley Park during the war. As she struggles to keep her own life going, the antics of Pamela and her future husband Edwin keep her fascinated, especially as neither had ever mentioned anything of their wartime experience,

A very entertaining story about the work carried out at Bletchley Park, and the secrets those who were there had to keep for so long. Unfortunately, I found the modern day part of the story less appealing. Julia isn’t an easy character to get behind, as I wanted to shout at her to get some backbone at times! Her husband Marc is such a chauvinist and obviously up to no good you wonder how she managed to run a company at all.

Enjoyable for the historical details.

4.5 stars
I’m a huge fan of dual timeline stories so this book instantly appealed to me. I was not disappointed as I found this a hugely enjoyable and compelling read.

The story is set in 1943 and the present day which I always love as it’s great fun trying to solve war time mysteries. I keep hoping I might find a war time diary one day like Julie in the book so it was fun to live precariously through Julie as she learns more about her grandmother Pamela’s war time work. I must admit I did enjoy the wartime story line a bit more than the present day one but I think that mainly down to my fascination with Bletchley Park. It was interesting to see how the two women’s stories seemed to mirror each other and how they gradually came together which I thought was very clever.

I thought the research in this book was fantastic and I loved learning more about the wartime work at Bletchley Park. The author really made the place come to life and I often felt like I was actually there experiencing everything alongside the characters which I always enjoy. It was also very interesting to get to know the characters more and they soon started feeling like old friends so the reader feels everything that happens to them as if they were experiencing everything themselves.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. The story had a great pace to it and there was always something happening to keep my interest. I very much look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Huge thanks to Rachel from Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me onto the blog tour and to HQ stories for my copy of this book via netgalley.

The Present

Julia is struggling to balance her home and work life so welcomes the distraction when her brother gives her some photographs of their grandmother, Pam, who it transpires worked at Bletchley Park during World War Two. Not knowing aything about her role, Julia begins to undertake some research, uncovering a tale of bravery that her grandmother kept hidden.

The Past

In 1942, Pam decides to defer her place at Oxford University to help with the war effort, joining a team of codebreakers in Bletchley Park. Finding herself the subject of the affection of two young men, she makes her choice, setting in motion a series of events that could change her life forever.

The Girl From Bletchley Park is another superb dual timeframe book from Kathleen McGurl. Kathleen seems to have the knack of choosing the perfect eras for these books and she has done it again here, the Buckinghamshire estate being the perfect setting for a book about mystery and betrayal. I visited Bletchley Park several years ago and would thoroughly recommend it as it really brings home how brave and intelligent women like Pam were.

The theme of betrayal runs through both timeframes, albeit betrayal in very different ways. I admired the strength of both women, Pam and Julia, and enjoyed reading a book with such strong female characters who were not afraid to take matters into their own hands when faced with an earth-shattering situation.

I always look forward to Kathleen McGurl’s books and am eagerly waiting to see which historical era she takes us to next.

I enjoyed this book. I’ve read others by Kathleen McGurl and have enjoyed them all so I’m glad this one didn’t disappoint.
I found it very easy to get into, I got embroiled with the characters (rooting for those who were likeable and inwardly cursing those who were not!)
The story of Bletchley Park is fascinating in real life and Kathleen has cleverly used this to create a good time slip novel which has some intrigue and mystery. For me personally I felt some elements and characters were slightly predictable, however this did not detract from my enjoyment.
Overall an enjoyable, easy to read book which moved at a good pace. I rated it 4 stars and would happily recommend this book to others.

Having been to Bletchley Park, it put this novel into perspective for me! Very good story and character development at a very secretive and critical moment in World War II history.

Thank you NetGalley and to the publishers for approving me to read this. I’m really getting in to historical fiction, and love anything set in the war era and even better if it revolves around Bletchley park. This was a great a read and I highly recommend it. I’ve already raved about it to friends!

The Girl from Bletchley Park by Kathleen McGurl is a time-slip novel is set in both the 1940s and the present. The story of Grandmother Pam, having just left school in 1942 gives up a hard won place at Oxford University to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Bletchley Park is paralleled with Gran-daughter Julia, mother of two, juggling a fulltime career in the computing world with raising two boys and managing a husband who is clearly hard work. This is an incredibly gripping tale of betrayal, bravery and tragedy while is inspiring to our generation of working mothers.

Kathleen McGurks keeps the suspense going like a pro although the book holding the reader’s attention right to the last page. The events experienced by Julia’s Grandmother led her to look inward and question the choices she has made in her own life.

If you enjoy reading about strong women – this is a drama you must read. Once opened I couldn’t put it down.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way the past and present were so cleverly intertwined. The story is excellent and the characters very interesting. I have visited Bletchley which made it a little more real for me, if you have not, you should do so. The story of the unseen heroines of Bletchley has been emerging more and more in the past few years. The societal norms of the time are brought out very well as are the present day characters. A book to read.

The Girl from Bletchley Park follows Julia through her present day life. She has a successful IT business in her home, 2 children, husband and close business partner. All is going well and until each area of her life begins to unravel. It is during this time that her brother comes to visit and brings with him pictures of their grandmother. Julia begins to look into her grandmother’s life and starts to reveal secrets that her grandmother has kept since the 1940s.
It’s in the secrets that Kathleen McGurl tells the story in a duel timeline of Pamela, Julia’s grandmother and the work that she does to help with the war effort. Pamela like Julia is faced with difficult decisions and is faced with life changing events.
The Girl from Bletchley Park is an easy read with a few twist. The historical information about Bletchley Park is fascinating. I usually do not like stories that alternate between two time periods but this was well written and easy to make the transitions between the time periods. Thank you Kathleen McGurl and Netgalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.