I do like Katie Flynn's books and have loved them all but this has to be the best one yet. Just going to Download the next book the Winter Rose to continue the story.

Cad and her best friend Poppy are both desperate to leave their small mining community, so when war is declared the girls see a chance to escape.

They head off to Liverpool to sign up for the WAAF but as they are both underage they are sent packing.

The girls are left looking for work and eventually secure jobs in a local pub. Life takes different turns for the girls, as they relish their independence and we follow their adventures along the way.

A beautifully written book that captured my heart.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This story brought to life the difficulties of young women in the war time period. It's not an era I often read about as I dislike gruesome details about the war. I welcomed the focus on the realistic characters of Cadi and Poppy, their decisions to be made, dreams put aside, but always with a chance to follow their hearts. Very enjoyable.

A brilliant read and one I really enjoyed. A heartwarming, relaxing read. The characters are loveable and varied, the plot is one that is engaging and medium paced. I found myself completely drawn into the story and enjoyed the writing style.

It's 1938, and Cadi is chosen to be Rose Queen in the annual Rose Fete. She is thrilled to be treated like royalty for the day. But deep down she is desperate to leave the Welsh mining community where she grew up.

When war is declared, Cadi and her best friend Poppy see a chance to escape. Cadi leaves behind her parents and local boy Aled, whom she is meant to marry, for Liverpool.

But city life doesn't bring the opportunities they'd hoped for. Unable to join the forces, the girls are left looking for work in poverty-stricken Vauxhall Ward.

They secure jobs in a local pub, and Cadi's blossoming relationship with a handsome dock worker deepens after he rescues her from a terrifying encounter.

But when Aled unexpectedly appears dressed in RAF uniform Cadi finds her worlds colliding again. Now the Rose Queen must decide: who will become her King

Another new author for me. This was a wonderful read. Especially if your into family sagas.
Cadi and Poppy, two girls fed up with life in Wales decide to go to Liverpool to join the services, although cadis father was set against it. Follow how their lives took a different path to the one they expected.

I am a massive fan of historical fiction and this was a great way to switch off and escape the every day. I devoured this story in 2 days.
Many thanx to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity tor read and review this book.

Feisty welsh girl Cadi is bored of life in a small mining village and wants to experience the big wide world away from her father's wish to marry the local farmer boy. She goes off with her best friend Poppy to Liverpool to try and sign up as service girls as the War is just beginning. For young people then it seemed exciting and the thing to do to serve their country. However, as they are too young they have to find another plan.
This was a delightfully easy-to-read book that focused on young women fighting for their own independence. There is a generous amount of romance but the boys have to fight for Cadi who is focused on proving her father wrong. A lovely book to cuddle up to on autumn evenings.

An interesting tale taking two girls from rural Wales and transplanting them to Liverpool in the early days of WWII. A different side of life in the war years, showing city living and different occupations. The friendship of Cadi and Poppy is relaxed and natural but some of the conversations with other characters were a bit contrived or flat.
Some hard topics were addressed including poverty, domestic abuse and the role of women in the war years (and changing men’s perceptions of women) which were tackled well in the context of the story. This felt well planned and flowed.

The cast of local characters is good but ultimately I felt a little disappointed with the way the book ended.

Overall an interesting read for the social history but not as strong as other WWII novels I’ve read.

3*

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC. Love this author and love her books. Another brilliant book can't wait to read more

Loved this book about Cadi and Poppy's adventures and romances set in wartime Liverpool. I found myself totally absorbed in this book and the story and looked forward to the next time I could pick it up and immerse myself.
Only one negative for me and that is that I found the ending of the book a bit abrupt as I didn't actually realize I had reached the end of the book and was left wondering if I had lost a couple of chapters! Nevertheless I would recommend.

I love historical fiction for what it can teach me about social custom, landmark events, and how we lived without the luxuries we have today. For a novel dealing with WWII themes, this is an incredibly soft account. I knew getting into it that it would be a wholesome and whimsical tale of two girls leaving home to help the war effort, and I wasn’t looking for grit and desolation, however some of Flynn’s descriptions were truly lacking.

Having said that, once I had reset my brain to understand this was more of a sentimental piece focusing on love and friendship, I began to enjoy myself. Flynn looks at the joys of leaving home to discover yourself, and the relinquishment of the protection and comfort of a family bubble.

There’s a certain charm here, and it was nice to see historical fiction set in a northern city - I am quite sick of London, so the sights of Liverpool were very welcome.

A lighthearted exploration of love, friendship, and the importance of community.

This book was delightful romance story going back in the day and I thoroughly enjoyed it, nice storyline with a lovely ending ..

Absolutely loved this newest Katie Flynn book. You can always depend on this author to give you your money's worth! Cadi and Poppy encounter "adult life" during WW2 in a way that would teach them both the true meaning of family and love. Along the way they meet many characters, some unsavoury, but who leave their marks.
A lovely, easily read and meaningful tale written by one of my favourite authors, can't wait for the next book!

Many thanx to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity tor read and review this book.

What a lovely way to spend a bank holiday by immersing myself in a lovely romance novel.

It was not without its violence, tragedy, and thrills, but it made your heart melt.

Hailing from the small welsh mining village of Rhos. Cadi Williams and her best friend Poppy are fed up with the quiet boring life a village has to offer and set off to Liverpool to sign up with the forces for ww11, much against Cadi's parent's wishes. They are both 17 and underage but are so excited they have not really thought through how they are going to achieve this.

After arriving, they have a violent encounter leading them to The Greyhound pub run by Landlady Maria. She takes them under her wing putting them to work and paying them with bed and board.
From here we meet some colourful characters. Some friendly and some not so, the book covers domestic violence, and jealously.

Will they return home, to the words from their parents "I told you so" and failure, or will they survive.
War changes people and lives but will they for Cadi & Poppy?

A charming book that flowed through each page making an enjoyable story.
One negative, I did fell the end was rushed a little.
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book. xx

Cadi & her best friend Poppy live in a small Welsh mining village but it is the Second World War & the girls want to escape the confines of village life and enlist into the WAAFs. Their parents aren’t happy but allow the girls go to visit Cadi’s aunt in Liverpool.. Life doesn’t quite go to plan as the girls are underage and get turned away from the recruiting office. Their parents expect them to return home but the girls have other ideas and decide to try to find work in Liverpool. The story follows their lives as Liverpool gets bombed and the girls find out that growing up can be tough.

I loved this book, I couldn’t put it down, the story was so good, it kept me reading far later than I should, every chapter ended with the need to read another. The book tells the story of Cadi and Poppy 2 girls from a Welsh mining village at the start of WW2, unhappy with their lives and wanting excitement. They decide to leave for Liverpool and sign up for the services but are refused due to been too young, they encounter trouble and danger, until they find themselves at the Greyhound Pub where they stay with Maria the landlady, who offers them jobs. Such a great book, one of the best I’ve read in a while.

The novel follows the adventures of Cadi and her best friend Poppy; two young girls from a Welsh mining village, who find that life there for a young woman is restrictive and lacking in any opportunity that doesn’t involve marriage.. They leave home for the city despite their parents not being pleased. I enjoyed this book which explored their relationships with boys and different members of the community. Well written easy going novel.

Very interesting and enjoyable book.

Cadi & Poppy live in Wales and feel they are in a dead end job they want to join the forces but are still too young. They end up in Liverpool where in the end they end up with Maria who they work for. Cadi is an independent woman and feels she doesn’t need a man to help her. We see what happens to the two of them over the book which was good.

I could not put this book down and would recommend it.

Thank you to all for the chance to read this book in return for an honest review.

I love Katie Flynn books - they are usually enthralling, heartbreaking and full of plot twists and turns to keep ones interest but not be predictable or boring

And this one certainly filled this criteria and was a really good read. Such a good read that as I read before bed I had some very late nights.
In fact I read during the day this time in order to finish this book and find out what happened to Cadi, Poppy, Jez. Aled and Izzy. Izzy's side story was particularly harrowing but I am sure not uncommon at the time.

I have to admit that 'The Rose Queen' of the title is only a very small part at the beginning but does start the tale of 2 Welsh lasses who want to see the wider world offered in Liverpool in WW2

Thank you again - I really enjoyed this book