Intro: Initially reviewed a sample chapter (issued as a taster by the publishers some months ago!) - now happy to say I've read the full novel.

Having read the first two novels in this series, I was delighted to receive a review copy of this latest book. I think that you could read it as a standalone - but would recommend the first two novels anyway as they were both enjoyable reads.

Britain is still at war. Once again our heroine (Emmy) and her friends and colleagues are front and central to the plot, and we find out more about some of them. There are some very sad times in this novel however, so you may find you need a hanky and a cup of tea to hand!

This time our old friends are joined by several new characters, including "Mrs Porter" and her dog (who deserves to be classed as a character as he is rather eccentric!). Mrs Porter is not a nice person - though she seems to be initially! Her passive-aggressive behaviour gets worse as time goes by...

The magazine begins to reflect her self-centred attitude to life - totally against the ethos of the readers! Can our heroine and the staff of Woman's Friend save the day? You'll have to read this for yourself to find out!

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

This is the third in the Emmy Lake series of books, where we rejoin Emmy and her friends and colleagues as World War 2 and magazine life continues.

Mrs Porter is a formidable foe as the new magazine owner, who is oblivious to what makes the Peoples Friend magazine the success it has become. Emmy and her colleagues take on the battle to try and keep the magazine going when Mrs Porter seems to be doing everything she can to bring about its demise.

This book is a delightful continuation of the series with its often lighthearted, but occasionally tragic, storyline. Ideally it is better to have read the previous books before starting this one to really immerse yourself in the storyline, but that is no hardship. This book brought joy to my life but also slightly broke my heart.

A lovely continuation of the story told in the first two novels but not enough in this preview to make me want to read the whole novel. Sad when I loved the first so much and was hooked from the first page, and found the second one equally enjoyable.

This is so much fun, and I just adored it. The third in the series following Emmy’s literary adventures and some more possibilities for Bunty, while the girls find themselves with some found family and new adventures with the magazine. The writing is very dense and there’s lots and lots going on, but Emmy’s voice is so distinctive and funny and rewarding, the plot gallops along. Emmy’s letters are so poignant, even with her chattiness and positivity.. The author really immerses us in that 1940s wartime London life. This is so good.

Start with the first one in the series, even though technically this is a standalone novel.

Thanks a million to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an ARC, and I look forward to buying my own copy.

Another absolute smash hit from this series. Loved to see how Emmy and Bunty's lives have progressed and its a warm familiar feeling to be back with these ladies.

A great storyline, with some sub plots being equally endearing and thoughtful at this time of war. Did miss Charles but his letters kept me going!

Just lovely.

I loved this latest novel by A J Pearce. The war time years are conjured so well, and the characters are brought to life on the page. A J Pearce wields her research expertly, and it often didn't feel like a historical novel, as the story was written so well.
I loved Emmy Lake, and her struggles as an agony aunt at Woman's Friend magazine, The Honourable Mrs Cressida Porter plans to destroy everything Emmy has strived so hard to create at the magazine. But Emmy is not a heroine who gives up easily. Wonderful!.

"Woman’s Friend wasn't one thing or another. It felt rather like going to the greengrocer and finding potatoes and greens as normal, but next to them, an elaborate hat that cost fifty pounds while the lady behind the counter was dressed like Queen Mary and wanted to know if you were planning a holiday in Biarritz. You couldn't help wondering where the nice helpful man in the apron had gone. It was a mess.

Book three of the Emmy Lake series, set in 1940s London sees a new enemy - spoilt and privileged Mrs Porter, the new owner of buoyant Emmy's beloved 'Woman's Friend' magazine. With the return of many familiar characters and some new ones, including the titular Mrs Porter - described by editor Guy as 'like working with a Lancaster bomber in a hat'. The strains of wartime Britain, combing raids, missing men fighting abroad and rationing, combine with Emmy, Guy and the team at 'Woman's Friend' battling for the integrity and even the survival of their treasured magazine. Pacy and involving, there are moments of tragedy (I dare you not to bawl your eyes out at one particular event) and moments of pure joy, which make for an emotional and escapist read. I do hope there will be a book 4?!

This is the third book and just a good as the first two. Easy relaxing read with characters you can warm to. A tale of love, friendship, and perseverance.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I applied to read this book as I had previously read and enjoyed reading about Emmy’s life in the earlier two books. Book 3 we join Emmy, married to Charles who is now away at war, in her life working for Woman’s Friend magazine. Everything was going great at the magazine until the original owner passed away and his spoilt niece Mrs Porter inherits the magazine. She soon starts interfering in the much loved format and tries to make it more like a glossy magazine with expensive clothes, fancy weddings, etc that are of interest to her and cutting out anything which the magazine was loved for. There’s a bumpy ride in store for Emmy, her boss and brother-in-law Guy and their friends after this happens.

In other news Emmy is still living with her best friend Bunty who develops a new love interest in Harold, a previous friend and it’s nice to see Bunty happy again. Also their friend Thelma moves in with her 3 children whilst her husband is away at war,

There’s a few twists in the story, some laugh out loud moments and some tears.

I highly recommend this wonderful series of books.

Mrs Porter Calling is the third book in AJ Pearce's glorious series The Emmy Lake Chronicles. Readers may know of my regard for this series, which is set in the Second World War and features Emmy Lake and her friend Bunty, young girls trying to make their way through the war. Dear Mrs Bird was the first in the series, where Emmy takes it onto herself to answer letters sent into the Woman's Friend magazine problem page instead of the old battleaxe employed as an agony aunt. By the second book, Emmy is a roving reporter doing good deeds reporting on war work and encouraging women to do more themselves, and so we come to Mrs Porter Calling.

Emmy is established as the magazine's agony aunt and features reporter by now, and is a married woman to boot, despite her husband Charles being stationed away in North Africa. Since Charles was only ever a supporting character, I'm afraid to say we don't miss him (unlike Emmy, who does) but there's plenty going on to keep the reader occupied. The Mrs Porter of the title refers to the Woman's Friend's new owner, The Honourable Cressida Porter, who has been left the magazine by her uncle in an attempt to make her useful, I think. Like many members of the aristocracy, she is essentially useless and has ideas of her own to develop the magazine, but they're so far removed from reality, and especially the reality of the Woman's Friend readership trying to make it through the war, that the staff try and fail to keep the tone and service of the old style, and soon lose readers. With her job, and the wellbeing of her readers at stake, you might think there was enough to occupy Emmy, but as ever, the main relationship of the books is that of her and Bunty.

The two of them open their house to a friend with three children and a husband away at war, and Bunty has a developing relationship with Harold, old friend of her fiance Bill (killed in the first book). They also volunteer at the fire service and rescue some purloined chickens and all sorts goes on.

This series is absolutely charming and if you were so minded, you might say part of the tedious nostalgia that infects this country when it comes to talking about the war. BUT the Emmy Lake Chronicles do two things very well: first, it shows that the war years, far from being a marvellous thing we should be nostalgic about, were incredibly difficult, heartbreaking and painful for people who lived through them, and god knows we need a shot of reality into that conversation; and two, they pass the Bechdel test by some distance. These are real women with big concerns - making a living, having a fulfilling career, making and welcoming people into a home, wrestling with wartime, relationships with all people are discussed and explored. The books are masterpieces of real life, with characters you love and want to thrive against the odds.

Near the end, I got that feeling where you realise 'a big thing' was about to happen and braced myself for it, and lo and behold there it was. Just in case you thought things might work out ok all round. the series doesn't wrap everything up in a big tidy bow - there's plenty of mess and unresolved situations still there at the end, which contributes to the reality for me.

I love these books. And if AJ Pearce wants to give Emmy a rest and instead write the Guy Collins and Monica Edwards chronicles next, I am absolutely here for it.

Emmy Lake is not just popular with her friends and her new husband but also with the readers of Woman’s Friend magazine. Whilst her marriage is new and her husband is far away fighting the war, her love of the magazine is keeping Emmy and all her friends going.

But everything is about to change when Mrs Porter comes calling.

Mrs Porter is the new publisher, niece of the former one and is a well known socialite and purveyor of all things glamorous and shiny, the war it seems has not inconvenienced Mrs Porter in anyway at all.

Now with what she sees as a chance to do her bit, Mrs Porter decides to refresh Woman’s Friend magazine.

Gone are the tips on making meals, gardening, making do and mending and the advice column of Yours Cheerfully, which Emmy is now fully in charge. Now we have glamour and an abundance of it filling the pages. The magazine is no longer the friends it used to be but Emmy and her colleagues try their hardest to remind all their readers that they are thinking of them in such difficult times.

Whilst all of this is going on Emmy still continues her volunteer shifts at the Fire Service and finds that filling the house she shares with Bunty is going to be fuller when Thelma and her three children move in and they pool all their resources to create a home.

It might be 1943, but war is still very much in the minds of all the characters and the author weaves together the domestic home front, with the war far away from British shores and the impact it has in between to everyone, whether they be young or old. This book I think is the best in the series so far, and the first two were pretty awesome. I laughed with the antics of the children, the bull dozer approach that Mrs Porter had as well as cried at the tragedy of something unravelling and everything you knew and love suddenly changing.

I hope that I can pick up with Emmy again as I so dearly want to come back and see my friends.

Each book gets better than the last. I am always anxious to dive back into the world of AJ Pearce. Emmy and her gang are so loveable and the stories are so heartwarming, but still real and powerful. True stories of love, friendship, and perseverance.

Mrs Porter Calling was the perfect addition to the Emmy Lake chronicles - I immensely enjoyed the first two books in the series and this one just as much. It was full of humour, sorrow, grief, grit and determination. I loved the style of writing and language, it took me right back to the 1940’s.
Thank you for the ARC, 5 🌟 for this one!

Possible spoilers

3.5 stars

I understand the whole point of Mrs Porter was to be irritating, but for me, she was TOO irritating, and I couldn't get past the pages she was on quickly enough.
That aside, it was marvellous to be back with Emmy and Guy and Bunty.
They exude a lovely warm feeling, that no matter what else is happening in the world, here is a family.
A little bit emotional at times, it's a great installment into what I hope is going to be a very long running series.

I was delighted to be able to read the continuation of the story of Emmy Lake,her friend Bunty and the goings-on at the Woman’s Friend magazine during the Second World War.It’s warm and funny ,but doesn’t hide the turmoil and trauma suffered because of the war.
Emmy and Bunty are joined at home by a friend,Thelma, and her three children ,and this changes life for the two women.In addition,Woman’s Friend is taken over by the awful MRs Porter,who wants to change everything about the magazine she thinks is ‘all a bit Mis’.
This book will appeal to all those who enjoyed the first two books in the series ,although it could also be read as a stand alone novel. I hope the story will continue to the end of the war!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinion.

I’ve absolutely adored the first two books about Emmy Lake and her life as an agony aunt working for Woman’s Friend magazine during World War 2 so I was over the moon to receive this latest instalment in her life.
It’s now 1943 and Emmy is house sharing with her best friend Bunty in Pimlico and working for Guy, her brother in law and chief editor of Woman’s Friend. Her husband, Guy’s brother Charles is fighting overseas and she tries to keep cheerful whilst waiting for letters from him.
When the magazine’s owner dies and his niece, Mrs Porter, takes over as owner, Emmy and Guy realise there might be a few changes. At first Mrs Porter seems ok if rather effusive and over the top but it soon becomes clear that she envisions major changes at the magazine and not all for the good.
As well as coping with work problems, Emmy decides to invite her friend, Thelma and her 3 young children to live with them as they are trying to get by in very poor accommodation.
Emmy spends her days helping her readers to overcome some major problems but in this book she must overcome some terrible war related issues of her own. Although some of the book is very light hearted there are some sections which are incredibly serious and very heartbreaking.
It examines the life of women on the home front and describes some awful things that happen to them during a time of war. No one is exempt including Emmy, Bunty and Thelma.
This is a lovely book which really held my attention and made me think what life must have been like during those very dark days of War. Emmy, Bunty and Thelma are wonderful, well rounded characters, young women making the most of life in very difficult situations.
I really hope that the author sees fit to write another book about Emmy, Bunty and all the other characters we as readers have grown to love.
A thoroughly enjoyable read and highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pan MacMillan for my advance copy.

Emmy Lake is the much-loved agony aunt at Woman’s Friend magazine, relied upon by readers across the country as they face the challenges of life on the Home Front. With the problem page thriving and a team of fantastic women behind her, Emmy finally feels she is Doing Her Bit.

But when a glamorous new owner arrives, everything changes. As the Honourable Mrs Porter tries to charm her way around the rest of the team, Emmy realises that she plans to destroy everything readers love about the magazine.

With happiness quickly turning to heartbreak and war still raging in Europe, will Emmy and her friends find the inner strength they need to keep keeping on - and save the magazine they love?

Book 1 & 2 didn’t disappoint and neither did book 3! More please!

Delightful first chapter. Just as I expected as I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books. Looking forward to read the complete work.

I enjoyed the first two books in AJ Pearce's Mrs Bird series and was thrilled to see a third in the offing, meaning we get to visit all those fabulous characters again!
War-torn Britain is both a devastatingly sad place, as well as one filled with hope. This comes across in Mrs Porter Calling, where Emmy continues her journey with Woman's Friend magazine.
The arrival of Mrs Porter, the new 'boss', causes a stir. Their beloved magazine goes from one loved and read by women who can relate to every article to something akin to a third-rate Vogue or another society magazine.
Of course, the story doesn't revolve solely around the magazine but also Emmy's personal life as she navigates early marriage with her husband stationed abroad, living with her best friend Bunty, and a new set of housemates.
There is tragedy, but how it is dealt with still brings hope to the reader.
A lovely addition to the series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this little taste of the new book. Lovely to see familiar characters and settings. I can’t wait for the full book to come out now!

EDITED I’ve now read the full book and can confirm that it’s wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was funny and warm and just lovely. There are some sad parts but that just adds to the richness of the story.