Member Reviews
Thank you NetGalley for approving me for this book. A good read that I definitely enjoyed and am glad to have been able to read.
Peggy,Viv and Dot feature in this new series by Johanna Bell. They are great characters who draw you in to their lives Set during World War Two,happy times and sad times are in this story.
A gripping new saga that I devoured. The research that has gone into this is unbelievable! The sense of commradide the girls have is honorable. A tough read at times but a important story.
A really enjoyable read full of warmth, hope and resilience, which had obviously been very well researched
We're off to a promising start with this new saga. I thoroughly enjoyed The Blitz Girls. Dot, Viv and Peggy were amazing, capable, brave and resilient young woman who I couldn't help but admire. Reading about these brave men and women putting themselves in harm's way every night during the dark and scary days of the war is riveting. My heart was in my mouth whilst reading a lot of this book. There was so much drama, it really is such a page turner. I cannot wait for the follow up.
Another really well told story from Johanna Bell, she always brings you into her stories and makes you part of them! I have read a number of her other books and she hasn't let me down yet! Great easy to read story about the trials, tribulations and how females pulled themselves and many others through those dark days of war.
Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book
Another fantastic story by this author. Absolutely love this author never loses the reader down. Can't wait for the next one
Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this ARC.
I have a feeling, this is going to be another brilliant series from JB. The girls are so very likeable, you only want the best for them, they're a part of your family from the start. Life's hard, but they do what they can for the War effort. Very well researched and written.
Roll on book 2, can't wait to them all again.
I can fully recommend this first book in Johanna's new serie, and in fact, all her books are brilliant reads.
Outstanding! Than you for giving me the chance to read this amazing book!
The characters were all so likeable and easy to relate too. The storyline was strong and appealing to the reader to make you want to keep reading more. There was a good mixture of both happiness and sadness within the book. The author portrayed well how it must have been for people living and working through the Blitz.
I hope this is the first in a series although it sadly didn't say anything at the end of the book as to if more was coming?
I loved this story of the blitz girls. It told the stories of Peggy, Viv and Dot and how they became friends during this difficult time of World War Two. The descriptive way it was told really brought all the characters to life and helped us picture how awful things were but how everybody pulled together in this difficult time. I do hope this isn’t the end for Peggy, Viv and Dot and that Johanna is writing more about these strong women.
I love these type of books that tell the story of young women taking on the jobs of men and keeping the country going.I do love strong women they are great role models.Johanna Bell writes lovely books that make you feel as though you are there.5*
A smashing book to start a new series. I loved this one and am looking forward to reading more by this author. I do enjoy wartime sagas and this one was very well researched and informative. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.
Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.
I have read books by Johanna Bell before and have enjoyed them greatly so this was an easy book to request and it did not disappoint.
The friendship that developed between the downtrodden wife, the ARP warden and the debutante ambulance driver with her love of the Cafe Royal and bright red lipstick was unlikely but nevertheless they became great friends and were there for one another through thick and thin.
And the Blitz certainly tested their mettle.
I loved this book and really look forward to future instalments - it was well researched and well written - and I found it hard to put down.
My one complaint was that it finished so abruptly - I got to the last sentence and turned the page for the next bit (knowing I was near the end) and there was nothing - well a piece about the adverts for ARP wardens aimed at women.
I understand that it was set up for a follow-on but I felt a little disappointed and perhaps slightly cheated
But that won't stop me looking for the next episode !
This is a really great wartime saga and I enjoyed getting to know Dot, Viv and Peggy and their challenges, triumphs and hardships as volunteers battling the blitz.
Dot and Peggy are ARP wardens and Viv is an ambulance driver. Their friendship blossoms over the course of the book, as they support each other through personal trials and the horror of war.
I thought the author did a really good job of avoiding cliche and glamorising the war. The characters had guts and grit, but were vulnerable and fearful too. It made them feel more realistic.
Some interesting twists and turns and I flew through it. I’ve liked previous books by this Author and will definitely be reading more of this series and purchasing this one for a family member. Recommended for fans of this genre, it’s a great read.
received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I’m starting this on a Sunday afternoon so I can really enjoy it.
Historical Fiction Sagas are my favourite books to read and I’d finished it by Monday evening because it was that engaging.
This is also the first book in the Blitz Girls Series, how exciting is a new Saga Series?.
Dot, Peggy & Viv are absolutely wonderful strong women, even though each has struggles they are trying to overcome they find hope and friendship by joining the war effort as ARP wardens and Ambulance drivers.
Dot has a loveless marriage and is living with a horrible mother in law who rules the roost in every way possible and she needs to have her independence and find an escape but can she do it having no family of her own to help her?.
Peggy is alone in London living in a boarding house because her and her family decided to do whatever they could when war broke out so half of her family is still at home at Sussex taking in evacuees and the rest are in the forces or working for the war effort. She also has to deal with a misogynist for a colleague.
Viv is from Suffolk but moved to London at the start of the war to help the war effort by becoming an ambulance driver, she adores the glamorous nightlife in London and loves nothing more than dressing up and dancing the night away whenever she gets the chance, she’s also got an admirer called William but she doesn’t want to take that leap and be with him officially.
I really couldn’t read this book fast enough with the highly detailed descriptions of London during the Blitz and the richly woven characters it’s the perfect start to a thrilling new saga series.
Dot, Peggy and Viv felt like my old friends and I was cheering them on and was right with them as they experienced all the highs and lows of life during WW2.
I’m delighted that this is going to be a series and I’ll be counting down the days until book 2.
August, 1940. The war is raging in Europe, but on the home front conflict still seems far away.
Dot, living with her mother-in-law and dreading the day her thuggish husband comes home on leave, is fighting her own battle to contribute to the war effort.
Peggy has found confidence as an Air Raid Precaution Warden despite the jeers of the men she works with - but beneath her pluck she fears for her close-knit family, scattered by the war.
And glamorous Vivian, the former debutante, is running away from her own heart and into danger as a volunteer ambulance driver.
I loved Johanna Bell's The Bobby Girls series, so I was excited to see she had a new series out, and I jumped at the chance to get an ARC. Set in Chelsea, London during WWII and The Blitz, we meet Dot Simmons, Peggy Miller, and Viv Howe. The women all come from different backgrounds, but they all want to take part and help keep their community safe. I don't think I could be as brave as these women were during the war. This is a fantastic start to the new series, and I can't wait to read what happens to these likable women in the next book.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #JohannaBell for my ARC of #TheBlitzGirls in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.
This book, The Blitz Girls the first in a new series and I’m already looking forward to the next book.
The story is about three women who live in London during WW2, doing their bit and what they have to face daily.
Dot and Peggy are ARP wardens, Viv who is attractive works as an ambulance driver. Each come from different environments but come together through their jobs, and the hardships they face.
I recommend this book.
Absolutely loved this book, if you enjoy ww2 stories, then this is for you
Johanna Bell is a fabulous writer and I have read everything she has written.
The book is focused on 3 young women whose lives are changed because of the war. Their country needs them and it’s so lovely seeing how their lives change through the Choices they make. 10/10 from me. Can’t wait to see what is next….
The Blitz Girls is the first book in a new series and I’m excited for the 2nd book. Following the story of 3 young women in London during ww2 doing war work and the struggles they face. Peggy and Dot are ARP wardens and glamorous Viv is an ambulance driver, they all come from different backgrounds but bond together through their work, and the struggles they face. A great start to a new series can’t wait to read the next instalment.
I devoured this, it's going to be a great series. Lots of research done and it shows, plus loveable characters that I know I'm going to enjoy getting to know. Really looking forward to the next installment.