I loved the Little War Time Library so was thrilled when I saw Kate Thompson had another book out and then I saw that it was also book related - win win!!!

The story takes place on Jersey during the second world war and follows Grace, a librarian, who despite being ordered to destroy books that threaten the Nazi regime, decides to hide them instead. Together with her best friend Bea, they form the Wartime Book Club. The club is a symbol of resilience, hope, and resistance during the German occupation.
It’s truly wonderful and inspiring 5 ⭐️ read

The wartime Book Club starts in Jersey in 1940
A dramatic first chapter with the bombing of the harbour with the German invasion
it's based on the lives of the islanders. especially good friends Bea and Grace. full of stories of bravery/sadness / loyalty and above all friendships intertwined with love . I love this book. all the many characters on the island lives and rebellion are linked together.
another excellent novel again by Kate Thompson.
the book is made more special by the fact this story was probably true of the occupation in Jersey and is largely forgotten.

Kate Thompson has done it again! What a fantastic book – it kept me enthralled from beginning to end. An amazing story which takes place on the Island of Jersey during the second world war, which is lovely based on several true stories which took place during that period in Jersey, which made it even more fascinating.
Bea and Grace are the best of friends, living on Jersey. Grace works in the Library, and Bea works for the Post Office. Bea is also dating Grace’s brother, who is her childhood sweetheart. When the Germans take over the Island the population are starving and miserable – the library becomes a massive form of escape and the amount of books borrowed each week goes through the roof and Grace is very busy. Bea is also busy as some of the Islanders are very happy to send anonymous letters denouncing their neighbours. Bea holds the letters up just long enough for the victims to be warned that their house will be searched.
Unfortunately the war doesn’t pan out as expected for the two girls – Bea ends up in jail, and Grace risks everything to get her free – even getting herself arrested instead.
An amazing story, and it cumulates with a chapter at the end of the book telling the real stories that this novel is based on. Highly recommended.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128256512-the-wartime-book-club

Grace and Bea are best friends, they grew up in St Helier, Jersey, the island is a beautiful tranquil haven, with it’s blue seas and sandy bays, pink granite farmhouses and lush meadows. The Germans are poised to attack, around seven thousand people have already fled and on the 30th of June 1940, the air bombardment begins and they easily invade the small isle.

Grace works as a librarian and Bea is a postwoman and both have no idea how they and the other residents will suffer during the occupation. Grace knows the Germans have a long list of banned books, she and her fellow librarian Ash hide the books before the soldiers arrive and they don’t want them to be burnt. Bea works at the Broad Street Post Office, she delivers mail and of course once the mail service from and to England stop, she and her fellow posties take part in small acts of defiance.

Grace decides to start The Wartime Library Book Club, it has to be approved by the German officials first, she needs to provide a list of what they will be reading and discussing and a guard attends. The situation on Jersey gets worse, with food shortages, despite having a vegetable gardens and foraging, out breaks of diseases and no medicine to treat patients, everyone’s clothes are hanging off them and some of the women to start dating German soldiers and get called nasty names.

Each chapter starts off with the name of a banned book and suits overall theme of the narrative, how reading and novels provided an escape, a way to pass the time and I now truly understand the real power of books and how they can unite people and give them hope.

I received a copy of The Wartime Book Club by Kate Thompson from Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Based around true events and real people Ms. Thompson gives the reader an in-depth look at what it was like to live on Jersey during the Second World War and from a woman’s perspective. They helped and supported each other, hid escaped prisoners and tried to keep up morale.

A story about friendship, bravery, resistance, selflessness, camaraderie, compassion and being part of a community and sticking together. It highlights how difficult it was for the people at the time, being completely shut off from the mainland and I can’t imagine how isolated and let down they must have felt.

Five stars from me, please read the author's notes at the end, it tells you which charters were in fact real people and it's one of the best historical fiction books I have devoured this year. I highly recommend The Wartime Book Club and Ms. Thompson's previous novel The Little Wartime Library.

A beautiful book detailing the suffering and joys that the inhabitants of Jersey experienced during the German occupation of WWII.

Grace is a librarian, who is trying to keep morale up by providing books to her fellow Islanders. Her best friend Bea is a post woman, faced with delivering mail to the loathed Germans as well as keeping locals in touch with each other. The story follows their individual lives and the book club Grace creates.

Some fantastic historical details, with wonderful characters. The descriptions of locations and suffering were very clear to imagine, and I found myself in tears on multiple occasions. If I have one slight issue with the book, it was that I found the beginning a bit too slow and lengthy, but the middle and end more than made up for that. A lovely read.

This book managed to hit the sweet spot of melancholy beauty that is hard to find in a topic as often covered as the war years. Life on Jersey is well described, and the daily difficulties that get tougher and tougher to bear stoically are a great addition to help understand what Grace and the other islanders go through. The burning of books is such a powerful image, and this tiny and yet huge act of defiance against the Nazi regime comes across as brave, allowing the islanders to have moments of dreaming through books when everything else was taken away.

What a fantastic historical fiction book from Kate Thompson. Grace and Bea live on Jersey as best friends. This book follows their lives and that of other islanders during the second half of WW2. and an up to date epilogue. I can’t imagine life on the island during this time but this book gives a great insight. Thanks to Kate and her publisher. Thanks also to NetGalley

I absolutely loved this book!! Any time I had to put it down I couldn't wait to get back to it.
Set on the island of Jersey during the Occupation it's based on true events and some of the people are real people even though this is a fictional story. Grace and Bea, best friends all their lives, are the main characters. Grace is quiet and works in the library, a job she adores. She's been a bit of a dreamer all her life with her head constantly in a book. Bea is full of fun and always up to mischief and trying to involve Grace in her pranks.
When the Germans invade life changes beyond belief and Grace and Bea change too. They almost swop personalities when faced with adversity. Gone are the carefree days of fun and even of reading. The Germans waste no time in emptying the library of books they deem unsuitable material.
The story that follows shows the cruelty and brutality of living under Occupation but also of the resilience of the people who stood up for each other, hid escaping prisoners and tried to keep morale going even in desperately dark days. There were informers and you had to be careful who you trusted.
There's a lot of sadness in the story but it's also an uplifting book if that makes sense. Two chapters at the end sum up the aftermath of Grace and Bea's lives which I always enjoy.
As a huge reader it was enlightening to me to see how books helped people through such a devastating time. One thing I would have liked was something about the capture of the Germans on Liberation Day. I really wanted to see 'The Wolf' brought down in front of the people he terrorised.
At the end of the story there is a huge amount of information. It includes notes on the author's research, real people's stories from the Occupation and links to websites and books that the reader can access if interested in the subject.
I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good story with great characters, both good and bad.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for an early copy of this book.

Jersey 1940 and this unforgettable story is inspired by true event.
Best friends librarian Grace La Mottee and post woman Bea Rose.

As Germany take over the island, this is the beginning of WW2, when 6,500 evacuees leave the island, Grace along with Ash unlock the library door they must hide all the banned books that the Germans don't approve of, before then invade and take Ash away to a German interment camp, will they ever work together again?

Bea behind the counter of the post office sending a message to London telegraph office before they are forced to close down, but a hope to be back on circuit after they get this stupid war out the way.
Jimmy La Mottee is Graces brother and him and Bea both want to chance getting off the island and to hopefully marry and live in London.
Red a Fugitive American and Grace hides him in the potting shed this is her secret from her family.

This amazing story is all about murder, love, friendship and companionship, with added absolute intense chapters right through, that will throw all your emotions wild.
I could not put this book aside and stop, it was one more chapter, just one more chapter.
So as the sirens carry on blaring, when will it ever end and bring peace to these two long time friends.

I loved this book, touching, sad but above all dynamic with explosive moments in every page.

I absolutely loved everything about this book, I was utterly engrossed from start to finish but admit to shedding a few tears too!!! The writing is superb and the research that has gone into writing this story about the German Occupation in Jersey is amazing. Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful book.

It is 1943 and Jersey - part of the Channel Islands - is occupied by the Nazis. Librarian Grace is ordered to get rid of the books that are considered problematic by the occupiers. But if you have ever seen a bookworm willingly give up their books, I'd like to hear about it.

So instead, Grace sets up a book club, to give moral support and succour to the residence of the island who are suffering and afraid. And, alongside her friend Bea the post lady, she begins to support the clandestine networks that work against the Germans.

There is a great deal of danger in their immediate surroundings, but this story is all about grit, and the courage of those who are willing to put themselves at risk in order to do the right thing. Based on meticulous research and some historical events, this book does a beautiful job of conveying to the reader the tense atmosphere of the time, and the resilience of the human spirit even under the worst of circumstances.

This book was set during WWII, and as the title suggests, the main characters decided to start a book club. As a book lover, this was a concept that appealed to me, because I typically enjoy any story with a bookish setting, or stories where the main character shows love for books and reading. While I was reading this, I thought about what it might be like to live in a time when books were banned. I feel a book like this helps readers to remember why they love reading. I connected with the story, and found it moving to read. I enjoyed the additional material at the end of the story too.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy to review.

The Wartime Book club is a heartwarming tale based on the Nazi occupation in the Channel Islands, specifically Jersey and the hardships that the residents endured under the Nazi regime.
Grace is a librarian, and she is always doing things for other people. She decides to open a book club to boost morale to the residents and help them forget the hardships that they are enduring. Bea is a postal worker and doing her own bit by hiding the letters that people are sending denouncing some of the residents that are part of the local resistance movement. Both women are best friends.
Before I read this, I wasn’t aware of what happened to Jersey. Although this fiction It is a beautifully written and well researched account of what happened on the island in WW2. This has likeable and strong characters and is a heartbreaking read. But shows against all odds and hardships people can survive. This is an excellent read 5 stars

Thank you netgalley for this book
Great wartime saga. Showing the brutality of war, but also the strength people found together to get through it. Full of wonderful characters and their determination to get through the worst times.

I was utterly enthralled.
This book has so much. It's an epic tale based on what happened to Jersey in WW2. By the end of the iccupation, the islanders were suffering from afflictions and malnutrition with hardly any food left.
The book is full of strong characters who develop as the story does. There are reminders throughout of values, phrases and courage that are in danger of dying out as the so-called Silent Generation leaves us.
The story revolves around librarian Grace and her friend Bea who works for the post office. At first Grace is a quiet bookworm, finding solace in the books and processes of the library. As occupation hits hard, she creates a wartime book club and starts to blossom. Bea struck me initially as very impetuous and hot headed, running straight into confrontation with the German forces. But as the story developed, the cruelty of the occupying forces and the nastiness of local informers made me rethink. Yes, I would have done the same as Bea. I also applauded Grace for taking a very brave decision after being implicated for helping to hide people on the run.
There is a lot of sadness and loss but the book is ultimately uplifting and triumphant. It reminds us how strong we can be in the face of adversity, and the power of the written word.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

If you enjoy wartime and sagas you will love this. Very emotional book about the Germans and a lovely librarian

Fascinating read. The story is about Jersey during the German occupation which put great hardships on the local resident which in turn led to them finding their inner strengths! It focuses on the local library where Grace has decided that she will not destroy books that have been banned, instead she hides them away. Occasionally Grace takes a hidden book out to deliver to a resident or someone who’s living with them, this she does at great peril as she regularly meet’s German soldiers encounter.
Grace decides a good use for the library would be to hold a book club. Not as simple as it sounds, first she must ask the Germans permission meeting in groups is forbidden. Secondly she must hand in a list of the books up for discussion and any relevant questions this may bring. Hardest of all is that they must have a German attending to listen to said discussion. Grace appears to be co-operative, can she have a hidden agenda!
Grace’s friend Bea is not so compliant, continually finding herself in bother for being outspoken. Grace is always looking out for her, even putting her life on the line.

I loved the mention of titles banned along with the details given. My favourite character was Peter Topsy and all his hidden talents.
My least favourite was the Wolf.

I liked the nod to Clara and Ruby. Wish I could give it more stars.

As a lover of books this drew me in, the strict regime of the nazis and horror of war making the librarians book club, a dangerous and unpredictable calling. If you love books you'll devour this.

I've recently become quite interested in the subject of the WWII Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands - Jersey, in this case - although I don't know too much about it. This book, although fiction, is clearly very well-researched and includes a lot of the real people and stories from the time - Albert Bedane and Louisa Gould, for instance, really existed and did indeed do the things described here. As, unfortunately, does Heinz Carl Wölfle, the "Wolf of the Gestapo". Although the cover looks quite cosy there are some dark things that happen in this book, as you would expect from the subject matter, and the backdrop for the story clearly draws heavily on real events.

The two fictional young women/best friends at the heart of the story, librarian Grace and post office worker Bea, are both engaging characters and both show a huge amount of bravery as they try both to survive and to fight back in their own way. Both stories are engaging and I was very invested in their outcomes (though it was perhaps a little bit too long drawn out at the end). The "banned books" which are scattered throughout with brief explanations add an interesting dimension.

There are some lengthy after notes by the author, gleaned from her research, which are interesting to read and go into much greater detail about the real stories included here, along with others. I particularly liked the story of Doris. I haven't read all these notes yet, but will go back and finish them at some stage.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review - I enjoyed it a lot.

Wow what an emotional read. Tears laughs and genuine love for all the characters in this book.
Really makes you think as Jersey was occupied in WW2. Bea and and Grace are two young ladies caught up in the Nazi regime as the soldiers made their lives horrific. This book concentrates on the work of these two women in the post office and the library’.
Fascinating to learn of their journey and ups and downs.
Brilliantly written in The way that you felt that you were there.