I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This WWII saga follows three young nurses, Sylvia, Freda and Veronica, in 1940s Bath. I warmed to all three of these characters, and appreciated them in different ways. Sylvia was the first to be introduced, and somehow, she was the one I felt the strongest connection with. Freda was the one that I identified with the most, while Veronica was the one that I sympathised the most.

A nurse’s work is invaluable; when we think of nurses, we think of someone who cares, reassures, comforts. The three main characters did all of these things, and much more besides. They were kind, strong and determined, and all looking to find their way in the world.

In addition to the three main characters, there were some other characters that made a strong impression on me, like Jesse. He was a wonderful character who warmed my heart.

Sylvia, Freda and Veronica established a strong bond of friendship, and that was something that I could appreciate. I also find that historical sagas have a strange way of making me feel nostalgic for a time that I have never lived in, for places and people I've never known. That was the case with this book too.

This didn't take too long to read, but it was heartwarming, inspiring, and provided the escape that I hoped for.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

This story takes place in Bath during WWII. Sylvia and her new friends Freda and Veronica are recently qualified as nurses at a Bath hospital. Each of them is dealing with personal issues and secrets and focuses on their journeys.


This was a fast, interesting, read which focused on new nurses in Bath serving during WWII. Nearby Bristol was being bombed so they were dealing with families and soldiers who were involved in bombings there. I enjoyed the characters and their stories and hopefully, there will be more stories in this series.


Thanks to @boldwoodbooks, @rachelsrandomresources, @netgalley and the author of this ARC

I was really looking forward to this book. But unfortunately it didn’t do it for me. I felt the story meandered and lacked a goal. I loved the characters, thought they framed the book.
Some areas I questioned as to it being correct, a nurse is a nurse and she’s never an anaesthetist who is a Doctor and a scrub nurse wouldn’t have completed suturing the wound after the surgeon had completed the operation.
The ending was abrupt and I felt was rushed and completed on a strange note.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this Arc

Family saga, wartime, nursing absolutely brilliant

I felt like I was friends with the three girls who the book is about can’t wait to read more

Three young women who want to make a difference.

Freda, Sylvia and Veronica became fast friends while working at a hospital in Bath, England as nurses. Injured soldiers and displaced families are treated with honor and respect. It does takes its toll as they grow in their profession.

So far, Bath has been spared from the bombing Germans. But how long will this last?

Heart wrenching at times but a delight to read.

Three newly qualified nurses work on The Home Front in WW2 Bath, England. Sylvia, Freda, and Veronica form an immediate connection that blossoms into friendship. I like the three protagonists; they have different personalities, but they are determined to help the injured who come through the hospital doors. WW2 makes a poignant setting for this story, and the reader gets an idea of what it was like in wartime Bath. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their challenges in their personal and professional lives. The sweet romance between Sylvia and Jesse is particularly conflicted because of prejudice and family pressure. The story is relatively short, and some plot threads are left unresolved, but hopefully, they continue as the series progresses. It is an engagingly poignant story with relatable characters and an evocative wartime setting. I also enjoyed the west country setting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

This book by Rachel Brimble is set in Bath in 1941. It's about 3 girls Sylvia, Freda and Veronica that have just qualified as nurses.All three have issues to deal with in their lives.Sylvia has trouble with her mother who works is pub.Sylvia speaks her mind and sticks up for her two friends.Freda has a mother that rules her life telling her what she can and can't do but Freda wants to be a writer not a nurse.Veronica lives with her widowed mother and was raped by a neighbour when she was 17 but never told anybody.In this book we find out the friendship these 3 girls have .Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books

Beginning of a series?

I believe that this book sets a solid foundation for a new WW2 series centered on nurses. 3 nurses in particular, Freda, Sylvia and Veronica, all working at a hospital in Bath. While they are all devoted nurses, they also have other interests as well as potential romantic relationships, along with troubled family situations.

The book reads quickly, I felt invested in the characters and wanted to see how they grew and emotionally developed. I'm looking forward to the next book if indeed this will be a series, the ending certainly lends itself to one.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I enjoyed this, the first book in a new series.

Sylvia, Veronica and Freda have recently qualified as nurses and on their first day of their new job, become friends.

Each one is coming across different hurdles in their lives, but as their friendship grows, they help each other to overcome them.

The war and what devastation it was causing, how it was affecting those living through it was portrayed very well, which showed how much research the author did when writing this book.

I loved how the nurses went above and beyond to help the patients feel happy and care for them whilst in hospital.

I’m looking forward to reading more in this series and what happens next in the nurses lives, especially from how the story ends.

I highly recommend this book.

An interesting start to a series.

Sylvia, Freda and Veronica have just qualified as nurses and meet on the first day on the ward. Sylvia is a strong character and sees the good in people she does not get the support from her Mother, Freda was forced into going into Nursing and all her Mother wants her to is a good girl and make a good marriage. Veronica has problems with men she does not trust them.

We see how the hospital in Bath coped with the patients that were coming from Bristol with all the bombing going on.

The book was really enjoyable and I liked the woman that were in it.

The author has obviously done some research on this and was interesting to read about what happened.

Really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to the next innthe series! Thanks net galley for a fabulous read

Three newly trained nurses meet on their first day of work and form a unbreakable bond. Sylvia, Veronica and Freda all are facing different obstacles in there lives and as they get to know each other they help each other through and out the other side. I appreciate the instant connection that these young women felt and it was just what they needed. The bombings and war happening in the story was realistic and well represented highlighting the research that went into writing this wonderful book. The medical aspect was the most interesting for me and I loved how the nurses went above and beyond to help the patients feel comfortable and happy. It shows that the profession truly does require a caring nature not just medical knowledge. I am excited to read more of where this series goes. This book has given it a brilliant start and as it ends on a cliffhanger. I am eager to find out what happens for Sylvia, Veronica and Freda next!

I do love being transported back in time to help give me a better understanding of what life was like during World War Two. The author's descriptions really helped me to picture the way things were and how their lives continued to change. It was complete brilliance to bring even more into the story by having one of the nurses being a part time writer/reporter.

I walked the ward seeing the horrors that the soldiers suffered. I was reminded of all the innocents that were injured or killed by Nazi bombs dropping on their homes. They all must have had such strength to carry on.

What was really awesome was to be given glimpses into those that helped in different ways. We all think about the nurses and doctors. But I didn't stop to think about those that helped the poor children left with now where to go and no one to hold them. Thanks to Home Front Nurses I now want to learn more about these amazing people.

The Home Front Nurses was an action packed story. The nurses never seemed to get a break. They couldn't help but get emotional. I couldn't help but get emotional. The nurses left the hospital each day and had to deal with the struggles of war torn England. They all had issues that helped remind me that although the were heroes they also struggled in their every day lives.

This book follows Sylvia Roberts, a determined woman who, along with her friends Freda and Veronica, works as a home front nurse during WWII.

While dealing with the difficulties of war and their relationships, Sylvia finds herself drawn to a man who others would not approve of.

The first book in the series had me hooked from the start; I loved the girls' friendship, closeness, and loyalty to one another.

Rachel is a new author to me, and I am excited to read the rest of the series.

This book is a light, quick read. The main characters are three young women who have qualified as nurses, right at the beginning of the war. They meet on their first day and get on extremely well. They stick together through thick and thin. Sylvia is the tough nut of the group and the mother hen. They all have their secrets, some of which come out in this story. It's the beginning of a series so there are more secrets to be exposed.
I felt like there was too much going on too soon but yet there was no real depth to the characters. I didn't get to know them and some things happened too easily. There were a couple of little things that niggled, one of which was the amount of sugar one girl had in her tea which had been rationed for two years at that stage.
It is laying the ground work for a series so will probably pick up as it goes along.

Thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for an early copy.

A great read which I devoured quickly. Such lovely characters and they all helped each other during very difficult times. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A sweet and enticing War time story for anyone missing Call the Midwife. I look forward to more of this series!

I captivating read. Sylvia, Veronica and Freda were great friends and their friendship was tested but they stayed friends despite the hurdles they faced. Sylvia was a strong character despite the lack of faith her mother had. I am looking forward to reading future stories in this series.

The Home Front Nurses by Rachel Brimble takes readers to 1941 in Bath, England where three ladies have finished their nursing training and are ready to work on the wards. Sylvia, Freda, and Veronica quickly become friends. Each character comes from a different background. They have their own struggles and hindrances to overcome plus they are dealing with the war. Planes fly over daily, bombing victims are flooding into the wards, rationing is a reality, and the loss of loved ones to the war is devastating. I found The Home Front Nurses to be easy to read. I liked Sylvia, Freda, and Veronica. I did feel that the story lacked depth. I would have liked more time spent on nursing and less on romance. I was surprised by some of the topics touched upon in The Home Front Nurses (unwanted attentions by men, a woman being violated by a man, a woman attracted to another woman, and an interracial couple). The story does have mild foul language. There were a couple of incorrect details in the story (an example is tights would not have been available for the ladies to wear). I liked the resilience of Sylvia, Freda, and Veronica as well as their strong bond. Overall, I enjoyed The Home Front Nurses, and I am curious to see what happens next.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I was new to this author and looked forward to a new series in my favourite genre - historical fiction - and in the nursing profession as well. As an ex-nurse trained in the late 70s I felt I knew some of what these young ladies were feeling and going through. the deference to 'Sister' definitely.

I did find the book very slow and their was no depth to the characters. The chapters tended to flit about and as you got into the story about one of the girls suddenly the next chapter moved to another. I found it odd that as Veronica worked on one ward and her mother was a Sister on another that their paths never crossed though as this is a series I suppose that there is chance for this to develop later on.

There was little about Bath itself as well - lots about Bristol and the effect the War had there but little about the history of Bath and places the girls were bound to visit. In fact I have realised there was little about where the hospital was sited at all!

There were inconsistencies in the research - one girl had had her 'tights' ripped off her and tights were not really available in WW2 as I understand it.

And bringing me to the ending - it just stopped. I know one knows when one is towards the end of a book but it just ended - yes there is ample scope for the series to continue but the last chapter was a disappointment.
Would I read more in the series? Probably - but this has not left the impression on me that other books I have read recently have. I would have loved to have given a higher star rate but felt I couldn't.