The Potteries Girls on the Home Front by Lynn Johnson


March 1911: Betty Dean needs a job and somewhere to live, and eventually, a husband – according to her mother. Sent into service at Stowford House in Cheshire, where the days are long and the work is gruelling, Betty’s dreams of making something of herself seem even further away.
A very good read, it has the beginning of a series wrote all over it.
Enjoyed finding out about Betty and the people around her.
A good cosy read , but not without a little heartbreak and some feel good moments as well to delight the reader.

Firstly thank you Netgalley for this ARC

Family saga at its best brilliant book can't wait to read more by this author

A great look at life in England for a working class woman at the beginning of the last century and during World War I.

Really enjoyed this book about the girls from the potteries and how they plod on during the war, well written with a lovely storyline and lovely characters and nice to read how the girls advance through life, couldn't put it down
Highly recommend

The saga of Betty dean starts in a small village, ends up in a big house, the a job as a tram worker and then finds love with wartime soldier. An e engrossing saga of another time.

By far the most eventful book ending ever! Well done with these character arcs and telling each of their stories so wonderfully!

I absolutely love this series. It was great to pick up where we left off. Reconnecting with the characters who were really made of stern stuff. They went through such hard times but they got on with it. Their friendships were heartwarming and I liked how they all supported each other. I am looking forward to reading more from the girls in Wellington Road.

I have really enjoyed this series finding out about the lives of tram girls. This book concentrates on Betty Dean’s life and I was happy to find out why she had so mysteriously disappeared after the War in the last book. I have enjoyed these books and look forward to next summer for the last book in this series. These are a great series but if you happen to pick up one without having read the others they will work as standalone books too but I’m sure once you’ve read one you’ll want to know what happens to each of the girls. If this book is the genre you like then you won’t be disappointed as it’s a great read.

Starting in 1911, The Potteries Girls on the Home Front follows Betty from age 13 to her early twenties. Betty works hard and is determined to make something of herself, despite many setbacks. She works her way through many jobs, learning skills along the way and helping to provide for her family, all the while working toward her most important goal, finding a husband to support her. Set against the backdrop of the Great War, the story shows the perils and triumphs of the times.

I enjoyed the story and really although this did really add to the story and show the development of characters and passing of time. It was interesting to see the different tones that Betty used in different situations. If historical fiction is your jam, I think this book will really appeal to you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for the eARC.

Firstly, many thanks to NetGalley, the publishers and author Lynn Johnson for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author and enjoyed it. Easily read and easy to follow the characters, the main focus being on Betty Dean. She seems to go from one catastrophe to another......albeit some lesser than others!

Again, we are shown just how strong the females of that time, WW!, were, a very resilient population!

Will be looking out for the next instalment and the continuation of Betty's tale!

This book was a thrilling ride from the beginning. The author’s style places the reader in the book in each scene for an entertaining journey. Awe-inspiring . . . The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced, I couldn’t put it down.

Betty Dean the main character doesn’t have her troubles to seek, they follow her around.
Betty lives with her fairly large family in a traditionally small house so needs to leave school to help the family finances and to make room by finding a live in position.
Betty finds a post as maid at Stowford House. She misses her family, especially older brother Jeffrey who she writes to regularly.
It’s here that Betty becomes taken with the young Alastair, but is he all he seems or is Betty’s intuition telling her something else?
Due events and the onset of war Betty finds herself back in the potteries which has its upside in that she manages to find friends who care and look after her. This helps her confidence after being let down be her so-called friend Martha.
It’s a beautifully told story which you won’t want to put down.
I loved the references to sayings, stir-up Sunday. And places, Pitlochry as I live nearby.

Great book, with believable characters. Betty Dean is sent into service by her mother, working long hours, feeling she is drifting away from her family, she returns to the potteries in shame with a dark secret. She starts work on the trams where she meets Connie and Jean, and finds love, but with WW1 looming their lives are about to change. Enjoyable read and worth the 5 stars.

I love swapping genres occasionally and like to read stories set in the war era. This was very engaging, fab characters and quick paced. Will definitely look for more books by this author.

Brilliant book loved it the story and characters draw you in and you are hooked,i love reading of strong willed women 5*

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Lynn Johnson for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

I had not realised this was part of a series until I had read the author's note - it is possible to read as a standalone book but I imagine its easier to understand some of the characters if one had read the previous books.

For instance one character - Connie - marries at the end of the book. It is obvious that she has had a wedding arranged previously but one does not know if she was jilted , did the jilting or why the wedding failed to go ahead - but it seemed presumed that one would know.

It was a heartwarming story but as another reviewer states predictable once the main character had got into a relationship with someone at her first place of work. The difference was that her family stood by her and helped her out - which seemed unusual in WW1 times.

I wont provide anymore spoilers - but I found the story kept me interested and intrigued to know where the story was going next.

Thank you again

Enjoyable easy reading. I do, however, long to find a book where the main character does not find herself pregnant and single; it is so predictable once you know that they have engaged in a sexual relationship. The characters were likeable and came to life well. The book had been well written. More details about the girls life of the trams; the people they met, the job they did and people's feelings towards them would have been interesting. I would recommend to others and read more by this author.

Set during WW1 following the lives of young girls and how they lived and worked during those times. It makes you realize how they lived in those days. Lovely saga and one to re-read at a later date. I recommend this and give it 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC