BLOG TOUR - The Home Front Girls

DESCRIPTION:

The war is raging in Europe. These girls will do everything they can on the home front – but is a happy ever after possible in such dark and uncertain times?

Manchester, 1940: The minute war was declared, best friends Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard, willing to do anything to help their boys fighting overseas. An Auxiliary Fire Service girl by night, Sally ends up stationed at the salvage depot by day. Working amidst the scrap metal and waste paper, helping to make do and mend, isn’t quite the glamorous life in uniform she’d imagined! But she’s determined to do her best, and turn saucepans into Spitfires.

When Sally meets Andrew, a quiet carpenter with a heart-breaking smile who understands how important her work is, she finally feels as though her efforts to keep calm and carry on are making a difference. As love blossoms, Sally feels herself opening up to Andrew in a way she’d never imagined possible.

But then, just as Sally feels as hopeful as she can be in these times of war, a devastating air raid threatens everything she holds dear. As bombs rain down all over Manchester, deadly fires begin to destroy homes, and lives. With Andrew out rescuing families from the rubble, Sally rushes towards the plumes of smoke that fill the night sky. And is horrified to realise the very worst hit area has the salvage yard right at its heart.

Desperate to help in any way she can, Sally, with her fellow salvage girls by her side, sets to work. But what will they find when the smoke clears? Will Sally and Andrew get the happy ending they so deserve? Or will her one chance at true love be lost forever as the morning dawns…?

A completely gripping and heart-breaking romantic saga. Perfect for fans of Rosie Clarke, Nancy Revell and Lizzie Lane.

BUY LINK:

https://geni.us/B0CSG3WLMVsocial

MY THOUGHTS:

 

Title:  The Home Front Girls

Author:  Susanna Bavin

Publisher:  Bookouture

Genre:   Historical Fiction

Series:  The Home Front Girls #1

Format:  Kindle ARC

No. of Pages:   329

Date of Publication:   April 16, 2024

My Rating:   4 Stars 

When Sally and Deborah volunteered for the home guard while WWII was raging, they both thought that the jobs they would be doing would be more than what they  actually got assigned. Primarily, they will be doing salvage work, and it doesn’t take them long to realize that this job is indeed as important as other jobs for those who serve. 

As their characters were drawn out in this first book in the historical saga series by Susanna Bavin, this book also highlighted jobs often not mentioned during the war effort. Their work was indeed vital, and both Sally and Deborah saw firsthand the devastation that the war was bringing. For example, food rations. So difficult to read and to imagine, but it was just one of the tragedies that the victims of the war experienced. 

While this book shows how Sally and Deborah’s friendship blossomed, there was also a romance blooming, and this added another layer to this well-written book. As this is the first book in a new series, I am eager to see how both the setting and the characters continue to be affected by the war. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

 Susanna Bavin has written 4 standalone sagas and her new WW2 trilogy, The Home Front Girls, will be published by Bookouture in 2024. She also writes as Polly Heron (The Surplus Girls 1920s saga series) and Maisie Thomas (The Railway Girls WW2 saga series)

Susanna lives on the beautiful North Wales coast with her husband and their two rescue cats. She is originally from Chorlton-cum-Hardy in Manchester, where her family has lived for several generations and which provides the setting for her family sagas.

Author social media

 

Website: www.susannabavin.co.uk

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MaisieThomasAuthor

 

Newsletter: https://bookouture.com/subscribe/susanna-bavin/