I love this series and the newest didn’t disappoint! Pierce has developed these characters so fully and it feels like I really know them. As usual this is packed with emotions and hope.

Another enjoyable and engrossing book in "The Emmy Lake Chronicles" series! I found myself reading "just a few more pages" before lights out as I become engrossed in the lives of Emmy Lake's life in WWII London. I found the focus on friendship enduring while the historical fiction aspects engaging and interesting, especially the focus on women's experiences during this historical time period and geographic location. I am hopeful this is not the conclusion of a trilogy and that A.J. Pearce will continue to explore these characters. Perhaps a flashback to Guy's earlier journalist career? Fingers crossed! I received a free digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and A. J. Pearce

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

Emmy Lake is in charge of a newspaper advice column in London during WWII while her husband is away fighting. Called Yours Cheerfully, it’s very popular with the war weary public. The newspaper is inherited by a spoiled rich woman named Mrs. Porter, who proposes radical changes that will alienate their readers. Can Emmy and her fellow newspaper employees stop her from destroying the paper’s reputation?
4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

I have adored the trials and tribulations of Emmy, Bunty, and their friends through three books now. Although the first in the series was my very favorite, all three books have been really good. To me, the best part of these stories is about these friends and their every-day lives - from the food they are eating to the tragedies they encounter. I loved Thelma and her children when they moved into the big house, and I enjoyed their animal adventures.
In the other part of this book, Mrs. Porter has inherited the magazine and she wants to change everything. I'd love to say that Mrs. Porter's cluelessness was unrealistic, but looking around at humanity, it's believable. Seeing the magazine come together to fight the changes was fun, but yup - the friends are my favorites.

Absolutely perfection! A great historical fiction that will draw you in from the first chapter. I highly recommend you check it out.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an arc of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Such a heartwarming book! I always love her characters. I love this endearing series and can’t wait for the next book.

Having read "Dear Mrs. Bird" and "Your "Cheerfully" I knew this book was going to be delightful. Set in England during World War II, the novels depict hard times at home while the men are at war. We find Emmy Lake happily writing the Yours Cheerfully column for Women's Friend, writing letters to her husband off at war, But things change when Mrs. Porter inherits the magazine...let the chaos begin as Mrs. Porter seeks to make changes to the magazine that will not only make the readers unhappy but Emmy as well. Recommended for sure!!

Returning to the world of Emmy Lake is always a comfort! Thank you AJ Pearce for another heart-warming tale of love and friendship, set in war-torn London. I highly recommend and look forward to book 4 of this series.

Thanks to Scriber and Netgalley for this advanced copy!

I had read the first book in this series, Dear Mrs Bird, last year and it was delightful and I"m happy to say this book was the same. It has been wonderful to see the growth in the characters, particuraly the main character Emmy Lake, over the course of these books as they work together on the magazine but also come together to survive WWII in London. I appreciate that while these books feel light hearted, the characters are never fully safe from the Blitz or rations, or any other thing that normal people were dealing with at the time, all with perserverance. Somethings are tied up with a bow and others are not while not feeling overwhelmingly heavy, even as lives are lost.

I would love to read more adventures of this crew especially with the news at the end of the book, I hope there are more to come!

This is the third in the Emmy Lake Chronicles including DEAR MRS BIRD (a favorite of 2019) and YOURS, CHEERFULLY. I do recommend reading the first two books in the series to fully appreciate the story and characters.

Set in London during WWII in the 1940s, Emmy Lake is continuing her job at the Women’s Friend magazine. Emmy is still writing her “Yours, Cheerfully” column answering women’s heartbreaking yet important questions with advice in the friendliest yet appropriate way. She continues to live with her childhood best friend Bunty while her husband is at war. In this novel, their friend Thelma and her children join them while Thelma’s husband is also fighting the war.

Things are going well at the magazine until the staff hears about a new owner of the magazine. When Mrs. Porter arrives at the magazine headquarters to assess the viability of the magazine, her new ideas don’t sit too well with everyone. Mrs. Porter wants to include society wedding stories and dedicate full pages to photographs of her dog. She also finds the letters to Emmy’s advice column to be way too “mis” and puts a stop to answering any of the more depressing letters, though many of the letters pertain to wartime concerns.

As you can imagine, these changes don’t sit well with Emmy or the rest of the staff and frustrations come to a head with Mrs. Porter. Remember, there is also a war going on, and loss hits the Women’s Friend family. A.J. Pearce handles the characters’ emotions with great care, especially when the children are involved. Even though this series is set during the war, it is mostly in the background with a few characters being directly affected throughout the series. But it also reminds the reader that people had to live their lives, continue to raise their families, and work even through rationing, heartbreak, and great despair.

“Don’t worry, Em, we’ll do what all the other women in Britain are doing.”
“What’s that?” I said.
“Cope,” said Bunty.

Leaving Emmy, Bunty, and the Women’s Friend crew behind made me a bit sad at the end of this story. Their witty banter, close-knit friendships, and determination to fight for what they believed in kept me turning the pages. I loved being transported to 1940s London with women I’d be honored to call my friends. I chose to listen to the first two in the series for my own enjoyment, narrated by the talented Amy Popplewell. Receiving this one for review was an honor, especially since the book was already on my to-read list.

“Bunty said you didn’t miss someone any less, you just made room for other things to surround the gap they had left.”

I was SO excited for this book. The others in the series have been awesome and I enjoyed them immensely. This one however, really left a lot to be desired for me. The standout in the first couple of books in the series was the writing. The writing style was unique and absolutely charming. This book was missing the magic the first so books had. I was sad to miss out on that writing style, as it is truly unique and fun to read.

I cried a lot during this book and books normally do not make me emotional. I was surprised it hit me so hard because I have been binging historical fiction but this is a stand out

Emmy Lake and her coworkers work hard on their Women's Friend magazine, bringing news, recipes and everyday advice to those left on the home front. When the publisher dies, Guy assures them all will be well, but the niece left in charge, Mrs. Porter, has a much different vision for the magazine. At home, Bunty and Emmy invite their friend Thelma and her 3 children to live in their upper floor. The kids bring a bit of chaos to their world, and animals in the backyard shed. When I read the first one of Pearce's books, I didn't realize it would be a series. I am always glad to revisit this crowd and see how their lives are faring.

I cannot remember the last time a book elicited such a range of emotions in me - if I wasn't angry, I was crying. If I wasn't crying, I was laughing. If I wasn't laughing, I absolutely was angry [spitting nails angry]; because while I don't remember a book giving me this huge range of emotions, I also cannot remember when I despised a character as much as I did Mrs. Porter - and let me tell you, there was not even ONE thing about her to like. Everything she did and said either made me angry or grated on my last nerve. I was barely into the story and told a friend that I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to read it. Never have I been SO GLAD [I really sense a theme here LOL] to stick out a book until the end.

Because...

THIS. BOOK. IS. QUITE. SIMPLY. JUST. GORGEOUS.

Gorgeous y'all. Filled with these moments of beauty and love and caring. Also has HUGE moments of bravery and love deeper than most of us will ever experience [war and fighting nazi's, and sending your beloveds out to do just that will do that to and for you] and friendships that are both lifelong and forged in fire and are the kind of friends that everyone wishes for. It also has one of the most annoying print human beings that I have ever encountered and there is not ONE redeeming quality about her. In the midst of said war, she still thinks the whole world revolves around her and just "WHY CAN'T she do this, that, and the other". Forget spraining my eyeballs, they may or may not be totally broken now. ;-) Yet, in the midst of all her annoying interference, there is hope. And perseverance. And the realization that everyone involved is MUCH stronger than they ever thought there were.

There is also great sadness and I had to stop reading I was crying so hard. War is awful and that is one thing this series has never shied away from - the realities and horrors of war and the aftermath of great sorrow and I think even the most hard-hearted person would have sniffled at the sadness in this book.

And now, I have book hangover. Big time. This one will last for awhile I think. I have come to love these characters so much and this one was just so deeply personal for them and I really felt for them all. Emmy, Bunty, Thelma [and her fantastic kids - the scenes with the illicit chickens will make you laugh out loud], Guy [and may we ALL have a boss like this amazing man] and all the people who work at the magazine, are some of the best characters around and this series has just been so fantastic for me; I can only hope that there is at least one more book so we can see what happens to everyone as the war ends [and PLEASE bring all the men in these women's lives home safely - though I know that isn't always how it happened and the ones who DID come home were forever changed].

Thank you Ms. Pearce for giving the book world this amazing series; I for one, will be forever grateful. Very well done.

I was invited to read/review this book by Scribner and I thank them, AJ Pearce, and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Emmy Lake and friends remain hard at work in 1943 to produce the Woman's Friend magazine that means so much to their readers. Although the times are difficult with people still getting killed or hurt in air raids, they strive to answer questions submitted by readers and provide some solace from the difficult days.

When a new posh publisher sweeps into their offices with her "tiny suggestions," the staff is dismayed at the changes that will ruin the magazine for their readership. In addition to these changes, the new publisher tends in a direction that could mean loss of employment for them all.

With true courage and perseverance, Emmy and staff come up with a plan to save the magazine, while dealing with their own personal worries and heartbreaks. This novel of friendship and family will provide a thoughtful and provoking read, whether readers have read previous offerings in the series or are starting out with this one.

I received this novel from the publisher and from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

It was different. Not on my favorite list but an interesting read for anyone looking for a change of pace.

Don’t you hate those people who cannot read the room or when everyone is clearly struggling with something they act like life is amazing? They are tone deaf and they are proud of it. Enter Mrs. Porter here…. Posh niece with no understanding of war whatsoever became to new owner of the Women’s Friend.

Emmy and Bunty could not take a break. There had to be a new person walking into their lives and messing everything up. Emmy had to deal with a new boss who was destroying everything she worked very hard for. Bunty needed to get over her memories to ope herself to new adventures. But loss found them again.

In the midst of all tragedies, I like how these girls managed to find something to hold on to. It must be the sign of the times: during the war times, any good news was great news; any day you wake up to was a gift. I’ll be waiting for #4,

Veering into a bit of the "let's all pitch in and do the impossible because, crikey, we're at war!" and then a dash of grief here and there to bring it all together. Don't get me wrong, Pearce continues to write with delicious aplomb, and the tone of the mid-40s English dialogue rings true to my 21st century American ear. I admit, though, to having done one or two eye-rolls at what I thought might be a bit of over-the-top pluck shown by the lead characters.

That is the only negative I can offer for this otherwise delightful addition to the series, and I'm hopeful to see another book in the near future.

Sincere thanks to the publishers for reaching out to me with a digital ARC in exchange for this honest review.

It’s always a pleasure to return to the office of Woman’s Friend and catch up with Emmy and her colleagues and friends. I’ve read many WWII home front novels and I always learn something new about the experiences of women through this series.