Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for providing me with an ARC of "The Light Over London" by Julia Kelly.

Historical fiction is my absolutely favorite of all genres and I was ready to dive right into this book. What initially intrugued me about this novel is one of the settings. I've read a lot about Germany and Poland during WWII, but not England and its role. While I enjoyed reading from the perspective of Cara, an antiques dealer in modern-day England, it was Louise who really stole the show for me.

I found myself consistently rooting for her; rooting for her to brush off her mother's expectations of her, rooting for her to find love, rooting her to find and thrive in her own independence, etc. Kelly was able to depict the journey from a self-conscious, shy, impressionable young woman to a confident, feminist woman beautifully.

I also enjoyed reading and learning more about the Ack-Ack women. I had briefly heard and read some things about this unit previously, but nothing to this depth.

I personally enjoyed the fact that Cara and Louise's stories/families weren't interconnected as several books have the tendency to do. On that same token, I could see how Kelly drew parallels between both lives.

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly is an historical fiction novel. Set in England is a story of two strong women, Louise who during World War II years, joined the troops, as a gunner girl in an Ack Ack unit and Cara who is recovering from a painful divorce, finding her way while decoding a mysterious diary. Fast paced and a very entertaining read.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

The Light Over London by Julia Kelly is the kind of book you want to curl up with in front of the fire on a cold winter night. Two story lines are intertwined, involving the love interests of one woman during WWII and another woman in today’s world. Both women exhibit courage and grit, as they face situations and problems that were unexpected and unimaginable. The resolution of their stories will resonate with readers as real and satisfying.

This is not a war story that has anything to do with the Holocaust or the concentration camps. References to The Nightingale and The Lilac Girls are misleading to readers and will skew opinions about this book. Situated on the home front, this book is about relationships, some of which are set during WWII. Kelly creates memorable female characters who will be remembered fondly. I recommend this as a quick, enjoyable read that illuminates the ability of people to step up to the challenges of life.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the opportunity to read an electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. Here is my review"

I really enjoyed this book!! Set in the present, with flashbacks to WWII England, it was an interesting look at England during that time.
A newly-employed assistant curator is preparing household furnishings for auction when she finds a diary hidden away. Intrigued, she reads the diary and tries to find the writer, or her descendents. The story alternates between the diary writer and the reader, telling both the diary entries and the stories surrounding them.

It's been a while since I read a WWII story, but I couldn't pass up A Light Over London when I saw it at Netgalley. It is a wonderful story told in two timelines.

Cara is working with an antiques dealer outside of London, and while inventorying the home of the late Lenora Robinson, she comes upon a diary from WWII. The diary does not belong to Lenora and Cara is determined to discover the identity of the writer so she can return it. Part of her curiosity lies in the mystery surrounding her own grandmother's WWII service. So one timeline is present-day with Cara. As she reads the diary entries or discusses them with her neighbor, who is also a history professor, Liam, the reader is transported to 1940s England and get more information about Louise (the owner of the diary).

I was much more invested in the story of Louise, and I feel that that storyline was a much larger portion of the book. I enjoyed Cara's storyline but it felt very much like a secondary plot. It would be fun to be in Cara's position of discovering the diary and researching the person. Though, I think Liam did most of the work on tracking down who Louisa was.

I enjoyed learning about the "Gunner Girls" as the females in the anti-aircraft artillery battalion were called. I hadn't read a story that featured them before so it was fun getting a glimpse of how females were employed by the Royal Army.

Louise and Cara were instantly likable characters and Kelly's is a wonderful storyteller. The writing compelling and I totally regretted that I didn't pick up the book sooner. I need a bit of a reading break after finishing The Island of Always and I had a busy weekend so I didn't pick up The Light Over London until Sunday night. Immediately I wished I had started it earlier in the day as I wanted nothing more than keep reading straight through. I hated that I had to wait until each evening to get back to the book. So I highly recommend you set aside a day and settle in with tea, cookies, and this book.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction, taking place in England at dual timelines. Two strong women, one at World War II years, joining the troops, and another, recovering from a painful divorce, finding her way while decoding a mysterious diary. I recommend this inspiring, fast flowing novel. Thank you NetGalley for the e-reader copy for my review. All opinions are my own.

Julia Kelly does a wonderful job of weaving a fictional story with historical fact. I thoroughly enjoyed the modern day story as well as it's WWII counterpart. I always enjoy novels that are able to connect two different time periods and flawlessly jump between them.
Highly recommend this one!

This is the first book by [author:Julia Kelly|718919] that I have read but it won't be my last. I really did enjoy this story and was not once again familiar with this part of WW2. I did not know that there were women serving in the artillery division of the Royal Army.

I found Louise and Cara both relatable. The character development for both but especially Louise was excellent.

This book was a decent book, although with the comparisons made between it and Lilac Girls, I was expecting a much more profound novel rather than a glorified romance novel set during the war. Historical Fiction hasn’t been my favorite of genres, but lately I’ve been really impressed with the genre. This one just fizzled a bit when compared to what has come out in this genre lately. I wanted more from this book, but did enjoy the writing. It’s just marketed wrong, in my opinion.

I love a good WWII historical fiction novel. This one was good, but not great. It is told in two time periods, telling the story of Louise, a gunner girl in an Ack Ack unit in the UK during WWII. This is as much a romance novel as it is a WWII novel, but I enjoyed learning something new about the gunner girls and their role in the war. Enjoyable read.

This has become one of my favorite reads of the year. The story has the perfect blend of history and fiction, with elements of romance, subterfuge, mystery,adventure and feminism. The story centers on the lives of two main characters, Cara in modern times and Louise who a gunner girl in an Ack Ack unit in London during WW ll. Cara works with in the antiques industry in the modern era and she finds a diary dating back to the 1940’s. She is so intrigued by the contents of the diary and becomes determined to learn more about the original author and return it if possible. The story left me wanting to learn more about the history of the gunner girls. This is a story of strong and courageous women who are not afraid to start over and make their own way.

Ive read so many WWII books, and yet I always learn something new with each one. Light over London is no different, showing readers the special bond of the “ack ack command” trained to help male shooters find and accurately hit German bombers. I loved that aspect of the book, as well as the love stories intertwined.

Cara is an antiques dealer just learning the ropes. She finds some old love letters and this leads her to investigate the past. She discovers Louise. Louise is bound and determined to change her stars. Her mother wants her to wait for her rich boyfriend to come home from the war. Louise wants more out of life than that! Enter Paul Bolton, a larger than life Fight Lieutenant. He sweeps her off her feet. She decides to join the British Army where she is trained as a gunner girl. Their love letters keep her going, until they just stop.

If you follow my reviews, you know I love strong women characters. Both Cara and Louise fit this to a “T”. Louise is unstoppable in her quest to help in the war effort. She does not intend to mend socks for the service men. She wants to be in the middle of the action. Cara is just as tenacious. Her grandmother is keeping a secret about her time in the war. And Cara is determined to find out more.

This story has a little bit of everything. Family drama, love, mystery, action, just to name a few. Parts of this tale are purely magical. When Paul takes Louise into smugglers cave, I could just feel their connection. I fell in love with Paul …glad it was not in real life…I would have been hoodwinked. (Sorry spoiler alert).

Well, well, well, this author taught me something. I knew women were nurses, ambulance drivers, spies and more in WWII. But, I have never heard of gunner girls or ‘ack ack’ girls. These ladies helped with the anti aircraft guns. How have I missed this! These ladies were so brave.

To say I loved this read is an understatement. This is a fantastic, awesome novel. I ended 2018 with a bang! I would rate this one in my top five of 2018. Read this TODAY!

The Light over London by Julia Kelly is a wonderful historical fiction novel set primarily in WWII England. The story begins in present day England when Cara finds a diary when evaluating an estate. The writer of the diary is a mystery and is not the woman who owned the estate. Clara is fascinated by the diary and is determined to find out who the author is. She is helped by a new neighbor and historian.

It is a fascinating journey into some remarkable women doing their part for the war effort. It is also a discovery of how the mysteries and secrets must be solved so that those in the present and past can have peace.

Once you start reading about Louise’s story in WWII you will be hooked.

Thank you NetGalley and Gallery Books for a free copy. This is an honest review.

The Light Over London is the story of woman in the present day who just got a divorce and is starting a new life. Cara is out on the job and finds a diary from a woman with the initials LK who fought in the war. The diary tells the love story of LK and her pilot. The perspective of the story is then changed to Louise. This aspect is about the love story but also about coming into herself. As Cara delves into the diary she decides to learn more about LK with a little help from a new neighbor.

This was a solid read. It was more romance than historical fiction but it was well written. I never felt the suspense of being in the war. It was a little to rosy for that aspect. I did enjoy this story. Overall a quick read and the writing was good. Would I recommend this book? Yes if you like romance but if you want a historical fiction this will not be the best fit.

4 stars because it was good and I would recommend it and I did really like it overall.

Recently divorced Cara finds a photograph and diary belonging to a woman known only as L.K. With the help of her new neighbor, Liam, she uncovers the mystery of L.K. But is solving the mystery the only thing in store for Cara and Liam?

Louise Keene meets RAF pilot Paul Bolton and it changes the course of her life. As she falls in love with Paul will she find out there's more to him than meets the eye? Will she find out she's stronger than she ever thought?

The lives of two women who lived decades apart intertwine in this dual timeline book. I think dual timeline books are tricky for authors because they have to keep the reader's interest during not just one story but two. Julia Kelly kept my interest in these two stories from beginning to end. This book was an emotional read as I felt heartbreak, anger, and happiness right along with these characters. I was pulled into Louise's story through Cara's and I thought the author did an excellent job of switching back and forth to keep the story moving forward and keeping my interest. I enjoyed the author's writing style and how her descriptions made me feel as if I were there.

This book will appeal to readers of contemporary fiction or historical fiction. It has a nice balance of both and is a well-written story that has put the author on my must-read list.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions are mine.

Cara works for a guy that sells antiques from people, and she finds a diary written by Louise in WWII. It goes back and forth from Cara and her life and what she finds out, and Louise's diary and life. Cara had just gone through a divorce so a neighbor she just met helped her find out more information about the diary and if she can return it to the owner. Cara ends up falling in love with her neighbor, finding out more about her grandmother's history, and finding herself. Louise's story started out where she lived in a small village doing bookkeeping at the local store and wanting to be free of her life. Her mother wants her to wait for a local boy to come back from the War, but Louise wants bigger things. She falls in love with Paul, ends up joining the military, being asked to join the Ack-Ack team, marrying him, and finding out when he dies that he had married several other women. Cara finds out more to the story when she locates Louise's cousin Kate, with Liam. I really liked the story, but I wish there would have been a little bit more history in it.

Given that I'm a WWII Book junkie, I thoroughly enjoyed The Light Over London. It is one of those split-time-period novels, which may be common, but I still really enjoy this format.

In the current day, we have Cara, who works in an antique shop. She finds an old diary in a box that seems to be written by a woman who is shown in a picture in a WWII uniform. Cara decides she needs to find out who this woman is and return the diary to her or her family.

In 1941, Louise lives in a small village in the English countryside and seems far removed from the war, until she is swept off her feet by an RAF pilot, Paul. Their relationship is quick and intense, and when Paul gets shipped off to another post, they resolve to keep writing. Louise decides to join-up to help the war effort. She ends up scoring very high on tests and becomes a Gunner Girl, a dangerous assignment.

Part of Louise's story comes from the diary that Cara is reading and part from Louise's perspective herself. At times it is a bit confusing remembering that Cara doesn't know everything that the reader knows about Louise.

Cara's story is complicated by the fact that she is recently divorced and her parents were killed in a car accident shortly before that divorce. So we get that story in bits and pieces throughout the novel. Cara's new neighbor, a handsome, single gentleman, provides a potential romantic interest for Cara. Cara's grandmother also served in the war. Cara knows her grandmother has secrets because she heard her mother on the phone in an argument with Grandma right before her mother's death. Cara's grandmother is adamant that Cara not know anything about those secrets.

Louise's mother knows that Louise will marry the most eligible bachelor in town and settle down and have his children, like a good wife and daughter. Louise has no romantic interest in this man, and that is partly why she decides to escape her parents and her small-town life and join up.

The portrayal of these Gunner Girls and the atmosphere of London during the bombings is one of the most fascinating elements of The Light Over London. It is easy to feel the absolute terror and danger that they were in, firing anti-aircraft guns at Luftwaffe planes almost every night. Cara lives for Paul's letters, which at times are loving and at other times are somewhat angry about Cara's putting herself in harm's way.

The way Louise's story turns out is unexpected -- in a good way. I don't want to say too much more about it. Both of our main characters go through large, and believable, transformations. If you are a fan of WWII stores that put you in the thick of it and provide a dose of romance to boot, you should pick up The Light Over London. Also recommended to teens who enjoy the genre.

I was excited to read this book as my mother-in-law was a war bride having driven jeeps for officers....and also seeing this book compared to Nightingale and The Lilac Girls. In addition this book is a two time period book. I felt the book started out well with Cara finding a diary of Louise who was a Gunner Girl. Both Cara and Louise have “love “ problems. I enjoyed learning about the role the Gunner Girls played in World War II. For me, this book was more of a romance story than the level of historical fiction portrayed in Nightingale and The Lilac Girls. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an ArC of this book.

Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “The Light Over London” by Julia Kelly, Gallery Books, January 8, 2019

Julia Kelly, Author of “The Light Over London” has written an intense, captivating, enthralling, intriguing and dramatic novel about World War Two. The Genres for this book are Historical Fiction and Fiction. There are two timelines for this novel, World War Two and the present. I appreciate how the two timelines do connect to each other. The author describes her colorful characters as complex and complicated.

Cara Hargraves deals with many antiques when going through people’s homes. Her boss wants her to sell them as quickly as she can. Cara discovers an old diary from World War Two in a old fashioned tin in one of the pieces of furniture. When she investigates further, she realizes that one of the pictures of a woman in uniform reminds her of her Grandmother, who also wore a uniform during the World War Two. Cara is fascinated by the unfinished diary, and also wonders why her Grandmother has never shared information about this time. Before her parents were in an fatal accident, Cara, remembers her Mom and Grandmother arguing about something in regard to this matter.

In 1941, Louise Keene is encouraged to go to a dance with her vibrant cousin Kate. Louise has a stressful relationship with her mother, who is always finding fault with anything she does. Louise meets a charming man Paul, a RAF pilot. When Paul is deployed, they promise to write letters to one another.

Louise is unhappy at home, and unhappy that Paul is gone, and decides to join the Woman’s branch in the British Army as a gunner girl. There is a tremendous amount of danger in this position, but Louise feels that she is doing something for her country. It seems that Louise is writing a diary of what is in her heart and mind.

Cara has this diary, and there isn’t a conclusion. With the help of her new neighbor, a History professor, they look to see if anyone in the present can help them with what happened in the past.

There are betrayals, and well-kept dark that can change many things. In both timelines, the women characters are strong and determined. I would highly recommend this story for those readers who enjoy Historical Fiction. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.