Fun mix of researching history while moving forward in life. Challenging times during WW2 colors modern times. Love the back and forth writing of WW2 and current times.

This book is a combination of historical fiction and chik-lit. I enjoyed learning about London during WWII, but could have done without the modern day love story. The modern day story part would have been an ok book on its own.

I received a copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars. I have been really getting into historical fiction lately. I find that most of the stories have a basis in the truth and find that fascinating.

This book follows the lives of two women. Cara, in the present day and Louise who is from the past during WW2.

Cara finds Louise's diary while cleaning out a home for her job as an antique dealer. Louise is tired of being smothered by her overbearing mother and she meets a soldier, Paul, at a local dance with her cousin. They quickly grow very fond of each other and soon he is deployed. Louise decides she is tired of doing nothing so her cousin and Louise enlist. Louise becomes one of the ack ack girls who are in charge of helping shoot down enemy planes. Paul and Louise have a whirlwind romance but struggle to find time together during the war. Paul surprises her ion London and they get married.

Meanwhile, Cara meets her handsome new neighbor, Liam who happens to be a history professor. Liam is helping Cara track down more details about the people in the diary. Of course, romance between them develops.. They are both invested in the diary and how it may also tie into Cara's grandmother who served in the war during that time as well.

I don't want to give away the ending but the story kept me interested and left me wanting to know more.

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!

Cara is working evaluating antiques when she finds an old World War II diary with a photo of a young woman dressed in an Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) uniform. She recognizes the uniform as the same her grandmother Iris wore during the war. Her grandmother refuses to talk about that time. Cara is fascinated by the diary. She and her new neighbor, Liam, try to discover the writer.

The diary contains the story of Louise who meets an airman and falls in love. The story goes back and forth between Cara and Louise, a "gunner" girl who helps the men shoot down the airplanes bombing London. It is also a tale of the two women's personal lives.

The book will keep readers interested in discovering Louise's story - reading personal letters and the content of the diary with what is happening every day during the war. Thee is also the mystery of what happened to Iris and why she is reluctant to talk about her experiences.

Readers are sure to feel a personal connection to the two women and hope their lives turn out happily. A heartwarming tale that will keep readers reading but hate to finish this remarkable story. It is romantic and heartrending - a marvelous read.

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.

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Any lover of WWII era historical fiction will love this book. Especially if you appreciate stories about women being strong, independent, and overall amazing.

This book is a dual timeline story. An antiques dealer finds a diary from a WWII gunner girl. Both stories highlight their growth as people and women with some romance sprinkled in of course.

I loved reading a story where two women with completely different lives learn more about themselves and become stronger people. I cannot recommend enough.

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.