Cover Image: The Light Over London

The Light Over London

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Member Reviews

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m just starting to read this genre, and I love the storylines that merge the present with the past. Not only did I learn something factually new in regards to the “Ack Ack Girls”, I thought the author did a fantastic job weaving fictional characters and a storyline around this regiment. I will be looking for more from this author in the future!

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This the story in two parts. One is present day, Cara, who finds a normal from WWII and wants to find the owner. The other story is about Louise. She is the author off the journal that Cara had found.

Louise is a young woman growing up during WWII. She feels trapped in her mundane life. Trying to make her mother proud Louise can never do enough to make herself feel happy. Coincidentally, she cannot make her mother happy either.

Louise decides to go to a dance with her cousin, Kate. This might of been the best thing she's ever done in her life. She meets a young fighter pilot and her world changes.

This book took so many twists and turns that when I had to put it down I couldn't stop thinking about Louise.

This book is two stories entwined together. It's about Louise and get decisions and also about Cara and her life.

I highly recommend this novel! You will not regret your decision to read this one!

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A very interesting story about WWII and the brave women in England. I enjoyed the history lesson as well as an interesting story that flips from WWII to present day. The author does a good job of bringing her characters alive with real emotions.

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Interesting plot, with present day, and World War II alternating chapters. The present-day character took a while for me to warm up to; at first she seemed like a bit of a door mat. That got better. The final chapter seemed a bit of a let down, as we find out what happened to our characters from World war II. But overall, a compelling read.

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The Light Over London captured my attention from the very first page! I enjoyed watching Cara find herself as she unraveled both the mystery of the diary and her grandmother's long kept secret. It was interesting to go back and forth in time between the present and wartime London. I have not heard of the Ack Ack girls. That sent me to the internet to find out more - always the sign of a good book.

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The Light Over London by Julia Kelly is a novel that is extremely well written. It has amazing character development. At its core the story is heartbreaking, beautiful, and so emotionally moving that you don’t want to put it down.

A very good Historical Fiction novel set in England. It's goes back and forth between a modern protagonist and an interesting World War II protagonist. Past and present combine when a personal diary is found a generation later at estate. The diary belongs to a woman who is a “Gunner Girl” in the RAF during the 1940's. The person who finds the diary is a young antique dealer who finds the diary in a secret drawer. The WWII woman is assigned to an artillery group staffed by women who target German bombers to keep them from bombing London. The present day Protagonist is a woman who is recreating herself after a tragic loss and a divorce.

The Light Over London is filled with illuminating history telling the story of just a few of the brave women that helped to win the war for the allies. The book was so interesting that I want to read more about these women. The “Gunner Girls” are smart, brave and unlike the average woman you would find in London in the 1940's. A wonderful read.

I would like to thank Julia Kelly, Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books Gallery Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I really found this book interesting. It had the right mixture of fiction, history, and romance. Well written and good character development.

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I loved this book. The author masterfully weaves the stories of two women, one from the present, the other from the past into an unforgettable story, The mystery of a found World War II diary leads to self discovery and romance for a young divorcee as she unravels the clues and finds answers to her own questions.

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This was an enjoyable read about British girls during WWII. I was glad to learn about the gunner girls or the Ack-Ack girls and the part they played in defending England against the German air corps.

The layout of the plotting using a modern day antiquities dealer juxtaposed with our main character from 1941 was better than most written in this manner in that I could see a real relationship between the 1941 protagonist and our current protagonist. However, the romances, certainly the modern day one, were a bit over the top. The wartime romance made more sense – at least to me.

The story held my attention from the beginning. I would have enjoyed the book more if it had not been compared to The Nightingale and the Lilac Girls. Those were much deeper and more complex than this novel. Having the comparison in the advertisement kept me on edge waiting for something more or something deeper whereas without that anticipation I would have enjoyed the simple story just for itself.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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The story has one of my favorite styles: dualing timelines, covering 2017 and 1941. The story opens with Cara Hargraves and her boss, a gruff antiques dealer, appraising an estate in Gloucestershire for a woman who just wants to get rid of everything. Inside a drawer, she finds a book-shaped tin. After prying it open, she discovers a World War II photograph of a woman with the initials L.K. and a diary.

The diary covers little more than a year, from February 21, 1941, until January 5, 1942. What she reads, shocks her, making her eager to return the red-bound diary to its owner.

Then the story shifts to 1941 to Cornwall. Louise Keene is nineteen years old, but wants more out of life. Her parents think she should sit around the house and wait for a boy she knows, but barely knows or likes, to return from the war. She meets a handsomely dashing Flight Lieutenant based nearby.

Louise can barely tolerate the dullness of the countryside while a war rages in nearby London. Against her parents’ wishes, she joins up, as a Gunner Girl, a member of the famed Ack-Ack Command, and is stationed as a gunner.

I loved learning about the Gunner Girls and the Ack-Ack Command. I had never heard of these terms before, but basically what they did was watch the English skies for enemy planes. Women weren’t allowed to fire the guns, only help scan the skies and help set up the machinery. Stationed in London, Louise learns, quickly, that the war is far more dangerous than she had ever perceived. She lives for the day when Paul returns and they can be married.

Fast forward to 2017, Cara, reeling from a divorce, has moved into a new cottage. She hopes to be able to find the person, or her family, to return the diary. Enlisting the aid of her new neighbor, the handsome professor Liam, they begin to search for the rightful proprietor.

The plot was good, a heck of a twist awaits readers, one that I saw only as it happened. Bravo, Miss Kelly. The two timelines did intersect, but it was rather disappointing. One thing that drove me nuts was all the acronyms that were never explained. For these last two reasons, “The Light Over London,” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher, Gallery Books; through Netgalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The Light Over London written by Julia Kelly was exceptionally written. It is heartbreaking at its core and breathtakingly beautiful. I usually only enjoy a book where there is a happily every after. Not to say this one did not end that way but it ends I suppose the way life usually goes.

The Light over London tells the story of two women, a generation apart yet with similar expectations and experiences. It begins when Cara Hargraves finds a diary from World War II in an estate she is working on as an assistant to an antiques dealer. Within the pages she discovers a picture of a young woman in uniform and a diary that tragically ends abruptly. With the help of her handsome new neighbor, Cara and Liam delve into the past of Louise Keene. A Gunner girl during the war. Her unfinished diary gives a glimpse into a love affair that illuminates a side of wartime love that rarely gets told. Cara's need to discover it's ending and return it to the owner leads her down her own path of discovery into her own families secrets.

The Light Over London is filled with Illuminating history telling the story of just a few of the brave women that helped to win the war, of past secrets that need to be brought into the light if one is to move on and of love stories both tragic and promising. Julia Kelly's book is beautifully written and emotionally stirring that will have you reading late into the night.

I will post my review on both Goodreads and Amazon.

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Loved the two storylines -- both past and present -- that weaved throughout the book. Still thinking about the characters a week later. Always a sign of a good book.

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I had never read anything by this author before, but I am glad I read this book. Her descriptions of places and persons were very vivid and I could picture it in my mind. It was a good story and it held my interest to the end. I highly recommend this book.

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The Light Over London was such a great to read. Being a fan of Lilac Girls and The Nightengale I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Following the lives of Cara and Louise and their lives as Gunner Girls during World War II and had a little bit of a history lesson on World War II and Rosie the riveter. Our patrons are always in demand of new historical fiction and for being fans of Lilac Girls, they are sure to love this book.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. We will definitely consider this title for our historical fiction section in our library. That is why we give this book 5 stars.

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After beginning a job with an antiquities dealer, Cara Hargraves chances upon a diary written by Louise Keene. The diary begins during WWII. After meeting a soldier Paul, Louise joins the British Army and is drafted into an anti-aircraft gunner unit.

Like many books that alternate between timelines, I found the present timeline unnecessary and a bit boring. Cara's romance was extremely predictable and lackluster. Louise story and romance was far more interesting. Overall, not a bad book, but not something I would re-read.

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Easy to devour historical fiction about the Gunne girls of WW II, intertwined with romance. Toggling back and forth between two narratives, one is Louisa, a simple girl from the countryside of England and Cara, a modern antique appraiser, the author sets both their narratives on a collision course when Cara fins Louisa's diary and is determined to find the family to whom it belongs to. Two romantic subplots add to the dimension of the book. Well done and an easy read

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ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have read and enjoyed an ever-increasing number of dual timeline WWII novels. This present day protagonist caught my eye, being affiliated with a London antique dealer, and I am thrilled to have found a gem of a story.
The main character of the 1940's storyline is a shy girl living a quiet and predictable life in Cornwall. Her journey into the war as an "Ack Ack Girl" drives the plot along smoothly, with fun and interesting characters and many secrets along the way. I was riveted to learn about these brave British women who ran anti-aircraft crews. This Churchill-approved addition to the auxiliary services was successful and under reported, and just the sounds of their firing at enemy aircraft lifted the moral of UK citizens during a dire moment in their history. Well done Ms. Kelly!

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I loved this book and read it practically in one sitting. Although there are a lot of WWII books out there, this one is different in many aspects. There are two strong women protagonists, living in different times. One is looking for answers in the past, the other is escaping an over-protective family to find her own place in the war effort. Both are portrayed poignantly, and the ending is very interesting.

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Wonderful book! I love how the book contrasts then and now and weaves them together. Beautifully written.

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I love, love, loved The Light Over London. What a sweet book paralleling the lives of two strong women making their way through love, heartbreak, and healing, I enjoyed the stories of both women in their respective time periods.

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