I always love reading stories about a bookstore and when I saw this set in London in the period of WW1 I had to have a read. Although the title says it is. The truth is the story, centres around 3 friends, mainly Alice and her friends Victoria and Molly who work at the Foyles Bookstore under the watchful eye of Mr Ledbetter.
Alice is the sensible one in her family and has been going out Freddie who is a Police man for a while when, Freddie asks Alice to marry him before he goes off to war. She agrees.
Victoria after the loss of her parents, finds it hard to take care of her two siblings. Even resorting to pawn some of her things to make ends meet.
Molly has had her heart broken after being involved with a man and in ends up going to war. But her feelings are never the same again.
I really enjoyed this story set around WW1. This story tells how people lived in WW1. This is the time when women are fighting for equality and not staying at home cooking the dinner. When everyone sticks together through the bad times and the good. Especially Alice and her family. I learnt more about what happened in the war. How difficult the troops had to go through in the trenches and more when they came home. And how in then times, how important books where. People read them to deter people from thinking about all the problems they had in their lives. I cant wait for book two.
Many thanks Netgalley and Aria books for a copy of this book.

This book was about a group of friends who work at Foyles Bookstore in London and what happens to them when WWI breaks out. I liked the different storylines but it seemed to mainly focus on Alice. Alice seems to me the only one who got a true ending. Contrary to the title, this book is about WWI and the bookshop is not an integral part of the story. I can't imagine what living during a world war would have been like and trying to carrying on a relationship/marriage with someone fighting in it. I felt for the characters and their connections to their loved ones away fighting. There were a lot of family dynamics at play in Alice's family at home too. Overall it was a good book that moved along nicely but I also felt like the ending could have been stronger.

I don't normally read books set around the first world war but liked the sound of this one.Its a lovely story about family,war the votes for women movement and much more.I highly recomend this book well worth 5*

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, a real heart-warming read. A great story and characters, would love a sequel.

I cannot resist a book about books or book shops and that was the main reason of course for picking this title. But the title and the cover do not really do it justice.

This is a lovely wartime saga set at the outbreak of the First World War where the world was a different place and the excitement and buzz from fighting was nothing like the true horrors of the men that returned.

The characters of the book are of course all those who work in Foyles, in particular Alice, Victoria and Molly. I of course loved the little insights into the workings of the shop - to have to go and pay at a counter and take a receipt back so you could collect the book you had purchased.

But the three girls and their lives are what drives this book forward. Alice has been in love with Freddie ,a policeman for a while, in fact he was there when Victoria lost her parents and now war is coming, the future is very different and he wants to make sure Alice remains the girl for him.

Victoria is struggling with her two siblings who she has sole responsibility for financial and emotional and it is becoming increasingly difficult to make ends meet. The war helps her family to move toward some sort of purpose.

Molly is always bubbly and bright but when she becomes involved with a man she seems to lose her sparkle and when things end between them and he eventually goes to war, she wonders whether she should have just put up with what she had.

We get to meet their families as well and I was fascinated by Alice's family dynamic. Her spritely and spirited sister Lily who was out fighting for suffragism against their indomitable father does something even more outstanding  but it is not her who makes their father see what his actions are causing.

Of course the First World War is a dominant feature of this book but I found its approach refreshing and it brought home what was happening on the Home Front as much as in the battlefields. The belief that it would all be over by Christmas of 1914 was clearly believed. But life went on and people still visited the girls in the bookshop - an escape from reality?

This is a strong start to what looks to be a trilogy of books about these women and I cannot wait to go back and see how they are all fairing.

A wonderful read. The descriptions of the era are great. I liked the characters and the plot was believable and flowed well. Will read this author again. Recommended.

The Foyles Bookshop girls is primarily Alice's story who happens to work at the famous Foyles Bookshop. I was expecting the bookshop to play an important role but was disappointed when that didn't happen.

An interesting story and very enjoyable with scenarios that are believable. The book kept me enthralled from start to finish and I would definitely recommend this book.

In this story you get to know the girls and their families as World War I commences. I loved the girls in this book and how the story gave you an insight into events leading up to this story.

This story drew you in so that you felt part of the family and gave you the need to know what happened next with so much at stake for all of the families involved as their boys go off to war.

A brilliant historical fiction read based around the hardworking girls at Foyles Bookshop, this offers a heart wrenching insight into how hard life was for the women left at home and how emotions ran high as war continued. A highly recommended read that will pull at your heartstrings

This is one of the best books I have read in a while...The author did a great job of telling a story during a very troubled time.. This book has so many emotions in it from page to page...A wonderful read!!

Thank you netgalley for letting me review this book.