what can i say a great book hooked your pulled into the plot easy to read love it characters are so nice you become friends with them

I love historical fiction -- especially WW2 historical fiction!! And Pam did an amazing job with her research. I love learning about how the people who were left at home and what they had to deal with. My grandparents were all here and had to send off family members and she gave me so much insight into what they went through.

I had been meaning to read this book for quite some time and I am very glad that I finally did!

This story is primarily about Alice and her best friend Millie who are just ordinary girls trying to get through the best way they can. Life isn't easy for them but their families and community are always there for them. Unfortunately, war has broken out and between the rationing and shortages, Alice never knows if she will see her brand new husband again, nor her little brother Brian who has been evacuated, thus, a pretty stressful time, all in all.

I honestly felt like I had been transported back in time, the author clearly did her homework when it came to the little details of these girls' lives.

I give this book 4.5 stars and will get to and read the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

A great beginning to a new family saga! I loved everything about it and really was connected to the characters.
Def a roller coaster of emotions!

A wonderful, readable family saga set against the backdrop of World War II. A page-turner! Don't miss this one!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was given an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review by Bookouture, Pam Howes publisher. This is something I'm more than happy to do.

Reading The Factorg Girls of Lark Lane was pure nostalgia to me. It took me straight back to my teenage years where I worked in an office on an industrial estate in Speke, Liverpool. I spent my lunch breaks reading books set in the city during the war years by Maureen Lee, Helen Forrester and Lyn Andrews.

Pam Howes more than lives up to these icons and has captured the true essence of a city and period of time where your friends were your family and people shared what little they had - pulling together to support each other during desperate times.

Despite the hurt and tragedy that affected the tight knit community there was also fun and laughter, everyone appreciating the small things and each other, grateful that they survived the night through another air raid, huddled together with neighbours and friends listening for the bombs that devastated whole streets at a time - the sense of pride, generosity and support spills from the pages of this beautifully sad yet uplifting story.

Despite not reading any other books in this series I was soon wrapped up in the lives of friends Alice and Millie and their families. It's hard to imagine being married for a day and your husband going off to war, leaving you expecting a baby and no idea of when you may see each other again - the strength of character and acceptance of life and it's restraints is demonstrated throughout this book beautifully.

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane by Pam Howes takes us back to December of 1940 in Liverpool, England. Alice Turner and her best friend Millie Markham work at Rootes Munitions Factory. While Alice’s sweetheart, Terry Lomax is home on leave they are getting married at the Mount Pleasant Registry Office. After a one night honeymoon, Terry returns to the division and Alice must continue with her life at home without him. Alice lives at home with her mother and younger brother, Brian. Her older brother, Rodney is fighting in France. Life is difficult at home with air raids, rationing and missing loved ones. Alice’s life changes when she discovers she is pregnant. As the war proceeds on with no end in sight, someone dear to Alice is missing in action, her mother’s health declines and she finds it is a struggle to keep a roof over their head and food in the cupboard. Alice feels blessed to have Millie’s friendship during these trying times. How will they overcome these challenges and survive the war?

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is a well-written novel that transports readers back in time. I found that the author captured time and place. Ms. Howes did her research. I felt The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an accurate portrayal of home life during World War II. I did struggle with some of the British slang (such as “sarnie”). Millie and Alice’s friendship is heartwarming and enriches the story. They are close friends who help each through the worst times of their lives and are there to celebrate the good times too. We see the importance of family and neighbors. It was amazing how neighbors and co-workers’ band together to take care of their own. Rationing made it difficult to prepare meals and people had to get creative. The National Loaf was the bread they had to eat (with white flour severely rationed) and new clothes were a thing of the past. The ending did feel incomplete to me, but this is only the first book in the series. The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is an emotional story that will tug on your heartstrings and it will hold your attention until the very end. I look forward to the story continuing in The Shop Girls of Lark Lane.

I enjoyed this book so much. I liked the perspective of the story being told from regular families living their everyday lives throughout war time. I came away with a new respect for those ladies who worked hard in the factories and still kept things running as best they could at home. This is a very well written story. Alice and her family seemed quite real to me as I followed the war through their eyes. This was my first book to read by Pam Howes and I’m looking forward to reading more of her stories.

This was a clean story with no bad language or embarrassing scenes.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This was a really lovely read. I am loving the war time sagas that are about right now.
Full review to follow

Really liked this book. It is a great insight as to how women coped in WW2 when their menfolk went off to fight. Looking forward to the next in the series.

I really enjoyed this book. The title is a bit off to me because the book is mostly about Alice and her family so I found that a bit confusing. I found the main character Alice very likeable. I love WWII fiction and I enjoyed the perspective of a young woman being left to care for her family alone and succeeding. I give it a solid 4 stars.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. How the people suffered in the 1940's and reading this book just proved how important family and friendships were. A good read.

I loved the character development and plot. This was a well written historical book. I loved the attention to little details and how the whole story came together.

This was a very satisfying, heartwarming and engrossing read. Taking place during WWII in Liverpool, England with very well written detail, it is the story of Alice and her family and friends as they struggle through shortages of everything needed to survive, along with the heartbreak of losing loved ones both at home and at the front. The nightly bombings and the agonizing wait between letters from loved ones at war is described in such a way that one feels the fear and pain as if it were real. The way that neighbors and friends rally when tragedy strikes is as beautiful as when a baby is born in a bomb shelter and everyone pitches in to help the mother, Alice, whose new husband is fighting in Europe.

I loved this book and really hope the author continues with the story as the beauty of the story is truly timeless; people helping people who need helping. I very strongly recommend this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a review copy. This is my honest opinion.

Pam Howes is a super storyteller and truly brings her wonderful and realistic characters to life. I am a huge fan of the Mersey Trilogy, so I was very excited to read The Factory Girls of Lark Lane.

Set in the 1940’s during WW2 in Liverpool, best friends Alice Turner and Millie Markham work for the war effort at Rootes munitions factory, making shell caps and Halifax bombers. We follow their lives throughout the years, the hardships, friendship and romance as they endure the hard years ahead.

A great start to a new trilogy and I look forward to book two.

The Factory Girls of Lark Lane is the first book of Pam's second trilogy and what a start! I think the most wonderful thing about Pam's writing is the way she so effortlessly pulls you into a story. It doesn't take long to become fully immersed into family life - the camaraderie, the laughter and most of all the resilience of each and every one of these people during a time of hardship and uncertainty. Like The Mersey Trilogy there are some fabulous characters and many will they-won't they moments! The story ended on a high but also left enough questions in my mind as to what Pam has in store for them in the next book. Brilliantly written, hugely enjoyable and thoroughly deserving of every one of the five stars I've awarded it

Another brilliant read from Pam Howes. Enjoyable as always. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this book. Highly recommend it.

This is the second book by Pam Howes I have read and enjoyed and I'm looking forward to reading more.
The Factory Girls of Lark Lane grabbed my attention from the beginning and I found it hard to put down. Alice and Millie were great characters who I warmed to straight away. A brilliant story that keeps you interested throughout, I would highly recommened.

Thank you!

A really lovely read. I love WW2 novels and this is a great story of the women left behind. A great saga of the work the women did to keep the country running in the absence of their men. Heartbreaking and warming tales of husbands, brothers and sons who have gone to war and those coming home. Really authentic writing that you can feel the vibe of the 40's and the hard working ladies struggling and sharing rations, friendship and love.

.5 out of 5 stars
Heartwarming and heartbreaking historical WWII fiction
ByMaggieon July 22, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
I was thoroughly captivated by The Factory Girls of Lark Lane. The main heroine, Alice, plays her part in WWII Liverpool, although quickly saddled with a baby after a wartime quickee wedding. Her challenges are at once heartwarming and heartbreaking. I enjoy reading about seemingly real people and situations during extraordinary times, such as war. If you enjoy your history wrapped in a good story, this will be a book for you!