A great contender in the big world of historical fiction. I love dual timeline stories especially in historical fiction, so I was excited when I saw that this was happening in this book. Highly recommend, especially for fans of Susanna Kearsley.

LOVED this book! I am a sucker for a good historical fiction book, and this one did not disappoint at all! it's one of those books that sucks you in from the first chapter, and I am so glad!

In 2017 in Barlow, Gloucestershire, a mansion is up for sale. The deceased owner’s grandniece hires an antique dealer. While evaluating the mansion’s contents, the dealer’s assistant, Cara, discovers an anonymous diary written during WWII, and a photograph, initialed “LK,” of a woman in an Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) uniform. A woman in her thirties, Cara is intrigued, for her grandmother had served in the ATS but is secretive about it. The grandniece directs Cara to throw the diary out. Cara keeps it and, assisted by her neighbor, Liam, sets out to research LK and learn about her grandmother’s past.

In 1941 Cornwall, 19-year-old Louise Keene waits for her serviceman suitor, but she falls in love with an RAF officer, Paul. When he is suddenly deployed, Louise sneaks away to London and joins the ATS. She is assigned to an ack-ack unit as a Gunner Girl. During the German bombing raids, Louise works diligently yet yearns to meet Paul again.

Julia Kelly has penned an appealing romance with three storylines: the war years of Louise and Paul, those of Cara’s grandmother, and the present day with Cara and Liam. At the start of the novel, it seems rather odd that the grandniece wants Cara, offhandedly, to dispose of the war diary, which could contain some of her family’s memories, or at least have value as an antique. Readers may be led to believe that this is a part of the plot. The present-day and wartime storylines are narrated in alternating chapters with minimal loss of continuity. The descriptions, particularly of London during the Blitz, are vividly written. There is much information about the operation of the anti-aircraft batteries and the routines of the Gunner Girls. It’s interesting to learn that while women could set up the guns, only men were permitted to fire them!

This review appeared in the HNR Issue 88 (May2019)

RATING: 4 STARS
2019; Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster Canada
(Review Not on Blog)

Right off the bat, I will say, don't compare this book with Kristin Hannah's [book:The Nightingale|21853621] or Martha Hall Kelly [book:Lilac Girls|25893693]. This book is on the lighter side, not super detailed or an epic book. In saying that, this book is worth the read. This is what I would say is a great beach read when you want to be alone with an absorbing read. I liked Cara and Liam and their budding sparks. I also enjoyed the historical fiction element of the book, Louise's journey to being a Gunner Girl. It touches on the aspect of World War II but doesn't delve into details. I recommend this novel if you don't mind if this isn't an epic.

***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***

This book is writted in 2 POVs. I liked Louise, she is a strong woman. She gets crushed a little towards the end but she gets back to taking care of herself and doing what she wants. Cara on the other hand was nice but just meh. The relationship between her and Liam was nice to discover.

I liked the book but feel like it was missing something. I can't put my finger on it. I learned a couple of things about the war (which was nice) but I still feel a tad disappointed.

Thanks Netgalley

The story is written as a narrative with indirect and direct characterizations as it is written in the 1st for journal entries and the rest in 3rd person with an omniscient narrative. The conflict is a mixture of external and internal as characters battle themselves, other characters, society and fate. This story discusses man topics that went on during the second world war for young women but the theme took longer to discover as both characters were battling the same issue.
Cara Hargreaves is offa divorce and burrows herself in the past, she is a round character who goes through a group of dynamic changes. Liam McGowan is a historian lecturer who avoids, connections, he is also a round character who goes through a set of dynamic changes. Louise Kennan is a nineteen year old Gunner Girl, who starts off living a flat life but goes through multiple major dynamic changes. Paul Bolton. A RAF pilot who comes off round but is revealed to be very static. The exposition brings all four characters together and sets two different stories intertwined into one. The rising action brings first level of conflict as characters are brought together with secrets. The climax reaches with past characters in the center of war and present characters deep in the mystery of who are these past characters. The falling action brings nothing but heartache for all. The resolution brings closure and renewal.
The author creates an unique romance through history and discusses women's military role. Yes I would recommend this book. To anyone who enjoy wartime love tales, historians, or cute love stories, but not to those who dislike airmen who lie, bigamist, classic love stories or war time to!dance without a happy ending.

Personally, I didn't enjoy the Nightingale, so the comparison didn't disappointment me like so many others.

I would have categorized this as a historical romance, rather than historical fiction. I liked that it was a lighter read and not heavy on the history. I kinda ruined the historical fiction genre for myself by trying to read a whole month of it.

Overall, a nice and enjoyable read.

A compelling dual narrative taking place in 2018 and during WWII that was Impossible to put down

The Light Over London is probably what many of us WWII readers would refer to as "historical lite", simply meaning it's a bit more heavy on the relationships between people ( in the case of this book- the gunner girls), families, and of course the romantic kind. But it was just the type of story to start on a cold(-50 celsius ) Saturday morning over my coffee. I really loved both protagonists - modern gal Cara and Gunner Girl, Louise, equally and felt their individual stories complimented each other well.

Author Julia Kelly matches the historical record with just the right dose of intrigue that kept me on the edge of my seat. If it appears, I am hesitant to give out a full rave rating, it is only because I saw a few plot twists coming but I would still not hesitate to recommend it to other readers.

The Light Over London is a dual-timeline story of love, loss and figuring out your place in the world. It takes place in 2017 when Cara, who works for an antique dealer, comes across a mysterious diary when she’s looking through an old estate. The diary is that of Louise, a young woman whose story about her life during the Blitz in a WWII-era Britain. Cara is determined to learn everything she can about Louise in order to return the diary to its rightful owner, but in the process learns a lot about herself and her family history.

This is the first novel I’ve read of Julia Kelly’s, and I’m impressed by how easily the author takes us back in time to such a fascinating (and devastating) period in history. I was engrossed in Louise’s story and was so glad we had more than just the diary entries to be able to tell her captivating story. The Gunner Girls were a unique group of women, and they really paved a way for women in the armed forces and proved that women are tougher than we look.

While I was interested in Cara’s love story, I wasn’t as wrapped up in her storyline with her grandmother as I would have liked to be. Gran is a firecracker, for sure, but I wish we learned more about her story—it could have, arguably, been the most exciting of the three. The way Cara kept pressing her grandmother for information also seemed forced and out of character, and left me feeling a bit… icky. I almost wish there were a third timeline established to tell Iris’s story, too, though I know that would have presented some challenges.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t put this book down. I was immersed in the world, and wish there was more to explore. It has me hoping there was another coming (maybe a series?) so we could learn more about the Ack-Ack girls.

If you enjoy fiction, WWII and romance—very tasteful and G-rated, might I add—I would definitely add this to your list. Just know that if you’re looking for a heavily detailed, tear-jerking historical fiction like the books to which this is being compared, you might be a little disappointed.

3.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the advanced copy.

This review is posted at modestreader.com/2019/01/05/the-light-over-london

This is the first book I have read of Julia Kelly's and I loved it! I have always enjoyed a good historical fiction book, but I have come to realize recently that historical fiction written in a dual timeline is my favorite. I really enjoy it when authors can weave stories from two time periods together well and Julia Kelly definitely succeeded there.

To summarize, I would say this book is about brave woman who are breaking the chains of the past, whether it is chains of their past or the past of women's place in society. The characters were likable and I was definitely hoping that things would turn out for the best for them in the end. I don't want to give anything away so I will say in general that I was happy with the results of their stories even though one part I did find surprising and frustrating for one character in particular. Although, I maybe should have seen it coming.

Also, in all the WWII historical fiction I've read up to this point I've never come across anything written about women serving in this capacity. Also, in all the WWII historical fiction I've read up to this point I've never come across anything written about women serving in this capacity. Most other books that I have read about WWII have been about women with the stereotypical feminine jobs in the military or those who are not in the military, but assisting in the war efforts in other ways (all of which I find interesting). These woman soldiers "Ack Ack Girls" played an invaluable part in the war effort and in this case I was very intrigued and captivated by their story.

I would definitely recommend this one to historical fiction readers.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada and to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Told in dual timelines and perspectives The Light Over London tells the story of Cara in 2017 and Louise during World War II. Cara works for an antiques dealer and while clearing through an estate she discovers the diary of a young woman and her time during WWII. Cara becomes fully invested in uncovering the mysteries that this diary holds.

When reading the synopsis for this novel one of the first things you will read is that it is reminiscent of Lilac Girls and The Nightingale. I think these comparisons does this novel a disservice. The subject matter and atmosphere are completely different and I think it sets the reader up for different expectations. I would say this novel is ‘lighter’ and more romance focused.

I enjoyed aspects of this novel but my connection to the characters was surface level for the most part. I love the ideas this novel had but wished they were further developed and explored. I wanted to know more about the Gunner Girls and more about Iris, Cara’s grandmother. I was left disappointed with the reveal between Cara and Iris in the end, it felt rushed and a bit out of place.

I enjoyed seeing Cara reading diary entries from Louise and then delving deeper into those topics with Louise’s point of view. I felt like Kelly did a good job of alternating between timelines and perspectives.

If you’re looking for a quick and lighter historical fiction that includes potential romances then this is the book for you!

The Light Over London comes out January 8, 2019

This is a time slip novel that slips back and forth between World War II in 1941, Louise Keene a young girl living in a small Cornish town and present day to Cara Hargraves who works for an antiques dealer. cataloguing antiques and clearing out estates.

Louise Keene's life had been mapped out for her. She lived in a small town with her parents, worked in a small shop and when a boy her mother deemed fit to marry returned from war she would become his wife. This however was not the life Louise wanted for herself, she dreamed of going to California and having a life unlike the one she was currently living. When she meets Paul, a flight lieutenant at a local dance things change and Louise makes a drastic change....

Cara Hargraves life had recently been turned upside down and to get away from it all she began working for an antiques dealer. While cleaning out an estate she uncovered a rare treasure, a Wartime diary written by a Gunner Girl. At first she wanted to return the diary and other items to their rightful owner but upon opening the diary she became attached to the person and the desire to learn more of their story grew with each page.

When I read the description for this book I thought I was going to love it but in the end it was just kind of all right compared to others I have read this year. Paul annoyed me from the get go and Louise made some very rash decisions for someone she barely knew but I guess that was what relationships were like during the war.
Worth a read if you like historical fiction!

Thanks to Gallery books and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

While I enjoyed the story of Louise and the other Ack-Ack Girls, the present-day story with Cara and her grandmother Iris was wasted. I was waiting for a big reveal that somehow tied the two stories together - given that Iris and Louise were both serving during the war, I thought perhaps Louise WAS Iris - maybe her middle name was Iris and after the war she chose to go by that name instead. Throughout the book we are teased with a big 'secret' that Iris is keeping from her Granddaughter Cara, and when it is finally revealed in the last few pages, the reader will raise their eyes and say to themselves, "yeah, and?". The clues are there, and the whole storyline is a letdown.

If you think this book is in any way in the same league as The Nightingale, you will be disappointed.

There are two parallel stories in this one. Cara works for an antiques dealer and, while looking through someone’s estate, she discovers an old diary hidden away; she is given permission to take it and try to find out to whom it belonged. It attracted her attention because there was a photo of a young woman in an RAF uniform, and Cara’s grandmother had also been part of the Royal Air Force during the war. In fact, Cara’s grandmother won’t talk about the war, and Cara desperately wants to hear about it.

In the diary, Louise lives in a small town and her mother expects her to marry a nice boy, Gary, who has gone to war. When she meets the charming Paul at a dance, she falls hard for him, but due to a fallout at home, she leaves and joins the army, where she ends up being one of the very few “Ack-Ack Girls” or “Gunner Girls”, helping with anti-aircraft guns.

I really liked this. Initially, I liked both stories equally well, but as it continued, I did prefer Louise’s story. There were some twists at the end, though I did figure out one of Cara’s Gran’s twists. The Ack-Ack Girls were a part of WWII that I didn’t know anything about, so it was interesting to read about.

When Cara, an antiques dealer, discovers an old diary in an estate she's working on, she gets drawn into the story of the diary's writer: Louise, who falls in love with a RAF pilot during WWII and, tired of small-town life, joins the army. Louise's intelligence gets her a job as a gunner girl, one of the team of five women who do all the math and calculations to aim guns at German planes and support the (always male) soldiers who load the guns and do the actual shooting. Louise's romance with Paul isn't super smooth -- he's never available to meet up and he isn't happy about her being a soldier -- but her work is very rewarding and there's a strong camaraderie within her team.

I found Louise's story very compelling. I knew a bit about women code breakers, medics and ambulance drivers during WWII, but I don't think I've ever read before about gunner girls. I love how kickass brave and intelligent these women are. I also love that while they meet some initial sexism from commanding officers who are unsure of women's capacity to fight, the men in their unit quickly show them respect. After a sexist remark from someone else, one of Louise's male colleagues tells her she and the other women will easily prove that jerk wrong, and I liked that the story did include men who saw these women soldiers as equals. 

I also really like how Louise's romance was handled. Too often, we see stories of women pitting themselves against each other over a man, and I like how mature the women in this story were in how they handled a difficult situation. 

The present-day story was pretty good as well. I found Cara's romance with her neighbour Liam to be sweet, and I like how supportive he was of her interest in the diary. I also really like the backstory about Cara's ex-husband. He was a fascinating character -- a weak man with grandiose ambitions who couldn't quite handle failure -- and I like that the reason they broke up was because of this kind of weakness rather than the usual cheating trope.

I did find Cara a bit annoying in how persistent she was in demanding her grandmother share her experiences during the war. The big secret turned out not to be as horrific as I thought, but I can imagine how traumatic people's war-time experiences can be, and I don't at all blame Cara's grandmother for not wanting to relive that part of her past. I recognize Cara's interest about her past and her family, but I thought it was pretty selfish to demand her grandmother relive a potentially painful past just to satisfy her own curiosity.

Overall, The Light over London is an entertaining WWII novel. Dual narrative novels are often touch-and-go for me, but I thought it worked nicely here. 

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Thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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This review will go live on my blog on Jan 7, 2019, 8 am ET.

While clearing out a client’s estate, Cara finds a diary of a love between Louise and a pilot named Paul, who she meets while at a dance with her cousin. Cara becomes lost in the story, determined to return the diary to its rightful owner. Together with her new neighbor Liam, a history professor, the search begins. Alternating between Cara, and Louise, the diary’s author, the story unfolds, and as each character develops, the reader is pulled into their worlds. 4/5 stars

While I enjoyed Louise's story, with her war-time dance hall romance not so dissimilar from how my grandparents met, it took me a touch longer than normal to connect with her character. At first I found her mousy and almost dull (as I'm sure was intended!), and it took Louise and Kate running away to enlist before I really started to care about her character. And I really started to root for her when she took her position in the Ack-ack command and then refused to be controlled by her paramour because she finally her own personal value and the value of the work that she was doing.

Cara on the other hand, I connected with almost instantly. Perhaps it was the conviction with which she removed herself from a toxic relationship (seriously, we need more pop-culture characters that reject rather than glorify such dangerous pairings!) or the fact that she worked for an antiques dealer and discussed in-depth the same bits of cultural ephemera with which I have always been obsessed, we simply clicked.

I enjoyed too how the men in this book were polar opposites from one another. The shy, almost absent minded professor set against the cocky, play-boy pilot. And Yet, it was entirely believable how each woman for her lover. They were both charismatic and endearing, yet simultaneously flawed and complex in ways that create depth and relatability. 

I loved the split narrative between present day and WWII. the stories of these two women had enough contrast to create interest, but were complementary enough to create an entirely harmonious narrative. Both women were deceptively strong yet awash with self-doubt, and most definitely on the road to discovering their strength and purpose as individuals rather than in relation to their romantic partners.

The diary served as the perfect bridge between their stories. At times it was impossible to tell if the diary passages were being written by Louise or read by Cara which worked to help bend the timelines and aid in the willing suspension of disbelief. And the way in which the diary was presented really worked to highlight the universality of Louise and Cara's experiences, with each representing the beginnings and endings of the same type of relationship - always in juxtaposition - which created a feeling of cycles and balance. 

But what I loved the most about the diary is how it addresses head on is the flaws of biography and life writing. Especially when Cara finally locates the family of our diary owner, and Louise's perception of herself and how others viewed her is thrown into question. It forces us, as readers, to question the authority of the narrator(s) and immediately triggers a demand for reflection and the reconsideration of key moments through a different lens. These moments of revelation were perfectly timed for maximum effect, sneak up when you are least expecting them, and change everything. 

Would I recommend this book? Sure thing! It might be on the light side, even firmly in the realm of women's fiction, but it's carefully crafted and demands reflexive introspection. Kelly stitches a believable balance of between historical fact, imaginative fiction, and heartwarming romance. For lovers of WWII fiction and women's fiction alike, The Light Over London is sure to hit the spot.

This is an enjoyable historical fiction with romance, set in both World War II and present day England. I really enjoyed the look at the lives of the woman who worked the anti aircraft guns during the war and will be recommending this book to my customers that are fans of Jennifer Robson books and historical fiction in general.

Ah my favourite kind of story, that moves back and forth through the past and present time. Superbly written! In the present day, Cara is an antiques dealer, who is dealing with an estate of a recently deceased lady. She finds an old diary in amongst her things. It is a diary written in the WW2 era about a war time romance. She is fascinated and begins to try to solve the mystery. The story goes back in time as Cara reads the diary entries. In the present time Cara is also trying to find out a family secret about her own Grandmother during the second World War.

Sometimes when I read these past and present stories I enjoy one more than the other but in this book I equally enjoyed both stories. They were well thought out and told brilliantly little by little until the end and the big reveals. I will definitely be reading more from this author. If you enjoy Wartime romances I highly recommend this one. I chose to read this around Remembrance Day. I think it added to the nostalgia. I really enjoyed it!

I've always been incredibly interested in England and it's history; it's one of the main reasons I even went to live there for a year! Learning about the monarchy, it's history, England's role in shaping the world we know today has always been a passion of mine. When Simon & Schuster sent me the ARC of The Light Over London I was really excited because the synopsis sounded fabulous!

I LOVED Learning About the Ack Ack Girls
I had never heard of the Ack Ack Girls and their role in World War Two before reading this book, which is disappointing because they played such a HUGE role in keeping Britain safe. I loved that Louise took on this challenge, and I'm sure the girls who signed up for this role were often looked down and talked down too much more than this book lets on. These are women who would have publicly gone against social norms to play an active (and dangerous) role in the war; they would have faced criticism during and after the war for doing "manly" jobs instead of taking on roles more "suitable" for women. I loved getting to read about the role of the Ack Ack Girls and thought the women themselves were fabulous.

A Good (Light) Historical Read
With the number of historical fictional options available, it's hard not to fall into the habit of comparing one book to the other. The Light Over London is a lighter read then some other historical fictions, but I don't think that makes it weaker. It sheds light on a new part of military history that I didn't know much about (the Ack Ack Girls) and gives us an interesting view of what wartime marriages were like. This was an incredibly chaotic time in history and I'm sure many women found themselves in similar situations to Louise: falling in love with a war hero and rushing into a marriage because you didn't know what the future would bring. The novel was a light read (which is actually a nice change for a historical story) but still gives us interesting characters to enjoy.

The Romantic Relationships Were Underdeveloped
I won't go into extreme detail (no spoilers), but the romantic aspects of this book felt underdeveloped. I enjoyed reading about what happens to Louise and Cara and their respective relationships, but it was a little light in the romance department for me. That said, I was definitely surprised by how Louise's story ends and did really like the twist that Kelly gives us for her. I honestly couldn't imagine going through with Louise did and thought it further showed how strong she was. Cara's story is a bit weaker, but her back story was interesting and I appreciated the differences between blushing and virginal Louise versus disillusioned Cara. I thought it was a good idea to have the story two women from such different backgrounds run parallel to each other in the book.

Overall, this was a good historical fiction and I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoys stories with more than one POV and more than one time period. The jumps between present day and WW2 history were well done (and very smooth), and the book itself was an easy read. This is not as detailed as other historical fiction books, but it's definitely interesting. The Light Over London comes out January 8, 2019 and I hope you'll give it a read!