I received an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! I thought the characters all had depth to them from the beginning and to see how they developed over the course of the book made me love them more. They're the type of girls you want to be friends with. Strong, smart - don't mess with them - but they show signs of vulnerability that make them relate-able.

The premise of the book follows three friends from Boston who join the Red Cross as Clubmobile volunteers bringing coffee, doughnuts, and joy to the soldiers in England and Europe towards the end of WWII. The book follows their experiences from their training, through romances and personal growth, through the end of the war and how they move on post-war.

The writing was excellent - everything came together nicely in the end (I hate loose ends!) and the book was perfectly balanced between joy, sorrow and every emotion in between. I laughed out loud a few times as Jane Healey clearly has a great sense of humor and writes in a way that keeps the reader wanting more. I found myself rooting for these women (the three main characters and the ones they meet along the way).

As someone who reads a lot of WWII novels, I enjoyed this fresh perspective on the war. I had never heard of the women who volunteered and I think their stories deserve to be shared.

I thought this book was good, but it had a couple of issues: too much romance and too many coincidences.

I thought this story was going to be about girlfriends and their experiences in the war. It was that, but it was also about women finding men. I was expecting something more like 'Code Name Verity' and this was a lighter version with the women falling for different soldiers and discussing relationship issues. I didn't mind some of it because I do feel that it represents the times to some extent, but it was overdone in my opinion.

I also found the story to be too coincidental at times. The soldiers in different groups and the Red Cross girls kept going to or ending up in the same places as other characters. They didn't just end up in the same countries, but the same towns, often bumping into each other. It was just too coincidental and unlikely, which made it difficult to believe at times.

With that said, I still thought it was a good story. It kept me engaged and interested in seeing what would happen next. There were certain parts that were written in a way I prefer with less romance and more focus on the relationships between the women or what they observed and went through themselves during the war.

The book was not too light and had some moments that were wonderfully portrayed. There were sad parts as well as happy parts and funny parts. I enjoyed that the girls didn't start out perfectly good at everything, however the end was wrapped up a bit too neatly for my taste, making it unrealistic for a war story, but you grow to care about these women, so it was easy to overlook this.

Overall, I feel like with the issues I had with the story should have made me like it less, but I still really enjoyed it. I think if I had been expecting a romance, I would not have had an issue with the way it was written.

I just finished this book moments ago and at the same time my husband is donating blood through the American Red Cross. I couldn’t help but stop and think of all the years of service the Red Cross has provided. It’s truly humbling how much time has been dedicated by people every day to do such amazing work. ⁣⁣
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Back to the book, it was truly inspiring how these girls were willing to give up their lives at home to do such encouraging and uplifting work for those fighting for us. I’m ashamed to admit I really didn’t know these existed during he war. I give big props to the author for her time and dedication she took into using true events to create a beautiful novel. ⁣⁣
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I was completely captivated by their work. My only tiny problem was it dragged a little for me in the middle but it was very minor. If you enjoy historical fiction I would highly recommend giving this one a chance!⁣⁣
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I was provided a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow and very predictable, but it was still an enjoyable read.
However because it was slow, it did take me quite some time to get through it.

Fiona, Viv and Dottie, are three friends from Boston who volunteer as Red Cross Clubmobile girls being sent to France and Germany to boost morale among the soldiers. Fiona volunteers in hopes of finding out what happened to her fiance Danny after his plane was shot down in Germany.

This book was interesting when it came to the Clubmobile service, a topic I looked into after I was done the book. But the actual story of these three women, was not as captivating as I thought it would be based on the premise of the book.
A little too predictable, I would have enjoyed the book more if it focused more on the war, the soldiers and their stories, and less on Viv's nails and falling in love.

Historical fiction based during WWII is one of my favorite genres to read.  There's something about that era that is so fun to read about.  Maybe it's because a lot of books out there focus on the heartfelt human survival and finding light in the dark.  

I loved this unlikely trio of girls: the true friendship, their banter back and forth and their strength to overcome a difficult time period.  Beantown Girls was full of exactly what I love about WWII fiction.  Thank you to GetRed PR for sending me a free eBook to review.

This was a truly great historical fiction! I was drawn in from the first page. Jane Healey has such a way with getting you involved in the story. I could actually picture the scenery, the action and the characters as if I was there. I highly, highly, highly recommend this book to all! I look forward to reading more from Jane Healey. Wish I could rate this higher than 5 stars.

I love historical fiction, particularly those about WWII and those that introduce me to new types of stories or people I was unfamiliar with. And The Beantown Girls checked all the boxes for me. This novel is a great story about strength, courage, love, and friendship that I would recommend to all fans of historical fiction.

One of the reasons I love historical fiction so much is that it exposes me to aspects of history that I would otherwise be completely unfamiliar with, but does so in a human way that reading a history textbook never could. We all know about the USO and the many singers and entertainers who went overseas during the war in an effort to boost morale - the Red Cross Clubmobile program was kind of like that but with “sociable and attractive” women (no really, those were part of the job requirements) serving coffee and donuts out of vans. I struggled a little bit with turning off my 2019 feminist brain, because the whole concept sounds really weird and sexist by today’s standards, but I guess wasn’t so bizarre in the 40s.

Unfortunately the three main characters didn’t exactly make it easy on me. I wanted a story about brave women who were determined to help out however they could; I got one about girls who had no clue what they were doing and just didn’t want to ruin their manicures. My guess is that they were intentionally painted as shallow and naive at first in order to give them a more pronounced growth arc (the one who cries over her manicure proudly shows off her bare nails in a later scene), but it just didn’t quite land for me.

The secondary characters are actually what I felt saved the book. I wanted more of Jimmy, their driver in England with his own tragic backstory; Mrs. Tibbetts, who opens up her home to them to fill the hole of her own boys who are off fighting; Liz, who leads their group with wisdom and compassion; and the soldiers they meet along the way who open up to these complete strangers because they remind them of home and their own loved ones. The incredible stories were there - the focus was just a little bit off.

I’m not usually drawn to historical fiction novels, however I’m a Beantown girl and there was no way I could walk away from the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Beantown Girls. I’m also a nurse, so I was intrigue to learn about the Red Cross Clubmobile which inspired this novel. Get ready to meet the Viv, Dottie, and Fiona aka The Beantown Girls – these three best friends leave their hometown of Boston to join the Red Cross during WW2. Fantastic story of love, heroism, and friendship. I highly recommend for those of you that are nervous to get into the historical fiction gene and for those that already love it.

Oh, my! I have truly fallen in love with the Beantown Girls! Jane Healey does a remarkable job introducing us to a group of women who decide to join the Red Cross’ Clubmobile Girls. At first, the girls are making doughnuts and coffee for the men in uniform. This quickly leads to exciting and often dangerous adventures. Follow Fiona, Viv, and Dottie through their assignments and see the friendships that develop. This is the best book I’ve read this year. While a work of fiction, many of the stories have been based on WWII true stories.

I love historical fiction, it is my go to genre, and I especially love WWII stories so I have read a lot of them and I have a high bar for 5 stars in the genre. This story is fantastic and so different than any other WWII book I have read. I loved reading a story of a WWII aspect I knew nothing about. This novel moved seamlessly through the war and connected me deeply to each character.

Exploring the lives of Dottie, Fiona, and Viv, as they embark on a journey traveling the 3,269 Miles from Boston to London on the Queen Elisebath Cruise Ship, to become Red Cross Clubmobile Girls.

I had been eager to read this story for quite some time, and when the opportunity presented itself, I was delighted to discover that once I started reading, I found it quite hard to put down. In some past Historical Fiction novels I have read, there have been times when I felt the story lost its focus and my enthusiasm wavered. As a result of this, my drive to find out how it ends disappears, and I then feel I must force myself to mark it as read.

I am happy to report that 'The Beantown Girls' didn't lose my interest once! The more I read the more I came to love this book. I admired each one of the characters drives, inner strength and determination to first contribute in some way to the War effort, also to then turn their efforts on providing support to the boys at the front.

Although I failed to embrace some of the male characters, I got the feeling that Author Jane Healey really cared about Dottie, Fiona, and Viv. The world in which she created for them really highlighted for me their friendship, love, loyalty, and bravery. I couldn't pick a favorite character as I felt connected with each one of them equally.

Overall, 'The Beantown Girls' was a well-written story, as well as being a wonderful and easy read. I would love a sequel in the future just to confirm and see the trio outside of the chaos that was World War II.
'The Beantowown Girls' is a book I highly recommend to any Historical Fiction reader it would be a great read for anyone looking to explore this genre without being too daunting.
Anyone who read and Enjoyed Tania Blanchard's 'The Girl from Munich' should look into Jean Healey's 'The Beantown Girls'.

With thanks to Lake union publishing and Netgally for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
5/5

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It’s a story of WWII, of female friendships, and love. It was beautiful. The ending was a tad predictable and quite happy but still good.

What a wonderful surprise this book turned out to be! I loved The Beantown Girls by Jane Healey and you will too!

Another historical fiction novel, this takes place during World War II. Three young women volunteer to be Red Cross Clubmobile girls. Their job is to make coffee and donuts for the soldiers and boost morale. For Fiona, it’s a way to get overseas and try to find out what happened to her fiancee who is Missing in Action. For the other girls, it’s a bit of adventure and a way to help out in the war. Of course, it’s not easy and they have a rough start. But all three find a strength within themselves they didn’t know they had and triumphed over situations that others may have faltered in.

Official synopsis:

1944: Fiona Denning has her entire future planned out. She’ll work in city hall, marry her fiancé when he returns from the war, and settle down in the Boston suburbs. But when her fiancé is reported missing after being shot down in Germany, Fiona’s long-held plans are shattered.

Determined to learn her fiancé’s fate, Fiona leaves Boston to volunteer overseas as a Red Cross Clubmobile girl, recruiting her two best friends to come along. There’s the outspoken Viviana, who is more than happy to quit her secretarial job for a taste of adventure. Then there’s Dottie, a shy music teacher whose melodious talents are sure to bring heart and hope to the boys on the front lines.

Chosen for their inner strength and outer charm, the trio isn’t prepared for the daunting challenges of war. But through it all come new friendships and romances, unforeseen dangers, and unexpected dreams. As the three friends begin to understand the real reasons they all came to the front, their courage and camaraderie will see them through some of the best and worst times of their lives.

After I finished reading, I went online and researched the Red Cross Clubmobile, I highly encourage you to do the same! There are lots of photos and information about this program which is very interesting. The book was so detailed and well researched that I actually learned quite a bit. All of the characters were well written and had their own personalities and troubles, the author did a fantastic job of creating a memorable book. The vibe of it reminded me a little of the “Call the Midwife” series.

Out now, read it!

There has been a recent spate of stories based upon womens' roles in WWII from Russian snipers, British Land-girls, American and British pilots ferrying planes around and, this one, the Red Cross Clubmobile girls about whom I certainly knew nothing. They were young American women who wanted to "do their bit" and did so by providing coffee, doughnuts and glamour to troops, raising morale - largely in Britain to start with but moving to the latest stages of the war in Europe. This story follows the trials and tribulations of three friends from Boston, hence the title, from the time they joined up to the end of the war. A disparate bunch who really knew little about the war although Fiona had more of an idea as her fiancé, a pilot, had been shot down and was missing in action. Her aim was to join the Clubmobiles, go to Europe and find him. She and friends glamorous Viv and shy Daisy were selected and transferred to London - a journey seemingly spent making sure lipstick and nail varnish were perfect, and dancing/drinking were the order of the day (when they weren't being sea sick). This continued in London where they just did not seem to get the Blitz and what had become a way of life to the British - they continued trying to be glamorous, have a good time and enjoy themselves. It was at this stage that I almost gave up - just too chick lit and shallow. Their basic training did not go well - they didn't drive, weren't happy learning about maintenance of their truck or even that interested in making doughnuts. They did like the parties, dances and so on and were at least keeping up troops' morale there. Somehow they all qualified and were sent initially to Leicestershire to serve the air bases gallons of coffee and hundreds of doughnuts and cigarettes . Their billet was run by an archetypal English country woman in a pretty cottage and all the rest and, of course, they met three lovely young men - a bandsman for Daisy (who sang), a British aristocrat for Viv and an ex-boxer for Fiona who now knew that her fiancé had survived his crash and was a prisoner of war. Following some plane crashes, losses of large numbers of pilots after one badly gone wrong raid and bombs disturbing their sleep they did, at last, start to realise just what the war meant to a whole nation and more. Eventually they got shipped to the Continent and finally the horrors of war really became a reality giving them the chance to become much more mature young women rather rapidly - which they did. There were a lot of well described and emotional scenes of the apparent chaos of troop movements, the nonsensical movements at times and the tragic moments plus their young men all happening to be in the same area as they were, so still chick lit. . They ended right at the front, and behind the lines at one time when fighting was moving rapidly during the withdrawal of the Germans. There were heroic moments and plenty of emotional ones especially when the prison camps were relieved and Fiona discovered that her fiancé had died. At the end they were sent to the south coast of France for some R and R and, again, met up with their three young men and lived happily ever after. An interesting story although too chick lit meets Hollywood to be a really good book for me. The characters remained stereotypical and rather shallow. However, the background story was good and if it helps readers understand what their, most likely, grandmothers went through so much the better.

This was an interesting take on women's roles during the war. I was drawn to the story because I was interested in another authors take on how a woman was treated/valued. I feel that it was a good addition to the historical fiction genre.

Historical fiction lovers will just love this novel! Set in World War Two and it just has so much heart. This novel is about friendship and finding yourself. If that sounds fun to you then pick this one up!

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed The Beantown Girls. This one was a little more on the fiction side of the very popular females in WWII Historical Fiction books that are very popular right now, but I still enjoyed it. This one read a little more like a novel than others, but I loved the characters and learning more about the the Red Cross Clubmobile girls.

Would recommend it!

I adored this book! Never have I wanted to befriend a group more than I did Fiona, Dottie and Liz. I absolutely loved the female perspective in this book! What a treat to see the women on the front lines doing what they could! What a rare treat to not want to put a book down because of its amazing entertainment factor. A definite 5 star for me. The characters were well developed and so real. I will be recommending this book to everyone!

The Beantown Girls pays homage to the women of WWII who risked their lives to bring a piece of home to US soldiers in the late years of the war. The story follows Fiona, Dottie and Viv, three friends from college, who leave the states behind to become Red Cross Clubmobile girls. Each girl is looking for adventure in their lives and want to be part of war effort, but for Fiona, she hopes that touring Europe bringing comfort to the "boys over there" will bring her closer to her POW fiancé.

Written with clear voice and direction, The Beantown Girls is an enjoyable read from start to finish. The main protagonists have distinct personalities that grow as they experience the realities of war. Healey does a great job entwining historical events with the everyday lives of Clubmobile girls.