I read and enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies' Choir so was thrilled to be offered this e-galley from NetGalley and the publisher.

This novel takes place during WWII. I duly note how many recent historical novels have taken place during this era. Nonetheless, I found this to be one that was a good read.

The novel's protagonist, Mrs. Braithwaite, (a woman of a certain age), has tried to live her life very much in accord with convention and awareness of social status. She is dethroned from her position as head of the WI early in the book. Over the subsequent course of the novel Mrs. B changes from an unlikable character to a woman with more nuance.

Mrs. B's emotional and real journeys put her in contact with the unassuming Mr. Norris. Together they move away from their comfort zones, begin thinking more of others and have adventures. Yes, belief must be suspended but one roots for them nonetheless.

There are several story lines that show Mrs. B's emotional growth. One has to do with a young teacher injured in a bombing raid while another takes place during the blackout in a supposedly safe haven that becomes flooded. The reader also comes to understand Mrs. B's biography and how it led her to be the person that she was.

There are spies and plots along with counter plots and a depiction of war-torn London. There are the beginnings of a gentle love between the protagonists and other hearts that have been broken.

Mrs. Braithwaite reminds me a bit of Mrs. Bird, the eponymous character in one of 2018's debut novels. However, unlike Mrs. Bird, Mrs. Braithwaite has the capacity to change.

I enjoyed this novel. Again, thanks to NetGalley and publisher.

I hope for more from this author. I enjoyed these characters quite a bit. The story has quite a few hard to believe moments, but the characters are fun and if you go with that, you won’t be disappointed.

This book is too similar to others I have read. It was well written, but I felt no connection to the characters. The plot moved far too slowly and was filled with coincidence and far-fetched evevts. I do believe it will appeal to readers of cozy mysteries

Jennifer Ryan became one of my favorite authors after I read her delightful Chilbury Ladies' Choir. I was thrilled to get my hands on this ARC and I was not disappointed. I adored the characters and the transformation of Mrs. Braithwaite. This book has everything: fabulous characters, exciting plot, espionage, what more could a reader ask for? Highly recommended. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Our unlikely heroine in The Spies of Shilling Lane is a middle aged, self-important busybody named Mrs. Braithwaite, who leaves her village in disgrace and goes to London to visit her daughter. Despite being set in the middle of the Blitz, with spies and mysteries abound, it's a rather light hearted book. I enjoyed it, but wish it had a bit more depth.

Unfortunately, this one didn't do it for me. I typically enjoy reading this genre, specifically this time peiod. However, I found myself not really liking the characters. Some parts very predictable. Slow moving and didn't really keep my interest. Just wasn't for me.

Thank you #netgalley and #crown for the eARC.

For fans of British busybody ladies who like to solve mysteries!

In her second novel, The Spies of Shilling Lane, Jennifer Ryan has captured many of the stereotypical British characters that we have read about over the years and she has spun a mystery that borders on becoming a British farce. Mrs. Busybody, aka Mrs. Braitwaite, suffers a divorce, is shunned by her fellow villagers, gets demoted as boss of the local do-good ladies and travels to London to visit her daughter – and that's all in the first three pages!

Ryan's story arc is predictable – her daughter is missing, the landlord is a snivelling mess, bombs and black outs rule the day. Did I mention that the novel is set during WWII? Yet even the war is treated lightly. Spies, double crosses, widows, air raid shelters, you've heard it all before. Some soul searching by the main character, a bit of romance, ridiculousness galore. This book is well written but the story lacks depth.

I received a free ARC of this ebook in exchange for a honest review.

It's an achievement to come up with something new and fresh in a historical fiction genre that is bursting at the seams (WW II fiction set in England). The author does that by focusing on a rather unlikable middle-aged woman whose life is challenged and changed when she is forced to look for her missing daughter, ostensibly with a job at the sewage works in London. While falling more into "women's fiction," the book does contain excellent scenes of wartime London and is flavored by interesting characters, a fair amount of suspense, and some funny descriptions.

I read about 40% of this and then set it aside. It just felt like the plot was dragging and the characters were too cliched.

I really enjoyed this book and the time period it was set in . It was part mystery and part history and I like that .
It reminds me a lot of Bletchley circle which was a good thing
Thanks so much for letting me review this book

Thank you net galley for the advance read copy of this novel. This was a delightful second novel by Jennifer Ryan and I certainly hope she authors more gripping adventurous takes like tgis. Part historical fiction and part mystery, this novel had me reading until the end. I loved the main characters of mez. Braithwaite and mr.Norris. They were opposites in many ways but worked well together as they try to unravel a racist spy plot in London during WWII. The plot was well developed with a few misdirection to keep you guessing and thinking throughout. Clean, engaging read!! I loved it!

The Spies of Shilling Lane

If you enjoy Foyle’s War & Bletchley Circle, you’re likely to enjoy The Spies of Shilling Lane. This is the charming story of how Mrs. Braithwaite goes off to London in search of her daughter and ends up finding herself. Mrs. Braithwaite comes to terms with her past, learns compassion, and opens her closed off heart. The scenes where Mrs. B. reaches out to a young woman who is seriously wounded when she heroically saves a classroom of children were especially touching.

***Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this story!

Quotes I liked:

“But as Mrs. Braithwaite walked into St. Thomas’s Hospital, she became all too aware of her heart.”

“‘Some people have so much love in their hearts. They’d do anything for anybody. They’re the real heroes of this war . . . like this courageous woman. No one told her what to do; she simply saw someone hurt, someone in trouble, and found the bravery to go into the chaos, help in the best way she could. It didn’t matter whether it put her own life in danger.’ . . . ‘And look how she’s repaid,’ Mrs. Braithwaite murmured, looking at the tumbledown brutalized body. The nurse smiled calmly. ‘But think of the children she saved. They owe her their lives! They’ll always remember her. It must be wonderful to know that you made so much difference to so many people’s lives. You enabled them to live! Can you imagine that?’”

“An overwhelming feeling came over Mrs. Braithwaite, a crush of pain that life was so fleeting, that the dance was over almost as soon as it had begun. She thought about her own life, how she’d wasted so much of it marching, staying on the footpath, when she could have been dancing.”

“How much kinder she could have been . . . If a woman knew the moment of her death, would she live her life differently? More wisely, undoubtedly. More frivolously, perhaps. But would she be more fullhearted, less selfish?”

“Why do people get so caught up in their own senseless struggle for status that they forget to relish the beauty in others?”

“Sometimes you have to feel grateful for what you have, see the good, and only the good. We only have one life. One chance for happiness. And sometimes we forget that we can actually choose whether we want joy or cynicism. Let’s pick joy.”

“When people you care for die, something inside changes, and you become a different person. Some say that you take on a part of them yourself, that everything you loved about them is enveloped within you, that you have a responsibility to keep them alive in your heart, whatever it takes.”

As a big fan of The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, I was delighted to be able to read an advance copy of Ryan's latest book, The Spies of Shilling Lane. The book did not disappoint. Like Chilbury, this book is largely about the home front in England during WWII, although it was not confined to village life this time. Although I found some of the spying parts of the book far-fetched, it did not distract from my enjoyment of the story. There are great characters who have touching transformations over the course of the book. The author does a wonderful job bringing the characters to life as well as giving the reader greater understanding of life during the blitz. I highly recommend this book.

I think I've found a new happy place and it's in a Jennifer Ryan novel!

I loved her first book. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir, so when I saw she had a new novel I was so excited. The Spies of Shilling Lane met all my expectations! It has a wonderful story, delightful characters, and my favorite WWII setting. What more could you ask for? Maybe more from these characters? That's what I'm hoping for!

I could absolutely see this being one of those delightful BBC mystery series!

I enjoyed Ryan’s first novel, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, and expected this would be similar, since it’s also about women in World War II England. Well, yes, but it’s as if Ms. Ryan, having had some success with her first novel, decided to really let ‘er rip.

Everything about this novel is over the top. There is an espionage plot that is completely bananas, with twists and turns, Perils of Pauline-ish dangers, B-movie bad guys and everybody dashing madly all over London and beyond.

As the book description says, Mrs. Braithwaite’s quest to find her daughter makes her rethink her life. That aspect of the book is almost sloppily sentimental at times, but given the over-the-top nature of the book as a whole, it didn’t bother me. In fact, I came to see this book in old-movie terms, as a sort of mashup of Mrs. Miniver and those films featuring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple.

I read this book in one evening, tearing through the pages. I think that was the right approach for this crazy ride of a novel and I’d love to see somebody dramatize it if they could capture its throwback spirit.

Mrs.Braithwate stoke my heart from the first pages.A delicious busybody who flees her hometown when she is removed as the head of her women’s society,It’s WorldWar11 she flees to London to see her grown daughter but when she gets there she discovers her daughter is missing.Nazis,war ,nothing will stop her in her search for her daughter. .This is the second book I’ve read by this author and look forward to her next novel. #netgalley #crownbooks

At the height of World War II, Mrs. Braithwaite travels to London to visit her daughter after she’s unceremoniously removed as head of the Women’s Voluntary Services in her village. Not a woman to be trifled with, Mrs. Braithwaite goes into battle mode when she discovers her daughter has gone missing, not even the Nazis and their relentless bombardment of London will stop her from finding her daughter. Mrs. Braithwaite, an old fashioned busy body with some rather annoying habits took a little getting used to, but I began to warm up to her as the story progressed and she began to grow as a character. I loved the Chillbury Ladies’ Choir, and this is a lovely followup