Working at the Bryant & May matches factory after she finished school, Bella Rogers was joined there by her two friends, Fran and Edie. The three girls had been members of the school choir and sang in their tea breaks to keep the workers’ spirits up with the onset of the war – the boss named them The Bryant Sisters. When the three of them were offered an opportunity to sing for the soldiers in and around England, they jumped at the chance. Bella’s little sister, five-year-old Betty had died the previous Christmas and they were missing her terribly. And Bobby, Bella’s good friend and fellow singer from the choir had transferred to another part of England to prepare for his place in the war. With Bella’s dad also doing his bit, and Molly, her younger sister in the country for safety, only her mam was home. With the bombs falling nightly, the cellar was their safe place. Bella didn’t want to leave her mam home alone while she was off singing…

Their enjoyment of singing to the troops each night felt wrong with the country at war, but they knew it was keeping the spirits of the men up. Basil was in charge of the group – there were others besides The Bryant Sisters – and he kept them moving from one town to the next. When the Americans became involved in the war and arrived in England, Bella and her two girlfriends met some of them, especially the ones who also sang and played in the band. It was a heady time for them. But tragedy was to come and heartache to follow…

The Girls of Victory Street is the 1st in The Bryant Sisters series by Pam Howes and I really enjoyed it. I’m afraid it turned predictable – I was hoping it wouldn’t happen – but apart from that, it was entertaining. I found it very similar to Rosie Archer’s The Bluebird Girls Trilogy, which I loved. The days of the second world war for the women left at home while their men fought for their country, were hard. But they were strong and resilient, determined to “keep the home fires burning” while waiting for their men to return. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I was interested in this book after listening to an interview with Jill Mansell where she explained that she was enjoying wartime stories as a particular genre.
The Girls of Victory Street introduced three close friends; Bella, Fran and Edie. This story focuses on Bella and her family, they live in a rented house in Waverley, Liverpool. The girls are in their final year at school and looking forward to going to work at the Bryant and May match factory. Although this isn’t a glamourous job, contributing to the household is something close to their hearts.
If you’ve read my reviews before, you will know that I’m not a fan of spoilers. The synopsis on Amazon is a little inaccurate but, in general, covers the outline of the story.
I loved the performance elements of this book and could almost hear the singing as the girls travelled through war-torn Britain. Bella’s love for Bobby is the real hero in this tale and my heart broke when things didn’t go to plan for them. Bella finds a brief happiness with an American airman, Earl, whose kindness helps her to blossom from a young girl to a woman.
The wartime storyline was devastating, the loss of lives, homes and livelihoods is hard to imagine. Despite all of that, this book offers a glance back to a time when families and friends were the fabric of the community.
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did. I’m looking forward to future editions in the series.

A great story, loved the characters, a real kinda rags to riches feel to it, I look forward to reading more about the Bryant sisters.

Bella is finishing school and soon will start her work at Factory, while the day does not arrive she enjoys the time she has with Bobby, the guy she likes and her two friends. When World War II starts and the city of Liverpool becomes a mess, Bella now has to worry about supporting her family, bomb shelters, her father and Bobby going to war and surviving. What she didn't expect was that in this scenario of destruction and death she would be able to follow her dream together with her friends.

What I liked most about this book was the setting in the scenario of the second war, we can see how the daily life of people was at that time.

The Narrative did not attract me much, I often found myself confused, not knowing who was narrating or which of the friends was who. Other than that, it's a good story for anyone who wants to read about friendship, hope and following their dreams.

The Girls of Victory Street (The Bryant Sisters Book !) by Pam Howes I recommend this book.
Death, War, and Lies change a persons whole course of life. Bella Rogers envisioned her life one particular way, but the onset of Hitlers invasion and his quest for domination changed not only her life, but the world’s. Fran, Edie and Bella were all best friends who sang together. Fran and Bella both liked the same boy, Bobby. However, Bobby liked Bella and soon because Bella and Bobby had this natural spark when singing together they were chosen to do duets for a competition. Bella wanted to marry her sweetheart Bobby who she sang with in the choir. What she ended up with was a foray with into adult life with a baby belonging to a man from an ocean away that was already married to someone else.
War sure does change everything for everyone. It put Americans into England where Bella was and that is where she met Earl. Bobby married Alicia , a family friend because she held Bella’s mail back and lied and said she was pregnant, but wasn’t! Liars don’t make for good bedfellows because when the chips were down and Bobby needed her when he got hurt she left him!
Fran, Edie and Bella were best friends and because they were a singing group they became the Bryant Sisters and were chosen to go around to the various Armed force bases and try to bring up the military morale. This is how Bella met Earl and got pregnant, but she did not know he was already married with a five year old daughter. The book is an incredible drama of choices that we make in our lives and that one thing that we do that will lead us onto various self discoveries of ourselves and those that we love. The dramatic turns that can change in a moment because of one step either way that we make or don’t make which would you do or not do again to change your life over? This book takes us on a journey of how one mans domination changed three girls lives and their families and how they survived and the deaths that they survived and the pain of love.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and I willingly give them my thoughts and opinions!

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed this book.
I loved the relationships between the three girls and the story was just fantastic. There are some real heartwarming moments and some equally heartbreaking moments throughout the story. The reader gets a glimpse into what the world was like for ordinary people during the war.
I admired Bella. Even though she was quite young, she was so brave, independent and strong willed.
I will look forward to reading about Edie and Fran's story in the near future.

Absolutely brilliant. I love all of Pam Howes books. She is such a thoughtful and descriptive writer.
This was a bittersweet story of love and loss.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this Arc.

I was really enjoying this story and looking forward to finding out how it was going to end when, 11 minutes from the end, it just finished. I know there are more books to follow, which I shall very much look forward to reading, but I felt that the ending could've been more solid. It's more like the end of a chapter, than the end of the book. I'd still recommend this book as the start of a series though, as I did enjoy it.

I did not care for this book at all. The writing and plot description was very rushed and frankly, most of the situations in the book were completely implausible. The characters were one dimensional and lacked any sort of qualities that made me care about them at all.

One example (out of many) of a situation that was unrealistic was when the girls have their first performance, they were heralded as having the 'most professional' performance ever. Flattery is one thing, but this was straight up cheese. Also, Bella lost her 5 year old sister and was sad for all of a few minutes. Did anyone even like Betty? Mam, Betty's mother, only had one thing to EVER say about her and that was that she was slower than all the other children. All she did was dwell on how pathetic her child was and then when Betty dies she's distraught. She didn't even like Betty to begin with, so the fake mourning over her was a bit much.

I would never recommend this book and I won't be posting any other reviews about it.

Another fabulous book from Pam Howes. If you like WW2 fiction and Liverpool sagas you’ll love this. Following 3 young women who work at the Bryant and May match factory in Liverpool during WW2 this book is full of fun, romance, family and so much more. A great read for summer holidays. Thanks Pam Howes and NetGalley.

I absolutely adored this book! I could not put it down, probably one of the fastest I have read a book this year.

This is the first book in Bryant Sisters series and I am hooked already. WW2 is just breaking out, it follows the life of Bella Rodgers, a 15 year old girl from Liverpool at the end of her school days. Her and two friends go to work in a match factory, to keep moral up the girls decide to sing songs to the other workers. This then leads to a wonderful opportunity to embark on a singing career.

This book explores the true meaning of family and friendship, when the Rodgers family are struck with tragedy the whole neighbourhood is there to help. There were many different things explored in this book, such as romance, tragedy, family and disappointment. I found it so well written and even though t was a short book i found it to be extremely detailed. I loved all of the characters and found them so relatable and realistic, showing their flaws and how people embrace those.

If you enjoy historical fiction, you will love this. The perfect book to curl up on the sofa with.

If you like historical fiction, this is a wonderful book. The story focuses on Bella and her sisters and begins in Liverpool 1939.
Pam Howes has given us interesting, well developed characters and a page turning, heart-warming story. I enjoyed the strong family dynamics and the strong friendships.
This is the first in a series and so I look forward to the next!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

If we want a "peaceful world for our kids to inherit, we need to fight for it with everything we've got." The Bryant Sisters "fight" by singing cheerful songs that entertain their fellow coworkers at a match factory in Liverpool, England during WW2. Edie, Fran and Bella then land a deal to travel around the country entertaining troops.
In the midst of singing, air raids and uncertainty about her family's safety, Bella also deals with the lack of communication from her boyfriend Bobby. And then she meets Earl Franklin, Jr. Will she be able to continue her singing career and reconcile with Bobby, or will she and Earl grow closer?
I really liked the historic aspects of this novel. It covers 1939-1943 and offers an interesting look at daily life with details of rationing, city and country life, and relationships. For this reason, I give the book 3 stars.
The writing is good for the most part. In places, the author gets sidetracked or leaves the storyline hanging. I appreciated the location and dates at the beginning of each chapter that offers context to readers.
I'm not a big fan of romance novels, though, and this book is definitely more geared to romance than history.
Overall, it's a good book for romance fans who like historic fiction.
Note: includes some profanity and sexual content

Rating: 3.5
Bella Rogers is a professional singer with optimistic views on the future. Her sister’s death brings her family and friends closer but the threat of war seems to weigh down. After being heartbroken by her first love, Bobby aka Robert, Bella decides to focus on her music career and gains recognition. She gets an opportunity to sing for the ENSA organization with her best friends, Fran, and Edie. She also meets Earl, a charming African-American who sings with her. Bella finally finds happiness, but will it last?

“Oh, I know we’re ridiculously young and there’s a war looming and we don’t know what’s going to happen next, but yes, I really do love you. What about you? How do you feel about me?”

The entire setting of ‘The Girls of Victory Street’ was excellently developed, the book illustration too. This book felt thoughtful and well-researched. There was a lot of depth to the information the author provided considering how short the book is. All the characters were so relatable and realistic. I could feel all the emotions the author conveyed through them. All their reactions to WW2, Hitler was justified. This story is written in the third person with different perspectives but mostly Bella’s. The author added tiny details that portrayed gender and racial discrimination, family struggles, and hospitality; the notions people had.

“... nothing had been said and it wasn’t up to her to ask him, like nice girls just didn’t do that sort of thing.”

Some of the scenarios of performances of ‘Bryant sisters’ and the connection to Betty’s death were poignantly written. The friendships Bella had pulled her through her darkest times in life. In conclusion, ‘The Girls of Victory Street’ was a tear-jerking historical family saga. This book is recommended to all historical fiction genre readers and I specifically suggest it to people involved in music. I enjoyed ‘The Girls of Victory Street’ because it related to me, quite a lot. I’m interested in reading other books by Pam Howes’. ARC provided by NetGalley and Bookouture. Thank you.

The Girls from Victory Street by Pam Howes is the first book in a new series by the author. I loved her previous books, and this is a big hit for me too.
Once again, we are in Liverpool 1939. WW2 is just breaking out. 15-year-old Bella Rodgers is trying to get over her sisters’ death. But she is also starting a new chapter in her life. With her friends Fran and Edie, who are all singers have been asked to go entertain the troops around the country, boosting morale for the soldiers as they go off to war. Including the love of her life Bobby. The group are call The Bryant Sisters. As they grow more popular, they meet some famous people. Even meeting George Formby. But her relationships between Booby falters. So, when she meets Earl a negro from New Orleans she is smitten. But their relationship is not all that it seems, for one person anyway.
This is another beautiful written story that drew you in from the first page. A story of love, friendships and sacrifices and surprises and some good times too. If you love historical fiction like do you will love this. Five stars from me.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Girls Of Victory Street' by Pam Howes

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

This is the first book that I have read by this author. This is the first book in the 'Bryant Sisters' series. I am looking forward to reading more by the author and of this series.

I was originally drawn to this book by the fact that it is a historical novel and its intriguing blurb. I am normally quite set in which genres I read but wanted to expand my horizons and being a history fan it seemed like a good book opportunity to do so. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 26 chapters which are a nice length so that you can read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

The story is presented from several points of views but mainly from Bella's perspectives and is set in the UK during the war.

I am very glad that I tried a different genre as I really enjoyed reading a book of fiction written during the war. Although it is fiction it gives of a good sense of what life during the war would have been like for many with so much uncertainty.

The family dynamics and friendships are lovely to read about and even though it is set during dark times and there was much going on I still felt like it was a more light hearted read to my usual crime books. I loved the friendships between the Bryant sisters and how they always pulled through for one another.

Although I said this is a more light hearted read than my usual genre there are still some heart wrenching and touching moments throughout the story and my heart really went out to Bella. There were moments where I was happy, sad as well as worried for her and what she was going through.

Each of the characters had their own unique personalities and were all very strong. The descriptions throughout were excellent and it was very well written with a smooth flowing storyline even with the time jumps between chapters.

I flew through the pages wanting to know what happened with each of the characters as they all had their own little storylines and lives going on outside of the Bryant sisters.

I really enjoyed the touch of realism Pam Howes beings into this book as well as the drama, romance, friendships, deceit, heart break, love and lies mixed all into one.

I am looking forward to reading more about the Bryant sisters as well as hearing about their family members in the next book in what promises to be a riveting series.

Genres covered include Historical fiction, Family saga, Romance

I would highly recommend this book to fans of the above and also to fans of Nicholas Sparks as it felt slightly similar to some of his storylines

251 pages.

This book is £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon. I think this is an excellent price for this book.

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I enjoyed reading this book. The characters were all interesting and different. There was a good story to keep me wanting to know what happened to the girls. It was sad at times but if you enjoy finding out more about the war then l suggest that you read this book.

Once I started reading this I was hooked and really felt a connection with the characters. I experienced the air raids with them the damp dark basements and the sadness of loss and grief alongside all the characters. I felt sad and happy throughout this book if you love war time stories then you will love this book. Looking forward to the next book.book for you!

Pam Howes is one of my favorite saga authors.Another gorgeous read full of wonderful characters romance Family emotions friendship.A book that drew me in to the town the girls took me out of my world into there town their lives,Highly recommend,

This is the first book in a new series by Pam Howes. Having previously read and loved other books by this author I was very excited to read this one. Well I wasnt disappointed. This book was another wonderful read. Set in Liverpool just as WW 2 is about to break out. I was hooked on this book right from the start . I loved all the characters and felt at times I was there with them so good were the descriptions of the places and people in the book. I cannot wait for the next book in this series .