Pam Howes takes you on an emotional journey with Bella and her friends, Fran and Edie who were on the brink and in the midst of WWII.

While reading The Girls of Victory Street, we’re introduced to 15-year-old Bella who is forced to quickly grow up quickly after the death of her youngest sister and news of impending war. I loved how her character takes on a leadership role within the singing group that her and her friends form, The Bryant Sisters, in efforts to earn a living and boost morale for the community.
I liked how the author wrote about the not so pretty side of lower class living in England during the late 30s. It brought a touch a realism into the story that made me feel like I was right there experiencing it all with the characters.

When Bella’s five-year-old sister, Betty passed away, it made my heart ache. But this is where the book started to get a little disappointing. I found Bella’s grief very distant and lacking emotion. I felt wanting to know more and the story progressed way too quickly for my liking. Normally, I like progression, but it skipped a lot of details and feelings.

With that being said, the story was enjoyable, and I grew to emotionally invest within the characters’ lives. I look forward to reading the upcoming novels in the series.

Overall, The Girls of Victory Street is a heart wrenching story that will deliver misty eyes, yet leaving you expecting a lot more. Journeying

This novel takes place during WW2 in Liverpool, England. Bella is anxious to marry her sweetheart but war intervenes. Her sweetheart is fooled by the girl his family has wanted him to marry by saying she is pregnant so he marries her instead of Bella. Bella and two of her friends are singers and are hired to entertain the troops. During one of their performances Bella meets Earl a Negro singer from New Orleans to whom she is attracted and becomes pregnant. Bella discovers that Earl is married., but decides to have the baby anyway. Her former sweetheart is in an airplane crash and is burned and loses part of his leg. Bella starts to write to him and discovers she is still madly in love with him not Earl. Will they get back together again? That is for the second novel in the series. The characters in the story are interesting and well developed. The actual story is predictable and not very interesting. It is the usual WW2 English romance without any surprises.

The Girls of Victory Street by Pam Howes is the first book in The Bryant Sisters collection. It is a great historical fiction book taking place during WWII in England.

This book depicts the classic wartime saga novel. Strong, likeable, and relatable female characters that grow, change, and strengthen each other throughout adversities. I enjoyed the friendships, romance, the drama, the twists and turns, and I enjoyed the ending.

This book is for anyone that enjoys WWII fiction, romance, and strong female characters.

4/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately (as of 6/30/20 no BB listing has been created) and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

Wartime drama following three girls from the same street who progress from working together in a factory to singing together for ENSA. Good characters and exciting storyline.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

I’ve really loved reading this story of three young girls, friends, coming to the end of their school days in their lives and moving onto the next phase in their lives.

It’s .1939 and war is declared. The girls sing to keep their workmates, at the factory where they work happy.

This is a emotional, story which has everything, love, loss and of course, anger.

You feel as though you’re there with them and I wanted the story to continue.

Definitely recommend it.

The book starts just before the outbreak of World War 2, it is set in the back streets of Liverpool where poverty is the norm but also comradeship and friendship is in abundance. Three young girls are preparing to leave school and although they would love to find glamorous jobs the only ones that are available are in the packing department of the match factory. One of the things that the girls have in common is their love of singing and in time this opens up a whole new world to them along with one of the boys in their class. I love the descriptions of the family life of the time, the happy times but also the very sad and tragic times, of love but also deep-seated jealousy. I am really pleased that this is the first in a new series because I can't wait to read more

I seriously inhaled this book,if that is possible. The book is about family dynamics, , strong friendships, it is about love and hope. It is about prejudice.i it is about loss and making difficult choices. I absolutely loved this book. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this book.

Thank you Net Galley for granting me this book - always enjoy Pam Howes books and this one was another great hit with me.

It follows the story of Bella Rogers who has her heart broken by her first love Bobby and goes on to work at Bryant and May eventually obtaining a job as a professional singer. From page one I was totally absorbed with this lovely story and the lows and highs of Bella’s life. Plenty of unexpected twists and turns and a very entertaining story. Would highly recommend as I thoroughly enjoyed it and am already looking forward to book number two.

I really don't know where to start with this. I absolutely loved this book, loved the flow of the story, loved the characters and loved getting lost into another world while reading it.
Pam as I've said before has an amazing knack for writing these books. I'm not a huge fan of this genre but after reading one of Pam's books I have read every one since. I'm so glad these were recommended and I have no problems recommending them to anyone.
A heart breaking story but one that gets you so engaged in it you can not put it down. This is the first book in a new series and it's going to be a series I will be following.
The atmosphere around this wartime story is beautiful. I felt as though I was really getting to know these characters and that I want to continue going on a journey with them. Bella was a beautiful character and life was never very smooth for her, but as a woman of her time she just gets on with what needs doing. She's going to be a very strong character the more we learn.
An easy to read realistic story that will keep you reading and enjoying right to the very last page, where you will be disappointed that it hasn't carried on, and on.... and will desperately want more.

I am really enjoying historical saga books at the moment, so was quite keen to get stuck into this book. 
This is a new author for me but I am thrilled, I have loved it and will be adding more books by this author to my TBR. Howes has pulled me in and made it utterly impossible for me to put down. 
This is a heartbreaking story but one that I have found myself thinking about after finishing. I don't know how any written review will show how much I enjoyed this book. 
I have loved Bella from the start, she is a fantastic character. As a reader, you experience the emotions of a lost love then the added grief of losing a loved one. This is definitely a rollercoaster of a read.
I really haven't been able to put this one down and found I had devoured the entire book in just one sitting. It really did pull me in. 
I have loved this book so much, I wish I could give it five hundred stars.

Pam Howes does it again, another winner. The Girls of Victory Street is the 1st in the Bryant Sisters series so you start reading assured there will be another. I found it quite emotional at times and couldn’t put It down. Definitely worth ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

With thanks to netgalley and Pam Howes for an early copy in return for an honest review.
First time reading this Author and thoroughly enjoyed her writing in this the first book gathering up all the information about the characters was fun there are some very strong and interesting ladys in Merseyside.
The journey of how the Bryant sisters came to be the evacuees a Welsh farm house and how they all play a part of this OUTSTANDING book I really can't praise this book enough and can't wait to catch up with them in the next book.

This book is the first of the Bryant Sisters series. The story begins in 1939, just before war breaks out and carries on through the first few years of the war. Bella Rogers has just left school, started work in a factory and is in love with her childhood sweetheart, Bobby. The outbreak of war deals Bella and her family cruel blows, particularly after Bella’s youngest sister dies. With the men leaving their families to enlist in the forces, Bella and her friends keep up the spirits in the factory by singing songs and it’s not long before they are travelling around the country singing to the forces and entertaining the troops under the name of The Bryant Sisters, named after the match factory that they all worked in!

This was a lovely wartime story, as other books written by this author have been. Based in Liverpool, the author has described perfectly as to what wartime Liverpool must have been like, and the story puts you right into the hearts of the characters. I loved Bella’s character and enjoyed following her story through her teenage years. She obviously loved Bobby, who she had known since being at school, but the course of true love never runs smoothly, especially during the war! Of course, the story doesn’t just focus on Bella, and the other characters which are also in the book are perfect companions in Bella’s life. I really felt for Bella’s mum, Mary, whose story pulled at my heart-strings, and I really hope we get to see some happiness in Mary’s life in future books of the series.

The book was a lovely, easy to read story, allowing you to breeze through the book easily becoming more captivated by the storyline as the pages went on. Within a few chapters I was hooked and could feel myself experiencing the air raids, the damp dark basements and the sadness of loss and grief alongside all the characters. I’ve been to Liverpool a few times and could picture some of the areas of the city and imagine what it must have looked like amid the devastation of the air raids. I could also hear the characters with their Liverpool accent which was so accurately portrayed throughout! This was definitely a book filled with lots of different emotions, and showed us the difficulties that wartime bought to the communities living within the towns and cities around the country.

With a realistic storyline, you can’t help but get caught up in the lives of the women left behind. I’ve wiped tears away at times throughout the book and have laughed and smiled along with them at others. I can’t wait for the next book in the series as there is definitely much more of Bella’s story that I want to know – what happens to Levi, will Earl play a part in Bella’s life and what will happen between Bella and Bobby? If you love a really good wartime saga, then this is definitely the book for you! I loved it, and would highly recommend it!

I have to say that i have loved reading of three young girls from Victory Street coming to the end of their school days and going to work at the Bryant & May factory.1939 and war is declared so to keep their workmates happy the three girls sing and bring us a truly wonderful emotional story of loss,love and of course anger as they embark on a life they only dreamed of.I was sorry to finish this book as i felt i was there with them i do love a story that draws you into the pages.Excellent story can't wait for next book.5*

This is book one in the new trilogy
Tells us Bella Rogers story
Wavertree liverpool 1939
This book from the author has well and truly got to me, as we get to know all new characters along the way.
Filled with love and compassion.
Along with Bella, Edie and Fran we get to know the Bryant Sister's travelling around the country singing for the troops during WW2.
Bellas heart will always belong to Bobby Jackson but nothing goes to plan in the story. You will definitely be in for a few surprises as you read.
And I simply couldn't fault any of this book. Lets hope that there's more to come as we get to know more about all the characters.
I can see a best seller in this book and I've giving well worth stars.
Its a book that's unique all on it's own.

Love all Pams books. Another family saga living the life of three lovely girls highs and lows just brilliant

I love a good historical fiction story. When a period has many books written on it, they sometimes start becoming rather predictable. This is one such book.

While it was a quick read, I guessed many of the outcomes throughout the story. WWII in England, young English girls, American and British GIs, romance, heartbreak, love, family, disappointment, and redemption. Yep, they’re all covered in here and if you’ve read a few books based during this time, you‘ll enjoy the book but you’ll also be mapping out the story as you go along.