The Smith unit is a group of women from Smith College which are sent to help in WWII. Their goal is to help the people rebuild, grow food and become self sustaining again. However, these young ladies are not well equipped for this project. And there are quite a few mistakes and missteps. (Like buying all roosters!)

These ladies are definitely out of their element. But, I loved each and every one. This story is so well researched and so well written. I loved the strong female characters with their flaws and their big hearts. This is the best book by this author…hands down!

AND! Give me Julia Whelan as a narrator any day! She is truly one of my favorites.

Need a fabulous WWII novel…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and learned about a new part of WWI history. The writing style of the book was hard to get into at times. I did enjoy the plot as well as the characters. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I thoroughly enjoyed this saga of these women over-coming so many obstacles! It was a wonderful story of challenges, courage, love, successes and failures.
After they get off the ship, you won't be able to put this one down! Highly recommend for anyone who likes historical fiction and stories of strong women.

I wanted to love this book so much but it just did not come through for me. It was way too long and I understand there were alot of adventures to cover based on reading the historical notes at the end, but it just wasn’t interesting enough to sustain the length of the novel. It picked up at the end when the Germans were rapidly advancing during their last big push on the western front. Overall it was an interesting look at a group of strong women that did great things for the people of France during World War I. I just didn’t enjoy the story like I thought I would.

I love Kate. She gets was not supposed to be one of the smithie girls to go. At the last minute she is sucked into by her old classmate. The other girls let her know it too. Most of them I wouldn't have thought would make it very far. Just like most women put in tough spots they adapt and preserve. Laughter, love, and hard work are the recipe that makes this book good. The locals come to depend and need them. Much to their shock the girls will fight with anyone to stay because of this need. I would recommend this book for anyone who likes historical fiction, ww2 stories, history, women's history, books about friendship, and anyone who likes a good laugh and cry.

Band of Sisters is the story of nineteen Smith College graduates who go to the front lines in World War I France to help French civilians survive after being ravaged by the Germans. Emmie Van Alden convinces her best friend Kate Moran to go with her to France after a rousing speech from Smith alumna Betsy Rutherford. Emmie comes from a life of privilege with a domineering mother, while Kate lived a hardscrabble life and was a scholarship student at Smith. As the ladies arrive in France, they face many obstacles and the true brutality of war. Will they be able to make a difference and will they make it home alive?

I was fascinated by this story. I had never known about American women social workers in France during World War I and the important work that they completed to help French women and children survive. I loved their stories and how they worked to ensure that there would be food and education for the people. I also loved how they were resourceful and made do with what they had, including putting together their vehicles. They also faced hard and scary situations. Together the women are able to make their way through it, although like in many situations, there were people who didn’t get along with everyone else. I loved their bonds that they forged. I also loved a wonderfully sweet romance that occurs as well.

I listened to the audiobook version and it was hard to stop listening to it. It was excellent. I especially like the author’s note at the end where she discussed her research and the real story. She used snippets from the real letters written by the women and real events to create this fictional story.

Overall, Band of Sisters is a riveting historical fiction novel about a group of brave women who made a difference in World War I and deserve to be remembered.

I am absolutely in love with this book! The female friendships, their determination in a world where woman were not wanted for a man's job. They were from Smith College and went to a war zone to help out.
I did most of this book on audio and the narrator is one of my favorites.. She did an amazing job, as always.
I highly recommend this book, it was very well researched and well written.

Historical fiction. Squeaky clean.

I'm a fan of historical fiction, so maybe I'm just burnt out on these wartime stories. This is based on the (mostly privileged) young women from Smith College who go to France during WWI. There were parts of the story that were engaging, but they were so few and far between...this is a long book that reads more like Desperate Housewives of Smith College than Band of Brothers. The two main characters spend an enormous amount of time upset about misunderstandings and insecurities. Since I wasn't all that invested in the characters, I didn't really feel the romance either, but there always has to be one, right?

The narrator is a popular audiobook narrator, and she has a good voice for it. I didn't find enough difference in the characters' voices to distinguish them at times. But I think many historical fiction fans, especially those who also enjoy romance, will find this book appealing.

While I have been intrigued by other books by Willig, I have never actually read one. The lure of a WWI book was just much not to read.

In 1917, the Smith College Club band together to go to France to offer aid to French civilians in the midst of the onslaught of WWI. Kate Moran, one of the odd ones out, has joined the group and feels automatic hesitance amongst their ranks. She was of the scholarship students and the dynamic hasn't changed, even in war. But as the war takes over their everyday lives, the women soon find the social and economic statuses that divided them back home cease to matter in their united cause on the front.

Overall, I felt the characters did drive much of this piece. I do wish we had gotten perspective from a couple of or at least one other person. Maybe someone who was antithesis to Kate. It might have given readers an idea of what Paris was like if you were sent away from the front. As we know from the encounters Kate had, not everyone was glad to leave the front. There were a couple who were though, and I think it would have been intriguing to hear their perspective.

I did truly enjoy this story in general. I've read other books about WWI before, but never from a perspective like this. I think this would be really good to hear women tell the story of WWI, which is rarely told and only usually by men. To have a whole group of women from a single institution. It really makes me wish I could read their letters. It would be fascinating to read the original work.

I really did enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more by Willig in the future.

Gilmore girls meet the war. Just not my type of book. Seemed unrealistic, could not connect with the characters

Loved this book a lot! Based on a true story of 18 actual Smith College women ("Smithies") who went to aid French women and children displaced and injured because of the battles waged during WWI. The author did extensive research into the activities of the women on the front thanks in part to a wealth of surviving correspondence written during their time abroad. I really enjoyed how the book focuses on the everyday acts of ordinary women (some were society women, others were from more humble backgrounds) - each one survived harrowing war conditions to help the women and children ravaged by war and dealing with injuries, lost loved ones, and little food or shelter. Refreshing to see a celebration of women and women's work during the war instead of only men's efforts. At the core this is a story of bonds of friendship and how that friendship is tested and strengthened by feuds, jealousies and survival during life-threatening circumstances. Kate and Emmy were my favorite characters and their friendship undergoes quite a transformation. Favorite quote: "It isn't what you have it's what you make of it. Whether its turning a can of sardines and some condensed milk into a supper or turning a group of strangers into a band of sisters." Highly recommend for fans of Kate Quinn's The Alice Network, Jennifer Robson's Somewhere in France or Kristin Hannah's The nightingale. Excellent on audio with Julia Whelan as narrator!

This was a very informative and witty book about a group of brave college women helping in wartime. I listened to this book and felt as if I was there. The strength of these women and some of the challenges they faced were truly eye opening. I recommend this book to any historical fiction book lover.

I loved this book and narration. A powerful story about the resilience of women. I enjoyed this book and have recommended to many people already.

You can tell the author researched this book really carefully. The story and the plot lacked a little bit until the end and it was a little too long. I did enjoy reading about the Smith women as I had not heard of them before. But I think I would have enjoyed a non-fiction book about this more than a fiction one.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me listen to this book. I loved how these girls all set out being so naive and totally unprepared for what awaited them in France. By the end they were family after everything they had experienced.

The audiobook of Band of Sisters was excellent. The narrator was great. I hated it when life interfered and I had to stop listening to it.

This audiobook captures the novel's characters really well. The narrator creates a distinct voice for each of the women in the Smith unit, as well as ancillary characters in the story. I really enjoyed listening to this novel on audio, and I was drawn in right from the start.

Trigger warnings: war, poverty, attempted rape

Kate Moran didn't fit in with the other women from Smith College. They're from old aristocratic families and she was a scholarship recipient and the daughter of an immigrant. When her former roommate Emmeline "Emmie" Van Alden calls her and asks her to join an expedition to France at the last minute, French teacher Kate jumps at the opportunity. Her language skills and her ability to drive make her a desirable candidate for the mission.

The party of women includes a variety of professions -- social workers, nurses, doctors, a librarian, and French teacher Kate. The women's first task is to acquire supplies to bring to the villages including trucks, livestock, and other goods. The women find that they have more skills than they realize when they are required to assemble the trucks themselves.

The novel is interspersed with letters from the Smith ladies to their relatives in America. The women have to grapple with seeing injuries and poverty and become impoverished themselves as they use all their available money to help the villagers instead of buying luxuries like shampoo. Being close to the front lines is dangerous for the Smith women, especially when the front lines move inward towards their home base.

Lauren Willig conveys the difficulties of living in wartime as well as the emotional toll it takes on the women. She also deftly describes challenges the women's interpersonal relationships must overcome to continue working at the front.

Julia Whelan is a great narrator. I've listened to audiobooks read by her before and would do so again. Her reading of the dialogue conveys emotions felt by the characters and her narration is captivating.

Recommended for fans of historical fiction, women's fiction, and war fiction.

I am so glad I got my hands (or rather, ears) on this heartbreaking AND uplifting story by Lauren Willig. The audiobook version is narrated by the immensely talented Julia Whelan. This story started our really slowly for me, and you may find the same. But please don't give up on it! As the tale moved along, I couldn't help but be drawn into the lives of the women of the Smith College Relief Unit. The most amazing thing is the story was based on real people, which made it that much more meaningful.

Kate Moran is a graduate of the prestigious Smith College; she's a Brooklyn girl who attended on scholarship. Her best friend at Smith was Emmeline Van Alden; they remained friends after graduation, though Kate's replies to Emmie's letters became less frequent and shorter. Emmie heard a speech at the Smith College Club given by a woman who was forming the Smith College Relief Unit to help French civilians who were devastated by the Germans in the war and she decides to help make a difference. When one of the women drops out, Emmie begs her old friend Kate to take the woman's place; and in April 1917 they set sail to France. They arrive in Grecourt, France to find it has been nearly decimated, as have the other surrounding villages located near the Front. What follows are the adventures of the Smith College Relief Unit in France, mainly seen through the experiences of Kate and Emmie.

After a slow start, I was caught up in the storyline and wanted to take the long way to work and home so I could listen to the book in the car. I didn't care for Kate through half of the book. She had an experience that made her feel she was looked down on by the others and she had a chip on her shoulder. As things progressed, however, I couldn't help but like her strength. Emmie I loved from the start. Her main strength, or so she thought, was the titled family from which she came. I loved watching her grow from an insecure woman to one who could commandeer a hotel and set up a place for the displaced French citizens and the troops. The relationship between Kate and Emmie was complicated and I cried when things came to a head. I really enjoyed all the characters, even the ones who were not particularly likeable, like Maude. There was a lovely little romance between Emmie and "Captain Biscuit" that had me on the edge of my seat for a while.

What was marvelous about this book was that the story of the Smith College Relief Unit was true and the characters were based in part on real people. Each chapter started with a letter home from a "Smithie". Those were some of my favorite parts of the book. Some were funny and snarky, and others would break your heart. These woman were truly inspiring! The part of France they went to was near the front lines of the battle, and had basically been destroyed; they had to rebuild just about everything from scratch. What the civilians in France went through was unbelievable, especially the children. There was, of course, bickering and arguments between the women, but in the end they truly became a "Band of Sisters". It was quite obvious Ms. Willig did her research; make sure to listen to the afterword where she tells some of the stories of the real women in the Relief Unit. Narrator Julia Whelan did an amazing job bringing this story to life. If you need a reminder of the goodness of humanity, this is the story to remind you.

I received an ARC of this audiobook courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

During WWI, a group of American college women went to Europe to assist in the war effort. A lot of this book was sourced from actual letters from the women (many of whom became characters) that were read by the author and inspired her to write this book. Excerpts of the letters appear before each chapter and it really settled in for me the impact of international conflict, particularly before the technological advances that largely allow powerful countries like the USA to drop bombs from unmanned vehicles from thousands of miles away.

The relationships between the women felt really authentic (as they would have, being based in reality) and the differences between them served the story really well. There was a really good (though brief) exploration of class differences and pride too.

The narrator of the audiobook is Julia Whelan who is and has been for years one of my absolute favourite narrators. She has a beautiful voice and that's all I'm going to say.

All in all, this was a compelling historical fiction that didn't venture into emotional exploitation, but really highlighted the work that female volunteers did; women were not just at home waiting for ~their men~ to return, they worked and worked and worked to keep everything running. It actually made me think a lot about what I would do were there another world war.

Anyway, much of what I enjoyed about the book stemmed from the fact that it was based on a real group of real young women who took on an incredibly dangerous task because they wanted to help and it was lovely to listen to.

I received a copy of this audiobook for free from NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.