This is the second Sara Ackerman novel I’ve read, and if anything it is superior to “Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers,” which I found very good. The story opens with the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. The main character, Daisy Wilder, witnesses the destruction from a short distance and not long after, is recruited as a new member of the Women’s Air Raid Defense. She goes through training with other Island women who become close friends through their mission. There is also a well-drawn love interest, pilot Walker Montgomery, with whom Daisy was acquainted through work at his father’s ranch.

Characters and storyline are very well-drawn, and although so much of current WWII historical fiction is set in Europe, the setting of Hawaii and Hawaiian culture in the 1940’s is fresh and fascinating. This was especially true for me as the mother of a Marine stationed much later in Hawaii, and as the daughter of two WWII vets.

I highly recommend this inspiring and unique novel and thank #netgalley for an Advance copy of #Radar Girls

NetGalley provided me a digital ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
I have never wanted to travel to Hawaii more in my entire life than while reading this book. The last super lush and rich book that dealt with Hawaii and history was Moloka'i. This book also did a tremendous job of making the reader feel like there were there. I loved this book! This was somehow what I wish that movie "Pearl Harbor" SHOULD HAVE BEEN. This was a fun, engaging read full of history, life, growth, heartache, triumph and beauty. I really enjoyed getting to know the character Daisy, and I didn't know anything about the WARD program before this book. Such a cool piece of history! Daisy felt like a wonderfully real and complex heroine full of spunk and determination. This was a great read.

Daisy Wilder is a Young women who would rather spend her time with horses than with people, but when Pearl Harbor is bombed, she becomes a member of the WARDS, young women trained to track radar in the Pacific. This is the story of these young women who protected the islands, the Pacific, and the West Coast from another devastating attack. Although she's a loner, Daisy becomes friends with several of her co-workers and the author brings together the stories of each of these women and the effects that the war has on them. Daisy's life is complicated by the fact that she has a mother left mentally unstable after the death of her Daisy's father and her love interest is the son of the rancher on whose property her father died.
The author has written a story of love and forgiveness while exposing a part of history that is little known. The Radar Girls provided an essential war task and their legacy is important to women's history.
This book is recommended for those interested in World War II history, especially the role of women. The descriptions of the islands are beautiful even in the midst of the devastation of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

A great historical fiction account of women’s contribution to the war effort, Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman, takes place in Hawaii. Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the military begins recruiting women to learn how to use the new radar system to identify incoming aircraft in the hopes of preventing another air attack. In addition to learning about radar, the women learn how to depend on each other and how to stand up for themselves.

Daisy Wilder prefers the company of horses to people. Then, in the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Daisy enlists in a top secret program, replacing male soldiers in a war zone for the first time. Under fear of imminent invasion, the WARDs (Women's Air Raid Defense).guide pilots into blacked-out airstrips and track unidentified planes across Pacific skies. Not everyone thinks the women are up to the job, and the new recruits must rise above their differences and work side by side despite the resistance and heartache they meet along the way. With America’s future on the line, Daisy is determined to prove herself worthy. And with the man she’s falling for out on the front lines, she cannot fail. From radar towers on remote mountaintops to flooded bomb shelters, she’ll need her new team when the stakes are highest. Because the most important battles are fought—and won—together. This inspiring and uplifting tale of pioneering, unsung heroines vividly transports the reader to wartime Hawaii.

I read a lot of historical fiction about WWII, but this is the first one I have read about the war in the Pacific, especially Hawaii. It was a fascinating story about a real group of women radar operators in Hawaii. For anyone who like WWII historical fiction, I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Wonderful historical fiction! The characters were well developed and the story flowed nicely. Enjoyed this very much!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I found this to be an enjoyable story with lively characters. The background of the story, the use of women in Radar Defense work was interesting, however the plot wasn’t as developed as I was expecting compared with the author’s other books.

I read A LOT of historical fiction. And it seems like every WW2 takes place in Paris, Germany, London, or Italy. There are amazing novels with those settings and they are important stories that should be told, but I was so excited to see RADAR GIRLS bring something fresh to the ww2 Historical Fiction Table.

RADAR GIRLS by Sara Ackerman takes place in Hawaii. It follows women and their role in the war effort after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. These women were instrumental in helping guide planes onto the island in black out conditions and working with the up and coming radar technology. These women dealt with sexism and defied expectations and stereotypes daily. The women in the war effort truly paved the the way for women for generations to come with this kind of breaking barrier work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was in 5th grade when the war movie, Pearl Harbor, came out and I requested to watch it with my friends at my birthday sleepover. I was hooked and it became one of my favorite movies of all time. I can still quote it! Coming off of that childhood nostalgia, I had high expectations for a WW2 novel that took place during the time of the attacks on Pearl Harbor. And I’m so excited to report it exceeded my expectations!

Yes, it is a war novel and there are some heavy moments, but Ackerman balances out the heavy with the light and makes it a beautiful book that I couldn’t put down. It was basically like the movie Pearl Harbor, but if that movie centered around women of the war effort instead of men.

If you’re looking for beautiful imagery, war time suspense, female friendships, and a little romance, look no further than RADAR GIRLS by Sara Ackerman. This was my first book by Sara Ackerman, but it will absolutely NOT be my last. She is one of my new favorite authors!

4.5 glorious stars for RADAR GIRLS by Sara Ackerman.

I look forward to sharing and recommending this novel with our blog audience and will keep it as a potential contender for a monthly pick for our community’s book club. Thank you so much to MIRA and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a fascinating look into the world of Women's Air Raid Defense, a group of women during WWII who helped guide and track planes during WWII in Hawaii. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, when many of the men were occupied fighting, women were recruited to help with reading radar and guiding pilots. Daisy Wilder was one such woman recruited and this is her journey of learning the ropes, building bonds with the other women, and finding a little romance in the middle of war.

The author did her research and filled the novel with the technical jargon the women were learning. While some of those technical elements felt a bit confusing, it spoke to the women's training and didn't interfere with the overall story. Ackerman does a great job of building the bond between these women and the trials they faced - whether it was finding their way in a male dominated field or struggling to hold it together when a loved one was at war. There were moments of lightness and romance but it was still a WWII novel and focused on that story. At the same time, though, the novel could feel a little disjointed. There was a subplot of Daisy trying to find a horse that had gone missing during the Pearl Harbor attack, as well as one about her father's death. While that is rooted in developing her backstory and creating a complication with her love interest, it sometimes distracted from the drama of being at war. Also, sometimes the chapters would be filled with multiple different events, but they could sometimes feel underdeveloped.

Overall, though, it was an enjoyable novel. The bonds of friendship and the hope that comes with love carry these characters through the stress and terror that war brings. This was an interesting novel that highlighted these strong females and the impact they had in the war.

I enjoy reading WWII historical fiction, especially books about Bletchley Park, the Blitz, and female agents in Europe. I am less familiar with the Pacific theatre, so I thoroughly enjoyed Radar Girls and learning more about the WARDs (Women's Air Raid Defense) who watched the skies over Hawaii during the war. As with many WWII books set on the homefront this one blended realistic war experiences with women finding their value, making lasting friendships, and falling in love.

This was my first Sara Ackerman novel and I certainly wasn’t disappointed!

What a truly interesting novel based on the Women’s Air Raid Defense! I have never read anything about this particular piece of WW2 history before and found it fascinating.

Daisy Wilder was a strong feminine figure in a time when women were overlooked. Her grit and determination propelled the story forward while she blew the expectations of women during this time period out of the water!

I will definitely be reading more from this author :)

I was so happy to read a book about these incredible women! I absolutely loved the writing, history, and of course, the romance. After Pearl Harbor is attacked, Daisy Wilder enlists in a female-only program, WARD, to help guide pilots and identify planes. At first, the men are not thrilled to be replaced by women, but they quickly learn that these women are can handle anything if not more! The WARDs become vital members of the team and make their mark in WWII history. The book captures love, loss, strength, sisterhood, and more. I really enjoyed this one!

I loved this historical fiction book about the WARDS in WWII. It was a piece of history I wasn’t aware of . The characters are engaging and plot well crafted. Beautiful book in this genre

This book started a little slow, but I ended up really enjoying it!
As a historical fiction reader I always enjoy learning about parts of history in more detail. This book covered the women who were part of the WARDS.

Overall this book had strong historical information and Ibreally liked Daisy and her story. However, I felt that there were some areas that were either unneeded or just not as well formed. Daisy being a horse trainer and one going missing at the beginning made sense, but the book continued to jump back to them looking for it, which seemed unrealistic to what was really going on. I also would have liked more background on the other women in the group.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Publishing for an advanced reader copy for review.

I really liked the look at WARD (Women's Air Raid Defense) in this book! I liked seeing the perspective of these women and seeing a different side of Pearl Harbor during WWII. I really liked Daisy and how she changed and grew throughout this whole experience. I liked the romance mixed in too. I think this is going to be a very popular historical fiction book this year!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC! All opinions in this review are my own.

Radar Girls is a WW2 book about the Women's Air Raid Defense, and the women who were recruited and trained in this program after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The ladies learned how to track planes and provide guidance to pilots. Daisy trades in her life of working with horses and enjoy the outdoors to become a very successful recruit. She faces the scrutiny of her male superiors, but also feels her heart growing for one pilot in particular.

I enjoyed this different viewpoint on WW2 and learning about the role these women played in the events.

Oh how I love this book! It’s WWII hist fic with a twist. Set in Hawaii amid the Pearl Harbor attack and creation of the first Women’s Air Raid Defense (WARD).

The writing is lush with elegant descriptions of island life, food, creatures, and language. The narrative grabs the heart, starting with the December 7, 1941, bombings from the POV of gutsy protagonist Daisy.

I adore her and her spunky WARD friends and keenly felt their joys, grief, fears, trauma, and the heat of the slow-burn romance at the book’s heart. A must-read for fans of pioneering women at war and in love.

5 of 5 Stars
Pub Date 27 Jul 2021
#RadarGirls #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada), and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Radar Girls by Sara Ackerman
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Date: July 27, 2021
TW: Sexual Assault, Grief, Loss, War
This is a book for you if you like: novels set in WWII, found families, tropical paradises, smashing the patriarchy, and flyboys

Daisy took over horse training on the Montgomery ranch after the sudden death of her father. When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, Daisy is on a beach unauthorized with the ranch’s prized horse, Moon. Mr. Montgomery doesn't take kindly to her losing the horse and immediately fires her. Desperate, she happens to be at the right place at the right time and is recruited following the attack on Pearl Harbor to help guide pilots and track unidentified planes. Daisy and her fellow recruits are determined to prove to the men on base that they are more than capable of handling such responsibilities.

If Sara Ackerman writes it then I will read it, that’s just a fact. I have read the Lieutenant's Nurse several times since it was originally published and was really moved by the compassion and selflessness depicted in Red Sky Over Hawaii. That being said, well I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t my favourite by this author.

The plot was anti-climatic and I feel conflicted by the ending. War is messy, heartbreaking and utterly unpredictable, so for every character to come out with better circumstances than they had prior to the war… it seems unrealistic to me. On the other hand, what I like about Sara’s storytelling is that it is always filled with hope, happiness and perseverance despite the war and so I can see why the author chose to end the book the way she did.

Despite the lack of a rollercoaster in terms of plot, I still found the story to be incredibly engaging throughout. I had no previous knowledge of the women in Hawaii who enlisted to assist with RADAR but I’m incredibly glad I do now. I loved this book for the camaraderie amongst the females. Daisy didn’t have friends prior to the attack and because of their kindness and their circumstances they bonded and crushed everyone’s expectations. It was a story of determination, courage and believing in yourself, and for that I wholly recommend this story.

It should also be noted I read this story on the coldest day so far this winter in Toronto and felt like I had stepped through a doorway into Hawaii and into a different era. The author’s writing, as in her previous books, makes you feel the sand between your toes, the wind in your hair, and the smell of the ocean breeze. Her books are her love letters to her home state and you can feel it with every word she writes.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #SaraAckerman, and #HarlequinTradePublishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. “Radar Girls” is going down as one of my all time favourite historical fiction reads.

When I started the book, it took the first chapter to hook me in. I could not put this book down. You could tell this was written with love and admiration as not one word was out of place. This was so well written. Readers who love a novel that pulls them in immediately, this one is for you.

I fell in love with every single character of this novel. Each were constructed so beautifully. I especially loved how Daisy found friendship in Fluff, Lei, and Betty. Daisy was someone who never formed female friendships and when she came to work on the WARDs team, she found this amazing and strong connection with some of the other women. The friendship between these woman is something, I believe, we all crave.

There is so much power, poise, strength, and courage showcased in “Radar Girls”. Sara Ackerman definitely did these women justice.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sara Ackerman for allowing me to read this masterpiece.

I have read other Sara Ackerman books and always enjoyed them, and this one was no different! All her books are originals - they don't conform to the normal WWII genre outlines. I enjoy her ability to really make her characters shine off the page and be so accessible to the reader. A wonderful new book!