What an incredible story! I had the pleasure of listening to Red Sky Over Hawaii, by Sara Ackerman at the same time I was reading Radar Girls. Two very good books about WWII set in Hawaii.

Radar Girls is the story of the brave women who stepped into the roles vacated by the men who left to fight in WWII. The training was intense and it took a lot of courage and skill to guide the pilots home under trying the most trying circumstances. The research for this book was impeccable and the author has you on the edge of your chair as the Rascal calculates distance, altitude and weather conditions for the safe return of pilots who were nearly lost to sea. The brave WARDs were an unknown entity in the beginning and came to earn the respect and admiration of men who thought the women were treading into a man's world.

The story takes on several turns, for it wouldn't be a good story without the personal stories of romance, coming of age, sorrow and loss mixed in with a devastating war. I encourage anyone who enjoys a well written war romance to pick up a copy of Radar Girls. What an amazing role in our history these unforgettable women shared.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This inspiring and uplifting tale of pioneering, unsung heroines vividly transports the reader to wartime Hawaii, where one woman’s call to duty leads her to find courage, strength and sisterhood. 
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Please excuse any grammatical errors, or typos. I have done my best, but in reality I am just reader. and will leave the writing to all the incredible authors out there.

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.
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This is a non spoiler review, because you as reader need to read this book. Also, I feel sometimes I have in the past gave away to much of the plot line. This has diminished the pleasure for would be readers. Sara Ackermans latest book Radar Girls is set to the backdrop Of Hawaii amid the Pearl Harbor attack and the creation of the first Women’s Air Raid Defense during WWll.
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Daisy Wilder has always had trouble in social situations and has had trouble with relationships other women. Preferring to be carefree with company of horses than society and social engagements. After the horrific attack of Pearl Harbor she steps up and enlists in a top secret program that has replaced male soldiers. Putting woman on the front lines for the first time guiding pilots into blacked out airstrips.
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Hang on to your hats, this was riveting World War 2 historical fiction that captures friendship courage of some of women that headed up a top secret unit. A pulse ponding read from start to finish, I loved how strong willed and resilient Daisy was.
Her character development from the beginning of the book and all the way through to the end was wonderful. The atmospheric details are stunning, along with the writer’s ability to keep the reader completely entertained all the way through. It’s an incredible uplifting storyline of the dynamics of sisterhood during war time Hawaii.

Radar Girls is inspired by the true story of the Women’s Air Raid Defense during World War II.

Romance and historical fiction are a great combination in this book. The role that these ladies played in ensuring the success and safety of the American pilots during the war with Japan was of extreme importance. The novel depicts that resilience of these women while also showing the more human side of everyday relationships and their struggles to keep their personal and family lives together amidst the secrecy they had to maintain. It did have a bit of a "Harlequin Romance" nuance to it; however, I, as a reader, was rooting for the main characters and their eventual happiness.

This story stands out in a field of many wartime stories by focusing on the heartwarming relationships between women thrown together to help the nation after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The author did an excellent job making you feel like you were right there along with the characters and kept you so involved in the story, you couldn’t put it down until it’s end. I throughly enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it!

Historical fiction is one of my newest passions. I wasn't sure about this one, but after the first several chapters the story picked up and kept my interest until the end. Not one of the best out there, but worth the read.

A beautiful story about courageous women who were critical to the war efforts after the events of Pearl Harbor. Would strongly recommend without hesitation.

I am definitely in the minority here with my review. I didn't like the book. I liked the premise of the book and the subject of the book, but thought the dialogue was not believable. I thought the writing was unpolished. Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This book highlights a common theme during WWII, women filling jobs normally reserved for men. However, this book provides insight into women who took on the role of learning what it meant to use radar for the Women's Air Raid Defense unit. Instead of telling the story of women who worked on the front, this book gives readers insight on what life was like for women who lived and worked in Hawaii after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The characters in the book remind readers that just because women were taking on new roles did not mean that they sacrificed who they were or what their goals were. They still had their passions, family members that they were responsible for, and some even had the desire to start their own families. Ackerman did a wonderful job at balancing between the severity of the situation surrounding WWII and the friendships the women formed. The main character Daisy is a delightful character that provides a great anchor for all of the sub-plots.

I received an advance copy of this title via NetGalley.

Just started Radar Girls today, but doubt if I get much sleep because I can't put it down.

Action and characters are outstanding.

Both of my parents played a role in WWII, so I've always found books about it fascinating. This has the added advantage of providing some information I'd not known much about.

Sara does a wonderful job of telling the stories of the Pacific during WWII, many focus on the European theater. This book focuses on Pearl Harbor and the aftermath where there was martial law and folks were plucked from all walks of life to help with the war effort. We get to meet many girls that will learn to read a radar so that our pilots and our shores will be kept safe from the enemy. There are many sub-stories with the ladies showing us glimpses into their lives. As a reader, we have a little romance, intrigue and a missing horse.

YA-only-means-no-gratuitous-erotica, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, military-history, Hawaii, WW2, Pacific-theater-of-operations*****

I had no idea about this military utilization of women in the Pacific during WW2. Amazing that it was instituted so promptly but disgustingly expected that the women would be disrespected. The story is engaging and the characters are so believable, but I am in awe of the extensive research and interviews done by the author. An excellent read!
I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)/MIRA via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

No sex, no bad words. There are allusions to sex and sexual assault. Recommended for YA grades 7-12. I question historical accuracy of details such as the actions and treatment by MPs, and officers. Pilots are officers and officers are commissioned, they do not enlist. AT the same time, enlisted are not officers. Yet, this book refers to a pilot as enlisting. The book is enjoyable and I kept turning the page. I will recommend it for my 7th through 12th grade readers.

Radar Girls is inspired by the true story of the Women’s Air Raid Defense (WARD), a group based in Hawai’i during World War II. To free up men for combat, these civilian women were recruited and trained by the military to track the positions of planes and communicate with radar operators. The novel is told through the perspective of fictional Daisy Wilder, a young woman who prefers to spend time swimming in the ocean and caring for horses at a local private stable than trying to make friends and fit in. Due to the tragic death of her father, Daisy works hard to earning a living for herself and her mentally ill mother. Her life changes forever when the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor and Daisy is fired from her job on the same day. She’s talked into working with WARD, and her confidence grows as she discovers she has a knack for the work and begins to make friends with a few of the other young women. Through it all, Daisy also contends with a missing horse, her growing feelings for a man who seems out of her league, and hidden family history.

My relationship with this book had some ups and downs. Thanks to the premise and the terrific cover art, I was really excited for this one, but the start of the book did not meet my expectations. For one, the formatting of the digital ARC was awful, with either bizarre spacing or no spacing between paragraphs at all, which made it very hard to concentrate on the actual story. I’m assuming these problems will be fixed by publication, but it’s something other potential ARC readers should know. Bad formatting aside, Radar Girls got off to a rough start, with awkwardly written prose, unnatural dialogue, and characterization that felt paper-thin. Initially I found Daisy’s inner thoughts very surface-level, with no sense of depth to her beyond what was on the page. A couple of “mean girls” who targeted Daisy were one-dimensional in particular for most of the book.

"Thelma raised her hand. “What about ships? Will we be tracking ships, too? Seeing as it was the ships that brought the planes that attacked us.” She seemed very pleased with herself for asking such a smart question. Daisy knew it was unreasonable and premature, but she did not like the woman one bit."

I considered quitting, but in the end I’m glad I persevered past the unpolished beginning. Either I got used to the writing style or Ackerman hit her stride, but eventually I became invested in the story and setting to a degree that the writing was no longer as distracting. I really enjoyed the details about Hawaiian culture, from the cultural backgrounds of the characters to the food they ate, as well as learning about the women’s work with WARD. Daisy and her girlfriends grew more well-rounded, and it was heartwarming to see their friendships develop as they worked and embarked on escapades together. I also liked the slow-burn romantic attraction between Daisy and her love interest that spanned the book. Though they were sometimes too simplistic, background subplots about a missing horse, a creepy superior officer, and Daisy’s family secrets at least added a little bit of slice of life intrigue in contrast to the larger, more ominous threat of war.

Radar Girls was not a life-changing read and I wish the writing had been stronger, but I did appreciate learning more about women’s valuable contributions to winning World War II.

This is a fun and fascinating book and joins the growing list of novels about women's roles in WWII. Set in Hawaii, the novel focuses on Daisy Wilder who, after the attack on Pearl Harbor joins the new Women's Air Raid Defense team where they use radar to track and guide pilots and ships in the Pacific. It is also a story of women's friendship and there is a romance. The women are well-drawn, the story is captivating. I highly recommended this book.

A great WWII historical novel that brings attention to a subject a bit different for that time in our history. When Pearl Harbor was bombed during a surprise attack by the Japanese on that fateful December morning in 1941, it sent reverberations throughout the world. But it also demonstrated that Hawaii was in a very vulnerable position sitting by itself out there in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Personnel was definitely at a premium too, especially those of the male variety, so the women of Hawaii were recruited to learn how to use the latest tool in the fight against invasion - radar. We get to follow Daisy on her journey, along with her fellow classmates, as they navigate through the skies surrounding the Hawaiian Islands as new recruits to the Women's Air Raid Defense (WARD). And we see them navigate through their personal lives too, at times just as exciting and perilous as the skies and seas around them. Sara Ackerman has done it again with this book. It kept me engrossed with it's banter, mystery, intrigue, and romance. And the women shine in this tale at a point in time when they were just starting to be appreciated for their intelligence and worth. I became a fan of Ms. Ackerman's after reading her last book, Red Sky Over Hawaii. This one keeps her firmly on my must-read list. Thank you to #NetGalley and MIRA for my advance copy. Pub date July 27, 2021.

I haven't read many historial fiction books, but this one kept my attention from start to finish. I literally couldn't put it down. The characters were so real and you felt the emotions of them all. As in real life, there were some dirt bags but most of the people in the book were wonderful. I loved Daisy's interaction with the horses that she loved and how in spite of being looked down on by some, she managed to save lives in the job of tracking planes on radar. The author really brought to life what these ladies did for the war effort and was true to the realities of what really happened in Hawaii.
I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. - I highly recommend this book

*Review will be posted on my blog during the blog tour nearer to publication date."

Likes:
I was drawn to this book because it is set in Hawaii, on the island of Oahu (where I live) during World War II. The author did such a wonderful job with describing my island of Oahu.

The author got the Hawaiian words right, and I appreciated that. Even though I live here, I didn’t know about the women recruited to form the Women’s Air Raid Defense. The crazy thing is that I grew up 5 minutes from Fort Shafter where the story is set, which is pretty cool. It was nice to see Hawaii represented accurately.

I loved learning alongside Daisy and her friends about Radar. I found these women to be motivated, smart, and capable.

Daisy is our main character and she’s a strong young lady without any real family on the island. She befriends some of the other women who are recruited to WARD and they form a tight-knit grip trying to figure out men, love, life on base, and learning everything they need to to help in the war effort. I liked the woman power especially because this was set in the 1940’s when women were expected to be at home cooking, cleaning and making babies. I liked learning of these women helping the military which is a male dominant world.

Random Notes:
Triggers: sexual assault, grief, war

I felt like Daisy’s background and the drama connected to her (a missing horse) didn’t seem to flow well into the story about her being part of WARD. I found those aspects of the story much more interesting and wanted to know more about her life as part of the program.

There is a light romance taking place in the story but I wasn’t very invested in it.

Final Thoughts:
Radar Girls made me learn something new about World War II and appreciate the role of women in such a challenging time. It’s a story about Daisy and her friends, women who were recruited to help fly our boys home during the war. There were some parts of the story that didn’t engage my interest, like Daisy’s personal life problems. I did enjoy her camaraderie with her new friends though. If you love historical fiction, you will enjoy this one.

The Radar Girls is an interesting story dealing with the bombing of Pearl Habor and the US going to war with Japan. The characters are intriguing and feel real. This story shows the strength of women and how they band together to help fight the war.

After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Daisy joins the WARDS - Women's Air Raid Defense. Trained in radar and guidance, Daisy plots courses for pilots, and watches the sky for enemy aircraft. Walker, Daisy's neighbor, joins the fight as a pilot, taking risks on the front line to protect Hawaii.

I found the setting of the book to be particularly interesting. I've read very little set in Hawaii during WWII and found the culture fascinating. I did think the romance was a bit predictable. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.