If you read and enjoyed Dear Mrs. Bird, Yours Cheerfully is a must-read sequel. If not, but you like witty, feel-good stories loaded with mostly likeable characters, it is still a must-read. If you like fiction set during World War II but are trying to get away from Holocaust or spy plots to enjoy the domestic side of the war in the immediate aftermath of the London Blitz, Yours Cheerfully is again a must-read.

Since Dear Mrs. Bird, changes have occurred in the staffing of Women’s Friend, a somewhat outdated, not-so-popular British women’s magazine. Brusque, straight-laced Mrs. Henrietta Bird, acting editor and advice columnist, has left to join the staff of Livestock and Pet. As the story opens, pleasant Mr. Guy Collins, newly promoted to editor, opens his first staff meeting at which readers of Dear Mrs. Bird will get reacquainted with old friends and readers new to Women’s Friend will make new friends as they follow the office conversation, sprinkled with witty banter.

At the heart of the novel is Emmeline “Emmy” Lake, the office’s former “Junior,” who had overstepped her bounds in Dear Mrs. Bird by clandestinely answering pleading requests for advice that Mrs. Bird had rejected as unworthy or inappropriate. With Attila the Hun gone, the magazine needs a new advice columnist, and Collins appoints matronly Mrs. Mahoney, mother of four daughters, to be the face behind the column. Since Mrs. Mahoney is too busy handling magazine production, Collins decides Emmy will write the column, but only after conferring with Mrs. Mahoney for advice on each response. Within four months, Emmy proves herself and takes nearly full control of the column, newly renamed “Yours Cheerfully,” allowing Mrs. Mahoney to return full-time to production despite remaining the face behind the column.

In addition to her new professional role, Emmy finds herself in a delicate romantic situation. Her boyfriend, Captain Mayhew, is the half-brother of Mr. Collins, the man who is now her new boss. While she is in love, her roommate and best friend Bunty recently lost her fiancé William at Dunkirk.

Emmy soon shares big office news with Bunty: Mr. Collins has asked her to accompany him to a meeting of magazine journalists summoned to the War Department’s Ministry of Information. Feeling unprepared for such experienced company and equally out of place at the intimidating War Department, Emmy attends with trepidation, but leaves with a new sense of purpose. “The Government needs you. Your hour is here,” the government officials have declared. The magazines have been tasked with finding ways to increase the number of women taking up war work.

Following the Ministry of Information’s request for journalistic assistance, Mr. Collins holds a debriefing meeting with his Women’s Friend staff. After apprising staff members of the government’s request, he adds, “Don’t just think about how we can promote the Ministry’s recruitment campaign. Think about the women. They’re the ones keeping everything going while the boys are away. Think about the readers. Our job is to help them, just as much as we help the war effort.”

What will Mr. Collins, Emmy, and the rest of staff do? How will Emmy’s romantic situation and Bunty’s devastating loss affect events? Read A. J. Pearce’s Yours Cheerfully to find out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for an advance reader copy of this delightful book. A;though not destined to become an enduring classic, sometimes we need just such a feel-good book.

An endearing follow-up to Pearce's cozy WWII fictional history, Dear Mrs. Bird. I enjoyed being amongst Emmy and Bunty again, reveling in their unconditional love and friendship, as well as seeing all the new and old faces over at Woman's Magazine while they worked to put out articles that both would help recruit women to the workforce and offer them advice, any answers, they may have how to navigate the war on the home front.

Though mostly cheerful in tone, this book did underscore the difficulties and discrimination many female factory workers faced during this era. It shined a light on them. Made me pause and reflect, really pay attention.

The women of WWII worked the same jobs as men, the same hours, but received much lower wages. Childcare facilities were scarce, too. Almost nonexistent. That made it difficult for working mothers, especially widows, or those without military stipends or family/friends nearby, to be able to find and hold positions since there was no one to look after their children. Bringing them to the factories was forbidden. It was too dangerous. Worse, they could be fired if they did. With a searing lack of government sponsored nurseries, however, a lot of mothers didn't have a choice. They needed to make money. And there were no other options. Sometimes they had to bring the kids along.

I liked the grim realness of that which the author then foiled into a "women supporting" theme. That theme manifested in friendship, in the way the girls fought for justice at work, in the dedication and determination they all had to "do their part" for the war effort.

That's what made this sequel heartwarming. Just as cozy as the first. Yours Cheerfully was a tribute to women's strength and courage, not just in war times, but in life in general, and I was more than happy to read a story that championed that.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC.

I've been anxiously awaiting this sequel to Dear Mrs. Bird, one of my absolute favorites, and was thrilled to get a NetGalley advance copy of Yours Cheerfully. The book picks up right where those beloved characters left off. While Yours Cheerfully has the same light-hearted charm of "Bird," the story felt a bit more contrived, especially at the end, and the plot didn't pull me in as much. That said, Yours Cheerfully is a delightful read, and I truly hope that another sequel is in the offing!

Five stars! "Yours Cheerfully" is the sequel to the delightful "Dear Mrs. Bird," and you really need to read that first. In "Yours Cheerfully, we continue to follow Emmie Lake, her friend Bunty, Charles, Emmie's love interest, the staff at Woman's Friend magazine, and some new characters. The book takes place during the early days of WWII. Emmie is still helping with the magazine's advice column, but takes on a new assignment. The Ministry of Information wants the country's women's magazines to help recruit women to work outside the home as part of the war effort. Emmie is full of enthusiasm, but then learns that the request is not as straight forward as it seems.

"Yours Cheerfully" is a bit darker than "Dear Mrs. Bird," but still a fabulous and fun read. There were moments when I laughed out loud so don't get the idea that the book is depressing. Years ago, my daughter researched civic responsibility during WWII as a history fair project (it went to state), so I knew a bit about about the effort to get women to perform war work. However, I did not know about the various issues that are front and center in this book. I feel like AJ Pearce did her research, and I would have liked to read her author's notes about the subject.

I am now highly invested in Pearce's characters, and can't wait for the next installment. Yours Cheerfully will release on Aug. 10.

Yours Cheerfully by A. J. Pearce is the second novel in the Emmy Lake Chronicles. It starts in November 1941 immediately after the end of Dear Mrs. Bird, which I reviewed last week. While Yours Cheerfully could be read as a stand-alone novel, I don’t recommend it. There is so much character development in the first book that makes the second book more relatable.

Emmy Lake has managed to hang on to her job at Woman’s Friend magazine after “some unfortunate hiccups that couldn’t be helped.” The former editor, Mrs. Bird, has resigned, making the office a more pleasant place. Emmy is allowed to continue working on the help section under the supervision of her older co-worker, Mrs. Mahoney. The column is renamed “Yours Cheerfully” and Emmy works hard to answer all types of questions mailed in by the subscribers.

Mr. Guy Collins has been promoted to editor. Not only is he a mentor to Emmy, but he is also the half-brother of Emmy’s boyfriend, Captain Charles Mayhew. Along with several other women’s magazines, Woman’s Friend is asked by the Ministry of Information to help recruit female war workers. Mr. Collins gives Emmy her chance to finally be a journalist by putting her in charge of the effort.

Emmy and her dear friend Bunty befriend Anne Oliver, a war widow with two young children. She was in desperate need of employment and took a job at a munitions factory. Anne was fortunate that her mother could watch the children while she works long shifts and weekends. After the government clearance is given, Emmy visits the munitions factory and writes several articles about the importance of the work being done by Anne and the females.

Mr. Collins encourages Emmy to show the Ministry what our readers can do, and look after the readers while they are doing it. This turns out to be easier said than done. Several women are fired for bringing their children to work when they cannot find adequate childcare. The workers who want to rally for a government-funded childcare facility are told they will lose their jobs if they protest. Emmy must balance a fine line of helping these workers while following the strict guidelines and censorship of the Ministry of Information.

4-Stars. This novel focuses on the mistreatment of female war workers who are not given equal pay and are not allowed to join the union. They were expected to work long hours, care for their children, and maintain their homes while the men were fighting. It also shows the horrific lack of government financial and emotional support for war widows.

This novel will be published on August 10, 2021. Thank you to Ashley Gilliam at Simon and Schuster for my NetGalley widget to have an advanced reader copy of this delightful story.

Yours Cheerfully, the second book in the Emmy Lake series (Dear Mrs. Bird was the first one), is a cozy piece of historical fiction. The book picks up where Dear Mrs. Bird left off – Emmeline Lake is working at Woman's Friend magazine where she writes the advice column. She lives with her best friend Bunty who is recovering from injuries sustained in an air raid bombing and she's dating her boss's brother Charles.

As WWII continues to ramp up, the crew at Woman's Friend are tasked with helping out with the war effort by encouraging women to participate however they can. Emmy has her own take on the assignment and has to decide between earning the praise of the Ministry of Information or writing the sorts of articles that she things will really help the women of the UK during this challenging time.

I found this book to be a little too light for my tastes, the problems all solved a little too quickly, but readers looking for cozy historical fiction featuring plucky heroines who always find themselves getting into (and out of) trouble will love the direction this series is heading. I'll still look forward to reading the next book in this series. (I'm desperately hoping for a new love story for Bunty! Will it be with Charles? Or Emmy's brother?)

Also, it’s worth noting that while one could read this book without having first read Dear Mrs. Bird, I wouldn’t recommend it as all the characters are the same and the plot of the second very clearly ties back to the first one. In fact, I found it hard to keep up with sometimes even though I’ve read Dear Mrs. Bird, because I read it several years ago and didn’t totally remember everything.

I loved getting the opportunity to return to the world of Emmy Lake, her best friend Bunty, her boyfriend Charles and her publishing colleagues at Woman's Friend magazine, based in London. I was first introduced through Dear Mrs. Bird. The time of the action in this story is 1941.

Emmy is very endearing as a character. She is surrounded daily by the effects of living in a war-torn world, and yet she tries to make life better for everyone around her. She works on an advice column but is also asked to write stories to encourage women to support the war effort at home. She does this by describing women who work for a munitions factory. She quickly realizes that she wants to advocate for them.

There are several twists and turns in the novel. I enjoyed all of them.

Thank you to Scribner and to NetGalley for the advanced review copy. I look forward to a third volume in the Emmy Lake Chronicles!

After reading back to back psychological thrillers and being creeped out and uncomfortable I purposely picked this book up looking for a light touch. Perfect. There was a lot of “Golly, gee” going on but it was just the distraction I needed. It is a wonderful continuance of the “Emmy Lake” we have come to know in “Dear Mrs. Bird”.

Moving back to June, 1941 it is wartime in England when life was simpler yet so much more difficult. With so much of the male population deployed in the war effort women are being encouraged to step up and fill in. And they did, but while doing important work, women were often marginalized and punished for finding themselves in situations not of their making. While a spotlight was cast on the disparity and unfairness shown to women it shone equally bright on the women who supported each other and strove for greater equality. The characters came alive through their dialog and actions. The tone was uplifting, encouraging and educational.

My compliments to Ms. Pearce for supplying us with a solid second installment in the Emmy Lake Chronicles. Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for a copy.

I so enjoyed this author’s charming debut ‘Dear Mrs. Bird.’ Yours Cheerfully is Pearce’s sequel and I simply adored it. Snappy dialogue, vivid writing and endearing, quirky characters. Would love to see this made into a PBS tv series!

YOURS CHEERFULLY continues the saga of Emmy and her friends in WWII England at the women’s magazine where they work. Emmy had sought to be a war correspondent but found herself instead a job as an assistant to a well-known help column. She felt she could do a better job answering the letters than the previous writer, in the first book, and this book finds her hoping to keep her job, once the other woman leaves the magazine. There’s much to keep her busy as she struggles to make a name for herself amidst the torment of the war. This is an upbeat tale with a happy ending. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

I was delighted to read this novel on NetGalley. I read the first novel - Dear Mrs. Bird. I was anxiously waiting for the sequel.

It's a little tricky to write this review without giving away spoilers. My 5-star rating is because the end of the book did not disappoint. This is the first time, that I heard of government sponsor day care's for women. Simply so they could work while they had a loved one overseas. I learned something new and that kept me intrigued.

I also enjoyed the characters. I was proud of how Em's friend Bunty had overcome challenges since the 1st novel.

I would recommend this novel to family and friends.

I don’t know if words can adequately describe just how much I enjoyed this followup to Dear Mrs. Bird. I loved the original to pieces, and it’s one of my go-to recommendations for uplifting literature when people are looking for a light, but heartwarming read. The books take place during World War II, but they don’t have the same grim atmosphere I often get in other books taking place in the same time period, and for that I’m quite grateful. I like that we are embedded in the life of Emmy Lake as she tries to become a wartime correspondent. She’s plucky and optimistic, and her antics are simply endearing.

Yours Cheerfully essentially picks up where Dear Mrs. Bird left off, and from the start it felt like I was catching up with old friends. I loved that while Emmy was trying hard to appear professional she still had that natural inclination to jump into things headfirst, and that her sense of justice continued to outweigh societal and professional expectations. This time around she’s helping head the advice column, coming into her own with replies to the women writing in for advice. Her relationship with Charles continues to grow, and we see her friend Bunty recovering from what happened during the Blitz (and can I just say that Emmy’s friendship with Bunty is simply beautiful? Their sisterhood as varying storylines unfolded simply warmed my heart — I love their love and support for one another, and the author does such a great job highlighting these moments throughout the novel).

The key plot this time around has to do with the Ministry of Information enlisting the aid of women’s magazines to help recruit women workers for the wartime effort. It’s a high honor for Emmy’s magazine, Woman’s Friend, and Emmy is determined to show that the magazine has just as much of a right as other magazines to do their part, and that they’re not a has-been. She and Bunty befriend a young widow with two young children who is entering the workforce, and it’s through her that Emmy comes to learn of some of the injustices that many female workers are enduring, even as the need for female workers continues to grow.

I haven’t seen the topic of women’s work rights covered during World War II before. Most books I’ve read in this time period will highlight a few injustices of being a woman in a man’s world (frustrating, I know), but almost always they accomplish something that proves the male characters wrong — and there’s a seemingly happy resolution. So to focus the plot on how women were being asked to do all of this work to help the boys win the war, but not receive any aid or accommodations for other sacrifices they’re making (who’s taking care of the kids when the woman is working odd hours and has no other family at home? What about the not-quite widows who have husbands missing, and possibly dead, but aren’t receiving any benefits from the military? Being treated as subhuman because they’re female, even though they’re stepping up to help win the war?) was such a breath of fresh air.

Yours Cheerfully is such a cozy story with endearing characters I want to come back to again and again. It has such an uplifting approach to a serious moment in history, and not everything ends happily ever after, but it doesn’t feel like a contrived plot point. Everything that happens drives the story forward, and I really appreciate that about this book. It was how I felt with Dear Mrs. Bird, too, and I really, really hope that there’s more to come with Emmy Lake and friends. I want to make sure Charles returns in one piece, and I want to see Bunty continue to move on from her loss and injuries (I’M ROOTING FOR HER TO HAVE A HAPPILY EVER AFTER, TOO!), and I really want to see more of Emmy’s coworkers at the magazine as they launch into this new era of supporting women workers rather than trying to gloss over the injustices just so the Ministry can recruit more workers.

In short, I need another book so I don’t lose touch with these characters. Definitely a series I can recommend again and again.

I loved the first book in this series and was delighted to see a book two! It was so fun to reunite with Emmy and the crew. These are on the lighter side of historical fiction and are written in a unique, charming way. That was essentially what I loved about book one and why it became a favorite for me- the unique writing style. Book two was missing that magic and I missed it desperately as it added a certain charm to the plot. Yours Cheerfully was still a fun, witty read and I enjoyed the strong female storyline. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

Warning!!! This is the sequel! I had no idea going in, but I enjoyed it nonetheless! I am obsessed with London and WWII, so to have them together was a must-read for me. I will be reading the first book!

Going into this, I did not know that it was a sequel so I will be seeking that one out now because this book was an absolute delight! This book had amazing character development, amazing setting and era detail, romance, and a strong lead female character. A breath of fresh air to say the least and I highly recommend for anyone who wants a break from life and loves a witty book!

I truly loved Dear Mrs. Bird. AJ Pearce dropped you in time; her writing made you feel like you were there. Yours Cheerfully picks up right where Dear Mrs. Bird left off. You'll learn more about what it was like to be a young working woman in London during the war, but this novel lacks a little of what made the original so special. Still, it's an enjoyable story that gives you more insight into the times, and a must-read for sure.

I found Yours Cheerfully to be an engaging, charming book. Although, it did go a bit heavier than I expected, it was a quirky and charming read. Fans of historical fiction will adore this! This novel is the second book to feature Emmy Lake in her job as a writer for a lesser known women's magazine based in war weary London during WWII. Emmy has graduated from solely writing the Agony Aunt column to more serious writing. In this book the focus is on the women left behind as their husbands leave to fight and their need to work in the factories to keep their families afloat. Unfortunately women of that era were expected to work long hours in the factories and continue to keep hearth and home together. All with no child care other than what friends and family could provided. The British government claimed to have a program available to provide on site child care but the men of that time felt it unnecessary as women should be able to do it all. In the course of writing some serious articles about this issue Emmy becomes friends with several of the factory workers. I instantly fell in love with this story and the characters. I found myself cheering for them the entire way through and loving them more and more as they “keep calm and carry on” through life’s up and downs. They all had this innocence about them that was stripped away bit by bit during the war and while sad, it was also heartwarming to watch friendships form and strengthen. Their resilience was incredible. By the end of this, these characters have to come to feel like old friends. I laughed and cried right along with them.

As with the first book, Dear Mrs. Bird, we share this story line with Emmy's co workers, her family, best friend Bunty and love interest Charles. I certainly hope there will be a book number three to continue their stories.

I am so happy to continued the life of Emmy Lake, a writer for the Women's Magazine, "Women's Friend." This novel is during WWII but this reads more like a good Hallmark movie rather than a heavy novel that most books based in that time period can feel. Emmy is positive, vibrant and a great friend to all that she meets. I wished I had the confidence she had in every thing that gets thrown in her way. She helps strangers that she meets on a train, she helps her coworkers in their needs and gets to help the War Effort all at the same time. It was a delightful read.

As I am prone to reading books set in London during WWII, and the fact that I read Dear Mrs. Bird, of course I enjoyed this book and the continuation. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

London 1941. Emmeline Lake has taken over as editor of the Yours Cheerfully section of the newspaper, dispensing advice and answering questions from readers and determined to put a more positive spin on the daily lives of Londoners. Emmy and her friend, Bunty, deal with the shortages and stresses of daily life. They feel fortunate as they still have a roof over their heads and Bunty is recovering from her injuries and the loss of her fiance a year ago.

Women are being implored to go to work, to take the place of the men who are off fighting the enemy. Emmy comes to realize that most employers have not the slightest clue about the issues that women in the work force are dealing with, child care, food preparation, transportation - all this plus working 10-12 hours a day. Emmy meets Anne Oliver and they and other friends start making plans to force employers to realize the women need practical help. When spouses, family members and fiancees die, who helps the women cope with tough decisions?

On Emmy's personal front, her fiance, Charles, is now back in London, so wedding plans are being made. Wedding plans are tricky at best and during war time, things can get even more complicated, as Emmy and Charles soon discover.

A lovely historical novel of World War II and the strong women who helped win the war.