3.75 stars

I really appreciated the focus on the Pacific front of World War II—something that doesn’t get nearly enough attention in most WWII fiction. When We Had Wings follows three nurses—Eleanor (Navy), Penny (Army), and Lita (Filipina)—who end up in the Philippines in 1941, each carrying personal struggles and looking for a way forward. Their paths cross just before the war reaches the islands, and what unfolds is a story of survival, friendship, and quiet resilience.

What I liked:
• I liked that the story doesn’t focus on combat, but on the people war usually forgets: the women, children, priests, and everyday civilians just trying to survive.
• The three POVs gave the story a layered, well-rounded view of what was happening on the ground.
• The audiobook was well produced, with strong narration—but I think I would’ve benefited from reading a physical or digital copy. The place names and scene transitions were sometimes hard to follow just by listening.

What didn’t work for me:
• Although I really enjoyed the story, I didn’t feel a deep emotional connection to it. It didn’t hit me hard or wreck me emotionally—and I’m not sure it’s a story that will stay with me for a long time. Still, it was absolutely worth the read.

A well-written, engaging novel that shines a light on a lesser-known piece of WWII history. If you enjoy historical fiction that centers women’s stories and overlooked perspectives, this is one to check out.

I listened to an audio version of this book and found it highly engaging. I did not realize that the book had three authors (and even now reflecting on that I cannot say I could distinguish one from another), and they did an amazing job in seamlessly creating a beautiful and tragic story that needs to be told. Too often we want to forget the past and imagine it never happened, but this story reminds us of the horrors of war and the tragic intertwining of various characters. My wife disagrees, but I found this a much more authentic story than “The Women” which was based on the role of women in Vietnam. When We Had Wings takes us back to the jungles of the Philippines as war breaks out in the Pacific and the US becomes involved. Unlike “the Women” not all the stories wrap up with happy ending. We experience the horror the men and women who were captured by the Japanese experience. Only one slight inaccuracy I noted, one of the character’s love interest talked about using the GI Bill to have a better life, I am pretty sure the GI Bill wasn’t created until after the war. Otherwise, I highly recommend this book. Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for a copy for an unbiased review.

I enjoy all of these authors and had not yet read this collaboration between them.
Bataan is rough going, and I have already read two other books about nurses on the island during WWII but this one was great. The characters had strong voices, and I recommend this one!

When We Had Wings center around two US Army nurses and a Filipina nurse who become friends during WWII. The story captivated me from beginning to end. This is a perfect read for fans of When We Were Young & Brave by Hazel Gaynor and The Women by Kristin Hannah.


*Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Muse for the audio ARC of this title.*

Such a wonderful read! I loved these three ladies, their friendship and their will and determination. It was so touching, heartwarming and heartbreaking at times, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book from cover to cover.

When We Had Wings is a breathtakingly beautiful story that swept me away from the very first chapter. Told through the voices of three unforgettable women, this audiobook was a deeply emotional and immersive experience. The narration was excellent, capturing the unique perspectives and inner strength of each character.

I was completely drawn into the harrowing yet hopeful journey of these brave nurses during World War II. The authors, Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner, seamlessly wove their talents together to create a powerful tale of friendship, survival, sacrifice, and resilience. I could not stop listening.

The depth of the characters and the emotional pull of the storyline stayed with me long after the final chapter. This is historical fiction at its finest, richly layered, heartbreakingly real, and ultimately uplifting.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced listening copy in exchange for my honest review.

What a heartbreaking read. When we had wings follows three nurses during WWII who become fast friends in the thick of war. I recently read The Women by Kristin Hannah, a book which also follows a nurse during conflict - the Vietnam War. My liking of the book inspired me to request this one. I wanted to know more about combat nurses, a topic I think isn't talked about enough. Especially when these nurses become POW (a fact I didn't know).

This was a hard read, but in my opinion a necessary one. I liked the focus on the friendship, and these women's hope.

Thank you Netgalley for prividing me an ARC!

Amazing story of resilience , strength friendship and resilience The narrators really added to story. Backdrop
Of war added to drama.

EXCERPT: A sultry and sweetly fragrant breeze swept across Manila Bay as Eleanor Lindstrom walked carefully down the gangplank of the just-docked naval transport ship, mindful that her land legs might be slow in returning. A band was playing a cheerful Benny Goodman tune as she and other disembarking servicemen and women stepped onto solid ground. Filipino nationals on the other side of a rope held up by stanchions were waving hello and hawking maps of the islands or taxi rides or paper bags of sweets or bouquets of aromatic frangipani blossoms. The late afternoon air was thick with their excitement but also with humidity that rivalled anything Eleanor had felt back home on a Minnesota midsummer's day.
The mood all around her was festive, despite the stifling heat, and she wanted to linger, to take it all in, and let the buoyant atmosphere energize her. Fortify her. Calm her. Crossing the Pacific, especially for a twenty-three-year-old Midwesterner who had never even seen the ocean before, had been challenging, yes, but it wasn't just the fatigue of travel that made her want to stop and fully embrace the novelty of her new surroundings. It was far more than that.
It was deciding on a whim to apply to the Navy and getting accepted so quickly. Leaving for training barely three weeks after signing on the dotted line. Saying goodbye to civilian life. Leaving her friends and fellow nurses at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. Hugging her parents and sister farewell and knowing a three-year overseas assignment meant it would likely be several years before she saw them or the family dairy barns again.
And all this change because she'd fallen in love with a man who loved another.

ABOUT 'WHEN WE HAD WINGS': The Philippines, 1941. When U.S. Navy nurse Eleanor Lindstrom, U.S. Army nurse Penny Franklin, and Filipina nurse Lita Capel forge a friendship at the Army Navy Club in Manila, they believe they’re living a paradise assignment. All three are seeking a way to escape their pasts, but soon the beauty and promise of their surroundings give way to the heavy mantle of war.

Caught in the crosshairs of a fight between the U.S. military and the Imperial Japanese Army for control of the Philippine Islands, the nurses are forced to serve under combat conditions and, ultimately, endure captivity as the first female prisoners of the Second World War. As their resiliency is tested in the face of squalid living arrangements, food shortages, and the enemy’s blatant disregard for the articles of the Geneva Convention, the women strive to keep their hope—and fellow inmates—alive, though not without great cost.

In this sweeping story based on the true experiences of nurses dubbed the “Angels of Bataan,” three women shift in and out of each other’s lives through the darkest days of the war, buoyed by their unwavering friendship and distant dreams of liberation.

MY THOUGHTS: When We Had Wings is more a story of friendship and romance set against the backdrop of WWII than it is about surviving the war. It is not as darkly descriptive as I expected, and I don't know if I am disappointed or relieved by that, particularly as it is based on first-hand accounts provided by the Angels of Bataan.

I have previously read and enjoyed works by all three of the authors who collaborated on When We Had Wings and I find it impossible to tell who wrote what. They have captured the resilience of human spirit and used it to great effect as these three women face imprisonment, fear, violence, barbaric treatment and an uncertain future. And yet they kept going, day after day, doing their jobs in unimaginable conditions and putting their own lives at risk to save the lives of others, provide medical supplies and keep everyone fed.

Most nurses are dedicated and resilient, but we can add loyal, brave and determined (and occasionally foolhardy), to the list of qualities for Eleanor, Penny and Lita. Although they were often separated, they never gave up on one another. The themes of friendship and hope run strongly throughout When We Had Wings with a side dish of romance as an antidote to the horrors of prison camp life which, I am sure, in real life was a lot more brutal than what is described here.

⭐⭐⭐.7
#WhenWeHadWings #NetGalley

MEET THE AUTHORS: All three are critically acclaimed, New York Times Bestselling authors.

ARIEL LAWHON lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, and black Lab—who is, thankfully, a girl. Ariel splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.

KRISTINA MCMORRIS previously hosted weekly TV shows for Warner Bros. and an ABC affiliate, beginning at age nine with an Emmy Award-winning program, and owned a wedding-and-event-planning company until she had far surpassed her limit of "Y.M.C.A." and chicken dances. Kristina splits her time between San Diego and Portland, Oregon, where she’s the proud mom of two teenage boys who recently stripped her of her longstanding boast of being “tall for an Asian.”

SUSAN MEISSNER attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego and is a former managing editor of a weekly newspaper. Susan’s expertise as a storyteller and her thoroughly researched topics make her a favorite author of book clubs everywhere. Her engaging and warm speaking style appeal to all manner of women’s groups, literary organizations, libraries and learning institutions, and service clubs.
When she is not working on a new novel, she enjoys teaching workshops on writing, spending time with her family, music, reading great books, and traveling.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Muse for providing both an e-ARC and an audio ARC of When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris and Susan Meissner for review. The audiobook is superbly narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. I enjoyed both formats.
All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

This is a WWII story; but mostly it is a story of friendship that survives under devastating circumstances. Penny, Eleanor and Lita were all nurses on assignment in the Philippines; then Pearl Harbor happens and they become wartime nurses; then ultimately they all became prisoners of war. The three nurses are separated into different camps and thus they each have unique stories, but they have a strong bond that keeps them connected. This friendship is the cornerstone of the book.

The story of how the POWs were treated by the Japanese was horrific. This was a part of WWII history that I didn’t know about; so it was very enlightening. The POWs were American businessmen, their families, missionaries - pretty much anyone who happened to be in the Philippines the day after Pearl Harbor. They were not just military personnel - there were 1000s of women and children in the wrong place at the wrong time. This book sheds light on the treatment of POWs and the conditions they lived in.

The audible version had a great narrator, but it was a little hard to follow. The three nurses each have their own stories, supporting characters and circumstances. It was a little difficult to keep up with just listening. I think this book would be even better if read.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Three phenomenal authors join forces to tell the harrowing, yet inspiring, tale of the "Angels of Bataan." Three army/navy nurses all stationed in the Phillipines just before WW2 form a quick and unbreakable friendship. All 3 women, Lita, Penny & Eleanor, are imprisoned, becoming the first female POWs.

This unbearably terrifying story is somehow heart-warming and inspiring. The awful conditions, physical, mental & emotional, that these nurses were forced to endure is so tragic, but they find solace in their friendships. Even when they aren't together, even when they don't know if their friends are still alive, that soul-deep friendship fuels each of them to endure so much.

Kudos the the authors, the narrator, but most of all the original Angels of Bataan whose stories are an inspiration to all!

Thank you to netgalley and HarperMuse for allowing me to read, listen and review. This is absolutely a story that I will treasure for life!

The audiobook of When We Had Wings by Ariel Lawhon, Kristina McMorris, and Susan Meissner is narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, who brings the story to life with her engaging performance. The novel follows three nurses—Eleanor, Penny, and Lita—stationed in the Philippines in 1941, whose lives are upended by the outbreak of World War II.

Listeners have praised the narration, noting that Maarleveld does an excellent job distinguishing the characters' voices, making it easy to follow the alternating perspectives. The story itself is a historical fiction novel inspired by the true experiences of the Angels of Bataan, the first female prisoners of war in WWII. It explores themes of resilience, friendship, and survival under dire conditions.

“As the first American female prisoners of war, you have a special place in the history books. But to have served four years as prisoners, in combat conditions, you have my respect as well.”

Three nurses, stationed in the Philippines right before the attack on Pearl Harbor, forms tentative friendship. They meet once a month and enjoy bonding and getting to know each other. But after the Phillippines is taken over by the Japanese and everything changes. They find themselves taken prisoner and separated and facing unbearable challenges. I’ve always been interested in World War II, but this is an area that I had never read much about. Everything they went through absolutely broke my heart. All 3 of the women were incredible strong and brave and saved so many lives. The Japanese that took over the Philippines were absolutely cruel and I don’t understand how anyone can treat other people that way. I do realize that this is not the only time in history atrocities were committed, but I’m focusing on this part of history at the moment. I did love the camaraderie between Lita, Penny, and Eleanor before they were separated. They also had incredible relationships with some of the other people they were captured with. The value of the relationships they formed helped each of them get through this horrific time and really made this book worth reading.

🌟 4/5
Narration 4/5

I loved the book and was excited to get the audiobook version.

While the narrator did an excellent job, I think this was a missed opportunity to get multiple narrators to read each women's perspective. I understand the book itself is third person POV and worked well with single narration, but the multiple narrators would have elevated the story in my opinion. More importantly during Lita's chapters and her being Filipino.

This was just okay. I feel like you could absolutely tell that it was a collaboration between authors because certain parts were told completely different than others. Each character's journey was unique but there was really no climax to the story. You're just following all 3 nurses along through their journey as POW in this camp as WWII nurses and the hardships they face. There were small pieces of romance sprinkled throughout the book but this is heavy on the historical fiction and light on the romance. I just got a little bored through the middle of the book and found myself not wanting to finish because i felt like I was listening to the same thing over and over.

really really enjoyed. Loved the friendship arc and learned a TON about what happened in the Philippines during WWII. I had no idea what happened over there, so many books cover Europe, the UK, the US, but not over in Asia. Great book

When I saw this title available as listen now I was intrigued by this lesser lauded part of WWII, being set in the Philippines. I enjoy learning through fiction and wanted to know what the nurses Eleanor, Penny and Lita experienced, first working abroad during the war and then as prisioners of war when Japan captures the Phillipines. The beginning sets the scene quite well and gives a good picture of life in service and for women at the time and the danger they experienced felt very real. Unfortunately, once the troops were jailed it was quite dull. It was for the prisoners as well. I felt their anguished days of endless waiting, with their biggest threat being starved. It seems the Japanese having collected all theses POW's had no idea what to do with them. If that was accurate, then we'll done. After liberation the stories of the girls returning home was heartfelt and I enjoyed that. Overall because of its unique situation and compelling characters I really enjoyed it.

With three similarily aged female POV's, with similar jobs it was at time difficult to differentiate the characters and their backstory/current storylines. For this reason I'd recommend reading over audio for this one.

When We Had Wings plunged readers into WWII history from the start.
It described the enemy's capture of the Philippines, as well as the captivity of American and Filipino nurses.

Eleanor, Penny, and Lita were three extremely brave and strong nurses.

Each woman had her own point of view and backstory.
Eleanor was trying to outrun her grief from home.
Penny held many secrets.
Lita felt like an outsider in a war tearing her country apart.

Their friendship is built on blood, loss, and mud. Every day, they are put to the test with trauma, anger, and unimaginable scenarios.

Their time as POWs was terrifying, but they were determined to endure whatever came their way. It was heartbreaking to read about their experiences with physical and mental suffering, illness, and starvation. Despite the above, there was resistance.

The women's bond was everything. It made the story for me.

When We Had Wings completely drew me in from the very first chapter. I’ll admit—I didn’t know much about this part of World War II history, especially the experiences of military nurses in the Philippines. This book opened my eyes and brought a deeply human side to a part of the war that’s not often talked about. As someone in the military myself, I felt a strong connection to the story and an even deeper respect for the real-life women who inspired it.

One of my favorite things was the structure. The chapters are written from multiple points of view and always note the date and location, which helped anchor me in the timeline and gave such a strong sense of place. The switching perspectives between the three women kept things engaging and made their individual struggles and growth feel personal.

The bond between these three women was the true heart of the novel. The friendship, strength, and loyalty they showed—especially under such brutal circumstances—was powerful and emotional. There was a touch of romance, but it never overshadowed the core theme of female friendship and survival, which I appreciated.

Beautifully written, well-researched, and emotionally resonant—this is historical fiction done right. Highly recommend for anyone who loves stories of courage, connection, and the untold sides of war.

One of my favorite genres to read is historical fiction especially during the the time WWII was occuring. This book was great read. It takes place in the Philippines before Pearl Harbor is attacked to the end of the war. The book is written in dual pov and will definitely tug at your heart when reading it because of everything these women endured and overcame during the war. The narrator of the audiobook was amazing especially with the pronunciations of locations, names, and phrases. This book kept me wanting more until the very end and felt everything that these characters felt. This is perfect book about perseverance and resilience during the world's most difficult time. Definitely a book I want to purchase and use during my lectures.