Loved the book. Learned so much about the Korean War and women in the military during that time period. The writing made me feel as if I was right there with the characters.

I know this has become a best seller, and I love Kristen Hannah. Though I found some of the descriptions of war almost too much to bear, it was so important to bear witness to the women who’ve been largely ignored but who played an integral role in Vietnam. Heartbreaking and beautifully written. Please read this especially if you’re too young to have lived through this nightmare and stain on our nation’s history. Well done. And I cried ….

Her best book yet!

Just when you think Kristin Hannah couldn’t get any better, she brings out this gem! Many people are unfamiliar with the Vietnam War since our country never really honored those who fought there- at least not like from other wars. And most don’t know that women were crucial to the war effort and even participated in significant ways over there. This book will change all those misconceptions. It has “all the feels” as well as the depth of research that Hannah fans have come to expect. It will not disappoint and is now my number one pick for 2024.

This was my first KH book and I might give her one more try. I found the writing trivial and felt like she never graduated from her former beach read writing style.

I read this in a couple sittings but it just never *clicked* with me. I’m not great with books where I don’t like the main character, and I was far more interested in reading about Frankie’s friend Barb than I was in Frankie.

5 stars.

I have loved Kristin Hannah for years now. I pick up everything she writes, while not everything fits me her writing is 100% superb and i still enjoy the time spent reading it.

This story takes place during the Vietnam war and Kristin Hannah does so much research and just knocks these kind of stories out of the park every single time. I absolutely loved Frankie. I also liked the side characters Ethel, Barb and all the others that have their roles in this story.

This book is one of the few historical fictions that take place during the Vietnam Era and accurately tell what it was like at the time. Being able to relate this to my father-in-law and what he went through and what caused him to take his life early.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Women is a stunning piece of historical fiction that delves into a subject little explored before in women's fiction. It tells the story of the few brave women who served their country during the Vietnam War in absolutely horrific conditions and very dangerous areas, only to come home from service and be treated terribly by their fellow Americans, as well as be told repeatedly that there were 'no women in Vietnam." Our main character, Frankie, signs up to be an army nurse after losing her brother Finley to the Vietnam War very early in his service. In an effort to make her father proud, Frankie signs up and works hard to find her place on the medical team, improving and growing in leaps and bounds as she saves countless lives and gains lifelong friendships with some of the other nurses with whom she serves. This is such a wonderfully written piece of historical fiction, and I could not put it down. Frankie's tenacity and bravery were unbelievable and the heartache that she endured so unnecessarily was absolutely heartbreaking. This would make an amazing movie, as well.

Did not love this. Parts were excellent and learning about Vietnam was very eye-opening. But she is still an amazing author

Maybe 4.5 stars. Wow this book was heavy. I had no idea what the Vietnam War was like, nor after the war how the vets were received, so this was very intense to read. I feel like Frankie experienced so much and I felt it, reading this before bed made it hard to go to sleep. I think this was a powerful book to read, both to learn more about what the vets experienced but also for the story.

Kristin Hannah does it again. I loved the overall growth that we saw following these characters for so long and the redemptive moments that we had. This was raw and emotional without being overly so (sometimes books like this feel like they are sad and devastating just for the sake of being so), whenever I put this book down I couldn't stop thinking about it. I feel like I learned so much about this time in history and the climate in America which was interesting to me and is the whole reason I read historical fiction! If you love historical fiction with strong female characters, definitely pick this up.

This was my favorite book of the year so far. I was hooked from the beginning all the way through to the end. The character development, particularly for the main character, was done very well. I've never been very interested in the Vietnam War but after reading The Women, I want to learn everything about the war.

The Women was an absolutely fabulous book, that I adored. It made me laugh, cry, and it legitimately broke my heart. Frankie, the main protagonist, goes through so much! Although I thought this would be impossible to have a happy ending, it ultimately gave a satisfying ending that made me happy.

I especially loved the author's note at the end, discussing the book and all the research and interviews that went into a book with the scope that this one had. Although some literary license was taken with some places and locations, this book worked seamlessly, and I really enjoyed listening to the note, read by the author.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hands down, Kristin Hannah is THE BEST historical fiction writer EVER! I will have her on auto buy forever. The Women left me speechless.

An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

Frankie is my new favorite main character, she is so real and raw. I absolutely loved her. I felt every emotion she felt to my core. She was a true hero.

There was so much about the Vietnam War that I did not know. Kristin Hannah definitely puts so much effort into her research and you can clearly see it. I would say The Women has definitely got a place in my top 3 favorite Kristin Hannah books. I have thought about this story every day since I finished it. Like other Kristin Hannah books, I know I will think about this one for a long time to come. Do not hesitate to read this one.

THANK YOU to my friends at St Martins Press and NetGalley for gifting me this early. All opinions and thoughts as always are my own.

This book had lots of potential. I admire that the author took on writing about both the sacrifices and contributions they make during wars and specifically the much less written about Vietnam war. The book did a great job of focusing on the struggles nurses faced and the details of mental
/health struggles and issues faced by returning veterans. These are often overlooked.

The book captures the war setting vividly: the gory scenes of battle, the heat of the jungle, the stress and exhaustion of war and the resulting PTSD. I felt it was important to expose these for the sake of people experiencing them to receive the empathy and understanding they deserve.

The plot and character were a disappointment to me. France’s “Frankie” McGrath is an entitled, spoiled rich girl. Her character is very much on the surface without displaying the grit she would have needed in a war environment. The book was predictable and the romances were on the cheesy side.and unappealing. While set in Vietnam, there were no substantial Vietnamese characters. I do appreciate the author’s efforts and intentions to write about the Vietnamese war and women’s sacrifices in times of war.

I rounded up my 3.5 rating to a 4. This is not my favorite of the author’s books.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This could very likely be one of my favorite reads of all time. Kristin Hannah has a way to write that sucks you in, forces you to experience every emotion, and leaves you with a book hangover. This book tells the incredible story of the women of Vietnam. The fear, the friendships, the heartbreak, and the lack of recognition of the women who also put their lives on the line in the face of war. The characters, as always were so well developed. The details make this book so easy to devour, and even with longer chapters, I still was able to get through the book rather quickly. I was spending every possible moment I had reading, needing to know what was going to happen next. As someone who adores mysteries, thrillers and psychological thrillers, Kristin Hannah makes me want to read more historical fiction. As mentioned earlier, this would definitely be in the top 5 books I have ever read, and definitely in the top 2 or 3 that I have read so far this year. I cannot stop talking about this book! A huge thank you to the author and publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy!

I was worried this was going to be a disappointment compared to the reviews I had seen, but it lived up to every one. Powerful, beautiful and a must read.

Kristin Hannah can seriously do no wrong. I love her writing so much and the storytelling is amazing. I already love Historical Fiction but hers are seriously one of the best.

I haven’t read any Historical Fiction books about the Vietnam War so this was definitely new for me and I learned things about the war I didn’t know about, including how the women were treated when returning from war, and even the men too. It’s sad that so many Americans volunteered to risk their lives for their country and ended up being treated like crap when they got home, which just made the state of their mental health deplete even more.

There were a few character dramas I wasn’t a fan of because I felt like it was just added just for the heck of it but at the same time, so much of it was pretty historically accurate for what took place between soldiers during the war.

Overall I’m so glad I got back into Kristin Hannah with this book and I can’t wait to get back into her backlist!

Kristin Hannah manages to floor me every time (and I should stop being so shocked by this) with her ability to draw the reader's into the story, no matter the time period or situation. She clearly does her research to be able to pull us in to a time period we may know nothing about or even have not been alive during.

My dad was in the Navy for Vietnam. I've heard a few stories, but fortunately he was never in any major fight zones. In this book, I could clearly picture Frankie's bunk, the hospital spaces, the bar. I felt her anguish and loss when her patients didn't make it or those she cared about died, or left Vietnam. And honestly, Vietnam almost paled in comparison to Frankie's experience being back stateside. Not only did Kristin Hannah get the descriptions of places and experiences in Vietnam so seemingly accurate, she obviously equally researched PTSD to give the readers such a in depth portrayal in Frankie's struggle.

This book gutted me multiple times, slowly pieced my heart together again and then pulled the rug out from under me to fall into devastation for Frankie again. The Nightingale has been my undisputed favorite by Kristin Hannah for years, but The Women definitely gives it a run for it's money. It's informative while also bringing so much emotion by giving us someone to connect with and feel empathy toward her experience.

What an incredibly moving and powerful book. I don't know much about the Vietnam War, except what we were taught in school and as I read The Women, I found myself googling about the different groups, what the news was putting out, and about the women who did serve in Vietnam. While the story mainly follows Frankie as she joins the Army Nurse Corps, we meet a lot of other important characters that play major roles in Frankie's life.

When the story is set in Vietnam, it's intense, as it should be. What I particularly liked with The Women was that Kristin Hannah didn't portray a happy homecoming and that these women went back to life as normal. They all had battles they faced when reacclimating to civilian life.

And, as with all of Kristin Hannah's books, this one broke my heart into a million pieces multiple times over, before putting it back together again. She truly is a master at her craft.

Don't miss The Women. It's phenomenal.
Thank you, St. Martins Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This the most powerful book I’ve read in years. Although historical fiction covers the world wars in great detail, Vietnam was a new take, and was covered masterfully.

Possible spoiler - at least one character suffers from PTSD (I mean, it’s a story about military members going to war, it can’t be that surprising), but the description of it and the way it impacted life choices is the closest I’ve ever read to my own struggles with PTSD. This helped me to understand myself better, and I could never thank Kristen enough for putting this story out to the world.

Kristin Hannah takes us on an incredible journey through the Vietnam war depicting Frances McGrath as an army nurse. Growing up privileged, Frances decides to enroll in the military to be close to her brother. She will experience love and loss in this coming of age historical fiction story. This is also an excellent audio narration by my favorite Julia Whelan.