I started recommending this book to other people two chapters in… it is absolutely fantastic! It was written so beautifully, and I could put myself in the book and the pages because of how descriptive it is. This is one that will stay with me for a while. Love, love , loved it! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader!

One of the most moving novels I've ever read. I felt as though I walked along side the main character. Real, raw, emotional. Brilliant writing.

Thank you to St, Martin’s Press for the ARC of The Women via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!


Historical Fiction. Frankie comes from a wealthy family in Coronado, CA who values patriotism and service to your country above everything. When Frankie’s brother ships out to Vietnam, Frankie decides to follow his footsteps and enlists in the Army as a nurse. Shortly after her brother is killed in action, and Frankie can’t help but feel she’s made a huge mistake. Once she gets to Vietnam, she hits the ground running and becomes an excellent nurse while bearing witness to injuries and death and forms bonds with her fellow nurses and first loves. But when Frankie comes back to the states, she doesn’t get a heroes welcome and is shamed by her family, friends, and anyone else who didn’t serve in Vietnam.

While this was a liiiittle too long for me and a bit cliched in parts, overall I found it interesting. Kristin Hannah brings to light not only the stories of Vietnam vets, who were spit on and called baby killers for a war many of them were drafted into and received little support after surviving, but also to the women who were in Vietnam, who I didn’t know were such an integral part of the war and who were shunned not only by their families/neighbors but male vets as well. She does a great job of depicting PTSD and addiction, both of which were not well known about or treated in the 70s. I also need to go through and create a playlist of all the music mentioned throughout because there are some BANGERS.

I really do enjoy historical fiction pieces such as this one. The Women is mainly about one woman and her side character friends and how they are navigating the return home from their duty in Vietnam. Frankie was a nurse in Vietnam and returns home to the country's taunts and her own family's views that she was not an active member in Vietnam because nurses didn't see combat. The story was engaging and captivating. I felt like it was a longer book, but there was a steady flow that led you from one event to the next. It was a story about love, loss, family, friends, careers, addiction, disorders, coping and any other heavy topic you could probably think of. Hannah writes in a way that moves you and makes you feel part of the story, close to the characters.

I knew going into the book that it was going to be hard to read. The little I knew about the Vietnam War was always difficult to process. When you drop characters, especially a naive girl like Frankie, into the middle of the war, it's bound to be a strong learning curve for those characters. Frankie lived up to the challenge and throughout all of the brutal and graphic injuries she dealt with as a nurse, she thrived.

When Frankie got home and faced not only the vitriol of the public for the soldiers, but also the total disregard from her parents of what she had been through, it lead to major upheaval and heartbreak in her life. Thank goodness for the lifelong friends she made in Ethel and Barb, who understand exactly what went though and were there for her through her obvious PTSD.

Hannah shines a light on what the veterans actually went though in a war that was largely misrepresented to the American public. She is a masterful and realistic storyteller..

Absolutely fantastic heart-breaking soul searching book I've read in a long time. Kristin Hannah does a brilliant job of telling the story of Frankie, a Vietnam War nurse, who goes over totally unprepared for what she is about to encounter and comes home a totally different person, how the whole experience affects her, from the soldiers she tries to save to the love that she lost to the way that she is treated when she finally returns home. Frankie is an awesome main character, with guts and bravado, and you will fall for her instantly. You will rip through this book and it will leave you thinking about it for days. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

This story absolutely transported me to the 60s. I was going on with my life, feeling like I needed to get back to Vietnam, back to the story. I came into this book not knowing much about the Vietnam War, but it was clear this was a labor of love by Hannah. There were a few times in the story that I got frustrated with Frankie's privilege. The discussion of race and class was more or less glossed over, but I eventually accepted that this just wasn't the story to discuss those issues. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, but it ended in a satisfying way. This was my first Kristin Hannah book, and I'll definitely read another!

I would recommend Kristin Hannah's new book, The Women. She is one of my favorite authors. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

This was an excellent book about women serving in the Vietnam war and the way they were treated when they returned. The portrayal of PTSD felt really honest.

You can never go wrong with Kristin Hannah. She took a very difficult subject and tackled it in the most eloquent, heart-wrenching, mesmerizing way possible. The subject of Vietnam is not an easy one. This story gutted me yet left me feeling hope and happiness through it all. Frankie's life is one that so many Vietnam vets had to survive through. It brought to life the real-life struggles our vets came home to. Thank you so much, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC of this fantastic story. My favorite book so far this year. 5 stars.

War doesn’t interest me, so I hadn’t read much about the Vietnam, but as a fan of Hannah’s, I dove right in. Hannah did a masterful job of drawing her readers deep into the world of an army nurse. I appreciated her extensive research and the level of detail that she provided that built a war zone that I had known very little about. She focused on the women veterans of the war, and their struggles both during active battle and the aftermath, upon reentry into an unwelcoming America. I enjoyed the clever way she wove in music to evoke a sense of time and place throughout the story.

Frankie was a nurse striving to make a difference during wartime, hoping to earn a spot on her father’s “Wall of Heroes.” Through most of the book, I admired her brave and fierce spirit. But by the end of the book, she annoyed me. Henry was one of my favorite characters and I hated the way she deceived and dismissed him.

The book was very long and overly descriptive, and it would have been more impactful had it been tighter. I wish the secondary characters – Barb and Ethel – were more developed. They played a critical role in Frankie’s life, yet we knew almost nothing about them. Additionally, the book was very formulaic and predictable, and I was not surprised by any of the revelations.

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

This book was 5 stars for me. I cried so much, and learned a lot about the Vietnam war. I’m Vietnamese-American and both of my parents are from south Vietnam (Saigon). They were children (5 and 8) in 1965 where this book starts.

This book had such an interesting perspective from a military nurse, Frankie. It was a coming of age story, and we got to learn about what the women nurses did and the great impact they had. It also has a lot of healing from trauma and addiction. There aren’t many historical fiction books that I can think of besides this one that focused on the Vietnam war, but I am so happy I read this book.

As always, Kristin Hannah masterfully engages her readers in a story while simultaneously educating us on historical events and their impact. Before reading this, I knew very little about the Vietnam War and even less about the impact of women at this time. Every part of this book will stick with me and I will be thinking about Frankie and all of her accomplishments and struggles for years to come. My heart broke for her repeatedly but I was left hopeful for her and encouraged by the messages from this book. If Kristin Hannah writes it, I will read it. Always.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eArc in exchange for my honest review!

Kristin Hannah does it again! The Women follows the story of Frankie, a young woman who decides to serve as a nurse in Vietnam. However, nothing is as she expects it to be, and she struggles through a lot. This book shed light on a part of history that I do not think it talked about nearly enough, and that is what nurses and other medical personnel had to deal with in times of war and returning home. Frankie was layered and complex, and you couldn't help but root for her. I flew through this book and I think it talks about very important issues that we still see today.

This wasn’t my favorite Kristen Hannah book, but it was still really good! I loved the story of the untold women of this war and get a deeper look on things I wasn’t aware about before. As always, Hannah transports you!

The Women is a story of the women who served in Vietnam, and the challenges they faced not only from the war itself but their families, communities, and even male military members.

Frankie McGrath left her upper middle class southern California life to serve her country as a nurse in Vietnam. The things she endured during the war were horrific, and her return home wasn't any easier. The story of her journey, and her fellow nurses, is engaging and runs the gamut of emotions and experiences.

I received an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I’m gonna be honest, I really didn’t enjoy The Women. I found the prose overwritten and overly descriptive. The plot was virtually non existent- it was just a series of descriptions of horrors and tragedies. When she comes home from war with still half of the book left, there was nothing driving the story forward except the character’s depression. The horrifying descriptions of war felt so over the top and unnecessary. It felt like the author was trying very hard to write a tearjerker so she pulls out every sad thing imaginable. Did we really have read about dead babies in detail on page three times??! Additionally, the characters are complete stereotypes. Everything is told not shown. The author literally writes “she was a good girl who followed the rules.” The writing felt amateurish. The “twists” were extremely contrived and unconvincing. This may be the last Kristin Hannah book I read.

How in the world can I possibly write a review that will do this beautiful book justice?! True to KH fashion, The Women had me feeling every emotion under the sun. Happiness, anger, fear, desperation, sadness, love… you name it.

I went into this book not knowing much about the Vietnam War, let alone the experiences that women had during this time. Frankie is now a new favorite character of mine - she is strong, resilient, and watching her grow throughout this story (as a person, AND as a nurse!) was incredible.

KH always does a great job of writing phenomenal support characters, but Barb and Ethel are by far the best. They are TRUE friends to Frankie. They made me think about my best friends & how very thankful I am to have them. 🤎

What an important story that KH has written. The heart of this story is truly about the women (true to the book’s title) who served in the war, but received none of the same recognition that the men received.

The Women will be a book I continue to think about for a long time.

The Women is so touching and emotional. Kristin Hannah has once again made me not only enjoy historical fiction but brought me to tears doing it. This story has so much in it - grief, trauma, family relations, expectations, dishonesty, sexism, ptsd, depression, loss, addiction & betrayal. My heart broke over and over for Frankie as I read this story. Absolutely beautiful - pure perfection!

I have posted this review on Amazon, Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/C4bw6GCr3_e/?igsh=MnNsc2hkbHJmeDMx

And Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5982987659

This is the second book I have read from Kristin Hannah and the second one I have loved. I was drawn in immediately and didn’t want to put it down. So many emotions, tearing up, happiness, disappointment, disbelief and joy all wrapped up in an amazing story. I have already recommended to numerous customers and will continue doing so. Five stars without a doubt!