The Women will rip your heart over and over again. Kristin Hannah definitely knows how to pull you into a story and keep you there. This book reads fast despite being almost 500 pages of a very heavy subject matter.

Frankie is a young, naive girl when she volunteers as an Army nurse and is sent to Vietnam in the 60s. By the time her two tours are over she's is a changed woman and has felt like she's lived a thousand different lives. And America does not treat her with the respect she deserves for her service.

This story definitely takes spot number two for favorite KH books. The Nightingale is number one of course. I was invested in the story. Some parts did get long and there is a plot point (I can't say because spoilers) that I had a bit of an issue with but overall I thought it was a great read. It will be on all the best of lists at the end of the year for sure.

Content warnings galore in this book and I do feel like this one could have done with a note at the beginning warning you of such things. Obviously this is a wartime book so there is a lot of that but there's also a host of other sensitive subjects that get brought up such as addiction, suicide and miscarriage.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have been reading Kristin Hannah books for so long that I pretty much know I will always recommend one regardless of whether or not I thought it was a five star read or loved the entire thing or not. This included. Personally it was 4 stars for a few reasons none of which may take away from the reading for you yourself.

The story very much felt “then and now”. The “then” was filled with action packed nursing along the frontlines and character development. It was fast paced and heartbreaking, in true KH style.

The “now” was slower and led to a more eye opening experience of our veterans coming home, especially as a woman, and the treatment they received, plus political upheaval depending on what point, and mixed in to all of that was the personal storyline and relationships and outcome. Which I thought was a tad long though I’d certainly not be able to write or shorten it myself and truly it’s one of the best things about her books, you know you’re going to get every penny’s worth because she has a way of making you stick with it to the very end.

Thank you for the eARC it is always a treat to read her books!

SPOILERS!!


I can see why everyone has been raving about this book. Poor Frankie, she and all the women she served with in Vietnam and never got the recognition or help they needed. SO much happens in this book, Frankie follows her brother to Vietnam where he dies and she becomes an emergency nurse. She falls in love twice. Jamie, the surgeon hero is married and dies when he is leaving his tour. Rye, also married is a POW, who she thinks has died.
Once home, she meets an older man and falls pregnant. She ends up having a miscarriage which is a mirror of her time in Vietnam when a baby dies in her arms due to the US attacks. As a woman she can't find anyone to help with her PTSD. Henry, a man who loves her and would be good for her, she sabotages. After her miscarriage and learning Rye is alive, she gets hooked on pills. Rye has a second baby with his wife and Frankie ends up in a psych ward after she almost kills somebody and herself when driving drunk and high. Frankie has friends throughout the book trying to be there for her, and she hides her mental state from them, hides her life from there. Frankie is not a good friend the second half of the book.

Ultimately, this book is a complicated, emotionally investing, journey of women helping and giving their all to everyone else while never asking for anything in return to the detriment of their well-being. I learned a lot while reading this and is probably my favorite Kristin Hannah book to date. I would love to talk to everyone who has read this book.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

We were there.

The Vietnam War was, and still is, a controversial topic. And you know what is still bothersome about it? The fact that fifty years later we are just now getting stories of the women who served. I don’t know about you, but I have never heard anything about these women and what they did to save lives, boost morale, and yes, fight for our country. You didn’t have to be holding a gun to have fought and suffered in wartimes.

Some women had worn love beads in the sixties; others had worn dog tags.

This book is worth reading for Franci’s fiction story, but also for the real story of the women who were there and were never recognized for their service.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Kristin Hannah can do no wrong. Her stories just get better and better.

I almost didn't request this one as I feel like stories about wars/conflicts have saturated the market. However, after listening to a friend (who is my book twin) rave about this story I thought I'd give it a go and I am so glad that I did!

I alternated between the ebook version and the audiobook. The audiobook narrator was spot on. It worked so well. As Hannah does with most of her stories she tells them from a perspective that isn't as mainstream.

I loved the bond between the three friends that ended up more like family. They went to hell and back and showed up for each other when others didn't.

This summed it up well:

"The women had a story to tell, even if the world wasn't quite yet ready to hear it, and their story began with three simple words -- We were there."

Pick this one up and savor it. You won't go wrong.

Welp. One week into 2024 and I may have found my top read of the year??!!!! 😱🤯 Kristin Hannah is back with her newest novel, The Women, and DID SHE DELIVER. 🙌

GENRE: Historical Fiction
MY RATING: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 (5/5)
GIFT: Tysm @stmartinspress & @macmillan.audio for my #gifted early copies!

READ IF YOU LIKE:
▫️Coming-of-age stories
▫️Emotional reads 😢
▫️Themes of: friendship, family, heroism, & womanhood
▫️Nursing 🩺
▫️Music of the 60s/70s 🎶
▫️Tender romance
▫️Letter writing ✍️
▫️Single POV
▫️San Diego 🌴
▫️Audiobooks narrated by: @justjuliawhelan (her best work yet!!) 🎧

MY THOUGHTS:
I AM UNWELL 😭❤️🥺 all bright stars for this book!!!! Reading this book was like watching a memorizing movie that I didn’t want to end. I tried really hard to savor this story but in true KH fashion, I devoured it in two days. The few times I set it down (which was so hard to do!), it was all I could think about!!! 😳 This story fully consumed my heart, and still does.

In this action-filled story, we follow a twenty-year-old woman named Frankie, who signs herself up to be a nurse in the Vietnam war. The descriptions of war and what happened during this time was VERY well researched… Exquisitely so. We learned about the lives of the vets when they return home, but more so about what happened to the women after war, who were not recognized for their service. 😭 The story explores PTSD, addiction, grief, broken relationships, political issues, & more. This is a heavy read. Get. Your. Tissues. Ready. & buckle up!

Kristin Hannah has left a mark on my soul yet again! ❤️‍🩹 I already know this will be a reread for me someday. The author’s note is a MUST READ— KH has been brainstorming this book for years, which made me appreciate it even more. 🥺❤️

RATING EXPLAINED:
Perfection. The end. 👏 Okay in all seriousness, this book was stunning and POWERFUL. If you love Kristin Hannah or the historical fiction genre, you will eat this book up. The characters were masterfully crafted and the plot remained intriguing throughout. It even had some surprising moments!! Overall, *chef’s kiss*

DETAILS:
▫️Publishes: 2/6/24
▫️Pages: 480
▫️Format: Mix— audio & physical (audio was incredible)

This book is Kristen Hannah’s best book yet. I loved the setting of Vietnam and the repercussions of war on our Veterans. Frankie was a loveable character and you always wanted her to come out on the winning side of life. Highly recommend.

Rating this book as 3 stars, but in truth, the full first half of the book would only rate 2, maybe 2.5 stars from me. I was seriously on the verge of DNF, but because I've had such great experiences with Kristin Hannah before - this was my fourth book from her, and the first three were 4-5 star experiences - I decided to trudge on. The book eventually started to engage me more and more, once the main character, Frankie McGrath, was stateside after her harrowing experiences as an Army nurse in Vietnam. In fact, if I was just to rate the book on the second half alone, the book would very solidly be at least 4 stars in my estimation.

I feel guilty that that first half, when Frankie was still serving in Vietnam, that it didn't move me more, because I'm a veteran myself, and all three of my mother's brothers served in the Vietnam War. But, honestly, that part of the book read like a very long "China Beach" episode, and I was almost wondering when KC and Boonie (from that fantastic TV show) were going to show up. Somehow, I couldn't quite connect with that half of the book, even though Hannah very clearly did deep research into the lives and experiences of male and female veterans, especially the latter. At the end of the day, though, I very greatly appreciate the author illuminating the very real struggles our male and female veterans and their families went through, are in many cases STILL going through, and the voices she has given them. Thanks, Kristin Hannah.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions. Even though I struggled with this book's first half, I would strongly recommend it to my many fellow Kristin Hannah fans and to others.


P.S. If Frankie had had one more TaB, I would have gone ballistic! (It started to come across as product placement.)

“There were no women in Vietnam.”

Holy emotional turmoil.

I’d been wanting a book set during the Vietnam War, something deep and complex and real. The Women is exactly that book, and so much more.

This story is a visceral experience. I felt it all at my core.

I want to share my thoughts, but they’re full of spoilers. So I’m just throwing all the stars and all the love at this beautiful book, along with a thank you to Kristin Hannah for being extraordinary.

The audiobook production is fantastic. Julia Whelan brings each character’s unique personality to life, which allowed me to completely lose myself in the story.

*Huge thank you to St. Martin's Press and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook download.*

Kristin Hannah has done it again. She has enraptured me and transported me back in time. Bringing to light the many tragedies that flanked the Vietnam War. The war itself, women were over there, and they witnessed the many horrors that at the time men were only thought to experience. They were brave, tough as nails, and dove headfirst into danger. They were heroes, there is no doubt about that. But what happens when these women come back and are told this meeting is just for vets, women were not in 'Nam, and the worst, women cannot be heroes. My father did two tours in Vietnam. He always gets this haunted, lost look when he talks about coming back to the states. He was spit on, made to feel like his service was for nothing. I cannot even imagine going over to fight in a war and being treated that way when you come home. You can have a problem with a war, the politics, but do not take it out on the vets.

Frankie McGrath has just graduated from nursing school. Her father always made a huge deal of the hero wall that graced her house. Every man in the family that has served is on it. Including her brother who has just left for Vietnam. On the same day she signs up for the Army Nurse Corps, they receive the devasting news that her brother was killed. She steps off the plane in Vietnam not knowing what to expect, but it isn't this. The smell invades her nostrils, the humidity almost knocks her back, and she is left to wonder what she signed herself up for. You watch Frankie blossom from a newbie into an amazing surgical nurse. She has confidence and knows what she is capable of. She has also made the two most amazing friends you could ever ask for. As the days count down and the dreams of home invade her thoughts, she is excited to see her family. Again, what she walks into is not what she dreamed of.

You will need to have your tissues at the ready. Your schedule cleared as you rip through this astonishing read. It will fill you with rage and despair. The characters that Hannah created are extremely layered, flawed, and are left to flounder. PTSD lifts its ugly head time and time again. Frankie is laying at the bottom of a hole that is her life, not knowing what to do or where to go. In Vietnam she knew what to do, but in the States, she is turned away at every place she seeks help. I am sure this is going to be one of my top reads of the year. Thank you to Kristin Hannah and St. Martin's Press for this phenomenal read.

An easy 5 star! I fell in deep with this story, listening any chance I could get. THE WOMEN was an incredible read and will stay with me.

Thinking about this review, I kind of feel a bit of who am I to critique the content of this story and characters. It’s my understanding that while this is fictional, Kristin Hannah researched and took a lot of time in writing this book. I found it humbling and enlightening to read about the Vietnam War and the women that served.

I thought Hannah did a fantastic job bringing the reader into the realities of war. I felt Frankie’s slight naïveté about war, but also her resilience and resolve. The quickness but strength of the relationships and connections she made. The horror and tragedy occurring every day. The little glimmers of light and hope. The fury when women were perceived to not have served in the Vietnam War.

The writing was fantastic and I was easily absorbed from start to finish.

Thank you St Martin’s Press for the copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oh. My. God. This has to be Kristin’s best work yet! I was absolutely entranced by this book and avoided nearly all of my responsibilities in order to read and finish this as quickly as possible! The characters! The setting! She writes it so her readers can feel like they are right there alongside the characters. Would I have ever wanted to be alongside soldiers in war torn Vietnam before reading this book? No, but when I read this book I wanted to be right there next to them through all the bad things that were happening. These women in this story are BADA**. This is mainly a story of forgotten women in the Vietnam War but my god it is so much more than that. The feminism, friendships, grief, addiction, PTSD, loss, and love in this book is so well written that I need more of it! The trials and tribulations that these characters go through and their development and coping we see is so raw. I hurt with Frankie as she lost loved ones, as she experienced the horrors of war, the unwelcomeness of the world when she returned home, the PTSD, her parents unwilling to be proper parents, and all the other loss she endured. I cheered with Frankie as she became the woman and nurse she was meant to be in Vietnam. I personally enjoyed part 1 of the book better than part 2, solely for the reason that I was so angry for nearly all of part 2 (which I believe is the whole point). When books can get that much emotion out of their readers, then it’s an absolutely incredible 5 stars from me. Not only does it evoke serious emotion throughout the entire story with Frankie, but the side characters were AMAZING! I need a Barb and Ethel in my life. I saw Rye coming from a mile away and I refuse to forgive him for his poor life choices. But Jamie?!?! We will love him forever. But don’t get caught thinking this is somehow about the romance, this book is SOOOO MUCH MORE! I’m not sure I can put it into words but it is badass and inspiring and heartbreaking and everything I need in a book. I can’t do this book review justice because it was just that good. PLEASE GO READ THIS!!! ALL THE STARS!! I want to go back in time and experience this book for the first time all over again! Thank you so much for the ARC of The Women!

It has been awhile since I have read a Kristin Hannah book, but after finishing this one, I want to go back and read all of her backlist! This was an easy 5 star and a story I will not soon forget. It had all of the classic historical fiction, tug at your heart strings you expect from her books, but the amount of research that had to have gone in to this masterpiece is amazing.

I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone for the foreseeable future!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kristin Hannah has delivered another masterpiece. It is a testament to the enduring power of friendship, the strength of the human spirit, and the importance of women's voices in shaping their destinies. I learned about parts of the Vietnam war that I had no knowledge of. This novel is a must-read for fans of historical fiction, compelling characters, and stories that leave a lasting impact.I think it is my favorite Kristin Hannah but I have been saying that every time I read one of her books!

4.5. I can point out plentiful things that annoyed me in this book that make me reluctant to yell I LOVED IT, but the fact remains that I stayed up until after 3 am to finish it, have worked it over in my head all day, and remain warmly reminded of China Beach

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

"The Women" by Kristin Hannah is an emotional tour de force, with its poignant narrative, lovable characters, and meticulously researched depiction of a tumultuous era.

Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the novel introduces Frances "Frankie" McGrath, a twenty-year-old nursing student whose journey from the sun-drenched world of Southern California to the harsh realities of war is both heart-wrenching and inspiring. Hannah's writing is rich and evocative, immersing readers in the chaos and destruction of a war that forever alters Frankie's life.

The characters are beautifully rendered, their friendships deep and resilient amidst the challenges of life, death, and betrayal. Hannah explores the complexities of the Vietnam War and its aftermath, shining a light on the forgotten sacrifices of women who served. The novel resonates with bold patriotism and explores the profound impact of war on individuals and a nation divided.

Meticulously researched, "The Women" stands as a testament to Hannah's commitment to historical authenticity. It is a novel that not only tells one woman's war story but also pays tribute to the countless women whose sacrifices have been overlooked. A compelling and emotionally resonant read, "The Women" reaffirms Kristin Hannah's position as a masterful storyteller. In fact, "The Women" is now my favorite Kristin Hannah novel yet!

While I write this review, I’ve got my headphones in, listening to a random playlist when a song called Speechless comes on. It’s the perfect word to describe this story. With Kristin Hannah being one of my favorite authors I went into this book blind. Having had an uncle who died in the Vietnam War, I have been saying for years that I wanted a historical fiction novel that takes place during this time.

The Women tells the story of the women of the Vietnam War, one in particular named Francis who was a nurse during the war. We follow Francis during her time in the Vietnam War and what her life was like when she came back. This story is both heartbreaking, hopeful and beautiful. It sheds light on mental health issues from veterans from war. I haven’t felt this emotionally connected to one of Hannah’s stories since The Great Alone. Having a connection, even if it's a small one, to this time period made this novel that much better. This one will sit with me for a long while.

Frances “Frankie” McGrath is a 20 year old recent graduate of nursing school. We meet her as her family is preparing to send her older brother, a Naval Academy graduate, to Vietnam. In Frankie’s family, the men serve and the women get married. Her father has a wall of heroes in his office – the men are uniform, the women in wedding dresses. While viewing the wall, a friend of her brother’s, Rye, comes in and tells her that “Women can be heroes”. This inspires Frankie to volunteer to serve as a nurse in Vietnam. When the Navy and Air Force won’t send her to Vietnam right away, Frankie joins the Army in the hopes of being able , who will. What follows is the story of Frankie as she initially struggles as a nurse but then finds purpose and meaning for her life. She meets two fellow nurses who become her best friends as they help her navigate life in Vietnam and eventually back home. She connects again with Rye and they fall in love. She loses friends and patients due to the war and learns to find small bits of joy despite all of the horror. Upon her return to the U.S. she is stunned to see all of the hatred directed towards veterans. When she suffers from what we now know was PTSD, she struggles to find help because as we all know, “there were no women in Vietnam”. Most shocking is her parents, who told everyone that Frankie was in Italy studying – no one except her parents knew she had been in Vietnam. As Frankie struggles to find her place at home, a series of events leads her to down a path of depression and drugs.

I’m probably going to be in the minority, but this was just an average book to me. I really enjoyed the first half of the book where we see Frankie grow from a sheltered and naïve girl to an accomplished nurse who was sure of herself. The second half of the book started with the melodrama – I understand that there were a lot of issues that veteran’s faced coming back from Vietnam but it seemed like Frankie dealt with everything – her service not being recognized, being treated as a trainee nurse despite all of wartime experience, her parents not wanting to accept her service in Vietnam, PTSD, depression, drugs, etc. Throwing all of this in and then coming up with a neat conclusion for each seemed a disservice to the character. We only saw glimpses of Frankie’s struggles and progression – not the journey. The full-fledged character in the first half of the book became a bit of a stereotype for all of the issues that women in the 70s faced. In addition there were several plot twists that just didn’t work for me. I applaud the focus on unsung women but the full execution felt rushed at the end.

Another hit from Kristin Hannah, this novel takes place both on the frontlines of medical aid in Vietnam as well as the aftermath of serving in the war back in the United States. We follow young woman Frankie as she joins the Army as a nurse during the Vietnam war, and as she struggles to get back to civilian life following her service. This is a long, hard book, as we are in the front seat of Frankie's many mental health struggles throughout the decades after the war, but if you are familiar with Hannah's historical fiction, you know what you are getting in to. This novel does drag in a few places, but overall it is very engaging and informative and highlights a population of the military not often discussed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this ARC! This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and I was so excited to be approved to read it early.

Kristin Hannah does her research so thoroughly, it's hard not to feel immersed in her books. The Vietnam War is a period of time that I don't know a lot about. The Women was not only a great story, it was also a history lesson in some ways. The book is split into two parts - the first half covers nurse Frankie's experience on the ground in Vietnam, and the second half covers her homecoming and transition back into civilian life. The first half was thrilling and captivating, and there were moments my heart was in my throat. The second half was heartbreaking, and I wanted to reach into the pages and give Frankie a hug.

There were some aspects that prevented me from giving a 5 star rating. First is the depiction of the Vietnamese people - they were mostly nameless background characters, and I wish more care had gone into this. Frankie's friends, including Jamie, Barb, and Ethel, all had the potential to be well rounded, vibrant characters, but unfortunately they all felt a little one-dimensional. Barb and Ethel especially were designated as Frankie's helpers, vs. characters that stood on their own. The second half of the book felt like it dragged too long, and at times it felt like trauma for the sake of trauma. What else could this woman endure? Last but not least (SPOILER) I'm generally not a fan of the "comes back to life" trope, and it happened not once in this book but twice. It just felt unrealistic and too convenient.

All that said, I really did enjoy the book. I was moved when reading it and felt like I got something out of it that will stay with me.