She has done it again! I swear Kristen Hannah cannot write anything less than amazing. The characters were each so fleshed out and I cared about them so much. Real life is what comes from a Kristen Hannah book. Absolutely loved The Women, it may be my favorite book of hers. Thanks so much for this opportunity!

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for early access to this novel by my all time favorite author. Publication is due February 6, 2024

I’m sitting here trying to organize my thoughts and feelings. This book packs endless punches to your emotions. Don’t try reading this if you’re not in a good headspace.

Masterfully written, this story follows the fictional Frankie who joins the army nurse corp to serve her country during the Vietnam War with vivid details of the absolutely true unimaginable horrors it had in store. The second half then details how not only our government but the American people failed these vets in numerous ways. With the help of her best friends from the war Frankie does her best to readjust to her new world post war. Absolutely fantastic book that will stay with me forever.

To all who have served our country in any capacity, thank you.

Trigger warnings: intense and gruesome violence descriptions, alcohol and drug abuse, suicide

As the daughter, granddaughter and wife of men who bravely served our country and as a woman born during the war in Vietnam, I need to thank the amazing Kristin Hannah for this book. The story of war nurse Frankie McGrath and her incredible tribe of women is a story I will never forget. She brought the culture of the late 60's and 70's alive with her remarkable story telling and she didn't gloss over any of it - the good, the bad or the ugly. Her story was gripping, heartfelt, unforgettable and life-altering because it all felt so REAL. I felt like Frankie was MY sister, my friend and I was right there in the trenches with her, experiencing it all as she did. I became invested and during it all cried rivers of tears and then laughed until tears came as well.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Kristin Hannah for allowing me to read and review this amazing novel. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have adored all of Kristin Hannah’s books so I knew I would love this one as well. I am a big historical fiction reader and I find her books fascinating to read. Frankie is a young woman who has lived a privileged life and has always been proud of her country. When her brother is sent to Vietnam, her desire to be there too forced her to go to Vietnam as a nurse. That’s when the story takes you by the heart and doesn’t let go. It was like I was there experiencing everything with Frankie from the friendships she made to the losses she experienced to the trauma she witnessed. We follow her through her return to America and what she was left to deal with. It was so realistic and amazing. Kristin’s research is always top notch. This is a riveting story you will not soon forget. Thank you to Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and the very talented Kristin Hannah for the gift of this ARC. It will live in my heart for a long time.

4.5 stars. This was a well-written, important story of a woman who served in Vietnam. It’s heartbreaking, first with everything Frankie went through in the war, then coming home and being so horribly mistreated, and then suffering PTSD to the brink of suicide. I deducted half a star for the end, which struck me as unbelievable and had me rolling my eyes.

Thanks to Net Galley for the advanced copy in exchange for this review.

If I could give this book 10 stars I would. Possibly one of the very best books I have ever read. Frankie (Francis), Barbara and Ethel will stay with you long after you have put this book down. Especially Frankie, who came from a privileged life, and with her sense of patriotism and her desire to be with her brother, signed on for a tour as a nurse in Viet Nam. Her challenges, her friendships, the love and the losses she experienced during her tours were nothing compared to what she faces coming back to face America as it turned its back on the returning service men (and women). I literally could not put this book down, and stayed up way too long reading it, rooting for her and her friends and crying for all that they went through. Although this may be a novel, every emotion it elicits feels so raw and real. It gave me a new realization of what our nurses endured during that horrific time and how they were left behind even when they returned. A sincere thank you to Kristin Hannah for undertaking the effort and succeeding to be a voice for these heroes and to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to preview this amazing book.

This book is a dramatic and moving look at the VietNam war, the Civil Rights movement, and women’s rights, but mostly the Vietnam War and the many lives it changed. It explores the attitude towards women at that time in our history, and shows the difficulty women had in trying to make a difference and be recognized for their contributions. It was well written, emotional, and compelling. Excellent! Yes, indeed, there were women serving in Vietnam and they did make a difference!

*Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

I have been on a major historical fiction kick this year, so I was excited to see that Kristin Hannah had a new HF coming out. I really enjoyed this book, which focuses on the contributions that women made during the Vietnam War era. I knew that the war was controversial (understatement), but this book did such a great job of bringing to light the ways that Vietnam vets struggled when they came back home. I will say that this book didn't quite feel like Kristin Hannah at her best (Great Alone, Nightingale, etc)--a few parts felt a bit underdeveloped/simplistic but I still really enjoyed it.

I have been waiting to be approved for this title so when I received it I was so excited! I love Kristin Hannah's books and she is always a must read for me.

I am not usually a fan of books set during the Vietnam war but this one was written so well. I felt what Frankie felt through the whole book. I felt her fear, her love and heartbreak. I rooted for her against her father and I wanted her to find her happy ever after,

The writing was superb, the description of the surroundings both in Vietnam and at home made me feel like I was there with Frankie.

I vert much enjoyed this book and again Kristin Hannah has knocked it out of the park.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Women. Kristin Hannah is an auto buy author for me, and this book did not disappoint. Most of her books take place during an historic time, and this one is during the Vietnam War. The book primarily follows a privileged young woman who ends up in Vietnam as a nurse in service to her country and the challenges she faces there and when she returns home.

I received a copy of "The Women" by Kristin Hannah from Netgalley. This book is seen through the eyes of Frances "Frankie" McGrath. It is the mid 1960s. The War in Vietnam is sending American Soldiers to fight. Frankies older brother, Fin is sent to Vietnam. Frankie has just received her degree as a nurse and decides she wants go to Vietnam to be with her brother and work as a nurse. She joins the army and goes to Vietnam. There she sees the horrors of war. She is right in the worst of what can happen during a war trying to save wounded soldiers. She sees death and all the terrifying destruction being a nurse in Vietnam. she even has her own tragedies there. She ends up signing up for two tours there.
When she comes home she experiences the same issues that the men who fought there. the nightmares, reactions to loud noises only to find there are no resources that can help a woman who has also been in Vietnam. She spends years trying to get by each day with little help except from her fellow nurses who were there with her. She finds betrayals a home. and has several years of suffering after affects. This book takes the character up the the mid 1980s and what became Frankie over the years. I liked this book and thought the author did a good job capturing how it was like for a woman who served In Vietnam and how the soldiers were treated for serving in a War that many Americans opposed to .

I want to begin by thanking NetGalley, Kristin Hannah, and St. Martin's Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this book before it's February 2024 release date. Being a huge fan of Hannah's I couldn't wait to read it.

*Spoilers will be in this review* Warning*

I wanted to love this book as much as I did "The Great Alone and The Nightingale", but I couldn't. Don't get me wrong. I really like the story, but it didn't compare to those two. For me, it wasn't until halfway or more through the book where I couldn't put it down and wanted to know what happened next.
The part where Rye comes to Frankie's beach house for the first time since she thought he was dead left me aggravated. They expressed their love for one another and immediately he asks "where's the bedroom?" That didn't sit well with me.
There are a few descriptions in the story that I would have changed. Some of them lack something, or they're over the top in description. Again, Hannah has written some excellent books. I'm not saying this one isn't excellent. I know for a fact thousands will give this a 5 star rating. Each person reads a book differently and will perceive it their own way. This one felt to be lacking a little for more than half the book.

The family relationships weren't there. There's no family, no love. It just seems Frankie is destined to be alone and she becomes and addict. I wish she cared more about herself, but she spent entirely too much time alone in her own thoughts. Maybe I'm overthinking it a it.
I still enjoyed the story as most of you will. In my mind she should have ended up with the soldier who was in love with her in Vietnam that she never paid any attention to. If she'd met him again at the end and found he wasn't married and started dating; perhaps she would have seen what she gave up all those years ago and felt regret. That guy truly loved her I believe.

Anyway, good story, I love Kristin Hannah. She's one of my favorite authors. I will continue to read her books and buy them as gifts for family members.

I was trying not to sob on the plane to vacation while finishing this one. So moving and heartbreaking. It just hits straight in the feels. “The missing. The forgotten. The brave… The Women.” I believe this is the first book I’ve read about the women who served in the Army Nurse Corps in Vietnam. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart. The graphic descriptions of the reality of war are intense (but necessary). There is a little bit of everything: strong friendship, family struggles, love, heartbreak, mental struggle, and standing strong. The last sentence of the synopsis sums it up best. “A novel of searing insight and lyric beauty, The Women is a profoundly emotional, richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose extraordinary idealism and courage under fire define a generation.” This one is going to stick with me for a long time!

Kristin Hannah outdid herself with The Women. My favorite book by Hannah is The Nightingale but I have a list of others I greatly enjoyed as well like Four Winds and the Great Alone. For those Nightingale fans that thought Hannah will never be able to match that one, this is a book for you!
Frankie McGrath comes from a well-to-do family from Coronado Island, California. Like many from her generation, she was instructed in her role to marry well and become a mother. Frankie knew early on that she wanted more in life, so she started her journey with nursing school. Her life started changing when the Vietnam war broke out and her brother enlisted. In Frankie’s home, there was a hero wall dedicated to all the men in their family that had served in wars. Frankie always admired that wall, and wanted to find her place on it which lead her to take her nursing career on the road and enlisted herself as an Army nurse in Vietnam.
The details that Hannah gives as Frankie takes her first steps in Vietnam are so vivid and all my senses were engaged. Frankie is forced to adapt, and with two amazing friends, Barb and Ethel she learned. She sees so much trauma and death, yet continues to push on with her dedication to saving soldiers. She experiences love and loss repeatedly.
Nothing could’ve prepared her for her entry back in the civilian life. We have all heard of the ways that the Vietnam Vets were treated when they came home and it is heartbreaking as we watch Frankie experience it. In a time when the world knew so little about PTSD, addiction therapy, and mental illness; we follow Frankie as she desperately searches for help and understanding. You will go through the gamut of all emotions in this book! This was an amazing read and I can’t recommend it enough! For my fellow nurses out there, I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Many thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my #gifted copies. Pub date 2/6/24.

This is the best historical fiction book I've ever read! This is Kristin Hannah's best yet, which is hard to beat since her previous books are also amazing! This was a beautiful tribute to all the WOMEN who served in Vietnam. I never wanted this book to end. It totally wrecked me, and I hardly ever cry when reading a book. The writing was so amazing, real, and raw that I felt that I was in Vietnam right beside the women.

Set in the 1960s, twenty year old Frankie just graduated nursing school. She decides to follow in her brothers footsteps and signs up for the Army Nurse Corps after hearing the famous words: "Women can be heroes too." When Frankie lands in Vietnam, she can not believe her eyes. That's all I'm going to say because it's best to go in blind.

I have never read a book set in Vietnam, and this was definitely an eye-opener! This is one of my top 5 books of all time! I 1000% recommend this to anybody. Even if you are not a historical fiction reader, you still need to read this. I promise you, you will absolutely love it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

WOW. I can’t say anything else. I loved everything about this book. I loved Frankie feeling her sense of purpose and joining the Army against her families wishes, I loved her friendships and love she experienced in Vietnam and watching her nursing career evolve, I felt her pain coming home and having to constantly defend her experiences and career and failed relationships, and I loved the ending with the memorial and maybe a promise of something more. Another home run for Kristin Hannah!

I loved this book! I was a teenager during the Vietnam war and remember it well. Kristin Hannah did an excellent job recounting that time. I learned things I hadn't known as to what it was like over there. This book honored all the men and women who served in Vietnam. Thank you for yet another unputdownable book.

Frances "Frankie" McGrath wants to be a hero in the eyes of her father, especially after her brother is sent to Vietnam. Frankie was raised by a conservative, well-off family but wants something more. She obtains a nursing degree and ultimately joins the Army which sends her to Vietnam. Once there, Frankie is horrified by what she sees and discovers. She is thrown into situations due to the number of injured soldiers that goes well beyond her nursing skills.

Once Frankie's tour is over, she is very disappointed to find when she returns home to Coronado Island in San Diego that so many people were against the war and she is dismissed because she wasn't a soldier. She is shunned by many and no one wants to acknowledge her service because she wasn't fighting. Frankie continues to struggle with vivid dreams and depression and finds it hard to adjust to civilian life. She turns to her best friends who were in Vietnam quite often as they could commiserate with being in Vietnam together. The Women explores the little known response to the women in the military in Vietnam and how they were not acknowledged alongside the veteran soldiers. Yet again, Kristin Hannah has transported us to a time in history that many may not be aware of, told through the voice of courageous Frankie as she struggles through her life facing many challenges. And yet, Frankie really just wants to be seen and acknowledged for what she did.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read the ARC of The Women from this wonderful author, Kristin Hannah.

Kristin Hannah’s writing is always excellent, but in my opinion most of her books are fairly slow so it takes a while to get into them.

However I did very much enjoy this story and the ending gave me all the feels

Wow! Excellent book. I’m so happy she wrote this. I especially like that nothing was sugar coated. The Vietnam parts were very raw and harrowing. Then the descriptions of returning home and re-entering society were so honest. The characters were so rich and well-drawn. I kept thinking there would be a happy ending with Rye, but no. The Jamie twist at the end was great. This was a wonderful read. Thank you!