I always love a great ww2 story! I really enjoyed the authors notes at the end to add additional info and for me to learn more!

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan was the first book to give me a "book hangover" in months. Following the lives of three women whose stories converge in World War II London this title immediately draws you in and has you invested in their journeys. While WWII books as well as books about librarians have become fairly common in the last few years, this is the first one that has held my attention past the first few pages. This title takes on multiple women's societal issues. One character faces an unwed pregnancy and we see the social stigma faced by unwed mothers at the time as well as some of the extreme measure taken to end the pregnancy or hide the information. Another woman faces a family who does not value her love of "books over boys" and the disgrace of a fiancé who likely deserted the army. Our third main character presents us with an account of a German of Jewish faith fleeing her home and going to from a life of privilege to a one of servitude, all the while hoping for some news of her family and if they were also able to escape. All three women are facing challenges from society and at home/work, what brings them all together is the local library and their desire to keep the hope and community alive through books during the darkest time of their lives. I highly recommend this title!

This was a fantastic book! I love that it was based on true happenings during The Blitz. I love the strength of the women of this story during a time when women weren't visibly strong but definitely needed to be. Libraries and books have always been important and this book shows just how much. Absolute must read!

Based on a true story, this is a beautifully written novel about three women who are connected by books, literature, and the library. Some of my favorite things. ❤️ Following the story of the library, Juliet, Katie, and Sofie through the war, and the people their lives are intertwined with, was heart wrenching yet enriching. Excellent read for historical fiction lovers!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced digital reader's copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review!

This book combined my love for historical fiction with my love for literature. Most World War II novels contain very daunting elements and can be hard to get through, but this book gave a glimmer of hope and a sense of community throughout the pages. This story follows three women during a fictional account of the bombing of the Bethnal Green Library and how a small community in London rallied together to bring an underground library amid the bomb raids.

The story was a quick read while switching between the three women's perspectives. All three women were likable, and their stories intertwine well. I enjoyed reading how Juliet, Katie, and Sofie worked together to bring books down underground when the community needed them the most and started a nightly reading to attract more people. The three women may have been merciful to the war, but Ioved how they took charge and brought the community together with the power of books.

I also loved how this book is an homage to books and how libraries can provide comfort and familiarity through tough times. Bringing the library underground created a world where they could escape their difficult life and become surrounded by community. Being a part of the library world myself made this book a little more special for me. This story tells a tale of friendship, strength, courage, and love for books.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for giving me a copy of the book.

Juliet, Katie, and Sofie are three young women who find themselves joining together to save their beloved Bethnal Green Library in WWII London. This work of historical fiction based on actual events follows a trio of women who were brought together by chance, but become integral to each other's survival. In the face of war, suffering, death, and scandal, these resilient women are able to find their strength and persevere in the face of adversity.

This is a total "book-lovers book." At the center of the story is the underground library and the women's effort to preserve it, however each of them are individually faced with personal tragedies they must overcome. Each character has her own unique voice- and yet their stories are beautifully intertwined. Side note- I had NO idea that this was inspired by real life events which made it even more special.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Jennifer Ryan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Instagram: 11.6.23- https://instagram.com/the_books_we_love_?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Goodreads: 11.5.23- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/177185877

Living in an era that's facing book banning, #TheUndergroundLibrary reminds us of the importance of freedom of speech. Brave women banded together to keep the libraries open even taking them underground during the war.

Books afford us to armchair travel and expand our horizons beyond our walled existence. Having something to look forward to or get purposely lost between covers is an escape that always us to be free.

The protagonists are facing their own quest for freedom. Juliet is running towards a brighter future to become a deputy librarian. Sofie escaped Germany but that came at a cost when she was forced to leave her family behind. Continuing to fight to remain free, will Sofie's search for her loved ones finally allow her to move forward from the past?

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early edition of #TheUndergroundLibrary in exchange for an honest review. I love historical fiction and this story is a tribute to the brave women who defied society's expectations to banish book banning and preserve the libraries.

Based on the true story on a library which moved into an underground station during WWII, we meet Juliet, Sofie and Katie - all from different walks of life but brought together by their love of books. A magical story of friendship and perseverance in the face of adversity. A must read.

I read a lot of World War II novels so it is a treat to come across one that is unique. The Underground Library was captivating from beginning to end. The novel is well researched and presented events and information that I did not know, yet it never seemed bogged down by presenting historical facts as can happen with historical fiction. I enjoyed the variety of characters that populated this novel. It will be a very welcome read to those who love happy endings.
The underground library is excellent and would present a great deal for book clubs to discuss, in fact I will be presenting it to mine.

"Books are like old friends, telling us great truths, holding our hands through the difficulties, showing us light and joy at the end of every tunnel.”

The Underground Library is inspired by real life events. During the Blitz of WWII, London's Bethnal Green library was bombed, and the staff moved the library into the underground train station to continue to serve the community. These stations were used as shelters by thousands of people, featuring subterranean schools, medical facilities, and even theaters. This book tells a fictional story against this backdrop, of several women whose shared love of books and reading create a community based on mutual aid and support. Juliet moves to London with dreams of being a librarian, and an AWOL fiance believed to have deserted his military unit. Sofie is a Jewish refugee who managed to escape Berlin with a visa permitting her to work as a domestic in Britain, desperate for news of the sister and father she had to leave behind. Katie is about to begin university when she receives two pieces of shocking news - an unplanned pregnancy, and a boyfriend who is MIA and presumed dead. Their friendships with each other and with others in the community help them find comfort and security in a terrifying and devastating time.

The story itself is quite well researched, rich with period details that make the setting feel immersive, detailed, and specific to the time and place. The author does a good job capturing the feeling of the period, sensitively handling topics such as anxiety, PTSD, army desertion, the plight of Jews in Europe, and exploitation of Jewish refugees in "safe" countries.The characters are sympathetic and well developed. The plot has a satisfying arc and resolution. The writing, however, is inconsistent - at times strong and eloquent, at others clumsy and unpolished. It makes me wish I could edit this book, or that its current editor would have another go at it.

There are frequent spelling errors (principle/principal, pedal/peddle, sight/site, wretch/retch, prize/prise, etc) grammatical errors (eg. "ladened" instead of laden) and incorrect word usage ("plundering" when blundering would be a better fit, or "unmitigated" when unqualified would be more appropriate because to mitigate means to help make less bad so it's usually applied to negative things - we don't really mitigate good things). There are factual errors (for example, postpartum lochia lasts for about six weeks, not a day or two). The dialogue is occasionally a bit weird (commenting on the job of ambulance drivers who deal with the human carnage in the aftermath of bombings, a character opines "“It’s not always a pleasant way to spend an evening.” as if... sometimes it is?) The writing is sometimes awkward ("even now, at a quarter to four, the sun beamed warmth onto her exhausted face." Is it really so weird that the sun is actually still up in the afternoon in August?) And some plot elements seem unrealistic (for example, it's difficult to believe that there are no real qualifications or educational requirements to become a head librarian or a teacher beyond simply wanting to be one). It's unfortunate that the story is marred by many instances of awkward writing, because otherwise it's very good.

P. S. There are many literary references to well-known books, as a book about a library should have, but when the characters were swooning over Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights as a sexy romantic hero I beg to freaking differ. Heathcliff is a violently abusive human dumpster fire, unless wife beating, child abuse, and rage-killing puppies are romantic green flags to you. I hate Heathcliff. I hate Wuthering Heights. And I hate that it gets hailed as a romance when it's not. This is just a me thing, however, and does not affect my rating.

I'm thankful to the author, the publisher, and to Netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

I want to thank Penguin Random House/Ballantine Books for allowing me to read and review The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan. She previously wrote The Chilbury Ladies Choir.
“The pages had been read, the knowledge absorbed, the ideas around her already challenged.”
The book begins in Berlin in 1939. The Nazi’s are making life impossible for the Jewish people. Sophie is being sent to England to work as a housekeeper. Juliet has gotten a job at a library for the summer before going to college. Katie finds the library an escape from domineering parents.
The bombs are falling nightly. The local library is partly destroyed. These three ladies bond with each other and some wonderful people in the community. The underground becomes a safe refuge. Juliet, with a lot of help, transfer books and creates The Underground Library. There is a lot of drama, Survival is the key!
The Underground Library is the kind of book you just want to curl up in a big comfortable chair with a cup of tea and read! Jennifer Ryan’s characters seem so real! Women in particular will enjoy this book
It will publish 03/12/2024..

Readers who enjoyed the Ladies of the Chilbury Choir and their dogged determination will LOVE The Underground Library. A beautifully crafted story, women once again take center stage. The spoils of war necessitated the women’s willingness to step up, step in and assume responsibility. Residents were clustered in underground rail tunnels to shelter from nightly bombing raids on London. When a library is obliterated by a bomb, a quick thinking employee saved the books by moving shelves of books underground. Soon, the highlight of evening sheltering was a literary event, with readings and sharing. Equally well written are the stories of individual characters as they navigate their individual lives and relationships.

This was an interesting bit of history about London's Blitz period that I didn't know about. It was heartwarming to read about the Bethnal Green community coming together during this time through their love of books. At times the Katie character's plot seemed a bit out of place, or perhaps deserving of her own novel, but it did come together at the end.

I really enjoyed this book! The character building was perfection, even though the characters converged on each other, they had very strong personal storylines. The way the background building was written for the budding love stories, the writing of the conflicts. This was written for the purpose of the reader, very easy to get through. I could feel the emotional struggle of having to leave all you knew behind for the purpose of saving your life, the community when the bombings began having to pull together morale up, the struggle the women endured to create an identity for themselves, the hunger, the fear.

I do not wish to give any spoilers in this story but OH MY! There are characters that you will love and characters that you will NOT. To find out that this is a true story made the book even better.


Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this ARC read!

Juliet is finding things a bit slow at the Bethnal Green Library where she is the new deputy librarian. She intends to change that, no matter the men doubting her.

Katie is happy to be working at the library until she begins university. Her boyfriend has died in the war already and her family is a mess. Not to mention a secret she is holding tight.

Sofie is a Jewish refugee. Coming to London as a worker, she is stuck with a cruel man and she escapes to the library as much as she can.

When the library is bombed, Juliet moves the books to the underground station where a lot of people are taking shelter.

As trouble piles on, are the ladies strong enough to survive?

An excellent look at WWII, the Blitz, and the unbreakable spirit of these women. A beautiful story and very well written.

Netgalley/ RHPG Ballentine March 12, 2024

In WWII London women took on roles that were formerly unavailable to them. Juliet Landsdown is thrilled to get a position as deputy librarian at the Bethnal Green Library. She makes friends with Katie, a co-worker. Together they start a book group and other services, flying under the radar of the head librarian. A young Jewish refugee, stumbles into the library and is also befriended. When a bomb lands on the library they move the books to the underground shelter and continue to provide library serv ices - supporting the community and each other.
Thanks to NetGalley for an eGalley of this title.

The Underground Library is the second Jennifer Ryan World War II novel that I have read. Like the Wedding Dress Sewing Circle, in The Underground Library, Ryan has taken a true event from World War II and created a wonderfully researched historical novel. During the Blitz bombing of London in 1940-41, citizens took shelter in the Underground. Although there was an initial attempt to not allow the Underground to be used as a shelter, it quickly became evident that those deeply buried underground tunnels could provide safety for people. Medical facilities were established in the Underground, and when libraries were bombed, creating libraries in the safety of the Underground was a natural response. These true events form the basis of Ryan's novel.

Juliet, who is the fictional librarian of The Underground Library, creates a welcoming community for all who gather to shelter in the London Underground. Another librarian, Katie, joins in helping to establish this Underground library. Both librarians are joined by Sofie, a Jewish refugee, for whom the library provides a lifeline. The Underground Library focuses on these 3 women. Ryan creates believable characters with complex lives. Each woman must overcome personal tragedy and do so with fortitude and strength. Ryan's research in a numbers of subjects, from military deserters, to unmarried pregnancy, to the plight of Jewish refugees, to the importance of community are all part of the research for this novel. The plot is complex, with lots of details. It is easy for readers to embrace this novel. And like many of Ryan's novels, readers can count on a happy ending, at least for some people. In a time of war and tragedy, it is a relief to have a happy ending.

I want to thank the author, publisher, Random House, and NetGalley, where I first discovered Ryan's novels, for providing this ARC in exchange for my honest review. The statements above are definitely my honest opinion of Jennifer Ryan's The Underground Library.

This was good not great. I agree with those who say the women could have been further developed but as a romance it was good.

Loved this book so much! I found the historic details of the underground library fascinating. I have worked in a library and have experienced the bonds often made between co-workers and library patrons. I adored each character and found myself cheering for each one of them. The book wraps up at Christmas time and put me in the holiday spirit! I will remember this book always!

Fantastic! Often WW2 based historical fiction has very similar storylines, but this was creative and had me hooked from the beginning. I love the way we followed three women with very different lives and backgrounds as they navigate the difficulties of war and limited options for women. Highly recommend.