The Wartime Book Club Kate Thompson is like a love letter to the impact of books in our lives, especially during war time. Beautifully told by narrator Imogen Church the book encompasses bravery, friendship, love, violence, loneliness, and hope. The author thoughtfully enclosed a note at the end as well as a thorough book club kit. An excellent read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hatchett Audiofor the Audio ARC; all opinions are my own.

I read a lot of historical fiction and I thought this was a great book. I listened to the audio and I feel like if I had rad it myself I’d have enjoyed it a little more. The narrator got to be a bit much after awhile so I couldn’t listen to it in long stretches but the story was good enough to keep me listening. This is a story of Bea and Grace who are best friends and how the Nazi occupation affected their lives. Grace and Ash work in a library and hide banned books before the Nazis come to take them all away hoping to save some for after the war. Grace forms a book club to be held at the library, under supervision of a Nazi officer. Bea works at the post office and helps deliver messages about invasions & searches. They each try to do what they can to help others during this difficult time.

I immediately requested this audiobook because of how much I loved The Little Wartime Library. This author does such a fantastic job telling the story of book lovers and women in general during the WWII time period. The narration was easy to listen to and engaging. I will continue to read and listen to these books. For me, WWII stories are harder to read because I do not connect very much to that time period in history. However, these books by Kate Thompson give such a unique and powerful perspective that you do not learn in school. The women are so powerful, brave, and innovative. I especially enjoyed the part of the plot where the women hide letters and warn other women/families about the Nazi investigations. I never really thought about how connected libraries and postal services could be. And of course, I am a big advocate of not banning books. This was a very enjoyable book to listen to.

🎧The Wartime Book Club🎧
By: Kate Thompson
Narrated by: Imogen Church
Review Score: 3 1/2 Stars

Why Was This Book “Just Ok”?
While interesting, this book was very long. There were so many characters and storylines, it was hard to keep track of everything going on. I think, if the book was shorter, it would have been more engaging.

Do I still recommend it?
Yes. Overall, I think the story was well done, and fans of historical fiction might like it.


——

🎧 Audiobook Review! 🎧

The Wartime Book Club was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Hachette Audio. Thank you for allowing me to read this book!

Release Date: 4/9/24

Today’s “Just OK Wednesday” is about The Wartime Book Club.

I went into this book with very high hopes. I have only read a few books about the Nazi Occupation of the Channel Islands during World War 2, so I was very excited to give this one a whirl.

Overall, I have conflicting feelings about this book. There are ALOT of characters, and they all seem to be doing things on the side of the main plot, which made it hard to keep up with at times.

I also feel that, if this book was shorter, it would have been more engaging to stay with. You could almost have 2 stories here, but because they are interwoven, it actually makes it hard to follow.

With that being said, I do think people who like Historical Fiction would like this book. I did like it, I just didn’t love it.

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This is the second book in a series that I have thoroughly enjoyed! The Wartime Book Club continues the story of Grace and Bea through WW2. This historical fiction highlights the difficulties during the time but emphasizes the censorship by the German’s. Each chapter highlights a banned book 📚. The character development is well done and the narration is excellent. I look forward to reading/listening to more novels by Kate Thompson.
Thank you Net galley, Kate Thompson, Hachette Audio for the opportunity to preview this audiobook and my opinions are my own.
#NetGalley #HachetteAudio #TheWartimeBookClub #KateThompson

This review would not automatically publish to Good Reads so here is a link to my posted review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6332138473

I am hooked on historical fiction, especially WW2 times, both the memoirs and the ones like this, based on actual events. I love that people were brave enough to save books, hide them, and yet keep people reading in the darkest times.
I enjoyed this book, both regular and audiobook. I am a fan of this author and will definitely keep reading her in the future.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

(3.75) This was another lovely WWII book.

It follows two women - Bea and Grace - as they work to survive the occupation of their home in Jersey. They each work to resist and support their neighbors. Grace does so through running the library, creating a book club, and sharing books with the community. Bea works with the postal service, and also works to save people who have been informed on by their neighbors.

I really enjoyed this story. There were times when I felt like Bea was a bit too reckless. But I also understood why she was doing everything. I liked seeing how these two women worked within their capacity to resist the occupation. It was not big things, but it was enough to maintain moral and save some neighbors from arrest.

Of course there is a bit of romance in this story. It felt a little unnecessary, but also shows how life goes on even in the hardest of times.

I would definitely recommend to fans of wwII fiction.

Such a lovely historical novel. Absolutely heartwarming but informative, completely enthralling but true to historical fact. I fell in love with the interesting cast of characters, while occasionally remembering The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. My favourite quote was 'Books will get you through a life without money, but money won't get you through a life without books'. The audiobook in particular was perfect. Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for this ARC

WOW. I’m a huge fan of WWII historical fiction novels and this one quickly shot to the top of my list. This book will make you feel it all - you will laugh, you will cry, you will cheer, and you will be horrified by what Grace, Bea, and the islanders of Jersey had to endure throughout the German occupation in World War II. The representation of women’s strength and friendship during tough times was inspiring and uplifting.

I absolutely loved the reading of the names of books that were banned/burned, with the ridiculous reasons that they were banned. The narrator kept me engaged the entire time and did a great job at differentiating between different characters and accents. 


This was my first time reading a book by Kate Thompson but definitely won’t be my last. Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*audiobook*
AMAZING! This is one of those books that sucks you in from the very beginning and fills you with such a range of emotions.

Inspired by true events, The Wartime Book Club takes place in 1943 during WWII during the German occupation.

Kate Thomson did a wonderful job with character development with believable characters. I absolutely loved how each chapter started with a banned book. This was my first Kate Thompson book and it won’t be my last!

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I recommend this book to all bibliophiles. The story follows two friends, Grace and Bea. The one woman is a librarian and the other works for the post office.
The women are friends and stand up for justice in extraordinary circumstances.
The book gives you an idea of what it feels like if you’re constantly under observation not just by the nazis but by hungry neighbours.
The aspect of this historical fiction that took it to the next level is the fact that it also show you the impact war has on those with chronic health conditions.
There is no LGBTQIA representation in this novel. Which might be a product of its historical era.
But overall this is a story of friendship & the true power of books. This book walks a good line between historical fact and historical fiction.
I especially recommend this book to those looking for a uplifting read. People who want to read about female power in a historical context. People who are interested in banned books, Bravery from unexpected people. This is also a book for people who like to read about community.


Narrator: Delivers the audiobook in a smoothing voice which makes it a relaxing read to listen to despite the heavy content.
Bookish bonuses: One of my favourite bonus moments in the book is the snippets of books banned under Nazi occupation. It gave you the reason why it was band and the response of the author when they found out it was band.
Facts: The book has a large section at the end explain which actual facts informed what parts in the story.
So if your interest in knowing the facts behind the story.

This was a pleasant surprise! I wasn’t familiar with this author, but now I am very interested to read more of her books!

The Wartime Book Club is set on the Island of Jersey during Nazi occupation. It tells the story of two friends and their small acts of resistance (with shocking results).

As the title might suggest, books play a huge role in the story, and in unexpected ways...

If you loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I highly recommend checking this out! The characters are memorable and their stories are engaging.

I was able to enjoy this book as an audiobook and I have never heard such Amazing voice acting (and I’ve listened to a Lot of audiobooks)! Even though there was only one person, she obviously put her heart and soul into the reading of the text!

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Audio for the opportunity to experience this fabulous audiobook!

The Wartime Book Club, by Kate Thompson, I wasn't really sure what to expect, and I was absolutely blown away. This story is so rich with accurate historical facts and insight. Combined with characters that were so real that I found myself swept away. It took me through the full range of emotions, that at times had me on the edge of my seat. The narrator did an amazing job making this audio book a wonderful l experience.

I listened to the audio version of the Wartime Book Club and thought the narrator did a masterful job.
This is yet another WWII book but in a different setting than other books. It is on the island of Jersey and the island was occupied by the Germans for 5 years.
The main two characters are two women who have been best friends for years. You see them struggle with issues of collaboration and resistance throughout the book. Grace works at the library and shared her love of and solace from books with her community. Of course there were many books banned by the Nazis but Grace kept a secret cache of them. She delivered books throughout the town and ran a Wartime Book Club at the library, overseen by a Nazi soldier.
As the war goes on Grace and Bea experience love, turmoil, cruelty and yes, happiness too. This book portrays well the day to day life of occupation and its implications for all.
For those of us who have not lived in a country with war on our grounds, or an occupation by a foreign power, the book brought to life all the little details that are impacted
The book was easy to read and informative, with strong characters and themes- what else could a reader want?
I was given an audio copy of this book by the author, publisher and NetGalley in exchange for this review

Set on the Isle of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, during the Second World War, The Wartime Book Club tells the story of life under the German occupation and the ways in which some island residents carried on their own homegrown resistance movement.

Told from the perspective of two young friends—Grace, a librarian, and Bea, a postal worker—the book details both the travesties experienced by those on the island as well as their moments of hope, love, and connection.

I especially liked how each chapter opens with the title and author of a book banned by the Nazis and the explanation of why the book was banned.

Even-keeled Grace and impetuous Bea are good foils for each other, and I appreciated how they each try to make a difference in their own way.

This is a well-researched story. Thompson clearly cares about telling the day-to-day story of this period in history. Stick around after the story to hear about her research and visits to Jersey.

Overall, while I value the story being told here, it did run long for me and I was not as engaged as I would have liked. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is a comparable story that I prefer to this one.

Imogen Church’s narration is pleasant. Her voices for Grace and Bea feel a bit mature for their age range, though. I do wonder if I would have connected to the book more in print than I did with the audio version.

I received an advance copy of the audiobook from Hachette Audio and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own.

This was another heart-reaching book, inspired by true events, set in WW2. It was reminiscent of “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” It focuses on the inhabitants of the Isle of Jersey during the Nazi occupation. The two best friends Grace, a librarian, and Bea, a postal worker, do everting they can to help the people of the island. Grace starts a book club to help the people get their mind of the hardship they are going through. Grace and Bea were such strong and brave women, even after everything they went through.
Besides Grace and Bea, I also loved Red and Peter, their stories were excellent.
This book is well worth a read, especially if you are interested in the historical aspect, but also love reading books about libraries. It was well written and researched. I appreciated the book club discussion questions in the back of the book. This makes it a great book to use to book clubs.
The audio version of this book was great. It was narrated by one of my favorite narrators, Imogen Church, she does a terrific job with any book she narrates. Listening to this book makes you feel extra immersed in it. I highly recommend it.

An EXCELLENT WWII historical fiction novel that takes place on the Isle of Jersey during their five years of Nazi occupation. It's no surprise that I loved a book about a librarian hiding banned books and helping her community survive incredibly harrowing times through the joys of reading. This was also a book about found family, friendship, love, loss, strength in the face of great deprivation and sooo much more.

I really liked how each chapter started with a banned book and the incredible author's note and extra bonus content included at the end. Great on audio with a fun reference to the author's last book, The little wartime library. Highly recommended for fans of The Guernsey literary and potato peel pie society. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I was really looking forward to this book since I loved Thompson’s The Little Wartime Library, but I could not get past the narration of this audiobook. Unfortunately it was not for me and I will have to read this book rather than listen to it before I give a true review of the writing itself.

The Wartime Book Club, written by Kate Thompson and narrated by Imogen Church is simply phenomenal. Not least for the skill in wrting the book and narrating the audiobook, but for the fact that it is based around the people and events of occupied Jersey in WWII. This in itself adds extra poignancy and significance to the novel

I need to begin by applauding Imogen Church for the stunning narration in this audiobook. The emotion, vivid portrayal, powerful nuance and beautiful cadence really accentuated the outstanding writing making this an unmissable listen. Essential listening if you will

The occupation of the Channel Islands is one of the lesser known stories of WWII but absolutely significant. The incredible tenacity and fortitude of residents who were not able to evacuate before the German forces invaded is testament to the strength of the human spirit and endurance

The story is centretd on the friendship between Grace (the librarian) and Bea (the postwoman) and their lives throughout the atrocities of the occupation. Their experiences, love and loss. The story is equally joyful and tragic, moments of rapture and horror, all encompassed in the spirit and strength of the community

Books are central to the novel as the title suggests. Grace and Ash hid books looked upon with disdain by German propogandists before the Germans reached the library, saving them from destruction. Likewise, residents used books for escapism from their daily lives and even, to help them to communicate with escaped prisoners. The theme of books was consistent and relevant to their importance through time

This novel is due to become an essential piece of historical literature and whether you prefer the outstanding audiobook, or through this are inspired to read the physical copy, don't hesitate. Kate Thompson's narrative is excellent and Imogen Church's narration exceptional. A must-read/ must-listen and now I am off to read the book!

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Audio, the incredible author Kate Thompson and phenomenal narrator Imogen Church for an outstanding ALC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own