Here we are back with a second book in this series and to the lives of these hard working girls. They have a new girl arrive so how will things work out with her. Liked this very much and will give it 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC

Courage for the Homefront Girls is the second in a planned trilogy The Homefront Girls by Susanna Bavin. Both books can easily be read as standalone stories as there is plenty of background information provided as to what previously happened and it’s not a case of having to dig deep and read between the lines which I dislike having to do in books when I am dipping into a series rather than starting at the beginning. As it is only a few short weeks between publication dates for both books the characters and storyline were very much fresh in my mind when I started this second story and I have to say from the outset I really enjoyed this book and even more so than the first. I think this is partly because I was familiar with the characters and there were no what I felt were introductory chapters as there needed to be in the previous book. Things pick up more or less from where the previous book left off and then moved along at a good pace throughout. I felt this book really moved the series along as a whole and with the introduction of a new character it also made things feel fresh.

October 1940 and the war is in full swing with bombs falling nightly on Manchester where Sally and Betty live. They are two brave and strong women who at first you would never have put them together as friends but through circumstance they have come together and now have a solid friendship which is only strengthened throughout the course of the book. A change in both their work circumstances has lead to them both working at the salvage depot. To be honest I’ve never given the merest of thoughts to the topic of salvage but Susanna Bavin makes it interesting and informative and has clearly done a lot of research around her subject matter. All the little details surrounding the salvage work the girls do, what the salvage is used for, how it benefits the war effort and how it establishes a sense of self-worth and community spirit all add to the entire story. But apart from that it’s the personal lives amidst the backdrop of the war that make this an exciting, heart-warming and engaging read.

Sally is now happily married to Andrew and they live with his mother. She has stepped up to become manager of the depot although Mrs Lockwood from the WVS seems to think that she is the bee’s knees and is in charge of everything. Boy did she deserve to be put in her place and this has needed to occur since book one. She is an awful person who thinks she is above everyone else and can just boss them around without actually doing any work herself, be it voluntary or paid. I don’t know how Sally kept her anger under control because the way she was spoken to was abhorrent and it was so demeaning. She held her dignity and self-worth very well because she knew she needed the job and also the fact that she enjoyed working with Betty. I did find Sally ever so slightly took a back seat at some points in this book and Betty and the new character of Lorna came to the fore but when Sally was needed the most she really put her neck on the line and I admired how she dealt with one of the major plots of the book and it showed how friends are always there for each other through the good times and bad.

For me Betty as a character is still someone who is very vulnerable and gullible and she shows these characteristics very strongly here. She has gained some independence since a situation in the previous book but still has very much a rocky relationship with her stepmother Grace. She longs to keep the connection with her Dad but new events with her mean he very well may be disappointed with her. Grace takes every opportunity to get a dig in at Betty and keep her away from her father. It’s like she resents Betty in the first place. I just wish that Betty was strong enough to stand up to her but she doesn’t ever say what she is truly feeling for fear it would upset her father and create a big chasm between them.

Betty meets Samuel when he needs help in his bookshop sorting through books that have been donated for the troops and to be used to replenish stocks of libraries that have been bombed out. Samuel is an absolute sweetheart. So kind, gentle and unassuming and you could tell that he is very self-conscious of his stammer. It was plain to see that he was developing feelings for Betty but she has her head in the clouds and is obsessed with another man who comes to the depot-Eddie. Right from the start Eddie caught Betty’s attention and she was right under his spell. He seemed to be a charmer and too good to be true. There was just something about him that seemed very off to me and my suspicions grew the further I read and suffice to say Betty’s story took a very interesting turn in the last quarter or so of the book and I wondered would she find anyway to redeem herself.

Lorna was the new character who was introduced and it was a breath of fresh air to have someone new as I was expecting the story to continue to follow just Sally and Betty. Lorna comes from a totally different background to that of Sally and Betty but is brought royally back down to earth when a court case with her fiancée who had jilted her goes terribly wrong. Her parents are furious and it’s obvious that don’t particularly care for her feelings rather instead they favour the money they would have benefitted from had she married George who held a title. Lorna does have feelings and I genuinely think that she did love George but thanks to her parents she was caught up in a mess that was only going to turn out one way. As a means of escaping the publicity surrounding the court case Lorna is sent away by her father and he finds her a job at the savage yard where he hopes no one find her nor will anyone discover her story. To say Lorna experiences a fall from grace would be an under statement and when she first arrives at the depot she seems to be very stuck up and acts like the work is so far beneath her. No wonder Sally and Betty couldn’t warm to her and Sally had to exert her authority even though it wouldn’t have been her favourite thing to do.

Deep down Lorna is lonely and over time she comes to regret what she went through with George and wishes that things could have turned out differently. Still, as much of an addition as she was I didn’t 100% warm to her and I still feel more connected to Betty and Sally. Maybe that will change with the next book. She was very emotionally separate from both of the girls when she was working but when a big twist occurs in the story which I do admit I guessed at, she really did start to change and become more down to earth. I loved the twist and how all the girls had to come together as one in a time of great trouble. It showed how friendships really matter and that we all have to take care of one another especially with all the hardships and horrors that the war brings. I really enjoyed my return visit to the Homefront Girls. The character development has been very good and the storyline kept me engaged. I’m looking forward to seeing how everything pans out in the concluding instalment which I hope we won’t be kept waiting too long for.

Courage for the Home Front Girls by Susanna Bavin is my first time reading from this author, the second book in "The Home Front Girls" series and oh my life I was utterly invested in Betty and Sally from the get-go!

Betty and Sally are best friends, working in the same salvage depot and volunteering for the Auxiliary fire service, doing their part on the home front in WWII. Betty volunteers to help with sorting out books to send to the soldiers overseas and meets Samuel, a quiet, but candid man who she almost immediately falls for, but who is the man that keeps asking after her at work?

Sally loses everything in a terrible air raid, the worst the girls have ever experienced. Not only was sallys home decimated, but all of her property stolen, leaving her destitute. Betty finds out thee truth behind the looting and feels that she is somehow responsible and as such, embarks on a mission to catch the thief, racing out into the night... and immediate peril from another raid!

Oh my goodness, my heart was ricocheting around my chest throughout this book. The characters are likable, relatable and endearing, the research is outstanding and the storyline compelling. Susanna Bavin writes from the heart and soul and with her wonderful descriptions, deep empathy for her characters and dynamic storylines is an author I will be following from here on out

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author Susanna Bavin for this wonderful ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

It was great to be back with Sally and Betty. Now that Sally had been promoted it left a job in the salvage depot. Mrs Lockwood came barging in like she was the boss with Lorna the new recruit. Sally and Betty couldn’t help but notice that Lorna seemed to think herself better than them and definitely too good to do this grubby work. The book follows the ups and downs of all three of the girls as they all have their own struggles as they try to get through this difficult time during World War Two. I look forward to reading book three when it comes out

I really enjoyed reading this story. It’s the 2nd in a series and easy to read as a standalone. *I read both stories. This continues with the friendship of Betty and Sally who work at the salvage depot in Manchester during WWII. Everyone takes on additional responsibilities and Sally and Betty work at the Salvage Depot during the day and are fire spotters at night. It introduces some new characters rich socialite Lorna, charming Eddie, and sweet and steady Samuel.


My thoughts: I’m really enjoying this series. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to live during that time. Most everyone felt a sense of duty and patriotism to their country and they had to take on additional responsibilities at home. It would’ve been hard to live in an area where you were bombed most nights and either had to spend your night in nearby shelters. The characters are great, even the new ones. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the girls and there was even a bit of mystery for them to solve. The author did a wonderful job of telling an engaging story, all while showing the way of life during WWII England.
I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series.


Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC.

We are back with Betty and Sally the Home Front girls girls and another girl called Lorna joins them.A night Betty and Sally are AFS girls.Betty volunteers to help Sam to sort books for the service men.Kelly's house is destroyed in an air raid and litters take what they can.Betty thinks she is to blame so sets out to find the thieves.Another great book in the Home Front girls series.Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture.

This is Book 2 in the Home Front Girls series. It can however be read as a standalone but do try and read book 1 as it’s also a wonderful read. We are back with Sally and her friend Betty who both work at the salvage yard and Sally is now the Manager of the depot. It’s 1940 and the Blitz is causing upheaval and havoc everywhere. The two women are doing their utmost to help their country during this dreadful war. We are introduced to some new characters in this book. I won’t be giving too much away about them but let’s just say some of them are hiding a secret or two. This is another excellent read in this series and I really developed a strong liking for the majority of the characters and the storyline kept my interest right up until the final chapter. I love the strong bond that has developed between Sally and Betty and how close they now are . The author has such a wonderful way with words and describes so well how the people were affected by the war and how they would do anything to help each other. I really look forward to reading the third book as I so want to find out how they are all getting on .

Sally, who was featured in the first book of this series, is newly married to Andrew. She has just been made manager of the salvage depot where she works. This new promotion makes Sally proud, but she must contend with the overbearing Mrs. Lockwood, who thinks she should have been given the job.

Sally also works alongside with Betty, and the two of them are also voluntary fire-watchers. Indeed, World War II is raging. Air-raid sirens increase the already palpable tension. Then there is Lorna, a socialite who now works at the salvage yard, and due to drama and difficulties where she lived in London, she has had no choice to be working there, and works on an uneasy friendship with Sally and Betty.

Betty splits her time at the salvage depot to help a rather shy young man named Samual Atkinson, and they organize books donated for those needing a distraction from the war. In fact, Samuel said to Betty: “Films are an important part of c-culture. People need stories.” The same was true of books, especially for soldiers overseas. Samuel’s job running a bookshop was very important work at that time. As much as Betty enjoys her time at the bookshop, her head is turned by a young man with a “Clark Gable mustache”.

As in the first book of the series, The Home Front Girls, the tragedy and fear the war created unsurprising tension, but there is also drama that Sally, Betty and Lorna face as they each go about their daily routine.

While this second book would do well as a standalone novel, the connection that the girls share builds a fine foundation by reading the first book as well. In this second book, I love how Sally and Betty’s friendship has grown, and with Lorna now there with them, that too was something worth watching grow. I also continually enjoy some important parts of history that authors like Susanna Bavin brings to our attention, especially as more and more generations pass. I definitely can see a third book in this series, and I do look forward to reading it.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you for the chance to read this ARC in return for my honest opinion

This is the second book in the series about women in different occupations helping the effort in WW2

Once again we meet Sally and Betty and a new worker - Lorna. Lorna is from a different walk of life and thinks herself far above sorting salvage.

But after a disastrous broken engagement and Court Case she realises that her colleagues are full of kindness and compassion and that every one needs to pull together for the War.
As with book one this is well written and well researched. With characters to love and hate and getting to know ones we met in book one better, this is a book full of life in WW2 and the work that the 'salvage girls' have to do. It is more centred around Betty and the mistakes she makes and the realisations she comes to.

A beautiful representation of North West life in WW2

A joy to be reunited with the Home Front Girls for the second book in this series by Susanna Bavin!

This book demonstrates how all civilians were impacted by the war, regardless of their class or status within society. But love, friendship, kindness and courage can be enough to get one another through the worst of times.

Once again, I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue - it truly portrays how witty, yet very down to earth a number of the characters are.

As I read this book, there were some wonderfully written phrases and thoughts that were a real highlight for me and that will stay with me. Firstly, as spoken by Samuel, “Stories are good for the soul” - well, ‘Courage for the Home Front Girls’ was indeed one of those stories! Secondly, something that resounds from this book is to never underestimate the importance of putting the kettle on and the healing power of a cup of tea! (Perhaps it’s a Northern thing that I too have grown up with!). So, stories/books and a good brew…..the perfect combination!

I highly recommend this delightful story and look forward to a future instalment from the Home Front Girls and their salvage depot.

Thank you to the publisher, Bookouture, for an advanced digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loved book 1 but this one is even better, the salvage girls Betty and Sally are back working just as hard for the war effort. When a new girl joins the team things don't go so well as the new girl Lorna thinks salvage is beneath her. Betty takes a fancy to a new face and Sally is happy for her, this book had me hooked and is worthy of more than 5* EXCELLENT read.

The second book in the series is, again, set in a salvage yard, where they sort the rubbish so it can be recycled to help the war effort.

Sally is now the manager. I've enjoyed watching her development throughout and gaining confidence. She's proud of what she does and stands up for herself.

Betty's nativity puts everything in jeopardy. She was let down by her family and sent away as a result of a bad decision. She definitely needs a guiding hand. I find her vulnerability makes you want to hug her.

The new girl, Lorna, is hiding a secret. Her greedy parents sent her away in shame after her fathers botched attempt to make money. I always find it heartwarming that people who wouldn’t normally mix are doing so because of the war.

I just love the character development of the three women, I feel as if I know them personally. There has been a lot of research for this book, and it shows. She highlights things I didn't even think about, both the nice things and the gritty, darker side.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Just loved the 2nd book in the series, We again have Sally and Betty and now joined by a new girl, Lorna. This story just moved smoothly from the 1st book and I really enjoyed it, some late nights and time pushed getting ready for work but loved the book and looking forward to the next in the series.
My thanks as always to Netgalley and Bookouture for the early read

This story was a very enjoyable WW2 historical fiction. I can't remember reading a WW2 story that took place in Manchester before opening Courage for the Home Front Girls. I honestly don't know much about the town.

My mom has talked about it numerous times since she and my dad lived there for a little while after the war ended. I never stopped to think about the damage they may have endured. I never thought about living there during the war. Now I not only think about but want to know more.

Betty works Salvage in Manchester after being caught selling more than she should with rationing. She is working hard to show she deserves a second chance. She even works for Sally, the gal, that busted her for rationing abuses. I honestly did not know that there were actual salvage collection sites.

Betty illustrates just how young and naive some were when the went to work for the war effort. She is easily manipulated. Her big heart gets her in trouble. Her trouble makes for a great read. There is lots of drama as she falls head over heels for Eddie. Family drama added to the story as Betty deals with a stepmother.

I have found most WW2 historical fictions bring people of different backgrounds together. Betty soon has a new co-worker, one that is hiding her identity. Betty notices that Lorna is an up market sort of girl but knows little else about her. I couldn't wait to see what happened when Betty discovered who she was sorting paper and scrap with every day. I didn't see things developing the way they did. I couldn't wait to see how things ended. I do love a happily ever after. This story actually has a few of them.

Another lively and lovely novel of the Blitz. Sally and Betty have a new helper at the salvage yard- Lorna, who is less than enthusiastic about the job. The three pull together though, especially after the area is bombed and disaster strikes. There's a love interest but this is really about female friendship and community. Don't worry if you missed the first book- this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this slow burner of a book

this is the 2nd book in the series and it doesnt distract at all from the storyline...

sally has just been made manager at the salvage depot and she loves it, its her bit for the war effort and knows everything she can about what the salvage can bring to the war....

betty is also working at the depot and is hoping to put her past behind her

lorna is a new girl to be added and though sally hadnt been involved in her getting a position at the depot she has no grounds to get rid of her and hopes she can pull her wait.... though at the moment lorna doesnt want to be there at all...its all so far beneath her

as the war carries on betty is at the depot one day when the air raid siren goes off and she goes down to the air raid shelter she isnt on her own as her friend eddie is also there, he came in to say hello

theres trouble ahead for the girls if only they could see it coming....

this is a sunday read slow and steady but its the camaraderie of the girls that keeps the storyline interesting

We are back in Manchester, in 1940, and Sally and Betty are both still working in the salvage depot. They work hard and do a great job for the war effort.

Sally is now the manager of the depot, and when they are told they have a new member of staff, they look forward to some more help.

Lorna has had a hard time, and thanks to the papers, she needs to move away until the dust settles.

Lorna’s father sends her to Manchester to work in the salvage yard. Lorna isn’t happy about having to work there, she enjoys spending her time getting her nails and hair done!

I enjoyed being back with Sally and Betty, they are both such great characters. I wasn’t sure about Lorna to start with, but she did grow on me.

There were plenty of new characters in the tale, and I did like Samuel, who was a bookseller. He’s also doing his bit for the war effort by making sure donated books get to the troops, children etc.

With Betty finally meeting someone, and Sally settling well into married life, the story had plenty to keep me hooked.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good read.
The characters are well developed.. One of the characters was on my bad side from the beginning. I can see red flags!
This sheds more light on what it was like in London during the Blitz. Everyone had to pull together to survive.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

A big tear jerker!
Book two Chorlton Manchester 1940.
Homefront girls, Betty Hughes and Sally Henshaw working together on shifts as firewatchers, and at the salvage depot during the day, it's all busy busy busy for them both doing their bit for the war effects during the blitz, and the air raid sirens keep coming almost every night.
This book I just could not wait to start, after enjoying book one in this new series from the author, that takes all your troubles away, it's full of love companionship, friendship, with a lot of harrowing details as all the poor people go through during war time, you find yourself turning pages after pages, with all the characters coming to life that brings you such a fantastic story.
A happy and contented booklover awarding big five stars. Hope their is a book three.

Courage for the Home front girls, the 2nd in the series is a great follow up book. Sally and Betty are still working in the salvage yard and they get a new girl Laura, who’s got a secret to hide and doesn’t hide her distaste of either the girls or the salvage yard. A problem for Betty sees the girls work together and form a friendship that stirs them all by surprise. Can’t wait for the next book.