I’m a sucker for historical fiction and for taking time to throw in my own little research while reading, especially if it’s an area I’m familiar with. The Star of Camp Greene by Joy Callaway depicts 1918 Charlotte, NC with incredible detail, nodding to quite a few locations that are still standing today. Not only did I love diving into local history, but I fell in love with the story of Broadway star Calla Connolly and her story of determination and selflessness.

Heartbroken by the loss of her fiancé, who died in the war, Calla is determined to carry on their dream as a couple of performing for the soldiers to boost morale, specifically around Europe. Her plans are derailed pretty quickly when she encounters the Spanish flu and inadvertently overhears classified information while at Camp Greene. We follow Calla as she’s determined to make the best of a situation by helping so many in need while holding fast to her own dreams.

Top tropes:
-enemies to lovers
-forced proximity
-found family

Buzz Worthy:
BookBub (Buzziest New Books Coming Out in May)
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Positively Charlotte

Thank you Joy Callaway, Harper Collins, and NetGalley, for the advanced copies!

Another great book from author Joy Callaway! She obviously puts her heart and soul in researching and writing her books and this one is no exception! I would recommend this book to anyone that loves historical fiction and characters that are easy to fall in love with! Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for a chance to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.

Joy once again draws us in with this new wonderful book about Camp Greene and many events that are well known in history. Her character development -and the deep relationships explored keep the reader hooked. I love when a book brings a smile and this one definitely does. And the narrator is fantastic too. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse Audiobooks for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The period surrounding World War I is one I really don't know a huge amount about but one I'm quite fascinated by. This was a very unique take on wartime life, as it is set in an army training camp as soldiers prepare to go to the frontlines.

This book pulls the world of Broadway and vaudeville right alongside the world of military and wartime preparation. It talks of showtunes and secrecy, lost love and starting over. It looks at a trying time in our country's history from a perspective I've never seen.

I like this book, but it was tied up a little too neatly for my taste. I'm as much of a sucker for a happy ending as the next person, but this just didn't ring wholly authentic for me.

The Star of Camp Greene will be a fantastic addition to many historical fiction readers' libraries. It's a vividly descriptive story set during World War One about a musician, Calla Connolly, who ends up being forced to stay at Camp Greene, in Charlotte, NC, under the watch of Colonel Erickson after she overhears confidential information after a performance there. The war and battle details play a backseat to Calla's role as a musician and performer, and the book is pretty clean otherwise as well (language, romance, etc.) Not really my cup of tea for a wartime story, it's a little too sweet for me. But it's well written and the story itself is nice. Calla is a super likable character. I would recommend for folks who want something lighter than Kristin Hannah or Kate Quinn's historical novels.

A different sort of WWI story. Calla is meant to be entertaining the troops in Europe but she's confined instead at Camp Greene in North Carolina. This doesn't stop her, however, from helping the men and from falling in love. She's a well drawn character in an unusual situation. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A very good read.

As a child growing up, I loved to watch AMC and Turner Classic Movies. Those timeless movies and legendary performances. The glitz and glamour, the show tunes and dance numbers, dapper gentleman and elegant ladies. But also, I craved those stories of grit and sacrifice of our men and women during times of war and conflict. And Joy brought these two aspects to life splendidly. I could easily envision these characters with their struggles and triumphs playing out in my mind’s eye, just like a Bo Hope or Greta Garbo production.

Calla Connolly has known loss. The war has taken her dearest love and partner. And she feels the need to honor his memory and sacrifice by bringing hope and cheer to those who will fight for the peace of the world. But when her plans are derailed, she decides to make lemonade from the lemons she is served.

While she is confined to Camp Greene, Calla begins to heal, find solace and maybe even a new chance at love. Her hard work and dedication to her cause changes lives. But nothing comes easy and obstacles continue to present themselves.

Joy Callaway opens our eyes to the efforts of civilians and servicemen alike while on the home front. We witness the struggles to overcome ravaging disease, prejudice, segregation, and despair from a war that takes and takes. But it’s balanced with the joy of hope, friendship, and love.

Enjoyed this one and could definitely see it on the big screen one day.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Camp Greene was located in Charlotte, NC in 1918 and that is where Calla Connolly was performing when she got sick with the Spanish flu. After overhearing a secret conversation, she is required to stay at Camp Greene till the end of the war and ends up falling for the man responsible for keeping her there. She deals with hearing another secret and keeping it even though it will change the lives of the guys she has grown to care for. I loved Calla and Jesse and how he wanted to look out for her and pursue her. There was sweet romance in this one somewhat fueled by forced proximity since Jesse was supposed to escort Calla everywhere. I just loved Calla as a person and how she cared for everyone at camp.

I don’t read many books about World War I so I found the book very informative about the time period. The author paints a vivid picture of both the Spanish flu and the War and the devastating effects on the soldiers and the population. Calla is an entertainer who is to perform for the troops but has recently lost her fiancé. Certain parts of the story were very interesting but I felt some of her thoughts/dialogue was repetitive. There was a conflict with her main competition that resolved a little too easily. Her romance with Jesse was entertaining but he abruptly blames her for a military secret revealed. The author’s writing made the war come to life as well as the characters. This is a character driven story but it seemed a little too long. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for an advanced reader’s copy of the book. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Star of Camp Greene
By Joy Callaway

This book was a slow steady read from the start. Sometimes you just need a book that will force you to pay attention to the details and take your time while reading it-with every chapter a perfect ending until you can pick it up again. I will be the first to say it took me a long time to read this book about 3 weeks because I was so hung up on the details and I was so very busy in my own life, but it was a strong read and when it all comes together it is like a time bomb. Once you reach that point there is no going back until you have finished, and I mean thoroughly finished it. Don’t try to skip it will get you nowhere and you will find yourself going back to read those parts. With that said this book was very well researched. The places, the times, the people all could have existed during this time period. The Spanish flu epidemic that hit during WWI was deadly and a hard hit on our military personnel at the time. The stars that performed on the front lines and in our bases to fortify the troops and keep them going also was a part of that history. All these things are brought true to life on the pages of this book. So many ways to die and most people think of the front as a military death, but this book reminds us many died from sickness and disease as well as from enemy fire. Trench warfare is brought to life, and it will leave you sick with what our military had to go through to ensure our freedom. If not for any other reason I hope that you take the time to read this novel just to learn the history of the time period that your grandmothers and grandfathers grew up in and how they lived. It will be a lesson you won’t soon forget. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in this time in history.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “The stage was the only thing that prevented sorrow from swallowing me whole.”

This well-researched, immersive historical fiction kept my interest start to finish with colorful characters, solid plot line, and a compelling romance. Set stateside, in a WWI training camp amid the Spanish flu, in a southern (segregated) mill town, the book comes alive with soldiers, nurses, townspeople, fiancées, mourners, defectors, troublemakers, and entertainers from different backgrounds, brought together for common cause but with varying sentiments: proud, patriotic, terrified, duty bound, despondent…

Calla Connolly is a performer who lost her first love to the war effort and channels her mourning into performing for soldiers, lifting their spirits to buoy her own.

“Terror is only alleviated by joy. Those allowed moments to remember who they are outside of this war will find the strength to face their darkest hour.”

Apparently Charlotte bid for the opportunity to be a camp town, seeing it as a way to increase its population and boost its economy. From the author’s note: “When the United States entered the war in April 1917, the army was not what it is today. It was a small organization made up of only 133,000 soldiers, and the army’s operations were mainly focused on keeping peace in the Philippines. At the declaration of war, the army was suddenly tasked with drafting, training, and organizing three million new soldiers.”

I really enjoyed Joy Cal’laways last novel, What the Mountains Remember. Thanks to NetGalley for an opportunity to read this advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Calla Connelly is a singer, whose fiancee was killed in the Great War. While touring the training camps, she falls victim to the flu, and whilst in hospital, overhears something that is top secret. When the military find out, she is unable to leave the camp and has a Colonel assigned to accompany her everywhere. Will she have to give up her dreams of entertaining the troops on the front line?
I found this book to be a little slow. I would classify this as an average read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

In Joy Callaway's latest novel, Star of Camp Greene, Calla Connelly is a Broadway star giving back by performing to troops to raise morale. At Camp Greene, Calla contracts the Spanish Flu. In the hospital, she overhears sensitive info and is confined to the Camp. She makes friends and performs and falls in love. She has a huge savior complex which leaves a sour taste throughout.

The Star of Camp Greene is another hit for Callaway! Full of heart, enthusiasm, and patriotism but also sorrow, fear, and anger, Star tells a story of not only a young woman trying to re-discover her path in life but also displays how the horrors of war can be temporarily forgotten in the face of love and friendship. With amazing detail, a fantastic cast of characters, a realistic slow-burn romance, and the spunkiest heroine you could ask for, Star is a piece of WWI historical fiction that will appeal to readers of all genres.

I love Joy Callaway books and her latest The Star of Csmp Greene is classic Joy. She can take a particular event or person in history and transform them into an amazing story. Her dialog is fun, her characters are all so well-defined and her research is impeccable!!!

Most World War I novels take us straight to the battlefield—but The Star of Camp Greene offers a refreshing perspective by staying stateside. Joy Callaway weaves a beautifully researched and emotionally rich story about Calla Connolly, a Broadway star determined to reach the front lines to entertain the troops, only to discover that her true purpose lies stateside in lifting the spirits of the soldiers in training.

Calla’s evolution is subtle yet powerful. By the end, it’s clear that her greatest contribution wasn’t on the battlefield—it was the light she brought to those preparing for it. What stood out most to me was how many characters wanted to go to war. That kind of eagerness feels foreign today, and it gave the story a fascinating tension.

As always, Callaway’s writing shines with historical depth and emotional nuance. Her attention to detail makes you feel like you’re truly walking the campgrounds of Charlotte during wartime. And while the book is deeply rooted in history, the slow-burn romance between Calla and Jesse gives it a layer of tenderness that historical fiction lovers (and romance fans!) will absolutely adore.

A moving, insightful, and satisfying read—with a rare happy ending.

It is May 3, 1918 at Camp Greene National Guard Training, in Charlotte, NC. Calla Connolly is a singer and actress there to entertain men. Her tour include many camps. While at Camp Green she gets sick and is at their Army Hospital. Her care is for the Spanish Flu. So many do not make it and succumb to the flu. She has a great nurse who cares for her and they become friends. After being in the hospital, she over hears some Army secrets. So she is made to stay at camp for the duration of the war. Not allowed to leave the camp unless escorted by an Army Officer.
While there she makes many friends there, some at the Hostess House where she is staying, her Nurse who cared for her, many soldiers whom have great musical talents and the officer who is her escort. She falls in love with her Army escort so things change for her at the camp. The reason I wanted to read this book is my love for history for WWI.
I would like to thank Harper Muse Publication, Net Galley and Joy Callaway for giving me the opportunity for this wonderful read before publishing. I so enjoyed it and was hard to put down. I am looking forward to reading the many other books Joy Callaway has written.

So fun reading about Charlotte in history. I had no idea there was a massive army camp in WW1, and love reading stories set here in general so I loved the landscape of the book right off the bat.

The characters of Calla, Jesse and so many others were rich and relatable. I really loved how their relationships grew, how they fought for each other and valued their friendships. The music and theater were a lot of fun to balance out a war focus and some real grief from it.

Whether it was intentional in the storyline or not, the concept of injustices or severe blows and setbacks you didn’t see coming, but later finding out it’s what actually worked things out for the best and for the characters benefit was just so inspiring. I loved all of that and enjoyed the book a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.

Thank you to Harcourt Collins Focus and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed this book. It mostly takes place in 1918 Charlotte, NC during the war. Calla Connolly is stationed at Camp Greene. Even though she would like to go to France to entertain the troops, General Pershing has not given his permission yet. Unfortunately, she contacts Spanish flu and is forced to stay at Camp Greene to recover. I liked the romance and the camaraderie between all the soldiers and their girls. This is a good book about an entertainer during the war.

It's safe to say that despite years of reading historical fiction and my particular interest in WW1 and WW2 fiction, I can't recall a story with a premise like this one. Calla is a Broadway star who falls ill while on a tour of WW1 training camps. This is the kind of tour the USO was born out of. While at Camp Greene near Charlotte, NC, Calla becomes seriously ill with the Spanish Flu. Her star status has her sharing a room with a general and she winds up overhearing top secret battle plans. As a result, the army decides she can't leave the camp and must be supervised by a colonel.

She decides to make the most of her stay at Camp Greene and perform regularly. Along the way, she makes friends with several soldiers who are also musicians, some of the wives and girlfriends living nearby, and becomes especially close with the colonel who is her handler.

Calla is uneducated and a bit simple, which makes her POV a little goofy at times. This is balanced out by her heart of gold and generosity. She might be wearing couture, but she's not a diva. The other characters are, likewise, unsophisticated, but earnest. You can't help but root for them.

There is one side plot involving Calla's rival that I wish had a more clear (and punitive!) conclusion.

I thought I knew how this one would play out, but I was pleasantly surprised by the unusual turn the story takes in the final quarter. As the book closed, I thought the happily ever after was just something left to the reader's imagination. I should have known better! The epilogue was a dramatic conclusion that gave our main characters a wonderful, soft landing.