A gripping, fun read about the Fred Harvey chain of restaurants and the opportunity it gave to many thousands of young women to earn money, travel and make something of themselves. A fascinating phenomenon I knew nothing about before reading this book. At its core, this book is about an uneasy relationship that turns into a deep friendship between two women at very different stages of their lives and with different backgrounds, refreshingly unlikely and yet totally believable.

I always love a story that can teach me something new and I was fascinated to learn about The Harvey Girls. The setting is the early 1920’s and the story follows two young women, Charlotte and Billie who join the ranks of the Harvey Girls, waitresses who serve in America’s first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe railroad. Charlotte is 22 and trying to flee her abusive husband. Billie is 15 and has lied about her age in order to get the job and support her family. From completely different backgrounds, these women could not be more different but form a friendship that was so refreshing.

Fay does such a great job of bringing the 1920s to life and exploring the freedoms and limits of being a Harvey Girl: an income and being able to travel, but also being held to a high standard of service and behavior. I of course went down a rabbit hold researching this time period and loved learning more about the history of the food industry.

Billie and Charlotte are really the stars of this book though as we follow their friendship over the course of a year and watch their personal growth as they learn more about themselves and the world around them. If you are looking for a well written historical novel about female friendships and the early 1920’s, this would be a great choice for you.

I alternated between the physical copy and the audiobook. The audiobook was well narrated by Cassandra Campbell and I enjoyed listening on my commute to and from work!

This is one of the more enjoyable novel I've read in awhile. Two young women who have nothing in common - one is a poor 15 year old from the Midwest, the other a secretly married Boston socialite hiding from an abusive husband. Yet the two roommates become friends as they train to become "Harvey Girls," waitresses in an early chain of railroad restaurants in the early twentieth century.

After completing training in Topeka, the two women find themselves working at a fancy hotel near the Grand Canyon. They both find and lose love, find it again, and remain the best of friends. The book ends, surprisingly, in 1996 as we find out what happened to the two main characters since their time working at the Harvey restaurants in the 1920's.

Great for book clubs, light vacation reading, and for anyone who likes a good story about friendship between women.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Full of emotional depth, history, heartbreaking moments, moments of strength, and so much more, "The Harvey Girls" is a moving and poignant historical fiction novel that kept me turning the pages into the early hours of the morning.

I can only begin to imagine the amount of research Juliette Fay must have done for this novel, as the setting and world-building was completely immersive from the very first page. I learned a lot about this era in history which reading, and plan to do more research on my own time as well.

This novel focuses on two women, Charlotte and Billie, who becomes Harvey Girls. They come from different backgrounds, and seem like they couldn't be more opposite. However, as the novel progresses, though many of their circumstances are different, they begin to realize they have many things in common, and a friendship begins to develop. With strong women, rich historical detail, vivid and visceral writing that jumps off of the page in every way, and powerful themes throughout, this book is truly one I could not put down.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ged Red PR, and Gallery Books for the e-ARC of this novel, and to Get Red PR and Gallery Books for the physical ARC as well! All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I didn't enjoy this book. It was just too sad with no light in sight. I usually love historical fiction but I know you can't like them all. It just wasn't for me.

What an appetizing treat! Juliette Fay skillfully weaves a beautiful story of a little-known piece of American history. Beginning in 1876, Fred Harvey introduced a higher standard of service and quality through his “Harvey Houses,” located along Santa Fe Railroad Routes. This story follows the lives of two women, Charlotte and Billie, who work as waitresses for the hospitality chain. I read without stopping, savoring every adventure of these two women.

In a time when it wasn’t easy for a woman to earn a good living, these Harvey Girls pressed on to earn both independence and financial security. Charlotte is seeking to escape a painful homelife, while Billie is trying to secure a future. I loved watching the development of their relationship after a rocking beginning. There are glimpses of larger social issues such as domestic abuse, racism, and women’s rights, but they are woven into the narrative in a natural manner.

Historical fiction lovers will love this one!

I thoroughly enjoyed this slice of cultural history in this work of historical fiction. Charlotte is escaping her abusive husband, after giving up her place in college and society to marry him. Billie is part of a large Irish American family, struggling to make ends meet. Options for women in the 1920’s were limited, but the Fred Harvey restaurants, the first chain in the US, offered a $30 per month pay check, room and board, and camaraderie. Charlotte and Billie are from different worlds but as their friendship develops, they begin to understand each other and more about the world they live in. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

Since I was a teenager, The Harvey Girls movie starring Judy Garland was a favorite of mine. When I saw The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay, it was of immediate interest to me! I was a wee bit concerned that the book would not live up to my hopes, but it totally did! The book is not at all like the movie! But the movie did help me to picture The Harvey Houses and the uniforms worn by the women in this story.
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The book is centered around two female characters. Billie is from a poor family, the oldest of nine children, and she has dropped out of school to help her Ma & Da to make ends meet. At only 15, she lies about her age to become a Harvey Girl. In this position she makes more money than her father! These waitress jobs were way ahead of their times but also with a high standard of conduct. The other main character was Charlotte. She comes from an upper crust Boston family but she married unwisely and seeks to escape an abusive husband. The two women become roommates and then friends and we get to follow their adventures on the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.
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Every now and then I love to pick up a book that just entertains! This book kept me up too late two nights in a row because I didn’t want to stop reading! The dialogue is great, the story just flows, and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next! I gave this book 4.5 stars only because the ending felt a bit awkward for this reader. I felt the story was so well told. A bonus was all the things I learned about the Indigenous people in the Southwest! Don’t miss the author’s note at the end!
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I recommend to Historical Fiction and Women’s Fiction readers alike!
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Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery books for the ARC given in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Harvey Girls, focuses on two women from very different backgrounds who become Harvey Girls for very different reasons. Charlotte Crowninshield, a blue blood from Boston, is looking to escape a troubled marriage while Billie MacTavish, a young Irish girl, needs to raise money for her struggling family. Stationed at the historic El Tovar hotel in the Grand Canyon both girls face secrets, romances and an unexpected friendship.
I enjoyed how Fay showed both Charlotte and Billie growing in different but complimentary ways. Charlotte found strength and independence after a privileged but painful past. Billie matured without loosing her grit. Their friendship anchored the story for me. However the characters felt a bit stilted and fairly predictable. Maybe not literary fiction at the highest level.
The addition of the history and points of Native Americans was my favorite part of the book. These inequities are so often overlooked and discounted.
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers Gallery Books for an advance copy of this book. These opinions are my own.

I had to read this book because I love the movie with Judy Garland! Charlie and Billie are opposites but are hired together. They come from different backgrounds
Love how these ladies come together!
This is a part of history that I know a little about but it really added insight into this time in history. It shows that women will do what they have to do to survive. Many thanks to the author, Gallery Books and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

This is a engaging historic fiction novel about two girls who train and work for the Fred Harvey Company. It starts in Kanas and then heads to the Grand Canyon. Also perfect for fans of national parks and the southwest. Thanks so much to the publisher and Net galley for the Arc.

Title: The Harvey Girls
Author: Juliette Fay
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Length: Approximately 11 hours and 47 minutes
Source: Thank you, Partner @gedredprbooks and Gallery Books for the review copy of physical book copy of The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay. Thank-you to @simonaudio for the audiobook and @netgalley for e-book review copies.

What is your favorite restaurant? I have a lot of favorites but tend to favor local restaurants that are family owned.

Two young women from very different backgrounds start work as “Harvey Girls” in the 1920s. Harvey Girls were well paid female employees that worked for a chain of restaurants that spread through the west every one-hundred miles or so and served quality, inexpensive meals. Charlotte was born into a wealthy blue-blooded family, but after she ran away to marry her husband, she feels she has no where to turn to escape him when he turns abusive. She changes her name and strikes out on her own as a Harvey girl. Billie needs the money to support her family with eight younger siblings. She pretends to be older than her years to get a job as a Harvey girl and sends her money back to her family. As both girls are assigned to a restaurant in the Grand Canyon, will they be able to keep their secrets and their jobs?

My thoughts on this novel:
• Cassandra Campbell is an audiobook narrator that I enjoy, and I thought she did a great job narrating this book. It was enjoyable to listen to.
• I loved how a large part of the book took place at the Grand Canyon as it developed into a tourist destination. It was interesting.
• Both main characters had very interesting love stories in this novel, and I enjoyed them. The book was told through their dual POVs.
• Violence against Catholics was portrayed in the book as Billie attended mass with Hispanic friends who are attacked. She is also dismayed when she is assigned to work at the Grand Canyon and discovered there is not a Catholic church in the area for her to attend. She also has much to decide when she realizes that her potential beau is not Catholic.
• This novel also took a hard look at abusive marriage. It was hard to divorce at that time and to support yourself as a woman. When a woman was trapped in an abusive marriage, what could she do? A job as a Harvey girl was a very well-paying job at the time for a woman.
• Charlotte as a learning moment as well as she realizes her inadvertent racism towards Native Americans at the Grand Canyon.
• The novel has an interesting Part II which flashes forward to 1996 and the reader learns what happened to the characters in the novel.
• There is a great foreword and Author’s Note at the end which give details about Fred Harvey’s empire and other historical details in the novel.

Overall, The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay as an interesting historical fiction novel about a unique time and place in American history.

I have to admit that I'm a fan of anything "Harvey House", so I was delighted to review this book. Over the years that the business operated, thousands of young women gained independence (with supervision) as they made lives as Harvey House waitresses. It was also an opportunity for women in the late 1800s and early 1900s to move into manager roles and put their skills to work.
In this story we have an underaged worker (15) and an older (mid-20s) young woman who is running from an abusive marriage. They are quickly paired up as roommates, as unlikely as a pairing it may seem. Of course they can learn from one another, but it is the depth of growth for both that moves the story along.
I greatly enjoyed the book, rooting for both women.

I'm wondering if this book had been previously published, as it seems really familiar.

Society miss Charlotte is on the run from an abusive husband and Billie is the 15 year old daughter of poor immigrants - both end up on their way to become Harvey Girls. It's an interesting setting in time and I enjoyed the characters. They both play part in an incredible story and the other characters are enjoyable, too. I enjoyed part !! where we catch back up with them at the end of their lives and learn what happened after we left them in part !.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

If you are a lover of historical fiction, this is a book you might want add this one to your TBR. I didn’t really know anything at all about the legendary Harvey Girls, but I’m so glad that’s no longer the case.

Charlotte and Billie, through very different routes, both come to be Harvey Girls in training in the Midwest. The year is 1926, and women don’t have tons of career options. Charlotte needs to take care of herself, and Billie needs to support her family.

The two receive assignments at the prestigious El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon, and, there among the rocks, they begin to carve out the lives they want.

This was a book of friendship and loyalty, starting over and allowing yourself to trust. I really enjoyed this story set against a slice of American history I knew next to nothing about.

Are you a historical fiction fan? If so, what’s a favorite time period you like to explore?

This historical fiction novel begins in 1926, when Charlotte Crowninshield & Billie MacTavish join the ranks of the Harvey Girls, The two couldn't be more different, Charlotte was bon into one of Boston's wealthiest families, and decided to sign up in order to escape an abusive marriage. Billie is the oldest of nine children born to Scottish immigrants, and although she didn't want to leave home, she fudged her age on the application so she would get accepted - and now she can send much needed money home to her parents. Fred Harvey's restarants were the first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe railroad.. They began their training in Topeka, Kansas but once their training was finished they were both assigned to the El Tovar hotel at the Grand Canyon. The two started out as barely tolerating each other, but before it was all over with, they were like family.

This book was fascinating. I had never heard of Fred Harvey or his hospitality chain before. The author did an excellent job bringing this bit of American history to life. I felt like I was actually there, watching it all unfold. I love that it showcased the good and the bad during that time period. I ended up doing some independent research on the Harvey hospitality chain and it was fascinating, all that I read. If you are a history buff, and love historical fiction like I do, then this needs to be at the top of your TBR pile.

The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay was so well written that you feel like you are in the story with the characters.
The characters are strong and work well together.
This was quite a powerful story and well written.
It was a great story told with hope, restoration, and despair.
A moving and joyous celebration of female empowerment, loyalty, and friendship.

Thank You NetGalley and Gallery Books for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

The Harvey Girls is page-turning historical fiction set in the 1920s, featuring an unlikely friendship and railroad travel in the United States.

Set in the 1920s, The Harvey Girls is the story of two women working as waitresses for America’s first hospitality chain on the Santa Fe Railroad. Billie and Charlotte come from different backgrounds, have different reasons for becoming Harvey Girls, and are hiding secrets. Will they support or betray each other?

I appreciate authors who bring little-known history to light. Maybe you know of the Harvey Girls, but they were all new to me. Women had so few options in the 1920s, and becoming a Harvey Girl and enjoying decent wages and opportunities for advancement and travel was enticing to many young women. One of the many popular restaurants in the chain was the Grand Canyon location. I appreciate the author’s vivid historical details, which help develop a strong sense of place.

Many Harvey Girls pursue the job because of travel opportunities and the hope of meeting a rich man. Others like Billy and Charlotte are desperate. Billy needs to earn money to support her family, and Charlotte must escape a toxic marriage. Billy hides the fact that she’s underage (15 going on 16) while Charlotte covers up bruises and avoids recognition out of fear her abusive husband will find her. These young women strive to complete the rigorous training and excel in their work to earn the distinction of becoming a Harvey Girl. Although the work is demanding, it gives them a decent salary, free meals and housing, and independence. As secrets are revealed, the young women must trust each other.

Women supporting women is a strong theme in The Harvey Girls. Other themes include independence, family loyalty, domestic abuse, prejudice/racism, unlikely friendships, and new beginnings. Small sides of suspense and sweet romance round out the story.

Content Consideration: domestic abuse, toxic relationship, racism (hate crime)

Fans of compelling and page-turning histfic with strong, independent female characters will want to add this to their TBRs!

Thanks #NetGalley @GalleryBooks for a complimentary eARC of #TheHarveyGirls upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Juliette Fay, for allowing me to read this e-ARC of The Harvey Girls.

What a delightful book, full of history in 1926, strong female protagonists, and a good businessman, Fred Harvey, who
decided he wanted train customers to be happy, served delightful food with excellent service at each stop. The employees were treated with care and respect, provided food and housing, allowing some women to send tips home to large, struggling families.
Training for jobs in Topeka, KS, we meet Billie McTavish, underage, one of 9 children who needs money to send home. Charlotte, who is hiding from a terrible secret, and many other women who pass their paths. They were The Harvey Girls who had so many great adventures, such as working at the Grand Canyon El Tovar Hotel. While working hard, Charlotte becomes interested in the secrets of the park services, while Billie fights off her suitors, wondering if she’ll see her young man from Topeka. This book will inform you, make you smile, and possibly want to take a train trip to explore America! What a fun read!