We follow Charlotte and Billie, two new Harvey Girls. Charlotte, estranged from her wealthy family, is escaping a violent marriage, thus lying about her marital status in order to become a well-paid Harvey Girl. Billie, fifteen and from a large and loving of meager means, has to fib about her age in order to become a Harvey Girl. Two very different women, sharing a lifelong bond. I really enjoyed this book! It really resonated as my husband’s great grandmother was a Harvey Girl for 10 years. It was interesting, engaging, and the author had a really nice flow to her writing.

This novel is as cozy as a well-worn apron and nearly as stubborn as the two women at the center of it. Set in 1926, The Harvey Girls drops us into the starched uniforms, tightly wound hair buns, and impossible expectations of America’s first hospitality chain—Fred Harvey’s legendary string of restaurants and hotels along the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad line. It’s a world built on precision, decorum, and twelve-hour shifts fueled by burnt coffee and barely concealed rage. Into this prim, rule-obsessed universe stumble Charlotte Crowninshield and Billie MacTavish—two women who are just about as compatible as a lobster fork and a soup pot.

Charlotte is a disgraced Boston socialite on the run from a charming sadist of a husband, and she’s clinging to her last shreds of autonomy with white-knuckled desperation. Billie is fifteen, a practical bruiser of a farm girl from Nebraska, lying about her age to keep her family from starving. Naturally, they hate each other on sight, which is exactly what you want from two strangers forced to share a room, a job, and a daily battle against pantyhose in the Arizona heat. Watching them fumble toward reluctant respect and genuine affection is the best kind of character development—earned, messy, and awkward enough to feel real.

Juliette Fay doesn’t sugarcoat the setting or the stakes. The Harvey House isn’t some cutesy historical playground. It’s a lifeline for women who have nowhere else to go and nothing left to lose. It’s a place where being seen talking to a man in the wrong way could cost you your job, where being married is a fireable offense, and where being the wrong skin color might get you worse than fired. The girls face homesickness, exhaustion, overt racism, and the very real threat of violence—from society at large and from the past they’ve dragged with them. And yet, the book never drowns in gloom. It’s sharp, tender, and often sneakily funny. The tone walks a fine line between reverent historical detail and an eye-roll at the absurdity of the rules these women had to live by.

The training scenes in Topeka are wonderfully claustrophobic—like boot camp, but with more corsets and fewer rights. You can practically hear the clatter of dishes and the drill-sergeant bark of the head waitress. Once Charlotte and Billie move to the El Tovar Hotel at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the scenery opens up, but the stakes get higher. Charlotte is terrified her abusive husband will find her. Billie is terrified someone will figure out she’s still technically a child. There’s a run-in with the KKK that’s handled with restraint and dread, and a slow unfolding of the ways Native people were erased, exploited, or commodified for tourist consumption. The Grand Canyon may be beautiful, but Fay makes clear that it was—and in many ways, still is—someone else’s stolen land.

Still, at its core, The Harvey Girls is about two women who teach each other how to survive in a world that wasn’t built for them. The romantic interests are charming and a little secondary, as they should be. This is a love story, but it’s between Charlotte and Billie—two unlikely allies who become chosen family through sheer grit, shared secrets, and a mutual refusal to quit. Charlotte’s moment of clarity, when she says, “Turns out there’s more than one way to be brave,” lands because by then, you know exactly what it cost her to say it. She’s not talking about bravery in the abstract—she’s talking about the real thing: getting up when your life’s on fire, and daring to hope for more.

The prose is clean and quietly confident—never overly ornate, but full of sharp emotional beats and little historical gems. Fay knows how to build character without monologues and how to let the setting breathe without choking on adjectives. She writes historical fiction like someone who’s done the research but doesn’t feel the need to wave it in your face. And thank God for that.

If you’re looking for historical fiction that respects its readers’ intelligence, doesn’t skimp on grit, and serves up a satisfying dose of female rage turned resilience, The Harvey Girls delivers. It’s for the readers who enjoy stories about friendship that isn’t instantly warm and fuzzy, but rather forged in fire and dishwater. It’s for anyone who wants to see women rescue themselves—and each other—with nothing but sheer will and a side of mashed potatoes.

It’s also a quiet call to remember the women history tried to flatten into the margins. And in Juliette Fay’s capable hands, they stand up straight and take center stage—apron, secrets, sass and all.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railways, inside the train depots sat a chain of famous restaurants called The Harvey House, serving fast home cooking to weary travelers. The most famous feature of the diner is the exquisite servers known as The Harvey Girls. This was the perfect place for a woman to earn her own wages, room and board and a chance at freedom. This was exactly what Charlotte Crowninshield needed after fleeing her wealthy husband, a safe place to hide. Training along side her is "18" year old Billie MacTavish who has left her very large very poor family in the hopes of making enough money to support the 8 siblings and mother she left behind. The two women instantly dislike each other but unfortunately they must work and room together at El Tovar, their assigned hotel at the Grand Canyon. As their world's collide the learn they may have more in common then they ever imagined.

I am a huge fan of Juliette Fay and was excited to get a copy of her new historical fiction built into the cliffs of the Grand Canyon and smack dab in older world Americana. I have heard of the Harvey house and seen the old Judy Garland film but I learned so much more from Fay's poignant novel. I enjoyed Charlotte's character a little more as she felt more developed. The POV is told through the eyes of both women and while the pace dipped a little in the middle it was still a great historical novel. I would recommend this novel along with Fay's other works.

I’ve read other books where the Harvey Girls were part of the story so I was very excited to be approved for a copy of this book.

I enjoyed getting to know Charlotte and Billie, and get a peek into what it was like for the Harvey girls. To get a taste of the standards they were held to and the long hours worked was eye opening. I enjoyed the different settings in this novel and how girls from various backgrounds were put together.

Billie and Charlotte were complete opposites and slowly found common ground. Watching their friendship evolve and also them come into their own as individuals was so well done in this story.

I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the copy of this book. All views are my own.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. About 10 years ago I was visiting Santa Fe and saw an interesting exhibit about the Harvey Girls. I so enjoyed learning more about them and the groundbreaking enterprise started by Fred Harvey. This novel does just what I want when I read a historical novel. The author writes well and I will look for some of he4 back titles.

What a great, well written, heart warming story centered around two young women who became Harvey Girl waitresses. The historical story is about their struggles, friendships & growth. I really enjoyed reading and learning about what went on in this era.
This is my first time reading a book by Juliette Fay and it won’t be my last. It was very enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley & Gallery Books for giving me the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

FANTASTIC!!!

What a delightful read as well as a history lesson.

I had never heard of the Harvey Girls or the restaurants that were at the train stations.

We meet Charlotte who is running away from an abusive husband and who came from wealth, and we meet Billie who is only 15 pretending to be older and from a very poor family. Billie is trying to put bread on the table for her family.

They room together and at first do not like each other, but once Charlotte had to leave because her husband tried to take her back, they truly missed each other.

Billie got transferred to where Charlotte was...the El Tovar Hotel at the Grand Canyon.

They run into some unpleasant situations and also have some love interests.

Do you need for the most part an uplifting read about wonderful friendships and a read that has marvelous, unforgettable characters you will love? If so give THE HARVEY GIRLS a try for a lovely treat.

Loved the heartfelt storyline and Charlotte and Billie.

It was like getting a big hug and had needed tissues at times. 5/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I had heard of the Harvey Restaurants and as a reader who used to live in Kansas, I was definitely interested in learning more about the Harvey Girls. As historical fiction, this is simply charming and it is obvious that the author researched her topic very well, which to me is always a crucial element of historical fiction. I loved the setting and the romances were very sweet. The characters were very distinct and it was easy to picture them. For any American history buffs, this book is going to be much appreciated.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I really loved it and I think any reader would!

I enjoyed this book, The Harvey Girls by Juliette Fay. Two girls, Billie and Charlotte, from very different backgrounds become Harvey Girls. Those are the girls that worked in all the Harvey Restaurants that were built alongside the railroad stations going west. Billie's family needs the money and Charlotte is running away from an abusive husband and they befriend each other. This is the story of their time as Harvey Girls and their characters are very developed. One can really picture them.
Very informative about what life was like living in the west near the Grand Canyon. The story gets into a little about the lives of how the native Americans were being treated back in the 1930s.
An easy read.

The Harvey girls are a fascinating moment in history and this book brings them to light in a new and unique book. This character forward book is intriguing.

Billie and Charlotte come from radically different backgrounds, but end up befriending each other while working for the railroad cafeteria in the southwest. Highly engaging, and a fun read. Unique historical setting as folks in the 1920s are starting to use the railroads for western leisure travel

The Harvey Girls is a factually accurate, well told story of the young women (and their usually male suitors) who served passengers in Fred Harvey restaurants at stops along the Atkinson, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad in the first half of the 20th century. The characters are well drawn and believable. They all demonstrate resilience and a capacity for introspection and consequent growth. The setting of much of the narrative is in and around the Grand Canyon which is cinematically described. The nearby Native American tribal groups - primarily Hopi and Navajo - are sensitively treated while simultaneously exploring their potential exploitation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery books for the eARC in exchange for my review.

The Harvey Girls will bring you closer to the life in the early 1900s. They served as waitresses in the trains in the west. A good story with a dose of history.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I liked this sweet 192os historical fiction novel about the Harvey Girls, waitresses at train stop restaurants across the USA. There are two main characters: Billie, a 15 year old posing as an 18 year old so that she can work and earn money for her lovable but poor family; and Charlotte, a Boston society young lady who eloped with and is now running away from an intelligent but violent college professor turned reporter.

The two women develop a dear friendship with each other as the book progresses, as they find and lose and find love again, work hard at noble jobs, and explore the Southwestern states. Racism, sexism, classism, religious prejudice, domestic violence - it's all in there!

The story started off a little slow for me but picked up in the middle. I enjoyed learning about the Harvey Girls but found the story a little predictable and far-fetched at time. 3.5 stars.

“The Harvey Girls” is a historical fiction book by Juliette Fay. If your knowledge of Harvey Girls is only from the Judy Garland film of the same name (1946), this book is a bit different. This book follows two women - Charlotte and Billie. Charlotte is a bit more worldly (and a bit more modern thinking) and Billie is rather naive and young. They’re an unlikely duo as they start training for Harvey House. What I found really interesting was the history about not only Harvey Houses, but also the expansion of the “Detours” around the Grand Canyon. While it may have been a bit of a tourist grab, that someone from the Harvey House thought about it and decided to do it I found interesting. There wasn’t a lot of depth in this book - the two women are rather flat, but the book did hold my interest as I did want to learn more about Harvey Girls and how the story unfolded. Overall, 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

A wonderful storyline, great characters with an interesting storyline.
I’ve been fascinated by the Harvey Girls and this book highlights the circumstances the girls come from, why they leave their homes and families.

Loved everything about this book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy of this novel.

Enjoyable and well-written read about two women who become lifelong friends after meeting in Topeka at a Fred Harvey restaurant. While sharing the arc of their lives and relationship, the author intertwines the history of the cutting-edge restaurant chain that employed and promoted women before most—loved the detail of the El Tovar and the Grand Canyon location. And the side story about the treatment of Native Americans was nicely handled, leaving room for thought.

Rounded up from 3.5 stars

What I enjoyed: Like the other Juliette Fay novels I've read, "The Harvey Girls" seems impeccably researched, and the era and settings effortlessly come to life. The Fred Harvey Co. was new to me, and I've spent maybe a week altogether in Kansas and the Grand Canyon area, the new primary locales, but I really felt as if I were there. The story zips along too, and the prose is neither precious nor generic.

What I wasn't crazy about: Much of the plot was so predictable. I kept hoping for a surprise, but there wasn't one. And while I appreciated the growing realization on the part of Charlotte, one of the two protagonists, regarding the shameful treatment of Arizona's indigenous communities, the writer's approach veered toward the preachy.

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

"The Harvey Girls" by Juliette Fay is a charming historical novel . It begins with two young women whose circumstances propel them out into the world on their own. One of the few semi-respectable career choices for women in the 1920’s was to become a Harvey Girl and so this is what these young women become. This delightful novel provides a glimpse of the challenges and opportunities facing women, as well as drawing a picture of America, at that time. The girls begin their training in Topeka, Kansas and then travel along the Santa Fe line to work at the famous El Tovar, at the rim of the Grand Canyon. Juliette Fay’s characters are well drawn and likable and those who enjoy straight forward historical fiction with a plot appropriate to the time when the story takes place, as well as remaining relevant today, will enjoy this book.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for access to the e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Stories about the Harvey House Restaurant's are always ones that make me excited to read. Mainly the ones I read are the ones where a woman wants to escape her old life that she decides to do something that she has never done before. I will admit that it does sound like the same tale but in reality it is not as each story is unique in their own way. This novel was a unique one because there was excitement at every corner and I am thrilled that I was given the opportunity to read this book. Kudos to the author to adding in information on the life of Fred Harvey and his business ventures.
The story is set in the 1920's and first we are introduced to Charlotte who is stuck in abusive marriage. She decides that maybe getting a job at the Harvey house will hopefully keep her hidden to prevent her husband from finding her. Along the way she meets Billie who is from a large family who got the job to help support them. They butt heads at first but learn to get along over time.
They manage to make it through training but things start to crumble when Charlotte's husband finds her. Thankfully her managers manage to handle the situation by transferring to the Harvey House at the Grand Canyon. Eventually Billie ends up joining her there and they dutifully do their jobs while discovering the hidden secrets of Arizona.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own