Fourth and final book in the Emmy Lake series. Pleasant historical fiction that covers life in Britain during the last year of World War II. I would recommend reading the previous books in the series as there are frequent references to events from earlier books.

The fourth and final installment of the Emmy Lake series wraps things up nicely. Moving finale of the trials of dealing with WWII. Parts seemed a little rushed, but overall an enjoyable read.

I was overjoyed to receive a copy of Dear Miss Lake -like when you answer the doorbell and it’s a best friend grinning with arms open wide kind of joy! Dear Miss Lake is the fourth and final novel in the Emmy Lake Chronicles by AJ Pearce. From the beginning in Dear Mrs. Bird, “Emmy is a young woman who dreams of becoming a war correspondent and inadvertently becomes a secret advice columnist during World War ll.” Follow her adventures in Yours Cheerfully, Mrs. Porter is Calling, and now Dear Miss Lake.
The Emmy Lake Chronicles is a series that has informed, entertained and inspired readers since Emmy Lake first popped round in Dear Mrs. Bird in 2018. AJ Pearce has such a delightful way with words; maybe it’s the British expressions that make the adventures at Woman’s Friend magazine so humorous OR the London Blitz so gut wrenching. The characters take up residence and will linger in readers’ memory long after the bloody war and the series ends!
The strong bonds of friendship and the supportive people that make up a family are brought to light through these fictional stories. Each reader will be reminded of a brave family member or relative who served in a war or supported troops at home. AJ Pearce perfectly portrays the fortitude and inner constitution it took to wait for news of loved ones as Emmy and Bunty do. The highest mountains of joy and the lowest valleys of despair are equally and emotionally depicted in The Emmy Lake Chronicles.

Dear Miss Lake concludes a much loved series based around a fictional women's publication of the era. The characters working to help the Brits cope with the endless challenges of WWII show readers many facets of the war. Letters written to Miss Lake asking for help, loved ones serving on the front lines, air raids, rationing, evacuation of children to the country, love and loss. and more.. There are endless historical fiction books about WWII, but this series has shown some of the personal challenges in every book. The positivity and grit shown by Emily, Charles, Bunty, Hester and all the rest of A.J. Pearce's creations lifted readers' spirits as well.

A very satisfying end to the series! Like the others in The Emmy Lake Chronicles, Dear Miss Lake could be recommended to a wide variety of readers. While this could be read as a stand alone, the reader would miss out on so much background...the wonderfully developed relationships between the characters, and of course the descriptions of wartime London. Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Oh how comforting it was to be back with these beloved and familiar characters. This book made me cry several times, but in a good way. I appreciated the issues it raised while also offering a view of how humans persevere through the most difficult of circumstances.

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for this advance copy!

The Dear Mrs Bird series has been such a delight to read, and I'm sad to find out this is the last book. Emmy is bright and kind, and she and the others at the magazine are doing their best while living in England through the Blitz and WWII. I appreciate how these stories never shy away from the difficult life on the homefront and the sacrifices everyone was making, but does so with a level of comfort and awareness that stories can be real and face hard things without being horrible. This final book finds Emmy's husband off to war again and the rest of the crew dealing with a variety of life's problems as Britain finally moves towards VE Day.

I don't know that I would call this a comfort read, but I appreciate this author's point of view and how she brings you into the world of the advice column, women's magazine, and the many characters whose lives we know and love. A great ending to a lovely series.

The staff of the Woman's Friend are continuing to do their best for the home front war effort in WWII London. The war is nearly over but the bombs are still falling. The staff has an opportunity to relocate to the safety of the country for the summer and they decide to take it. This is aother enjoyable entry in the Miss Lake series.

Throughout this series, A.J. Pearce has made me smile and brought me to tears and now the series is coming to a close with Dear Miss Lake. WWII has been raging for five years. Emmy Lake is the advice columnist for a women’s magazine that offers support for its’ readers on the home front. While her husband Charles is safely stationed nearby, she pours over the letters from women who are trying to cope and dealing with the loss of their loved ones. London has come under continuous bombing, so when Emmy’s best friend Bunty offers the use of the family estate in the country it becomes a reprieve for the magazine’s entire staff. In cooperation with the government, Emmy also writes a column hi-lighting the importance of the work being done by the women at home. She also has the opportunity to finally report from the front when she is permitted to travel to Belgium to witness the conditions in a hospital and the role of the nurses. When Charles is sent on a mission, Emmy finally experiences all of the fears that her readers have been facing. Charles’ unit is captured. While widows received payments and support from the government, Emmy discovers that the wives of POWs are in limbo. Emmy’s constant request for information on the men’s status on behalf of the wives that she has connected with leads to her dismissal as a correspondent for the government, but her voice is still heard through the magazine she writes for.

The magazine’s editor is Charles brother, who stands by Emmy with his full support. She grew up with Bunty as her best friend and she is also there for her. The staff of the magazine has become family and their summer in the country brings some lightness to the group, especially when Bunty gets engaged and there is a wedding to plan. I fell in love with Pearce’s characters when hey first appeared in Dear Mrs. Bird. As she concludes her series, Pearce gives her characters the ending that they deserve. Emmy, Charles, Bunty and their friends will be sorely missed. I would like to thank NetGalley and Scribner for providing this book.

While I loved this book, I am super sad that this is the end of the series. The author said these people became real to her, and I think the same is probably true for most of her readers. The tension in the story made me want to continue reading along after my bedtime. Great series. Recommended for all public libraries.

This is the final book in the series about Miss Lake and her time at a magazine called Woman's Friend. She was a wartime correspondent and answered letters in an advice column during WW II. This series taught me a lot about how families coped during the war in the London area. They endured terrible hardships but this magazine tried hard to keep everyone's spirits up with articles, recipes using a sparcest of ingredients, and tidbits of interesting stories. This book and the series is very uplifting and a wealth of info about this period of time. Thank you to Net Galley for the arc.

DEAR MISS LAKE by AJ Pearce is the final novel in an excellent four book series which began with the award-winning Dear Mrs. Bird. These historical fiction titles should be read in order and are set primarily in London or the English countryside during WWII. Emmy Lake is a major character who becomes an active correspondent for a magazine titled Woman's Friend. In the latest book, she is devoting time to an advice column dealing with issues like financial worries, problems with relatives living together, unexpected pregnancies, and unfaithful husbands. In addition, Emmy works with the British government by conducting interviews and profiling the contributions that women like nurses and factory workers make to the war effort, especially on the Home Front. It is all quite upbeat even when she becomes involved in trying to obtain answers about British POWs. Throughout, there is a strong comradery amongst the team (e.g., brother-in-law Guy Collins, fashion editor Monica, young assistant Hester, and stalwarts like Mrs. Shaw and Miss Peters) at the magazine. And, happily, there’s a wedding or two to plan despite the wartime shortages impacting food and clothing. Resilience, resourcefulness, and courage combine again and again in this hopeful, inspiring read: "Tonight as I kiss the glass of the photo frame and wish Charles goodnight, I felt sure he would know I was thinking of him. ... 'whenever you think of me, I will feel it in my heart and be thinking of you too.'"

This is the final book in the series. The magazine is now being run from Emmy and Bunty's house. The war is still on but winding down. Charles has been reported missing and possibly a prisoner of war so Emmy is doing all that she can to help the women whose loved ones are missing. At times it felt like nothing was going to happen and it was dragging. There are a lot of characters and being that they are proper British they are referred to as Mr., Miss or Mrs. and other times by first names. I would have hoped that by this fourth book I would have gotten them all straight but I still needed a cheat sheet. I will miss all the characters, especially Guy, but it was a nice ending to a lovely series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Scriber for providing me with a digital copy.

Dear Miss Lake is the fourth (and last) installment of the Emmy Lake Chronicles, an “uplit” series set on the home front (England) during WWII. The series follows Emmy Lake as she pursues a career in journalism, appreciates the support and encouragement of friends and colleagues, and faces challenges on the home front during the war years.

Themes of women supporting women, friendship, career ambitions, and small sides of romance are set against the dramatic backdrop of WWII in England. Emmy and her friends and colleagues deal with the challenges of wartime as they strive to support the war effort, “carry on,” and live their best lives.

In each installment, Emmy Lake is faced with personal and professional challenges. Her determination, compassion, confidence, and problem-solving skills are inspirational and drive the action in each of the four books. (best read in order) I think my favorite of the four is Yours Cheerfully (#2) in which she fights for women’s rights for factory workers. I enjoy a series that follows the growth and development of one character as opposed to one that rotates points of view with each installment.

One of my favorite micro-genres of historical fiction is home front stories. I love reading about women supporting the war effort, taking on leadership responsibilities, and supporting each other and their communities. These home front stories tend to be “uplit” in nature.

I enthusiastically recommend the Emmy Lake Chronicles (best read in order) for fans of home front WWII stories/women’s fiction. Limited violence (some bombings), no profanity, no open-door romance. When I read the first one (Dear Mrs. Bird), I had some reservations (I was used to grittier histfic and didn’t fully appreciate “uplit”), but I was sold in book #2. These are books I can recommend to anyone.

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

I have really enjoyed all four of the books in this series. It’s hard to write about war without it being too serious and sad, but these had just the right touch. Wonderful characters that the readers will miss!

This fourth book in the Emmy Lake series is, like the others, set in London and the surrounding area during WWII, and about life on the home front during the war, both through Emmy’s and her friends’ lives, and through the women’s magazine she works on writing an advice column.

It’s definitely not a standalone, but I highly recommend this entire series to anyone who enjoys a different type of war story, about what it was like for the women and children at home during WWII. There are of course serious and sad parts, but also humor and happy moments, and it’s all just so charming. I’ve really become so attached to these characters and am sad to say goodbye to them as AJ Pearce says this is the final book in the series. I don’t care if the war ended, I’d happily revisit these characters post-war! But I’ll also happily read whatever Pearce decides to write next!

The third installment of the adventures of Emmy Lake, intrepid advice columnist for Woman's Friend, once again features her efforts to keep spirits up despite the lengthening war. It's July 1944, and the staff have decided to make a temporary camp in the country at Rose House, thanks to the kindness of a friend's grandmother. The paper sails along with nary a blip while staff members navigate living and working together. And one of the best collaborations ends up being a wedding. With resourcefulness, creativity, and force of will, Emmy is determined to make the day memorable in spite of rationing and so much scarcity.

A wedding isn't the only project Emmy undertakes. When her husband gets sent to places unknown, she carries on valiantly until she gets a telegram about his assumed capture. This sets her on a new course that puts her in the path of other women whose husbands, brothers, or boyfriends are missing as well. Emmy is determined to do all she can to raise spirits and keep up morale not only through her column in Woman's Friend and by sharing more about the remarkable work women are doing in the war.

As coworkers and friends pour their hearts into their work and their families, Emmy keeps tackling the next project, helping to distract her from the loneliness of her husband's absence. With one friend married and a coworker soon to be, Emmy finds some bright spots to focus on until the best laid plans go awry. But with each new challenge, Emmy continues to carry on--exactly what she's been encouraging other women to do. And as the political war seems to drag on and on, the people in Emmy's world face one type of war or another: some publicly and some privately. With each new hurdle in her life or a friend's, she discovers hidden reserves she didn't know she had.

The whole Dear Mrs. Bird series is a cozy experience--like joining a good friend over a cuppa and facing life head-on with courage and resolve and never giving in to despair. While these particular characters may be fictional, they are modeled after so many women who made it through the war years with grace and pluck. Who wouldn't want to be like them? Bravo to Ms. Pearce for creating such a satisfying and meaningful series. I highly recommend it!

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Dear Miss Lake from Scribner through NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.

This is the final book in a wonderful WWII series that is cozy yet serious at delving into the ways the war affects those left at home in England. You could read this without reading the others first, but in my opinion, you’d be missing out. The theme throughout the series is: “Things always feel better when you’re not on your own.” In this final installment the focus is on those missing in action and prisoners of war and the deep impact waiting for word has on their loved ones. You’ll cry and laugh and rage. I look forward to recommending this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Miss Lake is a fitting end to the 4-book Emmy Lake Chronicles by A.J. Pearce. We've experienced World War II with Emmy Lake Mayhew, from the early days of the Blitz, when Emmy joined the Woman's Friend magazine team writing advice, to the late days of the war. It's 1944 and Emmy and her Woman's Friend family know that the end of the war is getting close; even so, that doesn't mean life has gotten easier for any of them. They've lost friends and family, they have loved ones fighting, and they're trying to figure out what life in peace times will look like.

I have so appreciated this series for showing life on the home front in England and how it's highlighted the experience of women as they take up unexpected jobs and positions. Pearce manages to balance more global concerns with everyday life, showing wartime weddings and Christmas fairs. I've also really liked the glimpses at Emmy and co. having to balance writing the stories they want with publishing what the government wants them to say; there's a tension at trying to show that "Keep calm and carry on" attitude without seeming like the magazine workers have no sympathy for the hardships their readers are experiencing.

Pearce continues to have Emmy walk the fine line of being a naturally optimistic, driven person but not being irritating. She's chipper without being twee. And I have no doubt that I'll go back and reread The Emmy Lake Chronicles time after time; it manages to be a comfort read even as it tackles heavy subjects. Emmy is someone with whom you want to spend time.

The first three books in the series are Dear Mrs. Bird, Yours Cheerfully, and Mrs. Porter Calling, and all are very much worth a read; they provide insights into different aspects of the war, including life in London during the Blitz and what life was like for women factory workers. And because I work in publishing myself (though in a quite different sector!), I loved the scenes throughout the series about running the magazine.

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the advance copy in return for my honest review.

AJ Pearce has given readers a precious look inside the workings of a woman's magazine in England during WWII in the "Miss Lake" series. This latest installment, Dear Miss Lake, takes us to the closing months of the war - the anxiety of women who don't know what has happened to their sons and husbands, the desire to look forward to the end of the war when things will be "normal" again, and the efforts to make the best of what life has given them. If you have't read the other books in this series, do so immediately! The characters will become your friends and you will want to read as quickly as possible to see if they get to live there happily ever after. I was able to read an ARC on #NetGalley.