I read a lot of WWII books and it's always great to find one with a different perspective and to learn something new. This novel looks at the war from the view of the British Air Transport Auxiliary . These brave women were pilots who shuttled planes to the bases where they were needed and to free up the male pilots for combat. At the same time, a similar group was being started in the US. These women were faced with discrimination from almost everyone -including the male pilots and often times, their own families. They work to fly the planes while they are fighting for respect and equal pay as they try to do their part in helping their county's war efforts.

There are three main characters: May, the group commander in England who is fighting demons of her own due to the loss of her brother; May, a petite woman who is engaged to an RAF pilot and Lizzie, an American who went to England to fly with the BATA and learn more about the program so that she could replicate it in the US. All three women bring great flying skills but vastly different personalities to the group. Can they overcome their differences and work together to help aviation in their country during wartime?

I definitely enjoyed learning more about what these brave women did during WWII and how they showed their countries what they could accomplish. This is an enjoyable book that will teach readers more about women's roles during the 40s. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This book is different from other historical books of a similar era. The book is very well written and it also told me facts that I didn’t know
The story is very easy to follow and the characters are very likeable
A great historical fiction book

A timely tale in the RAF’s centenary year, which weaves fact with fiction to celebrate the incredible sacrifices and ground-breaking achievements of female pilots during the Second World War. The narrative is woven around the friendships forged between the three central characters of diffident Ruby, stoic May and outspoken American, Lizzie. We follow their lives as they support the war effort by piloting planes, finding romance whilst enduring sexism, tragedy and the adversities incumbent on their roles as pioneers of the female pilot squadrons: the ATA and the WASP. This story will strike a chord with anyone old enough to have experienced the war first-hand or have an interest in women during the war. The writing style is accessible and I recommend this book. The Author’s Note also details the facts underpinning the fiction and is extremely interesting. The end result is that I now really want to read more about the inspirational real lives of Jackie Cochrane and Pauline Gower.

A fascinating story together with a cast of trail-blazing women pilots who came together to overcome prejudice and societal stereotypes, changing the face of history, and whose daring contribution helped win a world war. A winning combination.

A work of fiction based on a true story about the women aviators who flew the Spitfire planes during WorldWar II. What a remarkable story this is!
It tells of female pilots recruited in both the United States and England to serve as noncombatants so that more male flyers would be available for combat duty.
Picking up damaged planes from war zones to bring to home air-fields for repair was difficult and dangerous, but these women did it with skill and determinations.
Their efforts were an inspiring display of heroism and patriotism but they received very little recognition until near the end of the war.
These brave women were ignored or looked upon as secondary to their male counterparts.
It was during the end of the war that the honors and accolades they deserved were given to these fine females.
Their exploits played an important role in history as to why the members of the 40's decade were called "The Greatest Generation".
Definitely a good, well written book!

I adored this book!! These characters had such strong personalities and I feel in love with each and every one!! I also learned so much from this story!!! You will not be sorry you read this book!!

Read this if you need women of strength and courage to motivate you. Our foremothers put themselves out there to open doors for generations to come, to prove the worth, power and ability of women. You wish for the characters to have that happy ending, with respect and romance from some supportive men to draw you into what their futures may hold

A beautifully written story based on the true story of the brave women pilots of WW2.
We follow May, Ruby and Lizzie as they fight prejudice on both sides of the Atlantic. Along the way they face loss and find love and these women are true pioneers of women's rights.
Aust for anyone who loves books about strong women and is interested in the work of women I. The war

Very similar to other books on this subject. The important role women pilots played in the war flying planes around England was not fully appreciated until near the end of the war. The lives and loves and deaths of these daring young girls make for an extremely interesting read.

This is a work of historical fiction detailing the relatively unknown story of female pilots ferrying war planes in WWII. I had no idea women played such a pivotal role.
The book could also be categorized as women’s fiction for the emotion shown by the characters and their families. May reminded me very much of JD Robb’s Eve Dallas character because she got too far into her own head, thought too hard, and shouldered a lot. A bit too heavy on the introspection with that one. But I thoroughly enjoyed Ruby, who was indeed a spitfire, humbly piloting war planes with immense skill.
All in all a good read. I recommend this one.

A fascinating insight into the role played by the ATA and WASPS during WW2. The women who flew spitfires, bombers, seaplanes etc during the war, transporting them across Britain and US, to ensure that they had the planes required for combat. A little known part of WW2 history, these women were some of the first to strive for equality, and were determined to help their country in war. The one subtle difference was that in Britain they had to fly without radio support or navigation aids, using only maps and roads, train lines, rivers etc to find their way - a significantly more difficult and challenging operation. These were truly courageous women, putting their lives at risk, who were then expected to go home when peace was as declared.

What an amazing story and the fact that. It's based on factual events makes it more interesting as I never knew or heard about this group of fantastic women. The author pays them the credit and gratitude that they deserve for their heroic acts while still writing a lovely story around the characters. I will be definitely checking out more books by this author.

Took me a little while to get fully involved in the plot but once I did, I loved it. Good characters for the most part and an interesting story. Looking forward to more from the author!

I loved this story from the very first chapter. This is a fictional story centered around a real life group of women. Some of the main characters were based on real ladies in history. It shows you how far women’s rights have advanced in the last 50-60 years. Not only legal rights but how people view women. Great story! Thank you NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hope you’re ready to hear some gushing, because The Spitfire Girls absolutely blew me away!

Synopsis: WW2 hasn’t been easy for anyone. People have been lost, and there will only be more. However, this story follows three brave women who decide that sitting at home isn’t an option. They’re pilots and they know they’re just as capable to assist in the war effort as any man. Stepping up to work alongside the brave women of the ATA, they each play a pivotal role in ferrying planes, so that the male pilots could fight in the war.

Despite having no instruments or radios, less pay and sometimes very little respect, they are determined to prove themselves. But things don’t always go smoothly, they don’t always get along and in such turbulent times, the stakes are higher than ever.

This beautifully crafted historical fiction novel exceeded my expectations. Probably what stood out to me most about The Spitfire Girls was how unbelievably real it felt. Granted, it’s based on real events, but even putting that aside it felt so vividly believable. The more time you spend with the characters, the more they start to feel like friends; people who you hope will get home safely. I loved how invested I felt in the characters and how much I cared about what happened to them.

I have to talk about how wonderfully empowering this story was. Before reading this book, I had no idea about the struggles faced by female pilots during WW2 and have since been inspired to do my own research on the subject. They had to fight so hard to prove themselves, purely so that they could serve their country and help bring their boys home. This was reflected so wonderfully in the novel. It moved me so much, hearing about how these brave women put their lives on the line for such a noble purpose. It really shines a light on the efforts that women made during WW2 to assist their countries and ultimately fight for equality. As a woman, reading this story made me feel like I could do anything and the sky was literally the limit. I think this is such a special quality in a novel and it deserves to be recognised.

I loved how strong the female characters were and how much they developed throughout the war. They overcame so many obstacles that were thrown at them as well as battling against their own personal demons. The story is told from the perspectives of three main characters: Lizzie, Ruby and May. All three of them are very likeable (even if they don’t always like each other) and being able to view the story from their different perspectives keeps the reader emotionally engaged. The characters were written with so much depth and complexity, which made it a pleasure to go with them on their journey. I really liked this structure and thought it was very nicely put together. I also like how there was a bit of romance (which is always nice), but it was not the overall focus of the story. The focus was how strong and badass the women were.

The tension that comes with war is present – sometimes lurking in the background and sometimes rearing its ugly head. There are reminders throughout the novel that death is a very real possibility for these women, as well as for their loved ones. There are sad moments and happy ones, but the story is so beautifully crafted the entire experience is an enjoyable one.

I feel like I should end this review by thanking the author for the experience of reading her novel. It has been a long time since I have been so moved by something I’ve read, and I would not hesitate in recommending The Spitfire Girls.

Thank you very much to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoy and appreciate Soraya M. Lane's emphasis on spotlighting women and their contributions to history. Having read her wonderful book "Hearts of Resistance," I knew I would enjoy this one, and I did. A beautifully written and well-paced story with vivid characters that read true to life and kept me invested in how their lives turned out. I loved learning about these fascinating and brave women who helped win WWII, even though they were handicapped by a lack of training and the inability to use the instruments the flying airmen were allowed to use. Highly recommended!

This is ok. I wish Lizzie, May, and Ruby had had more time together because it felt very brief. Or at least the part where they actually got along felt brief since most of the novel seemed to be Lizzie vs May and Ruby, which didn't always make sense in the later chapters when it showed their bond. That being said, it was an interesting book, though slow at points, but its biggest pitfall seems to be in the fact that the author does far more telling than showing. The amount of research is clear all throughout the novel, which is great, but I just don't think it was integrated as artistically as it could have been.

Ultimately, this novel is interesting, and for those of you who are interested in women's history and female=centric novels, then this is probably up your alley!

This is a novel that shares with us the courageous contribution women made in both England and the USA towards the WW2 endeavours. These women were willing to put their lives on the line and take on piloting planes to where they were needed. And... they were very successful.

Soraya M. Lane does and excellent job helping us get inside the lives of such young women. Often they were up agains 'the establishment' and the attitudes and prejudices of the populace. Yet despite these niggles these women were amazing.

The story is told of May who leads the English group, she is asked to take on the task of organising and training. She has heartache of her own - everyone is touched by the war in some way, never to be the same again. Then there is Ruby - a tiny woman who can eventually fly the biggest planes - she too has her own heartaches and worry. Lastly Lizzie the outspoken American who is so confident and ready to voice her opinions and every corner.

As the reader I came to love these women, I liked the small details of the drawbacks that women faced flying these planes, and that they overcame with good spirit. I enjoyed the love interests each of them had and that added so much to the story. I especially enjoyed the epilogue - icing on the cake!

Informative, inspiring and well worth the read. Yes women can do anything, which reminds me I had the pleasure once of meeting a woman USA astronaut. I think May, Ruby and Lizzie would have been right there if they lived in a different era. However their push for gender equality enabled women of the future to aim high.

The Spitfire Girls is a perfect example of historical fiction detailing women who deserve respect. May, Ruby and Lizzie ferried planes during WWII. Based on actual people, the story is fascinating. Of course these women were treated inferior. The story shows the strength of these women during an horrific time period. It's informative and engaging. There are many things to love about the characters. Read it!

War genre fiction is a favorite of mine and I certainly enjoy a book that educates me on a new aspect as to how women served during the war. A very good historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! While I knew of the WASPs in the US, it was fascinating to read about the British side of the it and the British Air Transport Auxiliary! While this is historical fiction, I enjoyed knowing that the characters were loosely based on real women. These women were real trail blazers and showed that they were just as valuable as the fighter pilots,

I didn't want to put this book down!

I have really loved this book as it shows how fabulous strong women helped the war effort,May,Ruby,Polly are some of the first women to ferry planes during the war.They had to show that they could do this job in an era when women stayed home and kept house and raised children.These girls form a bond of friendship and work well together that is until they get a new recruit from america.Lizzie is loud,big headed and doesn't like to be told what to do, all of which puts the girls off getting too close to her.I can highly recommend The Spitfire Girls and worthy of 5* if not more.EXCELLENT BOOK.

These are the stories I wish our history books taught us.

Spitfire Girls tells the story of the first female pilots during World War II. Lizzie is the daughter of a legendary American pilot with dreams of leading the United States’ first group of women pilots. She writes a letter to and eventually meets with the First Lady, Mrs. Roosevelt. Lizzie is set to Britain to join and learn about a group a women pilots ferrying planes.

May is the commanding officer of this group, with Ruby as her first officer. Lizzie is brash and bold and often offends her British counterparts. When she and Ruby, the two best pilots, are pitted against each other in a competition to be the first woman to fly a Halifax, a bomber, tensions rise and Lizzie learns a valuable lesson about herself.

Spitfire Girls is an engaging, historical read. I felt myself rooting for Ruby and crying with May, while getting fired up right alongside Lizzie. Their stories and lives an inspiration to all women.

Mixed with the perfect amount of romance and predictability, Spitfire Girls was an engaging and educational read.

I revived an advanced eBook from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
What a fantastic and fascinating insight into these amazing women and what they done for there country
Lizzie (very annoying) Ruby(star of the book) Polly(sweet girl)
May(The leader)
What a team these women made I feel as if I was flying planes with them
This really was a
RIP-ROARING EXTRAVAGANZA OF A BOOK.
can't praise this book enough and will be telling family and friends to read this amazing journey.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about 3.5/5 stars.

I was so excited to read this book because I have heard nothing but good things about Ms. Lane and I love novels about women in WWII. The story is objectively fantastic, really shining a light on the ATA in Britain and their essential role in the war effort. All of the characters have substance and the love stories are believable and not forced. Ruby was my particular favorite, with her patriotism, skill, and humble attitude. The book also doesn't spend too much time on aviation details, focusing only on the name and the type rather than on the nitty gritty of how to fly that particular plane (a welcome change as my Air Force pilot husband loves to talk about those details). The only downside to this book was the writing style. Conversations were awkward and stilted at the beginning of the novel and it was difficult to get into at first. It may be because this is an advanced copy, but there were also numerous typos and once instance where Ruby was called Rosie (there is no character named Rosie elsewhere in the book). These didn’t affect the overall storyline but they were definitely distracting. Once these are fixed, it would be a 4 star read for sure.

Women are strength. The characters in The Spitfire Girls demonstrate that throughout the entire book. I really love the story and lessons told in this book. The characters are all amazing and real. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

The book had a kick butt premise, I mean people tend to forget about the Women pilots of WWII. Lane gave us some very stereotypical characters and it was fluffy and cute and heartwarming with dashes of loss thrown in. Overall it was a read I think most people would enjoy more than I did but I couldn't like it as much as I wanted to. I felt like Lane dangled this carrot before me and then took it away, the characters had no depth and this is the sort of book where she had every opportunity to make them as deep as the ocean if she wanted, and because they were so shallow the plot just didn't seem as genuine as it should have. Not to mention I did not like Ruby, and I also felt that there was no need to alter Lizzie just because she was an ambitious woman.

I would definitely recommend this to others who love heartwarming stories and historical fiction, it was just too fluffy for me.

I received this as a free digital copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion, this book will be published on February 26, 2019.

This is a well researched book, telling the story of woman pilots that trained and flew planes for the WASPS in the US and the AOC in Britain during WWII. Facing discrimination and disbelief that women could handle the big bombers, that even some of their male counterparts found challenging to fly, these woman took to the challenge and were soon ferrying these planes to airbases, freeing up the men for combat. Unsurprising, these women had to fight for pay equality as well.
The author, Soraya M Lane tells their story of challenges, danger and loss, while serving their countries with pride. It didn’t hurt to throw some romance into the story, just to point out that the need for companionship and support is needed, Wartime or not.
A very enjoyable novel and I thank the author, Amazon Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC.

I was intrigued by the description of a World War II story from the point of view of women pilots in the Air Transport Auxilliary. The story is fascinating in the descriptions of the flights without the benefit of radar or radio and of the general work to fly planes around the country. The girls (and men to a a degree) are rather stereotypical though - May, the young Commander, British, quiet, reserved, suffering quietly to herself about the loss of her beloved fighter pilot brother whilst trying to pull together a disparate group of women, Ruby tormented by her dreadful mother in law to be who clearly sees a 'gal's' duty to be with her family and sorting out wedding arrangements rather than taking men's work in the skies, and a fiance who initially agrees with Mama. Lizzie the archetypal in your face brash Yank who knows it all and does not want to be with the boring Brits. Ben, the quiet mechanic, who ensures that the planes are fit to fly and supports May to the hilt. And so on and on. We move through their trials and tribulations from ferrying planes from base to base to replace those lost; to May demanding equal pay when meeting up with Churchill and their excitement at being able to fly some of the big 4 engine bombers for the first time as well as the attitudes of many of the RAF personnel. It is clear that the author has researched her subject well - thanks for giving some references at the end, I shall follow up on some of these.. For me, it's too much of a Mills and Boonsie style but it does get the story of the ATA across in an accessible way I suppose. Thanks to NetGalley and Union Lake publishing for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that it took me a while to decide to read this book...I've read a lot of WWII books lately and I didn't think this book would be all that different from the others. I was wrong! This book got my attention right from the beginning. The fact that not only did women VOLUNTEER to make difficult flights to deliver planes for use in the war, but they FOUGHT for the right to do so is just amazing to me. These women had so much courage and determination. I thought the author did a a great job with the main characters - May, Ruby, and Lizzie. Each of these women had their own strengths and weaknesses and as the story progresses, the reader gets to see how each of them deals with their own personal challenges. I highly recommend this book!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy for review.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Spitfire Girls” by Soraya M Lane, February 2019

Soraya M Lane, Author of “The Spitfire Girls” has written a captivating, enthralling, intriguing and entertaining novel. The Genres for this book are Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Historical Fiction. The time-line for this novel is World War Two. The author describes her colorful cast of characters as complex, competitive and complicated.

Lizzie has been a pilot in the United States, and writes to Mrs. Roosevelt to ask if women can be pilots and fly during the war. She is informed that there is a program in England. Lizzie meets May and Ruby, two of the best pilots in England. At first there is competition and adversity between the American and English women pilots. There is the threat of German Airstrikes. The women are flying the planes blindly.

I appreciate that the author discusses the importance of friendship, sisterhood, family , love and hope. These are brave and devoted women who serve their countries, at less pay than the men that do the same thing. These women are fighting for their rights and lives. I would highly recommend this amazing story for those readers who enjoy World War Two fiction and history. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I enjoyed watching the relationships grow between these women (and the men who were there for them). As always, it amazes me to see the courage and determination so many people had during the war. And if women hadn't seen a need and fought for the right to do the work - in this case ferrying planes to the men who would fly them into combat - how differently could things have turned out? These women played a huge part.

The book made me laugh, made me cry, broke my heart wide open, and in the end left me feeling that, despite it all, it was a full and complete and satisfying story. I will remember May and Ruby and Lizzie for a long time.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley, and Soraya M. Lane for the ARC. I loved it!

Focusing on three women- British ATA flyers First Officer Ruby Sanders and Commander May Jones and WASP American pilot Elizabeth (Lizzie) Dunlop, this is a WWII historical that focuses on the contribution of women pilots on both sides of the Atlantic during World War II. These women faced much criticism from their families and countrymen for stepping outside the projected gender roles and yet as revealed in the novel, had much better survival rates than the much lauded RAF. Not to mention that they also dealt with inequality in pay and came face to face with sexism on a daily basis.

I felt all the characters were relateable, although it took a while for brash American Lizzie to grow on me. I must confess that May was a personal favorite of mine as she had the added challenge of being in a high ranking position and yet found herself often being ignored by her male counterparts and the political figures of the time.

An absolute addition to any WWII era library!

It's well timed with the Armistice and the D-day landings anniversaries due. I welcomed a story about the ATA girls who are the dogsbody pilots of condescending and patronising men. I found it a sugary and snobbish account especially the spoilt brat women. Initially, it irritated me learning that the elitist women could drive an aircraft because they had a wealthy daddy. No expense was spared for the new project - accommodation at the Savoy hotel, dinner of steak at the Adelphi hotel, uniform supplied by Moss Brothers. Ouch - class structures in the 1940s. The ongoing childish feud between Lizzie and Ruby was tedious and seemed to be the main theme. The women did a wonderful job as ATA girls, but I think they had more depth and tenacity to give them real justice than the shallow characters in the book.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story that deserves to be told and shared! This book shares the story of three women who lead the charge of women pilots in WW2. I was able to attach myself to each of the characters - they were magnetic, making it hard to put the book down. In fact, I wish that I could continue reading about the lives of these women. I really enjoyed the book.

"The perfect ladies' plane, that's what they used to call the Spitfire..." I love historical fiction and especially when I learn something new from it. I certainly did reading this book. This novel took me on a journey of the development and organization of the "Spitfire Girls" along with the main characters, Lizzie, May and Ruby. It's the personal stories of each one and the common love they have in flying. They each have a desire to serve their countries in the war efforts by using their gift of skillful flying. Lizzie has a yearning to develop a women's flying team but the American forces aren't ready for women to become fliers so she travels to England and joins the women there. After some tension between her and the other women, they become a team and form friendships that span the ocean. There are bonds in the common interest of the love of flying and to help towards winning the war. Lizzie had to learn to let go of personal gains and become a member of the sistership in the single mission they were all destined to complete. Ferrying planes. These women believed in themselves and the ability they had to serve their countries.

Ms. Lane wove a beautiful story around true facts that happened to real women. It's the story of painful losses and learning to believe in hope and love. Letting go of the past pain and grabbing the future. Persevering through thick and thin. From the unbelievable agony of losses almost too much to bear to the highest of highs of finding true love in the least expected way. Of flying high. I had tears for the pain and joy for the characters as the story was told. I am in awe of the fortitude that these women had. To overcome obstacles and show that women are capable of mighty things.

This passage that Ms. Lane wrote spoke to me so much:

"We are told as little girls what our expectations should be, and it's made abundantly clear what our limitations are, but I'm standing here today to tell you that there are no limitations for women, or at least not in the sky. You don't need to be a burly six-foot man to fly an enormous four-engine bomber, but you do need a brain and a single-minded determination."

The Author's Note at the end of the book is wonderful. I was stunned at the statistics she included and how much these women made a difference in the war efforts.

I want to thank Lake Union, Netgalley and Ms. Lane for the honor of reading this great book. I highly recommend it. A fantastic read!

The Spitfire Girls
By: Soraya M. Lane
I’m generally a Christian historical romance reader but I decided to give this book a try. I was happy to find that it was a clean romance, nothing smutty. I really enjoyed this unique perspective of WW2. The “Atta girls” or “spitfire girls” were a unique part of our history that I have not read about before. They were plucky women who broke the mold of how women should behave during wartime. These brave women chose to share their flying talents helping shift the outcome of the war. Although this was a fiction book it was based on real women which were inspiring to read about.
“Getting what you want is never easy.”
As WW2 develops a group of British women forms the “First Eight,” to help ferry new, repaired, and damaged planes for the RAF. Meanwhile, in the states, a spirited Lizzie fights to start a women’s flying brigade to aid the war. After gaining the president's attention Lizzie is sent to be a part of the British ATA. The girls juggle transporting planes, training to be the first to fly a bomber, and as well as relationships with each other and their male counterparts.
I really enjoyed this book and all the characters. They were well developed and it was enjoyable to see them mature and grow throughout the war. Even though the girls were all coming together for a similar purpose to help the war effort they each had a different personality and struggle. It was very genuine as they all interacted and got along while dealing with their own struggles.
If you are a historical reader this is defiantly a book to check out!
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I share here. https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

This is a great book for fans of WWII fiction and those who enjoy strong female characters. This is a book about women who flew during the war. I enjoyed it and hope to read more from this author.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

4.5 stars

I have read a significant amount of WW2 fiction. I really enjoyed the look at women's fight to help in the war. In our day and time it is hard to really comprehend that it was a common belief at that time that women were inferior and would not be able to fly planes, bombers, fighters to help in the war effort. The fact that they were then allowed to do fly with less equipment, less support, and less pay is abhorred.

This is a story of three women fighting their own fight to help in the war efforts. Two English women and an American woman fighting the same fight for different reasons.

(4.5) I really enjoyed this book. It was well researched and the writing beautifully done. Based on the true story of female pilots that assisted in the WWII efforts by transporting planes to bases where needed for combat. And that was transporting WITHOUT radios or instruments to help guide them. They put their lives in danger to help their country fight the war. What amazing, brave women. I loved the three main female characters in the book, May, Ruth and Lizzie, and the camaraderie that developed between them, even though they didn't quite start off on the right foot. This is great historical fiction with a little romance thrown in, and it is one that I highly recommend.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
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Thoroughly enjoyed reading book about the ladies who fly for the benefit of the men in the war. it was an easy read about 3 brave women who gave their all for the war. the 3 new recruits soon become vital to the team in there different way and eventually find a way to work today..

What a fasinatiing and powerful book about female pilots in the 2nd WW.
Who knew that these women risked their lives on a daily basis having to fly the planes without a radio or instruments?
The book shows their fight against prejudice in both England and America; people believing that they weren't capable of handling such aircraft, that they were taking jobs away from men.
The characters were realistic and really likeable. They had to make a choice: go against their loved ones or fight for their belief in their own flying abilities.
A great read especially if you enjoy modern history and female empowerment.

This is an amazing historical and long due backdrop for a novel about strong female characters - I have nothing but adoration for the real ATA pilots and I was looking forward to reading this very much - the story, however, was altogether too twee for me.
I’m sure there will be plenty of readers who will greatly enjoy it and I’m equally sure the author did her best to do the time period justice, but I just wished all the way through someone else had written this in a less superficial, choc-lit way. Just didn’t hit the mark for me.

May, Lizzie, and Ruby are very different woman but they all have two things in common: they want to fly and they want to help the war effort. This uses these divergent personalities (and two Brits and an American) to probe the edges of a wartime contribution that doesn't get enough credit. All three women are believable and the plot, oh the plot! You might see where some of it is going but that doesn't mean that reading this isn't a complete pleasure. Thanks to Netgalley of ArC. Perfect for fans of WWII fiction featuring women.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is a hard review..While I love the subject matter, the delivery seems lacking. I couldn't connect with the characters and unfortunately, I didn't like the style of writing and found to much romance for my liking.
It was very clear though, that the author researched her subject well - and I loved the references as well as the authors note at the end, I did love learning about the birth of the WASPs and another area where women helped in the war and thank the author for her hard work.

ENLIGHTENING & INSPIRING!

This is the story of three women that decided they could not stand by and see their flying skills go to waste during WWII. They did the unthinkable and left the safety of their families and one left behind her homeland. They all volunteered to help ferry planes for the British Air Transport Auxiliary thereby freeing male pilots to fly in “risky combat situations.”

May is the Senior Commander and takes her role very seriously as she knows the pilot’s lives are her responsibility. Ruby is small in stature (she has to sit on a cushion when she flies!) but she has the heart of a lion and nerves of steel. Lizzie blows in like a storm from the USA and is ready to show her superiority to everyone. While they are all so very different, each of them is fighting their own set of demons while also fighting to prove their worth as pilots and prove something to themselves.

These girls had vast experience in flying many types of planes. But one thing they were required to do that their male counterparts did not was they had to fly with NO INSTRUMENTS and NO RADIOS. Can you imagine flying through enemy territory under those conditions? Of course, they proved they could that, too. Soon they were to be tasked with flying four-engine bombers that normally had a crew of four men. But they would fly all alone and with no instruments and no radio and straight through war zones! In spite of this, they had a unbelievably low casualty rate. These girls were definitely made of something special! Be sure not to skip the Epilogue!

I was provided an ARC of this book by Lake Union Publishers and NetGalley. The opinions expressed here are completely my own and without influence.

A fantastic read that grabs you and pulls you in from page 1. It tells the story of a brave group of women that ferried the planes around during the war ready for the men to take into battle. What I love about this book is that although it is fiction it’s based on a lot of fact. There were some very brave women that we need to be proud of the way they wouldn’t take no for for an answer and proved to all the men that women could indeed be a great help in winning the war. Absolutely worth reading and well deserves the five stars.

This story is a bit different from the other books I’ve read by this author so far, but I soon fell into the story and found myself wanting to learn more about these incredible women.

There is some romance in this story, but that’s not what it’s all about. It’s about women finding their voice. Women proving they have a use other than looking pretty. Women learning to work together to be stronger. Along the way they aren’t always treated fairly or with the respect they deserve, but they also come across some incredible men who support them for who they are and never try to hold them back. Ruby story, in particular, is quite the roller coaster. Her grit and determination, regardless of what those back home say, is inspiring.

While I respected all of the characters in this book and found them all fascinating, I feel Lizzie had the longest and most important journey. I started off loving her, until she met up with the other women. Then she really had me pulling my hair out. She had the most lessons to learn, but once she saw the light there was no stopping her. Once she learned that not everyone was opposed to her, and some people (men and women alike) were actually trying to help her, her life became much easier.

There’s nothing like the connection of a group of people who have gone through adversity together. These women are a special bunch. I like to think the real women who took on these roles in the US and Great Britain during World War II were just as spunky and full of life as these fictional ladies. Maybe even more so!

It took me a few chapters to really get deep into this story, but it was so worth the read.

Roaring Fire That Sputters Out. This was an excellent and engaging tale of the Air Transport Auxiliary and the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II and what those ladies went through to even be allowed to serve. The book spends the front two thirds dealing primarily with a race between two young pilots to be the first to fly a four engine bomber outside of training as well as the race to ferry Spitfire planes to board the USS Wasp for an emergency trip to Malta to shore up defenses there. And it is in this part of the book that it is a roaring, all consuming fire - brilliantly told and executed. Where the book sputters out a bit is in the back third, where it switches gears to more emotional punches that are often happening off screen. The mainline story ends well with the final chapter, and the epilogue adds a final exclamation point to the tale. Strong book that could have been stronger, perhaps as a duology or even trilogy.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC ecopy for my Kindle.
Another great historical fiction about women and there roles in WWII. This book also shows the importance of family and friendship.