Book Synopsis:
It’s 1942 and as shortages of staff – and goods – begin to bite, young Lily Collins is thrilled to step up to sales junior in her job at Marlow’s department store.
But bombs are still falling and Lily and fellow shop girls Gladys and Beryl need a stiff upper lip to wave boyfriends, husbands and brothers goodbye, especially with a baby on the way and grim news on the wireless. When Jim, who works with Lily at the store, seems restless, things are bad enough, but nothing can prepare Lily for the secrets that come tumbling out when her favourite brother comes home on leave…
Somehow, she must keep smiling through. Community, family and friends rally round as her home town – and the whole country – is tested once again.
Wartime For The Shop Girls is available in ebook now and in paperback on the 23rd January 2020. You can purchase or pre-order your copy using the link below.
My Review:
I love historical sagas especially when they are set in WW2 which is one of my favourite periods in time. I thought Wartime For The Shop Girls was a hugely enjoyable, atmospheric and absorbing read which I will be recommending to everyone.
The author does a great job of setting the scene in the book with all the little details of every day life making the reader feel fully transported to wartime London. I’ve always loved books set in department stores as they unfortunately don’t really exist anymore. Marlows definitely sounds like a great place to work in and I loved the descriptions of the colourful displays and the closeness of the staff, which made me wish I could work there too.
There are some fantastic characters in this book which really helped make the story come to life. I loved the main character Lilly whose enthusiasm made me smile. I warmed to her in the first few pages as her obvious love for her family was lovely to read about. Dora, Lilly’s mum, also made me smile with her stoic attitude and the fabulous sayings that she uses.
There is lots going on in this book, with each of the characters having different storylines to follow, which made the book very gripping as I wanted to find out what would happen. The unfolding romance between Lilly and Jim was my favourite part of the book though especially as it helped create some lighter moments in the story.
This is the second book in the series but can easily be read as a standalone, like I have done, as anything you need to know is explained. I’m very much looking forward to reading more of this series!
Huge thanks to Jen Harlow for inviting me onto the blog tour and for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Joanna Toye is a former BBC scriptwriter and producer. She worked for over 30 years on Radio 4’s much-loved ‘The Archers’, as well as on ‘Crossroads’, Family Affairs’, ‘Doctors’ and ‘EastEnders’. She has nine previous TV and radio spin-off books to her credit, but ‘A Store At War’ is her first original novel, the first in a series of four. It draws on her Midland roots and vivid family memories of the Second World War, as well as anecdotes and research into how shopping used to be – long before the internet was ever thought of!
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Sounds pretty good, although I don’t often read series. Mind you, I dislike the girl on the cover – she doesn’t look 1940s to me! But hey… that’s not the worst thing in the world. I felt the same about Beantown Girls, but I really liked that book.
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