February 16, 2020

It has been a long time since I literally laughed out loud at a book, but this one had me giggling at the most inopportune times. Believe me; it was much needed and much-warranted laughter.

I thoroughly related to Meg, as I think that every woman of a certain age will. It is so easy to get caught up with life and forget about the essential things (like keeping up relations with your hubby). Meg gets a wake-up call in the most hilarious (and somewhat shocking way) when something…let’s say, “unique,” is delivered to her house.

Seriously, this is one time that I am NOT going to give up this spoiler because I about died during this scene, and I would hate to ruin it for anyone else.

Suffice to say that this event kicks off a series of events that make Meg realize how much she has neglected over time. Some of the scenes work, and some seemed a little bit forced, but they all felt natural (although a little bit on the crazy side at times).

I thought that Danny was a sympathetic character as well. I could also relate to having the responsibility of one job while having a talent and desire to pursue something else. I think that is what actually made all of the scenarios work for me; both characters were relatable, and I couldn’t help but root for them to figure it all out.

I also have to mention their kids who are well-detailed and real characters (not just caricatures of kids), with a special shout-out to Eve who has some of THE best lines in the entire book.

A fun read with relatable characters is sometimes hard to find but that’s precisely what you’ll find with this book. Don’t miss it.

Author Bio

Mother-of-four, gin-drinker, binge-watcher, receipt hoarder, enthusiastic but terrible cook. Kristen also writes. She has had short fiction published in several publications including Mslexia & Riptide. Her first two novels, Souper Mum and Second Helpings were published in 2016. In 2019, she was long listed in the Comedy Women in Print Prize and has since joined the Bookouture family. She hopes her novels have fresh and funny things to say about modern life, love and family.

You can find out more about her at her website: www.kristenbaileywrites.com.
You can also find her on Twitter (@mrsbaileywrites), Instagram (@kristenbaileywrites) and Facebook.

As far as epic WWII stories go, this one ranks right up there. A lot of ground is covered as the story winds its way through the waning days of WWII, London, and contemporary Spain. Sound disparate? Don’t worry, it does all link together.

AMZ: https://geni.us/B081JTJ8SPSocial
Apple Books: https://buff.ly/35hyBPZ
Kobo: https://buff.ly/2KyLhKt
Google Play: https://buff.ly/35bO0kR

The 1944-ish London segments focus on Elaine, a typist who gets caught up in a whirlwind romance with the “it” photographer of the period, Robert Capa (a real-life person). The Spain segments deal with a family who may (or may not) be descendants of Elaine and Robert (or Pinky and Bobby as they refer to each other).

I thought that the WWII portions were exceptionally well-done. The author did a phenomenal job of portraying the hardship felt by many Londoners but also captured the excess and frivolity of the artistic/journalistic segment of society. This was a compelling juxtaposition of attitudes, even more so because Elaine straddled the line between the two.

I also liked how the author did the necessary research to weave real events from Capa’s life into the narrative – this added a dash of realism into the narrative and was very effective.

I found the Spain segments to be less exciting and read those faster to get back to the 1944 action. I understand why the author used these segments, and the “mystery” of the family ties did link the two plot lines together. But I did not think that the Jenny/Paul problem, and Jenny’s contentious relationship with her mother, really did the story much justice.

Regardless, I did learn a lot about the clerical girls and found their jobs to be fascinating. I can only imagine how difficult their jobs would have been. In fact, I found myself thinking that the title referred more to them than to the two little girls on the cover.

That was definitely one thing that stood out about this book; the author took special care to highlight the unsung heroes and heroines of WWII London – those who had no choice but to “Keep Calm and Carry On” even in the face of the Blitz, Doodlebugs, and ongoing uncertainty.

And I thoroughly got caught up in Elaine and Robert Capa’s romance. I would recommend this book for that storyline alone.

Author Bio

Lizzie loves reading ALL the books and has always loved reading the adventures of women in the past so it seemed natural to her to write historical fiction.

She lives with her family by the sea in South East England. And with her dog. She enjoys traveling and lived in Japan for several years. Lizzie has had lots of different jobs from waitressing and teaching to admin and bingo-calling – but being a writer is her absolute favourite.

She’d love to hear what you think of her books – feel free to send her a message on twitter @LizziePagewrite or on FB or leave a review on amazon.