The Victory Girls

Marlow’s Department Store #5

by Joanna Toye

The new book in the heart-warming WW2 family saga series!As the tides of war turn, friendship has never been more important…Spring 1944. As the Allied forces push on towards longed-for victory, Lily Collins yearns to join up and do her bit. But where does her duty lie?

Her best friend Gladys faces having her first baby alone, with her new husband back with the Navy.

And their friend Beryl is run off her feet building her bridal-hire business amid the bomb damage.

So while wedding bells are ringing for others at Marlows Department Store, where Lily works, will they be heard for Lily herself – or does fate have another twist in store?

Acclaim for Joanna Toye

‘Warm and wonderfully page-turning’ Annie Groves

‘A wonderful testament to friendship as the Allied Forces push on towards victory’ Women’s Weekly

‘Family drama, community spirit and love…[a] warm, compassionate read’ People’s Friend

Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical, Fiction

358 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 8, 2021

About the author

Set in a family-owned department store, Jo's novels bring to life the hardships - and highlights - of life in Britain in the Second World War. With husbands, boyfriends and brothers away, the three Shop Girl friends pull together to battle bomb damage and black marketeers as well as their own poignant personal dramas. A former radio and TV scriptwriter, Jo draws on her family's war experiences as well as memories of how shopping used to be - before Amazon changed all that!
Twitter @joannatoye
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Reviews

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic wartime drama, filled with lovable characters and a camaraderie and strength that infused the lives of the time. Even though this book is a follow up to previous in the series, the author does a fab job with filling you in and making it feel like you haven’t missed anything at all. So you don’t feel at a disadvantage if you haven’t read any of these books before!

I loved the characters, Lily and Jim, Gladys and her Bill as well as Dora and the lovable crew at Marlows. The shop girls has been an utterly brilliant set of books I’ve found and they certainly have not lost their sparkle! It was great to catch up with all the characters and continue on in their story development and I loved settling down to tear through the pages in this book.

It’s a very easy immersible and entertaining book and one that you find the pages whittle down in no time. I really enjoyed it and the ending was just great. This was a fantastic follow up to what has been a great series!

Thank you to the author and publishers via NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book, in return for my honest thoughts and review.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Victory Girls by Joanna Toye is an excellent WWII-era historical fiction saga that is the newest installment of the amazing Marlow’s Department Store series. I loved this book, and this series!

This is the 5th book and I highly recommend the whole series, however one could truly pick up any book and easily snuggle in. This one starts mid-1944.

I love the full character cast, their development, history, and the progression of the relationships. It was great to see what happened next with Lilly, Jim, Beryl, and Gladys amongst others. The author just has a way of writing that really makes one want to invest in these characters for the long hall and hope for the truly best. One of the best series I have read.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and HarperCollins UK for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication.

[Carol Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great read! Love this author, she makes her characters come to life, I love them all. The end of the War… finally! I’m looking forward already to the next instalment! bring it on and bring on the demise of the Corona Virus 🙏

[Jeanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

NetGalley

Member Review
Cover Image: The Victory Girls
The Victory Girls
by Joanna Toye
Pub Date: 8 Jul 2021
Review by

jeanie m, Reviewer
Last updated on 6 Jun 2021
My Recommendation
With grateful thanks to netgalley and Joanne Toye for an arc in return for an honest opinion.
Well what can I say but it's been utterly superb, from beginning to end this being the 5th in the series I was delighted to catch up with the going on at Marlows, with the delectable Jim and lily what a wonderful match they are, Glady's Beryl and gang war is still taking the men away but things seem to be a bit less stressful on that front jim and lily trying to organise a wedding when life gets in the way.
This really is a fantastic series and look forward to the 6th book in the series, and can highly recommend this book for a book full of love laughs and so much more.
Don't forget! Come back to your Review on the pub date, 8 Jul 2021, to post to these retailers.

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 4 in the Marlow's shop girls series and this like the others was great. Lily and Jim are still at Marlow's, this is so good that I can imagine myself there watching them from the sidelines. Love this series ❤

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in 1940s England during and just at the end of WWII, this fifth book in the series is gentle, hopeful and reassuring, which, as the author said in her notes, is sometimes needed in life, especially in the midst of a pandemic when she wrote this novel. The Victory Girls can definitely be read as a standalone so you needn't be concerned with taking a blind leap. It's not like that.

Young Lily Collins is full of ambition and dreams as she is surrounded by people who value and love her including Gladys, Jim and Dora (and others). She enjoys her job in sales in Childrenswear at Marlows Department Store, though her work environment is not without issues as all jobs are. However, she is very keen to take an active role in the war effort which never leaves her mind. Gladys is expecting her first baby with her husband who is off to fight in the war. As we slip into the minds of the characters, we see glimpses of the effects of war on everyone.

The descriptions of spring (which to me means hope and promise) are lovely. I was tickled at the mention of The People's Friend which my sisters and I huddled together to read when we were kids. Details such as these filled me with nostalgia, though the circumstances are obviously vastly different. We haven't had to experience trying to find our way outdoors during blackouts or food rationing as the characters in this book did. Yet the horrendous war details are left out by the author. Her focus to me felt like a calming blanket.

My sincere thank you to HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this delightful book.

[Ann Boytim · Rating 4 out of 5]

#5 in series. Spring 1944 and the allies are pushing to get Hitler out of Europe. Shortages and bombings still going on in England and the department store of Marlowes and staff are doing their best to satisfy customers and keep the store running as personnel are still joining in the war effort. Lily and Jim still haven't set the date to get married. Gladys is struggling after the birth of her twins with her husband away in the Navy. Doris Lily's mother seems to juggle many things and keeps the family and neighbors together helping out where she can but then she falls ill. Another set back for the wedding but hoe is on the horizon as the allies march on Europe and Hitler falls. Maybe the wedding will be in the near future.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read in the store girls series. The war is still raging and Lily and her family and friends are struggling on the best they can. When their neighbours suddenly find themselves looking after their nephew who was back from the war minus one arm to find his family dead in an air raid they find it difficult getting through to him and hate to see him drinking himself into oblivion most nights. To the rescue comes Dora and Buddy who finally gets him to open up. There’s lots of things going on for the family in this book and if you like this genre I can recommend this great series

[Lyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely warm hearted story, yet it still tackled hard issues that people were facing towards the end of WW 2. The characters are believable and the cameraderie in the shop is lovely. I didn’t realise it was part of a series, as the book can stand alone, so now can look forward to going back to the start and spending more time with these characters.

[Liza · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Victory girls was an engaging read from the first page. Hard hitting in places.

The characters are well rounded and believable.

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series. Down to earth and heart warming. Looking forward to the next one!

[Lynn Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of 3 friends Lily, Beryl and Gladys during WW2. A social history of war on the home front, a family drama, community spirit and overall a wonderful read

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic book. I do really enjoy reading about Lilly and the other characters. Can't wait to read the next book.

[Annette O'grady · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very good read really enkoyed it

[Nika · Rating 4 out of 5]

WWII historical fiction with lovely characters and a nice storyline! The story keeps you interested and you feel with the protagonists during the story. Definitely worth the read!

[Kathy E · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book being number 5 in the series. I have read all the other 4 and enjoyed them these books get better with each story. Looking forward to the next one.

[Lynda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once more, Joanna Toye writes a moving and uplifting story, based on the tragedies and trials of World War 2 England, with characters that we care about. I have loved every book in this series.

[Erin ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very good and I read it quickly as I enjoyed it greatly.