The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons (Review by Sara D’Onofrio)

Do you know how you start a book sometimes and it doesn’t catch your attention right away, and you think, “ugh, here we go.” I am not going to lie, I don’t normally pick up historical fiction, and if it wasn’t for the opportunity to read this as an ARC, I don’t know if I would have kept reading since I didn’t feel drawn in immediately. There are no words to describe how happy I am that I got the chance to read this story and to fall absolutely in love with Gertie and Hedy, and just all of the characters honestly. My heart ached for so many different characters at different times. The pain, fear, and struggle were described with such intimate detail that it felt like you knew them personally, and I would find myself pausing to take a deep breath before reading what I knew would be a difficult section or chapter. There were quite a few times where I was like why couldn’t the author have just given this happy ending or just one darn break, but then I would remind myself that this was reality during these times. Happy endings rarely happened, and the trauma was real, deep, and long-lasting. Lives were destroyed. Families were destroyed. Annie Lyons gave us such a powerful account of what life was like during this horrific time in our history. It moved slower then I typically like when I read a book, but that is 100% a personal preference, and I can see how this book would get 5 stars across the board!