Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me a copy of this page-turner historical fiction novel! Ruth and Millie are sisters with parents who are strict and a mother who has high expectations for responsible Ruth, the older sister, and unrealistic dreams for beautiful Millie, the younger sister, which only creates a gulf between the sisters that expands almost beyond repair when their parents are unexpectedly wiped from their lives.

This story digs deeper than just their relationship. I loved the wartime threads that were the intricate part of the story, including things like the Springfield Armory and its importance during the war-something I'd never heard about before.

There were many interesting characters in this story filled with strong women, heart, suspense, mistrust, and family all during the horrors of war. I highly recommend this book! ( )

Ruth and Millie have been at odds with one another nearly from the moment Millie was born. Big sister Ruth tried to play with Millie, tried to read her stories, tried to interest her in games, but Millie just wasn't engaged in any of those activities. As they grew older they also grew further apart. Ruth began to resent Millie's good looks, while Millie began to feel Ruth looked down on her for her less than perfect school report cards. It didn't help that the boys Ruth wanted to date took more of an interest in Millie, or that their own parents seemed to favor Millie over Ruth as well. As the sisters move into adulthood and follow very different paths, petty resentments and their own insecurities keep them apart, even though deep down they still love each other as only sisters can. The sisters have gone their separate ways until unfortunate circumstances force them back together at the Springfield Armory.
I thoroughly enjoyed this poignant family drama and loved these sisters as if they were my own.
I received an advance copy for review. ( )

I was immediately sucked into this historical fiction because of the conflict between the two sisters. Ruth is older, plain and smart. She is envious of her younger sister Millie, who is not as good in school, but a social butterfly, gorgeous and curvy, and attracts attention and praise everywhere she goes. If Ruth does 99 things right out of 100, her mother criticizes the one thing she got wrong. Millie can make dozens of mistakes and her mother says they all need to be more understanding. When boys come to the house, arranged by their father to call on Ruth, they only want to go out with Millie, even though she’s three years younger. Millie is sick of having boys only stare at her chest when they talk to her. She wishes her sister didn’t blame her for everything that’s wrong in her life. Understandably, there is resentment from both girls. You feel for both of their sides and the author writes the dual POV well.

This story is set during WW2, but I wouldn’t label it so much a WW2 story as a family saga because there isn’t so much focus on the war. It’s really more focused on the relationship between the two sisters, how their situations change over time as they marry, have children, and come to live together on a military base in 1942, as well as the personal lives of a few other women they’re friends with on base. Told in 1942, and through flashback to earlier periods, it is from multiple perspectives, including that of Lillian, another woman who lives on base, and Arietta, a cook and talented singer (two of my favorites.) As the sisters grow closer, they’re forced to confront hurts and lies between them over the years. This had some really good messages in it.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader. ( )

Ruth and Millie’s tumultuous sister bond had me hooked from the beginning! I loved reading how their lives played out, as well as the women around them, whose stories intertwined to give a full picture of how women interacted at the Springfield Armory during World War 2. The war is mentioned, but this book focuses mostly on women’s relationships. An easy read that I finished quickly!

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.* ( )

Wow, such a great book. War genre fiction is one of my favorite genres, but I really did not know much about the support efforts of the war in the US. This was a fascinating look into the lives of the men and women working stateside. The book focuses on the lives of two sisters who have been estranged most of their lives. They both are harboring a secret and must learn to live with that and the consequences. This book was hard to put down and I enjoyed it from page one to the end. Definitely 5 stars. ( )