Until We Meet

All Too Real. Di Maio has made a name for herself taking various historical events and wrapping a fictional story around them that stays true to the real world yet tells her own story - and this book is exactly that. Here, she tackles life in New York and specifically around the Brooklyn Navy Yard as it builds the last of the great battleships - the Missouri - and the newest generation of naval ships - the aircraft carrier. At the same time and across the Atlantic, she also tackles life as a new kind of infantry soldier - the Airborne - as they train in England after the US enters the war, attack Normandy on D-Day, survive Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge and finally the end of the war. In both places, Di Maio does a stunning show more job of being true and accurate (mostly) to the era, and it is very easy for many Americans to see their own parents / grandparents / (and now great grandparents) largely living exactly these types of situations. Di Maio doesn't hold back from the various tragedies of the era, but she also doesn't hold back in showing people who were even then "outside the norm" though revealing exactly which norms of the era were broken would delve into spoiler territory - read the book for yourself to see them. :) And yet, through all of this, this is still ultimately a women's fiction tale that could alternatively be classified (technically) as a historical romance, and indeed it really works in either genre. Very much recommended. show less

World War II has upended the whole world. For three young women in Brooklyn, New York it means they are now helping the war efforts by working at the Naval Yard embroidering, engraving and welding for the USS Missouri. Margaret's brother, John has enlisted and is in England with two new friends, William and Tom. Margaret's best friend, Dottie is engaged to John, but couldn't marry before they shipped out. An early wedding night has left Dottie pregnant and in a precarious position with her family. Dottie moves in with their friend Gladys. The three friends get together after work to knit socks for care packages to send to John and his friends. When John writes back, he asks Margaret if he could write to his friend, William who has yet show more to receive letters from home. Margaret happily obliges and begins a new friendship. Meanwhile, the guys have begun serious training and participated in the invasion of Normandy. With multiple tragedies, letters become harder to send, but Margaret forges forward to write to the man she had never met and he makes every effort to write to her even as death and destruction surround them.

Until We Meet is a heartfelt and well-rounded story of World War II. With amazing characters, historical detail and a sweet romance, Until We Meet has a strong plot that flows together seamlessly. I absolutely loved all of the characters. Friendship was definitely a theme throughout the story. Margaret, Gladys and Dottie lean on each other throughout their trials and triumphs and celebrate each other's strengths and differences. I loved Gladys' independent, forward thinking, adventurous spirit and ability to solve problems and advocate for women's rights, Dottie's perseverance, kindness and empathy and Margaret's giving nature, support and heart that she places into everything she does. Through these ladies we also see the important work that women did while the men were at war, taking jobs that they were previously banned from, making safety improvements in those positions and supporting the troops overseas in numerous ways. John, William and Tom have an equally important friendship that gets them through the toughest parts of training, battles, tragedies and ties them to the women in Brooklyn. The battle scenes were realistic without being overbearing showing the grittiness, camaraderie, hope and bravery of the men who fought. The letters were another wonderful part of the story, I enjoyed reading about their innermost feelings and seeing the relationship grow through their writing. Until We Meet is exactly the type of historical fiction that I love with brilliant writing, wonderful characters and a story that kept my interest the whole way through.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review. show less

Margaret wants to do more for the war effort. She works at the navy yard but she still feels the need to help. She decides to teach her friends how to knit. These lovely ladies get together and start to knit socks. It is not long after the first shipment of socks have been delivered that a beautiful pen pal relationship begins.

Margaret, Gladys and Dottie come from different backgrounds but are fast friends. Dottie finds herself in a situation most women did when their men went off to war. Gladys is more of a free spirit until the right one comes along. And Margaret is bossy and a go getter! She is the leader of the team and one of my favorites.

I read this in one sitting on a plane ride to NYC. PERFECT BOOK FOR THAT TRIP! I loved the show more setting, the friends and the story. This takes you on a roller coaster ride of feelings. I dang near cried on the plane!

Need a good WWII love story…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review. show less

I really enjoyed this book from the first page, although at first it would tell me more about knitting than I wanted to know. Although the ladies knitted some more, the author didn't go into details after the first session. Although I wasn't sure about reading about the guys, it did turn out to be important. All in all, I thought this to be one of the best books on WWII I've read, having both a home front and a soldier story.

Camile DiMaio has given her readers a beautifully written and well researched book about two groups of friends during WWII. The men meet in training and then stay together when they go into the war zone. The women all work at the Navy Yard and spend their free time knitting socks, writing letters and doing whatever they can to help the soldiers come home.

Margaret, Gladys and Dottie are very different from each other but they all work at the same place doing jobs that were done by men before the war. Margaret is the most practical woman in the group and is thrilled that she has so many opportunities for jobs now. Her brother is in the Army in Training. Dotty is in love with Margaret's brother and after he leaves for training she finds show more out that she's pregnant. Her parents kick her out and she depends on her two friends to help her. Gladys is an early feminist who believes that women can and should be able to do anything. The three men also become close friends and have each other's backs no matter what's going on. Margaret starts writing to one of the men and he shares his life with her. She wonders if she'll meet him in person after the war.

The thoughts and feelings of the three men as they faced enemy troops were beautifully written. They shared their feeling about their lives at war but they never quit fighting. This is the first book that I've read that not only talks about the feelings of the women at home but also delves into the emotions of the men who are at war.

This is a book that you don't want to miss. It's about war and there are some pretty brutal battle scenes but overall the book is about love, friendship and family. Family isn't always based on blood sometimes it's based on the people you care about the most. Until we Meet made me smile and it made me cry but the overwhelming feeling throughout the book was the love between both groups of friends.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. show less

A gorgeous cover sets the stage perfectly for this heartfelt story set in 1943. The story follows two group of friends, one here and one abroad, woven beautifully together by a series of letters and dual storylines. With the horrors of war come hope, friendship, love and unexpected challenges for all. The cast of characters are so real, personalities coming alive. Friendships like this are rare and it is nice to see that it is not taken for granted. War scenes while not overly graphic, hit hard at what these young men had to go thru. Well researched. I highly recommend this unique historical fiction.

Thanks to Ms. Di Maio, Forever Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

Took me a little while to get into this, with the cover so oddly being identical to The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle. Also her writing style felt just a little bit ponderous. Really learning to recognize telling vs. showing. But not to the point of real annoyance, so I am glad I continued.

It's a very interesting story, and I really liked the main character, Margaret. Liked the suspense of mixed up identities, as well as what was going to happen to Dottie.

Good time-period color, and her ability to convey the grim desperation of war was vivid without triggering (at least for me). A very enjoyable book to add to my inadvertent fascination with WW2 tales.