The Girls in Navy Blue

Sometimes you pick up a novel expecting one thing and get so much more. The Girls in Navy Blue by Alix Rickloff is one such novel.

Synopsis: 1918 - America is at war with Germany, and, for the first time in history, the US Navy has allowed women to join up alongside the men. Ten thousand of them rush to do their part. German-American Marjory Kunwald enlists in the Navy to prove her patriotism. Suffragette Blanche Lawrence to prove that women are the equal of men. And shy preacher's daughter Viv Weston in a desperate attempt to hide from the police.

Even as the US military pours into France and the war heats up, the three yeomanettes find friendship and sisterhood within the Navy. But all their plans for the future are thrown into chaos when Viv's dark past finally catches up with her.

1968 - Newly divorced and reeling from a personal tragedy, Peggy Whitby unexpectedly inherits her estranged great-aunt Blanche's beach cottage outside Norfolk Virginia. But her fragile peace is rattled when she begins to receive mysterious postcards dated from 1918 when Blanche served as a Navy yeomanette.

Curious to learn more about her mysterious aunt and uncover the truth behind the cryptic messages, Peggy is drawn deeper into the lives of the three young Navy girls. But her digging uncovers more than she bargains for, and, as past and present collide, Peggy must decide if finding out about her aunt is worth the risk of losing herself.

What appealed to you the most in this story?

The underlining theme of strong friendships and found family are what had me falling in love with the characters and their individual stories.

I also liked how Rickloff portrayed the effects of WWI at home in the states, how the branches of military were viewed, and the new opportunities women had in the work force as the men headed off to war.

Did the dual timelines flow?

First, I have to say that I loved the unique time periods this story was set during - stateside during WWI and during the Vietnam era. As the timelines flowed back and forth, I got to know the four courageous women who refused to back down in a world that kept wanting to put them in their place. The secrets and mysteries in both timelines are woven together in an interesting way and it kept me intrigued.

How was the pace?

Slow burn, character driven, detailed and atmospheric

Do you recommend this story?

This is a beautiful and well-written atmospheric story with a group of strong women, an emotional backstory, and a journey full of hope and aspirations, stumbles and failures, dangers and adventures. It's a story of an unlikely friendship and the tale of one young woman's difficult emotional and physical perseverance against a backdrop of war. Historical fiction lovers add this one to your stack!

Thank you, William Morrow Books, for this gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.