March 1, 2023
The popular Pearce continues the story of rising journalist Emily Lake, now in charge of the "Yours Cheerfully" advice column in Woman's Friend magazine in 1943 London. But the column is threatened when the Honorable Mrs. Cressida Porter becomes publisher and announces plans to turn the magazine into a glitzy fashion spread. Prepub Alert.
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June 19, 2023
An advice columnist for a London women’s magazine tries to keep her job and readership when a new publisher takes over in Pearce’s immersive latest in the Emmy Lake Chronicles (after Yours Cheerfully). In 1943 London, Emmy’s husband is at war overseas while she remains in England, working at a fire station and writing a column for Woman’s Friend. She and her friend and roommate Bunty, whose fiancé has died in combat, invite another friend to move into their house to pool their resources. After the magazine’s publisher dies, his niece, an out-of-touch aristocrat named Cressida Porter, inherits the business. To appeal to England’s upper crust, she cuts back on the advice column and adds sections about society weddings, much to the disappointment of readers who relied on Emmy’s guidance for their wartime survival and well-being. As the magazine flounders, the housemates face a personal tragedy. Pearce enhances the well-trodden material with lively characters, showing how they find joy in simple pleasures and humor in the face of loss. Series fans won’t be disappointed.
August 1, 2023
In the third installment of Pearce's Emmeline Lake series (starting with Dear Mrs. Bird, 2018), WWII continues to rage on, and Emmy's new husband has shipped off to serve. She continues her work in London at Women's Friend magazine, where they strive to meet the needs of war-weary readers, but a new owner with a very different point of view threatens to upend all their efforts. Emmy and her best friend, Bunty, also welcome a friend and her children into their home, expanding their circle of mutual support. The cast of characters, both recurring and newly introduced, is both endearing and amusing. While the realities of war are not ignored, the focus of this heartwarming story is on how these people meet their difficulties with optimism and determination and move forward knowing that they are not alone. For readers who enjoyed The Summer before the War (2016), by Helen Simonson, The Kitchen Front (2021), by Jennifer Ryan, and Bloomsbury Girls (2022), by Natalie Jenner.
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