The Chocolate Box Girls

The Rowntrees Girls #1

by Gracie Hart

Rowntrees Factory, York 1936The aroma of chocolate was as familiar to Molly Freeman as the nose on her face. Living and schooling on Haxby Road alongside the Rowntrees Chocolate Factory, Molly watched the daily trudge of women employed there in their white uniforms as she sat at her school desk.When Molly secures a job on the production line at the factory, she's excited to become one of these women. As she labours hard at the factory, she meets Rose. Quickly the two form a close friendship, and Molly begins to see the world differently.Living their lives to the fullest, loving the wrong men, working long hours, and sharing tears of friendship and heartbreak but always being known and being proud to be called The Rowntrees Chocolate Box Girls Molly and Rose make the most of their lives.

320 pages, Paperback

Published November 5, 2024

Reviews

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love eating chocolate so, reading about it is the next best thing. A lovely story about girls working in the Rowntrees factory. Very enjoyable with a cup of hot chocolate. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book. Good plot, with some stinkers. I liked Rose and Molly best, not as much Annie and Connie.

[Lynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Molly finishes school in 1936 she follows her two elder sisters, Rose and Annie, into a job at the Rowntree's Chocolate Factory in York. It's here she meets Connie and they quickly become best friends. Connie comes from a troubled family — her stepfather is abusive and her mother neglectful. She longs for a better life with her baby half-brother Billy.

Rose becomes engaged to Larry but soon catches the eye of dashing Ned, a manager at the factory. Torn between both men, she has a big decision to make. Meanwhile, Annie starts a close friendship with Josh, a mixed-race lad who works on a barge. Can they overcome racial prejudices of the time or will their closeness end before it's hardly begun?

Delightfully uplifting, I loved reading about the sisters, their mother and Connie. It was a departure from my usual reads but one I thoroughly enjoyed. I did, however, find the dialogue a little clunky but it didn't spoil my experience. It was an easy read, set during the period between the Great War and World War II. The story dealt with some very difficult topics sensitively and empathetically. I thought it was heart-warming and enchanting with strong female characters.

[Kate Burgess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is sweet and I enjoyed it, but the very last line of the book is Christmas morning and I need to know if their Mother Winnie wanted a box of chocolates or did not want a box of chocolates next Christmas? I was confused by that haha! It seems she wishes NOT to receive chocolates next Christmas? Why is that, does she wish for her girls not to still be working in the chocolate factory next Christmas? Is it because she wants them all to get married? Somebody needs to explain this to me please! Otherwise I would have thought Winnie would love a box of chocolates lol!
This book does have some unpleasant scenarios (a few characters are almost sexually assaulted, one young woman is physically abused and neglected by her mother and alcoholic step-father, a neglected abused baby is left on the steps of an orphanage, the chocolate factory smells terribly of glue in the box department and makes new hires ill until they become accustomed to it. But otherwise, the book leans sweet. I enjoyed it and will read the next Chocolate Box Girls book!

[Katie Awdas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding; when does the next book come out?!

Living close to York I enjoyed reading about the places I knew and could picture myself there. I know the 'Rowntree's village' and have even been into one of the houses so that was special to read about Rose's visit. I'm guessing the wafer biscuit is now what we call a Kit-Kat and it's made me want to go out and buy a packet!

The main characters are all so likeable and easy to relate too. It brought tears to my eyes when Big Beatrice was promoted! The book has a strong storyline which keeps the reader engaged throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and of course Gracie Hart for writing such a brilliant book and for allowing me to review it. Roll on book two!

[Hannah Symonds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is set in 1936 and is all about Molly, when she leaves school she goes to work at the biggest chocolate company Rowntrees. She cannot wait to start being involved and earning some money. She becomes friends with Connie and the two get on really well. They live their best life together. It was such a lovely easy read. I always find reading about this kind of subject fascinating and I am always craving more information about that kind of era. I liked reading about the factory and the chocolate but also following Molly along and to see how her life changes after she leaves school. A very good and enjoyable read. Now I am off to find some chocolate.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and it seems like it's the first in a series. I did, however, notice that the blurb wasn't very accurate. The main characters are three sisters so, rather than meeting up in the Rowntrees Factory as the blurb states, they had been brought up together. I hope this is corrected when the next edition is published.

[sky .⋆♱⃓ · Rating 4 out of 5]

connie stole my heart from the beginning, she is such a sweetheart! along with molly too. this book has a range of emotions, i’d read the next one :))

[Tiffany Johnstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely refreshing to read something completely different. Molly and And Rose are amazing characters.

[Lynn Dobbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book, the three main girls work in rowntrees chocolate and tell a lovely story. Looking forward to the next book

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down reading about Molly joining the Rowntree chocolate firm along with her sisters