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Lovely War
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2019)Aphrodite le sait bien, seuls les humains sont capables d'aimer véritablement. A son époux jaloux et menaçant, la déesse de l'amour raconte deux de ses chefs d'oeuvre, deux histoires de passion absolue. Celle de Hazel, jeune pianiste virtuose et de James, soldat anglais pris dans l'enfer des Tranchées. Et celle d'Aubrey, jazzman de Harlem et de Colette, jeune femme à la voix d'or. Dans les tourments de la Grande Guerre, leurs destins s'entrelacent et forment un bouleversant tourbillon.
Le best-seller du New York Times acclamé par la critique, enfin en France.
Le best-seller du New York Times acclamé par la critique, enfin en France.
528 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 2019
3843 people are currently reading
164311 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,985 reviews
November 14, 2018
I love this book desperately. I did write it, so the possibility of bias is real. :) I can't wait to share it with the world. The year-plus I spent researching, writing, and revising it was intense, and harrowing at times, but I'm thrilled with where we landed. Here's hoping you enjoy it, too.
Hazel, a pianist, and James, a builder-turned-soldier, meet at a London dance in late 1917, on the eve of his departure for the trenches of World War I. Aubrey, a Harlem ragtime musician, and Colette, a Belgian refugee who has lost everything to the war, meet in a YMCA relief hut at the American training base at Saint-Nazaire, France.
Aphrodite and Ares meet for a secret tryst in a Manhattan hotel room, only to be caught and exposed by Hephaestus, the goddess of love's jealous husband. Aphrodite, as the defendant in a mock courtroom trial, spins the intertwined stories of both pairs of star-crossed lovers in a plea to soften her husband's anger. With additional testimony from Ares (war), and ultimately, Apollo (art) and Hades (death), the gods' stories explore how far hope can reach into the abyss of wartime destruction and despair, and whether, in a broken world, there's still a case to be made for love.
Hazel, a pianist, and James, a builder-turned-soldier, meet at a London dance in late 1917, on the eve of his departure for the trenches of World War I. Aubrey, a Harlem ragtime musician, and Colette, a Belgian refugee who has lost everything to the war, meet in a YMCA relief hut at the American training base at Saint-Nazaire, France.
Aphrodite and Ares meet for a secret tryst in a Manhattan hotel room, only to be caught and exposed by Hephaestus, the goddess of love's jealous husband. Aphrodite, as the defendant in a mock courtroom trial, spins the intertwined stories of both pairs of star-crossed lovers in a plea to soften her husband's anger. With additional testimony from Ares (war), and ultimately, Apollo (art) and Hades (death), the gods' stories explore how far hope can reach into the abyss of wartime destruction and despair, and whether, in a broken world, there's still a case to be made for love.
June 11, 2024
i cried, i laughed, i giggled, i mourned. i went through every emotion imaginable in this absolute masterpiece of a book.
i have not read a book that i have felt so tethered to on and off the page in such a long time until reading this book. the romance plot of this book was the deepest purest form of love you can read, the deep emotional connection of every character radiates off the page right in front of your eyes. the perspective of being told by Aphrodite adds so much to the story while understanding the inner workings of the relationship and true love and how it concurs all.
The story is told against a war backdrop, deep rooted in so much history that puts you directly into the story where you feel like you are living and breathing within these characters. you feel every single once of fear, sadness, anger, resentment, and love within them.
if you take anything away from this, please pick up this book and read it.
i have not read a book that i have felt so tethered to on and off the page in such a long time until reading this book. the romance plot of this book was the deepest purest form of love you can read, the deep emotional connection of every character radiates off the page right in front of your eyes. the perspective of being told by Aphrodite adds so much to the story while understanding the inner workings of the relationship and true love and how it concurs all.
The story is told against a war backdrop, deep rooted in so much history that puts you directly into the story where you feel like you are living and breathing within these characters. you feel every single once of fear, sadness, anger, resentment, and love within them.
if you take anything away from this, please pick up this book and read it.
November 26, 2019
I cried at least 7 separate times while reading this book. The four central characters are all endearing and lovely, and I was deeply touched by the humanity and hope that leaked during a tragic period of history, and the relationship between love and war. Huge props to Berry for incorporating the perspectives of black soldiers with such care and poignancy while giving Aubrey so much personality. While the romance does develop quickly, I still found the book to be charming and heart-wrenching given the circumstances that these couples have gone through. If you're not into romance, you might not like it, but if you're a romantic sucker at heart, you'll probably cry with me too lol.
November 12, 2023
Not to dictate anyone's life, but I think you guys should ABSOLUTELY read this book! It's a brilliantly imaginative twist on the conventional historical novel that braids together two different love stories set in WWI and—get this—it's narrated by Greek gods.
November 7, 2020
im surprised i broke my WWI/WWII historical fiction hiatus, but i kept seeing so many positive reviews for this, so i made an exception.
and i understand the hype. its quite something to write such a lovely story about war - you wouldnt think its possible. and this is, lovely. but at the heart of it, it just feels like every other WW story.
the only novelty of this is that its told from perspective of greek gods and i love that. i found this part of the story the most interesting, so im bummed that there wasnt more than just the set up, the conclusion, and only a couple of interjections - it just wasnt enough for me.
but regardless, this is your classic war story about hope, resilience, and love.
↠ 3.5 stars
and i understand the hype. its quite something to write such a lovely story about war - you wouldnt think its possible. and this is, lovely. but at the heart of it, it just feels like every other WW story.
the only novelty of this is that its told from perspective of greek gods and i love that. i found this part of the story the most interesting, so im bummed that there wasnt more than just the set up, the conclusion, and only a couple of interjections - it just wasnt enough for me.
but regardless, this is your classic war story about hope, resilience, and love.
↠ 3.5 stars
May 10, 2020
I'm in love
This book is narrated by greek gods, but are we sure it isn't written by one too? Lovely War feels as if it is on a plane higher than us mere mortals. Julie Berry, I'm not sure what magic you cast over me but please never stop.
It usually takes me around 50 pages or so to get acquainted with a story, the characters and setting. With Lovely War, I was entranced from page one. By page ten I was laughing. By page fifteen I was swooning. By page twenty, I felt as if I knew these characters, their souls.
I cannot properly articulate the beauty, the despair, the magic of this book. Nothing I could ever write about it would do it justice.
“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
What initially transfixed me was the writing. Julie Berry's prose speaks to me on a spiritual level. I adored the god's narration. It made this seemingly common and overdone story suddenly feel new and, well, lovely. What kept me reading were the characters. They felt real, raw and perfectly flawed. They were endearing and charming and every other synonym.
This book deserves five stars through and through simply for the emotions it evoked in me. In a mere sentence it had me tearing up, in another it had me closing the book and simply whispering 'no no no no no.'
“I envy your mortals."
“As Ares says, they die, you know.”
“They do. But the lucky ones live first."
Lovely War was such a personal experience for me that is impossible for me to think about it in a purely objective sense. It without a doubt has earned its place on my list of All Time Favourites.
read this. experience the beauty. taste the sadness. feel the love. you won't regret it.
This book is narrated by greek gods, but are we sure it isn't written by one too? Lovely War feels as if it is on a plane higher than us mere mortals. Julie Berry, I'm not sure what magic you cast over me but please never stop.
It usually takes me around 50 pages or so to get acquainted with a story, the characters and setting. With Lovely War, I was entranced from page one. By page ten I was laughing. By page fifteen I was swooning. By page twenty, I felt as if I knew these characters, their souls.
I cannot properly articulate the beauty, the despair, the magic of this book. Nothing I could ever write about it would do it justice.
“Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
What initially transfixed me was the writing. Julie Berry's prose speaks to me on a spiritual level. I adored the god's narration. It made this seemingly common and overdone story suddenly feel new and, well, lovely. What kept me reading were the characters. They felt real, raw and perfectly flawed. They were endearing and charming and every other synonym.
This book deserves five stars through and through simply for the emotions it evoked in me. In a mere sentence it had me tearing up, in another it had me closing the book and simply whispering 'no no no no no.'
“I envy your mortals."
“As Ares says, they die, you know.”
“They do. But the lucky ones live first."
Lovely War was such a personal experience for me that is impossible for me to think about it in a purely objective sense. It without a doubt has earned its place on my list of All Time Favourites.
read this. experience the beauty. taste the sadness. feel the love. you won't regret it.
August 19, 2024
i’m speechless??? 5 stars ✨
with gentle, tender love reminiscent of divine rivals and a perspective as unique as the book thief, lovely war was every bit as beautiful and touching as i was hoping it would be. 🥺
told mostly from the perspective of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, we follow two couples as they conquer love, loss, and everything in between during WWI.
i won’t give away too much, i dislike spoilers. but there is SO much to this story. let me convince you to read this:
* short chapters (!!!)
* overcoming inequality & bigotry
* LOVE, LOVE, and more unconditional, wholesome LOVE 🫶🏼
* pining, aching, longing, & loyalty
* NO spice, at all. not even closed door ❎
* beautiful writing
* every emotion under the sun
* strong, resilient female main characters
* the sweetest, bravest male main characters 🥺❤️🩹
* literal Olympian gods?! the coolest concept (multiple god & goddess POVs - super unique. set in the real world, not a fantasy world)
* actual historical events/people referenced
* character-driven & plot-driven
* found family 💕
* & honestly so much more. please read it for yourself.
if you don’t trust me, then trust destiny sidwell. i got this book rec from one of her videos and her review on GR. (spoiler alert: she gave it 5 stars, too.)
this was an easy 5-star read. add this to your tbr if you haven’t already. (please.) 🎀
with gentle, tender love reminiscent of divine rivals and a perspective as unique as the book thief, lovely war was every bit as beautiful and touching as i was hoping it would be. 🥺
told mostly from the perspective of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, we follow two couples as they conquer love, loss, and everything in between during WWI.
i won’t give away too much, i dislike spoilers. but there is SO much to this story. let me convince you to read this:
* short chapters (!!!)
* overcoming inequality & bigotry
* LOVE, LOVE, and more unconditional, wholesome LOVE 🫶🏼
* pining, aching, longing, & loyalty
* NO spice, at all. not even closed door ❎
* beautiful writing
* every emotion under the sun
* strong, resilient female main characters
* the sweetest, bravest male main characters 🥺❤️🩹
* literal Olympian gods?! the coolest concept (multiple god & goddess POVs - super unique. set in the real world, not a fantasy world)
* actual historical events/people referenced
* character-driven & plot-driven
* found family 💕
* & honestly so much more. please read it for yourself.
if you don’t trust me, then trust destiny sidwell. i got this book rec from one of her videos and her review on GR. (spoiler alert: she gave it 5 stars, too.)
this was an easy 5-star read. add this to your tbr if you haven’t already. (please.) 🎀
March 10, 2020
That shit hurted.
October 9, 2024
⤷This book made me so so emotional 😭 Only reason it's not a 5 is because some parts in the middle was a bit slow. BUT I lowkey still haven't recovered... THE WRITING IS SO GENIUS HONESTLY!! The way certain moments happen like ahhhh you just need to read it 🙂↕️ It follows 4 different characters, and I genuinely love them all sm - the way their paths to align was just beautiful 🥲 James is a worrier (which I relate to so much) but also so emotional and a soft lover boy <3 James and Hazel's love story is particularly my favorite, love at first sight but done really well imo!! The way they instantly connected with each others, the letters, the yearning, and the reunion ahhh 💗 So many adorable moments as they got to know each other, the first love vibes are immaculate!! Aubrey and Hazel's friendship is also to die for!! I adore his humor :) This book does deal with some difficult topics like racism, but the perseverance is so inspiring and reminds us that part of history is very real. I love the portrayal of the war and how much both pain and love can come out, and let me tell you - my chest was HURTING for the last 100 pages and I SOBBED 😭 There was definitely angst and misunderstandings, but the way it was SO GOODDDD, the resolved it was so complete!!!
["If you think I can live without you, Miss Windicott," James said, "You don't know me at all."]
["If you think I can live without you, Miss Windicott," James said, "You don't know me at all."]
September 1, 2024
ꨄ '𝐿𝑒𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓂 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓇𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝒹𝓇𝑒𝒶𝒹𝒻𝓊𝓁 𝓌𝒶𝓇𝓈, 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝒹𝑒𝓈𝓉𝓇𝓊𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃 𝓇𝒶𝒾𝓃 𝒹𝑜𝓌𝓃, 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓅𝓁𝒶𝑔𝓊𝑒 𝓈𝓌𝑒𝑒𝓅 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝑜𝓊𝑔𝒽, 𝒷𝓊𝓉 𝐼 𝓌𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝓉𝒾𝓁𝓁 𝒷𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇𝑒, 𝒹𝑜𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝓂𝓎 𝓌𝑜𝓇𝓀, 𝒽𝑜𝓁𝒹𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒽𝓊𝓂𝒶𝓃𝓀𝒾𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓁𝑜𝓋𝑒 𝓁𝒾𝓀𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓈' ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡𓍯𓂃𓏧♡
｡˚⊱ꕤ⊰˚｡ 2.5 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ｡˚⊱ꕤ⊰˚｡
This book is one of those that you come across every once in a while, that feels almost impossible to review. It’s somehow both what you expected, and not what you expected at all. It wasn’t good enough to be one you’ll keep thinking about for days after finishing, but it’s certainly good enough to recommend to other readers.
And, this one does have some absolutely stunning one-liners, and beautiful prose.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I'd heard such amazing things about this book and it seemed to have everything I would love in a story- war, romance and Greek mythology. But somewhere along the line the story fell short for me and I found myself not as engaged as I'd hoped to be, or ... not at all really.
⁀➴ˎˊ˗ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ༊*·˚
The story begins in a posh Manhattan hotel, dripping with wealth and prestige, but with the backdrop of WWII looming like a dark foreboding shroud, there is a raw urgency to take advantage of every moment. The first characters to enter the scene are two guests checking into the hotel: Aphrodite and Ares, the goddess of Love, and the god of War.
Caught in their tryst, literally in a golden net, by Hephaestus, the god of forging and Aphrodite’s husband, Aphrodite must make her case before her spouse or be judged by the pantheon of gods on mount Olympus. Which apparently is far worse and far more humiliating.
Aphrodite begins her case with a story, a story of romance that is by her standards, her best work. Enter our two couples whose lives will be forever changed 25 years ago, during the first World War: darling Hazel, a pianist from London, who takes a chance that no one would ever expect and James, a young man who dreams of one day becoming an architect, but must first face the brutalities of war as a British solider.
Aubrey, born in Harlem, whose musical genius gets him dubbed as the “King of American Ragtime” tackles the dangers and prejudices of being a black soldier and the lovely Colette from Belgium whose voice can be said was gifted by the Muses, but has a past that will or at least should stir up some emotions.
⁀➴ˎˊ˗ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓜���� 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ༊*·˚
The ability to connect with the characters in this story was a little difficult because it focuses on the Greek gods who are telling the story and then the two couples in which they have been meddling. I struggled a little bit with this point of view and felt that it created a distance between myself, the reader and the main characters we're here for.
I just felt as though all of the characters were going through things that were deeply personal and traumatic and we felt none of it because we were seeing it through immortal’s eyes.
Sigh, I just didn't connect with the story or characters at all. I wish I had more to give as to why this didn't work for me but between not being able to connect with our main characters, and having the 'all tell no show' aspect going- it just wasn't for me and never really managed to grab me.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I do recommend this book since I have a fairly unpopular opinion it seems, but I do think there's far better WWI and WWII romance stories out there.
｡˚⊱ꕤ⊰˚｡ 2.5 𝓢𝓽𝓪𝓻𝓼 ｡˚⊱ꕤ⊰˚｡
This book is one of those that you come across every once in a while, that feels almost impossible to review. It’s somehow both what you expected, and not what you expected at all. It wasn’t good enough to be one you’ll keep thinking about for days after finishing, but it’s certainly good enough to recommend to other readers.
And, this one does have some absolutely stunning one-liners, and beautiful prose.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I'd heard such amazing things about this book and it seemed to have everything I would love in a story- war, romance and Greek mythology. But somewhere along the line the story fell short for me and I found myself not as engaged as I'd hoped to be, or ... not at all really.
⁀➴ˎˊ˗ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓠𝓾𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓢𝓾𝓶𝓶𝓪𝓻𝔂 ༊*·˚
The story begins in a posh Manhattan hotel, dripping with wealth and prestige, but with the backdrop of WWII looming like a dark foreboding shroud, there is a raw urgency to take advantage of every moment. The first characters to enter the scene are two guests checking into the hotel: Aphrodite and Ares, the goddess of Love, and the god of War.
Caught in their tryst, literally in a golden net, by Hephaestus, the god of forging and Aphrodite’s husband, Aphrodite must make her case before her spouse or be judged by the pantheon of gods on mount Olympus. Which apparently is far worse and far more humiliating.
Aphrodite begins her case with a story, a story of romance that is by her standards, her best work. Enter our two couples whose lives will be forever changed 25 years ago, during the first World War: darling Hazel, a pianist from London, who takes a chance that no one would ever expect and James, a young man who dreams of one day becoming an architect, but must first face the brutalities of war as a British solider.
Aubrey, born in Harlem, whose musical genius gets him dubbed as the “King of American Ragtime” tackles the dangers and prejudices of being a black soldier and the lovely Colette from Belgium whose voice can be said was gifted by the Muses, but has a past that will or at least should stir up some emotions.
⁀➴ˎˊ˗ ★ ₊ ˚ 𝓜���� 𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱𝓽𝓼 ༊*·˚
The ability to connect with the characters in this story was a little difficult because it focuses on the Greek gods who are telling the story and then the two couples in which they have been meddling. I struggled a little bit with this point of view and felt that it created a distance between myself, the reader and the main characters we're here for.
I just felt as though all of the characters were going through things that were deeply personal and traumatic and we felt none of it because we were seeing it through immortal’s eyes.
Sigh, I just didn't connect with the story or characters at all. I wish I had more to give as to why this didn't work for me but between not being able to connect with our main characters, and having the 'all tell no show' aspect going- it just wasn't for me and never really managed to grab me.
˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ I do recommend this book since I have a fairly unpopular opinion it seems, but I do think there's far better WWI and WWII romance stories out there.
February 22, 2024
♡₊˚ 5 lovely stars for the most beautiful book to exist 🏹💗
➳ “If there's anything left of me after the war, nothing would keep it from finding its way back to you.”
🎧“The men start wars yet Troy hates Helen. Women's hearts are lethal weapons. Did you hold mine and feel threatened?”
♡ plot
aphrodite, the goddess of love, has just been caught in her secret affair with ares, the god of war. her husband, hephaestus, who found his wife and brother together, wants to put these two gods in love on trial on mount olympus, in front of all gods. however, aphrodite suggests a preliminary trial where she can defend her actions to hephaestus as the judge. and so begins the telling of the intertwined love stories of james and hazel and aubrey and collette with the gods as storytellers 💌
➳ “I envy the mortals. It's because they're weak and damaged that they can love.”
♡ james and hazel
okay they are the definition of star-crossed lovers. hazel, an aspiring pianist, and james, a soon-to-be WWI soldier, meet when they share a dance with each other. this one dance sparks a love that even war cannot break apart. this may come off as insta-lovey to some people, but i think in this case, it shows the beauty of your first love — something that's very innocent yet passionate that can later turn into a love for ages. as james is sent off to war, the two continue their connection through letters, although they long to have a love that is not affected by the constraints of war 💞💐
➳ “It was the dimples. Empires have swiveled on less.”
➳ “Kisses by the billions happen every day, even in a lonely world like ours.
But this is a kiss for the ages.”
♡ aubrey and collette
these two were almost like a love letter to music. aubrey is a big-time lover of jazz and piano but he discovers his true muse is colette, who loves to sing. although they aren't the main focus of this story like hazel and james, their love story is just as beautiful and intricate.
➳ “You're a brand-new piece of sheet music,' she said slowly, 'for a song which, once played, I'd swear I'd always known.”
♡ aphrodite
perhaps the best part of this book along with romance is aphrodite. i'm not familiar with greek mythology too much but i do know aphrodite is famous as the goddess of beauty, love, lust, and passion, among other things. however, this story adds so much depth to her character beyond just playing cupid and i adore her so much more now. it's heartbreaking because she creates love stories between mortals, but never gets to live one of her own 🥺💗
➳ “Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
➳ “No one can love me,” she says. “No one.” “What do you mean?” “That is the price,” she tells him, “of being the goddess of love.”
♡ greek mythology
surprisingly, another one of the best parts of this book was the smaller ongoing plot between the greek gods. as gods, they are known to be jealous and petty, as they start wars and are reckless with mortals' lives, but as narrators, they come together to tell a beautiful love story. there are alternating perspectives between aphrodite, ares, hephaestus, as well as appearances from apollo and hades. i adored being able to see the gods interact and see their perspectives of mortals change, even if this wasn't accurate to the typical greek mythology plots.
➳ “I envy your mortals."
“As Ares says, they die, you know.”
“They do. But the lucky ones live first.”
➳ “If I couldn't knit these two together by the end of a second dance, Zeus might as well make Poseidon the god of love, and I'd go look after the fishes.”
this is such a lovely historical fiction and romance story with aspects of greek mythology incorporated which makes it so perfect!!
—overall, lovely war is a magical story where you will experience love, sadness, and beauty. it makes you realize that war, no matter how deadly and hostile, cannot break apart the strongest of loves 💗💌
➳ “If there's anything left of me after the war, nothing would keep it from finding its way back to you.”
🎧“The men start wars yet Troy hates Helen. Women's hearts are lethal weapons. Did you hold mine and feel threatened?”
♡ plot
aphrodite, the goddess of love, has just been caught in her secret affair with ares, the god of war. her husband, hephaestus, who found his wife and brother together, wants to put these two gods in love on trial on mount olympus, in front of all gods. however, aphrodite suggests a preliminary trial where she can defend her actions to hephaestus as the judge. and so begins the telling of the intertwined love stories of james and hazel and aubrey and collette with the gods as storytellers 💌
➳ “I envy the mortals. It's because they're weak and damaged that they can love.”
♡ james and hazel
okay they are the definition of star-crossed lovers. hazel, an aspiring pianist, and james, a soon-to-be WWI soldier, meet when they share a dance with each other. this one dance sparks a love that even war cannot break apart. this may come off as insta-lovey to some people, but i think in this case, it shows the beauty of your first love — something that's very innocent yet passionate that can later turn into a love for ages. as james is sent off to war, the two continue their connection through letters, although they long to have a love that is not affected by the constraints of war 💞💐
➳ “It was the dimples. Empires have swiveled on less.”
➳ “Kisses by the billions happen every day, even in a lonely world like ours.
But this is a kiss for the ages.”
♡ aubrey and collette
these two were almost like a love letter to music. aubrey is a big-time lover of jazz and piano but he discovers his true muse is colette, who loves to sing. although they aren't the main focus of this story like hazel and james, their love story is just as beautiful and intricate.
➳ “You're a brand-new piece of sheet music,' she said slowly, 'for a song which, once played, I'd swear I'd always known.”
♡ aphrodite
perhaps the best part of this book along with romance is aphrodite. i'm not familiar with greek mythology too much but i do know aphrodite is famous as the goddess of beauty, love, lust, and passion, among other things. however, this story adds so much depth to her character beyond just playing cupid and i adore her so much more now. it's heartbreaking because she creates love stories between mortals, but never gets to live one of her own 🥺💗
➳ “Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
➳ “No one can love me,” she says. “No one.” “What do you mean?” “That is the price,” she tells him, “of being the goddess of love.”
♡ greek mythology
surprisingly, another one of the best parts of this book was the smaller ongoing plot between the greek gods. as gods, they are known to be jealous and petty, as they start wars and are reckless with mortals' lives, but as narrators, they come together to tell a beautiful love story. there are alternating perspectives between aphrodite, ares, hephaestus, as well as appearances from apollo and hades. i adored being able to see the gods interact and see their perspectives of mortals change, even if this wasn't accurate to the typical greek mythology plots.
➳ “I envy your mortals."
“As Ares says, they die, you know.”
“They do. But the lucky ones live first.”
➳ “If I couldn't knit these two together by the end of a second dance, Zeus might as well make Poseidon the god of love, and I'd go look after the fishes.”
this is such a lovely historical fiction and romance story with aspects of greek mythology incorporated which makes it so perfect!!
—overall, lovely war is a magical story where you will experience love, sadness, and beauty. it makes you realize that war, no matter how deadly and hostile, cannot break apart the strongest of loves 💗💌
September 22, 2023
Julie Berry pens an utter delight in LOVELY WAR, an effervescent confection of a novel filled with humor, tragedy, romance, and myth. Four lovers meet in the chaos and terror of World War I--a shy English pianist, a gentle architect turned sharpshooter, a French singer scarred by German atrocities, and a brash musician bound for one of the all-Black regiments heading overseas. Hovering over this love-struck war-bound quartet is the goddess of love herself, trying to ensure them happy endings in the midst of bloodshed, and fending off the impatient gods in her life who are more interested in death and war and revenge than love. Easily one of the best novels I have read all year!
December 13, 2020
Classic WW story, but with a magical spin.
What’s cool, unique, fascinating (and totally unexpected as I went into this knowing absolutely nothing) about it is the fact that it is narrated by Greek gods. Yes, you aren’t trippin’. We have Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus with special guests from Apollo and Hades. All of them telling stories about love and war that tug at your heartstrings and evoke so many emotions out of you.
Particularly one that is tied to four different characters and two sets of romance. James & Hazel + Aubrey & Colette, we watch how their lives intertwine in this book. It’s nothing short of deep, sweet and swoony, heartfelt, and touching. Also, reading a WW book in general has always been a somewhat humbling experience for me.
I loved that this book incorporated things or issues or trends or whatever you wanna call them that were hyped at the time. There’s tidbits about fighting on the frontline; about the fallout of war on soldiers, nations, and families; about the rise of (jazz) music; also about prejudices against black people; and other related subjects.
I have to admit, the chapters on war were a bit boring for me. My favorite part has to be the ones brought on by Aphrodite. She’s basically playing cupid in this book. Her delivery was so on point, endearing, and hopeful that I was pulled under her spell. I loved her humor too. Honestly, I would’ve loved to see the gods as more than the story tellers and have their part in the book to be explored more.
Overall, this book is simply beautiful.
(Read as an Audiobook)
What’s cool, unique, fascinating (and totally unexpected as I went into this knowing absolutely nothing) about it is the fact that it is narrated by Greek gods. Yes, you aren’t trippin’. We have Aphrodite, Ares, and Hephaestus with special guests from Apollo and Hades. All of them telling stories about love and war that tug at your heartstrings and evoke so many emotions out of you.
Particularly one that is tied to four different characters and two sets of romance. James & Hazel + Aubrey & Colette, we watch how their lives intertwine in this book. It’s nothing short of deep, sweet and swoony, heartfelt, and touching. Also, reading a WW book in general has always been a somewhat humbling experience for me.
I loved that this book incorporated things or issues or trends or whatever you wanna call them that were hyped at the time. There’s tidbits about fighting on the frontline; about the fallout of war on soldiers, nations, and families; about the rise of (jazz) music; also about prejudices against black people; and other related subjects.
I have to admit, the chapters on war were a bit boring for me. My favorite part has to be the ones brought on by Aphrodite. She’s basically playing cupid in this book. Her delivery was so on point, endearing, and hopeful that I was pulled under her spell. I loved her humor too. Honestly, I would’ve loved to see the gods as more than the story tellers and have their part in the book to be explored more.
Overall, this book is simply beautiful.
(Read as an Audiobook)
January 21, 2020
This book would have maybe gotten four stars because of the discussion of topics such as James Reese Europe and the introduction of jazz in Europe during WWI, the treatment of black troops during the war, and the horrors of the trenches. And yet, the framing technique of a story told by Ares, Aphrodite and Hephaestus did absolutely not work for me. The writing was ok, if sappy when the narrative concentrated on Hazel, James, Colette and Aubrey but it was stilted and awkward when the gods were speaking amongst themselves. The two intertwined love stories were ok, but very soap-opera inspired with long pauses and dramatic kisses. If that is your kind of thing, then you'll enjoy this. I just found that the story would have been fine without the gods and without the sappiness. I would probably have dropped it down to two stars had there not been the good historical reminders I mentioned above and the Historical Notes and Bibliography not have been included at the end.
The plot is framed by what I consider to be a silly scenario in 40s Manhattan where Haphaestus catches Ares and Aphrodite in delecto and in strange rip off of 1001 Nights, Aphrodite recounts a love story set in WWI. Like I said, that whole thing did nothing for me. The adventures of the two couples, Hazel and James (both English) and Colette and Aubrey (Belgian and American respectively) were interesting, if somewhat overdrawn at points. Had the book just focused on the two love stories, I might have enjoyed it more.
I nearly forgot to mention that there has been a renewed interest in the music of James Reese Europe, most notably by the American jazz pianist Jason Moran who includes a few songs, including Reveille Blues alluded to in the book, in his live sets and plans an entire album dedicated to the composer/band leader in 2020.
I’ll give a more in-depth plot readout later. Just miffed that the top review for this book is one sentence in ALL CAPS and has >520 Likes. I don’t understand how that works.
The plot is framed by what I consider to be a silly scenario in 40s Manhattan where Haphaestus catches Ares and Aphrodite in delecto and in strange rip off of 1001 Nights, Aphrodite recounts a love story set in WWI. Like I said, that whole thing did nothing for me. The adventures of the two couples, Hazel and James (both English) and Colette and Aubrey (Belgian and American respectively) were interesting, if somewhat overdrawn at points. Had the book just focused on the two love stories, I might have enjoyed it more.
I nearly forgot to mention that there has been a renewed interest in the music of James Reese Europe, most notably by the American jazz pianist Jason Moran who includes a few songs, including Reveille Blues alluded to in the book, in his live sets and plans an entire album dedicated to the composer/band leader in 2020.
I’ll give a more in-depth plot readout later. Just miffed that the top review for this book is one sentence in ALL CAPS and has >520 Likes. I don’t understand how that works.
February 2, 2025
i still think about this book (2/1/25 update)
Whoever said “distance makes the heart grow fonder”, obviously read this book. The narration of the Greek gods gave the story a timeless feeling and I think we all need to read a story like that every once in a while (yes, it’s narrated by Aphrodite, Ares, Hades, Apollo… yes.)
I loved the way it played on the classic tale of Hephaestus catching Ares and Aphrodite in his net. The whole book circled around that and it was the perfect jumping off point for the plot to work around while maintaining the timeless feel.
The way it emphasized all the “small moments” in the midst of the war added that feeling of hope in love. The unexpected friendships, the chance encounters, and stolen moments in the middle of the night... I WAS SOLD!
Definitely one of the most unique storytelling that I’ve read. It weaved the romance while never forgetting the setting it is thriving in. Even though this is a historical romance set in WW2, an objectively dark time, it didn’t feel that heavy to read. There are definitely still times it tackles more sensitive topics since the main sources of conflict stems from the result of the war, it came with a silver-lining. Plus, you can feel while reading how well-researched the book was and we love to see that.
I didn’t realize this had a lot of musical aspects and quotes about music T_T those bits really pulled me in. But what took me out of the story was that problem with multi POV books when you’re not equally invested in everyone’s perspectives and you find yourself consantly waiting for the next time the characters you are waiting for to appear.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved both couples but there were just some scenes that I didn’t care much for and I think would have been better implied… so that we had more time to explore the romance on the gods’ side HAHA
Even though it’s really a romance novel it includes the impacts of war on both a personal and wider social level, without forgetting the perspectives of black soldiers during the war.
↣ With that, if you’re a hopeless romantic looking to fall in love over waltzes, piano music, and snowwy nights… I introduce to you, Lovely War. When I say I like old school romance, this exactly what I mean. It’s romantic, heartfelt, emotional, and an easy novel to get lost it. ↢
— 4.5 —
⇢ content warnings// Amputation (mentioned), Blood, Bones, Death, Guns, Pregnancy, PTSD, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, War
⤜ post-read initial review ⤛
HAPPY NEW YEAR. I FINISHED IT ON TIME. thank you to everyone that believed in me <3
And I just need to say that: what better way to start 2022 with that old chivalric kind of hope in love.
Review incoming by 2022 <3
⤜ pre-read review ⤛
I told myself if I saw someone recommend this to me for the 4th time I'll add it to my TBR. You can guess why it's here now
Whoever said “distance makes the heart grow fonder”, obviously read this book. The narration of the Greek gods gave the story a timeless feeling and I think we all need to read a story like that every once in a while (yes, it’s narrated by Aphrodite, Ares, Hades, Apollo… yes.)
”Let them start their dreadful wars, let destruction rain down, and let plague sweep through, but I will still be here, doing my work, holding humankind together with love like this.”
I loved the way it played on the classic tale of Hephaestus catching Ares and Aphrodite in his net. The whole book circled around that and it was the perfect jumping off point for the plot to work around while maintaining the timeless feel.
The way it emphasized all the “small moments” in the midst of the war added that feeling of hope in love. The unexpected friendships, the chance encounters, and stolen moments in the middle of the night... I WAS SOLD!
Definitely one of the most unique storytelling that I’ve read. It weaved the romance while never forgetting the setting it is thriving in. Even though this is a historical romance set in WW2, an objectively dark time, it didn’t feel that heavy to read. There are definitely still times it tackles more sensitive topics since the main sources of conflict stems from the result of the war, it came with a silver-lining. Plus, you can feel while reading how well-researched the book was and we love to see that.
“You’re a brand-new piece of sheet music for a song which, once played, I’d swear I’d always known.”
I didn’t realize this had a lot of musical aspects and quotes about music T_T those bits really pulled me in. But what took me out of the story was that problem with multi POV books when you’re not equally invested in everyone’s perspectives and you find yourself consantly waiting for the next time the characters you are waiting for to appear.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved both couples but there were just some scenes that I didn’t care much for and I think would have been better implied… so that we had more time to explore the romance on the gods’ side HAHA
Even though it’s really a romance novel it includes the impacts of war on both a personal and wider social level, without forgetting the perspectives of black soldiers during the war.
↣ With that, if you’re a hopeless romantic looking to fall in love over waltzes, piano music, and snowwy nights… I introduce to you, Lovely War. When I say I like old school romance, this exactly what I mean. It’s romantic, heartfelt, emotional, and an easy novel to get lost it. ↢
"No one can love me [...] That is the price of being the goddess of love."
— 4.5 —
⇢ content warnings// Amputation (mentioned), Blood, Bones, Death, Guns, Pregnancy, PTSD, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, War
⤜ post-read initial review ⤛
HAPPY NEW YEAR. I FINISHED IT ON TIME. thank you to everyone that believed in me <3
And I just need to say that: what better way to start 2022 with that old chivalric kind of hope in love.
Review incoming by 2022 <3
⤜ pre-read review ⤛
I told myself if I saw someone recommend this to me for the 4th time I'll add it to my TBR. You can guess why it's here now
July 1, 2025
i can never put how much i love this book into words
![Profile Image for zeinab ⟢ [semi-ia].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1761331073i%2F182537303._UX200_CR0%2C6%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
December 19, 2025
── . ⟢ 4.5 stars ★
﹒⌗﹒ this review is spoiler free ⸝⸝
➵ as i’m sitting to write this review, i find myself struggling to even begin to articulate my thoughts into words. this book made me feel so many things at so many times and it’s had an effect on me, it changed me, like no other book has. it brought attention to real issues like war, racism, grief, and marginalisation, all while weaving in elements of thought provoking romance and greek mythology that can only add to this beautiful story.
the perspective of this book was incredibly unique. it’s a story of love during war times told by the one and only goddess of love herself, aphrodite. but the narrator changes as other conflicts arise such as death (told by hades, god of the underworld) and war (told by ares, god of war). you can really feel immersed into the story in many ways which i found remarkably fascinating.
the romance in itself could have been described as “insta-love” but that is not what i would call it. i would say that it is one of those beautiful “love at first sight” moments where the two characters’ love is already written in the stars, their fate already decided before they even existed. it was heartbreaking to see how war can tear apart such beautiful love but i’ve learned that it can bring it back together just as well. sometimes it can even make it more worthwhile.
this book left me speechless. staring-at-the-wall-for-hours-wondering-what-on earth-i-just-read-and-how-on-earth-it-can-be-over-already speechless. the writing was magical and immersive and the story was the most beautiful thing i have ever read about. the book felt a bit slow around the middle which i found slightly disappointing, but it was nothing drastic or long-lasting at all. i feel emotionally attached to these characters and this story that has changed the way i think and see things. who knew that such a troubling topic could be made so beautiful?
𓏲characters⸝ ⸝⸝
if i had one word to describe their relationship, it would be perfect. these two star-crossed lovers have stolen my heart and i am not ashamed. the letters they sent to each other, the yearning that i felt to my core everytime one thought of the other, made them so special and so deserving of the love story that they got. they share the kind of love that is truly unconditional and genuine that not even the most drastic of wars can tear them apart. in life or death.
broken girl x boy who will do anything to fix her. don’t get me started on these two because i fear i may never shut up. you can tell how real their love is. the risks they took for each other, the unspoken promises they made, is proof of that. even if aubrey was forbidden to love her, he couldn’t help himself. she consumed his every thought and breath and colette, who’d already lost everything, felt safe with him. felt safe again, for the first time in her life. protect these two at all costs.
✧ ”hazel went from stranger and pianist to reason why the war mattered at all, symbol of all that was pure and beautiful and worth dying for in a broken world."
✧ "keeping the world safe for people to practice their audition pieces seems like the one good reason to fight this war. if music stops, and art ceases, and beauty fades, what have we then?"
✧ ”how had he drifted here? when what he really wanted to do was tell her how he thought of her all day, every day, with every swing of the pick and every crash of his hammer; how he’d filled notebook pages with ideas for songs that would be perfect for her voice, ideal for her register? sultry, smoky, dark. emotional."
✧ "you see a girl who sings,” she told him. “you like my voice. you might not, always. you don’t hear how i wake up screaming. how i see them all in my dreams. by day i hold it together. at night, i fall apart. ”
✧ "even before hazel dared to smile, her face lit up, and she took a step toward him. james knew then that, outrage or no, he was not getting back on that train. ever, if he could help it.”
✧ "he took her hands and kissed them. “hazel windicott,” he said, “if there’s anything left of me after the war, nothing would keep it from finding its way back to you.”
✧ "if he never came back from the coming battle, would her heart be more broken, or less, knowing he would have given his forever to her?”
✧ "he smiled at her, even if his face had forgotten how.”
✧ "if you think i can live without you, miss windicott,” james said, “you don’t know me at all.”
this is a story that will haunt me forever and i loved every minute of the experience. the things i felt and went through during this book is too much to even describe. i will be recommending this to everybody i know. and thank you to ells once again for giving me what i fear is one of the best recommendations i have gotten from anyone. i love you endlessly.
﹒⌗﹒ this review is spoiler free ⸝⸝
”if war’s taught me anything at all, it’s that life is short. i won’t waste any more of it waiting for you.”
𓏲thoughts⸝ ⸝⸝
➵ as i’m sitting to write this review, i find myself struggling to even begin to articulate my thoughts into words. this book made me feel so many things at so many times and it’s had an effect on me, it changed me, like no other book has. it brought attention to real issues like war, racism, grief, and marginalisation, all while weaving in elements of thought provoking romance and greek mythology that can only add to this beautiful story.
the perspective of this book was incredibly unique. it’s a story of love during war times told by the one and only goddess of love herself, aphrodite. but the narrator changes as other conflicts arise such as death (told by hades, god of the underworld) and war (told by ares, god of war). you can really feel immersed into the story in many ways which i found remarkably fascinating.
the romance in itself could have been described as “insta-love” but that is not what i would call it. i would say that it is one of those beautiful “love at first sight” moments where the two characters’ love is already written in the stars, their fate already decided before they even existed. it was heartbreaking to see how war can tear apart such beautiful love but i’ve learned that it can bring it back together just as well. sometimes it can even make it more worthwhile.
this book left me speechless. staring-at-the-wall-for-hours-wondering-what-on earth-i-just-read-and-how-on-earth-it-can-be-over-already speechless. the writing was magical and immersive and the story was the most beautiful thing i have ever read about. the book felt a bit slow around the middle which i found slightly disappointing, but it was nothing drastic or long-lasting at all. i feel emotionally attached to these characters and this story that has changed the way i think and see things. who knew that such a troubling topic could be made so beautiful?
𓏲characters⸝ ⸝⸝
james & hazel‧˚₊⊹
if i had one word to describe their relationship, it would be perfect. these two star-crossed lovers have stolen my heart and i am not ashamed. the letters they sent to each other, the yearning that i felt to my core everytime one thought of the other, made them so special and so deserving of the love story that they got. they share the kind of love that is truly unconditional and genuine that not even the most drastic of wars can tear them apart. in life or death.
colette & aubrey‧˚₊⊹
broken girl x boy who will do anything to fix her. don’t get me started on these two because i fear i may never shut up. you can tell how real their love is. the risks they took for each other, the unspoken promises they made, is proof of that. even if aubrey was forbidden to love her, he couldn’t help himself. she consumed his every thought and breath and colette, who’d already lost everything, felt safe with him. felt safe again, for the first time in her life. protect these two at all costs.
𓏲quotes⸝ ⸝⸝
✧ ”hazel went from stranger and pianist to reason why the war mattered at all, symbol of all that was pure and beautiful and worth dying for in a broken world."
✧ "keeping the world safe for people to practice their audition pieces seems like the one good reason to fight this war. if music stops, and art ceases, and beauty fades, what have we then?"
✧ ”how had he drifted here? when what he really wanted to do was tell her how he thought of her all day, every day, with every swing of the pick and every crash of his hammer; how he’d filled notebook pages with ideas for songs that would be perfect for her voice, ideal for her register? sultry, smoky, dark. emotional."
✧ "you see a girl who sings,” she told him. “you like my voice. you might not, always. you don’t hear how i wake up screaming. how i see them all in my dreams. by day i hold it together. at night, i fall apart. ”
✧ "even before hazel dared to smile, her face lit up, and she took a step toward him. james knew then that, outrage or no, he was not getting back on that train. ever, if he could help it.”
✧ "he took her hands and kissed them. “hazel windicott,” he said, “if there’s anything left of me after the war, nothing would keep it from finding its way back to you.”
✧ "if he never came back from the coming battle, would her heart be more broken, or less, knowing he would have given his forever to her?”
✧ "he smiled at her, even if his face had forgotten how.”
✧ "if you think i can live without you, miss windicott,” james said, “you don’t know me at all.”
𓏲overall⸝ ⸝⸝
this is a story that will haunt me forever and i loved every minute of the experience. the things i felt and went through during this book is too much to even describe. i will be recommending this to everybody i know. and thank you to ells once again for giving me what i fear is one of the best recommendations i have gotten from anyone. i love you endlessly.
September 9, 2021
What makes this book different from others in this genre is that Greek gods are basically narrating the events and discussing them. Lovely War follows the story of two couples during WWI. It's also very heavy on romance and less on the actual war (although we see it, of course, but mostly relating to the story of the couples and less like usual WWII books).
So let's get it out of the way. I expected this book to have romance but not that much... I really can no longer stand so much romance with love at first sight kind of books and that are not historical romance (and you know which ones we call them as such -even though this one is historical and romance but more like YA).
If you love romance and young adult and historical stories, then this book is for you. You definitely should give it a try. If you don't, then I don't recommend it at all.
I found the concept of Greek gods narrating the story cool but not enough to save the book especially since I thought they intervened too much, don't other people deserve the same special relationship? Also, there was no balance between the time each story got, we had two couples but only one got most of the spotlight. Why include two if we don't want to give them equal attention? The other couple was too important to be considered secondary set but also not important enough to be main characters.
As for the audiobook, it gets the green light from me! The voices of the gods were different and we had some music from time to time playing in a not annoying way in the background (for a short time).
The best part of the book was the audio, I recommend it if you want to read this book and it definitely helped me push through the book. By the end, I no longer cared about their story and God knows I should've dnf'ed it earlier (but I had no other audiobooks at the time so was stuck with it). While I knew this book isn't my usual cup of tea, I didn't expect to feel tired from all that romance listening to the audiobook. And while I cared about the characters at first, I couldn't gather enough energy in the second half to wonder what happens next.
Conclusion: only read this book if you love YA historicals with loooots of romance. Stay away from it otherwise.
So let's get it out of the way. I expected this book to have romance but not that much... I really can no longer stand so much romance with love at first sight kind of books and that are not historical romance (and you know which ones we call them as such -even though this one is historical and romance but more like YA).
If you love romance and young adult and historical stories, then this book is for you. You definitely should give it a try. If you don't, then I don't recommend it at all.
I found the concept of Greek gods narrating the story cool but not enough to save the book especially since I thought they intervened too much, don't other people deserve the same special relationship? Also, there was no balance between the time each story got, we had two couples but only one got most of the spotlight. Why include two if we don't want to give them equal attention? The other couple was too important to be considered secondary set but also not important enough to be main characters.
As for the audiobook, it gets the green light from me! The voices of the gods were different and we had some music from time to time playing in a not annoying way in the background (for a short time).
The best part of the book was the audio, I recommend it if you want to read this book and it definitely helped me push through the book. By the end, I no longer cared about their story and God knows I should've dnf'ed it earlier (but I had no other audiobooks at the time so was stuck with it). While I knew this book isn't my usual cup of tea, I didn't expect to feel tired from all that romance listening to the audiobook. And while I cared about the characters at first, I couldn't gather enough energy in the second half to wonder what happens next.
Conclusion: only read this book if you love YA historicals with loooots of romance. Stay away from it otherwise.
Read
September 17, 2020This book took me on a journey. Oof.
If you're looking for a historical fiction with outstandingly beautiful prose that you'll want to highlight and bookmark endlessly and some fantastical elements in the forms of gods and goddesses watching over mortals at war, then you have to read Lovely War, following four different characters, from different walks of life as their worlds converge during WWI.
I absolutely loved how this book was written from the perspective of Aphrodite, Hades, Ares, and Apollo. Each of their voices was so distinct, and seeing their direct involvement in these mortals' lives was so fascinating to read. I'm a sucker for any retelling that includes the Greek gods, so this was the book of my dreams in it being a historical fiction mixed together with Greek mythology.
While I do have to say the book dragged on a little for me and the descriptions of the battles themselves were dry, this book and the characters within it stole my heart, left me wondering what was going to happen next, and made me fall head over heels for Julie Berry's gorgeous prose. I highly implore any historical fiction lover to pick up this book because the prose itself is something that needs to be admired.
AT A GLANCE
- Gods and goddesses tell each other about an epic love story set during WWI
- War, heartbreak, romance, everything you need to have a gorgeously written story
- The prettiest prose in any historical fiction I've ever read
CONTENT WARNINGS: Blackface (condemned in the story), racism, lynching, PTSD, war
If you're looking for a historical fiction with outstandingly beautiful prose that you'll want to highlight and bookmark endlessly and some fantastical elements in the forms of gods and goddesses watching over mortals at war, then you have to read Lovely War, following four different characters, from different walks of life as their worlds converge during WWI.
I absolutely loved how this book was written from the perspective of Aphrodite, Hades, Ares, and Apollo. Each of their voices was so distinct, and seeing their direct involvement in these mortals' lives was so fascinating to read. I'm a sucker for any retelling that includes the Greek gods, so this was the book of my dreams in it being a historical fiction mixed together with Greek mythology.
While I do have to say the book dragged on a little for me and the descriptions of the battles themselves were dry, this book and the characters within it stole my heart, left me wondering what was going to happen next, and made me fall head over heels for Julie Berry's gorgeous prose. I highly implore any historical fiction lover to pick up this book because the prose itself is something that needs to be admired.
AT A GLANCE
- Gods and goddesses tell each other about an epic love story set during WWI
- War, heartbreak, romance, everything you need to have a gorgeously written story
- The prettiest prose in any historical fiction I've ever read
CONTENT WARNINGS: Blackface (condemned in the story), racism, lynching, PTSD, war
April 2, 2023
Love, War, and Gods, this could have been one hell of a book but sadly execution turned it into a sappy war romance. But it has some great parts too, hence not the 2 stars.
July 24, 2025
̨ ╭╯ꗃ 07. 24. 25 ˚﹒
︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ post-read
╰› this was so good omg I don't think I've ever read a historical romance + I love the weaving of the Greek gods 🤭 my rating IS a 3.75 though... I wasn't fond of the insta love and I did get bored during some parts- otherwise though, it would have been five stars!
I mighttt write a review, might not
̨ ╭╯ꗃ 07. 15. 25 ˚﹒
︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ pre-read
╰› this was meant to be a last minute buddy-read with maysa but yusra decided to also join us last minute, so with my two favorite insufferable girls, maysa and yusra 💗
Let’s see what the hype is about 🤭
︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ post-read
╰› this was so good omg I don't think I've ever read a historical romance + I love the weaving of the Greek gods 🤭 my rating IS a 3.75 though... I wasn't fond of the insta love and I did get bored during some parts- otherwise though, it would have been five stars!
I mighttt write a review, might not
̨ ╭╯ꗃ 07. 15. 25 ˚﹒
︵࣪ ˖ ໒꒱ pre-read
╰› this was meant to be a last minute buddy-read with maysa but yusra decided to also join us last minute, so with my two favorite insufferable girls, maysa and yusra 💗
Let’s see what the hype is about 🤭
October 20, 2021
It's so strange but I feel like many books I read come in twos, echoeing ideas randomly but close between different reads. This one and
: the idea that the goddess of love, the epithome of it, Aprodite/Venus goes without it and is actually not just lovely but lonely, destined to bring it to everyone but herself. In The House of Styx it's the planet Venus: lonely and bound under all the chemical deluge going on. Here: it's the Aphrodite herself, walking across societies and times and lovers and never meeting her equal. With some interesting possible exception of dear old hubby.
Q:
Modesty was never her forte, but then, a humble god is hard to find. (c)
Q:
“I’m the source of love,” she says, “but no one will ever truly love me. The fountain of passion, but I will never know a true passion of my own.”
Ares throws up his hands. “You’re nuts! Have you read Homer? Hesiod?” (c) Lovely :) Ares trying to persuade Aphrodite to turn to the mere mortals concerning her own loveability. Duh. The expert opinions.
Q:
Aphrodite has no one to love her? He, the god of fire and forges, has no shortage of ore and fuel. Ares, the god of war, has been enjoying a blood-soaked century like no other in history. Artemis has no shortage of stags to hunt. Poseidon’s not low on salt water.
And his wife, the gorgeous goddess of romance, is lonely? (c)
Q:
“Do you know what it’s like,” she says, “to spend eternity embedded in every single love story—the fleeting and the true, the trivial and the everlasting? I am elbow deep in love, working in passion the way artists work in watercolors. I feel it all.” She wraps her arms tightly across her chest, as though the room is cold. “I envy the mortals. It’s because they’re weak and damaged that they can love.” (c)
Q:
Ares rolls his eyes. “Gods, no,” he moans. “Bring out the hot pincers, the smoking brands! Anything but a love story!”
Aphrodite glares at him.
“She’s always yammering on,” Ares says, “trying to tell me about some dumb love letter, some random kiss or other, and how long it lasted, and, by Medusa’s hair, what they were wearing at the time.”
“Goddess?” says Hephaestus.
“Mmm?”
“Leave nothing out,” says the god of fire. “Make your tale a long one.” (c) Ah...
: the idea that the goddess of love, the epithome of it, Aprodite/Venus goes without it and is actually not just lovely but lonely, destined to bring it to everyone but herself. In The House of Styx it's the planet Venus: lonely and bound under all the chemical deluge going on. Here: it's the Aphrodite herself, walking across societies and times and lovers and never meeting her equal. Q:
Modesty was never her forte, but then, a humble god is hard to find. (c)
Q:
“I’m the source of love,” she says, “but no one will ever truly love me. The fountain of passion, but I will never know a true passion of my own.”
Ares throws up his hands. “You’re nuts! Have you read Homer? Hesiod?” (c) Lovely :) Ares trying to persuade Aphrodite to turn to the mere mortals concerning her own loveability. Duh. The expert opinions.
Q:
Aphrodite has no one to love her? He, the god of fire and forges, has no shortage of ore and fuel. Ares, the god of war, has been enjoying a blood-soaked century like no other in history. Artemis has no shortage of stags to hunt. Poseidon’s not low on salt water.
And his wife, the gorgeous goddess of romance, is lonely? (c)
Q:
“Do you know what it’s like,” she says, “to spend eternity embedded in every single love story—the fleeting and the true, the trivial and the everlasting? I am elbow deep in love, working in passion the way artists work in watercolors. I feel it all.” She wraps her arms tightly across her chest, as though the room is cold. “I envy the mortals. It’s because they’re weak and damaged that they can love.” (c)
Q:
Ares rolls his eyes. “Gods, no,” he moans. “Bring out the hot pincers, the smoking brands! Anything but a love story!”
Aphrodite glares at him.
“She’s always yammering on,” Ares says, “trying to tell me about some dumb love letter, some random kiss or other, and how long it lasted, and, by Medusa’s hair, what they were wearing at the time.”
“Goddess?” says Hephaestus.
“Mmm?”
“Leave nothing out,” says the god of fire. “Make your tale a long one.” (c) Ah...
February 4, 2021
4 - 5 Stars!
𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 ...
𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝓅𝓇𝑜𝒸𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝒶 𝓌𝒽𝒾𝓁𝑒 ...
February 1, 2023
4.5 stars
this book was.... well, lovely! i enjoyed that even though it's a war story, you are given the foreshadowing that it contains aphrodite's favorite couples, so it's nice to get to assume that there will be happy endings despite the graphicness of war. the gods narrating the book was a cool narration style, even though it took some googling on my end to understand why certain gods stepped in.
i haven't read a book in a while where the characters are so instantly likable. the cast of humans in this were so charming and realistic and funny, you couldn't not love them. i think this book's greatest success is that i was SO invested in what would happen, basically reading this book in three sittings as i was hoping and wishing things would turn out okay because i was rooting for them so hard. and i was not disappointed!
one thing that was shocking that not a lot of reviewers i saw on here discuss is the ramifications of centering one perspective of this book around a Black character. there's a whole history to unpack with how Black men in america were treated differently during the war due to prejudice and racism, but this book included every slur in the book, and quite frequently. although i think it painted a well-researched picture of what it must have been like for those men at the time, i was very very aware while reading this that a white author was writing explicit hate speech and violence as an integral and inescapable part of the plot, and then trying to describe what it must have felt like from the perspective of being Black. it felt like an overstep at times, and i would definitely place a substantial trigger warning on this for any people of color, specifically Black readers, interested in picking it up. however, any racism the white characters overheard was challenged on-page, so i think it attempted to handle the subject respectfully.
regardless of that issue i had with it and that it was slow to start, i finished this book at 4 AM weeping with my cats because i was so touched. i can definitely see why this is some people's favorite, and if you love the angst of a good wartime love story or two, i would recommend this for sure despite its faults.
this book was.... well, lovely! i enjoyed that even though it's a war story, you are given the foreshadowing that it contains aphrodite's favorite couples, so it's nice to get to assume that there will be happy endings despite the graphicness of war. the gods narrating the book was a cool narration style, even though it took some googling on my end to understand why certain gods stepped in.
i haven't read a book in a while where the characters are so instantly likable. the cast of humans in this were so charming and realistic and funny, you couldn't not love them. i think this book's greatest success is that i was SO invested in what would happen, basically reading this book in three sittings as i was hoping and wishing things would turn out okay because i was rooting for them so hard. and i was not disappointed!
one thing that was shocking that not a lot of reviewers i saw on here discuss is the ramifications of centering one perspective of this book around a Black character. there's a whole history to unpack with how Black men in america were treated differently during the war due to prejudice and racism, but this book included every slur in the book, and quite frequently. although i think it painted a well-researched picture of what it must have been like for those men at the time, i was very very aware while reading this that a white author was writing explicit hate speech and violence as an integral and inescapable part of the plot, and then trying to describe what it must have felt like from the perspective of being Black. it felt like an overstep at times, and i would definitely place a substantial trigger warning on this for any people of color, specifically Black readers, interested in picking it up. however, any racism the white characters overheard was challenged on-page, so i think it attempted to handle the subject respectfully.
regardless of that issue i had with it and that it was slow to start, i finished this book at 4 AM weeping with my cats because i was so touched. i can definitely see why this is some people's favorite, and if you love the angst of a good wartime love story or two, i would recommend this for sure despite its faults.
January 9, 2021
brb going to be crying for the next week over this book.
May 21, 2020
5 stars
The Lovely War is truly nothing short of perfect.
I feel a little dim being that I am at something like a loss for words but that is how finishing this book made me feel. I've not read a book in a long time that felt like the most perfect picture of hope and longing and darkness and light.
The Lovely War is a brilliant depiction of historical fiction with a pinch of greek mythology. Aphrodite has been caught in an affair and is demanded an explanation by her husband, Hephaestus. Aphrodite presents her case court room style. She then tells the story of Hazel and James, two people who found each other just moments before being ripped apart, and their tale as they struggled to fight their own battles during WWI. Hazel meets Collette and they quickly become best friends, and Hazel watches Collette fall in love with a black soldier, Aubrey, and Aphrodite tells her husband of all their struggles as she pleads her case.
I didn't know what to expect going into this. I have a friend or two who has read it and adored it, but I feel like this book truly surprised me. Hazel and James' story starts rather quickly, where as Colette and Aubrey's picks up around the halfway point. The interwoven stories of friendship and love and heartbreak and death and illness are what makes this book perfection.
I could not put the book down as I was reading the last 35% of it. It was so fast paced, filled with so much longing and immersive descriptions of the characters surroundings as well as their feelings. I found myself rooting so hard for the two couples to make it through the wartime and end up triumphantly together.
As you read, you only dive deeper into each character, becoming more and more in tune with them. As they face hardships, you grow with them. As they fall in love, you fall in love with them.
If there was only one thing I could say to review this book, it would be: "READ THIS BOOK"
And if my review falls flat, go read all the other raving reviews. You know what, skip the reviews and just read the book . It will not disappoint.
***also, PLEASE someone hire the director & team who did the Netflix adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and MAKE THIS INTO A MOVIE. Can you imagine that brilliance!? It MUST happen."
The Lovely War is truly nothing short of perfect.
I feel a little dim being that I am at something like a loss for words but that is how finishing this book made me feel. I've not read a book in a long time that felt like the most perfect picture of hope and longing and darkness and light.
The Lovely War is a brilliant depiction of historical fiction with a pinch of greek mythology. Aphrodite has been caught in an affair and is demanded an explanation by her husband, Hephaestus. Aphrodite presents her case court room style. She then tells the story of Hazel and James, two people who found each other just moments before being ripped apart, and their tale as they struggled to fight their own battles during WWI. Hazel meets Collette and they quickly become best friends, and Hazel watches Collette fall in love with a black soldier, Aubrey, and Aphrodite tells her husband of all their struggles as she pleads her case.
I didn't know what to expect going into this. I have a friend or two who has read it and adored it, but I feel like this book truly surprised me. Hazel and James' story starts rather quickly, where as Colette and Aubrey's picks up around the halfway point. The interwoven stories of friendship and love and heartbreak and death and illness are what makes this book perfection.
I could not put the book down as I was reading the last 35% of it. It was so fast paced, filled with so much longing and immersive descriptions of the characters surroundings as well as their feelings. I found myself rooting so hard for the two couples to make it through the wartime and end up triumphantly together.
As you read, you only dive deeper into each character, becoming more and more in tune with them. As they face hardships, you grow with them. As they fall in love, you fall in love with them.
If there was only one thing I could say to review this book, it would be: "READ THIS BOOK"
And if my review falls flat, go read all the other raving reviews. You know what, skip the reviews and just read the book . It will not disappoint.
***also, PLEASE someone hire the director & team who did the Netflix adaptation of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and MAKE THIS INTO A MOVIE. Can you imagine that brilliance!? It MUST happen."
Read
February 26, 2019An unbelievably charming book. The sections with the Greek gods are pitched for a YA audience, but the rest of the book straddles YA and Adult beautifully, telling a story that’s warm and tense and lovingly crafted. At times not even my cold, cold heart could keep me from sighing. Highly recommended.
June 3, 2019
I'm blown away by how amazing this book truly is. It's more than a romance, more than a war book, more than racial division. This book is everything and the writing was done with such grace, compassion, anger, and love. The characters even the side characters, I loved them all and felt for them deeply. This book had me laughing, feeling giddy, heartbroken and weeping, also felt such love and sympathy for the time and people the Great War affected. I learned so much more about this war than any school ever taught me. I loved this book and highly, highly recommend it!!
March 28, 2021
the book thief meets the invisible life of addie larue in this heart wrenching story of art, war, death and love. (hence the title, lovely war)
this is historical fiction done right. there was diversity, prejudice, historically accurate language, and amazingly complex characters while still remaining to be an accessible young adult story.
the narration by the greek gods added a whole new layer of intricacy to this novel that i haven’t ever read before. (we stan aphrodite and hephaestus in this house). i highly HIGHLY recommend.
this is historical fiction done right. there was diversity, prejudice, historically accurate language, and amazingly complex characters while still remaining to be an accessible young adult story.
the narration by the greek gods added a whole new layer of intricacy to this novel that i haven’t ever read before. (we stan aphrodite and hephaestus in this house). i highly HIGHLY recommend.
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