What do you think?
Rate this book
The Bobby Girls #1
The Bobby Girls
1914. While their men fight in France, at home in Britain women seize the opportunity to make a difference . . .
Maggie lives a life of privilege and plenty. But she's hiding a dark secret that has the power to ruin her.
Annie just wants to settle down with the man she loves. But she might never see him again.
Sarah is a passionate Suffragette. But all her dreams are about to be put on hold.
Irene is clever, beautiful and proud. But her pride could cost her everything.
Four women - only one thing in common: they have all signed up for the Women Police Volunteers.
As they work to find their feet on the beat, will their friendship get them through the darkest of times?
A gritty, uplifting new saga series about the first ever female police officers, set at the outbreak of the First World War - perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Daisy Styles and Call the Midwife.
Maggie lives a life of privilege and plenty. But she's hiding a dark secret that has the power to ruin her.
Annie just wants to settle down with the man she loves. But she might never see him again.
Sarah is a passionate Suffragette. But all her dreams are about to be put on hold.
Irene is clever, beautiful and proud. But her pride could cost her everything.
Four women - only one thing in common: they have all signed up for the Women Police Volunteers.
As they work to find their feet on the beat, will their friendship get them through the darkest of times?
A gritty, uplifting new saga series about the first ever female police officers, set at the outbreak of the First World War - perfect for fans of Dilly Court, Daisy Styles and Call the Midwife.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 31, 2019
199 people are currently reading
229 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews
October 5, 2019
Johanna Bell does her research in this novel of how women came to enter the police force in 1914, after intense lobbying by suffragettes in London. With the start of WW1, the force were under pressure with so many men leaving to fight, and so the WPV (Women's Police Volunteers) came to be established. They were not paid, had no powers of arrest and had specific areas they were expected to address, such as guiding women away from prostitution, and keeping prostitutes away from soldiers. Maggie Smyth, and fellow recruits, Annie and Irene, come from different class backgrounds, coming together and forging a strong friendship as the youngest female volunteers. Their training under Sub-Commandant Frost is a real eye opener, as they spend time in court to see women being treated far worse than men, learn self defence and become acquainted with the law. They find themselves all placed at Bethnal Green Police Station in the East End.
Almost the entire male police officers go out of their way to make them feel unwelcome, and no provision is made for them at the station, there is nowhere to store their uniforms and they are forced to change in the toilets. The only police officer who welcomes their arrival is PC Frank Bird, in charge of guiding them to their role in the local community. They weather the hostility from the police force and elements of the community by supporting each other, and getting help and advice from prominent locals, such as Sally, a laundrette worker who knows everyone and all the gossip, and the elderly Arthur. They record their daily activities in a journal which begins to provide evidence that they are proving their worth in the valuable and essential work they are doing. This begins to slowly shift male attitudes at the station but challenges lie ahead.
All the women have secrets, Maggie's home life is traumatic, her beloved brother, Eddie, is determined to fight for his country, she has lied about her age to join the WPV and has to face a horrifying ordeal. The timid Annie finds the confidence her family thinks she so sorely needs, but she lives in fear of what might happen to Richard, her fiance, fighting in the war with so many men being killed. Irene comes from a desperately impoverished background where she barely has enough to eat. Bell depicts an authentic picture of class distinctions, and the dreadful position of women, the everyday injustices meted out to them in this historical period, the poverty, and the social norms and attitudes the first women police officers faced. It took me a little while to get into this, but once I did, I became fully immersed in the storytelling. This is the first in a series, and I look forward to the sequel. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
Almost the entire male police officers go out of their way to make them feel unwelcome, and no provision is made for them at the station, there is nowhere to store their uniforms and they are forced to change in the toilets. The only police officer who welcomes their arrival is PC Frank Bird, in charge of guiding them to their role in the local community. They weather the hostility from the police force and elements of the community by supporting each other, and getting help and advice from prominent locals, such as Sally, a laundrette worker who knows everyone and all the gossip, and the elderly Arthur. They record their daily activities in a journal which begins to provide evidence that they are proving their worth in the valuable and essential work they are doing. This begins to slowly shift male attitudes at the station but challenges lie ahead.
All the women have secrets, Maggie's home life is traumatic, her beloved brother, Eddie, is determined to fight for his country, she has lied about her age to join the WPV and has to face a horrifying ordeal. The timid Annie finds the confidence her family thinks she so sorely needs, but she lives in fear of what might happen to Richard, her fiance, fighting in the war with so many men being killed. Irene comes from a desperately impoverished background where she barely has enough to eat. Bell depicts an authentic picture of class distinctions, and the dreadful position of women, the everyday injustices meted out to them in this historical period, the poverty, and the social norms and attitudes the first women police officers faced. It took me a little while to get into this, but once I did, I became fully immersed in the storytelling. This is the first in a series, and I look forward to the sequel. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.
October 24, 2019
London 1914 and the men are away at war. The police are recruiting women to become volunteers. We follow Maggie, Annie and Irene as they make their way through training until they are given the police station they will be working from. They are given Bethnal Green and the girls are happy to e stationed together. The male officers are reluctant to help the women, thinking that they will have to protect the women rather than them carrying out "real police work". PC Frank Bird is the only ally they have. The three girls start patrolling the streets and they make a few friends along the way. But they also come across some nasty pieces of work. Maggie also has an encounter with an old friend of her brothers.
The three girls come from completely different backgrounds ut quickly become firm friends. We learn more of Maggie's story in this first book in a new series. Her father is a tyrant who not afraid to raise his fists to his wife, son or daughter. I liked all three girls and the way they had each others backs from day one. The story is true to the era and the author has done her research. We dont have many books covering WPV so this ade for a nice change. Everything about the book is believable. I loved this book and cant wait to read The Bobby Girls' Secretswhen it comes out in April 2020.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author Johanna Bell for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The three girls come from completely different backgrounds ut quickly become firm friends. We learn more of Maggie's story in this first book in a new series. Her father is a tyrant who not afraid to raise his fists to his wife, son or daughter. I liked all three girls and the way they had each others backs from day one. The story is true to the era and the author has done her research. We dont have many books covering WPV so this ade for a nice change. Everything about the book is believable. I loved this book and cant wait to read The Bobby Girls' Secretswhen it comes out in April 2020.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and the author Johanna Bell for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 23, 2020
Waiting with baited breath to immerse myself into THE BOBBY GIRLS, I was not disappointed. Although it is a fictional story, it is also steeped in plenty of history through the suffragette movement of how women came to enter the police force in 1914 as Women Police Volunteers (WPV). As volunteers they were not paid nor had they any powers of arrest but they did have specific roles in which they were to assist women in attempting to prevent acts of immorality. In other words, to help control their "loose" behaviour. In addition, women were more likely to respond to women rather than men.
In a highly male dominated profession, the women came up against a lot of resistance to the idea by men who thought they would merely be creating extra work for them, rather than alleviating it. And while not every woman was a suffragette, many believed that they could play a more active role in society rather than their only value being for cooking, cleaning and producing offspring.
It's London 1914 and many men are away fighting the Great War while a call has gone out for female volunteers to join the newly formed WPV. Amongst the many applicants, four women from different backgrounds join the ranks of volunteers and go through weeks of study and training in preparation for the tasks they will be undertaking. Of the four - Sarah, Maggie, Annie and Irene - only the latter three go on to complete their training as it is revealed that Sarah is far too short sighted for the job. Devastated, she returns to the one she was passionate about - a writer at "The Vote", a suffragette newspaper campaigning for the rights of women.
Maggie, Annie and Irene become fast friends as most of the other women are far older than they are. Then when, at the end of their training, they discover they are all placed at Bethnal Green Police Station in the East End, they are ecstatic. However, upon their arrival, just about every officer makes them feel unwelcome, making snide comments about their abilities and with no provision made for them they are forced to change in the toilet cubicles, in case a male officer should enter. Only one police officer, PC Frank Bird, welcomes their arrival and is responsible for showing them where they will be focusing their attentions and easing their role into the community.
But it seems no one is happy about their presence, neither the male officers - who see them as just creating extra work for them when they call on them to get them out of whatever scrapes they may find themselves in - or the community - who laugh at the very thought of "women policemen"! But with Frank's help and the support of each other, they soon fall into their roles within the community when the locals see they really are there to help them. Their daily patrols see them gaining the trust and advice from prominent locals such as Sally from the launderette, Bob the landlord of the local pub The Lamb and the elderly Arthur. Recording their daily activities in a diary in their breaks and at the end of the day soon provides evidence of their worth and the invaluable work they carry out every day.
When the Chief Constable gets wind of their activities through the daily diaries, he congratulates them on their work and begins them on night patrols. The three women are a little naive in what to expect of their night patrols believing them to be no different from their daytime ones. But they soon discover after dark a whole other world comes alive and their work intensifies but equally rewarding.
But trouble is brewing when a face from Maggie's past recognises her on patrol and realises he could capitalise on her duplicity by blackmailing her. Maggie soon finds herself in way over her head and without confiding in her two friends, lives to regret her decision.
Each women have secrets. Maggie comes from a privileged background in Kensington but has a traumatic home life with a controlling father who instills fear and compliance from his wife and children by beating them. Not only that, her beloved brother and best friend, Eddie has signed up to fight for his country, much to the chagrin and outrage from their father. But Maggie has an even bigger secret. She has lied about her age to join the WPV, and at 18 would have needed her parent's consent...which her father would never have given. And so she sneaks out daily on the pretense that she has taken up a volunteer position at an orphanage, which would be more acceptable to her father. Annie is incredibly shy and timid but gains her confidence through her work with WPV; her only fear is the fate of her beloved fiance Richard who, when he returns on leave, is a shadow of his former self. Irene comes from an impoverished background, working another job to pay the rent on a pokey little room with barely enough to eat. She finds their presence in the East End a little too close to home and lives in fear she will be recognised.
The depiction of the roles in the early 20th century is an authentic picture of the distinctions between the classes as well as those of men and women. The poverty, the injustice, the social aspects and the attitudes the first women police officers faced has been well researched as we follow Maggie, Annie and Irene in their journey as WPVs. Although the story followed is predominantly Maggie, the other two provided good background though I do hope future stories in the series will feature the other two respectively, as they featured so little in this one.
A delightful story with some lighthearted moments, a bit of tension and a little heartbreak, THE BOBBY GIRLS is a smashing debut and promises to be the beginning of a warm historical saga.
I love how the author ended the book with some photos of the real Bobby Girls, giving a real authenticity to the story and the era. I look forward to reading "The Bobby Girls' Secrets" in May, "Christmas with the Bobby Girls" in November and "The Bobby Girls' War" in May 2021.
A highly entertaining and easy read, THE BOBBY GIRLS is perfect for those who enjoy wartime historical fiction.
I would like to thank #JohannaBell, #NetGalley and #HodderAndStoughton for an ARC of #TheBobbyGirls in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
In a highly male dominated profession, the women came up against a lot of resistance to the idea by men who thought they would merely be creating extra work for them, rather than alleviating it. And while not every woman was a suffragette, many believed that they could play a more active role in society rather than their only value being for cooking, cleaning and producing offspring.
It's London 1914 and many men are away fighting the Great War while a call has gone out for female volunteers to join the newly formed WPV. Amongst the many applicants, four women from different backgrounds join the ranks of volunteers and go through weeks of study and training in preparation for the tasks they will be undertaking. Of the four - Sarah, Maggie, Annie and Irene - only the latter three go on to complete their training as it is revealed that Sarah is far too short sighted for the job. Devastated, she returns to the one she was passionate about - a writer at "The Vote", a suffragette newspaper campaigning for the rights of women.
Maggie, Annie and Irene become fast friends as most of the other women are far older than they are. Then when, at the end of their training, they discover they are all placed at Bethnal Green Police Station in the East End, they are ecstatic. However, upon their arrival, just about every officer makes them feel unwelcome, making snide comments about their abilities and with no provision made for them they are forced to change in the toilet cubicles, in case a male officer should enter. Only one police officer, PC Frank Bird, welcomes their arrival and is responsible for showing them where they will be focusing their attentions and easing their role into the community.
But it seems no one is happy about their presence, neither the male officers - who see them as just creating extra work for them when they call on them to get them out of whatever scrapes they may find themselves in - or the community - who laugh at the very thought of "women policemen"! But with Frank's help and the support of each other, they soon fall into their roles within the community when the locals see they really are there to help them. Their daily patrols see them gaining the trust and advice from prominent locals such as Sally from the launderette, Bob the landlord of the local pub The Lamb and the elderly Arthur. Recording their daily activities in a diary in their breaks and at the end of the day soon provides evidence of their worth and the invaluable work they carry out every day.
When the Chief Constable gets wind of their activities through the daily diaries, he congratulates them on their work and begins them on night patrols. The three women are a little naive in what to expect of their night patrols believing them to be no different from their daytime ones. But they soon discover after dark a whole other world comes alive and their work intensifies but equally rewarding.
But trouble is brewing when a face from Maggie's past recognises her on patrol and realises he could capitalise on her duplicity by blackmailing her. Maggie soon finds herself in way over her head and without confiding in her two friends, lives to regret her decision.
Each women have secrets. Maggie comes from a privileged background in Kensington but has a traumatic home life with a controlling father who instills fear and compliance from his wife and children by beating them. Not only that, her beloved brother and best friend, Eddie has signed up to fight for his country, much to the chagrin and outrage from their father. But Maggie has an even bigger secret. She has lied about her age to join the WPV, and at 18 would have needed her parent's consent...which her father would never have given. And so she sneaks out daily on the pretense that she has taken up a volunteer position at an orphanage, which would be more acceptable to her father. Annie is incredibly shy and timid but gains her confidence through her work with WPV; her only fear is the fate of her beloved fiance Richard who, when he returns on leave, is a shadow of his former self. Irene comes from an impoverished background, working another job to pay the rent on a pokey little room with barely enough to eat. She finds their presence in the East End a little too close to home and lives in fear she will be recognised.
The depiction of the roles in the early 20th century is an authentic picture of the distinctions between the classes as well as those of men and women. The poverty, the injustice, the social aspects and the attitudes the first women police officers faced has been well researched as we follow Maggie, Annie and Irene in their journey as WPVs. Although the story followed is predominantly Maggie, the other two provided good background though I do hope future stories in the series will feature the other two respectively, as they featured so little in this one.
A delightful story with some lighthearted moments, a bit of tension and a little heartbreak, THE BOBBY GIRLS is a smashing debut and promises to be the beginning of a warm historical saga.
I love how the author ended the book with some photos of the real Bobby Girls, giving a real authenticity to the story and the era. I look forward to reading "The Bobby Girls' Secrets" in May, "Christmas with the Bobby Girls" in November and "The Bobby Girls' War" in May 2021.
A highly entertaining and easy read, THE BOBBY GIRLS is perfect for those who enjoy wartime historical fiction.
I would like to thank #JohannaBell, #NetGalley and #HodderAndStoughton for an ARC of #TheBobbyGirls in exchange for an honest review.
This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.
September 14, 2019
It’s 1914 London and the men have gone off to war. Three women from different backgrounds have joined the Women’s Police Volunteers (WPV) to make a difference to society and to convince men that they can do so much more than cook, clean and do needlepoint.
The three women, Maggie Smyth, Annie smith and Irene whilst training soon become friends and when they are finishing training, they are delighted to be stationed together because of the bond that they have formed between them.
But first, the male bobbies do not take the girls seriously and think it’s a passing fad and they will go home to their mothers. But the girls are there to prove them wrong except for one PC Frank Bird who is the only ally they have.
Putting their own troubles aside, they start patrolling Bethnal Green where they are all sorts of characters. They are there to help the women not fall astray to prostitution or alcoholism as, the men come home from war.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for a copy of The Bobbie girls. Based on real facts I really enjoyed this book. The book had great characters and a gripping storyline. I learnt so much about the WPV and women’s movement. Women trying to get their voice heard in a man’s world. It shows how far women have come. I can’t wait for the second book in the series.
The three women, Maggie Smyth, Annie smith and Irene whilst training soon become friends and when they are finishing training, they are delighted to be stationed together because of the bond that they have formed between them.
But first, the male bobbies do not take the girls seriously and think it’s a passing fad and they will go home to their mothers. But the girls are there to prove them wrong except for one PC Frank Bird who is the only ally they have.
Putting their own troubles aside, they start patrolling Bethnal Green where they are all sorts of characters. They are there to help the women not fall astray to prostitution or alcoholism as, the men come home from war.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for a copy of The Bobbie girls. Based on real facts I really enjoyed this book. The book had great characters and a gripping storyline. I learnt so much about the WPV and women’s movement. Women trying to get their voice heard in a man’s world. It shows how far women have come. I can’t wait for the second book in the series.
August 16, 2019
It's London 1914, men are away fighting the great war, this is the story of three women who have signed up to the Women's Police Volunteers WPV, this is a new author and is book one in the series. Maggie Smyth, Annie Beckett and Irene have all had all different upbringings and become female bobbies. A very dangerous job as they patrol the streets of bethnal green under the hands of PC Frank Bird. This book is a real eye opener to how women and children are treated on all the run down estates. Alcoholism and prostitution play a big problem. As well as their work the girls all have troubles of their own to deal with with there different up bringings. But firmly become best friends. I found this book such a delightful read and for it to be the first by this author she is definitely going to go a long way with her stories. This book has left me eagerly awaiting The Bobby girl's Secrets that is going to be a delight to read. A well deserved five stars from me. I LOVED IT
July 26, 2019
Fabulous book it was so nice to read of women in the police in war time great characters and a great story well done to the author.It is so nice to find new Authors in the Genre's i love to read,i love when a book draws you in from the first page and The Bobby Girls did just that.5*
November 21, 2021
Really enjoyed this book and will definitely be looking for others in this series.
Three girls from different backgrounds join the new women's voluntary police team.
They slowly form a very close bond, which gets stronger when one of them is involved in a serious situation.
Three girls from different backgrounds join the new women's voluntary police team.
They slowly form a very close bond, which gets stronger when one of them is involved in a serious situation.
December 5, 2021
I really enjoyed this first book. I can’t wait to read Irene’s story in book two.
February 28, 2023
Took a while to get into but was enjoyable after a few chapters
February 11, 2024
Great book! Loved Mags, Irene and Annie!
January 18, 2020
The Bobby Girls is a highly entertaining read that I enjoyed very much and I'm missing Maggie, Irene, Annie and Sarah already. The Prologue - we are introduced to the leading characters, where we learn just enough about them and their respective families; we then move on and follow the girls through their WPV training at St Stephen's House, which is part of Scotland Yards Headquarters. I took to the girls straightaway and Sub-Commandant Frost, aka Frosty, really grew on me. I really didn't want to put this book down, I was so engrossed in it and found it very interesting as well as wanting to know what was in store for the girls next. The girls have very different characteristics, and come from very different backgrounds but the bonding between them really warmed my heart. It was lovely to see the girls blossom, despite some of the challenges that they faced and even after one of them suffered an horrific ordeal (which really got my emotions bubbling over), they continued to show such strength and determination - they really were heroic! The story is made up of superb elements and the research undertaken really reflects in the authors writing. When reading a book I often look up parts that interest me and so I did with this book and I got to read a wonderful story as well as receive a short history lesson! Some characters were very unsavoury and not ones that I would ever wish to encounter! I loved Florence and I hope that I get a chance to meet up with her again in the next book of the series - as well as the leading ladies! I liked everything about this book: the pace, the friendship, the history, the setting, the secrets and the drama. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait for The Bobby Girls' Secrets, which is next in the series. Thank you
November 2, 2019
Wish I could give this more than 5 stars. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a fiction story but there was an enormous amount of the history of the beginning of women police officers, the struggle they came up against in a male dominated profession. It also showed how some areas of London were in desperate need of assistance in the early years of WW1. Even though many men on leave from the front, sought the company of women, even taking advantage in the most violent manner, it was very often the women who were arrested and charged with prostitution. Conversely, however, there were 'some women the night's who saw this as an advantage to their profession, and their pockets. The three young women in this book joined the newly formed Women Police Volunteers each having a reason other than to help with the war effort. As one travels with them with their training and then patrolling the streets of London, you see them mature and strengthen. They are given the challenging area of Bethnal green and they encounter the salt of the earth and the seedy side of life. Highly recommend this book and am looking forward to the second book in this series
March 17, 2021
1914.While their men fight in France, at home in Britain women are finally seizing the opportunity to make a difference.Maggie and her new friends Annie, Irene and Sarah come from very different backgrounds,but they've got one thing in common: they've all signed up for the Women Police Volunteers. They can't wait to show the men just what they're made of.But soon, Maggie realises she's in over her head.Hiding her involvement with the WPV from her tyrannous father is becoming ever more difficult, and when she bumps into an old acquaintance with a big chip on his shoulder,the dangers of her new life become all too clear.As Maggie and the girls work together to find their feet on the beat,will their friendship get her through the darkest of times?The Women's Police Service (WPS) was a national voluntary organisation in the UK.It was originally established as the Women Police Volunteers (WPV) in 1914 by Nina Boyle and Margaret Damer Dawson, who had met when Damer Dawson was working for the Criminal Law Amendment Committee in 1914.Pre WWI, campaigners for women's rights proposed that there should be female as well as male police officers, but the war stopped that.Both Boyle and Damer Dawson observed the trouble faced by Belgian and French refugees in London after the initial German advance, particularly the danger of their being recruited for prostitution on arrival at railway stations.They were also concerned about existing prostitutes loitering near railway stations used by the increasing number of servicemen passing through the capital.The pair gained the approval of Sir Edward Henry,the Police Commissioner, to train women, who would then patrol London on a voluntary basis with the role of offering advice and support to women and children to help prevent sexual harassment and abuse.The WPV's role was delimited to enforcing the DORA and public decency and supervising female workers.The Contagious Disease Act allowed police officers to arrest women suspected of being prostitutes in certain areas.The women were then subjected to humiliating venereal disease checks.'Bobby' is an informal British term for a police officer.
March 28, 2021
This book is the first in a series and it tells the story of four young women from different backgrounds who train together as early members of the Women's Police Volunteers (WPV): the first female police in England. Many of the local men (it's set in London) have gone to war (The Great War) and the role of the female recruits was mainly to deal with "women's issues" rather than take part in any crime solving, and they lacked the power to arrest anyone. One of the four is bizarrely thrown out from the training because she needs glasses, an item which seemingly nobody has ever heard of, but the other three end up stationed together and they become close friends. They also help solve a serious crime. The writing, dialogue, and characters' psychology are more akin to the light and dainty style of, say, Enid Blyton novels (albeit it with more grown-up subject matter) than you would expect to find in a typical police-based story, and how they solve the crime a tad implausible.
June 18, 2021
This is my first book by this author and my word it’s outstanding wanted to keep reading to see what happens so gripping loved it. Full of friendship courage families and full of police work. It’s such a warm read and simply encourage anyone to read as so good.
Maggie lives at home her father is very strict and won’t let her out but she sees an advert for volunteer police women while men are at war she lies to her father as she knows he won’t agree. She starts and makes friends with Annie and Irene and Sarah all very different and from different backgrounds. They all enjoy working for the police but sadly Maggie gets in over her head as she’s lied about her age to get in and lied to her parents and when she bumps into an old acquaintance trouble will come her way and she gets into so much danger what will happen when her friends find out along with her parents more importantly her father. She soon learns who her friends are and they love their work so much.
Maggie lives at home her father is very strict and won’t let her out but she sees an advert for volunteer police women while men are at war she lies to her father as she knows he won’t agree. She starts and makes friends with Annie and Irene and Sarah all very different and from different backgrounds. They all enjoy working for the police but sadly Maggie gets in over her head as she’s lied about her age to get in and lied to her parents and when she bumps into an old acquaintance trouble will come her way and she gets into so much danger what will happen when her friends find out along with her parents more importantly her father. She soon learns who her friends are and they love their work so much.
December 15, 2020
Historical fiction varies in quality and style. Not everything you read is going to be a Pat Barker or Sarah Waters, and that's Ok, because sometimes you just want something that's accurate enough to be interesting but light enough to be a quick read. I burned through this one pretty quickly and it kept me engaged, although I'm extremely perplexed by a character who couldn't be a police volunteer cause she had poor eyesight, and nobody mentions the possibility of glasses. Glasses were around in WW1!
February 22, 2022
What a fantastic read! My first book of this genre and I wasn't sure what to expect but I loved it. You read so many books about men in the war, so it was refreshing to read about the girls and woman during the war. What they went through, how they felt and what they endured. It showed that money does not always bring you happiness, and that people can be friends no matter where they come from. It showed women can do mens jobs and when the chips are down they can be just as tough, hard and strong. This is a great story of strength, perseverance, courage and mainly love & friendship.
October 9, 2022
This book was about women and how they came to be in the police force.
They started out in the women's police volunteers. They had to prove themselves, hide their volunteering from family, wear awful clothes and shoes but still they worked hard and earned respect from family, locals and each other. They had courage, it must have been so hard for those ladies in 1914 and onwards.
The story is full of facts that were interesting to look up. I look forward to reading other books about the women police volunteers
They started out in the women's police volunteers. They had to prove themselves, hide their volunteering from family, wear awful clothes and shoes but still they worked hard and earned respect from family, locals and each other. They had courage, it must have been so hard for those ladies in 1914 and onwards.
The story is full of facts that were interesting to look up. I look forward to reading other books about the women police volunteers
April 18, 2020
Maggie, Annie and Irene's binding friendship and fearlessness had me wanting to stand up and belt out 'Sisters are Doin' it For Themselves', but for the sake of my poor neighbours, I didn't. Plus, I couldn't put the book down for long enough to actually do that, for fear of missing out on their next exciting escapade.
Full review on my blog - http://clydescorner.org/2020/04/18/lo...
Full review on my blog - http://clydescorner.org/2020/04/18/lo...
November 4, 2025
This is part of a Series
This one is book one
What a great read! I often wonder when I read these kind of books if this is what they experienced I know some of it is true from the information the authors look into.
Story about three women called the Bobby girls and what they come across on their patrol
How some of them have had to live through lies and eventually they are found out.
Great read looking forward to reading the rest
Thank you!
This one is book one
What a great read! I often wonder when I read these kind of books if this is what they experienced I know some of it is true from the information the authors look into.
Story about three women called the Bobby girls and what they come across on their patrol
How some of them have had to live through lies and eventually they are found out.
Great read looking forward to reading the rest
Thank you!
June 4, 2020
Bobby Dazzlers
I loved this book which was a warm and inspirational story. Three young women from extremely different backgrounds join the new voluntary women's police force.
It was wonderful to watch as they developed into more confident individuals. There was drama as well as humour.
I loved this book which was a warm and inspirational story. Three young women from extremely different backgrounds join the new voluntary women's police force.
It was wonderful to watch as they developed into more confident individuals. There was drama as well as humour.
September 22, 2020
throughly enjoyed it Maggie's dad what a bastard and glad Eddie gave him a taste of his medicine. Looking forward to reading book 2 and the christmas story when it comes out. This was well researched and written Johanna has done her stuff. I read this book in a few days that is how good it was.
February 19, 2022
This book was the first war story I have read and it made me fall in love with war stories. I cannot wait to read the rest of them! This was so emotional and really eye opening to see what the women in those times had to go through, made me feel very lucky to be in woman in this day and age. Would 100% recommend
May 13, 2023
Absolutely brill
Great story line and so much about the first world war that I didn't know , highly recommend as a must read, great characters that you will grow to love 10/10 to Johanna bell and 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I want to say so much more but don't want to spoil the story for anyone just read and enjoy x
Great story line and so much about the first world war that I didn't know , highly recommend as a must read, great characters that you will grow to love 10/10 to Johanna bell and 5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 I want to say so much more but don't want to spoil the story for anyone just read and enjoy x
April 29, 2020
Absolutely wonderful book so well written and the author has obviously well researched the subject of the role of the wpv and woman in the police service
This looks like it will be an enjoyable series of books
This looks like it will be an enjoyable series of books
May 15, 2020
Received this ecopy from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
What a good book, so easy to read. The characters are so lovely you can't help but take them to heart, really enjoyed this first book in the series from Johanna Bell.
What a good book, so easy to read. The characters are so lovely you can't help but take them to heart, really enjoyed this first book in the series from Johanna Bell.
June 16, 2020
I would not call this 'gritty' which is a word used in the blurb about the book. I had hoped to learn more about the evolution of the first female police officers - based on the amount of research data shown by the author. Maybe more will come with later books in the series.
July 21, 2021
Thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction based around the WPV at the start of the Great War. It just showed me how far we have come in terms of women's position. Strong characters and lots of engaging, interesting social history. Cannot wait to read the rest of the Bobby Girls books 😍
July 20, 2022
This story became quite interesting to read.
How the characters came together and become the bobby girls.
I was well impressed to learn that the war had changed the police force.
I am looking forward to reading the next bobby girls story.
How the characters came together and become the bobby girls.
I was well impressed to learn that the war had changed the police force.
I am looking forward to reading the next bobby girls story.
July 29, 2023
I found this book easy to get into and easy to read. Story line from the start is interesting, albeit a little predictable and became fond of the characters very quickly. Looking forward to reading the next in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 70 reviews