The Ballroom Girls

The Ballroom Girls #1

by Jenny Holmes

**The first book in Jenny Holmes's brand-new WWII saga series - The Ballroom Girls. Perfect for fans of Nancy Revell and Donna Douglas. Preorder now!**

Blackpool, summer 1942.

Meet the Ballroom Girls: Sylvia, Pearl and Joy. Three girls dancing through the turbulence of WWII.

Sylvia is the spoiled only child of an ambitious mother, Lorna Ellis, who runs a dancing school in Blackpool. Approaching 21, Sylvia is under pressure to scoop up prizes by fair means or foul.

Pearl is the oldest daughter in a large, chaotic family who all work at the Pleasure Beach. She often sneaks away to watch ballroom contestants in their glittery finery. She dreams of joining them, but will she ever be anything other than an outsider looking in?

Joy is an evacuee who lost her parents to the Blitz. Now she lives and works in a shabby boarding house and works as a cleaner. Though shy and modest, she falls in love with the newest dance craze - the American Jitterbug. When Lorna's rival dance school spots her talent, Joy is given a chance to break away from boarding house drudgery and enter the glamorous world of professional ballroom dancing.

Through blackouts and air raids, the excitement of the ballroom never dims. But competition is fierce. Will the Ballroom Girls find what they're looking for in the joy of the dance?

Readers LOVE Jenny Holmes's WWII sagas:

'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review
'In all the women at war series of book I have read so far, I think this is the best' 5 star review
'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review
'Loved the whole story. Hated it coming to an end' 5 star review
'Just the kind of book I like' 5 star review

Genres: World War II, Historical Fiction

368 pages, Hardcover

Published March 23, 2023

About the author

Jenny Holmes lives in a beautiful part of Yorkshire and sets her sagas in the industrial heartland nearby. She enjoys horse riding, gardening and walking her dog in the dales. She also writes children's books as Jenny Oldfield.

Reviews

[Nicola Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the reviews so I wasn’t expecting much from this book, I was wrong to believe the reviews. I actually enjoyed this book, I look forward to the next instalment of the Ballroom girls

[Heather Copping · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's 1942 in Blackpool, and groups of young people are dancing their cares away in the ballroom. Including Sylvia whose mum is a dancing teacher, Joy who has lost all her family in a bombing raid in Manchester and is now living in a tiny bedsit and doing many jobs to make ends meet and Pearl whose mum runs a fish and chips stall on the seafront. Soon, these three girls become good friends, but there's always something that spoils things. Not always the war, though. Sometimes, it's other people who just don't want changes. As you find out how the girls overcome prejudice, you find yourself really drawn into the story, among all the glitter and fun of the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool.
Fans of Strictly will love this series.

[Ali Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a former Ballroom and Latin dancer, and teacher/choreographer I had to read this! Blackpool is like a second home to me and I am fortunate to have danced in the wonderful Tower Ballroom and the Winter Gardens. It was like a cross between Strictly, and My Policeman with a bit of Corrie shades of Alan Bradley! My Grandad was a professional ballroom dancer and my Mum danced before her MS sadly took a hold. I grew up watching Come Dancing. Cannot wait for the rest of the series. A 10 from me...FAB U LOUS

[Holly Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fab first book for this series!

How three girls made friends through dancing at the beautiful Blackpool Tower dance Hall, which I actually visited last year in 2024 what a beautiful place.
It was nice to be able to relate the story to a place I have visited and watched people dance!
I know the story is made up but it’s nice to have that picture in my head

Also this book reminds you how society has changed and people are more accepted for their relationship status and for them themselves

Fab book can’t wait to read other two in the series!

[Trudie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this although I did struggle a little to get into this at the beginning.

[Sara-jane Eaglen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read looking forward to reading the others

[Eileen Clarke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice read very interesting 👍

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my highly anticipated reads for this year and I had such high expectations for this book and it just didn’t live up to the expectations I had I’m afraid. I loved the idea of the ballroom and expected myself to become so invested in the story and the characters but it just didn’t do that for me. I found certain aspects quite boring in the story and just didn’t find the story too interesting to keep me wanting to read on which was such a shame. I will definitely carry on with the series but this just didn’t live up to the expectations I had.