The Air Raid Book Club

'A warm and tender tale about the power and healing of friendship and community and the magic of books' - Ruth Hogan

As the bombs began to fall, the book club kept their hopes alive...

The most emotional, uplifting and captivating story of wartime London and the extraordinary power of books to shine a light and draw people together in the darkest of days, inspired by true events.

London, 1938. Bookseller Gertie Bingham is facing difficult times, having just lost her beloved husband, Harry, and with a lingering sadness at never having been able to have a child of her own. Struggling to face running the bookshop she and Harry opened together, Gertie is preparing to sell up and move away when she is asked if she would be willing to take in a young Jewish refugee from Germany. Gertie is unsure and when sullen teenager Hedy Fischer arrives, Gertie fears she has nothing left to give the troubled girl.

But when the German bombers come and the lights go out over London, Gertie and Hedy realise that joining forces will make them stronger, and that books have the power to bring young and old together and unite a community in need in its darkest hour...

*Annie Lyons was shortlisted for the RNA Contemporary Romantic Novel of the Year Award*

Readers adore The Air Raid Book Club:

'I loved this . . . a sweet and nourishing ode to books that historical fiction fans will love' - Kate Thompson

'A charming, uplifting story of resourceful women and the healing power of books' - Clare Chambers

'A tender, touching and utterly heart-warming tale' - Sarah Steele

'Annie Lyons has cleverly woven the horror and heartbreak of war with the resilience of human nature, the strength of love, and the importance of friends . . . perfect for fans of Lissa Evans and AJ Pearce' - Kerry Barrett

'This is a book to be read and re-read - each time there will be something new to discover . . . a triumph' - Celia Anderson

'Warm and nostalgic . . . This story of love, bravery and found family is heart-wrenching and utterly charming. I sobbed my way through the final chapters' - Fiona Lucas

'A wonderful story of strong female friendship and found family . . . I absolutely adored it' - Real reader review

'A gentle, heartwarming read . . . [with] two main characters who are lovely ordinary people living in remarkable times' - Real reader review

'[A] beautiful depiction of a community striving to survive and thrive together . . . I came to love the many characters and I felt like I, too, would be welcomed into their book club' - Real reader review

'One of my favourite books ever . . . reading this beautiful, heartfelt, heartbreaking, but yet promising story leaves me feeling hope for the human spirit' - Real reader review