Christmas with the Surplus Girls by Polly Heron (Atlantic Books) 4.5 Stars

Publication date 7/10/21 Book 377 Pages

I would like to thank the author, publishers and Netgalley for allowing me to pick read and review this book.

Synopsis

Manchester, 1922. Nancy Pike is out of her depth. A pupil at the Miss Heskeths' school for surplus girls, she's blundering through her lessons and her job placements. She never wanted to leave her beloved pie-shop job, but she knows she needs to better herself. Her only joy is getting to know the children at St Anthony's orphanage. And working for Mr Zachary Milner twice a week. Zachary's new business is off to a flying start. Alone in the world since the death of his brother, he's determined to do well for the both of them. And Nancy's presence has brought a little sunshine back into his life. But when she makes a terrible mistake that puts his livelihood in jeopardy, he has no choice but to let her go. As Nancy struggles to find a way to make it up to him, she must also try to make this Christmas the best the orphans have ever seen - or risk losing yet another chance to help her family. As she battles the prejudices around her, and her own fear, can she bring a little Christmas cheer to the orphanage, and maybe even to Zachary Milner?

My Review

4.5 stars This was an amazing read. I loved every minute of it. This is a real page turner of a novel. Although this is part of a series of which I have not read the other book. It reads like a standalone book. I was never lost nor felt like I had missed a critical point to the story and it certainly didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all. It is such a wonderful storyline with a few twists in there that I didn't see coming to keep you on the edge of your seat. The characters were great with a wide variety of different personalities to enjoy. I felt a real connection with the main character and was willing her on hoping for the best. The flow of the book was excellent and was so easy to follow I flew through the book. I enjoyed the warm feeling and atmosphere that the story portrayed. Although it has Christmas in the title it can easily be read all year round as it was a light sprinkling of Christmas cheer towards the end of the book. Overall it was a wonderful reading experience. A real heartwarming tale. I will definitely be looking out for more titles by this author. So much praise goes out to the author and publishers for bringing such a delightful story for all of us to enjoy.