Make Do and Mend on Petticoat Lane is the second compelling installment in the Petticoat Lane series about the experiences of three women on the home front (London’s East End) during WWII.
Make Do and Mend on Petticoat Lane by Patricia McBride
Genre/Categories/Setting: Historical Fiction (WWII Home Front), friendship, women supporting women, London’s East End
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My Summary:
Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #MakeDoAndMendOnPetticoatLane upon my request. All opinions are my own.
In this installment, we continue to follow the personal lives of three working girls in London during WWII: Amanda, Maisie, and Bethan. In addition to supporting themselves and enduring the hardships of war, they dream of having their own dress-making business.
My Thoughts:
A New Series
I discovered Patricia McBride when I became hooked on the Library Girls series. When I saw that she started the Petticoat Lane series, I immediately jumped on board. I love following a group of friends and enjoy WWII home front stories. Patricia McBride offers a strong sense of place in each book. We feel like these girls might be our best friends and we experience life on the home front through vivid descriptive details and all our senses. Fans of strong, independent women doing their best in the most difficult circumstances and women supporting women will enjoy both series.
Friendship
I love a strong friendship theme! After the factory where the girls work is bombed, they need to scramble to find more work. Two of the girls are skilled seamstresses, and the third excels in design. They take in some mending work but bigger projects are few and far between. They hustle to find more work. Amanda ends up driving an ambulance, while the other two find work on Petticoat Lane. Despite the circumstances, their commitment to each other’s well-being remains strong.
Interesting and Likable Characters
Told from three viewpoints, Amanda, Maisie, and Bethan are well-drawn and likable. The young women face a few difficult challenges in this installment as they juggle home life and work life, enjoy a bit of romance, survive frequent bombings, and deal with a few shady characters.
Make Do and Mend on Petticoat Lane can be read as a standalone, but reading the first installment will provide a more satisfying reading experience as you become acquainted with the young women and their unique personalities and situations. I’m cheering for all of them as this series continues.
Content Consideration: bombing (injuries); wartime hardships; attempted sexual attack, alcoholism
Recommending Make Do and Mend on Petticoat Lane:
Fans of Patricia McBride will definitely want to add this new series to their TBRs. I’m highly recommending it for readers who love women supporting women themes, home front WWII histfic, and stories of inspiring young women.
Related: My review of installment #1 (The Market Girls of Petticoat Lane) here.
My Rating: 4Stars
Meet the Author of Make Do and Mend on Petticoat Lane, Patricia McBride
Step into wartime London with bestselling saga author Patricia McBride.
Patricia writes uplifting World War II fiction filled with courage, friendship, and the extraordinary strength of ordinary women. Her heartfelt stories celebrate the resilience of communities during one of history’s most challenging times.
Living in Cambridge, England with her husband, Patricia loves nothing more than curling up with a book about brave wartime women — always with a comforting cup of tea close by.
Her newest series, The Petticoat Lane Girls, follows three determined women struggling with love, loss, family secrets, and the daily hardships of wartime London. Inspired by Patricia’s own mother — a proud Cockney who lived through the war — the series brings to life the spirit, humour, and determination of women on the home front.
Patricia is also the author of the much-loved Library Girls series, along with another wartime saga featuring Lily Baker and Bronwyn. Across all her books, she shines a light on friendship, courage, and the powerful bonds that help people survive even the darkest days.
Patricia’s passion for storytelling began with family memories of the war — stories that revealed the quiet bravery and sacrifice of ordinary people. Now publishing with Boldwood Books, she continues to bring these moving wartime sagas to readers around the world.
QOTD:
Are you a fan of author Patricia McBride?
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