Lovely War
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-22 09:55:06
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Julie Berry
- ISBN：0147512972
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Read the critical darling that Kate Quinn， New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network， called "easily one of the best novels I have read all year！" A sweeping， multi-layered romance set in the perilous days of World Wars I and II， where gods hold the fates--and the hearts--of four mortals in their hands。
They are Hazel， James， Aubrey， and Colette。 A classical pianist from London， a British would-be architect turned soldier， a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U。S。 Army， and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past。 Their story， as told by the goddess Aphrodite， who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus， is filled with hope and heartbreak， prejudice and passion， and reveals that， though War is a formidable force， it's no match for the transcendent power of Love。
Author Julie Berry's critically acclaimed writing has been called "haunting and unforgettable" by New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea Ruta Sepetys and "utterly original and instantly engrossing" by Publishers Weekly。
They are Hazel， James， Aubrey， and Colette。 A classical pianist from London， a British would-be architect turned soldier， a Harlem-born ragtime genius in the U。S。 Army， and a Belgian orphan with a gorgeous voice and a devastating past。 Their story， as told by the goddess Aphrodite， who must spin the tale or face judgment on Mount Olympus， is filled with hope and heartbreak， prejudice and passion， and reveals that， though War is a formidable force， it's no match for the transcendent power of Love。
Author Julie Berry's critically acclaimed writing has been called "haunting and unforgettable" by New York Times bestselling author of Salt to the Sea Ruta Sepetys and "utterly original and instantly engrossing" by Publishers Weekly。
Reviews
Mary Beth
，
I had mixed expectations going into this book， because while I have heard great things， I also haven't read YA romance in a hot minute and wasn't sure if it would hold the same sway now that I'm older。 I was pleasantly surprised by how much I cared about the characters and their stories。 This isn't just a story about love， but it also deals with incredibly difficult topics like hatred， war， racism， etc。 I thought it was all wonderfully written in a way where it didn't feel like the author brushe I had mixed expectations going into this book， because while I have heard great things， I also haven't read YA romance in a hot minute and wasn't sure if it would hold the same sway now that I'm older。 I was pleasantly surprised by how much I cared about the characters and their stories。 This isn't just a story about love， but it also deals with incredibly difficult topics like hatred， war， racism， etc。 I thought it was all wonderfully written in a way where it didn't feel like the author brushes over the horrors of war or tries to exploit a marginalized character's story。 I did think the book had a slow start， and I agree with most reviews that one love story was focused on more than the other。 Aubrey was such a compelling character and I loved his charming cockiness。 I wish we got to see more of him in the story。 As for the Greek gods， I feel like it didn't add or take away from the story。 I was indifferent to their side plot and would of been happy just focussing on the four main characters。 Overall though， it was a great read。 。。。more
Lizzie J
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I guess I should know better than to anticipate any absurdly well-rated book。 And I'm so disappointed because I was really so very excited about this one。 I love overly complicated stories， especially when they weave together different characters' lives， so I was so excited to read this one， especially with the narration through the Greek gods and the point of view of Love and War。 I've literally been saving this story for so long。 Generally， I wouldn't say the story is bad。 It's just so ridicul I guess I should know better than to anticipate any absurdly well-rated book。 And I'm so disappointed because I was really so very excited about this one。 I love overly complicated stories， especially when they weave together different characters' lives， so I was so excited to read this one， especially with the narration through the Greek gods and the point of view of Love and War。 I've literally been saving this story for so long。 Generally， I wouldn't say the story is bad。 It's just so ridiculously boring。 There is nothing unique about the characters or the story。 It reads just like any other book about lovers in the midst of war。 I didn't even feel like I got to really know the characters。 Even the most basic story of love during the war should bring some sort of emotion， but I hardly cared what happened to either of them。 There was no excitement or drama。 I thought it would be interesting to have the story narrated by Aphrodite and some other Greek gods， but it did absolutely nothing to the story。 In fact， it took away。 Their tones and language did not match the supposed seriousness of the story and having to pause the meat of the story just to go back and forth with senseless banter about immortal beings just made it that much worse。 Also， the whole "trial" thing was so stupid and pointless。 I rolled my eyes every time they kept mentioning it。 Two hundred pages in， and I started skimming just to get the pain over with。 Even though some of the action picked up， I couldn't be bothered to care just because nothing in the story has led me to feel any emotion towards these characters。 Even in near-death situations， they're hardly reacting， so I'm hardly reacting。 And then the story ended， and I learned nothing， took away nothing， felt nothing。 In three weeks， the only thing I'll remember about this book is that I read it and was disappointed。 。。。more
Emia
，
4。5*
Kiara McQuillan
，
This book！！！！ I honestly knew I was going to rate it 5 stars in the first 30 or so pages。 Honestly， just reading reviews + the sypnosis made me pretty sure it was already going to be a five star read！This is such a fresh take on historical fiction and fiction in general。 The way that Julie Berry manages to so beautifully interwine; 2 couples that make you genuinely believe in the purest love， the impact of war （through a world war 1 lens）， racial prejudice， AND from perspectives of greek gods/go This book！！！！ I honestly knew I was going to rate it 5 stars in the first 30 or so pages。 Honestly， just reading reviews + the sypnosis made me pretty sure it was already going to be a five star read！This is such a fresh take on historical fiction and fiction in general。 The way that Julie Berry manages to so beautifully interwine; 2 couples that make you genuinely believe in the purest love， the impact of war （through a world war 1 lens）， racial prejudice， AND from perspectives of greek gods/goddesses （especially Aphrodite）！！！ And the writing？？ Perfection。 I can not， will not， be able to do this book justice so I'll stop there。 MUST read。 That's all I can say <3 。。。more
carmen bridgerton
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4。5 stars， lovely book and i loved the greek mythology symbolism
nirali
，
one of the most well-written books I've ever read and im glad that this is my 100th book read in GoodReadsthings I liked:- the "humanization" of the Greek Gods- the romance - the way it kept me hooked - how it accurately displayed the racism that would have been prevalent at that timethings I didn't like- felt it could have been a smidge more fast-paced （maybe 10-20 pages less）however， overall an AMAZING book and 5 stars recommend！！！ one of the most well-written books I've ever read and im glad that this is my 100th book read in GoodReadsthings I liked:- the "humanization" of the Greek Gods- the romance - the way it kept me hooked - how it accurately displayed the racism that would have been prevalent at that timethings I didn't like- felt it could have been a smidge more fast-paced （maybe 10-20 pages less）however， overall an AMAZING book and 5 stars recommend！！！ 。。。more
bella breault
，
I’m not sure where to begin。 Maybe with the fact that this is easily one of my new favorite books and I will be recommending it to anyone that ever speaks to me。 The imagery and passion that is poured onto almost 500 pages is astonishing。 I’ve read reviews within the comment section that said the book was somewhat boring but I beg to disagree。 The author had me gripping my pages praying I wouldn’t be balling my eyes out on the next page。 These characters， Hazel， James， Colette and Aubrey feel so I’m not sure where to begin。 Maybe with the fact that this is easily one of my new favorite books and I will be recommending it to anyone that ever speaks to me。 The imagery and passion that is poured onto almost 500 pages is astonishing。 I’ve read reviews within the comment section that said the book was somewhat boring but I beg to disagree。 The author had me gripping my pages praying I wouldn’t be balling my eyes out on the next page。 These characters， Hazel， James， Colette and Aubrey feel so real and I know it takes a damn good author to make you， the reader， feel as if you could easily befriend these characters。 I felt for Colette and her grief， I swooned for Hazel and James and I smiled every single time Aubrey made it onto the page。 These characters not only mesh well together but they make the entire novel what it is。 An absolutely phenomenal book。 I will be reading again。 。。。more
mercy
，
wartime romance—the gods sure love their tragedies， and how the mortals suffer in their hands。 a tale of love， music， battle and death， told by aphrodite， apollo， ares and hades。 in fragile times， love prevails。
E
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One of the best books I have read。 The writing is beautiful and the story is stunning。 I don’t think I’ll ever find a book quite like this one。
Trina C_243
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Favorite Book of All Time。 If you liked Song of Achilles， would totally recommend。
Sophia
，
~4。5 stars ⭐️
Kathryn
，
4。5 starsI will admit， this is the second attempt I made to pick up this book because the first bit of the book is drawn out and a bit boring。 Even so， the ending of the book had me in tears and I saw why the first part was vital to their stories。 Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a historical fiction romance！！
Jillanna Corrigan
，
This was beautiful。 The weaving of timeless love， pain， trauma， and fate was romantic and mythical。 A tale fit for the goddess of love！
Rayann Keefer
，
I love this！ And don't skip the historical notes at the end ✨️ I love this！ And don't skip the historical notes at the end ✨️ 。。。more
Valerie
，
I did not enjoy the narration or trial of the Greek Gods。 The story line with Hazel， James， Aubrey and Collette was only slightly better。
Olivia Reeves
，
DNF at 40% - one of my most highly anticipated reads as well as one of my most disappointing reads。 Interesting concept but didnt feel cohesive。 The gods telling the story has added virtually nothing， feels like it tries to hard to be deep， the black storyline felt incredibly out of place and like the author was just going for diversity points without any depth， but the whole book lacked depth
Emily F
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Beautiful fuel to my historical fiction fire 🤌🏻
Savanna Graves
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I was not expecting to like this one as much as I did。 the characters are so complex and lovable and struggle so beautifully。 reminds me why I love the historical fiction genre so much。
Leigh
，
Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐️Oh what a beautiful book this was。 A YA romantic， historical fiction with a bit of fantasy thrown in too。 Told through two timelines and from the perspectives of a few Greek gods。 Aphrodite herself tells the stories of two couples during WW1， how they met and how they navigated their love through the war and all the trials that came with it。 We also get narration from Ares， covering the war elements of the story， Apollo covers the art （music！ Oh the beautiful music） and we al Rating: 5/5 stars ⭐️Oh what a beautiful book this was。 A YA romantic， historical fiction with a bit of fantasy thrown in too。 Told through two timelines and from the perspectives of a few Greek gods。 Aphrodite herself tells the stories of two couples during WW1， how they met and how they navigated their love through the war and all the trials that came with it。 We also get narration from Ares， covering the war elements of the story， Apollo covers the art （music！ Oh the beautiful music） and we also have Hades perspective。 I’m sure you understand the stories he tells。 While this does have a fantasy element， I was happy to read that real events were mentioned and none of it was dramatised or romanticised in any way。 The love stories were so beautiful。 I ached for these characters。 They were resilient and lived with so much hope。 I loved them to bits！This book doesn’t shy away from heavy topics; PTSD and racism being integral to the story。 It’s raw and will leave you feeling crushed， but I’d urge anyone who loves historical fiction or even Greek Mythology， to give this a go！ 。。。more
Marisol Barrera
，
“Then be a monster，” she said。 “Do what you must to survive， so you can come back to me。” Oh my heart！Lovely War is a heartwarming story about hope during times of war。 Filled with history， joy， grief and love。 A total rollercoaster of emotions。 It was so raw， real and beautiful。 Fantasy meets history in such a perfect way。 Reading about two interlinked stories of soulmates finding each other during WWI narrated by meddling Greek Gods was utterly amazing and unique。 I fell in love with each and “Then be a monster，” she said。 “Do what you must to survive， so you can come back to me。” Oh my heart！Lovely War is a heartwarming story about hope during times of war。 Filled with history， joy， grief and love。 A total rollercoaster of emotions。 It was so raw， real and beautiful。 Fantasy meets history in such a perfect way。 Reading about two interlinked stories of soulmates finding each other during WWI narrated by meddling Greek Gods was utterly amazing and unique。 I fell in love with each and every single character since the very beginning。 Hades and James have my whole heart。 The letters。 the music。 the angst。 It was simply magical。 I cannot recommend it enough。 “Let them start their dreadful wars， let destruction rain down， and let plague sweep through， but I will still be here， doing my work， holding humankind together with love like this。” - Aphrodite Read if you like✨•Historical Romance •Greek Mythology •Music and dancing •Storytelling by gods•Letters •Friendly banter•Love in times of war“I am so often moved by souls whose first concern is not for their lost years， but for the grief their passing will cause to those they love。 It’s more common that you might think。 He most ordinary mortal bodies are housed by spectacular souls。” -Hades 。。。more
Madison
，
The story of Lovely War absolutely wrecked me， and I'm so happy that it did so。 The themes of love， war， music， and death will sit with me for many years to come。 I would recommend this book to everyone， just to see them witness this beautiful love between the characters and cry about it with me。As for the writing itself， I absolutely adored Julie Berry's take on the Greek gods， especially Aphrodite。 Although she interfered quite a bit and she talks a lot about being the goddess of beauty， Aphro The story of Lovely War absolutely wrecked me， and I'm so happy that it did so。 The themes of love， war， music， and death will sit with me for many years to come。 I would recommend this book to everyone， just to see them witness this beautiful love between the characters and cry about it with me。As for the writing itself， I absolutely adored Julie Berry's take on the Greek gods， especially Aphrodite。 Although she interfered quite a bit and she talks a lot about being the goddess of beauty， Aphrodite is such a flawed character， so much so that I regularly found myself thinking of her as just another human in the story。 I also agreed with the portrayal of the other Greek gods， which is great because the main reason I read this book was for the mythology （i just finished the PJO books so i needed more Greek mythology lol）I'm not that good at writing reviews and i never know what to say， so the fact that I have had so much to say about this book really tells you all you need to know: go read this book！Final Rating: 5⭐！ I can't wait to force my friends to read this book and cry 🥰 。。。more
addison aughtry
，
freaking fantastic
Madalyn Coleman
，
Didn’t expect to like this as much as I did。 I came into this novel not really adoring historical fiction， but， oh my！ This tugged at your heart strings and kept you waiting to find out what happened next。 The narrators also had their own little plot going which really added more to suspense and their sides of the story。 I also loved that it gave the message that love can be found in the most unexpected places。 Such a great novel that made you become attached to the characters and their lives。
Karis North
，
Charming。
✨StrangeHufflepuff✨
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved it！ The ending was amazing！ I honestly thought that when hazel came back in the end， that someone else died while she was asleep。 But I’m glad no one did。 I’m loved the way the Gods and Goddess told the story’s。
tia
，
"if there's anything left of me after the war， nothing would keep it from finding its way back to you。” it took me ages to finish this but it was such a good read 🤍 the writing？ *chef’s kiss* "if there's anything left of me after the war， nothing would keep it from finding its way back to you。” it took me ages to finish this but it was such a good read 🤍 the writing？ *chef’s kiss* 。。。more
Prabhleen Pawar
，
This book brought so much to the table in such an elegant way。 Discrimination， loss and tragedy were prevalent but we're kept at bay with hope and love。 This book should be read by all just to see one's range of emotion。 This book brought so much to the table in such an elegant way。 Discrimination， loss and tragedy were prevalent but we're kept at bay with hope and love。 This book should be read by all just to see one's range of emotion。 。。。more
Alayna
，
I have a soft spot for historical fiction but the way the author intertwined all the story's and opened the door to all the bits and pieces of there lives plus the sprinkle of Greek mythology 5 stars for sure I have a soft spot for historical fiction but the way the author intertwined all the story's and opened the door to all the bits and pieces of there lives plus the sprinkle of Greek mythology 5 stars for sure 。。。more
Diane
，
This book is fantastic。 I listened to the audiobook and it was so well narrated。 It's a book about WWI， but told as a story by Aphrodite， Hades， and Ares。 I highly recommend it， and I。 learned a lot about WWI that I didn't know。 This book is fantastic。 I listened to the audiobook and it was so well narrated。 It's a book about WWI， but told as a story by Aphrodite， Hades， and Ares。 I highly recommend it， and I。 learned a lot about WWI that I didn't know。 。。。more
Vickie Richey
，
Loved the book。 Listened to the audio version。 It took a chapter or two in order to finally figure out the story。 But oh！ What a wonderful love story。 Well written and very entertaining。Hazel and James are the main characters。 They meet at the brink of World War 1 and what an incredible journey！ The story is told by Aphrodites， goddess of love， who is on trial and defending her “interference” in their human love story。 Great YA book！ Nothing objectionable—no bad language。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Lovely War
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Lovely War&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Lovely War&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0