I really enjoyed this, and I will read the sequel. The book imagines a past in which the US military draft is found to be unconditional on the basis of sexism, so the military ( including all of its trappings, such as the draft) is opened to women. Nothing else about the US in the 1940’s has changed; most commanders are not pleased with the forced and sudden inclusion of women, and the military still remains racially segregated.
The action flips between several diverse young women who enter the army at approximately the same time. Their training and experiences are quite different, but the storytelling was good. Eventually, the plot brings the readers to North Africa, to a campaign of which I had very little prior knowledge.
I learned some while reading, but it took a strong constitution to get past the racist/sexist/offensive language in this book. I wouldn't put this in the hands of anyone I thought wouldn't get far enough to appreciate the real story here. (Apparently ”fugging" is a great substitute for a ”real” curse word, for example.)
It also makes me wonder about (and respect more, if that's possible) my grandmother's time as an Army nurse in Europe in WWII. My family knows little about her tour, and I have no memories of her telling her stories. So, I just wonder.

4.4/5 stars, full review to come!

Plot: 4
Characters: 5
Pacing: 4
Writing: 4
Enjoyment: 5

Throughout the book, I was never sure if I was reading a romance novel or a war story. If the author had picked one focus, it might have been a more enjoyable book for me. The bad romance writing and abrupt ending combined to make this an unsatisfying read. (And don’t get me started on the cringe-worthy “gentle reader” schtick

This was an inspirational read.
The three main women start out like all of the readers, innocent.
But by the end they've gone through hell (excuse my language) and it feels like the reader has experienced it with them.
It was an amazing story.

In short. I LOVE this book!
Normally YA stories take place in the future or contemporary. This story takes place in the past, with a twist. We get the story of three different women all of whom decide to enlist for the army for WWII. Already this catches my interest! It has tropes of a typical army story, but I'm so invested in these characters. Great book!

This is now my go to recommendation at work.
It has something for everyone: adventure, romance, humor, and grisly action. The premise is what WWII would have been like if women could have enlisted. Over a lot quicker from what I can tell.

This book is told from 3 female perspectives and one unknown narrator. The cast is diverse. Rio is a white farm girl from California, Rainy is a Jewish girl from a family of crooks, and Frangie is an African American girl. So on top of a war going on, these girls are dealing with gender equality, racism, religion, sexuality, death and morality. Whew. Talk about a lot on your plate at the age of 17. Even though so much was going on it was deftly crafted and left me aching for more.

4.5 stars

Front Lines is a fascinating, poignant examination of a past that could have happened but never did. The diversity in this book is amazing, ranging from women to race to religion. The characters are all fully fleshed out, and this is definitely a book about women: the males are, refreshingly, all backseat characters.The story is not an easy read, though, because it doesn't hesitate to shy away from the atrocities of war, sexism, or racism. My two complaints are that the ending felt kind of abrupt--I nearly screamed before I realized that there would be a trilogy--and that we never got insight into something that I thought would be pivotal for female soldiers: periods.

I did very much enjoy this book, however the third person POW was a bit confusing at times and felt inconsistent. I'll definitely be reading the next book of the series in the future as this one was smart and funny enough to keep me interested in further developments of the story.