A heartwarming page-turner from a former writer of The Archers 'Cheerful and uplifting... I enjoyed it immensely' Katie Fforde 'Highly recommended' Anna Jacobs It's 1942 and as shortages of staff – and goods – begin to bite, young Lily Collins is thrilled to step up to sales junior in her job at Marlow's department store. But bombs are still falling and Lily and fellow shop girls Gladys and Beryl need a stiff upper lip to wave boyfriends, husbands and brothers goodbye, especially with a baby on the way and grim news on the wireless. When Jim, who works with Lily at the store, seems restless, things are bad enough, but nothing can prepare Lily for the secrets that come tumbling out when her favourite brother comes home on leave... Somehow, she must keep smiling through. Community, family and friends rally round as her home town – and the whole country – is tested once again.

Uplifting and heartwarming: drama, courage and romance at Marlow's department store this Christmas For Lily Collins and her fellow shop girls at Marlow's Department store, another Christmas with ration books, shortages of goods and staff – not to mention a store coping with war damage – will be a real challenge. But the girls rally round and put their worries aside to make this, the hardest wartime Christmas yet, one that their families, and their town, will never forget.

'Cheerful and uplifting...I enjoyed it immensely' Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde Even in wartime the customer comes first at Marlow's department store. It's 1941 and young Lily Collins is starting work in Midlands department store Marlow's, whose gleaming facade has fascinated her since childhood. As the air raid sirens blare, Lily learns the ropes from her sophisticated boss Miss Frobisher alongside shy fellow junior Gladys. But her burgeoning friendship with young salesman Jim draws her into a swirl of secrets within the store. And with the war progressing to crisis point, Cedric Marlow and his staff must battle nightly bombings and the absence of loved ones to keep going. From a former writer of The Archers comes a novel that weaves together a powerful sense of community and a vivid evocation of a time when every man, woman and child was doing their bit. 'Jo writes with a sure hand and a light touch...It's a real page-turner with a spirited heroine who will worm her way...

The new book in the heart-warming WW2 family saga series!