The Brightwood Code

Publication Date: May 2024 |Thanks Netgalley for an ARC

Overall Verdict: Solid YA historical fiction that shares a unique female experience during WWI. A quick read!

3.5/5 Stars

Book Summary: Edda was on the front lines of WWI as a “Hello Girl,” one of the female switchboard operators recruited by the US Army. Spending her time in France memorizing code to connect calls of life or death matters, she worked tirelessly. Then one day everything went wrong. Now, the war is over and she is back in Washington D.C. working for the Bell Telephone company. Right as her shift is about to end, she receives a mysterious call with the code word ‘Brightwood’ from the war. As Edda begins to investigate this unknown caller, she uncovers truths about the past.

My Analysis: This is an engaging read for YA historical fiction fans. I enjoyed the perspective of the “Hello Girls” angle of WWI and a little bit into the scope of their experiences. I actually wish it dived into the day to day just a little bit more than it did, but can understand the author not wanting to get too bogged down beyond the main plot. I did find the main character Edda to be a little annoying, but overall I enjoyed her story. This shares newly post-WWI Edda and her story in France from months earlier through flashbacks. Readers may find themselves slightly more interested in one view than the other, but it does pull together nicely in the end. I read through this one super fast, which may appeal to YA audiences who like historical fiction but don’t want something that will take a long time to get through.