Good Night, Irene

by Luis Alberto Urrea

First published 2023

Irene Woodward escapes her abusive fiancé in 1943 New York by joining the Red Cross and shipping out to Europe. During training, she befriends Dorothy Dunford, a sharp-tongued woman from the Midwest. The two become Donut Dollies, driving military Clubmobiles to the front lines where they serve coffee and companionship to soldiers heading into combat. After D-Day, Irene and Dorothy follow Allied forces into France, witnessing battles from the Bulge to Buchenwald's liberation. Irene finds herself caught between her deepening friendship with Dorothy and a romance with Hans, an American fighter pilot. War surrounds them at every turn, testing their courage and threatening their lives. Through Dorothy's loyalty and Hans's love, Irene slowly rebuilds her ability to trust. As the conflict rages on, her greatest fear becomes losing either of them to the violence that consumes Europe.

Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war

Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful

Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family

Setting: New York, Europe, France, Buchenwald

Period: 1943, World War II

407 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company

Content warnings: abuse, violence, war

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