A great YA historical fiction for adults, too! Strawberry Fields has great characters and perfect pacing. There is not a lot of reading material about the Prague Spring for fiction lovers, so I was happy to come across this book! Joyce handles the events of the Soviet invasion with accuracy and adeptness. Pick this one up for your next weekend read!

It's 1968, and Josie is a young reporter from Toronto sent to Prague to cover the unsettling events happening behind the Iron Curtain. She receives a cryptic note and meets a shrouded stranger before dawn on a bridge spanning mist-covered water. As he begins to speak, they are interrupted by the arrival of police, and Josie receives only one small, cryptic clue. Soviet tanks are beginning to fill the streets, and Josie is launched into the adventure of a lifetime. She meets Laurent, a young reporter from Paris, and must decide whether or not to trust him as she moves from place to place within Prague, dodging Soviet soldiers, Czech police, and villains who are determined to stop her.

Strawberry Fields is a fast-paced young adult historical fiction with believable characters, pulse-raising chases and page-turning events.

I won Mr. Joyce's audiobook,so I was excited to give it a listen. Not knowing anything about it, I jumped in cold. I'm happy to say that it's a fast-paced spin through a turbulent time in history. It is the story of a thrilling once-in-a-lifetime breaking news opportunity for a young journalist who finds herself caught up in a bizarre and frightening situation. I love the many Beatles references. Worth the read.

This is a gripping read with a satisfying ending, set during the 1968 Prague Spring and the brutal Soviet crackdown. I’ve never been to Prague but I felt like I was there; the details and atmosphere create a strong sense of place. Two young journalists, Josie and Laurent, chase clues and solve puzzles to figure out if a traitor is in their midst. The pace is brisk—I read it in one sitting. Strawberry Fields is an entertaining (and historically informative!) prequel to Back in the USSR. Both books cleverly integrate Beatles’ songs and literary references against a backdrop of Cold War intrigue. I look forward to more books in this series.

Very much enjoyed this novel of international historical action and intrigue. I found myself rooting for the two young protagonists as they maneuvered their way through the Soviet invasion of Prague, 1968. The Beatles are only a minor part of the historical backdrop; it’s Prague itself that is really the main setting, and the shocking rapidity in which it fell to treachery. The real history here is well researched and impeccably presented. It adds to the suspense, gives the story texture, and, maybe best of all, gives the reader a chance to relive and learn about this important world-historical turning point in a way that feels as if one actually lived through it along with the characters. Strawberry Fields is a quick, easy, lively read, a well-written and beautifully paced thriller that is a page-turning tour de force.