Synopsis: “Welcome to the British Ladies Football Club

London, 1897. Minnie Newton – twenty-eight-year-old schoolteacher and women’s rights advocate – has a passion for football. But in Victorian society, football is a men’s game. That is, until Minnie decides to take matters into her own hands and place an ad in the newspaper, asking for volunteers to join the first ever women’s football team.

From a motley collection of replies, Minnie puts together a squad. Most of the women have never kicked a ball before – but a little thing like that isn’t about to stop them. And when they take the game public, it isn’t long before they are drawing huge crowds, stirring controversy across the capital and beyond.

But Minnie is hiding an explosive secret. Soon, all the attention the club is getting begins to threaten the life she has built for herself.

Can she walk the line between independence and safety, or will the truth about who she really is finally come out? And is the beautiful game enough to save her freedom?

A story inspired by real-life Victorian trailblazers, who showed the world that women can do anything they put their minds to, even if the world around them says they can’t.”

My Review

I loved this, it was a fantastic book, and a real feel good historical fiction novel set. Thanks to Eva’s review for nudging me to bump this up my TBR.

The story was told mostly by Minnie, Hilary, and Grace, two other ladies in her football club, who became her closet friends. They had a lovely friendship that helped them when there was hostility towards them from the public about the club.

Set in Victorian times, the 1890s, women were thought of delicate creatures who couldn’t think for themselves, or basically do anything for themselves without the guiding hand of a male relative, be that a father, a brother or a husband. And don’t even think about playing football in trousers or without wearing their corsets!

As you can probably tell Minnie doesn’t fit the mould at all, and nor do her fellow members, although Grace isn’t quite as fierce as the other members at first. I loved the way all their characters developed as I followed them on their journeys.

I did a read/listen of this as and it worked really well, as I really enjoyed Kristin Atherton’s narration. I don’t always get on with her voice talents, but she was perfect for this story.

This is the second book I’ve read by Frances Quinn, as I loved her debut The Smallest Man, and I can’t wait to go back and finally read my copy of her previous book, That Bonesetter Woman.

Highly recommended if you’re looking for a lovely feel good, historical novel!

Thanks to Simon and Schuster UK for my digital copy via NetGalley.

Book 13 of 20 Books of Summer 2026