The first in the Corner House series, set in a Lyons Corner House in London on the brink of the Second World War. When cousins Jo and Phyl decide to become Lyons Corner House waitresses, or 'Nippies', as they are known for their speedy service, they have no idea how their lives are about to change. They are whisked from family life in Woolwich to digs in London; they are transported from a factory and a grocer's shop to the wonderful dining rooms of Lyons, Marble Arch, and they swap their old overalls for the smart uniforms of the Corner House girls. Jo and Phyl settle in and make friends with both waitresses and customers. There are boyfriends, lovers and fiancés, friendship and romance, but as the Second World War becomes increasingly imminent, the future of these men and women seems more and more uncertain.

December 31, 1939 was the first New Year’s Eve that anyone could remember that there hadn’t been crowds celebrating at midnight in Trafalgar Square. So begins 1940 for the waitresses at the Lyons Corner House at Marble Arch. Kiss the Girls Goodbye follows the lives of the five waitresses we met in Corner House Girls, observing their families, boyfriends, husbands, customers, and friends through the harrowing period of the Second World War. There are bombs and blackouts, curfews and rationing, romances and terrible losses, but through it all, come what may, the Corner House will be open for business.

Book by Harry, Lilian