Many thanks to #NetGalley and the Choc Lit & Ruby Team for allowing me to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I was drawn to this novel by it’s cover art which spoke to me of war. Arlette’s Story is set in a small village in France which is located near the town of Oradour-sur-Glane. This name was not new to me. I have heard of it and read of it before and I knew that this story would be one that would be gut-wrenching.

Arlette Blaise is a young woman who lives on a farm with her father and brother. Her mother has died some years previously and she has taken on the role of woman of the house. Her best friend is falling in love with her brother and news of war doesn’t seem to be very personal to her as the story begins. That changes very quickly as the Germans eventually arrive in her village. All the food her family and friends have just finished harvesting as well as their animals are requisitioned by the Germans to help feed German soldiers. Her brother cannot stomach what has happened and leaves to join the local maquis in hiding.

The farm is much harder to manage without the assistance of her brother, so when her father learns that Jewish workers are being assigned to labour at local farms, they are happy to find Saul Epstein, a third year medical student, has been assigned to live and work with them. Arlette and Saul bond over the extremely difficult delivery of a calf and a loving relationship begins to develop. Sadly, Arlette has also caught the eye of the local German officer in charge of their area and he demands that she come and work for him. He uses his power to help her but has high expectations of what she will give in return.

When news comes that all Jewish people are to turn themselves in, Arlette and her father hide Saul in a hidden room they have built in their barn. Life is not easy and soon Arlette’s father is sent to Germany to work leaving her more unprotected than ever. The presence of her grandmother, visiting from Oradour-sur-Glane does little to protect Arlette as she faces constant pressures to give in to the German officer’s demands.

This story was inspired by the true story of what happened at Oradour-sur-Glane. One can still go and see the ruins of this town where everyone (except a small number who managed to escape) was killed by the Germans and the buildings razed. One can only imagine the effects this must have had on those who lived in the surrounding areas.

The author has done an excellent job of researching what it was like to live in this area during the war and what the different hardships were that the people faced on a daily basis. This book is her story of what it was like for a young woman to find love in the middle of chaos and how she managed to find the strength and courage to resist the pressures put on her to submit to the desires of German soldiers, all the while protecting those she loved while her own life was at risk.

This novel was not always easy to read because of the subject matter, but I was glued to it until I finished. It left me with a feeling of hope that in spite of all manner of horrible things happening, love could survive and life could continue. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in this time period and in particular to those who have never faced war and have no real understanding of its consequences.

This is a great read, set in 1940s, Nazi-occupied France. It's a beautifully written story, full of heartbreak, compassion, suspense, resilience, fear, love, and loss. It really sheds light on the constant anxiety and struggle that many European people must have felt during WWII. I felt myself so drawn into Arlette's Story that I read it all in one day. Three chapters in, my curiosity led me to search online for Arlette's grandmother's town of Oradour-sur-Glane and learned of its sad, tragic history and was still woefully unprepared to read about it in this book. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes historical fiction or reading different points of view of WWII.

I received an advance copy of this book. This review contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

Arlette's Story by Angela Barton is set in France during World War II. It tells the story of Arlette a young French girl and her family's experience during the war. I love books set during this time period and I really enjoyed this story. It moved at a fantastic pace and had a brilliant central character in Arlette. I read the book it one sitting, as I simply could not put it down!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC,

Historical fiction, especially of the World War II era, always draws my interest. Angela Barton did not disappoint, bringing to life the plight of a rural French family during the German invasion. Her writing is beautiful, painting a realistic picture of the characters, the locations, and the intense issues fueling the war. The brutality and inhumanity are dealt with head-on as are the struggle to survive, maintain friendships, find love and move forward with life in the midst of so much senseless death. An enjoyable and thought-provoking novel.

Let me start off by saying I’ve read close to 30 historical fiction books in the past year alone. I absolutely love it, especially War World 2 era. Because I’ve read so many, I might be overly critical of some, this book being one of them. I struggled getting in to “Arlette’s Story” because I felt like I’ve read it already. It wasn’t original enough for me. I so badly wanted to like this book more (the characters are great) but it was just okay.