This is a whacking great slab of novel, we follow the lives of three different women as they grow up in the chaos of world war 2. Mab, Osla and Beth are recruited to work at top secret Bletchley Park, code breaking, translating and filing. So much filing. Signing the Official Secrets Act they must not tell anyone what they do there or even share information in what their own branch of the park is doing with each other. Loose lips sink ships.
This novel is a sprawling beast and just soapy enough to not get bogged down in the horror of war. It’s split into two time lines. 1947 where an coded SOS message is sent from an insane asylum to two former friends with no guarantee of reply and other beginning in 1940 showing how these three became friends and ultimately betrayed each other in the hot house of Bletchley.
Mab’s story was my favourite because Mab is basically a badass and has fantastic eyebrows. The relationship between her and Francis is very finely drawn and I’m a sucker for a damaged hero. Doomed romance is totally my bag.
Osla’s story counters Mab’s nicely it gives off nice bit of glamour in the wet wool world of Bletchley.
Beth. Beth is the worst. I had no time for Beth at all. And she gets huge hot Harry and she never tells him she loves him. She’s awful.
I liked the Rose Code but felt it was poorly balanced, the first two years of the war are given a huge amount of space and the 1947 timeline is super rushed. I would have liked more time with Osla and initials guy and Mab and Mike. Even possibly Beth.

This is an excellent read particularly if you are interested in WW2 and Bletchley Park. The plot centres around three intriguing characters all of whom are three dimensional and well drawn. There is pace and passion throughout. I really enjoyed the insights into Bletchley and loved the connections made at the end up to the present time. The commitment and determination of these shadowy figures in history do need to be acknowledged and admired by all of us who benefited from the considerable sacrifices they made. The moral dilemma of secrecy both during and after the war is portrayed in a sensitive and convincing way.
The author doesn’t shy away from emphasising that bad things do happen in war and also that no matter what important role people may have in the war effort that human feelings and errors are inescapable. When reading this book I experienced the full gamut of emotions and I was sorry to lose three women who felt like friends when the book ended.
The only (small) criticism I would make was that Beth’s actions and feelings in the asylum didn’t always feel totally convincing.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to any reader who enjoys strong characters, a well-written plot and a good splash of well-researched history.

This book is based on careful research into its context of Bletchley Park and demonstrates the unique historical significance of this centre. In order to bring it all to life, characters are imposed to make it readable historical fiction. In particular, three women from very different backgrounds are the lead characters. Osla has a privileged background. Mab comes from a very different experience. These two meet when billeted with a household close to Bletchley. There is a daughter there who is controlled and abused by her mother. The other two get her a job with them and introduce her to a different world. Woven through the book is the story of Osla’s friendship with Philip Mountbatten which does not, of course, survive his eventual wedding. That theme does not sit well in the story and is not needed. Also, the author’s persistence in referring to Elizabeth as the future queen of England and similar inaccurate references to England when it should be
Britain are unfortunate. This book is long. Its particular attraction is the insights it offers into the experience of Bletchley.

A tale about the Women who won the war. Beautifully descriptive and sharp paced narrative that will keep the reader enthralled from start to finish. If you have a general interest in history, WW2 or Bletchley Park then I highly recommend this novel. It's refreshing to see the war from the perspective of the women of Bletchley Park and the painstaking processes of solving the various codes to be used to an allied advantage.

Fantastic Work.

Top Secret.

The "Rose Code" well if you've signed the official secrets act we can proceed, well those in this novel have, it's probably safe most if not all now know what went on in Bletchley Park in Berkshire and the massive effect they had in helping to win the Second World War. Here is a novel that keeps you in suspence and great way to find out how they worked there.
We have 3 heroines Osla, Mab and Beth there are also some special guest like The Prince of Greece often known as the Duke of Edinburgh now a days, plus some others but I will let you read about them for yourself. Mab and Osla meet on a train one a ordinary girl from Shoreditch and the is a other posh girl called Osla whose just conned her way back from Canada 🇨🇦 where she'd been sent for her own safety (some have the rest of us ....)and she is now dating a certain Prince see above.. Later that day they meet Beth when they are billeted at her Mums (her Dads as well but he won't argue with his other half).
One of them ends the war in an asylum and the reason, the truth needs to be discovered and the twists and turns are spectacular at times surprising and gripping so just what i look for in a thriller. When good friends fall out the results are normally ugly but can they bring the truth to the fore, well thefts obviously that's the bulk of the story but it's so much more as well.
I loved this book the story is believable the characters flaured but loveable well most. It also feels genuine for its era the fear of war, but also the language of the time this may offend a few but life is never straightforward and for a time of prim and proper I think these folk will have still have a few choice words fit for the pc language of today after what they went through. It was a different age but we owe what we have to the sacrifices they made so least we can do Is get a feel for this era before its washed away by the artists of modern takes on what we never knew.
So five stars for a book well worth your penny's and time I think your likely to enjoy it and learn a thing or two I did.

The Rose Code Kate Quinn

A superb novel that takes us into the heart of Bletchley Park and the magnificent code breakers and the vital part they played in the 1939-1945 war. The female characters are a diverse group but are so strongly portrayed that they are as believable as the real life characters that inhabit the story. The only thing that didn't sit easily with me was the introduction of the dashing young Prince Philip of Greece as the love interest of the brilliant, sparkling, debutante Osla. With her ability Kate Quinn could have given us a strong fictitious character in his place and it would - for me - have made The Rose Code even stronger.

A fantastic read historical fiction at its best.A novel with strong female characters code breakers.Inwas swept away into their lives and story .Highly recommend,#netgalley #therosecode

This book is an absolute diamond from page one. I couldn't put it down and I didn't even try. I surrendered to the fascinating world of Bletchley Park.

Mab, Beth and Osla are intriguing characters. Their differences are exaggerated but their friendship grows and develops beautifully. I really don't want to give even a hint of a spoiler as so much of this book is enigmatic- you can't quite see where it's going until you arrive.

The book is well written and paced. Kate Quinn does an excellent job in conveying life working at Bletchley; the all consuming, electric moments when a mystery is solved but also the terror and futility of knowing and not being able to tell.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. I already want to reread it! I will definitely search out more books by this author and am grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review such a dazzling, unputdownable book.

Fabulous! The best book I have read this year! Please could someone brilliant make it in to a TV series that does it justice! It has everything; history, intrigue, romance, drama, betrayal, humour and such intensity! I have been reading with tears streaming down my face several times.
Three very different women who become vital to the safety of the realm, one a cute deb, one a tall stylish woman with history and the bullied genius! I knew them, their characters bounced off the pages, they made me laugh, cry and weep for them! Their frustrations, their intensity and their emotions were all there wrapped up in this superb story. I will miss it so very much. If I could give this book a ten I would!

This year I have been reading a lot of books written in the first half of the 20th century, many of them written during or just after WW2, this gives them a sense of immediacy that you just don't get with historical fiction. Reading this was like eating cheap milk chocolate when you're used to finest organic dark chocolate, but sometimes, you just fancy a galaxy bar. It was compelling and kept me hooked.

Three very different girls end up working at Bletchley Park, Osla, a deb who is dating Prince Phillip, (why? It was too hard to imagine Prince Phillip young, let alone a romantic lead, this storyline was unconvincing and added nothing to the plot, she could easily have made up a character for this part), Mab , from the East end, and Beth a shy village girl who is a genius at code-breaking. After the war their friendship has fallen apart but they all have to come together to crack one last code and find a traitor.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest opinion*

This was one of my favourite books this year (and I've read 111 so far!).
The story has two time lines which catch up with each other close to the end. One is set in the 2nd world war and one shortly after. I loved the 3 main characters and the way their particular personalities and paths developed. There is also a very intriguing mystery to solve, which was rounded up perfectly.
This is one story that will stay with me forever.
The book will be published 18th March 2021 and I definitely recommend it.
Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley uk for providing me with an arc copy of this book.

I love books set in this era. I have heard of Bletchley Park so I was keen to know more and this book didn't disappoint. I felt as if I had been transported there. I loved the characters. I was drawn to the book by the royal connection and I could totally believe that something similar did actually happen. I loved the history of Bletchley Park and was amazed at what actually happened. It's a gripping, page turner story with romance, thrilling secrets, glamour and heartbreak this book has it all. I loved it.

This has been the best book I’ve read for ages! Set in the war at Bletchley Park and then three and a half years later, the catching of a spy was of utmost importance. Following the lives of the girls and their lovers, joys and disasters made for a believable book with interesting appeal, and the hunting of the spy made it impossible to put down in the latter stages. It would make a fantastic screenplay for a Netflix series or film. Well written, well researched (I’ve been to Bletchley Park several times) and very entertaining. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the offer of a arc in exchange for an honest review

This is the story of three women, all very different from one another, who find themselves working together in the highly secretive world of Bletchley Park during the war.. From deb, to East End social climber to brilliant but oppressed woman they find they each have a unique talent to help the war effort. I loved the description of the work they did in their respective roles. I think the writer really caught the period with the language she used and the clothes although I was dubious of but also envious of if it were possible to drive so quickly all over England! This is a fabulous read- Every time I put it down I was thinking about what would happen next to the girls and the ending is worth every word before it. - I recommend this highly.

This book had me at Bletchley Park. Having been fascinated with the subject for over 40 years, I was expecting a really well written, fast paced and informative book- it didn’t fail.

Three women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together at Bletchley Park: Osla, who had been presented at Court, is wealthy and thought of by people that don’t know her as a typical debutante: Beth, young, naive and no life of her own as she’s been controlled by her domineering mother for years: Mab, strong Amazonian type, determined she was going to better herself and snag a husband. They only had one thing in common, they wanted to serve their country in its hour of need.

The story is told in 2 different time frames, during the war, and a couple of years after it. It could have been confusing but definitely wasn’t. It’s atmospheric, and rings with authenticity. I loved it, and would recommend it to everyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thanks to Harper Collins and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review. It is probably the best book I have read this year, brilliantly written and entertaining. It manages to convey the complex and vital work done at Bletchley Park during WW2 without getting bogged down. The characters are excellent with lots of twists and turns in the story. Highly recommended

Such an entertaining, enthralling and interesting book!! I was hooked from the first page! I loved reading and learning about code-breaking in WWII. The dialogues are often so funny that I would have loved to meet the characters! This is a story not only about code-breaking but also about treason, belonging, integrity, friendship and love. I loved it!

What can I say. This is a brilliant book, 'based a real place, featuring real people' but are all the events true; (or are they!!). We will/may never know. But it doesn't matter. The story is gripping, the characters (lots of real people) are engaging - to be honest, I thought an American author was taking liberties with our history; but the more one investigates and knows about Bletchley Park, and the people who work there, the more one realises how much truth is stranger than fiction!!

I don't want to say, because it would definitely spoil it - so, just read and enjoy.

With thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this book. I was so keen to find out what happened, that I rushed through it and will have to read it again!
London deb Osla and Shoreditch girl Mab meet on a train on their way to jobs at Bletchley Park. They don't know what to expect from the jobs they are about to start. Being unmarried girls, they are allocated lodgings together near Bletchley, with the Finch family. Beth Finch is the rather awkward, but clever 24-year-old daughter, who is bullied by her mother. Eventually, they persuade Beth to join the team at Bletchley - and their adventures begin.
Lots of characters in this story, some real, some fictional (some of the fictional ones are so convincing that I looked them up to see if they were actually real people). A well-researched book with the real and fictional characters woven together well, to give a compelling storyline.
It leaves you wanting to know more about the WW2 codebreakers at Bletchley.
Well worth reading!

Thank you to NetGalley for letting me read this book.

I absolutely loved it. As soon as I'd read it, I wanted to read it again, because the answer to the central mystery is right there, and I wanted to read it with the pleasure of knowing that.

This is a book about three women living and working at Bletchley Park during WWII. They are thrown together by this - and that seems entirely realistic - and we watch their relationships growing and changing.

Osla is a dizzy debutante, with a lot more going on in her head than you might think, and a heady romance with Prince Phillip (yes, I know, but google some young images, and it absolutely works) - pre Elizabeth, obviously. Mab is an East End girl trying to scramble out of poverty and powerlessness, and Beth is a disregarded genius bullied by her mad religious mother. We get to see Bletchley Park itself and get to know some of the characters there, and we get a sense of the tensions and triumphs of working there.

And, and, and - I really don't want to give spoilers. This is a war seen through the eyes of young women who are doing their bit. They have a lot of fun, and a lot of grief - of course they do - that's what being young is all about - but it's magnified by the intensity of war.

One spoiler - Phillip doesn't marry Osla.

Fantastic read. Highly recommended.