Thanks to publisher through Net Galley for ARC of this fine book.
This is some heavy water for holiday reading, but Christmas is one of the holidays included within this very moving story. What could happen to a young Jewish girl whose mother, father and brother are taken by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz leaving her alone in Paris.
Monique must develop survival skills without preparation and is soon given something like shelter by a member of the Resistance wherein she is immediately put to work.
Her challenges continue to escalate and there is no one to trust. The lady who gives her a place to live becomes one more example of the worst that can happen when the Gestapo executes her. Monique is asked to live with a high-level Nazi officer. Her German is perfect as she was born in Strasbourg so that often works to her advantage until it doesn't. It is a harrowing story well told.
The author includes historical notes respecting the reality of Paris police acting against the Jewish population of the time, a bitter pill to swallow.

WWII Paris comes alive in this gripping book by Alex Amit. A young girl is forced to question what her true values are when the French City comes under control of Nazi Germany. The descriptions are tight and deceptive and paint an picture of a long ago era when evil was very real. As a history buff of WWII, I enjoyed this book.

The Girl Under the Flag by Alex Amit was a page turner set during occupied France during WW2. It opens with a tragic scene where a 17 year old Jewish girl, Monique Moreno, has all that she has known snatched away from her overnight. She then is forced to find a way to survive as a Jewish girl without family support in a country that no longer wants her. She makes choices that are outwardly judged by others while retaining a private persona that is integral to helping the French Resistance. Fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale and Kristin Harmel's The Winemaker's Wife will devour in one sitting this impeccably researched historical fiction novel. The characters will become real to you and have you questioning how you would have balanced your morality with your desire to survive. I can not wait to read more of Alex Amit, this debut novel was perfection. I was provided an advance reader copy via Net Galley.

THE GIRL UNDER THE FLAG BY ALEX AMIT is the story of a young French Jewess, Monique Moreno, and her courage in surviving the German occupation in Paris and her bravery in finding out important information for the Resistance.
She is an inspirational character, not very sure of herself or of who who she really is, having changed her surname and background story in order to stay alive.
Throughout the book the author brings out Monique's Jewish heritage, with memories of Shabbat with her family and Hebrew prayers and songs. This contrasts drastically with the way the Nazis are painting the Jews.
The author has researched the history of the time very well and has given us an important reminder of what happened to God's precious Jewish people during the Holocaust, the incredible bravery of the members of the Resistance, and the horrors of war in general with man's inhumanity towards his fellow man.
This is a must read for anyone who likes WW11 novels, or who wants and exciting and inspirational book to read. I guarantee you will not be able to put it down!
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from BooksGoSocial. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

I recevied The Girl Under the Flag by Alex Amit as an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for my honest opinion thank you.

Running for her life from the Nazis, Monique, a seventeen-year-old Jewish girl, escapes through the streets of Paris, searching for a place to hide. In a dark basement deep within the city, Philip, a man of the Resistance, offers her a deal in order to save her life by changing her identity. In return, she needs to provide information about the Germans by becoming acquainted with them. Torn between her feelings for Philip and her fear of Herr Ernest, a German officer who shows special interest in her, Monique steps deeper and deeper into the jaws of the Nazi beast.

This is a great story told from a different perspective the eyes of Monique. I had never read anythiing by Alex Amit. I found her book to be captivating and well told from a perspective of a women working for the resistance but everyone thinks she's with the Nazis. I had never read any other books writtien in this kind of plot line. I would recommend others to read it.