Plot Overview
In Nazi-occupied Paris, 1944, a mother faces an unimaginable ultimatum: surrender a priceless emerald or choose between her twin daughters. This heart-wrenching decision sets the stage for a tale that spans generations. Decades later, Fleur inherits a villa from her late grandmother, Nina, and discovers a faded missing poster of a young girl seeking her twin sister. Clues, including newspaper clippings about jewelry auctions and a replica emerald ring, hint at long-buried family secrets. With the help of local gem expert Nicolas, Fleur embarks on a journey to uncover the truth about her family's past.

Final Thoughts
Helen Fripp's The Emerald Twins is a historical novel that intertwines the harrowing choices of wartime France with a modern-day quest for family truths. Set against the evocative backdrops of 1940s Paris and the sun-drenched South of France, the novel delves into themes of sacrifice, identity, and the enduring bonds of sisterhood.

It is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the enduring connections that bind families across generations. Fripp's lyrical prose and meticulous historical research create a narrative that is both emotionally resonant and historically insightful.
It's haunting, heartfelt, and beautifully told - a story of love lost and family found.
his novel is a must-read for fans of historical fiction and those interested in the complexities of family legacies and drama.

This was such a sad story but ended so much better than I was worried it would. I cannot imagine what it would have been like for twins to be split apart for such awful reasons. I do love that they were so close to each other so many times. Its amazing how that happens. Overall a great story with a great and satisfying ending.

Five stars because I enjoyed reading every page of this book. Similar tales have been told, but Helen Fripp’s characters and settings made me want to read every detail of Nina and Odette’s story. Paris, East Berlin, the South of France and London were mixed with Chanel, Dior, Fashion and jewels, along with Nazi and communist tyranny, as a family spent every day determined to put their pieces back together.

“As Odette always said, time is elastic, life is circular, we are all connected to our families, past, present and future whether we have been lucky enough to know them or not.”

Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

What a beautifully told story. When Fleur's grandmother passed away, she inherited a villa in the South of France. There she finds clippings about the mysterious emerald ring she inherited and a picture of her grandma as a 5-year-old with a message, "Do You Know My Twin Sister?" With the help of a local gem expert, she embarks on a journey to find out the truth about what happened to her great aunt. This story is told from the perspectives of Nina and Odette, the twins, and Fleur, the granddaughter.

I thought that the author did a wonderful job of telling the story from the perspective of the 3 characters. It weaves in the Lebensborn Programme and the generational trauma it caused for those children involved in the program. I loved how it was written from the perspectives of the twins as they grew up and lived their lives. This was a beautifully told story of the trauma of war and how it resonates through generations. This is my second read by this author, and I'm looking forward to reading more by her.

Thanks to @bookouture, NetGalley, and the author of this arc.

Thank you Helen Fripp! I've been in a bit of a hisfic book funk of late and The Emerald Twins has been the book to reignite that passion!

The story takes place across alternating timelines, Paris in WWII and the South of France in present day. It's a story of love and hope that's told from multiple POV.

It's the first book I've read from this author and its absolutely not going to be my last! It's a powerful read thats high on emotion and has left me wanting to learn more about the Lebensborn.

Helen Fripp's 'The Emerald Twins' is a deeply affecting dual-timeline novel that seamlessly weaves together a tragic WWII narrative and an engrossing contemporary mystery. In wartime Paris, 1944, a mother is forced to make the impossible choice of offering up either of her twin daughters, Nina or her twin, to a German officer in place of her life and the valuable "Emerald Lake" gem. This tragic choice sets off a decades-spanning epic of separation, yearning, and unbreakable connection.

Today, Fleur inherits a lovely French villa from her grandmother, Nina, and discovers a yellowed missing poster and newspaper clippings that suggest a life of secrets. Armed with the duplicate emerald ring Nina wore every day, Fleur sets out to solve the mystery of her grandmother's past and her twin sister she never knew.

The author is masterful at creating a richly emotional story that transports one from the battle-scarred streets of Paris to the golden South of France. The eternal quest for connection between generations, the long-lasting force of family secrets, and the omnipresent threats of war make this a completely compelling read. Readers of historical fiction with an emotional heart and a hint of suspense, like the writing of Rhys Bowen, Fiona Valpy, or Lucinda Riley, will be completely swept away by 'The Emerald Twins.'

What an utterly heartbreaking story. I've read quite a lot of books about the Lebensborn, but only about what happened during the war, and less about what happened afterwards. As such I have no idea how likely or accurate this story is, but do you know what? Sometimes that doesn't matter and it's perfectly OK to get carried away in the story. Which is exactly what I did with this. At times the coincidences felt entirely unlikely, but that's ok. This is fiction.

I loved the multiple POV and timelines in this story, with the full facts always just out of reach. The addition of characters such as Coco Chanel just added another layer of fantabulousness.

Overall this was a really interesting and enjoyable read which has sparked a need in me to find out more about what happened to the Lebensborn children after the fall of the Nazis.

The Emerald Twins by Helen Fripp is such a fascinating, immersive, and incredible historical fiction novel.
Helen Fripp’s new novel is a historical novel that draws you in from the start, gets under your skin and will keep you turning the pages until the early hours of the morning. In The Emerald Twins, the writing is rich and nuanced, the setting vividly rendered and the characters bold, brave, daring and selfless.

This cover is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve seen & it’s perfect for the novel written inside. Its pages are full of a devastating story with the worst choice a mother could be forced to make & unforgettable in the way it unfolds from there.

A lovely but heartbreaking story about a fractured family, jewels, and a sordid past.
Set in the waning days of WWII and the present, Fripp flips readers back and forth as a mother is deprived of one of her children in the cruelest way.
I like how the story evolved and showed Nina, Odette, and Fleur’s stories.
Readers can learn quite about about Lebensborn and the East German government interspersed within the narrative.
The story will pull on readers’ emotions but also their consciences.

The Emerald Twins is a captivating and mesmerizing story told in a dual timeline that will absolutely grip your soul.

Nina and Odette (Odelia) are twin sisters living in Paris in 1944. One night a German soldier comes to the hotel room where they are staying and demands an emerald from their mother telling her if she gives it to him, he will only take one of her daughters and leave her with the other. Nina is left with her mother while Odette is taken by the Nazis and put in the Lebensborn program where she is adopted by an SS officer.

In present day, 2024 we meet Fleur, Nina’s granddaughter who inherited a villa in France when her grandmother passed away. Fleur takes a trip to see the villa where she discovers that she has a great aunt somewhere out there that she never knew about it. She follows the clues as the story unfolds about her family’s history.

Told from the point of view of Nina, Odette and Fleur, this book captures historical events across generations. I was so drawn in that I could not put this book down. Filled with loss, hope, secrets and so much emotion, the author creates unforgettable characters that will stay with you. This was a truly special read complete with a full spectrum of emotion!

I would like to thank Bookouture for the ARC of this book to read and review. It is one that I will treasure and recommend to other readers in my life.

A WWII novel that revolves around an emerald. Twins Nina and Odette are separated at 5 years old by the evil Nazis. Throughout this story we see how they grow separately, but still connected. They speak to each other through the years, even if the other can’t hear them.

Nina’s granddaughter and Odette are both determined to find the emerald that connects the two sisters. Fleur meets Nicolas, who will do anything to help her find the original stone.

The sisterly connections in this book really show how the relationship between twins can be. Helen does a great job making me feel as if I was part of this story and I could really relate to the women in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for my copy of this book.

Oh my!! What a read. Helen Fripp has written one gorgeous book! What more do I need to say?!?

Nina and Odette separated at such a young age at such a pointent time in history was heartbreaking. Their separation is the heart of this story. I was desperate for Fleur to follow the clues and find her long lost great aunt.

The Emerald Twins is so much more than a book about the twins, yes they are front and centre of the story but also there is Fleur on a journey of her own. Fleur in a state of grief discovers her gran has had another life in the past and that life gives her so much food for thought about her own.

I loved switching between the three voices of Fleur, Nina and Odette. They were so distinct but equally similar. The way Nina talked to Odette as if she was there.

The backdrop of the World War and the atrocities that Fripp interwove into the story gave a sinister feel. I don’t know how much of it is based on fact but it gave me chills and just the thought of it even possibly happening is horrific.

At the end of the book, there’s the first chapter of The Girl From Provence. I don’t normally read the samplers at the end but I made an exception. My interest has definitely been piqued.

I adored The Emerald Twins. It’s not my usual read but having the Eiffel Tower on the front was a sign I had to give this book a read – I’m so glad I did. I was transported to Paris, Berlin and the gorgeous South of France with three brilliant strong women all searching in many ways for the same thing.

Fleur, devastated and grieving after losing her beloved grandmother Nina, arrives in the picturesque South of France at an enchanting villa nestled near the Mediterranean Sea. There, she stumbles upon a mysterious picture of a young girl holding a cryptic message that reads, “Do you know my twin sister?”

Fleur wears an emerald ring that belonged to her late grandmother Nina, a ring she wore every day. As she delves deeper into this newfound mystery, she crosses paths with Nicolas, a local gem expert who becomes her guide to unraveling the secrets kept for so many years by her grandmother.

“The Emerald Twins,” a captivating and emotionally charged novel by Helen Fripp, transports readers into a world of love, loss, and the enduring power of family. Fleur’s close bond with her grandmother Nina is a heartwarming aspect of the story, and her courage in seeking out the truth about her family, despite the hardships of war, is truly inspiring.

Fripp’s masterful writing style draws readers into the story from the very first page. This historical fiction time slip novel is nothing short of phenomenal, and I highly recommend it.

I love a good dual timeline and this story did not disappoint, it stabs at your emotions and makes you feel sad, and horrified by situations we could never fathom. The author brings the characters to life beautifully and has you gripped from the start.
Its told from the perspectives of Nina, Odette/ Odelia and in present day, Fleur’s.
Such a good story, and then there’s the appearance of Coco Chanel.
Recommended, how could twins be separated like that and why?

I absolutely love this book by Helen Fripp! The Emerald Twins is a dual timeline Historical Novel that has three narrators. Nina and Odette|Odelia each are narrators of their own storyline which starts in the 1940's and brings them up to the present. Fleur is Nina's granddaughter who narrates her storyline in the present. I don't like to divulge the main plot - or sub-plots - in a review as I prefer to write what the book is about. This novel shows in a heartbreaking way how identical twins can think, feel, and act similarily even when they are not together. We learn about the Lebensborn program that was created enthusiastically by the Nazis with high expectations but left some living in misery. There are family mysteries to be solved, serious life decsions to be made, and truth, justice, and reparations to be demanded to resolve past travesties. There is love to question and love to be found. This book has so much to it that I wish I had a great vocabulary to describe how wonderful it is! All three of the narrators are written so fabulously that I could almost feel what they were feeling. The secondary characters were also completely believable - both those who were supportive of the main characters and those who were the cause of so much pain and anguish. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoy reading about strong women during WWII in Europe - especially in France with a number of scenes featuring Coco Chanel and her entourage. I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Wow! What a book!
Completely compelling and heartbreaking all at the same time. I could not put this book down from the beginning to the end.

Separated by nazi’s at the age of 4, this story follows the life of Nina and Odette/Odelia and is told through the perspective of Fleur, Nina’s granddaughter as well as through flashbacks.
Upon the death of Nina, Fleur is given the deeds to a cottage in France. Grieving for her grandmother and confused about the direction her own life is taking, Fleur makes the journey to France and begins to uncover the secret heartbreak her grandmother Nina never spoke of.

You will not be disappointed by this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The heartbreak of twins torn apart due to a program implemented at the time of the war. Always so close and just out of reach of each other. Following their stories and both so similar with what happens to each other while apart. The granddaughter to make that dots connect to find lost family.

EMERALD TWINS By Helen Fripp ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

We follow twin sisters Nina and Odette whose lives are shaped by the secrets they keep and the world around them. Set in 19th Century France, the novel dips into their past and present, slowly unravelling a mystery that ties their family, their choices and a priceless emerald together.
Helen Fripp's writing is lush and evocative. You feel the cobbled streets under your feet, you smell the perfume of the Parisian salons, and you ache with the decisions these women have to make.
The sisters' relationship is complicated, raw, and incredibly real. Fripp does an amazing job showing how love between siblings can be both a lifeline and a wound.

Each sister has her own voice. Whether it's staying silent to protect the other or breaking rules to fight for truth , these women stay with you long after you've finished the book. I truly enjoyed this novel. In one word, it was just BEAUTIFUL.

Set in France during ww2, twin girls are forced apart by a Nazi who kidnaps one of them to take to a Lebensborn house. This book has a dual timeline of 1944 and the twins and then the present time. I couldn’t get into this book although I did persevere and finish it. I found the dual timeline annoying and confusing at times, too many names. I also didn’t like the style of Fripp’s writing, the use of the present tense didn’t fit with the story. I also felt no emotional connection to any of the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.