This was an amazing historical fiction book! It had so many heart felt moments and I had all of the feels reading this book.

The story begins in Paris, 1940, as the Nazis start targeting Jewish citizens. Marie-Claire, her husband, and their young son plan to escape south, but a tragic event leaves Marie-Claire on her own. She makes her way to the Normandy countryside, discovers a chateau near Caen, and joins the growing resistance movement. Soon, she’s working in a cafe in the quiet village of Sainte-Mère-Église, dealing with her losses while supporting the heroic resistance. Her courage in Normandy will go on to shape history.

This dual timeline tale also follows Esther in 1998, who revisits the Normandy village she explored as a teenager to escape her dull life. Back then, she fell in love with a rustic farmhouse, the family who lived there, and especially the charming eldest son, Jules Joubert. While there, she discovers an old annotated cookbook in the kitchen, unraveling hidden secrets about the place she’s always cherished—secrets that even surprise the Jouberts. This sparks the mystery of what truly happened during the war to come to light.

I found this historical mystery captivating, with well-developed characters and a compelling narrative. The story kept me rooting for the protagonists, and the Normandy setting was an ideal backdrop. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this arc in exchange for an honest review.

The troubled years of WW2 are brought to life in this dual time story which gives us Marie-Claire’s poignant time in France during the German occupation, together with Esther’s story in 1998 when she returns to the farm house in Normandy where she spent a happy time with the Joubert family as a teenager.

With both time frames fitting so smoothly together the transition between past and present is seamless and I enjoyed spending time with Marie-Claire in the 1940s witnessing her time in the Normandy village of Sainte-Mère-Église and the vital role she plays in the safety of the townsfolk. Esther’s gentle reawakening and her burgeoning relationship with her childhood sweetheart is done with a light touch which doesn’t detract from the difficult time experienced during the war years by some members of the Joubert family. It’s a poignant read particularly Marie-Claire’s story which tugs away at the heartstrings and reminds us of the danger people in this part of France experienced during this troubled time and of the stalwart bravery of ordinary people doing extraordinary things in order to help those who were in danger.

I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time reading this lovely story, being immersed in the history of the area and the added significance of the church at Sainte-Mère-Église which was blended nicely into the story. I enjoyed the modern day gentle romance and the uncovering of Joubert family secrets which had been buried for far too long. Beautifully written, The Girl from Normandy is an absorbing story which kept my attention from first page to last.

A wonderful story of love and loss during WWII. The dual timeline story is well written. I loved it! Rachel Sweasey is a great author.

This was a book that enthralled me from its opening pages – dual time writing at its very best, tying together a powerful wartime story of love, loss and exceptional bravery and a really engaging present day story with intriguing links to the past.

Leaving Paris, her family under threat from the Nazi occupation, a series of distressing events at the railway station find Marie-Claire alone, heading for Normandy rather than the safety of the South. A series of chance events – the kindness of strangers – finds her willingly caught up in the work of the Resistance, running a cafe where the occupying force are regular visitors, passing on intelligence she’s able to gather from their conversations, at night setting flares to guide the planes bringing much needed assistance. And she’s a writer – capturing her recipes and their inspiration, but also including coded messages that support the dangerous work of her friends in the Resistance.

As a teen, Esther spent a fondly remembered holiday with the Joubert family at Sainte-Mère-Église – very much in need of a holiday, she returns (in 1998) from Dorset to be godmother to her friend Giselle’s child. But there are some embarrassing memories too – the crush she had on Giselle’s brother Jules, a potential romance that petered out and came to nothing. His busy life keeps him away at first – but when he arrives, and after some initial awkwardness, they find their feelings for each other are as strong as they ever were. But there’s also an intriguing mystery – a note on the back of a recipe in an old and treasured cookery book, and a series of clues to follow about the family’s wartime past.

The wartime story is a particularly emotional one, quite beautifully told – and the author avoids any wrenches between the gripping events of the past and the lighter feel of the present day story by entangling them so seamlessly. There’s romance in both timelines – wonderfully handled, with the most perfect emotional touch, and I felt particularly deeply for Marie-Claire. And, as the two storylines gradually came together, I particularly liked the fact that the author didn’t tie the loose ends into the neat bow I was rather expecting – there were surprises throughout, and it was a book I was entirely unable to set aside until I’d read to the very end.

This really was an exceptional read – superb storytelling, impeccably researched, heart wrenching at times, really immersing the reader in the lives of its wonderfully drawn characters and the vividly drawn Normandy setting. Every single relationship – in the past and present, whether friendship, family or romance – was something I really believed in. A book I’d very much recommend to others, and an author now firmly on my favourites list – I loved every moment.

A romantic historical drama written over two timelines. I was interested in the wartime story more than the second timeline. Fans of historical fiction will like this book, an easy read.

This was a lovely dual-timeline novel, which I enjoyed very much.

The book opens in 1940 with the main character, Marie-Claire, about to board a train in Paris accompanied by her husband and two-year-old son. Then the part of the book which is set in Poole, England, and Normandy, France, in 1998 introduces us to Esther, who is the main character of this part of the story.

The setting, which is mostly Normandy, is well portrayed. The author's description of the countryside around Giselle's family farm depicted an area of beauty.

This was a highly compelling novel which I enjoyed.

A fabulous story from this very talented author. I enjoyed this dual time line story and found it very interesting. I highly recommend this one. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Rachel Sweasey's 'The Girl from Normandy' is a heart-wrenching dual-timeline novel that skillfully interlaces tales of love, loss, and survival. Spanning two very different eras – Nazi-occupied France in 1940 and Normandy in 1998 – the story tracks Marie-Claire's gripping odyssey as she survives unimaginable horror and becomes a member of the French Resistance, and Esther's modern-day return to the area, where a rediscovered cookbook suggests long-forgotten family secrets.

The author is masterful in depicting war's savage realities yet also bringing out the human spirit's enduring resilience. The characters are full-bodied, especially Marie-Claire, whose vulnerability and courage one feels. The descriptive writing brings vividly to life both the loveliness of French countryside scenery and wartime horror in Paris. Whereas some dual timelines may be disjointed, the writer effectively marries the two narratives, demonstrating how the past has a great influence on the present. This is a highly emotional and engaging read for historical fiction readers, particularly those who are interested in unknown WWII stories and the long-lasting influence of family legacies.

This story faces both the past and the future with one woman’s look at life through war and family.

When Marie Claire faces an undeniable loss during the war, she is surrounded by people who comfort her and offer her a new life. Although she is still reeling from what has occurred, she forms a new life cooking which is a love she has and will forever use to bring people around her happiness.

The next generation, although aren’t facing the war Marie Claire did, are still dealing with trying to work out their future, but Marie Claire, has a way of ensuring lives are happy even when you hurt the most.

I received this book for a honest review.

This story of love, bravery, endurance and survival. Developed through a well done dual storyline. (1940s and 1990s). Rachel has the history accurate and this helps to make the story plausible. This isn't a boring history book but a rather good living history right through to the new beginnings. It begin with an escape from Paris as the Nazis' enter. and slowly reveals the secrets of Marie-Claire and her families lives. It is all very intriguing.and well written. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was a wonderful historical fiction read with a dual timeline, which I loved. We travel between Normandy in the 1940’s and late 1990’s. This for me was a heart breaking read at times and I did admittedly shed a few tears . I found the life that Marie Claire led as a young woman in Normandy to be such a difficult time for her and everyone else who she was involved with. These people were so brave in spite of everything that was going on. The author has done a wonderful job of describing all the characters and I quickly become very caught up in their lives. The present day story involving Esther and her travels back to Normandy was also wonderful to read and how she went about uncovering the secrets of the past.

3.5 Stars

Told in two timelines (1940 and present day), The Girl from Normandy is the story of survival, grief, and courage.

In 1940, Marie-Claire loses her husband and young son as they attempt to escape occupied Paris. Her husband dies in front of her, and to keep her son safe, she passes him to a friend on a train that is headed to the country. Marie-Claire is rescued by a stranger who escorts her to a nearby farm where she grieves her losses, works in a cafe, and finds herself caught up in the Resistance Movement.

In the present day, Esther visits her dear friends who live in a Normandy village and discovers an old, annotated recipe book. Fascinated, she suspects that the farm and members of the family might have been involved in the resistance. Esther works to unravel the mystery.

As usual in a dual timeline story, one timeline is more compelling than the other. In this case, I loved the 1940 timeline and following the life of Marie-Claire. The old cookbook connects the two timelines. At the story’s end, the two timelines intersect in surprising ways.

WWII stories always involve themes of resilience, bravery, loss, grief, and hope. It makes me wonder what I would have done in similar circumstances. Stories from the past certainly build empathy for what individuals in war-torn countries are facing in 2025. Will war ever end?

You will be happy with the satisfying conclusion! (no spoilers)

Content Consideration: Death, grief, war

Fans of dual timeline stories set during WWII and present day will enjoy speculating about how the timelines connect in this compelling story.

Thanks #NetGalley @BoldwoodBooks for a complimentary eARC of #TheGirlFromNormandy upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Whilst I thought this 2s going to be a predictable read, it kept me guessing and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Set mainly in Normandy during WW2 and in the 1980s/1990s, it was beautifully written. I’m prone to a good resistance story and this book was definitely one for me.

Enjoyed reading. A reminder about how life changed for the French and the British during WW2 and how the sacrifices made enabled future generations to move forward.

Look forward to reading more by Rachel in the future.

Esther has loved everything French since she started learning the language during her teenage years in school. She lives in Dorset and often gets to travel to Normandy for work. It is her favourite place in France. She loves the food, the countryside, the culture, and she loves the Joubert family.

Giselle Joubert was her high school pen friend, and when Esther's school did an exchange program, Esther stayed at the Joubert's rustic farm near the small town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. There she met and had a schoolgirl love affair with Jules, Giselle's older brother. They stayed in contact for a while, but then the letters stopped coming. Even though Esther has visited the Jouberts many times since, she has rarely crossed paths with Jules and they barely made eye contact. Now Esther is going to be godmother to Giselle's second child, and Jules is going to be godfather, even if only by proxy if he can't be there in person.

On one of her previous visits, Esther had found a recipe book and between it's pages there was a sheet of paper which had a recipe for preserving wild garlic on one side and on the other a poem written in both French and English. Captivated, Esther kept the piece of paper but now she wonders if that was a mistake and so she is determined to ask elderly Grand-mere Joubert about the book and the poem.

The opening of the book focuses on a young woman living in Paris in late 1940. Marie-Claire is married to Benjamin, a Jew, and mother of a young child named Antoine. With the coming of the Nazis, the little family knows that they have to escape and so plans are made to catch the train to the south of France where she has family. However, things go terribly wrong, and Marie-Claire ends up travelling north to Caen, separated from her baby. There, she meets a man who, seeing her distress, takes her to a chateau where a small group are gathering to form a resistance group. With her hatred of the force that destroyed her family, Marie-Claire joins the group.

Given her cooking skills, the perfect cover for Marie-Claire is to run a cafe in the small town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise. Here, she can listen into conversations and gain information to share with the Resistance, but she does become actively involved in some of the more dangerous activities of the group. One of her key roles though is to share messages through the community in the form of recipes which contained secret codes! Being busy doing something to undermine the Nazis gives her purpose and helps her begin to heal from her terrible losses.

While we are learning about Marie-Claire's life and role in the war, in the modern story line, Jules and Esther finally have time to work through their dormant feelings for each other and decide if there is any chance of a future together. However, it is never going to be all plain sailing given that Jules has a very successful career in Paris and Esther lives in England.

Throughout the story we hear about the role that Dorset played in the planning for the D-Day landings, about the paratrooper who got stuck on the spire of the church in the town and had to play dead for a few hours before he could be rescued and so much more.

We visited Normandy when we went to Europe and really loved it. We liked the WWII history, the food, and the cider was so good, as in really, really good. However, we couldn't visit every little town. It's a shame not to have visited Sainte-Mere-Eglise as there is an Airborne museum there, and they commemorate the paratrooper getting stuck which is based on a true story. When I was looking at some information about the town I found it really interesting that the coat of arms for the town now even includes two parachutes.

I hadn't read Rachel Sweasey before and I am happy that I have now. I am really keen to read her back list each of which feature the region around Poole (which is where her family is from), and WWII France. I was interested to see that Rachel now lives in Brisbane.

As part of the promotional information for the blog tour, we were sent a recipe for Marie-Claire's Poulet Vallee d'Auge which sounds delicious! Because this is a Weekend Cooking post, I had to share the recipe with you all!













I am sharing this review with the New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Reviews, with the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host, and with Foodies Read hosted at Based on a True Story. This also counts for my read on a theme book club where the current theme is War. Be sure to check out other stops on the tour shown below. Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy.

Rating 4/5

A very enjoyable dual timeline novel. Meet Marie-Claire, who in trying to escape war torn Paris in 1940, tragically loses her husband and son. Heading north to Normandy to evade the German soldiers, she reaches a chateau where she finds resistance fighters and agrees to work with them to gain revenge for the death of her husband and son. In 1998 Esther is planning a trip to Normandy where she will spend some time with her old friend, Giselle, whom she met whilst on a school trip to France and where she fell in love with Giselle’s brother. The two timelines are deftly interwoven and, as the two stories continue, long held secrets are revealed.

A very easy to read, enjoyable story. Hard hitting at times, especially when detailing life in the resistance, but overall, a very satisfying story. This the first book I have read by this author but based on this book, I will look for more of her books to read.

A beautiful dual timeline historical fiction set in the small town of Sainte- Mere- Eglise in Normandy. The historical timeline is the story of Marie- Claire, she and her family are trying to escape Paris after its have been occupied by the Germans, a run in at the train station sees her lose both her husband and son. She ends up working in a restaurant in Normandy and helping resistance workers. Her recipes contains secret code. The modern timeline sees Esther who lives in Poole, in 1998, come to the village over time to meet her French penpal. She finds a note and the cookbook.

A fast past novel that moves effortlessly between the two timelines. Whilst bits of it were predictable in a nice way I taken by surprise by the ending. I enjoyed Esther’s second chance romance with Jules and the way the recipes and cookbook tied the two timelines together. The historical timeline was well researched and I enjoyed the resistance work and strength of the women. A short but powerful story.

Another great read from Sweasey, again set in Poole and also Normandy. A dual-timeline, I felt invested in both characters as we experience the Second World War Resistance in Normandy, as well as a lost love that is rekindled.

In fact, although I am starting to think the Dorset setting is becoming part of Sweasey’s signature, the majority of the action takes place across the Channel. In present day, Esther is returning to a Normandy village to visit a friend and their family. Within this family, it soon becomes clear that there was a potential relationship between Esther and Jules, except nothing really came from it. Years later, they unexpectedly cross paths again and the couple find themselves drawn to one another, as if time had not passed.

In contrast, Marie-Claire is forced to flee Paris after the Nazi occupation means her family’s life is at risk. However, rather than making it to the Southern coast, she ends up in a small village in Normandy – minus her husband and young son. Very quickly, Marie-Claire becomes a part of the Resistance, except in a way that I had not anticipated. She runs a café and, from listening in to Nazi conversation, passes on any intelligence. Yet, her most significant role was through her recipes and writing, where Marie-Claire would use these to pass on codes that other members of the Resistance would interpret. It was fascinating to read about and made this Second World War book different to others that have focussed on the Resistance.

I enjoyed this book because it felt like it was an exploration of relationships during the war and how everything felt so temporary. This was reflected in present day, where Esther’s new-found relationship with Jules seems just as fragile – obviously for very different reasons. I thought Sweasey’s opening chapters were incredibly heart-wrenching and I admired Marie-Claire’s strength and resilience – something you needed bucket loads of during the war.

Not only this, I don’t think it was very heavy on the historical element. It made for a very enjoyable read and I appreciated the romances woven in the timeframes. Indeed, as the writer provided further clues about Marie-Claire, I was desperate to see how this would be discovered in the present day, especially as she is so tight-lipped about her role during the war.

I was absorbed into this story of love and courage. Despite the time difference, both Esther and Marie-Claire demonstrate these qualities and I loved how the past became embedded in the present. An engaging read that shows strength in the darkest times of humanity.

With thanks to Boldwood books, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Sweasey has a lovely style and I enjoyed this story, however her research was a bit lacking. As one reviewer pointed out, the resistance fighters drank coffee all through the war in the book. The war part of the book did feel too easy. The suffering and deprivation of the French people is not really clear, although it was probably not nearly as great in some parts of the country as it was in Paris

The dual timelines involve Marie-Claire, who becomes involved in the resistance after her Jewish husband is shot for carrying Jewish books when they are trying to escape to the South at the beginning of the war, and Esther, who has fallen in love with Marie-Claire’s grandson Jules in the present day. Marie-Claire works for the resistance by hiding messages in recipes and helping to hide injured airmen and Jewish families. Torn between Louis and George, an injured airman, Marie-Claire has to decide whether she can face having another family after losing her husband and son.

Esther’s mother was abandoned by her father so she wonders whether she can trust the handsome Jules, who she has loved all of her life. This part of the story is very sweet and they are both lovely characters. I liked the descriptions of the farm in Normandy and Poole, an unusual setting for a story.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.