Very interesting story as this book is set in two different timelines which I always enjoy.

Firstly it’s WW2 in Paris, the Nazis have occupied France and Marie-Claire and her family try to flee Paris and head south to a safer area. Tragedy strikes her Jewish husband and she gets separated from her young son. Marie-Claire’s way joins the fight against the Nazis by joining the resistance.

1998 in Poole, England, Esther is connected to a family in Saint-Mere-Eglise from her school days. She desperately needs a break so goes back to visit the family. She finds an old cook book with notes and annotations and soon comes to realise that there are more secrets to this old house that anyone realises.

This was a real tear jerker, it was tragic and heartbreaking but also full of courage, strength and love. This latest book from Rachel Sweasey hits all the right notes, it a real winner. I highly recommend this book, it’s fabulous!

Thanks to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this advance copy in return for my honest review. Publication date is 27 June 25.

Rachel Sweasey's latest book is told in a dual timeline and begins in Paris during the Nazi occupation with a brutally shocking killing. As Marie-Claire is trying to leave Paris with her Jewish husband and her toddler, she loses both of them in a split second. I loved Marie-Claire's story and how naturally she became a member of the French Resistance in Saint-Mère-Eglise, using her cooking and writing skills to pass messages and fool the Nazis.

The second timeline is set in Poole, England, 1998, a familiar setting if you've read this author's previous books. Esther has her own connections to a family in Saint-Mère-Eglise from her school days. I enjoyed following the threads tying the characters in Normandy to Poole, from the beginning of WWII to 1998, through three generations. The Girl from Normandy highlights how important women were to the Resistance, especially leading up to D-Day. They were invaluable because the Germans had such a low opinion of women's abilities. There is a lovely romance, and the descriptions of French food will have your mouth watering. Rachel Sweasey has written another winner.