The Girl from Normandy The BRAND NEW sweeping wartime novel from Rachel Sweasey from 2025 by Rachel Sweasey

 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.