I don't know where to start with this review!  Even though this is another WWII story, it was absolutely fantastic. 
The characters were so believable and well developed.  I was completely immersed in this story.  

Get this book on your pre-order list immediately!  Run do not walk to your favorite book seller and make sure that you purchase this book!  This book was wonderful!  

My thanks to Netgalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books
Gallery Books for this advanced readers copy.

When American Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her new French husband, Marcel, she believes that nothing can spoil her happiness. She has always thought of Paris as a place of enlightenment and she believes that she will flourish there, especially with Marcel by her side.

She and Marcel begin their lives on the Rue Amélie in an apartment with a terrace. One night, as Ruby sits on the terrace and enjoys the view, she meets Charlotte Dacher, the neighbor's daughter, who, at age 11, cannot understand why anyone would pick on her for being Jewish. She isn't a very religious person, after all.

As World War II looms over France, Ruby is becoming more concerned with what it will mean for Marcel's and her life, but when she tries to talk to him about it he puts her down as a "woman with no idea what is going on in the world." Ruby is terribly hurt by his disregard for her feelings as well as her intelligence. To make matters worse, the closer they come to the occupation of Paris by the Nazis, the more Marcel ignores her.

When the Germans do take over France and Paris, Ruby promises Charlotte's mother that she will protect and care for Charlotte if anything happens to them. Over the next couple of years Ruby and Charlotte become much closer as Ruby tutors Charlotte in English.

Meanwhile, Thomas Clarke has given up his dream to become a doctor in order to learn to fly for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and flies regularly over France fighting the Nazis. The loss of his mother during the Blitz strengthens his desire to do whatever he can to help bring an end to the war.

When the war brings Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas together they must find the courage to defy the Nazis, even at a huge risk to themselves. They feel that by doing nothing they are condoning what the Nazis are doing and they will never give up without a fight.

This novel contains a wealth of information wrapped up in a story that is so beautifully written with such wonderful characters that it will stay with you long after you finish the last page with emotions that range from happiness to sadness, love to hate, anger to revenge.  There is also a sense bewilderment at how humans could possibly be as hateful and cruel as the Nazis, while still showing the compassion of so many who risked their lives to stop them.

I very highly recommend this book!

Synopsis:

For fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Martha Hall Kelly’s Lilac Girls, this powerful novel of fate, resistance, and family—by the international bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting and When We Meet Again—tells the tale of an American woman, a British RAF pilot, and a young Jewish teenager whose lives intersect in occupied Paris during the tumultuous days of World War II.

When newlywed Ruby Henderson Benoit arrives in Paris in 1939 with her French husband Marcel, she imagines strolling arm in arm along the grand boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But war is looming on the horizon, and as France falls to the Nazis, her marriage begins to splinter, too.

Charlotte Dacher is eleven when the Germans roll into the French capital, their sinister swastika flags snapping in the breeze. After the Jewish restrictions take effect and Jews are ordered to wear the yellow star, Charlotte can’t imagine things getting much worse. But then the mass deportations begin, and her life is ripped forever apart.

Thomas Clarke joins the British Royal Air Force to protect his country, but when his beloved mother dies in a German bombing during the waning days of the Blitz, he wonders if he’s really making a difference. Then he finds himself in Paris, in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, and he discovers a new reason to keep fighting—and an unexpected road home.

When fate brings them together, Ruby, Charlotte, and Thomas must summon the courage to defy the Nazis—and to open their own broken hearts—as they fight to survive. Rich with historical drama and emotional depth, this is an unforgettable story that will stay with you long after the final page is turned.

    About the Author:

Kristin Harmel is the international bestselling author of The Sweetness of Forgetting, The Life Intended, and When We Meet Again, along with several other novels. Her work has been featured in People, Woman’s Day, Men’s Health, Runner’s World, and Ladies’ Home Journal, among many other media outlets. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

    My Thoughts:

I cannot say how much I enjoyed this book. The comparisons to Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale is very fair! I’m sometimes reluctant when books are compared to others, because I assume that the book must be a cheap copy of the first, but The Room on Rue Amelie can definitely stand on its own! It was SUCH a beautiful tale of French Resistance in WWII.

    “What color, my love? What color is the first one?”

    “Red. The first poppy of the season is red.”

    “Of course.” She lies back and smiles. “Of course it is.”

 

I love anything set in WWII, and the brave fighters of the French Resistance don’t get enough attention, I believe. This is a story of that, but also a love story not just between people, but also between the main character and herself.

    “I thought when I came here that my independence would grow. I was going on a great adventure to Paris, after all.” She smiled at her own naivete. “But somehow along the way, I went from being a brave adventurer to simply being a wife, nothing more. It would be easy to blame it on Marcel, but it was just as much my fault. I let him talk over my opinions. I let him make all the decisions. I let him push me to the side, until I wasn’t myself in our marriage anymore. Maybe I never had been to start with. But regardless, I lost the person I’d been, the person I wanted to be, and I don’t thing I grasped it until it was too late.”

I loved Ruby’s journey through being a brave American, to just an ignored housewife, to finding herself swept up in the French Resistance, and finding out who she really is within all of it.

    She who blooms in the midst of the darkness. 

The Room on Rue Amelie will be released on March 27, 2018.

I was given this book in exchange for my honest review from Netgalley. All opinions stated above are my own.
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10 Book Reviews Professional Reader 80%

This is going to be one of the best books I will read this year. It grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. I just fell in love with each and every character..

The year is 1939 and Ruby Benoit is an American newlywed who arrives in Paris with her husband, Marcel. Rumors of war abound, but many Parisians think that their army will be able to repel a German attack. However, their hopes are dashed when the Germans invade France. 

Ruby decides to remain in Paris with her husband whose clandestine activities leave her isolated. She befriends the Jewish Dacher family who live in the apartment next door to Ruby’s. As the Nazis’ hold over Paris tightens, Ruby knows that she must fight against the injustices that she sees.

Author Kristin Harmel was inspired to write this novel after reading the true story of an American woman who married a Frenchman and moved to Paris just before World War II. The characters in this novel are very likable, and the plot is compelling despite the fact that some parts require a stretch of the imagination. It’s an interesting story that will pull you in and keep you reading in order to discover the fates of the characters. 

Thank you to author Kristin Harmel, Simon & Schuster, and Net Galley for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC of this historical novel.

Kristin Harmel's "The Room on Rue Amelie" provides a unique look at how Americans and the French worked underground against the Nazis during World War II.  The book combines realistic suspense with friendship and romance, covering several year's span in the course of the book.  The characters are believable.  The book is very hard to put down once you start reading it!

In 1939, Ruby Henderson Benoit leaves the United States to live in Paris with her French husband, Marcel. They move next door to a Jewish couple and their daughter, Charlotte. The horrors of World War II approach the City of Lights and soon all lives are changed with Paris' occupation. A British pilot, Thomas Clarke is shot down over France and with much help, finds himself in Paris. He realizes that his life will never be the same after meeting Ruby and Charlotte and now he questions whether or not he ever wants to leave Paris. This book has an excellent story and is a great addition for those who love historical fiction. Definitely recommended for all ! 

The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel will be available March 27, 2018 from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

This Advance Reader Copy of the book is courtesy of NetGalley and the book's publishers. I am not receiving any financial or additional benefit for posting this review other than the opportunity to read this book before it's released publically. 

tl;dr Review:

Beautifully written and better than expected!

Full Review:



So if you couldn't already tell from some of the other books I've reviewed, I'm a fan of historical fiction. I am also a sucker for strong book covers, so choosing to read The Room on Rue Amélie by Kristin Harmel was a no-brainer.

The problem with some historical fiction though is that authors can get wrapped up in too much history or too much fake drama, and the story becomes long-winded or ridiculous or overbearing.

Thankfully, The Room on Rue Amélie is none of those things! The author deftly wove together three main characters stories in a way few authors can do.

Usually, when I encounter a book that switches between different narrators, it can get confusing (see: Crazy Rich Asians). I end up having to refer back to other chapters to try and understand what's going on.

That's not the case here, and I am so happy for that. Each of the narrators is easy to follow, but the stories are also easily intertwined and you gain understanding from all aspects.

Not only that, but author Kristin Harmel also manages to make you feel like you really are in Paris in the 1940s. Having only been to Paris once (and honestly, was not that big of a fan), this book helped to soften my dislike for the city.

This book was so well written that the ending almost brought me to tears. And it takes a LOT for me to get emotional. I read about 2 - 4 books a week (depending on the week and the length), and there have only been two books in my entire life that have made me cry. So to get me to the point where I was almost in tears takes a truly well-written story.

I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the book that is especially applicable to the start of a new year:

"You see, when you look back on things later in life, it's sometimes easier to see the purpose. So perhaps, for now, it's best to try your hardest to focus on what lies ahead. The future is still something that can be changed. . ."

I give this book 5 out of 5 thumbs up and I can't wait to see what this author writes next!

A poignant and heart-breaking beautiful story set in occupied Paris. The first chapter is in modern day California and we don't know who they are until the end. Wonderful descriptions and characters we can relate to. Could we be as brave as they were?

This is a wonderful new book about the resistance in Paris during World War II. The characters are well written and the story is a real page turner that will keep you reading to find out how it ends.

I liked the way the author started the book with an epilogue about a elderly couple in California during current times. The wife is very ill and facing death and the husband is very distraught. As readers, we don't know until the end of the book which of the couples in the story the epilogue was about.

The year is 1939 and Ruby has fallen in love with a Frenchman and moved to Paris despite her parent's warning that the political climate could be dangerous. She is in love and it's Paris and what could possibly go wrong with her life? In 1940, Paris fell to the Nazis and her life and her marriage began to fall apart. During this time, she became friends with a young Jewish girl in the next apartment whose father felt that he had nothing to worry about with the Nazis because he was a a vital member of the economy. Add to the story, an RAF pilot who got shot down and needs to get back to England and you have a story of intrigue as everyone tries to help him without getting caught by the Nazis - which would mean certain death.

This book is about two brave strong women who stood up against the evil of the Nazi regime in Paris to save their friends and their city. Readers will want to add this to their bookshelves with other recent books like The Nightengale and The Lilac Girls.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This is a wonderful new book about the resistance in Paris during World War II. The characters are well written and the story is a real page turner that will keep you reading to find out how it ends.

I liked the way the author started the book with an epilogue about a elderly couple in California during current times. The wife is very ill and facing death and the husband is very distraught. As readers, we don't know until the end of the book which of the couples in the story the epilogue was about.

The year is 1939 and Ruby has fallen in love with a Frenchman and moved to Paris despite her parent's warning that the political climate could be dangerous. She is in love and it's Paris and what could possibly go wrong with her life? In 1940, Paris fell to the Nazis and her life and her marriage began to fall apart. During this time, she became friends with a young Jewish girl in the next apartment whose father felt that he had nothing to worry about with the Nazis because he was a a vital member of the economy. Add to the story, an RAF pilot who got shot down and needs to get back to England and you have a story of intrigue as everyone tries to help him without getting caught by the Nazis - which would mean certain death.

This book is about two brave strong women who stood up against the evil of the Nazi regime in Paris to save their friends and their city. Readers will want to add this to their bookshelves with other recent books like The Nightengale and The Lilac Girls.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

This as such a great story. The opening paragraphs were so intriguing. I was hooked from the start.  It was well told and intricate. I didn't  want the end to come even though I was anxious to find out how everything worked out. VERY GOOD!

Overall I enjoyed this book. The characters were very well developed-very real-easy for the reader to empathize with. I think that the sense of anticipation created by the author was superb. I did not want to stop reading until I knew the fate of the characters.

In terms of suggestions…the Holocaust theme has been overdone recently. This author did not present the theme with any new angles. It was still young woman fighting in resistance falls in love with a pilot, goes to concentration camp. Very compelling, but overdone. A second point of concern was that the author over explained many things rather than letting the reader use their imagination to create details. For example, Lucien goes on and on about Ruby and Charlotte being involved in the resistance, and his guilt about this. Shorten the details about their involvement in the resistance, and let the reader infer Lucien’s feelings.

Extremely moving and detailed account of life in occupied Paris during World War II. Great character development and research. You will feel the tension of daily life in Paris during this time. Recommend for anyone that enjoys a moving story that grips you from page one. Historical fiction at is best. 4..5 stars.

The courage of those who lived in Paris during WWII is unbelievable.  This is historical fiction that is so realistic it will make you fear for the characters, cry when they hurt and cheer when they win.  Authentic, believable, and easy to read, you can't get better than that.

“If you believe very strongly in something, stand up and fight for it.” 
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

The thing I enjoy most about reading WWII historical fiction is that I get to enjoy many different perspectives of that time period written by different authors. The Room on Rue Amélie  is another beautiful story of resilience and hope during the darkest times in history. 

The story begins in New York City in 1938 where Ruby Henderson is attending university. She meets a gentleman by the name of Marcel at a café and soon thereafter Ruby’s life has taken her to Paris where her husband is from. Ruby’s life changes when the war begins and she must take it upon herself to do something to help the cause. 

She meets Charlotte, a Jewish girl who lives with her parents across the hall from Ruby. Together Charlotte and Ruby attempt to make sense of the injustices of war and work together to make a difference in the war effort. This book had me in tears and filled me with hope. The characters are beautifully crafted and you will fall in live with them. You will cheer them on and cry with them and hope with them. As you read along you will want nothing more than a happy ending. 

If you read The Nightingale I think you will enjoy this one. It’s a story of love, hope, resilience and having the strength to be who you are and do what you are meant to do in life.

Heartbreaking. And beautiful. And I can’t believe I binged the entire thing in one night...that’s how good it was. I kept saying, oh I’ll just stop after this chapter. And I didn’t! It was just so GOOD! This is one piece of historical fiction that gets it right.The characters were believable, the settings were magnificent (and horrifyingly real), and the story was incredible. It releases in March 2018...get it. You won’t be sorry. For fans of Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network, this is your next binge, trust me. 

HUGE thanks to NetGalley for allowing me a sneak peek in exchange for an honest review.

Another historical fiction about WWII.  I continue to be so impressed and awed by what civilians did to aid the allies and protect the persecuted during the war.  This one presents itself through the eyes and lives of an American young woman who marries a Frenchman and befriends a Jewish family in her building.  I won't tell you more because I want you to read it.  The author keeps you wanting more so it's a good read for winter days or . . . .

The Room on Rue Amelie is an amazing story that takes place during WWII in Paris, France. Ruby, an American woman, was ecstatic when her dream to go to Paris came true. A whirlwind romance with Marcel led to a quick marriage and an apartment in Paris. Although Europe was on the verge of war, Ruby didn’t want to return to America. She had made her new life with her French husband and wanted to stay by his side. Ruby’s blissful honeymoon, however, wouldn’t last long. The man she had loved and thought she knew, changed drastically, seemingly overnight. Instead of being loving and attentive, Marcel became secretive and intense. He was often out late at night and whenever Ruby questioned him as to where he had been or with whom, she was met with an abrupt, harsh attitude and an evasive answer. 

While in Paris, Ruby befriended a neighbor, Charlotte, a young Jewish girl, and her parents. They became Ruby’s lifeline especially when she went into labor early, and her husband was nowhere to be found. Ruby became very protective of her Jewish neighbors, and when she saw the Germans coming, Ruby ran to their apartment to warn them.  

Charlotte’s life changed forever after her parents were taken by the Germans. Ruby dedicated herself to caring for Charlotte, and to assisting British RAF pilots, to escape German-occupied France. Ruby never thought that she would fall in love again, but after meeting Thomas, a pilot whom she had nursed back to health and then helped to escape, she knew that just wasn’t true. 

The Room on Rue Amelie is a superbly written, riveting novel. If you enjoy reading WWII, historical fiction, you’ll love this book. Highly recommended.

Thank you, Gallery Books and NetGalley, for my advanced review copy. I loved it!

The story starts interesting. However, as the war breaks and progresses, it is related in words rather than action. As a result the story loses its engagement.