This book was an interesting story of a group of women who were recruited by the British SOE to help in France during WW2. They were trained as radio transmitters, but were also called upon to act as couriers and saboteurs.

As someone who has read a decent amount of WWII historical fiction, it is not easy to come up with a book that tells a story that I have not heard in part before. However, The Lost Girls of Paris succeeds in that endeavor, and uncovers a great story of female heroics during a time period mostly dominated by the bravery of men. While this is first a work of fiction, it is inspired by the true stories of the female agents of the SOE and their experience during WWII.

The perspective of this book is one I greatly enjoy- switching between three characters, different locations, and time periods to tell the same story. There is a mysterious element to the story line that unfolds well in this style of writing. I’d highly recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII or a female empowerment story.

I was drawn to this book because I figured anything written by the author of 'The Orphan's Tale' was guaranteed to be a fantastic read! Pam Jenoff certainly delivers!! I was quickly immersed into the story and loved every bit of it! One can just picture themselves out strolling along and finding a suitcase.. and being a snoop.. opening it up to see what was inside. Old pictures of twelve women. That's just the beginning.. the reader becomes Grace Healy wanting to learn the stories of the women in the pictures.

Fantastic story! Very compelling and a pure delight!

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff
(Expected in January 29, 2019)

As the world is getting back on its feet after WWI, this story continues through the time period of WWII.
Beginning with post-war New York and extending the reader too the far reaches of London as well as along to the German-occupied French region and is filled with circumstance and truth.

Told by 3 POV, this novel is based on true historical events, mixed with enough fiction that keeps the reader not only interested but intrigued. A story of mystery, heartbreak, bravery and the 12 heroic female spies that were relentless in fulfilling their roles in a place so foreign to them and their fates given up to a man's war.

Although I found this story to be a bit slow at times, its weaved in a way that keeps the reader moving forward.

A compelling Historical Fiction novel, true to it's genre, and one that I found too be not only enjoyable but knowledgeable due to its meticulous research..

I thank Pam Jenoff as well as NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Novels & Latte Book Club

In 1946 New York, Grace is trying to get to work on time and must run through Grand Central, a place she normally avoids. She finds an apparently abandoned suitcase and on her second trip past it, stops to check it out. Pictures of twelve women fascinate her. She takes them with her and ultimately decides to solve the mystery behind these women. Switch to 1943 London. Eleanor works for SOE and wants to make more of a difference in the war. Marie is a single mother working in London and sending money back to her mother to support her daughter. It never seems to be enough so she becomes one of Eleanor's first recruits preparing to go to France as a spy.
Told in the voices of these three women, this novel is not the typical WWII story. As someone who loves strong female characters, this book more than made the mark. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII stories. You won't be able to put it down.

CONTAINS SPOILERS: I am surprised by the many positive reviews for this book. Perhaps I missed something, but I must admit I was very disappointed. I have read a lot of historical fiction in the WWII spy/resistance sub-genre, but this one does not measure up to others. I expected more from this author too, since she has had other highly rated titles.

I won’t recap the plot, as most reviewers have already done that. I was pulled in by the beginning of each of the three protagonists’ stories, although I did question what really brought Grace into the story. Because she found an abandoned suitcase at Grand Central Station she became obsessed with finding out the story behind it? That was a flimsy plot point to me. Marie’s willingness to become a spy with basically no knowledge of what she would be doing seemed improbable as well, especially since she was a single mother who risked leaving her child an orphan. I liked Eleanor’s role the best, since it seemed challenging to gauge the girls’ ability to perform in the field without ever having been there herself.

In the middle of the book, I became really frustrated with some of the plot points, such as the “relationship” between Julian and Marie. They spent about two days together and they were suddenly madly in love? Based on what? I didn’t buy that. And when Marie and Will realized Julian was missing, Marie decided to stay in Paris to look for him instead of going back to her daughter. Why? She had little to no experience navigating her way around Paris undercover, and they knew resistance members were being arrested right and left. Really, what were the odds she would find him? But of course, she did (eye roll…) And they get to reveal their secrets and profess their love before their tragic parting.

I was giving the book a second chance as Eleanor was investigating how their network was compromised, but then came more unbelievable plot points: how would Eleanor, an ex-SOE member really have gotten to speak to Krueger? And then to get him to reveal to her in 10 minutes what he would not reveal to the real interrogators? Once again, I just could not buy into that. Add to all of this a neatly wrapped ending and I was only glad to be done.

I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advance copy and give my honest review.

I was super stoked to get my hands on an advanced copy of Pam Jenoff's latest novel. Having not read any of her previous books but hearing the hype, I had high expectations. It did not disappoint! This captivating novel follows three female lead characters whose stories become intertwined. It begins with Grace in New York in 1946 who comes across a suitcase and discovers photographs of 12 women. During her hunt to figure out the story of the photographs, we learn about a special group of women sent to France during WWII whose mission was to help French partisans and sabotage the Germans. While the story is fictional, the basis of women agents working for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the war is true.

A solid 4.5 star novel - very engaging. The only potential criticism I would have is that Grace's story, while enjoyable, didn't add much value. I think it could have been just as great focusing on the other two main characters who were directly part of the WWII secret mission.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC.

This novel is based on the history of the British agents sent into France to harass and disrupt the Nazis during World War Two, especially the women. It is interspersed with the story of Grace, a young woman in 1946 New York who finds an abandoned suitcase with pictures of ten of the women inside and goes on a quest to discover the identity of the women and the owner. The sections dealing with the recruitment and training of the women were so familiar that I was sure I had read them before in the several nonfiction books recently released about the Special Operations Executive and Vera Atkins, the woman in charge. Once the women were dropped into France, the details of their activities became sparse and somewhat unbelievable, including occasional scenes of Nazi brutality after their capture. Grace's story includes an unnecessary romance with her late husband's best friend that distracts from the plot. It's an interesting story of the actions of courageous women during the war, but too few details of their actions lessen the effect on the readers.

I liked the story, but the writing had me grinding my teeth a bit. Dramatic moments were cut off at the knees by sometimes anemic writing, but all in all I enjoyed this book.

The novel is told from multiple viewpoints at different points in time. Grace lives in New York City and works for a man who helps out the displaced people coming over from post-war Europe. She enters the stories of Marie and Eleanor Trigg by finding Eleanor’s abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Station. A packet of photographs tickles her curiosity, and on a whim, she takes it.

The parallel storyline tells us what happened to the women in the photographs. Hand picked by Eleanor to become radio operators working from within Nazi-occupied France, Marie is one of the women we follow. I found her character flat and storyline somewhat unbelievable. Eventually, they are betrayed, and the operation is shut down. No one knows what happened to the twelve women and both Eleanor, and eventually Grace, are determined to find out what became of the lost girls.

A compelling read because of the subject matter, but with some deep flaws, in my opinion.

Loved this from beginning to end. I was frustrated with some character decisions but that's okay. Great story.

If you loved The Alice Network and The Nightingale, please read The Lost Girls of Paris. It is a great read about a special group of British women spies during World War II. It's a suspense novel, a history lesson, a mystery story. The character development is wonderful, the writing is beautiful, and the characters are fully-developed.

A great read. Just as intriguing as her last book. Lots of mystery and excitement and I felt a real connection to the main characters.

This book checked all of the boxes that I look for historical fiction, suspenseful, female main character, and of course and engaging story line. This was loosely based on real events that occurred during WWII. There's female spies, a lost suitcase, and budding romance. The setting is wartime France, mostly in and around Paris as well as Britain. The book really shows how much women contributed to the war. Not just Rosie Riveters, no they were strong women choosing to help fight for democracy by entering the front lines. Double thumbs up for this one!

The Lost Girls of Paris kept me glued to my kindle. The intertwining stories of Marie, Eleanor and Grace would have been great as stand alone stories but were even better combined. I always love a strong female character and there were tons in this book. I would have enjoyed even more stories from the girls dangerous lives in France during the war. It amazes me to hear what ordinary people were capable or accomplishing.

4.5 stars
We will never know many of the stories of bravery, courage, and fortitude that occurred during World War 2. Many of these stories are lost to time, but that doesn't make the people within these stories any less brave, any less, courageous, or any less gallant because their stories have never been told.

In the book, The Lost Girls of Paris, we meet three women who risked everything to be spies. These young girls were secreted into Paris under the nose of the Nazis, to help do what they could to see that Germany did not succeed in their quest to conquer Europe.

The book begins in 1946 when one of the characters, Grace, finds a suitcase containing pictures of young women. This seemingly innocuous event sets the scene for a journey that takes Grace on a quest to not only find the owner of the suitcase, but who these young women were. Her journey leads Grace into the world of spies, into a world where women were not considered able to do the job that these women were asked to do.

We meet Eleanor, the leader of the group, so willing to take on the onerous task of training these girls knowing that a simple mistake will cost them their lives. The girls knew this too, they knew that their mission placed them in terrible danger and yet, each and every one of them accepted that challenge with a valiant and stalwart determination. They were ready to serve, to die, to become something no other women had been before. They knew they were looking constantly into the face of death and yet, they persevered, knowing their lives could end at any moment.

Based on true events, Pam Jenoff has created a mesmerizing story, a tale of incredible daring, of heroic proportions, and one in which these young girls become a beacon for strength, resilience, and bravery beyond compare. This book is a tribute to all those unsung heroes, who risked everything in order for us today to live in freedom. Their sacrifices should always be remembered.

Thank you to Pam Jenoff, Harlequin-Park Row Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this awe inspiring book.
This book is due to be published on January 20,2019

3.5 stars This book started off slowly for me, but as the story progressed, it hooked me and I was invested in Grace and her quest to find out what happened. A little history, a little mystery, and two storylines that came together in a satisfying manner,

enoff takes readers on a journey back to World War II France where women were recruited to participate in the network of the French Resistance and dropped behind enemy lines. The efforts of these women have not often been remarked upon, but Jenoff’s latest highlights the dangers the women faced and the possibility that their government was willing to allow them to sacrifice themselves for the greater good of winning the war.

Fast-forward to 1946 New York where Grace Healey is living and working after the death of her husband Tom. When she finds an abandoned suitcase in Grand Central Station and opens it, she discovers photographs of about a dozen women. Through her investigation, she is able to link the photographs to Eleanor Trigg who worked for Great Britain’s Special Operations Executive, the special forces agency founded under the order of Winston Churchill during World War II.

Grace is determined to find out what happened to the women in the photographs and enlists the help of Mark, a man with whom she has shared memories of her deceased husband Tom as Mark and Tom were college roommates.

Chapters of the Resistance efforts and the women who served under Eleanor are interspersed with chapters on Grace’s investigations. The wartime chapters focus especially on Marie, a recruit who faced tremendous dangers as a radio operator after being dropped in German territory in France in 1944.

Immersed with both fact and fiction, Jenoff’s latest pays tribute to the women who faithfully served and some who gave their lives during World War II. Fast-paced and filled with mystery and a dose of romance, this novel will keep readers up until the wee hours.

I would like to thank the publisher and author for gifting me a digital ARC of this title via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of The Orphan Train so I was so excited to see she had a new novel coming out early next year and was even more excited when I was given the opportunity to read an early copy of it. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and loved the narration between several characters and the way each of their stories came together and created one amazing novel. I found myself totally into the characters and each story- sometimes cheering them along, heartbroken for them, or even frustrated with them at a decision they were making. I love when a book can draw me in like that and make characters seem so real. Pam Jenoff certainly has the talent to bring her books to life for the reader. Another hit in my opinion and one I would gladly recommend to family and friends that enjoy historical fiction.

The Lost Girls of Paris is a terrifically suspenseful novel about female British operatives during WWII. THe story is approached from a trifold effect: Grace, Eleanor, and Marie. One is searching for the answers from pictures plucked from an abandoned suitcase; one is a high level administrator looking for who betrayed her unit; and one is a survivor after seeing hellacious things. One item I question the author about is Grace sees a news report on tv in a cafe in 1946. I belief that's a bit anachronistic as 'tis were widely used until 1950 or later. I was also disappoonted that the author did. It include any information about her research for her novel. I was looking forward to a learning a few details and there was nothing included. I think that would have enhanced the reading experience. It is a great read.

I received an invite to read this book.
I have read Pam Jenoff before- and enjoyed them especially The Orphan's Tale and The Kommandant's Girl
I had other books on my "to read" shelf, so had to wait

Immediately upon opening,
I was in New York, in 1946, right along side
the scenes played out before my eyes. The more I read, the intensity built.

I could not escape this book.
I will be researching more about the SOE

Women are strong- they have different strengths than men

We NEED to shine a light on these stories
that occurred behind the big story, hidden, but important!