Disappointed. This book was laborious for me to read. Only at the end, did the pace pick up to a fast finish, after a very slow and burdensome undertaking. Thank you NetGalley and Ecco for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Female spies during WWII have always intrigued me. How they could so easily become someone else yet maintaining the compassion needed for people of interest to trust them. That’s why I couldn’t wait to read this book but...I was really disappointed. It was a struggle for me to get through. It read very slow and just wasn’t gripping in the way that you want a book about spies to be.

Evelyn is a young English woman who gets a job with the war office. She quickly proves herself to be of value to the MI5 and quietly infiltrates a group of Russians, eager to overthrow the government. Despite the pleas of her superior, Evelyn takes things one step too far and gets herself into trouble.

I so wanted to enjoy this book and I am grateful to the author and NetGalley for allowing me to read it early. I did learn more about women’s roles during WWII which is always my main goal of reading WWII fiction.

Who is Evelyn Varley? After attending an elite preparatory school and Oxford, her parents think she's lost sight of her humble upbringing. But she still doesn't fit perfectly in the world of her affluent best friend Sally. Armed with her degree in German, Evelyn wants to make a difference in the war effort. When she's recruited into MI5, she becomes a mole in a group of Nazi sympathizers. But the lines between good and evil are not always stark, and she finds herself having to choose where her loyalties lie. In the present, we see the consequences of her decisions and how her work has weighed on her.

I enjoy historical fiction with multiple timelines, so this book was a natural fit for me. Starford did a good job building up tension in both timelines, and I was eager to put all the puzzle pieces together. Evelyn is a well-drawn protagonist - compelling and sharp. Seeing her outside her comfort zone as she interacted with the pro-fascists was very intriguing. I did not guess the twists/deception revealed at the end, and I thought the ending was satisfying. This was a fun jaunt into the world of MI5, and I'd recommend it to those who like historical fiction.

Thank you to Ecco for providing an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A book about spies should be intriguing, and this one definitely was. The dual timelines—something I usually hate—worked well here to keep you guessing and build a sense of dread. The time and place seemed well evoked, as was the English class system that plays a subtle but important role. Well-rounded characters, crisp prose, snappy pacing: "An Unlikely Spy" has it all.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ecco, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An Unlikely Spy by Rebecca Starford is a great historical fiction novel alternating between two time periods, 1940 and 1948, during WWII. In this novel, ambitious and intelligent Evelyn Varley rises above her small-town English upbringing, attends a prestigious university, and ends up being recruited for counterintelligence MI5, and becomes ensnared into undercover work as a Nazi sympathizer in hopes to gain valuable information for the Allies. Evelyn enters this task with vim, vigor, and fortitude thinking everything is simple and black/white, but what she really finds out is that high stakes positions also lead to high stakes decisions. At one point she has to decide: loyalty to country or to personal relationships.

Evelyn is a flawed character, but her haughtiness and overconfidence shows that deep down she is vulnerable and looking for some sort of acceptance and recognition. Does she go about any of these things in the right ways? Nope, not always. But, it would be a boring ride if she did.

I also enjoyed the author’s ability to create a mystery at the beginning and then through weaving between two time periods, piece together the events until all is revealed at the end. I always enjoy that plot device when it is pulled off well.

I also enjoyed the Author’s note at the end with factual information and also her inspirations that helped lead her to this novel.

A great historical fiction. 4/5 stars

Thank you Ecco and NetGalley for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 6/1/21.

“An Unlikely Spy” by Rebecca Starford is a historical novel set in the early days of WWII, and then in 1948, mostly in London. Although I love historical novels and tales of espionage, I found this offering sorely lacking.

Evelyn, a small town girl from modest circumstances is smart enough to gain scholarships to boarding school and Oxford and to get herself befriended by a very well-off, well-connected family. She moves to London and, through the family’s contacts, is hired by MI5 where, eventually, she works in counterintelligence against those seeking to align Great Britain with Nazi Germany. Early in the novel, we are led to believe a serious betrayal has taken place—which is the hook meant to keep us going.

Clearly, “An Unlikely Spy” has the makings for a cracking good story that keeps readers turning the pages. And author Starford knows how to put words on a page. Her sentences are clear and professional. You don’t feel as though you’re in the hands of a rank amateur, which is so often not the case these days.

But instead of a great story, “An Unlikely Spy” turned out to be a muddled, confusing tale that left me not caring very much about the characters, not learning anything about what it was like to live in war-time London, never believing anyone was in any real danger, and not wanting to read anything more by Ms. Starford.

The main problem, for me, was Evelyn. It’s tough to care about a character who is repeatedly described as cold and aloof and thinking of herself as better than others and who, by her actions, seems driven, not by any sense of patriotism or right and wrong, but by her own ambition and desire for meaning and excitement. And its tough to care about a character who continually complains about how tired and stressed she is; and who, while supposedly very intelligent, makes some pretty bad mistakes, including disobeying orders, her reasons for which just don’t make sense.

The structure of the novel is also problematic. To begin with, the first 40% consists almost entirely of set-up and backstory. Plot-wise, nothing much seems to happen and actual points of conflict—the stuff that keeps readers turning the pages—are few and far between. Indeed, during that first 40%, I felt like I was on a very slow plane moving down a very long runway wondering when-oh-when would it ever take off. The author’s choice to keep switching back and forth between 1940 and 1948, all the while continuing to set up and fill in backstory, often makes things very confusing.

And the reveal of the betrayal, the hook meant to keep us going, when we finally get to it, does not really hang together or make a lot of sense. I was left with the feeling: “I came all the way here for this?”

And not to nitpick, but near the beginning there’s a pretty huge historical inaccuracy. Evelyn turns to a friend and says about some people she doesn’t like: “Well you know what they say: ‘Keep your friends close …’” Unfortunately, that quote “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” originated with “The Godfather, Part II,” which came out in 1974, and thus could not have been what they were saying in the 1930s or 40’s.

All in all, “An Unlikely Spy” was very disappointing.

I love the cover, time period and description for Rebecca Starford's novel An Unlikely Spy, so I dove in head first and read every chance I could. Evelyn Varley is a bright and clever girl from a poor family in Lewes, She attends a school on scholarship, meeting her best and very wealthy friend. Evelyn goes on to Oxford and eventually is recruited by MI5, starting with office work and transcribing notes. She receives her first assignment in counterintelligence and must infiltrate a dangerous secret society allied with Germany. Posing as a Nazi sympathizer, she ultimately must choose between friendship and country.

This novel goes back and forth between 1940 and 1948, and despite my aptitude for WWII spy novels featuring female spies, I felt like I missed something through 80% of the story, sometimes swiping back to try to figure out that missing piece or detail. Without spoiling anything, there comes a point near the end where everything starts making sense--a huge, long aha. The author's note at the end explains how much of An Unlikely Spy was based on real people and real events, and I almost wish that was placed at the beginning.

All in all, An Unlikely Spy is a solid spy novel you will want to add to your TBR pile.

The cover is what drew me in from the beginning, everything in this book worked out really well. I loved the use of the time period and the characters.