This is just the kind of historical fiction that I like to read! Wonderful story with amazing characters! Highly highly recommend

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the start, I just couldn’t put it down.
Will definitely look out for more from this author.

Eliza Graham is such a great author! The writing in this book really hooks you in - I couldn't put this down!

This is my sort of book, historical fiction with a dual timeline, this book did not disappoint. Morane is devastated when her beloved Grandmother Rozenn passes away. She then discovers that her sister has been left the family home in Cornwall where they spent many a holiday visiting their grandmother. Morane is left a silver compass. While helping her sister with renovating the cottage she finds a page of a letter that has links to a village in Brittany. She decides to visit the small village to revisit her grandmothers past. The story is told from Moranes's perspective and also Rozenn's, back in 1941 during German occupation.
I received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

ctual rating: 4.5


**Disclaimer:** I would like to personally thank Amazon Publishing UK, Eliza Graham, and Netgalley for this exclusive read of “You Let Me Go” in exchange for a review and my honest opinion of the book. The Publisher, Netgalley, nor the author has paid anything in monetary value for this following review. All thoughts are of the reviewer.


This book was a very surprising and interesting read. Before I finished this book, I had really felt that that special ingredient was missing in this book. When I had starting to get to the end of the book; that is when it had really, really sucked me in.

While this is a historical fiction book, I would say that 50% does take place during the Second World War in France and the other half takes place in modern day England.

In the present time aspect of the book, we are introduced to sisters Gwen and Morie. While they were close when they were younger, their relationship in the previous years has been hanging by a thread. This thread only starts to stretch when their recently deceased grandmother, Rozenn, leaves her home to the oldest sister, Gwen while Morie is left with a compass.

Morie’s life has been quite the rollercoaster lately as well. From learning of an ex-boyfriend’s betrayal to the crumpling of her business. Her dad and sister think that Morie is on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

In order to also set aside some of the guilt that Gwen feels from Morie getting left out of the will; Gwen asks for her help with renovations with Vue Claire. Until one night, after a crime had taken place at Vue Claire; Morie finds a letter that is set to change everything she has ever known. Her life is about to change. Will what she learns destroy her family and the memory of her beloved grandmother?

In the past aspect of the book, we learn of Rozenn’s family. She is 18 when her family leaves for the village port of St. Martin. Her father is a doctor and is sent to the restricted zone as the new doctor there. What should be a new opportunity for the family has the family on edge. In a town where everyone knows everyones business. One mouth to the Nazis will put the whole family in danger.

Rozenn will reset at nothing to protect her family, even if this includes to letting those know what could break her family apart forever. Rozenn quickly learn how to use her contacts to get what she wants. However, will those contacts help or hurt her when she needs them.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, then You Let Me Go is for you. If you are into quick, fast-paced books then I suggest looking elsewhere. The book really did not start opening up until towards the end. If you are patient, I promise this book will be worth it in the end!

i am thankful to the publisher for providing me the arc.It was quite a read.The characters were okay.the story was bit dragging

The imagery and the dual story line with part of the story being set in WWII makes You Let Me Go a winner in my book!

Disappointment, family secrets, a twisting, turning path to figuring them out and family relationships will pull me in every time and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the well-rounded characters and definitely found Morane and Rozenn to be the type I'd like to sit and chat with.

Eliza Graham has a talent for making the reader feel as if they are in the story. It's such a wonderful gift and I'm grateful she shares it with readers like me.

Pick the book up for a well told tale that will leave you wanting to read faster to figure out what happened, but slower so it doesn't end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

“You Let Me Go,” a historical fiction novel by Eliza Graham, explores how trauma or a family secret percolates down through generations and affects both children and grandchildren.

Rozenn Caradec is dearly loved by her two grand-daughters and the feeling is mutual. Time spent together on Vue Claire on the Cornish coast is precious and full of memories, something Morane and Gwen are grateful for once their grandmother passes away. What shocked the girls the most was that Morane seemed to be snubbed in the will and neither girl could figure out why their 96 year old grandmother had been so uncharacteristically cruel. Gwen was left the entire estate and Morane was left a simple engraved silver compass. Adding to the hurt is the fact that Morane is in pain; she has lost her boyfriend, her job and is dealing with pain associated with an accident.

As the girls start to go through Rozenn’s memorabilia, they find photos and letters which confirm her childhood in Paris and teen years in occupied Brittany. Morane knows there must be a reason for her grandmother’s choice, so she heads to Brittany to search for clues to her past. Morane discovers that sometimes the truth can be painful and that humans will go to great lengths to protect loved ones. She also comes to terms with the idea that there was a side to her grandmother that was kept hidden and that she didn’t really know her at all. Her world is turned upside down with the discovery that her grandmother had an identical twin, Claire, and that the girls once had to make a terrible sacrifice on a remote Brittany beach. Regardless of the reasons for this heartbreaking decision, there’s generational trickle-down issues and questions arise. Can Morane live with what she finds? Is it enough to help her repair her sibling relationship?

A little difficult to get into at first, this dual timeline story alternates between present and 1941. If you stick with it, you’ll be rewarded with a moving story about a family with secrets and how betrayal and regrets are the biproducts of keeping it hidden. Another reward of sticking with it is that you’ll be treated to an ending that you will not see coming! You’ll also uncover the author’s message about how important it is to accept our past, learn from it, draw a line and move on. Growth comes on the other side of the line. The account of the Guillou family during WW2 is a heartbreaking multigenerational story with lessons for all of us.

Thank you to Eliza Graham, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A granddaughter who’s didn’t inherit anything from her beloved grandmother except for a compass.

A grandmother with secrets she never told anybody.

This book tells the story of Rozenn during 1941 France and how her granddaughter Morane goes on a journey to the Bretagne to find out what her grandmother never told her.

I really enjoyed this story. The lives of people during the German occupation are described in a realistic way and I could picture Rozenn and her family in her day to day life.

I also really enjoyed Morane and her discoveries and the “Happy End”.
But something was missing in the way Morane and her sister’s careers were described - maybe I missed something while reading. Anyway, it felt not complete enough. I could somehow understand Morane’s disappointment at not having inherited the house (or half of it) and on the other hand I didn’t care that she didn’t inherit.

The twist at the end was a bit shocking but still foreseeable.

All in all it was a book I really enjoyed reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy.

Now this is my kind of book...historical fiction, interesting premise, twisty mysteries and questions, atmosphere and suspense all wrapped up in a dual timeline. One timeline is the present in Cornwall and the other in 1940s German occupied France, one as good as the other. The suspense is not of the nail biting variety but seeps into your mind which can be a good thing if done well as it is here. However, this book was unputdownable and I read it in one sitting. It is about choices, family relationships (refreshing!), betrayal and consequences.

Rozenn, Morane and Gwen's grandmother dies, willing her home to Gwen rather than Morane who receives a silver compass. Everyone is surprised and Morane tries to hide her disappointment and resentment. Morane, however, happens upon an intriguing old letter which starts a chain reaction, one which includes research and uncovering family secrets, changing lives. Rozenn has a mysterious past which is full of layers and several characters contribute to unraveling them. Actions resulting from the war change the course of events and the reader does not know what will happen until the very end.

If you prefer your Historical Fiction less gritty, this is for you. It is fascinating but without the graphic details of some others. I like the little extras which add authenticity such as the Breton names.

My sincere thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful book! I enjoyed it very much.

Such a pleasure to read, chopping in and out of present and past to finally come together at the end.

Thanks Netgallery for the arc but, I could not get through this book. I just didn't like it sorry but, I have to admit the writing and descriptions were amazing.

I really enjoyed this book. A historical fiction about a girl in occupied France during WWII and her granddaughter's quest to uncover her grandmother's past and family history. I do enjoy a story that flips between past and present, especially relating family members and showing similarities in character traits. The imagery in this book was beautiful and made me crave being on the coast. I felt like this book added more family dynamics and connections compared to other WWII historical fiction novels, which was very refreshing. Overall, I would definitely recommend this novel.

I was instantly drawn to this book but the gorgeous cover and the synopsis. Part historical fiction/part mystery this dual timeline novel follows two sisters and their grandmother. The grandmother dies leaving almost everything to one sister. Morane finds this to be odd since she is so incredibly close to her grandmother but is left with nearly nothing. Morane decides to delve into her grandmothers past (WWII era when Rozenn was only a teen) and discovers that she actually knew very little about the grandmother that she adored so much.

This one was a tad bit of a slow started but once the background story was built it really took off and I ended up wishing it were longer at the end. Its more historical fiction than women's literature. The suspense of the last few chapters made the slow start completely worth it.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazong Publishing UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The story has a slow start, but it knows how to keep the attention of the readers. Brittanie is one of my favorite places. I haven't visited it in a long time (Bad Corona..) so i liked that it took place at the coast of Brittanie. Fun to follow Morie when she gets to know her family history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Family relations, history and descriptions of Brittany ,Paris and Cornwall. What starts out with a will leaving their grandmother's estate to one sister and a compass to the other sets up a story line that goes back to pre WWII. What family loyalty means and how one misunderstanding will alter those relationships,

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
Historical Fiction



Review:

This is a beautiful story about family, the bonds between sisters but also a story about self discovery overcoming hurt and finding your place in life. The plot is told over a dual timeline. The present time tells the story of Morane as she tries to uncover why her grandmother left her out of her will and made her sister the sole inheritor. The second timeline set in the past tells the story of her grandmother’s life during the German occupation in France. The characters are interesting and well developed their actions feel realistic as they are explained well.

Overall:

A vividly written story, that is captivating and interesting. The plot starts of slow but is well developed and it kept me occupied from the first to the last page. The characters were nice and felt realistic. If you like historical fiction or enjoy dual timeline plots this book is for you!

Review copy provided by Netgalley at no cost to me.

This is a character driven book that is a quick read. It was sent to me by Netgalley for a review. The book was Kindle free. It is not my favorite type of reading but others might like it.

You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham Pub Date: 3/25/21

Honestly, my review could be summarized into it's an okay WWII historical fiction, but unless you are a WWII book buff, there are better books to spend your time reading.

You Let Me Go is the dual timeline of Rozenn, an 18-year-old girl in 1941 Paris, France, and her granddaughter, Morane, in the present time in the U. K. Rozenn has passed away and has left her home to Morane's sister and Morane was left with nothing other than a silver compass in her will. Morane goes on a physical and introspective journey to find out why Rozenn let her go with nothing. After finding a letter in Rozenn's own home that connects her to Brittany, France, Morane journeys to France and finds about the life that Rozenn lived during WWII that she had kept quiet her whole life.

There wasn't anything terrible about the novel, but there wasn't much that was great. I did like that the focus of the story was on the sibling relationships rather than a romance, but there wasn't that much tension between the characters to create a great plot. It's hard to have a book about the journey to reconciliation if there wasn't that much to forgive each other for. Ultimately, I give the book 3/5 stars because while I don't regret reading it, I won't necessarily recommend it to others.

Thank you to Netgalley & Amazon Publishing UK for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are always my own. Pinky Promise!

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and the author for an opportunity to read and give an honest opinion of You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham.

This is much more of a historical novel than Women's Fiction. The majority of the book takes place during several months in Brittany after the German Occupation. The present day, and, I believe what was intended as the major part of the novel, involves the death of a beloved grandmother and the bequest of her lovely house in Cornwall to the elder of her two granddaughters.

The historical aspect of the book is well-researched and much more interesting than the contemporary sections. Told in alternating chapters, we meet Rozenn, the grandmother, and Morie, her younger granddaughter. Morie is in a bad way after her grandmother's death as her boyfriend, a gambler, has stolen all the profits of their joint construction business and abandoned her. As if that weren't bad enough, she suffers from the emotional scars following an accident, which is barely described and not until the last part of the book..

It would have been a much stronger novel if the early sections had moved along a bit faster. Having said that, the eleven weeks Rozenn and her family spend in Brittany and the introduction of her parents, older brother and twin sister (very well characterized), had taken up more of the early sections. Still, there is enough suspense and description of deprivation and fear brought on by war to make for interesting reading. . It's worth moving through the early days in Paris to see how the plotting comes together with much excitement towards the end. But don't be surprised if you guess the ending very early on. It seems inevitable..