I didn't realize this novel was loosely based on a true story until the very end when I read the Author's Note/Acknowledgements.

Amy Harmon has beautifully captured this story in a work of historical fiction. It's well written. It's slow at first, but after it picked up, I was hooked until the end. The character Deborah Samson is an awe-inspiring figure of strength, determination, and resilience, and Harmon does an excellent job of telling her story. I found myself rooting for Deborah until the very end. The book has all the elements of a great story- poignant moments, light-hearted scenes, heart-pumping moments of tension, and just the right amount of romance. Harmon's ability to transport readers into the world she has created is remarkable, and I found myself fully invested in Deborah's journey.

4/5 stars

Reminded me a little of the Avi books I read as a kid. I enjoyed this fictionalized account of a real person. What's funny is that some of the parts I would have assumed were fiction actually happened. The author did a great job of making Deborah feel like a real person and letting me get to know her better than I could have by judging only from Deborah's words and actions.

I'm glad the story of this person caught the author's interest. I'm glad I know that Deborah existed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional account of the life of an exceptional woman. Her internal conflicts were very well expressed. The settings and history of the times rang true with what I have read of that place and period. Even today women can relate to the desire to full and complete access to things men take for granted. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Deborah Samson had a tough life. In 1768, at the age of 8, she was sent away by her mother to become an indentured servant. She was only 10 when she shifted from working for a widow to helping Mrs. Thomas, a mother of ten sons. Deborah would never let anything or anyone get the better of her. She pushed herself to do every household task and do it perfectly. Mrs. Thomas was overwhelmed with managing her house and large family and Deborah was a godsend who helped tremendously. When not working, she played with the boys and they called her Rob; treating her like another sibling.

The boys were impressed when the she grew into a tall girl and proved to be faster and quicker than they were. She refused to be outdone by them. When the American Revolution called for soldiers, the older sons felt it was their patriotic duty to enlist. Deborah watched as one after the other of the boys, left to join the fight. Her inability to prove herself on the battlefield bothered her until ultimately, she bound her breasts, put on britches and volunteered.

When Deborah left to join the fight, her familiarity of living with men and matching their actions was not new to her. As a young recruit she was an excellent shot, was strong, refused to be cowed by adverse conditions and held her own. She fit in without detection and was admired for her dedication. But she didn’t anticipate becoming close to her commander.

Harmon wrote this story based upon the real Deborah Samson. The author took literary license to show a more personal story, but used the exploits of the young girl who joined the Colonial Army as the basis of a fascinating tale of bravery and perseverance. Harmon took the basic facts and molded them into a moving story of a young woman who would not be forced to conform to society’s view of women’s limited capabilities. She was determined to prove herself equal to the other soldiers. The fictionalized parts add drama that is somewhat overdone but the basic story of a female soldier is remarkable and fascinating.

Deborah Samson has been my favorite revolutionary war "hero' since I was kid. I was always fascinated by the young woman who dressed as boy to enlist in the army to fight for freedom. And even though her service wasn't known till later she in a way paved the way for later service women. Amy Harmon uses what little we know to craft a historical fiction novel imaging Deborah's childhood and her time as a solider and life after. Into a believable story about a remarkable woman that history all but forgot.

Thank you Amy Harmon and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. All thoughts are my own.

This is the story of Deborah Samson a woman who wants to fight in the American Revolutionary war. It follows her struggles to hide her identity while still fighting with all her might. It follows her from her first attempt at sneaking off to war. To her actual success of being enlisted and all the pains and battles of war. It also details how she was highly regarded by the men for her abilities and determination. Thought most never new she was a women. This is based on a true story.

This read is a must! I loved everything Amy Harmon did with this book. It was beautifully written reflecting a true story. I appreciated how real the story was reflected. I felt like I learned something new from this story. I highly recommend to historical fiction fans!

Content: War, injuries from war and fighting

Read if you enjoy:
American Revolutionary War
Historical Fiction
Strong FMC
Self Discovery
Love

Thanks to Amazon First Reads for the free book.

Deborah has an impressive lineage. She is the decent of known Puritans, but her parents are less impressive and she is indentured out at a young age. But when a kindly Reverend takes interest in her and helps her world to expand, she is set on a journey to pursue her independence as America is on it's own as well. And when the time comes for her life to either go down the expected path or for her to pivot and change her destiny, she pivots hard and disguises herself as a solider, enlisting in the Continental army.

This book had me contemplating staying up past my bedtime which is a huge deal with you have a 2 month old. And I really enjoyed Deborah as a character. I even enjoyed the symbolism used to parallel her journey with that of our nation's. Which is saying a lot because I'm not normally a super literary reader.

All that being said, as much as I love a romance in a book, and this one was very worth it, I think I would have loved this book more had it stayed more true to the real life story and empowered Deborah without a man. When I read the author's note I was a bit let down instead of intrigued like I normally am with historical fiction author's notes. But even with that caveat, I still really loved this book and recommend it.

Trigger warnings: horrors of war, some descriptions of sex (although mostly closed door)

This was one of the most interesting stories of "untold history" that I have read in a long time!

At a young age, Deborah Samson gets placed into indentured servitude because her family can no longer support her. She joins a family of 10 and soon becomes one of their own although she is considered a servant. While in servitude, she knows deep in her soul that there is a bigger world and a brighter future ahead for her but, because she is a woman, she knows it will be a hard uphill battle to achieve any of it.

With no intentions to go from property of a family to property of a man, she comes up with the idea to disguise herself as a male soldier and joins a revolutionary company during the war. She fights alongside men and disguises herself so well that she quickly rises in ranking. When she becomes an aide to a general, though, her life starts to become more complicated than she could have ever imagined.

This book was rich with history and the research lengths that Amy Harmon went to do not go unnoticed. It was fascinating to learn the story of Deborah Samson through Harmon's telling and her painstaking attention to detail engaged me throughout the story. I always say I love when I can learn something from a book and this absolutely did not disappoint!

I love when a book makes me want to dive deeper into a part of history I didn't know about! Amy Harmon brought Deborah Sampson to life SO VIVIDLY!

Only Amy Harmon can make me enjoy a historical romance! I cannot believe this is really based on a true story and wow was she impressive. I loved every part of this book because I felt like Rob and how believable it can be and how hard the war was for everyone.

I could NOT put this book down! Amy Harmon does it again, with a beautifully scripted story, bringing her characters to life and leave you wanting more! It’s a coming of age story, becoming oneself, standing for one’s desires, all while weaving Scripture throughout in a tapestry of friendship, family, community, learning and love. It’s a story of a country coming into its own with a cast of historical figures and events during the American Revolution and a true-life heroine that is strong, capable and intelligent. Bump this one up on your list!

Thanks to @NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

#AGirlCalledSamson #NetGalley #AmericanHistory #historicalfiction #WomenHeroes #AmericanRevolution

I love what Amy Harmon does in some of her books, bringing historical figures to life in a mixture of fact and fiction. That's what she's done with A Girl Called Samson. Make no mistake, these are real people (Google and Harmon's notes at the end of the book told me so), but here she's given them a story that's a mixture of fact and fiction. Hopefully the historical facts that are known will become more widely known because of this book, because their stories, especially Deborah Samson's, should be remembered. She's an inspiration - strong, smart, courageous, and determined to be herself and follow her chosen path despite the fact that society (and the Army) says she can't be. Harmon takes us through the pre-war period and into the war, onto the battlefields, into the war rooms. She shows the toll of war on the battlefield and on the homefront. It's all wonderful, and I highly recommend the journey.
Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

🎧 "A Girl Called Samson” by Amy Harmon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Based on a true hero, a strong courageous young women who believed there was more for her life than what society believes and tells her. Set during the American Revolutionary War, Deborah Samson was abandoned by her father, and sent away by her mother as an indentured servant. Deborah yearns for adventure, freedom, and the American cause, she disguises herself as a soldier and enlists in the Continental Army. She hides her secret and is an amazing solider- going above and beyond in all aspects. When she falls for her commanding officer and he figures out who she is, everything she has worked for is put in jeopardy. When the romance is reciprocated, it blossoms and we see Deborah come into her own.

I love discovering the untold stories of history and giving a voice to the strong women who might have been otherwise forgotten. Deborah Samson’s resilient spirit, devout loyalty, and courage makes
her someone all women should know about.

#bookstagram #letsread #somanybooks #bookreview #bookrecommendations #readersofinstagram #readmorebooks #booklover #bookishlove #readersgonnaread #bookishaf

I’ve been a fan of Amy Harmon since I read A Different Blue. Her stories are always so unique with fascinating characters and woven with the most remarkable storylines. Using the American Revolution as the setting for A Girl Called Samson, she once again takes the reader into another world, this time over 240 years ago into the midst of war.

Based on a true story, Deborah Samson character began as an indentured servant when just a child, living with the Thomas family and their ten sons. She’s a happy, spirited girl who has been treated well by the family, but she yearns for freedom. Then as a young woman, she disguises herself as a boy and joins the American Army using the name Robert Shurtluff.

Deborah quickly began to experience the horrors of war but became respected by her fellow soldiers and noticed by officers. She was soon promoted to serve as the aide to General John Patterson and became very devoted to him. Very slowly a romance develops between them, but there is so much more to the book. Most importantly, the goodness of these two people was proven time and again and all I could do was root for them.

Harmon’s beautiful words made this story flow so well that one can almost imagine being there in the middle of that wonderous history. She never disappoints and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Lake Union Publishing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC of A Girl Called Samson.

A Girl Called Samson is the fictionalized account of the true war hero Deborah Samson who fought in the American Revolution. Deborah serves as an indentured servant at a young age to the Thomas, who have 10 sons. She grows up as a sister to the boys, keeping up as they run, shoot, and learn to drill as the American Revolution begins. As the last of the boys head off to war, she decides to masquerade as a man and goes off to war too.

I loved this book. It is my second Amy Harmon novel and will certainly not be my last. Her characters are so well-developed and the writing is so well-paced and descriptive you feel like it is happening around you. I loved that Deborah was able to so clearly state that she was a woman who wanted to serve. Her motivations were such a center to her personality and service in the war. It wasn't that she didn't want to be a woman; she wanted to be able to act as a man does while still being a woman but that choice wasn't available to her then.

I highly recommend this book!

AH has such a talent for discovering the untold stories of history and giving a voice to the strong women who might have been otherwise forgotten.

And Deborah's tale is one that I know many readers will admire. She is a person who is easy to relate to - her desire to be given the same rights and freedoms granted to men is something women today still fight for. Her resilient spirit, devout loyalty, and general goodness make her someone you want to succeed.

And the backdrop of the American Revolution makes for a very engaging story. I wouldn't necessarily consider myself a patriotic American, but I enjoyed learning more about different events of the war and it made me appreciate just how much the people sacrificed in order to gain their independence.

So, all in all, this is another great story told by a great author.

I loved this book!!!
I didn’t realise until the end that it’s based on a real person, Deborah Samson who fought against the British in the American War of Independence.
A powerful, feminist story about following your own path, not letting people put limits on you and fighting for what you believe is your right!

I have always loved Amy Harmon's writing and was excited to have the opportunity to read her newest American Revolutionary War era novel, A Girl Called Samson. I was far from being disappointed. It was a fabulous book to read.. I highly recommend it for readers who enjoy reading historical romance. I will be on the look out for more future releases by Amy Harmon. This one is getting a five plus stars from me.

Overall this was a good story.
It read at a quick pace and was interesting to read about some of the Women who aren't that well known but had a huge impact on American's History. I would love to compare this to how well it holds up to historical facts.

Wow. Amy Harmon writes the type of historical fiction that will stick with you for years. This book blew me away, especially when I read the afterward and learned that the story was based off of true events!
The book follows Deborah, whose father abandons his wife and children for a "life of adventure." Her mother, with several mouths to feed, basically sells her children off as indentured servants, which was sadly not that uncommon during the time. The story begins when Deborah is taken in by the Thomas family, who have ten sons. They are kind to her, and Deborah is more or less raised as a sibling amongst the boys. She wrestles and races with them and is just as tough as they are. When the Revolutionary War begins and the boys start enlisting, she knows she is capable of becoming a soldier, and she believes in the ideals of the Revolution with her entire heart. She comes up with a plan to enlist by pretending to be a man, and the story takes off from there.
The book is incredible in that it gives a snapshot of what it was like to be a soldier during that time without bogging down the pacing of the story. Harmon and her editing team due their homework when it comes to historical accuracy, and as someone who has studied American history, that was so refreshing to see!
There is also a slow burn romance as a back story, and it was beautifully done. It's hard to imagine how a romance could develop that isn't tawdry or far-fetched, but the way it is written is so soft and subtle that it is easy to believe. Though the book is told from Deborah's POV, you can see the reasonings behind each character, even when you don't necessarily agree with them.
I will say that this is a fairly clean romance-- any eventual love scenes are more or less of the "fade to black" variety, but even if you typically read more spicy books, the love story in this is worth the read!
My first read of Amy Harmon was another historical fiction, What the Wind Knows (also a 5 star read) and I've since been working my way through her bibliography. I was so thankful to get an ARC of this book through NetGalley, and it's one I will be adding to my permanent shelves.