I love Audrey Blake.

While this is a definite divergence from the writing duo's previous work, they nailed the world war 2 context.

Inspired by a real life woman of resistance, The Woman with No Name tells the story of Yvonne Rudellat, the first British female sabotage agent sent into occupied France. For Yvonne, her life feels disappointing and she feels useless. Her marriage is over and she is estranged from her daughter. She is caught in a job she hates and war is upon them. It's only when she's recruited that she finds purpose and a chance to remake herself. Underestimated at every turn, Yvonne throws herself into the work and the undermining of the Nazi regime. And she's good at it.

I think what Blake does so well with this one is show the desperation of all of those forming the resistance and the bonds formed by their likemindedness. Yvonne is not a particularly likeable character but she is surprisingly relatable and, because of that, someone you want to root for...and not just because she's resisting the Nazis.

Do NOT miss the author note. Stories of real life heroes are important and the notes the author leaves at the end help distinguish fact from fiction (where and why they chose to diverge from the real life story) and details beyond the story. It really does help bring to life the character...just save it for the end so you don't spoil the story.

Yvonne Rudellat is a Frenchwoman living in England, estranged from her husband and living apart from her grown daughter. It’s 1942 when Yvonne finds herself homeless after her building is bombed. She looks to do something meaningful and her familiarity with France makes her the perfect candidate to spy for the British government in her Nazi occupied homeland. She goes through rigorous SOE training and becomes very adept with explosives and espionage. There is a dual timeline that follows Yvonne as she trains with the SOE and a later one when she is active with the French Resistance.

This book covers similar territory as Code Name Sapphire by Jenoff, Madame Fourcade’s Secret War by Olson and Code Name Helene by Lawhon. Female spies have become a popular topic for recent fiction and many are based upon real women. Like the other authors, Blake modeled this after a real woman who worked with the resistance.

Yvonne’s courage and determination are on full display. She and others in her network are under extreme pressure as some are captured, some are tortured and some even killed. The spy story was engaging but I felt there needed to be more on the personal side. Yvonne rarely thought about her daughter and there was no mention of her possible extended family still living in France. It was as if she had no real roots in the country, other than knowing the language and the landscape. There needed to be more of her emotional commitment to the cause or to those she associated with. Despite desiring more details, the book was interesting and is a nice addition to the stories of women making a difference in WWII.

The Woman with No Name is based on the true story of one courageous woman during WWII who helped save countless lives and kept the Nazis confused.

Yvonne Rudellete's life has not gone the way she once thought it would, stuck in a loveless marriage, and with a daughter who is now grown she is ready to remake herself. She does that by joining the war effort and becoming one of Britain's first female sabotage agents. She uses the skills that they train her with, alongside what she has learned all her life to hide in plain sight, create distractions, and cause chaos to make life hard for the Nazis who have invaded France. With a crew of other agents, and French resistance fighters she really does set parts of France ablaze and saves countless lives in the process.

Overall this book was good and interesting. I loved how we got to see a different side to WWII with a female agent and the resistance working together to sabotage the Nazis. I love spy and secret agent books and this one did not disappoint. It did drag at times especially towards the middle when it felt like we were just constantly waiting to hear anything from Britain, and then in the last quarter everything was just full steam ahead and things did not stop. Yvonne and several other people in this book are based on real people and you could tell when that was going on because of how much more detailed it got when it came to the sabotage schemes.
I think this book will be great for people who enjoy reading about this time period and spies.
(read a finished copy from the library)

I love that this novel was based on a true story. The story is a tribute to resilience, sacrifice, and the power of ordinary people in extraordinary times.
Many thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an advanced copy of The Woman with No Name by Audrey Blake from the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: 1942, London- Yvonne’s marriage has always been strained and her purpose has largely been for her daughter, but with her daughter busy with the war effort, Yvonne is feeling purposeless. When she survives a bombing at her home, Yvonne is desperate to help with the effort and with the war taking a turn for the worse, the men in charge are desperate to find new solutions. Yvonne is recruited to serve as the first female sabortage agent, but given her age, expectations are low. However, her tenacity and ability to shrink behind the scnes, makes her a force to be reckoned with and her aptitude for explosives also helps! Soon, Yvonne takes on a new identify and head to occupied France to fight the Nazis. She soon becomes the most wanted by the Nazi’s

What I Loved: This book was really quite intriguing and I felt quite unique. It is rare that we have a middle-aged heroine in a novel and especially in a War novel. This book is well written and tells a unique story. I really liked the concept and it stood out as a unique book. I love an older heroine. She is dropped in France to make sure supplies get to the resistance and also serve as a decoy to the German aggression. It was great to get to know about this true story.

What I Didn’t Like: There are a bit too many storylines occurring simultaneously. Sometimes it was a bit difficult to keep track of the characters or where we were in the plot. However, I think this might be more straightforward if you read it, rather than listening.

Who Should Read It: People who love historical fiction. People who love books with middle aged protagonists. People looking for a unique WW2 book.

Summary: A middle aged woman surprises everyone by becoming the most wanted by the Nazis.

“A woman of your spirit and determination is just what we need”. Don’t underestimate the power of a woman. She may not look like the ideal candidate to be a spy, but Yvonne Rudellat proved that she was the right person. She’s not the ideal candidate for the war efforts, being closer to middle age than not, so she is constantly overlooked which plays in her favor. Audrey Blake develops multifaceted characters in this book that I could not put down.

HF set during WW2 based on a real French woman who hides in plain sight as a resistance fighter. I think this started off strong, but meandered for a bit too long -- somehow the tension wasn't fully there for me, even though what could possibly be more tense than hiding out from Nazis while also trying to blow them up? On BIKES?

While this was not my favorite book ever, I love that stories like this are being told. There were so many everyday, average people who did extraordinary things during WW2, and it's fascinating to learn about them. I tend to like a faster pace, which is where I think I ran into trouble with this book, but I think many HF readers would really enjoy it!

I usually love historical fiction, but “The Woman with No Name” didn’t quite capture my interest as I had hoped. The historical details are clearly well-researched and the setting is vividly described, which I appreciated. However, I found the story’s pace a bit slow and had a hard time connecting with the main character.

This joins a wonderful lineup of books about the many brave women who were involved in critical yet unsung roles in WW2.
Yvonne Rudellat feels like her life has grown small after her daughter and only child is married and joins in the British war effort, she and her husband are estranged and their house is bombed, her cat killed. But with her French upbringing and marriage to an Englishman and inconspicuous age she is the perfect undercover agent and enters France to be a connecting link between the British and the French resistance. She is trained in critical sabotage skills.... This was a great book that, of course, sent me on google deep dives.

This was a compelling read. It's well researched, and I love that it's based on a true story. The Woman with No Name is about Yvonne Rudellat and follows her time serving as an agent for Britain during WWII.

Her story is filled with suspense, anger, and determination. She was an extremely proactive resistance worker, and her efforts during the war were heroic and amazing.

The author does a fantastic job of bringing her and these events into vivid focus. Overall, this was an emotional read, but I'm glad to have learned about this strong and resilient woman.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love learning about historical events through reading novels, and this one did not disappoint.

Yvonne is a single, middle-aged woman who feels like she has no purpose in life. She’s lost her home to a bomb and all she wants to do is help with the war effort but keeps getting turned away. This all changes when she is recruited to become a saboteur in Nazi occupied France during WWII. Yvonne pushes herself during her training and finds a strength she never knew she had, becoming an expert in explosives. Upon reaching France with a new identity, codename Jacqueline, she takes charge and recruits her own team of saboteurs after feeling frustrated due to her male counterparts underestimating her abilities, simply because she is a woman. Yvonne proves to be very proficient at her job, and undermines the Germans at every turn.

This novel is based on the true story of Yvonne Rudellat, the first British female SOE agent to be sent to war-torn France. This story is insightful, emotional, and inspiring, and I enjoyed reading the author notes and discovering which parts of the story are factual. The characters are relatable, the emotions feel real, and the story feels authentic. I did get lost a few times because of different timelines, and the story dragged a little at times, but overall I loved this book. Great for readers who love WWII fiction with strong female leads.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an e-arc for review. All opinions are my own and are unbiased.

In this incredibly powerful World War II historical fiction novel, readers meet Yvonne Rudellat at her lowest moment (a car accident which injures her daughter) and watch her transform into one of the SOE’s most capable and powerful female agents operating in France. As she goes through training and liaises with the Resistance after taking a boat into France, readers explore the scope of her resistance work in France against the German occupying forces. When Germans finally pick up on her existence, readers get to witness this terror and the increase in the stakes of her resistance as the war approaches its final years. In a combination of brilliant character development, serious historical research, and vibrant descriptions and dialogue, Blake has created a stunning, immersive, and complex historical fiction novel. Yvonne is, of course, the star of the novel, but the side characters like Pierre, Denise, and Margaret, as well as other members of the SOE and the Resistance, are great characters with their own complex backstories and character growth over the course of the novel. Blake’s novel is a fascinating historical fiction novel starring an older woman who is strong, powerful, and capable and in a critical position of power in occupied France.

At first, I was slow to read this novel. Some of it was because of time restrictions, and some of it was because parts of the story felt sluggish and slow. But the more I allowed myself to become immersed in the book, the more enjoyable I found it.

Two things that drew me to this book were that the main character is a woman who has been overlooked due to her “advanced” age (as if 44 is old!) and that she wants to make a difference. She wants to be known for more than just her husband’s wife or daughter’s mother. Those two things made me want to know more about Yvonne Rudellat.

As Yvonne does her best in France, she meets and becomes friends with people like her. They are invisible due to their bland appearances, age, and occupation. Yes, a few of her friends come from elite backgrounds, but as such, they are overlooked by the occupiers.

Reading a book set during World War II that did not showcase or solely focus on young adults was refreshing. Yvonne is in her forties, though she is passing as a thirtysomething. Several of her friends are of similar ages or older. So many books in this period focus on characters in their early to mid-twenties.

As the story progresses, you can feel the tension build. You feel the stress and worry that Yvonne feels. Yvonne even feels pangs of regret as the end nears. Regret for being unable to tell her daughter where she is and what she’s doing. Regret for not mending fences when she had the chance. But not regretting what she had done and had to do. Yvonne was fighting for her home and the people there.

If you enjoy reading historical fiction set during World War II, especially if it's based on a true story, then you should read The Woman with No Name!

Thank you to NetGalley, Audrey Blake, and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC of this novel. Unfortunately, I couldn’t quite get into it. I feel like this book and the story have potential, but it wasn’t for me.

Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, time got away from me.

This historical novel - based on a real person, Yvonne Rudellat - spotlights the life of the first woman to go through the grueling British SOE agent training, in preparation for being sent to France to support the French resistance. Frustrated by what she sees as overly cautious (male) leadership of the cell she is to work with, who seems determined to keep her firmly in a role as a low-level message courier, instead of using her extensive knowledge and expertise in explosives, she strikes out on her own and gradually builds up and trains a very effective resistance network.

This is a compelling read, with action interspersed with background to help the reader understand this exceptional woman. Dual timelines cover both training and the period during the war. This is the book to counter the completely unrealistic schmaltz of "The Nightingale", which was so undeservedly popular, with what things were really like.

Quick and Dirty
-WWII feminist fiction
-plot-driven and fast-paced
-based on a true story
-older female MC

What Worked
I’d seen SO many rave reviews for this one that I knew I would enjoy it, but I wasn’t ready for the similarities to the two favorites pictured here. Yvonne reminded me of Nancy Wake and Nina Markova, my two favorite female MCs. The pulse-pounding sabotage scenes paired with the FMCs inner dialogue sucked me in quickly and kept me engaged throughout the entire novel. I especially appreciated the flashbacks sprinkled throughout; the author used them to provide much-needed context to Yvonne’s choices and Jacqueline’s actions. Yvonne was the first-ever WWII female field agent, which makes her stand out in the crowded world of female agents and WWII novel FMCs. She blazed the trail for all the brave women following in her footsteps, including the beloved Nancy Wake. She was a hero and deserves the recognition given in this great new novel.

What Didn’t Work
As much as I loved the action, I found it hard to connect with Yvonne at times. There are moments when you join her in grief, frustration, or fear, but as a reader, I struggled to connect with her emotionally. Perhaps because I compared the novel to these two favorites rather than enjoying it for what it was? Overall, I think there could have been a bit more time spent exploring the inner workings of her mind and heart. I appreciated the author’s lack of fluff, which is likely a reflection of the real Yvonne Rudellat. There’s no romance to distract you. There’s little deviation from the mission at hand: to be a fly in the Nazi ointment. It’s all action, tactics, and strategy, which some might find off-putting. Because of this, it reads somewhat dry at times.

Read This If
Anyone who loves feeling inspired by the brave actions of female pioneers should check this one out!

A compelling read. The danger throughout and Yvonne's daring exploits against the Nazis made this a hard to put down book

I enjoy reading WWII historical fiction, and was excited to start this story, given that it was told from the POV of a female main character, an undercover resistance fighter in France. The story started slow for me with the changing time frames and the backstory about her estrangement from her husband and daughter was a bit confusing. I felt that the story was a bit unrealistic at times in that everything was going well for the resistance network and that the dangerous actions they wanted to take or dangerous situations they put themselves in to didn't really have any real risk, there was hardly any interaction with the German occupiers. However, things picked up in the second half and became a more suspenseful, as things became more realistic in the risks that the resistance network took. I couldn't put the book down by the end. A well written novel told from the point of view of a strong women with fierce determination to do her part to end the evil of the war. I was even more surprised to read that the character of Yvonne/Jacqueline was based on a real person, which makes this an even more amazing story to read.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ACR.

The Woman With No Name is such a lovely Shero story. Women definitely rule in this work. Highly recommended read!

2.5 stars

The story follows Yvonne/Jacqueline who joins the French resistance during WWII. The book has two POVs but I really had some trouble following the main character Yvonne/Jacqueline in the past during her training and also in the now, working for the French resistance. The pacing was very slow. I think the biggest issue for me was that the characters lacked in depth and made me not really care about their story. I also think that historical fiction set during WWII simply isn't for me. I often don't feel the horror people actually had too face - I had the same feeling while reading The Woman with No Name. When the big twist was revealed I already didn't care enough about the story so it didn't grab me.