A remarkable WWII novel that traverses different time periods. The story begins in 1942 as Noemie Treves, a young Jewish woman is arrested and taken to Camp de Rivesaltes in Southwestern France along with her husband Levi. She is soon smuggled out of the camp to a home for pregnant Jewish women - given a new name and a chance to live in relative safety as she awaits the birth of her child. The matron of the home has her own set of secrets but provides a loving, caring place for Jewish mothers and soon becomes fast friends with Noemie. In 2022 Caitlyn Laurent is studying in Spain to become a missionary nurse. Her declining grandfather has family ties to France and has always wanted to discover his roots; so, Caitlyn and two of her school friends travel on weekends to France to do some digging and what they uncover surprises her family. Vichy France, German Nazis, loss and love and so much more awaits you in this incredible novel! Liz Tolma weaves a heart-rending story of love, sacrifice, and unforgettable characters.

What a beautiful story of human perseverance and resilience. The story is set during WW2 and follows a pregnant Jewish woman whose life is turned upside down when she and her husband are arrested and separated. Stories about WW2 always are so emotional for me and this book was no different. Tolsma did a fantastic job showing the atrocities of war, but keeping the story hopeful.

This book is absolutely amazing! It is a triple timeline story that will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. It's a heart wrenching story that is full of emotions, faith and trusting God to show the way. I can't say enough good things about this book. It's a *Must Read* book!
I received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

If you enjoy reading World War II fiction, this novel offers a great addition to the genre—so you don’t want to miss it. The book actually includes three time periods, but the main portions are set in 1942 and 2022. One seeks a wholesome future while the other explores the past along with trying to forge her way forward. The heartbreaking tale shares about those who worked to rescue children and pregnant mothers from the horrors planned for them in the concentration camps. Beyond that, it explores secrets and relationships and finding yourself and following your own purpose. The suspense and drama add depth to the emotional journey. Once again, Liz Tolsma pens a powerful drama that touches the heart. I received an advance copy from the publisher to review. All opinions are my own. #WhatIPromiseYou #NetGalley

Wow, I was completely hooked on this book! I loved all timelines (1942, 1955, 2022). The 1955 timeline was so poetic and gave me great imagery. I was in a rush to get back to the mystery of the other two timelines, though! The 1955 timeline kept me on my toes with little hints and my curiosity of figuring out WHO it was! Love how God is woven throughout the whole book.

A poignant and inspiring story of courage and faith in the face of persecution.

An incredible and moving story divided into three parts, it had a slower start since it took a little while to orient myself in each timeline, but the slower set up paid off as the pieces started to come together. A well written read that brings to life the realities faced by many in the midst of WWII, inspiring and full of faith, with great depth, and relationship building. I liked how it quietly wove together the past and the present in this emotional and inspiring story. Helene endures the unknown with courage, and I admired the people who helped her along the way.

Overall, an amazing story, well written with captivating characters, and strong themes of faith and light in the midst if darkness. Highly recommend!

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

What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma is the second book in the Echoes of the Past series and a definite must read if you love inspirational historical romances set during WWII. What is great about this book is that it has split timelines which are always fun.
1942-Noémie Treves, a young pregnant Jewish woman risks her life to help save two young women after finding her world shattered after being sent to a transit camp in France.
2022-Caitlyn Laurant is hoping that becoming a nurse on the mission field will help her forget recent painful events in her life along with finding and exploring the location of her grandfather's birth, but her search also reveals buried secrets that no one else knows about.
I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

This is Liz Tolsma's second book in her Echoes of the Past series. Each of the books works as a stand-alone read with no crossover storylines or characters, but I would highly recommend reading the first book, What I Would Tell You, because it is a wonderful read. What I Promise You is a slower-paced story. At first I was thinking the author could have omitted the middle timeline, but realized at the end of the book how that timeline actually pulled everything together. The earliest timeline, set in the early 1940s, tells the story of Noémie Treves, a secular Jewish woman, following her imprisonment at Camp de Rivesaltes in Vichy France. Noémie loses everything through the Nazi's cruelty, even her identity. Through the work of two Christian women, her life was spared, but would she be able to truly live life again? In the 2022 timeline Caitlyn Laurent struggles to cope with her best friend's death as she tries to live out the goals they had intended to achieve together. While her life was spared in the automobile accident, would she truly live her own life, or was she destined to live the life Lindsey had wanted to live?

The themes of finding and living one's calling, adapting to life's unexpected circumstances, and trusting God's plans for one's future are all explored within these two ladies' stories. While I cannot say this is my favorite Liz Tolsma story, I can say that it is well-researched and well-written, and I recommend it to fans of historical fiction. I am grateful to have received a complimentary copy from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley without obligation. All opinions expressed here are my own.

This book was so great! I loved how all three timelines came together. The characters were developed well. I especially liked reading about Helene and Caitlyn and how they each dealt with their grief and loss.
The only critique I have is that the 1955 plot felt repetitive to me. Yes, it held some mystery about who was narrator, but the majority of it was too similar and I felt some of the sections could have been eliminated without losing anything from the book overall. Can’t wait to read more from this author, as it was my first from her.

What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma is the second book in the Echos of the Past series by Liz

Tolsma. Liz received two awards on her first book . She writes historical fiction. She does detailed research on the history, location and the period she writes for her books. She hosts a podcast on historical Christian books. She interviews authors who have written Christian historical fiction books. The interviews are very interesting and well done. Her podcast exposes readers to more Christian authors and books. Her podcast is a great service for Christian authors.

What I Promise you is a split time book. It takes place during World War 11 , then follows the story in 1955 and then in 2022 with the great granddaughter of the main character. Noemie is one of the mail characters in the book. She has a beautiful heart of sacrifice for others. She extended herself to save and protect the pregnant mothers and children who were at risk from the dangers of the Nazis and the concentration camps. She protected the mothers and children in a maternity home. She is to be admired for her heart of sacrifice and service. She was pregnant and had so much stress to deal with during her pregnancy. Liz did so much research to help the reader understand the many difficulties of World War 11. We need to be reminded of all the dangers and troubles of World War 11 so We do not forget and have a repeat of the horrible effects of so many Jews going to the concentration camps. It is commendable to Liz to spend time writing about World War 11. Her book leaves a lasting impression on the reader of life and the troubles of World War 11.

Thank you to netgalley and Liz Tolsma, the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book. This book is well written .

The themes in the book are : loss, sacrifice, unconditional love.

I’ve been highly anticipating Liz Tolsma’s What I Promise You ever since I knew that it was going to be a follow up to What I Would Tell You in Ms. Tolsma’s Echoes of the Past series. What I Promise You is more of a what I would call a triple time slip novel instead of a dual time slip novel because it’s split between the 1940s, 1955, and the 2020s and centers around three young women, but mainly, Noémie/Hélène and Caitlyn. In 1942, Noémie, a pregnant Jewish woman in France, who is sent to Camp de Rivesaltes in Vichy France by the Nazis is offered a way to protect herself and others by accompanying a pair of young sisters from the Camp to a nearby Maternity Hospital that seeks to be refuge and protection for Jewish pregnant mothers and children. In 2022 Caitlyn is reeling from a traumatic event and going through the motions of life, barely existing. Caitlyn travels to Spain to train to be a missionary and to learn more about where her Grandfather was born in France and their family history. Both Noémie and Caitlyn go through so much life and trauma that it confronts their Faith, helping them to stand through insurmountable odds in their own personal lives, but their own futures as well that impact not only themselves but others around them.

Liz Tolsma’s books take you to places and teaches you about parts of history that you may not know of that keeps the story centered in Christ and What I Promise You is no different. I love the triple time slip aspect to the story because I think that’s very unique. I love how Ms. Tolsma’s writing unravels the stories of Noémie and Caitlyn, and the purpose of the third split timeline, and keeps me as a reader guessing how it will all turn out. Ms. Tolsma writes everything in such a way that every piece of the story is so starkly different and individual, but at the same time it comes together in a beautiful vivid story that keeps the reader right in the middle of it with the characters. I enjoyed the Maternity Hospital aspect of the story and thought how it was run was interesting. I’m in awe of the characters in the 1940’s/1950’s timeline and the strength and courage they had to make the sacrifices they had to make, especially in Noémie/Hélène. Caitlyn also has a Strength and Courage that is all her own and equally awe inspiring in 2022. I commend Noémie/Hélène and Caitlyn on how they chose not to let what happen to them define them and overtake them, even if they had to make that decision daily. Despite their story lines being decades a part, I saw many similarities in Noémie/Hélène and Caitlyn’s character that I believe Noémie/Hélène would be just as proud of Caitlyn as Caitlyn is of Noémie/Hélène. I love this story from beginning to end, being swept up in an escape, full of courage and strength and the Hope that shines through the darkness and believe you will to! I highly recommend What I Promise You by Liz Tolsma!

Have you read What I Promise You? What did you think of the book?

Thank you to NetGalley and The Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. Special thanks to Liz’s Launch Team and Tammy for a chance to be a part of the Launch Team and helping me get the information I needed for this post. I’ve really enjoyed it! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My review is also on Goodreads and my blog, Leslie's Library Escape.

What an awesome job the author did, and I felt I was walking in each character's shoes. This story is heart wrenching, and although we know the basics of what was happening during this period of horrible time that evil that perpetrated Europe.

This is a story of survival, and then family looking for answers. As we travel from the horrible time in the 1940's to the 1950's and then to present time with the arrival of a Granddaughter looking for answers for her Pops.

This story also show the love and compassion of those who helped others at their own expense, and we see this right to the end of this book!

This is a not to miss read, and it is so good!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to review this book. This book has three time lines 1942, 1955 and 2022. It takes places in the South of France(Vichy) and Spain. Each woman is going through heartache. No matter what the Circumstances that they face, they arise to the challenge to make the world a better place. This story is Inspiring and it will touch your heart. It kept my interest and it was hard to put down because I wanted to know more about the story. Love the characters in the book.

Rating 4.5

They say every building has a story, an unwritten history contained within its structure.

What I promise you was a powerful poignant story set in three different timeless which focused on the WW2 horrors in France and the heartbreaking results years later.

The writing was expressive, captivating and the characters easy to connect to and sympathize with.

There were so many ways the story could lead to and trying to see what happened held me captivated right till the end. There were some clues I put together before it was revealed.

If you enjoy strong WW2 stories, add this one to your TBR.

This book switched between three times: 1942, 1955, and 2022. I enjoyed the stories from 1942 and 2022 more than the middle one, and didn’t understand until the end of the story why it was needed!

This was very well-written and kept me engaged and not wanting to put it down. I’m sure there were many Jewish women who were expecting babies in the harsh conditions of the camps, and this book dealt with one woman with the Red Cross who aided in the escape of women and children to a nearby maternity hospital/orphanage. True to life and great story!

I received this book from the publisher via net galley in exchange for an honest review. Four and a half stars!

This story is deeply touching. It is told in three timelines. 1942, Vichy, France; Noemie Treves and her husband, Levi, are taken from their home by the Nazi occupiers and forced to go to Camp de Rivesaltes transit camp. Eventually Noemie is secretly taken to a nearby maternity home where many Jewish women and children are being cared for. 1955; the character who 'tells' the story portion is unknown to the reader as she visits the abandoned maternity home/hospital after 10 years away. 2022; Caitlyn Laurent, a missionary nursing student travels to Spain from the U.S. for her studies. She is determined to travel to France to learn about the maternity home where her great-grandfather tells her he was born.
The three stories are interwoven, and each stay recognizable throughout the book. I received an advanced reader's copy of this book by Liz Tolsma from Barbour Publishing via NetGalley. This is my unsolicited opinion about it. There is a lot of sadness here and questions of abandonment by God. This book is so well written, I can imagine the surroundings, feel the anxiety or grief, that the characters were experiencing. The writing is detailed with compassion and an intensity in various situations.
This is an excellent story. If you are interested in the time period, how generations may have been affected by the Holocaust, or the beauty of sacrifice this book could be for you. There is even a love story.

“What is right is not always easy.”
Promises made-Promises kept. It is always hard to keep promises when things are not under your control. And we must consider what God desires.
In the present, Caitlyn learns a hard lesson when she tries to fulfill promises made to her friend before a fatal accident. She promised to become a missionary nurse. On a side trip from missionary school in Spain to Southern France, she discovers holes in her family history. She is searching for the birth records of her grandfather who has dementia.
In 1942, under occupation in France, Helene/Noemie, goes through heartache when she becomes separated from her husband and is uncertain of her future and that of her unborn child. “Life will never be what it once was. We will never be who we once were. All the things happening to us will transform our lives in some way or another. For good or for evil. Will we hate or will we forgive.”
Another heartfelt story about tragedy during WWII and the brave souls who did their best under hopeless circumstances. This was a faith filled story recounting another aspect of occupation during the 1940s and how it affected people for generations afterward. The author did a great job of getting us to see this through the eyes of the characters.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour on behalf of the author and through NetGalley. I was not required to post a favorable review. All opinions are my own.*

Normally I love anything that this author writes but for some reason not this time.
I think it's because of the three different time lines. I'm not used to reading a book like this. And at first, it was confusing.
I think my favorite was the 1942 timeline. Historical has always been my favorite. The way she describes the events and places well I felt like I was there. The pain, grief, loss, and hope I felt it all.
My heart went out to this strong woman that went through so much. I can't imagine being in her position. This part of the story was awesome.
I didn't much care for the 2022 timeline. I'm sorry but I really tried liking Caitlyn. Something about her just didn't sit right.
Not much about what went on in 1955. So please forgive me I really didn't see the nessissity in adding it.
Overall, a very nice story just didn't care much for the 3 different timelines made things a little harder for me.
I will still recommend this book to others who may enjoy it more.
I'm giving this read 4 out of 5 stars.
My thanks to Netgalley and Barbour for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

"What I Promise You" by Liz Tolsma is set in 3 different time periods from different points of view. The first timeline is set in 1942 Vichy France, in a real life prison camp and a fictional maternity hospital. The second is set in 1955 France by an unknown female narrator for most of the story. The third is a young woman, the granddaughter of a man born in the maternity ward who now has Alzheimers, set in 2022 Spain, France and USA.

The story is woven together beautifully and the imagery in this novel is fantastic. There were times I could picture what the places mentioned in the story looked like it was so descriptive. This was a book that I had a hard time putting down in my busy mom life and when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it.

One of my favorite lines in this book is early on and it says, "But the years have this way of running away from us, and we chase after them with open arms in a desperate attempt to hold onto them. They always manage to elude us."

This book brings faith and trust in God to the forefront of your mind while reading it. It's another 5 star read for me in my favorite genre, historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Goodreads for the ARC for this novel. The receipt of the ARC does not impact my review and the opinions are expressed are my own.

Journey back and forth in time between World War 2 era France and present day. See the travesty and horrors faced by Jews in 1942 through the eyes of Noemie Treves, who is young, pregnant, and finds herself relocated to a prison camp with her husband in the south of France. Years later, witness the struggles of a college graduate, Caitlyn Laurent, as she sets out on a quest for answers to her grandfather’s mysterious past while dealing with her own personal trauma. Will the secrets be revealed before her grandfather’s memory fails completely? Find out in this meticulously researched work of World War 2 historical fiction.