I loved the idea of this book, it had that historical mystery that I was looking for and enjoyed the romance element included. The plot was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed getting to go on this journey with the characters. Jordyn Taylor was able to create a strong storyline and characters that I cared about.

Jordyn Taylor has written some of my new favorite books! I love, love, love the dual perspectives/timelines. The themes of generational trauma, romantic love, platonic and familial love, and grief are so present throughout the book. The author does an amazing job of explaining these topics and exploring queer identities in different timilines. Bruna is one of my favorite characters of all time!

Un-put-downable. Completely engrossing and informative. Highly recommended. I really enjoyed the dual POV and the way it revisiting trauma with the grandparents balanced against the younger generations need to know.

I think this will be a hit with tweens and teens who are interested in historical fiction set during WWII. The fact that it features Italian Jewish refugees makes it unique, and the story is told in the current timeline with Lilah, before jumping back to her great aunt who was feared dead. Through Bruna we learn how she and Raphaelo (Lilah's grandfather) survived. We also discover her own secrets she kept in a time when to reveal them would have been dangerous.

I think readers will relate to uncovering family history, and will enjoy the author's note that tells more about the factual aspects and the parts that she embellished. This was a fast-paced, intriguing story that I think will be interesting to fans of WWII history.

The Rebel Girls of Rome is a touching story of love, hope, and survival during WW II. It is an important book to help us all remember the Holocaust to ensure nothing like that ever happens again.

The story flips back and forth between present day Rome and Rome in 1943/44.

Present Day: Lilah, a college student grieving the loss of her mother, wants to reconnect with her grandfather and learn about his past. Lilah receives a letter from an Italian student in Rome named Tommaso who claims he's found an old family heirloom linked to her grandfather. Lilah and her grandfather travel to Rome to unlock her grandfather's history as a Holocaust survivor. In the process, Tommaso and Lilah begin to develop a sweet relationship.

1943/44: Nineteen year old Bruna and her family live in the Jewish quarter of Rome under Nazi occupation. When the Germans round up all the Jews in their neighborhood, Bruna is separated from her family. Overcome with guilt at escaping her family’s fate in the camps, she joins the underground rebellion, where she is reunited with her childhood crush, Elsa. Bruna, Elsa, and the other members of the resistance do all they can to fight against the Nazi's.

While the story is fictional, most of the events in the book, as well as some of the characters, are based on historical events and people. This book really brings to light the guilt that so many Holocaust survivors lived with because they survived and others did not. It also tells the amazing stories of non-Jews who hid Jewish families and rebelled against the Germans in different ways. It is an emotional story but also an important one. Let us never forget what happened, so that history does not repeat itself.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Jordyn's first novel, but the summary on this one sounded much more my speed and I'm glad I gave it that chance. It was fun and flirty but also heartwarming in a really soft way.

The Rebel Girls of Rome – Jordyn Taylor
A thrilling and empowering historical novel that shines a light on the overlooked women who shaped history. Taylor’s characters are fierce and unforgettable, bringing the past to life with gripping storytelling and meticulous research. A must-read for historical fiction fans who love stories of rebellion and resistance.

Jordyn Taylor has woven together a contemporary story of healing from loss with a historic story of World War II in Italy through a cast of characters who are realistic, courageous, and enthralling.
Through the dual lenses of Lilah, a modern college student, and Bruna, a young Jewish partisan during the Second World War, readers see how family trauma and deep and enduring love bind people across time and space. When Lilah receives an email from an Italian man named Tommaso, she and her grandfather travel to a Italy to track down the truth about Lilah’s family’s history in the Holocaust and the lost heirloom locket that Tommaso discovered in his grandmother’s cupboard. Together, Lilah and Tommaso track down the history that their grandparents have never shared, and in doing so, they open the floodgates of their history. When they find a surprising connection, they find they are linked in ways they never could have imagined.
This story is a page-turner that brings the terror-laced days of the 1940’s into clear focus. Parents, teachers, and librarians should know that LGBTQ+ themes play an integral role in this story, lending added meaning to the book’s title. While these plot lines are well-plotted, they do distract to some degree from the primary story of the Holocaust and the bravery of the Jews who resisted and their friends and neighbors who supported them. This book would be appropriate for additional reading in a WWII unit or in a study of change-makers and rebellion efforts through history.

This book absolutely lived up to the Paper Girls of Paris, and I’m so glad I requested it as soon as I saw it on NetGalley. In similar fashion to Paper Girls, this book has two POVs—one from during WW2, and one from the current times. It was great to see the mystery of how everything happened pan out, as well as the characters from both times.

I’m always a little bit hesitant when it comes to dual POVs like this, but I loved both characters and their stories. I also loved the very sweet romance that bloomed in both times, especially from Bruna’s POV. I think her perspective, as a Jewish queer person during WW2 is not one seen often, especially with the background of Italy and not a more typical country for this era of historical fiction.

I also loved Lilah, and the the other characters from the present times. They all had something to work through caused by the scars from Bruna’s time, but they found their happiness and resolution by the end. Although the premise for bringing them together was their family’s mysterious connection, I loved how Lilah and Tommaso’s relationship really bloomed and they formed their connection, and really found out just how much they had in common.

This is a great book for anyone who loves historical fiction, but also if you want something different from the typical historical fiction books, with just POVs in the past.

Thank you to HarperCollins Children’s Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A wonderful WWII story full of romance and mystery. A dual time story that brings back Holocaust memories.i loved it!

I absolutely loved The Rebel Girls of Rome! This historical fiction novel pulls you in with its split perspective—one following a young woman searching for the truth about her aunt’s past, and the other bringing that past to life during WWII. The way these two timelines weave together makes for a compelling and emotional read.

One of the things that stood out to me was how immersive the writing is. I felt completely transported, whether I was walking through modern-day Rome or experiencing the fear and resilience of the Jewish community during the war. The book also sheds light on a lesser-known part of WWII history—the Jewish experience in Italy—and the lasting impact on families today. It’s both eye-opening and deeply moving.

If you love historical fiction that’s rich in detail, full of heart, and beautifully written, this is a must-read. Highly recommend! Thank you to netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I liked that this was a Holocaust book set in Rome, and that the narrator in the historical timeline, Bruna, is both Jewish and queer. The choice to set the story this way made it rather unique in the field of Holocaust YA, and the author clearly did the research as it pertains to the Italian partisan movement. I did, however, find myself wishing as I was reading that this was just a historical novel, and that there wasn't the dual "present" timeline. The historical story was more interesting and compelling than the present day one, and devoting more time to Bruna's story would have allowed for the author to "show" us more, as it stands the pacing is rather odd and some of the most interesting details about the Italian partisan movement are told in info dumps in the present, when I wanted them to be experienced (or experienced in greater detail) in "real time" with Bruna instead. I also wanted more substantive details about Roman Jewish life/history, especially because Roman Jewish culture quite famously has a very interesting history and distinctive traditions, but there wasn't much apart from a passing reference to fried artichokes when Layla in the present day goes to the Roman Jewish quarter. Ultimately this is a quick and engaging read that pulls on some interesting historical threads.

A gripping, dual-POV story about Lilah, an American teen who, with her grandfather, visits Italy to discover their family's story, and Bruna, a young queer Jewish woman living in Rome during the Holocaust. I appreciated that the book revolves around Jewish Holocaust stories that aren't Eastern European, but I also would have loved to see a bit more Jewish history/identity/culture throughout, especially as there is so much Jewish Italian history and culture that could have been integrated into the book.

Some of the pacing felt a bit off to me, particularly the romance set in the present-day—I think the author may have been trying to do too much in a relatively short book. But I largely enjoyed both the historical and contemporary plot lines, and I didn't want to put it down. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.