during WW11 a German officer breaks into a hotel room and kidnaps a child. she has a twin sister, but he only takes one, will they find each other again?

An emotional dual time line WWII novel with a cameo from Coco Chanel, who was there when the German villain took one of a pair of twins. In the present Fleur, mourning the death of her grandmother travels to France when she learns she has inherited a house there. She discovers a box of memories and sets out for answers. As is often the case the "past story" is more interesting than the present one with the twins (no spoilers) who were separated experiencing much but always searching for one another, with a fake emerald ring as a talisman. Fripp's a good storyteller and this is a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the WWII genre.

During WWII in a hotel room in France, one of the five year old twin can stay but the other is taken, will they ever find each other again?
It’s a heartbreaking story but very interesting how heartless people can be but also the courage they have to solve mysteries from long ago.
A real page turner.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this story, this is my honest opinion.

France 1944 and Coco Chanel is in her hotel room with her friend and her friend’s five-year-old twins. Playing together, the girls lives are about to change dramatically.

A German officer bursts in, trying to take both girls with him. He barters with Coco and takes one of the twins, alongside Coco’s Emerald Lake ring. Coco gives the remaining child, Nina, an exact copy of the ring, which is a fake, as the jewel brings people together.

In the present day, Fleur is grieving for her grandmother, Nina, who has just passed away. Nina would never talk about the past. When Fleur finds out her grandmother had a villa in France, Fleur is astounded when she finds out about her nan over the years.

This is a traumatic and emotional story where historical fiction and romance go hand in hand.

Following Nina’s story from World War 2 onwards and then Fleur’s story more recently, I found myself captivated by the book.

A beautifully written story that I did also find heartbreaking at times. I feel no matter what my review says, I can never do this book justice. It is a book that will stay with me for a long time.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

First I want to thank Bookouture and the author for this gifted e-book for the upcoming tour.

I don’t reads much historical books so when the opportunity came up to read and take part in the tour I jumped at the chance and I have no regret. I had a fun time with this book!

This was a wonderful, heartbreaking and moving story and I love the writing style. The writing kid just instantly captivated me and I didn’t want to put it down.

I don’t cry at books, but this one could definitely make readers cry and I miss admit I did get a lump in my throat.

This was a wonderful story and one I will recommend.


Insta and Goodreads reviews to come on my tour stop date!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my gifted ebook to join the tour with my honest review.

The Emerald Twins is a historical fiction novel. It's set during the Second World War and the present day. It's most definitely an emotional but uplifting book.

We are introduced to Fleur, a young woman whose grandmother, Nina,has passed away. She is distraught because Nina was her mother figure due to her mum passing away after she was born. Fleur is engaged with everything set in stone, well, until Fleur discovers she now owns a cottage in France. She goes there, and she stumbles on a box of memories. It is much more than that...as she finds out.

Alongside this, the reader is transported back to the time of the second world war. We learn of twins who are split up in France by the Nazi's. What follows is a heartbreaking story through the years.

I easily become invested when I'm reading a book. The Emerald Twins had me invested m7ch more than usual. I had those pages turning so fast that I thought my Kindle would need replacing! Rich in heartbreaking historical detail and vivid characters, this was my favourite historical fiction read of the year.

The sadness I felt when reading about the Nazi regime and their Lebensborn programme. The kidnapping of children, raping of the women. I felt the rage of injustice with every word I read! Helen Fripp is one of my top go-to historical fiction authors. This book just further proved why!

WWII France, what a heartbreaking story. I have so much sadness in my heart for what those parents went through during the war. I was given an ARC of this book. This review is my own.

Dual timeline story about twins separated during World War Two and their fight to find each other. Modern niece tries to solve the mystery.

Really great and engaging story from a different perspective than many WWII books. Very interesting and ‘informative’

Great story, dual timeline and interesting characters.
4.*
Kept me interested and a different angle

oh this book will truly never leave me. its so wonderful . so full of atrocities but all the while full to the brim of such strength,hope and love. the time of war for all was horrid. for some it was even worse than we can bear to imagine. i cant fathom some of the it.
this book was about two twins who were ripped apart at that time. a event that ripped apart a family. a choice noone could ever make,should ever have to make.
i love the way we then follow these twins lives throughout the book. year by year we follow.
then we have the present day where fleur has been left a home. one she never new existed. and she soon finds a life she never new existed. her journey is just as powerful as the ones we are learning of the twins. and you desperately want her to find out what happened to her family. and you desperately need to know whether the sisters love and perseverance to find each other ever came good.
i dont want to talk about the plot but i so do. because i want people to come to this journey in the newness i did. with the same rapture and heartbeats as i did. all the way through this books grabbed hold of me and never let go. it was just stunning. the places the people all describe perfectly.
read this book. you wont regret a second of it.

The Emerald Twins is a WWII era story about tragic lost family, but also perseverance.

I love the way this book is written. When you are reading a chapter from the point of view of the twins as young children, 5, 6, etc, the writing mirrored their age. So the way the character was thinking sounded the way a child would be thinking. And of course, it was so sad to read from the young girls perspective, but just such good writing and storytelling. As the twins aged, the writing matured with them.

I enjoyed the way the story goes back and forth in time, from WWII, at the time the twins are separated, and then follows through their lives as they grow up. And then back to current day, where the granddaughter Fleur is doing her investigations to track down her aunt. When you read the current day chapters, you really are joining Fleur on her investigative journey, with every step and discovery as exciting to the reader as it is to the character.

This is one of those books that really makes you stop and think about all the atrocities that people went through during WWII. We all have a general sense of what WWII was, and the horrors that occurred, but reading a story of the tragedy that fell upon just a single family, and what was stolen from them, you really start to get an idea of the far reaching ramifications of what such a large war did to thousands and thousands of families.

Another part of this story I really enjoyed was that while this is a tragic story, the twins were able to persevere, while they never stopped looking for each other, they lead quite wonderful and extravagant lives. Lives that are really fun to read about. And that one Emerald ring that Fleur, and the twins, use to track each other through history. With such near misses in finding each other, this story is hard to put down as you cannot wait to find out if Fleur is successful in her search for her only remaining family member.

I cannot say as much as I would like about this book without dropping spoilers, but it is a great read, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture, and the author for a review copy of this book!

One life-changing choice. A lifetime of love, loss, and longing.

The Emerald Twins is a profoundly moving story told across two timelines — the dark days of World War II and the sun-drenched present of the South of France — about twin sisters separated by war, but never separated in heart.

As war tears their world apart, the twins are forced apart by an impossible choice. Yet across the years and the miles, their bond never fades. Through every hardship, they hold on: "I'm only half when she's not here."

In the present day, Fleur inherits a beautiful villa in the South of France — a home she never knew existed. Her journey to uncover her family’s hidden past is poignant, beautifully layered, and ultimately healing.

This novel is rich with unforgettable scenes of heartbreak and hope. From the building of the Berlin Wall to the shadowy reach of the Stasi, it captures the devastating ripple effects of history on ordinary lives. I found myself aching for the characters — for the near-misses, the lives derailed, and the fierce love that refused to be extinguished.

Helen Fripp masterfully weaves love, loss, secrets, and hope across generations. The characters felt so real that I didn’t just read about them — I felt them.

If you love historical fiction packed with emotion, hope, and unforgettable characters, The Emerald Twins is a must-read.

This heartbreaking read is set in two timelines of present day and WW2.

Telling the story of twins who are separated during the war and what follows.

Each story is different and you have to be prepared to cry this book is a tearjerker and very emotional

The author is a brilliant stroyteller and I was hooked from the start. I cannot wait to tell people about this book..

First off a big thank you to the publisher Bookouture as well as to the author Helen Fripp an to Netgalley for the invite to read The Emerald Twins because I'm so glad that I didn't hesitate and said yes when I was invited, because as you know I love reading historical fiction books that are based on WW 2 wither it's based on people or actually events that took place as long as it's done right and the author has done her research and in this story it shows 100% . Which means be prepared to have feel all of the emotions as well as having your heartstrings pulled especially since story is Heartbreaking and captivating at the same time . Plus it's told in two different time-lines so you literally get to see it come to life not just the places, or the time-line but also the people themselves.

This is a beautiful read but get the tissues ready.
It will remain with me for a while. Heartbreaking and captivating.

The Emerald Twins by Helen Fripp is a powerful dual timeline novel that I absolutely adored. It consumed my every waking moment.
The novel is set in 1944 and present day. The earlier period also jumps forwards in time at pivotal moments in the character’s life.
We witness the unbreakable love that transcends time and space, as we see the invisible bond that links twins – twins that were cruelly wrenched apart in Paris in 1944 by a greedy S.S. officer.
Throughout their lives, both twins searched for the other. “I’m only half when she’s not here.” They kept each other alive in their thoughts, often speaking out loud. “I don’t know where you are, but I’ve kept you alive all this time in my thoughts.”
There are some truly heart-wrenching scenes. The mother inside me wept for lives torn apart. And there were near-misses, but not close enough.
Black hearts were born, and continued in a similar vein to their father.
The reader witnesses the building of the Berlin wall in 1961. We see the far-reaching and underhand tactics of the Stasi.
In present day a granddaughter receives a surprise inheritance that sends her delving into the past for answers.
All the characters were well drawn, realistic and the majority were likable. The love of the characters reached from the pages to encompass the reader.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Emerald Twins. It is a book showing that true love never dies.
I received a free copy from the publishers. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I gave this book five stars it about two twins quest to find each other after being separated as children due to world war two. The book kept me engaged all the way through and deeply touched me and made me cry. i can’t wait to read more of helen’s books.

Historical fiction lovers will appreciate this fresh look at Coco Chanel, the Lebensborn program and the cost of uniting loved ones separated by war.

Told in alternating timelines, this story explores the journey of a ring given to a child in an attempt to keep track of her in the theatre of war and the quest to reunite a set of twins with one of the most pristine emeralds ever mined.

The storytelling was fantastic! I was caught up in a heartbreaking story and couldn’t set the book down until I discovered if reunification had been possible. In a fabulous blend of mystery and history, this story stands tall beside other 5-star novels in its genre. If an emotional read about impossible choices, three generations of secrets, and the lure of France piques your interest, you’ll want to make sure this one is on your reading list!

I’ve been dreaming about Pissaladiere and finding places to insert ‘stonking’ into my communications since finishing this amazing book!

I was gifted this copy by Bookouture and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.