3 Stars
One Liner: Interesting premise!

1940
Marie-Claire steps into the Gare de Lyon to flee Paris, knowing it will be the last time she will see her husband and son. She moves to Normandy and starts working in a café in the quiet village of Sainte-Mère-Église. She may think she lost it all, but her presence in the region could change the future.
1998
Esther returns to Normandy, a place she loved in her teens. It was where she fell in love with a rustic farmhouse and the family that lived there, especially the elder son, Jules Joubert. Now, back there, Esther discovers a cookbook that reveals many secrets about the place.
The story comes in the third-person POVs of Esther, Marie-Claire, and a couple of other characters.

My Thoughts:
It has been a long time since I read WWII fiction, that too with the popular dual timeline setting. This one sounded good as I could explore another region of France, Normandy.
The premise is solid. There’s no denying that. The alternating chapters for each track also work well to bring some suspense and keep the reader hooked.
However, both timelines have so much going on that neither gets a chance to be fully explored. Everything happens in 4x speed; one event after another.
Though you’ll want to slow down and feel the emotions, the narration (which is mostly ‘telling’) doesn’t give you that chance. We see how the Nazis were, what they did, et al. However, we cannot fully experience what the characters are going through.
The setting is, of course, lovely. I did enjoy the glimpses into the places mentioned. Some of the events in the book are based on real ones. That’s a bonus.
A couple of developments were weird, like an awkward kind of weird. I couldn’t really understand the reasons, TBH. That said, the book ends on a happy/ hopeful note, which I appreciate.

To summarize, The Girl from Normandy is a decent read if you want a lighter version of WWII fiction. I finished it sooner than expected, so no complaints.
Thank you, NetGalley and Boldwood Books, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This is a dual timeline book that fails to deliver for both. The present day story is dull and quiet frankly, clunky in execution. The conflict within the romance felt pointless. Within the WWII story, the action seemed glossed over and there was never any tension built that emphasized the danger they faced. And the George portion and the subsequent "reveal" felt contrived.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an absorbing well constructed novel. There was a dual timeline flitting between wartime in Normandy and a modern romance set in Dorset and France. While the romance was easy to predict, the plot was cleverly constructed an£ had a couple of surprises at the end without recourse to startling coincidences. The lead character connecting the two eras, Marie Claire was great, enduring personal tragedy and making the mos5 of her talent and bravery. It was interesting that one character found it hard to commit herself to a relationship because her father had left the family while sh3 2as a young girl. Overall a really enjoyable read.

This was absorbing historical fiction. From the start, Marie- Claire's life is turned upside down when her husband is shot by Nazis and her infant son is on a train south without her. Subsequently, hearing that that train was bombed, she starts life afresh and joins the Resistance. Present day Esther has a French friend, whose farm she stayed at as a 16 year old, still has a firm place in her heart. The dual times work together for a very heartwarming ending. I find stories of the Resistance moving, for their courage to fight for the things that we all hold dear; family, freedom and love, especially in such hard times. I enjoyed the range of characters and the qualities they brought to the story. Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

a dual timeline set in Normandy France during WW2, tells the story of Marie-Claire during WW2 and Ester in present day and how their lives intertwined.

What a page turner! I didn’t want this one to end.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc

The Girl From Normandy by Rachel Sweasey is a powerful dual timeline that enthralled me from the start.
The novel is set during World War II in France, and also in 1998 in Poole and France. We see the intertwining lives that have come down the ages.
Fleeing Nazi-occupied Paris, the lead character suffers an unthinkable tragedy. She is made of strong stuff and uses the pain to propel her into working for the Resistance. We see the bravery and daring that was needed as well as the ability to hide her true thoughts as smiles whilst listening to Nazi secrets.
The Resistance was vital to the war machine. Everyone had a unique role to play. Without the Resistance, there would have been no D-Day.
In present day a grandmother’s family do not realise all that she went through. She is the matriarch of the family. Her strength is built on her sadness.
There are parallels between 1998 and the war years in the lives of the two lead characters. Both are fiercely independent and both fall deeply in love.
The ugliness of war contrasts with the beautiful French countryside. It seems incredible that beauty and ugliness exist side by side.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl From Normandy. It entertained me from the start. I read it in just two sittings, pausing only to sleep.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

What a fabulous book! The story captured me and kept me interested right up to the last page. Great characters and a moving plot equals a wonderful story. Highly recommend.

An engaging historical fiction dual time line that is set between WWII and the late 1990s.
We are introduced to Marie Claire as her, part Jewish, husband and young child are fleeing Paris to the safety of South France where Marie-Claire has relatives. Tragedy strikes and Marie-Claire is left in grief. She is saved by a resistance cell and takes on a new role in her life as the cafe owner in a small French village Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. She undertakes resistance work with the cell and falls in love with Louis Joubert.
It is 1988 and Esther who lives in Poole in England has a strong connection to the village of Sainte-Mère-Église. She stayed with the Joubert family on a French school exchange. She has remained in contact with the family and returns for a holiday and reconnects with Jules Joubert the son of the farming family.
There is a cookbook of Marie-Claire’s that connects the two time periods. This is an emotional read as Marie-Claire suffers such tragedy and grief at a young age but she shows such strength as did many of those working in the resistance.

Another great book by the author set in a dual aspect time, part present day and part WW2 France. Featuring the story of Esther and Marie- Claire. Some shocking WW2 scenes, but full of bravery and love. A good holiday read.

A beautiful dual timeline historical fiction set in the small town of Sainte- Mere- Eglise in Normandy. The historical timeline is the story of Marie- Claire, she and her family are trying to escape Paris after its have been occupied by the Germans, a run in at the train station sees her lose both her husband and son. She ends up working in a restaurant in Normandy and helping resistance workers. Her recipes contains secret code. The modern timeline sees Esther who lives in Poole, in 1998, come to the village over time to meet her French penpal. She finds a note and the cookbook.

A fast past novel that moves effortlessly between the two timelines. Whilst bits of it were predictable in a nice way I taken by surprise by the ending. I enjoyed Esther’s second chance romance with Jules and the way the recipes and cookbook tied the two timelines together. The historical timeline was well researched and I enjoyed the resistance work and strength of the women. A quick but powerful story.

Another dual time line story set During WWII and the present. A young couple with a child trying to escape Paris during the roundup of the Jewish population and a woman returning to France to reunite with friends in the present are connected by a cookbook with recipes that the latter has found. I found the story in the past was much more interesting, the underground resistance, the strenght of the people, etc. The present day storyline was alright, but not as intriguing as the other. I would recommend it to historical fiction readers. A quick read for me.

A really good historical read. Marie-Claire gets left behind in Paris after her Jewish husband gets attacked at the station where they are trying to leave with their young son,trying to escape she meets Jean Babtiste and she finds herself working in a kitchen while helping an underground movement. Told in two timelines that work perfectly together it's a story of love,loss and courage and when it all comes together its beautiful and Marie-Claire who had an amazing life finally gets to tell her family all that happened and what she had to overcome to survive.. I really enjoyed it

I really enjoyed this dual timeline book. The main charcters were very interesting. And the story was heartwrenching , but maybe a little but too predictable at times. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

This story has a dual time line, WWII and the present. It is the story of a family enduring hardships and the future that they hope for. The characters are compelling. I
did foresee a couple of surprises at the end of the story but it was still a compelling read. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

The Girl From Normandy was a dual time-lined book.
Set between wartime Normandy and later, in 1988, Rachel does a great job of tying the lives together.

The book starts in Paris, 1940. Marie-Claire stepped into the Gare de Lyon and had no idea it would be the last time she saw her husband and young son.

She then fled the enemy's grip in Paris; she took a journey deep into the Normandy countryside. There, she finds refuge in a chateau and gets swept into the centre of the Resistance. She then settles into life in the village of Sainte-Mère-Église, working at a little café.

Marie-Claire dreams of hope while also grieving all she has lost. Her story was truly emotional to me. The amount of grief she faced and how she still carried on was awe-inspiring.

Later, in Normandy, 1998, a girl named Esther returns to the same village she used to visit as a teenager. She's returned to the farmhouse from her teenage life, the family she spent time with then, and Joules.

Esther finds an old cookbook in the kitchen, steeped in history, which unravels secrets from the past. Reading the farmhouse family's secrets was mouth-opening and full of twists and secrets.

Marie was incredibly brave and strong. I loved how the old cookbook connected the two timelines.
If you enjoy historical fiction with strong female characters, secrets, and all the emotions, I recommend this one.

An enjoyable read if you like dual time line stories set in WWII. I enjoyed the back story probably more than the one set in current day as felt some of that story at the beginning were not quite seamless. However, this did not detract from the overall sense of the book which did capture the emotion of the characters and setting very well. Would recommend.

This was a great book. I love the dual perspective/timeline story of it. It was not a quick read, it took me a while because it was heavy in spots.

The Girl from Normandy is a moving dual-timeline historical novel that blends quiet heroism, wartime loss, and rediscovered legacy with genuine heart. Marie-Claire’s resilience during WWII and Esther’s gentle unraveling of the past in 1998 are equally compelling, brought together through vivid detail, emotional depth, and a touch of mystery—perfect for fans of reflective, character-driven historical fiction.

In a quiet Normandy village, one woman’s courage during WWII sends ripples across generations—until a forgotten cookbook begins to unravel the secrets time tried to bury.

The Girl from Normandy is an exquisitely written, emotionally rich dual-timeline novel that effortlessly blends historical fiction with heartfelt discovery. If you love immersive WWII stories with strong, quietly powerful heroines and a touch of mystery, this one deserves a spot at the top of your reading list.

In 1940, Marie-Claire flees occupied Paris, heartbroken and alone, and finds refuge in the Normandy countryside. There, she becomes entangled in a growing resistance movement while trying to come to terms with everything she’s lost. Her work in a village café and her growing sense of purpose make her storyline both inspiring and deeply moving.

Decades later, in 1998, Esther returns to the Normandy village she once visited as a teenager. When she discovers an old annotated cookbook tucked away in the Joubert family kitchen, long-buried secrets begin to surface, setting off a chain of revelations that link the past and present in unexpected ways.

What I loved most about this novel was its unique lens on wartime France. While many wartime novels focus on the European front, The Girl from Normandy stands out with its focus on Normandy's rural villages and the daily courage of those resisting in quiet ways. The historical detail is impeccable, and the atmosphere of 1940s Normandy is captured with such care. The annotated cookbook was a particularly touching device, weaving memory and mystery together in a deeply human way.

Rachel Sweasey’s prose is warm and immersive, with enough tension to keep the pages turning. Sweasey writes with heart, clarity, and a deep respect for the resilience of women in times of unimaginable pressure. I was especially drawn to Marie-Claire’s strength and quiet determination, and I found myself just as intrigued by Esther’s search for truth decades later.

✨ If you're a fan of Fiona Valpy, Kristin Hannah, or historical fiction that moves you, surprises you, and fully transports you—The Girl from Normandy is a must-read. Beautifully written and quietly powerful, it’s one of those rare novels that lingers in your mind and heart long after the story ends.