You Let Me Go

Razar is tearing the family apart. The characters I didn't care for. The dialogue and descriptions were okay. The pacing was okay.

Now and then I need an escape from my usual crime/psychological thriller reads, I was browsing Netgalley and the book description for You Let Me Go caught my interest. Firstly, because I appreciate a book with a dual timeline, (one timeline is set in the present, and the other is set in Brittany during the German occupation in 1941) and secondly I love historical fiction so this book ticked both boxes for me. 

Morane is left devastated when not only does she loose her beloved Grandmother Rozenn, but she learns her sister is the sole inheritor of the family home in Cornwall. Why did her grandmother turn her back on her? Perhaps the answers lie in an old letter Moran finds, which inadvertently takes her on a journey into her grandmother’s past, when Brittany was under German occupation. In her pursuit for the truth, she realises she never knew her grandmother at all as she uncovers secrets that tore a family apart. 

I genuinely enjoyed Rozenn’s story, Graham brings her story to life, I especially liked reading about her life in Brittany. The descriptions of her family living in a small French village occupied by the Germans, made it obvious how hard life must have been for Rozenn, not knowing who you could trust, and living in constant fear. The choice she makes weren’t necessarily the right ones, but they were made in fear. Ultimately all she wanted to do was protect her family. I found it tragic that these choices led to devastating consequences that shattered a loving family into a million pieces. You Let Me Go has all the elements needed for an enjoyable read, deeply rich characters, engaging dialogue and a compelling story line. A poignant, heart-rending story about love, guilt and betrayal.

Morane is really close to her grandmother Rozenn Caradec, as a child she loved visiting her house Vue Claire on the south coast of Cornwall and she thought she knew her grandmother well? At ninety six Rozenn passes away and she leaves her entire estate to Morane’s sister Gwen and Morie inherits only a silver compass that no one in the family ever has seen before. Morie has recently had a terrible time, now add this and did she do something to upset her grandmother?

When the sisters go through their grandmothers things, Morie finds some old photographs and a couple of pages of a letter. Morie assumes her grandmother must have left some clues behind, she knows Rozenn grew up in Paris, her father was a doctor, whenever they tried asking her about her life during WW II and she would change the subject. Morie decides to visit St Martin in Brittany France, nothing can prepare her for what she uncovers about her grandmother's past, the Guillou family and what happened to them during the Second World War.

You Let Me Go has a dual timeline it goes between present time and 1941. It’s a story about WW II, family, secrets, regret, suffering, lies, disloyalty and betrayal. It’s also about Morane discovering the truth about her beloved grandmother, coming to terms with what has happened in her own life, finally moving on and new beginnings. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me.

I went in to this book not exactly knowing what I would expect by the ending.

I won’t lie, it is a slow starter. For the first 40% of the book, it felt as though it was written for the reader to bide their time whilst the story grew in the background, which was so disappointing. However, once this point was reached and one of the characters, Morane, had made the decision to go to Brittany to discover the truth of her Grandmothers past, things really good interesting!

The chapters took turns in telling the reader either about the past, present or future. Most of these were based on Rozenn, was a Parisian who went to live in St Martin with her parents, twin sister Claire and her brother Yann. Yann was meant to have gone back to Paris or reported himself to duty to help the Germans, but the family kept him hidden at home. Rozenn who could see the troubles and problems that were being faced with this, found a local boy, Luc who was to help Yann get across the sea to Britain. However, on the night of the escape, things went awfully wrong, and the suspense of the last few chapters made it all the more thrilling when it finally came out.

Morane, was Rozenn’s granddaughter, who after discovering a letter hidden in her late grandmothers bedroom decided to investigate further. Morane went to the house where Rozenn and her family lived, and found out the truth which lie, ironically, between the family homes four walls.

I’ve kept this review rather sketchy, because honestly, you need to read it to understand why this book was such a good read! The only disappointing side, was the build up was too long which could disengage people to keep going. If you are going to read this book, give it the chance! Keep pushing through, because honestly, I have been going round my house for the last two hours yelling ‘OH MY GOD, I DIDN’T SEE THAT HAPPENING’.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I would highly recommend and will read more by Eliza graham in future too

Spellbinding. The book centers on Morane, the grand-daughter of Rozenn. Though close to her Grandmother, Rozenn leaves the family home to Morane's sister and leaves an old silver compass with initials on it to Morane. Morane has lost her boyfriend, her business is struggling, and she focuses on what could have made Rozenn turn her back on her?

Morane finds clues that lead her to Brittany which was under German occupation in 1941. The story seamlessly move from Rozenn's point of view starting when she was a teenager and living in Paris - taking us up to how she and her family fled to Brittany and what happened to her and her family. Her part of the story is fascinating and I was a bit sad to leave her behind when it switched to Morane's point of view. Morane's story, at times, was not as page turning, but still interesting. as she wound her way through clues. The ending was a bit too tidy but perfectly satisfying. I could see this movie on the big screen!

‘You Let Me Go’ by Eliza Graham

This book sounded really intriguing and I subsequently enjoyed it as expected. ‘You Let Me Go’ is a dual narrative format following Rozenne with chapters switching between today and the 1940s in a tale of family secrets. I enjoy historical fiction, and this is set during World War 2, so was right down my street. I’m also a sucker for a vivid book cover, and this one certainly drew me in!

Thanks to Netgallery and Amazon Publishing UK for the advance copy in an exchange for an honest review.

This book was one i couldnt put down .Alternating chapters of present time and early nineteen forties .Two adult granddaughters and there grandma as a teen ager in occupied France.Lots of secrets .the author did a great job of sister relationships and describing the homes and towns .I could see the homes and towns in my mind..i have read many stories about WW2 and this has to be one of my favorite.

This book has everything I love it: a story following a home, the intertwining of family and a dual story line.

This story follows Rozenne growing up with her Dad as a doctor during the war.

The other storyline is from years and years later when Rozenne passes. She decides to leave her estate to only one of the Granddaughters ( when there are two) leaving the family to wonder. This leads one of the Granddaughters on an exploration of her families history for answers.

This book covers all kinds of issues including family lies, deception, fear from the war, strength and love.

What a beautiful cover! That drew me into the book immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC of this lovely book!

This book was a dual timeline story involving two granddaughters lives in recent years and their grandmothers late teen years in WW2. It was a mix of romance, war, betrayal and family ties. I loved absolutely everything about this book apart from it was a slow starter for me and I was tempted to stop reading at some points but I'm glad I didn't. It seemed to be setting the scene for the first 40% of the book.

After the initial bit though, I couldn't put the book down. It was intense and had me gripped and constantly wanting to find out what happens next. The originality of this book was great, so much was involved and the dual timeline definitely made it interesting. I enjoyed the characters, they was described well and each unique. The quality of the writing was well done. The plot kept twisting and turning and even till the end I didn't guess what the plot would end like.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and rate it 4 stars, only because it was a slow starter. If not it would have been 5 stars as the story was amazing.

This book has a dual timeline which I always favor. It goes from present day back to the world war two era. Two sisters have just lost their grandmother and one sister inherits the coastal home while the other only gets a silver compass. Morane feels as though something is amiss because her inheritance was so much less than her sisters even though she was very close to her grand mother so she starts to delve the her grandmother's past and is very shocked at what she finds.
I enjoyed this book very much and I highly recommend it!

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this arc for my honest review.

This wonderful dual timeline historical fiction is a very enjoyable read. Set in 1941 World War II and present time its a novel about family secrets and family love. How events of one night changes the course of an entire family forms the crux of this novel.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this novel.

I enjoyed the dual timeline and how the book covered how complicated families and the relationships within them can be.

Book review on my site with link to Amazon.also reviewed on Goodreads.

Read my 4-star review of You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3823157299

I loved this book! I love historical fiction and dual time lines. Set in present time and also in 1941 during the German occupation in France.. It is the story of Morane who is devastated by the death of her beloved grandmother Rozenn and then heartbroken to learn her sister is the sole inheritor of the family home in Cornwall. She feels her grandmother turned her back on her and needs to know why. She finds an old letter linking her Grandmother to Brittany under the German occupation and she decides to go to France in search of answers. We also have Rozen’s story set in Paris and then Brittany in 1941. It is tragic and heartbreaking. Beautifully written and gives us a glimpse of a life in France during the occupation.

Available to pre order now to be released on 25th March 2021

https://www.amazon.co.uk/You-Let-Me-Eliza-Graham-ebook/dp/B08HN92DLQ

I will be honest. I almost DNF'd this book. I found it very slow and I really didn't care for the characters.

I love Morane and her love for her grandmother. When Morane discovers the letter and goes to the house to investigate, she realizes the truth was a lie. It was a good read after 60% of it but I was disappointed.

You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham Pub Date: 3/25/21

Honestly, my review could be summarized into it's an okay WWII historical fiction, but unless you are a WWII book buff, there are better books to spend your time reading.

You Let Me Go is the dual timeline of Rozenn, an 18-year-old girl in 1941 Paris, France, and her granddaughter, Morane, in the present time in the U. K. Rozenn has passed away and has left her home to Morane's sister and Morane was left with nothing other than a silver compass in her will. Morane goes on a physical and introspective journey to find out why Rozenn let her go with nothing. After finding a letter in Rozenn's own home that connects her to Brittany, France, Morane journeys to France and finds about the life that Rozenn lived during WWII that she had kept quiet her whole life.

There wasn't anything terrible about the novel, but there wasn't much that was great. I did like that the focus of the story was on the sibling relationships rather than a romance, but there wasn't that much tension between the characters to create a great plot. It's hard to have a book about the journey to reconciliation if there wasn't that much to forgive each other for. Ultimately, I give the book 3/5 stars because while I don't regret reading it, I won't necessarily recommend it to others.

Thank you to Netgalley & Amazon Publishing UK for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are always my own. Pinky Promise!

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing and the author for an opportunity to read and give an honest opinion of You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham.

This is much more of a historical novel than Women's Fiction. The majority of the book takes place during several months in Brittany after the German Occupation. The present day, and, I believe what was intended as the major part of the novel, involves the death of a beloved grandmother and the bequest of her lovely house in Cornwall to the elder of her two granddaughters.

The historical aspect of the book is well-researched and much more interesting than the contemporary sections. Told in alternating chapters, we meet Rozenn, the grandmother, and Morie, her younger granddaughter. Morie is in a bad way after her grandmother's death as her boyfriend, a gambler, has stolen all the profits of their joint construction business and abandoned her. As if that weren't bad enough, she suffers from the emotional scars following an accident, which is barely described and not until the last part of the book..

It would have been a much stronger novel if the early sections had moved along a bit faster. Having said that, the eleven weeks Rozenn and her family spend in Brittany and the introduction of her parents, older brother and twin sister (very well characterized), had taken up more of the early sections. Still, there is enough suspense and description of deprivation and fear brought on by war to make for interesting reading. . It's worth moving through the early days in Paris to see how the plotting comes together with much excitement towards the end. But don't be surprised if you guess the ending very early on. It seems inevitable..

This is a character driven book that is a quick read. It was sent to me by Netgalley for a review. The book was Kindle free. It is not my favorite type of reading but others might like it.

My rating:

Plot: 4 out of 5 stars
Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Character development: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

Recommended for readers of:

Women’s Fiction
Historical Fiction



Review:

This is a beautiful story about family, the bonds between sisters but also a story about self discovery overcoming hurt and finding your place in life. The plot is told over a dual timeline. The present time tells the story of Morane as she tries to uncover why her grandmother left her out of her will and made her sister the sole inheritor. The second timeline set in the past tells the story of her grandmother’s life during the German occupation in France. The characters are interesting and well developed their actions feel realistic as they are explained well.

Overall:

A vividly written story, that is captivating and interesting. The plot starts of slow but is well developed and it kept me occupied from the first to the last page. The characters were nice and felt realistic. If you like historical fiction or enjoy dual timeline plots this book is for you!

Review copy provided by Netgalley at no cost to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Family relations, history and descriptions of Brittany ,Paris and Cornwall. What starts out with a will leaving their grandmother's estate to one sister and a compass to the other sets up a story line that goes back to pre WWII. What family loyalty means and how one misunderstanding will alter those relationships,

The story has a slow start, but it knows how to keep the attention of the readers. Brittanie is one of my favorite places. I haven't visited it in a long time (Bad Corona..) so i liked that it took place at the coast of Brittanie. Fun to follow Morie when she gets to know her family history.

Now this is my kind of book...historical fiction, interesting premise, twisty mysteries and questions, atmosphere and suspense all wrapped up in a dual timeline. One timeline is the present in Cornwall and the other in 1940s German occupied France, one as good as the other. The suspense is not of the nail biting variety but seeps into your mind which can be a good thing if done well as it is here. However, this book was unputdownable and I read it in one sitting. It is about choices, family relationships (refreshing!), betrayal and consequences.

Rozenn, Morane and Gwen's grandmother dies, willing her home to Gwen rather than Morane who receives a silver compass. Everyone is surprised and Morane tries to hide her disappointment and resentment. Morane, however, happens upon an intriguing old letter which starts a chain reaction, one which includes research and uncovering family secrets, changing lives. Rozenn has a mysterious past which is full of layers and several characters contribute to unraveling them. Actions resulting from the war change the course of events and the reader does not know what will happen until the very end.

If you prefer your Historical Fiction less gritty, this is for you. It is fascinating but without the graphic details of some others. I like the little extras which add authenticity such as the Breton names.

My sincere thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this wonderful book! I enjoyed it very much.

Such a pleasure to read, chopping in and out of present and past to finally come together at the end.

Thanks Netgallery for the arc but, I could not get through this book. I just didn't like it sorry but, I have to admit the writing and descriptions were amazing.

I really enjoyed this book. A historical fiction about a girl in occupied France during WWII and her granddaughter's quest to uncover her grandmother's past and family history. I do enjoy a story that flips between past and present, especially relating family members and showing similarities in character traits. The imagery in this book was beautiful and made me crave being on the coast. I felt like this book added more family dynamics and connections compared to other WWII historical fiction novels, which was very refreshing. Overall, I would definitely recommend this novel.

I was instantly drawn to this book but the gorgeous cover and the synopsis. Part historical fiction/part mystery this dual timeline novel follows two sisters and their grandmother. The grandmother dies leaving almost everything to one sister. Morane finds this to be odd since she is so incredibly close to her grandmother but is left with nearly nothing. Morane decides to delve into her grandmothers past (WWII era when Rozenn was only a teen) and discovers that she actually knew very little about the grandmother that she adored so much.

This one was a tad bit of a slow started but once the background story was built it really took off and I ended up wishing it were longer at the end. Its more historical fiction than women's literature. The suspense of the last few chapters made the slow start completely worth it.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazong Publishing UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The imagery and the dual story line with part of the story being set in WWII makes You Let Me Go a winner in my book!

Disappointment, family secrets, a twisting, turning path to figuring them out and family relationships will pull me in every time and this book was no exception. I enjoyed the well-rounded characters and definitely found Morane and Rozenn to be the type I'd like to sit and chat with.

Eliza Graham has a talent for making the reader feel as if they are in the story. It's such a wonderful gift and I'm grateful she shares it with readers like me.

Pick the book up for a well told tale that will leave you wanting to read faster to figure out what happened, but slower so it doesn't end.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for providing an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.

“You Let Me Go,” a historical fiction novel by Eliza Graham, explores how trauma or a family secret percolates down through generations and affects both children and grandchildren.

Rozenn Caradec is dearly loved by her two grand-daughters and the feeling is mutual. Time spent together on Vue Claire on the Cornish coast is precious and full of memories, something Morane and Gwen are grateful for once their grandmother passes away. What shocked the girls the most was that Morane seemed to be snubbed in the will and neither girl could figure out why their 96 year old grandmother had been so uncharacteristically cruel. Gwen was left the entire estate and Morane was left a simple engraved silver compass. Adding to the hurt is the fact that Morane is in pain; she has lost her boyfriend, her job and is dealing with pain associated with an accident.

As the girls start to go through Rozenn’s memorabilia, they find photos and letters which confirm her childhood in Paris and teen years in occupied Brittany. Morane knows there must be a reason for her grandmother’s choice, so she heads to Brittany to search for clues to her past. Morane discovers that sometimes the truth can be painful and that humans will go to great lengths to protect loved ones. She also comes to terms with the idea that there was a side to her grandmother that was kept hidden and that she didn’t really know her at all. Her world is turned upside down with the discovery that her grandmother had an identical twin, Claire, and that the girls once had to make a terrible sacrifice on a remote Brittany beach. Regardless of the reasons for this heartbreaking decision, there’s generational trickle-down issues and questions arise. Can Morane live with what she finds? Is it enough to help her repair her sibling relationship?

A little difficult to get into at first, this dual timeline story alternates between present and 1941. If you stick with it, you’ll be rewarded with a moving story about a family with secrets and how betrayal and regrets are the biproducts of keeping it hidden. Another reward of sticking with it is that you’ll be treated to an ending that you will not see coming! You’ll also uncover the author’s message about how important it is to accept our past, learn from it, draw a line and move on. Growth comes on the other side of the line. The account of the Guillou family during WW2 is a heartbreaking multigenerational story with lessons for all of us.

Thank you to Eliza Graham, Amazon Publishing UK, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

A granddaughter who’s didn’t inherit anything from her beloved grandmother except for a compass.

A grandmother with secrets she never told anybody.

This book tells the story of Rozenn during 1941 France and how her granddaughter Morane goes on a journey to the Bretagne to find out what her grandmother never told her.

I really enjoyed this story. The lives of people during the German occupation are described in a realistic way and I could picture Rozenn and her family in her day to day life.

I also really enjoyed Morane and her discoveries and the “Happy End”.
But something was missing in the way Morane and her sister’s careers were described - maybe I missed something while reading. Anyway, it felt not complete enough. I could somehow understand Morane’s disappointment at not having inherited the house (or half of it) and on the other hand I didn’t care that she didn’t inherit.

The twist at the end was a bit shocking but still foreseeable.

All in all it was a book I really enjoyed reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy.

i am thankful to the publisher for providing me the arc.It was quite a read.The characters were okay.the story was bit dragging

ctual rating: 4.5


**Disclaimer:** I would like to personally thank Amazon Publishing UK, Eliza Graham, and Netgalley for this exclusive read of “You Let Me Go” in exchange for a review and my honest opinion of the book. The Publisher, Netgalley, nor the author has paid anything in monetary value for this following review. All thoughts are of the reviewer.


This book was a very surprising and interesting read. Before I finished this book, I had really felt that that special ingredient was missing in this book. When I had starting to get to the end of the book; that is when it had really, really sucked me in.

While this is a historical fiction book, I would say that 50% does take place during the Second World War in France and the other half takes place in modern day England.

In the present time aspect of the book, we are introduced to sisters Gwen and Morie. While they were close when they were younger, their relationship in the previous years has been hanging by a thread. This thread only starts to stretch when their recently deceased grandmother, Rozenn, leaves her home to the oldest sister, Gwen while Morie is left with a compass.

Morie’s life has been quite the rollercoaster lately as well. From learning of an ex-boyfriend’s betrayal to the crumpling of her business. Her dad and sister think that Morie is on the brink of a nervous breakdown.

In order to also set aside some of the guilt that Gwen feels from Morie getting left out of the will; Gwen asks for her help with renovations with Vue Claire. Until one night, after a crime had taken place at Vue Claire; Morie finds a letter that is set to change everything she has ever known. Her life is about to change. Will what she learns destroy her family and the memory of her beloved grandmother?

In the past aspect of the book, we learn of Rozenn’s family. She is 18 when her family leaves for the village port of St. Martin. Her father is a doctor and is sent to the restricted zone as the new doctor there. What should be a new opportunity for the family has the family on edge. In a town where everyone knows everyones business. One mouth to the Nazis will put the whole family in danger.

Rozenn will reset at nothing to protect her family, even if this includes to letting those know what could break her family apart forever. Rozenn quickly learn how to use her contacts to get what she wants. However, will those contacts help or hurt her when she needs them.

If you are a fan of historical fiction, then You Let Me Go is for you. If you are into quick, fast-paced books then I suggest looking elsewhere. The book really did not start opening up until towards the end. If you are patient, I promise this book will be worth it in the end!

This is my sort of book, historical fiction with a dual timeline, this book did not disappoint. Morane is devastated when her beloved Grandmother Rozenn passes away. She then discovers that her sister has been left the family home in Cornwall where they spent many a holiday visiting their grandmother. Morane is left a silver compass. While helping her sister with renovating the cottage she finds a page of a letter that has links to a village in Brittany. She decides to visit the small village to revisit her grandmothers past. The story is told from Moranes's perspective and also Rozenn's, back in 1941 during German occupation.
I received this book from Netgalley and publishers in exchange for an honest review

I really enjoyed this book. It had me hooked from the start, I just couldn’t put it down.
Will definitely look out for more from this author.

This was a wonderful story about family and regrets and what happened in a small island town when they were German occupied. I loved the historical information, something I hadn't read much about for this area. I loved the perspective of the two storylines - the current granddaughter and then the grandmother in her youth. It was a great well to tell the story. I was nervous we wouldn't get the final details but we do, and I loved them. Great story, well told.

This is just the kind of historical fiction that I like to read! Wonderful story with amazing characters! Highly highly recommend

Long Buried Family Secrets Find Closure. Here, we get an interesting spin on this oft-travelled subject and technique. So many books of this genre want to take place primarily in the past with only the occasional jump to the future (ala Titanic), but here Graham sticks remarkably close to alternating every single chapter past and present. The past storyline is, perhaps, a touch more urgent, as it involves hiding a brother and trying to smuggle him out of France in 1941. But the present storyline has more of the "women's fiction" elements of a woman trying to find herself after the tragic loss of her grandmother soon after the loss of her significant other and business partner... and stumbling across things about her grandmother that had never been known in the family, which leads to her quest and ultimately the resolution of both timelines. Both timelines worked quite well, and it is indeed rare to see a single book blend elements of the two distinct genres together so effectively - which speaks to just how good Graham is. Very much recommended.

I really enjoyed this one! I couldn't read it fast enough. I don't typically read this genre, but this one was intriguing. I couldn't wait to finish and see how the plot tied together. The transitions between the main two point of views was perfect and seamless. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Family First

A story of two sisters in modern day and a story of two sisters during WWII. A family secret, and a daring escape.

Morane and her sister Gwen often visit their grandmother at her seaside home Vue Claire. When their grandmother passes away she leaves Vue Claire to Gwen and a shiny silver compass to Morane. What Morane can't understand is why the house was left only to her sister and not to both granddaughters. This leads Morane to try and find out what happened to her grandparents during the war.

During the war two twin sisters Claire and Rozenn lived in Paris. Their father was a doctor. When the German Occupation happened they moved to the country by the sea to hide her brother Yann from the Germans so they would not send him to a Labour camp. When Rozenn set up a rescue boat for Yann to leave for England the rescue went horribly wrong.

These two stories are told as the young woman Morane researching the past after the death of her grandmother. The story is sad and it is happy, The ending is a surprise, but it is a good ending.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Eliza Graham, Amazon Publishing U.K., Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.

Ah yes, another WW2 novel with alternating viewpoints and a modern day narrator uncovering secrets of the past, while the past plays out in alternate chapters.

In modern day Cornwall, Morane is doubly devastated by her grandmother's death and the fact that her grandmother mysteriously left her home on the shore to her sister and her sister alone. Compelled to uncover the reason behind the oversight, Morane goes on a journey to Brittany where she uncovers the truth of her grandmother's mysterious past during the war, one she refused to talk about while she was alive. What she discovers is the story of a family doing their best to survive the horrors of the war, while doing what they thought was best for themselves.

Though I feel like I've read this type of story many times before, You Let Me Go was compelling and I enjoyed the development of the main characters across generations as they come to terms with the truths of their lives and how to best share those truths with their families.

The book was OK, not my favorite. I would give it 2.5 stars. The beginning was very slow and I found it hard to get into the story. I didn't care for the characters- Rozenn and Morane. Rozenn wasn't very nice to her sister. I didn't understand the scene with Theo. It didn't fit in and seemed unnecessary, plus he's barely mentioned throughout the rest of the book. If Yann was really trying to hide from the Germans, he did a horrible job of it. His family risked everything for him and he does the opposite of keeping himself hidden. I'm certain everyone in the small community knew he was there. Morane refused any help from her family, even though she obviously needed it. She reminded me so much of Rozenn. The story didn't become interesting until Morane visits France and all is finally revealed about the family.

Recommend giving the book a try, it just wasn't for me. I loved "The Lines We Leave Behind" and look forward to reading more books by the author. I love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had everything I love to read about, the Second World War, a dual time-line and a story that I could really get my teeth into. This was a first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

The cover of You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham caught my eye and drew me into the story. The story is told with alternating timelines. But don't let that distract you. The story started a bit slow. But keep going as you won't be disappointed. A very solid read with intense moments and good character development. The story held my interest throughout, after a bit of a slow start.

#YouLetMeGo #NetGalley

★★★ 3.5 stars

What drew me to this book initially was the premise and two things I further noted - Cornwall and dual timeline. I seemed to be drawn to stories set in Cornwall, particularly one that is dual timeline. And the mystery to one's past sounded like an exciting aspect I looked forward to peeling away.

But...I won't lie. YOU LET ME GO is a slow starter. So slow I wondered when it was ever going to get there. I wouldn't say the first half of the story is superfluous because it does give you the background of what's to come. I just wish it got there quicker. It's not until the second half of the book, after Morie makes the decision to travel to Brittany to uncover the truth of her grandmother's past that things really start to get interesting. Does it make trudging through the first half worth it? I think so...eventually.

Devastated by the loss of her beloved grandmother Morane is equally at a loss to learn that her sister Gwen is the sole beneficiary to inherit Rozenn's beautiful home, Vue Claire, in Cornwall. All that Morie had been bequeathed was an old silver compass with initials engraved on the back. Feeling somewhat guilty, Gwen assures Morie that she would have the deeds changed to reflect both sisters as co-owners. But Morie refuses. Rozenn had her reasons...if only Morie could understand why.

Having suffered her own tragedies in recent times with an accident (not fully revealed till about halfway through), the loss of her business and partner, Morie is now struggling to rebuild her own business as a property manager rebuilding and renovating properties for clients. Her business is based in London but her heart is in Cornwall, and so she finds herself making any excuse to travel back to Vue Claire and help Gwen redecorate the house. It's while she is there that she makes a puzzling discovery. A single page from a letter in a hand Morie didn't recognise. The contents are equally puzzling as they don't appear to make much sense despite her name being mentioned. Who wrote this letter to Rozenn and why did the writer mention making contact with her? She has received no communication from anyone to do with Rozenn. So what is this all about?

The letter takes her back to some old photos she'd come across in an old album along with some sketches of birds and mice. It seems her grandmother had a deft hand at drawing though she never seemed to pursue it, choosing instead to become an architect. Some of the photos seem to puzzle her also...particularly two of Rozenn as a little girl in the 20s, sitting on a beach. In one she appears serious and contemplative whilst in the other she is beaming at the camera. And although the photos appeared to be taken on the same day, she is wearing two different bathing costumes. Why? It made no sense to Morie at all. Then when she discovers a second page to the letter it is then that Morie makes the sudden decision to travel to Brittany and to the village St Martin, which is mentioned more than once. What does St Martin have to do with Rozenn? And more importantly, what does it have to with her?

It's 1941 and eighteen year old Rozenn has had to leave all that she knows and love in Paris as she and her family travel to St Martin to live for an indefinite period. France under German occupation is a dangerous place and the family need special permits to travel to the village port of St Martin, a restricted zone. But they are desperate. Germany is bringing in forced labour for men of working age, and that includes Rozenn's brother Yann who has only just recovered from his time in a German camp. As French residents, they are required to register with the German authorities as to where they are living and while they are registered in St Martin, Rozenn's brother Yann is not. And so they keep him hidden in the outbuildings of the house on the cliff in which they now live...a far cry from the pampered lifestyle of their apartment in Paris.

In the village, Rozenn keeps to herself while not drawing attention to herself or her family but a woman with her looks is not forgotten in a hurry. She meets some of the locals - Luc, Martine and a delightful Irish woman, Madame O'Donnell. But she still yearns for Paris. Life in the house on the cliffs is primitive at best. In Paris she had a bidet; here the privy is in an outbuilding. But like her family, Rozenn had to make the best of things. It wasn't forever...just until they could get Yann to safety. Her doctor father didn't appear to be making any headway with this so Rozenn made enquiries with local boy Luc about fishing boats aiding an escape. It was a dangerous move, as Luc reminded her, for if they were caught...but Rozenn's family were desperate. It wouldn't be long before the Germans discovered an unregistered man living in their outbuildings and then they would all be punished.

The boat was to take Yann to Britain, where he could maybe join the Free French and fight for their freedom, but on the night of the escape things go horribly wrong...changing the course of Rozenn's history of which she would never speak again.

So what became of Yann? And Rozenn's family? And their primitive house on the cliff? How had Rozenn come to be in England? And why would she never talk about it? And what is it about St Martin that holds the secrets to Rozenn's past?

After the initial first 50%, I couldn't put the book down. But that first half was dreadfully slow and seemed to be weighed down with a few unnecessary aspects and could have moved a little quicker had they been removed. For example, Theo. I don't understand the point of his presence at the beginning. It didn't go anywhere, it wasn't integral to the story and then he was barely mentioned throughout the rest of the book...so why was it even there? And the constant referral to Morane's "accident" throughout the first half without actually saying what it is until she gets to France...what's the big secret? Again, not integral to the story. It was just an incident which occurred that didn't seem to be wholly important, except to keep Morie from actually moving forward. Once it was revealed, I was like...so, that's it?

That being said, YOU LET ME GO is a compelling tale taking us back to the past as well as keeping us in the present. It alternates between 1941 and the present day in each chapter from Rozenn's and Morane's perspectives. There is one chapter from Rozenn's sister Claire's perspective towards the end but apart from that, it is Rozenn and Morane's story. At first I was confused as to where I was as there was no "header" as such to each chapter letting the reader know in which era the chapter is set, but after a while you become familiar with how the story is told and it no longer becomes an issue...but at first it was.

Although I didn't much care for Rozenn, her story was intriguing but she wasn't very nice to her sister and she was a bit of a snob. The villagers could see it and the reader can see it. The turning point for her was probably the escape which was more than likely a penultimate time in her life. I think part of Rozenn remained as such because even after her death she seemed to be unreachable. No one, not even her son or granddaughters, knew anything of her past apart from the fact she came from Paris. Was she ashamed of the part she played in whatever became of her family? Did she feel guilty that they may have all been captured and thus suffered at the hands of the Germans while she got away? Guilty that it was meant to be Yann's escape, not hers? I don't know. Rozenn was a closed book both during her life and after her death.

I wasn't particularly enamoured with Morane either, but I applaud her doggedness at seeing her journey through. She got her answers in the end as did the reader. She just she seemed to be submerged in her misfortune a little too much whilst refusing help from those around her. And then when she found something to sink her teeth into she kept second guessing herself. I don't know - maybe it was that, maybe it wasn't. It's just something about her didn't endear me to her.

I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the second half of YOU LET ME GO which was intense and had me engaged from 50% onwards. I found myself trying to work out what went wrong, what happened and what it all meant. There were twists and even I didn't guess how it would end.

If you love your books quick and fast-paced, then this one isn't for you. The beginning is very slow and did not really start until about 50% but if you are patient, I promise it will be worth it in the end.

I would like to thank #ElizaGraham, #RachelsRandomResources, #Netgalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #YouLetMeGo in exchange for an honest review.

You Let Me Go is a dual timeline book set in WWII France and modern day England. The opening almost had me quitting the book but I kept going and after a few chapters was interested in how it played out. It's tough to summarize this book about a beloved grandmother and her secrets. Eventually most of the secrets come to life and are resolved. I enjoyed the timeline set in rural France during the war a bit more than the modern story but this is a solid 4 star book. I'd recommend it to my book club.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my advanced reader copy of this book.

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley. Although it is a WWII novel it occurs in dual timelines spanning 75 years and decades of family history. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys the little known stories of WWII.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and had a nice pace to it. I would recommend this book for others to read.

This was a simply wonderful read! I may have a penchant for WWII based historical fiction, but even putting that aside, You Let Me Go was filled with great characters, locales and enough tension to light up the night.

These little known stories, such as this off the coast of France in Brittany, intrigue me. This was no exception. Rozeen’s family fleeing there from Paris to hide her brother from the German’s was a small story with far reaching impact felt by their family 75 years later. The taste of mystery had me guessing the identity of the traitor and I’m sure it will you too.

The beautifully drawn descriptions of landscape, architecture and design were so realistic I couldn’t help but see it in my mind’s eye. Just an added bonus to a compelling book.

Again, I may be partial to this setting, but still so enjoyable!

Thank you #NetGalley for the chance to offer my opinion.

This was a wonderful read about Rozenn and her family in WWII in France and about difficult decisions in very hard times and their ripercussions on her granddaughters in present times in England. There are secrets in Rozenn's past that she can't bring herself to speak about, not even to her closest granddaughter Morlane. When she dies Morlane is going to find out who her grandmother really was and what happened in Britanny all those years ago.
The narration is beautiful, with greatly described settings that bring you inside the story. Furthermore the taste of mistery throughout the book will keep you engaged from start to end. Also Clare's character will earn a special place in your heart.

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

You Let Me Go is everything I love to read, historical fiction, dual storylines, settings in gorgeous places I would love to visit, suspense, mystery and family drama.
I loved that the mystery is set right from the very beginning. Why has Rozenn written her favourite granddaughter Morane out of her will? What is the secret Rozenn has kept hidden all her life?
The alternating chapter dual storyline between the then and now is easy to follow and flows well. I loved all of the characters and really connected to Morane and her storyline.
The build up of tension in what unfolded in the past is really well written and links brilliantly to what is happening in the present.
Whilst I felt it took a few chapters to really get going, once it did I was gripped and couldn’t put it down!
The ending really was perfect for the characters and I finished it with a smile.

The story that unfolds in You Let Me Go is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Rozenn and her granddaughter Morane, transporting the reader between Nazi occupied France in World War Two and present day Cornwall – the Helford River area to be precise. Having been fortunate enough to visit that part of Cornwall in the past, I could easily imagine the creeks described in the book.

For quite a while the reader knows more about Rozenn’s experiences than Morane does but it’s still interesting to witness Morane piecing together the fragments of information she discovers about her family’s history.

Beyond the obvious blood relationship between Rozenn and Morane, I admired the way the author introduced other more subtle connections between the two women such as their natural flair for design and appreciation for architecture. Most significantly, they share an abiding sense of guilt for their part in events that were, in some cases, not their fault. ‘Guilt could wind its fingers around you and refuse to let you go.’

The book also explores the often difficult relationships between siblings: the rivalry for parental affection; the burden of responsibility for care of younger members of the family; the similarities that can remind you only too painfully of your own shortcomings or flaws. At the same time, the story includes joyful family moments, often recorded in photographs or through treasured objects.

Being a historical fiction fan, I found myself particularly drawn to the parts of the book dealing with Rozenn’s wartime experiences and the realities of daily life under German occupation. However, I could also understand Morane’s curiosity about her grandmother’s past, if only as a distraction from the situation in which she currently finds herself – a failed relationship, financial worries and a struggling business. As Morane describes, ‘I felt an urge to delve into Rozenn’s past, find out who’d she’d been before she’d become an architect, a wife, a mother and grandmother’.

On her arrival in the Breton village to which her grandmother’s family fled from Paris during the war, Morane is perhaps fortunate to find people who were around at the time or can pass on the recollections of older family members. As the two storylines converge, the final pieces of the historical jigsaw fall into place revealing the complete picture, as well as some neat links between past and present. In fact, you could say Rozenn designed the perfect ending to ensure any rifts that might remain are healed.

You Let Me Go is an absorbing story of family secrets and how choices made in the past can reverberate down the years.

I have read several books by Eliza Graham and I think that You Let Me Go is one of her best.

I loved the dual timeline narrative, in present time by Morane and in 1941 by Rozenn, they both gave me a real sense of how they were both struggling in life - Morane with her money and business problems and Rozenn with her family problems and the fear of living under Nazi occupation in a small French village.

I could totally understand Morane's need to find out about her grandmother's decision to leave the cottage she loved to her sister and not her. I was willing her to discover more about her grandmother's past.

The writing is slow and steady going, gradually building up to the truth of what really happened and the suspense was a real page turner.

A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

You Let me Go is a cleverly written timeslip which moves between 1941 and the present day. Marie and Morane's French grandmother Rozenn Caradec has just died. Morane anticipated her house by the river in Cornwall - Vue Claire - would be left to her and her sister to share. Instead it is Marie who inherits, while Morane's only gift is a silver compass. with her great grandfather's initials FJG engraved on it.

Morane is an interior designer with a troubled past. She was involved in a riding accident that resulted in the death of a child - something she cannot put out of her mind. Because of this she cannot bear to be near horses.. She has also broken up with her partner Nick, whose gambling has wrecked both her life and business. With a lull in jobs she agrees to spend time at Vue Clare to help Marie redecorate. Agreeing to house sit while Marie and her husband are away, she discovers mysterious notes in Rozenn's room. She decides to head for France to try and uncover more information about Rozenn, grandfather Luc, and the reasons they came to England in 1941.

Absolutely loved this book. A wonderful story. The author has created a totally authentic feel for life in France during World War 2. The story moved seamlessly between past and present as it reveals the truth about Rozenn's family. It's an absorbing read I found very difficult to put down.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing, Eliza Graham and Netgalley for an Advanced Review Copy of You Let Me Go. A definite five star read!

Morane is troubled, not only has she lost her beloved grandmother Rozenn, she is also suffering post-traumatic stress following a tragic accident and a crippling financial blow to her business. The realisation that she has been left out of Rozenn’s will raises more questions than answers, especially as she knows something is missing, something Rozenn was trying to explain but the stroke had robbed her of her ability to speak. There are some clues, a compass and a few pages of a longer letter, written in French, that mentions a small fishing village in Brittany. Her obsession with the past and her decision to leave Cornwall, looking for answers, leaves her Dad and sister concerned by her actions, but gives her a focus as she thinks about the future.

In this book we also get to follow Rozenn as her family leave Occupied Paris for a fishing village in Brittany. Her father takes up the respectable position of the local doctor, but they have a secret that must be kept from the villagers as they settle into their new life. The hardships, lack of food and living in constant fear of interrogation isn’t easy for Rozenn, who came across as strong, determined and quite different to her siblings. I felt her frustrations with her family and the situation, as she questioned her parent’s motives. She might have missed the city life she was forced to leave behind, but the descriptions of the coves, cliff tops and stone cottages of Brittany made it easy for me to imagine her falling in love with the coast. I also found it interesting to see the comparisons of life in Paris and then Brittany during The Occupation.

In France, Morane finds herself in a close-knit community, where the local people are wary of questions from so long ago, but a good Breton name and the ability to speak French slowly opens some doors. With so few survivors still alive, a lot of what she initially learns, gives rise to more seemingly unanswerable questions.

I love a good mystery and as events from the past and the present slowly unfurled, I tried to piece together Rozenn’s story and work out what had happened to fracture her family all those years ago.

If you like historical fiction, with plenty of mystery, family drama and heartbreak, I’m sure you will enjoy this one. With its choice of location and plot, this book certainly had something different to other books set in Occupied France that I’ve read.

This is a poignant dual timeline story, a family saga from occupied France in the 1940s to the present day. The prologue gives clues about the story's secrets and the heartbreaking discoveries to follow.
Two sisters Morane and Gwen, find their relationship strained when their beloved grandmother Rozenn bequeaths her house to Gwen. Morane has already suffered, and now she feels rejected by her grandmother. A chance discovery leads Morane on a quest to find out about Rozenn's life in occupied France, which has surprising consequences.

The dual storylines are well written, both full of vivid characters and emotion. The historical timeline is particularly engaging, as it conveys the horrors and stark choices of life in occupied France. The familial relationships are relatable, and the plot twists keep the reader engaged.

This is a family saga of betrayal, forgiveness, love and sacrifice with a satisfying conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

YOU LET ME GO is more than historical fiction, this is a dual timeline story that brings it bang up to date.

Admittedly, it’s a slow burner, but all of that background info only adds to the story as a whole. I guess it could be a little trimmer, but I’m not complaining because, for me, all those details really pay off once the second half gets going and Morane (Morie) heads off to Brittany to look into her grandmother’s past.

Morie had always been closer to her grandmother Rozenn, much more so than her sister, Gwen. It , therefore, came as no surprise to see her portray similar traits to Rozenn as the truth unravelled. This made Rozenn’s decision to leave her Cornwall home entirely to Gwen such a mystery. It made little sense, if any, and proved to be the catalyst for Morie’s trip to France. Was she peeved? You bet. Did she struggle to hide her feelings? Absolutely. Which is why putting some distance between herself and her sister seemed to be the right thing to do …before she could say something she might later regret.

Morie, you see, had had her own fair share of troubles up to that point – a horse riding accident, a failing business due to her partner’s gambling addiction. So this news from Rozenn’s will was the nail in the coffin. By going to France maybe she would be able to understand her grandmother’s decision.

Arriving in St Martin, the village from which her grandparents left France for Cornwall, Morie met up with ancestors of villagers who knew Rozenn and Luc. There was some initial reluctance to tell Morie anything, and the puzzle seemed to be missing more pieces than ever until she met with Madame O’Donnell, whose father remembered Rozenn’s family. It was during a conversation with him that Morie discovered her grandmother was not an only child – that she had a brother and a twin sister. So why had she kept their existence a secret all these years?

Piecing the past together, Morie encountered yet more surprises. Including one that would change her own life forever, and which proved her grandmother had made the decision about the Cornish house for a very good reason.

The second half of the book became compelling reading. The author paced the chapters perfectly, swapping point of view at critical times that meant I just had to read on. By the end, I had an inkling as to what was to come for Morie, and it was just as delightful and emotional as I expected.

Neither Morie nor Rozenn are the most instantly likeable of women, but their personalities grew on me and I thoroughly enjoyed how the story came to its conclusion. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dual timelines and who can hang in through the slow start. It’s worth it.

You Let Me Go is not my usual genre. I found the cover appealing and thought I would give this book a go. I wasn't disappointed. I really enjoyed it. It was a slow burner at the start but I continued with it enjoying the vivid detail and characters.
It tells the story of Rozenn and her grand daughter Morane. Morane doesn't understand why her grandmother's house was left to her sister and not to both of them. She goes in search of what happened to her grandmother during her earlier years in France.
It is well written in a dual timeline, each chapter alternating the two viewpoints. Morane is present day Cornwall and Rozenn is from 1941 and the Nazi occupation of France in WW2. The story gave an insight into their own struggles in life, Morane and her financial and business and Rozenn and her family relationships. The book was full of mystery and suspense, family drama and heartbreak. I found the characters very interesting and descriptions vivid. It brought an authentic feel to France and Cornwall.
I would definitely recommend this to others.
A story full of family drama and suspense.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me an ARC in exchange of an honest opinion.

Book description:
A secret family history of love, anguish and betrayal.
After her beloved grandmother Rozenn’s death, Morane is heartbroken to learn that her sister is the sole inheritor of the family home in Cornwall—while she herself has been written out of the will. With both her business and her relationship with her sister on the rocks, Morane becomes consumed by one question: what made Rozenn turn her back on her?
When she finds an old letter linking her grandmother to Brittany under German occupation, Morane escapes on the trail of her family’s past. In the coastal village where Rozenn lived in 1941, she uncovers a web of shameful secrets that haunted Rozenn to the end of her days. Was it to protect those she loved that a desperate Rozenn made a heartbreaking decision and changed the course of all their lives forever?
Morane goes in search of the truth but the truth can be painful. Can she make her peace with the past and repair her relationship with her sister?

At first glance, this is yet another dual time line story set in modern day and in France during World War II. What the reader gets is so much more than that. This is a book about love, respect, family and betrayal in both time periods. It has strong loving families, a bit of mystery and a bit of romance - what more can you ask for in a good book.

Present time: Morane and her sister, Gwen. both adored their grandmother, Rozenn. She was always there for the sisters, took them to Paris and her home in Cornwell was their favorite place to visit. She was a strong but isolated woman who refused to talk about her past. When she died, she left her beautiful home in to Gwen and only left a gold compass to Morane. Morane was devastated at the turn of events but decided to make the best of it and help her sister redecorate the house. She finds some pictures and a partial letter that she's never seen before and decides to find out more about her grandmother's past in France during the war. What she finds is painful and she must learn to live with the truth.

1941. Rosenn and her family move from Paris to a small town in Brittany to save her brother from being put back into the German army or into a camp. As the family tries to keep her brother hidden, they are surrounded by German troops and nosy neighbors who want to learn more about the doctor's family that has moved from Paris. Rosenn's brother means the world to her and she starts working with some shady characters to get her brother out of France and safely to England. The deeper she gets into her plans, the more dangerous it becomes for her family. When she makes a split second decision, it changes the course of her entire life and that of her family.

This was an interesting look at a grandmother and her granddaughter and how they approached their lives and losses. I preferred the modern day story to the WWII story because I didn't particularly like Rosenn but I understood how the regrets of past affected the person that she became. The two story lines are both well written and give us more of an understanding of both women and their connections in different times.

My only problem with his book is that the first 20% is very slow. I almost gave up reading it but am very glad that I kept on and was rewarded with a great story.

I received a ARC copy of “ You Let Me Go” from the Author and the publisher through Net Galley. Thanks to all.
“Let Me Go” follows one of the plot devices common in many current novels : a story that moves from now into the past, fueled by the death of a relative and the discovery of an object or letter linked to a mysterious past life.so get ready for chapters that vary in place, time and protagonist .
Morane is dismayed at the death of her beloved grandmother Rozenne, to whom she was very close. But Morane is dumbfounded when inherits nothing more than the engraved compass her grandmother was holding in her hand at the time of her death. Obviously it meant a great deal to Rozenne, but neither Morane nor her sister Gwen ever recalled seeing . Morane is upset that the home in which she has live with her sister for years was left entirely to Gwen, even Gwen is amazed; both think that there was some oversight in the will, but no. as Morane goes through her grandmother’s things , she also finds letters and photos of her grandmother’s past unknown to anyone else. A past in German occupied Brittany, in which her grandmother was involved with dangerous people and events. The engraved compass points the way to life the granddaughter never imagined her grandmother led.

Here the setting shifts to occupied France, to a village in Brittany. We are introduced to the youthful Rozenne and her. Family. The German iron hand is begging to be felt, as young Frenchmen are conscripted into labor battalions and neighbors are arrested for anti- German talk. With this , the author sets her plot in motion, and the novel flows and expands.. Morane goes to France to find out all she can about those dark days and her grandmother’s part in them. MS Graham gives us a good principal character, or characters, and an interesting scenario. I thought that the chapters featuring the French village were the best part of the book? The historical setting of a small village in Brittany laboring under the Nazis oppression brings the reader an idea of the daily struggle facing the French and the danger for those who resisted. I am not much of a fan of switching times and principal voices, but the author used them to let the story tell itself, as it were. It is a good story , so I cannot spoil it with more of a synopsis , and well written.
I recommend the book with the caution that the reader be patient as the story take a bit of time to get going. Once it does, it is worth the reader’s time and attention.
Summary: a good story ,well written and enjoyable. Content warnings: not much to offend,. Some romantic love, some violence, since the book is about wartime France.

You Let Me Go is historical fiction written with a dual timeline of Rozenn, a teenager whose family has to leave Paris during WWII for the coast of Brittany. The other part of the story centers around Morane who was very close to her grandmother Rozenn and after her grandmother dies she finds out her sister Gwen inherits her estate and she is left with only a silver compass! Morane wants to learn more about her grandmother's past after seeing some old photographs and only part of a letter that doesn't make any sense to her. This leads her on a voyage of discovery where she discovers secrets about Rozenn and her family that changed everything!

Two sisters share their grandmother’s estate but why does one get a lovely Cornish house whilst the other inherits a mystery. The story switches from the present day back to occupied France in the Second World War. This is an exciting and very moving story. We eventually find the missing house in France that Morie inherits.Jews, traitors and betrayals happened in the War and Morie finds out the mystery surrounding her part of the inheritance. This is a moving and life affirming story well worth reading.

Morane is left devastated when her grandmother passes away, someone whom she has always been very close to. However, when she discovers she has been left with nothing more than a silver compass by Rozenne, she is left somewhat dismayed and incredibly hurt, especially when she learns that the home in which she shares with her sister Gwen has been left to her, something which even Gwen is confused by.

As both sisters expect there to be some terrible mix up with the will, they begin sorting through Rozenne’s possessions. As they begin clearing things out, they come across a box full of letters and photographs, showing of a life her grandmother had lived in Brittany which is occupied by the Germans. The more Morane digs for details, the more she learns about the dangerous people and events Rozanne has lived through, and she soon learns that the silver compass she was left by her grandmother will in fact point her in the direction of a story that will change everything.

Then we find ourselves in France, within a small village in Brittany where we follow a young Rozenne’s jpourney from this new perspective. Rozenne and her family are certainly living through some troubling times as they navigate their way through life within a country that is no longer allowing them the freedom they once had.

This book is so incredibly written, it reels you in from the start. The storyline is so well structured and full of detail, it is impossible to not find yourself well and truly immersed in the world that the author creates. One of the things I adored about this book is the way in which the story is told through a dual timeline, allowing us to learn more about Rozenne on a much deeper level.

The story is certainly emotionally driven, and you really do feel as though you are embarking on a journey with these fascinating characters. They each have complex, well developed personalities, all of which add so many layers to this brilliant story. This is a book I will certainly recommend to others.

After her grandmother’s death, Morane Caradec embarks on a journey of discovery to try to understand the secrets which have overshadowed her grandmother’s life. Secrets, it must be said, which, until her grandmother’s death, Morane and her family didn’t know existed. From Cornwall, to Brittany, a wartime story of secrets, and family tragedy, starts to emerge, and as Morane delves deeper into the past, so she must come to terms with her own personal troubles.

Told in two distinct time frames, and in two distinct voices, we get to know Morane’s grandmother, Rozenn Caradec, when in 1941 she was a young woman exiled from her life in Paris. From necessity Rozenn’s family had to relocate to a small coastal village in Brittany, a place filled with a sense of mistrust, and which was just as uncertain as life as Paris. In the present time, Morane is facing her own set of difficult circumstances but in trying to make sense of her grandmother’s life, so new opportunities start to open up for her, and give Morane the chance to put the troubles of her own past into perspective.

The author writes well and allows the tension to build gradually so that when the final pieces of the story come together I genuinely cared about what happened to everyone. I felt an immediate attachment to Morane as she started on her emotional journey into the past, however, it is Rozenn’s story where the true heart and soul of the wartime tragedy lies.

You Let Me Go is an emotional, dual time story, which opens up the secrets of the past with a believable authenticity, and strong sense of history.

Reading this book was like slipping on a pair of comfortable, well-worn shoes. It was a well-written read that I was immersed into very quickly.

Graham’s dual narrative follows Rosenn as she and her family leave an occupied Paris for the coast of Brittany. However, with Rosenn and her family is her disabled identical twin, and her weak, older brother, Yann. Yann has gone into hiding to escape being sent to the labour camps; a terrible illness has the family fearing that Yann will not survive. As the small coastal village seems to accept Rosenn and her family, there is the constant worry that Yann will be discovered.

Moving to present day, Rosenn’s granddaughters – Gwen and Morane – are mourning the passing of their grandmother. Puzzled by Gwen inheriting Rosenn’s Cornish barn conversion versus a compass for Morane, Morane is certain that there is more behind Rosenn’s decision. Whilst Morane is financially and emotionally strained, she determines to dig deeper into her grandmother’s past, culminating in a visit to Brittany to find out the truth at last.

Each chapter effortlessly switches between Morane and Rosenn’s story. We gradually learn about what happened during the occupation and I felt like I was sharing the journey of self-discovery with Morane. The descriptions of the coast, both Cornish and French, are idyllic and it proves a calming influence for both female protagonists during such a traumatic time.

I thought this was a very well-written narrative that interested me from the beginning. I was as curious as Morane to understand why Rosenn’s inheritance had been divided in the way that it had. As her past becomes clearer, decisions made more sense with even some surprises along the way as well. It was an immersive story and one that I could not wait to discover all of the answers to.

The theme of isolation and separation determines this narrative. Undeniably, so many experienced this during the Second World War and the fear from Rosenn’s family is palpable. Graham expertly recreates that sense of distrust and understanding the best allegiances through Rosenn’s acquaintances in the village. Furthermore, her relationship with her twin sister, Claire, is quite heart-breaking, especially when the story reaches its dramatic climax.

I do enjoy historical fiction, even more so when they switch between past and present. I could understand the emotions that Morane experiences in this narrative and loved watching her discover a new side to her French grandmother that she was completely unaware of.

With thanks to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful historical novel, set in France during WWII occupation by Germany. The story is written in two time frames, the other being present day England.
It’s an intriguing tale of a families escape to stay safe in occupied France and the people they lived with and met, looking for ways to survive the war. The dangers they faced, while trying to protect each other until the wars conclusion, were at times dramatic and dangerous
. We see the hardships they endured and the dangers they encountered, protecting a dangerous secret that could harm them all, not knowing who can be trusted.
The timelines alternate, and in the present, Rozeen’s death and her will, open up the many things her family didn’t know about her earlier years, or the family they never met. When Granddaughter Morane learns that her sister Gwen has inherited the estate, Morri flees to Cornwall to try and fill in the many questions regarding Rozeen’s former life and family, of which they knew little.
Eliza Graham is a skilled storyteller and her research into the era was significant. Well developed and interesting characters, make for a wonderful read.
My thanks to Lake Union Publishing, NetGalley and Amazon for the ARC all comments are my own opinions. I gave it five stars, I loved the story.

Two granddaughters are grieving for Rozenn Guillou Caradec, their dearly loved grandmother but only one granddaughter has inherited the home in Cornwall. Morane (Morie) wants to be happy for her sister Gwen but can't escape the twinges of jealousy as she remembers that her grandmother did seem almost desperate to communicate something to her during that last visit but simply could not. Was Morane's grandmother trying to teach her one more lesson in leaving her an old silver compass

A mesmerizing account of a grandmother's past that is beautifully interwoven with the present as Morane discovers remnants of a letter hinting that there are answers simply waiting to be revealed. I felt my heart beating faster in wonder as it seemed that the answers were in St. Martin, France but how could Morane travel at a critical time for her business? I was totally absorbed with each step and with each decision of Morane's wanting to read as quickly as possible ever hopeful for the grandmother's past to be understood and yet reading carefully mindful that I was invested in the ease of her granddaughters' grieving hearts.

I found this expression of grief very meaningful as it captures so many heartfelt feelings that are hard to admit and share with others.

“Everything I thought I wanted most was gone and I didn’t yet know how to replace it, to fill my life up again.”

The transition between the past of WWII and present-day is so skillfully written that there are no knots in the threads of the storytelling. It is one of the most beautiful compositions portraying the intricacies of daily life in WWII while presenting a story transitioning seamlessly between past and present. Historical fiction this flawless helps us as readers understand the choices made were difficult as each choice made could change the possibilities of survival, choices made by family members could be different dependent on their role (parent/child/sibling) or relationship (parent/child, parent/parent, sibling/sibling, doctor/patient, friends), and that each person can experience the same event but have different remembrances and different ways of coping to move beyond the traumatic experiences.

My sincere thanks to Eliza Graham, Lake Union Publishing (Amazon US) for my complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

#YouLetMeGo #NetGalley

This is a story told in a dual timeline. One during the German occupation of France and one in the present day.

Rozenn Guillou Caradec is Morane "Morie" Caradec's grandmother who died and left Morie's sister her home and Morie with a silver compass. Resentment aside for her grandmother's slight, Morie finds a partial letter and puzzling photographs that lead Morie to Brittany, France, where her grandmother met her grandfather. A grandfather Morie knew little about along with many other shocking secrets her grandmother held.

In 1941, Rozenn is pulled from Paris to reside in St. Martin in Brittany with her family as they learn to ration their food and keep clear of the Germans who are stationed nearby. Her loyalty to her family is strong as she tries to keep the secrets that could get them arrested. Meeting the handsome and local, Luc Caradec, will change her life forever as her actions that one shameful and fateful night will eventually come to light.

When Morie finds her grandmother's cryptic letters that refer to her temporary home in France, she is determined to find out about Rozenn and what she was hiding. What she finds in the beautiful St. Martin, is a house similar to Rozenn's house in Cornwall, a few nosy, but friendly locals, and a story about sacrifice and betrayal.

Rozenn and Morie are very similar. They are independent, strong, and stubborn women. Their love of architecture and creating beauty is a big part of their lives. And their personal lives are filled with regrets and remorse for things past. Rozenn's story is filled with sadness and some happy moments, but I felt she was a lonely woman throughout her life. She loved her son and her granddaughters and she enjoyed her job, but her guilt from the past weighed on her. Morie also had misfortunes that left her alone and regretful as she strived to keep her head above water and worked hard to have at least a civil relationship with her sister. But as Morie discovers the truth and receives a precious gift that only she would appreciate, it brings closure to her life.

Ms. Graham does a wonderful job placing the reader in Brittany, France with the Germans patrolling the beach and unrolling barbed wire, and in Rozenn's home on a small creek off the Helford estuary on the south coast of Cornwall. Her characters are complex and her plot is intriguing and mysterious, so much so that this reader couldn't wait to find out Rozenn's story and how it related to Morie.

Thank you to Ms. Graham for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

I really loved the setting of this story. I could absolutely visualize the longère where Rozenn's family lived for a little while in 1941, the coast, the cliffs, and the cove below. I had a hard time connecting to the characters, but was really interested in finding out what really happened in the past. A fascinating story of family secrets, betrayal, and forgiveness.

Morane is very close to her grandmother, Rozenn, but when she dies Rozenn leaves her home in Cornwall to Morane's sister, Gwen. All Rozenn left Morane was a silver compass with her great-grandfather's initials engraved on the back. There was a strained relationship with her sister that was never really explained and the inheritance made it more so. Gwen's life was going great but Morane's not so much. While helping go through her grandmother's things she finds a letter and some photos that spurs her on to find out what Rozenn's life was like during the war, a time that Rozenn never spoke about.

The story is told from Rozenn's point of view in 1941 and the second is Morane's in the present time as she tries to find out about her grandmother. Just as I would become invested in the one story we would jump to the next. It went from view to view pretty seamlessly but I guess I'm getting tired of switching back and forth in books lately.

I found Morane to be kind of pathetic. She had some bad luck and felt sorry for herself most of the time. Rozenn had loved her husband but she was ambitious and became one of the few women architect's in the world designing factories. Along with that ambition I felt she was selfish and I hated the way she treated her sister. One thing that always drives me crazy in books is the spunky female who does reckless things, endangers others by taking needless chances and then is surprised when it all goes wrong.

All in all I did enjoy the book and even though I didn't like or identify with Rozenn or Morane I found them interesting. The small town of St. Martin's sounded beautiful with the views of the coast and the description of the homes.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon UK with providing me a copy of this book.

Eliza Graham, You Let Me Go, Amazon Publishing UK Lake Union Publishing 2021.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with this proof for review.

Eliza Graham has written a novel that combines an appealing story, well drawn characters, and a good command of her material. I was particularly pleased to see that the chapters set during German occupation of Brittany during World War 11 relied on a thoughtful story line, complete with realistic events, without a resort to gratuitous horrific detail. The reader is made aware of the privations, fear, and possible outcomes of unwise decisions, but is also given time to savour family moments, love, recklessness, and the ever-present knowledge that occupation could mean imprisonment or death and that selfish as well as principled motives influence judgements.

Two stories, both featuring Rozenn, flow easily between past and present. Although the book begins with Rozenn’s death in her Cornwall house, Vue Clair, her influence is ever present in her granddaughter’s lives. She is the predominant character in the past, in the large, almost sumptuous, Paris flat, and then in the neglected coastal house in Brittany in which the family takes refuge. Gwen and Morane are frequent visitors to Vue Clair, both feeling strongly about the house and environs as part of their close relationship with their grandmother. Rozenn’s anxiety is apparent when she is unable to communicate with the sisters while she is dying. Her anguish has its history in past family relationships in Brittany which have encouraged her to make a decision that has the potential to separate the sisters.

Characterisation is an important feature of this novel with subtly as the key to developing each as a potential source of frustration, empathy and understanding. Each character, whatever their status, is drawn with his or her flaws and desirable features tumbling one after the other, the sharp edges smoothed almost at the same time as they appear, although their impact remains. While Rozenn’s story predominates in the Brittany section, as does Morane’s in the present, their families’ influence on their thoughts and behaviour is vital in their decision making. Although Morane is acting in the present, at first glance I saw her world as being smaller than Rozenn’s. I found this an interesting concept and concluded that although she had suffered heartbreak and financial disaster, her ability to overcome these was within her individual capacity. Rozenn has only the narrow world of a Brittany village to encompass but must contend with the challenges imposed by the interdependence of people under duress. Some connections can be made between Rozenn and Morane’s behaviour and characters. The selfishness exhibited by the child, Morane, as she dashes into Vue Clair ‘leaving others to bring in the bags’, and her reaction to Gwen after the will is read mirrors Rozenn’s self-regarding conduct, even though the later has far more serious consequences. Perhaps Rozenn sees something of herself in her granddaughter, reflecting as she does that, she loves her ‘so fiercely’.

Morane’s and Rozenn’s journeys, although markedly different in purpose, danger, and time, introduce more parallels linking past, present and family connections. Rozenn’s story moves swiftly from her life as Paris born middle class girl with an easy life to a young woman of strength and courage in Brittany, and later to her home on the Cornish coast. Morane has been noticeably beaten by recent events until her decision to follow her Brittany connections. Each journey begins with an unpalatable family decision leading to confused arrangements and, despite the chaos, new possibilities.
Eliza Graham has written an historical novel that has an engaging and well imagined story line, nicely developed characterisation and a satisfying conclusion.

You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham is a historical fiction story told over two timelines, present day Cornwall and Nazi occupied France in the second world war. I am a history geek so was looking forward to delving into the book and getting to know the characters.
Morane discovers she has been written out of her beloved grandmother's will and her sister is the sole beneficiary of the family home in Cornwall. With her business on the rocks and her relationship with her sister not far behind, Morane becomes obsessed with just why she was written out of the will.
She finds an old letter that places her grandmother in Brittany while the Germans occupied France. Morane decides to go on the journey to discover her family history. What she discovers about her grandmother has Morane seeing her in a different light and realising she made sacrifices and kept secrets to protect those she loved. Sometimes truth is pain but ie Morane able to make peace with the past and fix her relationship with her sister, or is it broken for good?
In a story told with alternating chapters from the viewpoint of Morane and the other from her grandmother Rozenn, we are taken from present day Cornwall right back to France during it's years of Occupation from the Nazi's. The story unfolds and we learn about Rozenn's past as the reader while Morane puts the pieces together during her search. We see the similarities between the two women both with a flair for design and similar ways of feeling guilty for someth0ing they were not neccessarily to blame for. A story that highlights sibling relationships and the sibling rivalry that can be experienced at anytime and the fight for love from parents or grandparents, this particular thread shows no-one is perfect and we are all flawed in some way.. There is also the other side as well, the moments to remember. The familial bond we have in our lives that is shown through the book.
I loved travelling back in time yet again with another historical fiction book, The chapters taking us back to the past had me immersed and the wartime struggles made me think of my own grandparents. A story about the effect of choices made that have the power to echo down the years.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the copy of the book.

My first thought after finishing this book is that I was delighted that it wasn't a love story between a man and woman, but more of love story between a set of sisters in present day and a family of five during WWII. It makes you question what lengths you would go to in order to protect your family, and what happens when those choices don't turn out the way you expect them to. I enjoyed switching back and forth between these two timelines, the POV of a teenager in the midst of war, and her granddaughter in the present time. This book shows both women's strength throughout their guilt and how their choices shaped their lives and their love for each other. I would definitely recommend this book.

You Let Me Go is a story set in two timelines; modern-day Cornwall and France during the German occupation in World War II. Morene discovers that she has only bene left a small item in her beloved Grandmother's will while her sister has been left her home. In trying to understand why she has been excluded, Morene discovers a letter that begins a trail to find out about her Grandmother's history. As we look back at her Grandmother's time in occupied France, we gradually piece together Morene's family history, bringing her closer to her family and finding her own strength.

I enjoyed the dual timelines in this book and how the pieces of the story slowly slotted into place. I loved the settings of St Martin in France and modern day Cornwall and felt that Graham's descriptions really brought these to life. However, I felt that it took me a while to be invested in the story and the characters, but I did enjoy how the strands of the story were brought together in the final chapters.

This is an enjoyable story with family love, belonging, secrets and the power of forgiveness at its heart.

Eliza Graham aims for the heart with her evocative, poignant and spellbinding new novel, You Let Me Go.

Morane is absolutely heartbroken when she learns that her beloved grandmother Rozenn has passed away. But there are further shocks in store for Morane when she learns that she has been written out of her grandmother’s will and that the family home has been left entirely to her sister. Morane cannot believe that Rozenn had turned her back on her. Why did she write her out of her will? What was the reason behind this change of heart? With her business struggling and her relationship with her sister in tatters, Morane cannot seem to catch a break, but little does she realize that an unexpected find will lead her to a tangled web of forbidden desire and shameful secrets that will sweep her back in time to 1941…

When she discovers a letter linking Rozenn to Brittany under German occupation, Morane vows to get to the truth. In 1941, Rozenn had lived in the coastal village and found her life completely and utterly changed. As Morane continues to dig deep into the family’s past, she discovers twisted half-truths and a powerful secret that had haunted and terrorised Rozenn until the moment she had taken her last breath. But why did Rozenn go to such lengths to keep the past secret? Was it for those she loved? Or was there something far more tragic and sinister behind her decision? Searching for the truth is going to be anything but easy for Morane, but maybe she can learn how to make peace with the past and repair her tattered relationship with her sister.

Eliza Graham writes beautifully about relationships and the ties that bind us together and in You Let Me Go has penned a haunting, engaging and wonderfully atmospheric tale that moved me to tears and kept me eagerly turning the pages. Eliza Graham has a terrific gift for characterization and all her protagonists are beautifully drawn and exquisitely sketched and by the end of the novel will feel so real to the reader.

An poignant tale of love, loyalty and loss perfect for Lorna Cook fans, Eliza Graham’s You Let Me Go is an emotional page-turner readers will not be able to put down.

Morane is upset by the loss of her beloved grandmother Rozenn, and even more puzzled by her will, which leaves her sister her home on the Cornwall coast and her a silver compass. Recognizing her life is a bit “lost” at the moment after getting out of a relationship gone wrong, Morane still feels snubbed. After discovering a portion of a letter under her grandmother’s bed, Morane is determined to figure out her grandmother’s closely guarded past and see if she can understand her grandmother’s wartime experience and what happened to her family.

Rozenn is forced to flee Paris with her family, when her father gets a safer post as a doctor on the Brittany coast. This is his chance to get his son, Yann, out of France before he is taken by the Germans again and forced into a labor camp. On the night of his escape, everything goes awry, changing the trajectory of Rozenn’s life forever.

Told in alternating timelines, this novel was a little bit of a slow start, but was a great read regardless of the pacing. Thank you to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing, and of course Eliza Graham for the advance copy! You Let Me Go is out now!

Book Summary:

This follows 2 main characters. Morane and her grandmother Rozenn. This goes back and forth between present-day (Morane POV) and WW2 when France was under occupation (Rozenns POV).

When Rozenn dies, Morane is heartbroken to know that all she got from her grandmother was a compass while her sister Gwen gets the family home. When looking after the house, Morane finds letters that were written for her grandmother. Rozenn never talked about her family after the war so Morane and the family has no idea what Rozenns life was before the war. While reading the letters, Morane takes it upon herself to figure out who her grandmother was.

Rozenn was a normal teenager when the Germans occupied France. She was living in Paris before moving to Brittany. She has an older brother name Yann who is in hiding. Along with a twin sister named Claire who has a mental disability.

While in Brittany, Rozenn meets a local by the name of Luc. Which turns out to be her future husband. Luc wants to help out in any way he can even if it means getting caught. Rozenn wants her brother, Yann, safe so it doesn’t cause any trouble for the family. But if something goes wrong, it will change the course of history that Rozenn might never talk about for the decades to come.

When Morane sets off to Brittany, it was to find out more about the family. The family she never knew. The family her father never knew. Threw this, Morane finds out that the past isn’t always pleasant. Morane does want to have a better relationship with her sister. So is what Morane finds worth saving her relationship with Gwen?

Thoughts:

It’s not often a book pulls me in from the first page. This book not only pulls me in but I was leaving each chapter with “I need more.”

I love historical fiction and I fell in love with the characters. Even if they had a snobbish attitude from time to time. Like Rozenn. Felt like she was a snob from time to time but for the most part, it seemed like she wanted her siblings to be safe. Even if she was a snob from time to time she would wack someone upside the head if she heard someone talk ill about her siblings. Especially Claire.

I fell in love with the story along with the setting. I felt like I was in the book and it was just amazing. I felt myself going on the adventure with the characters and it was amazing to see the journey they were on to see how they as people ended up.

This was my first book by this author and I loved it. I can’t wait to read more from this author!!

Morie’s life has gone off the rails and she is in the process of rebuilding it and her business when her beloved Grandmother passes away. Rozenn and Morie had always been close, and her Grandmother’s beloved home, Vue Claire, was Morie’s favorite place to be. She is stunned when she learns that her Grandmother left the house to her sister, giving her only a compass and no explanations. Disappointed and hurt, Morie tries to bury her feelings and works to help her sister prep the house. In the process, she finds parts of a mysterious letter and pictures, both of which bring more questions than answers. How did Rozenn, who grew up in Paris, end up in Cornwall? How and where did she meet her husband, Luc? In search of answers, Morie decides to investigate, using the name of a village in Brittany as her starting point.
Using a dual timeline, Eliza Graham’s YOU LET ME GO traces Morie’s journey to uncover her Grandmother’s secrets while simultaneously tracing Rozenn’s path to becoming the woman Morie knew. Intricately woven together, Graham has created a story that will wrap itself around you as you travel with these two women. Graham did an excellent job of creating and fleshing out the characters. Rozenn was headstrong and self-centered through much of her story, helping give a little more understanding of her secrets and the guilt she had when it came to the results of her actions. Morie was traumatized and a bit lost, but in searching for answers, she starts to find her footing and direction in her life.
The story was interesting and well-developed, with unexpected twists that kept me guessing. I found myself curled up with the novel, engrossed and happily turning pages, not wanting to leave the world Graham created.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#YouLetMeGo #ElizaGraham #LakeUnionPublishing

This was an engaging story exploring the complexity of a family's secrets. Lovely setting and well written, this is a book which I would recommend and enjoyed. Thank you.

Morane was passionately loved and in turn loved her grandmother Rozenn. She also loved the house in Cornwall, so she was stunned (as was the family) when the house was left to her sister Gwen. Morane cannot understand what her grandmother expected her to feel but at the same time she has an understanding that there is more to this inheritance that meets the eye.

At a very rocky place in her personal life, Morane decides to be impetuous, put aside her failing business and pursue the few clues left behind to go to Brittany and there discovers such a hidden history of her grandparents, a history that not even their son, Morane's father knew about.

Discovering an uncle, an aunt whom no one knew about, finding out details of her grandmother's work during the Nazi occupation of Brittany and the shameful secret that she hid till the very end, not disclosing it even at the end though a muttered word on her deathbed was only discovered in hindsight by Morane much later.

The story of the Guillou family unravels slowly - how the war affected them all and how it changed the course of their own family history. The descriptiveness of the area of Brittany is wonderful, characterization is spot on - each one was very different to the other despite being one family and close knit at that.

Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Yet another WW2 book, this one with a difference. Largely set in Brittany, it tells the story of Rozenn and her family as well as her modern day granddaughter Morane. Morie decides to visit Brittany following her grandmothers death and finds a lot of family secrets. A good read with just a little suspense thrown in.

I hope you’re ready to travel to World War II-era Europe, because this book will sweep you back through time and make you feel like you’re walking with Rozenn through the streets of German-occupied Paris and Brittany! You’ll also get a peek at life across the Channel in Great Britain, where modern-day main character Morie spends much of the first half of the book. As Rozenn’s favorite granddaughter, Morie is both shocked and hurt when the reading of Rozenn’s will reveals that she has left her house and belongings to Morie’s sister. But, when Morie discovers fragments of her grandmother’s letters from a mysterious, unnamed person, she decides to go on a solo quest to discover the secrets about Rozenn’s life in France. Armed with her small, seemingly insignificant inheritance- an old pocket watch with strange initials- and desperate to prove that she is not a pathetic loser, despite her failing business and recent breakup, Morie sets off. What will she learn in the old fishing village on the Breton coast? Grab a copy of You Let Me Go to find out!

I really wanted to love this book. The cover is gorgeous and the premise is intriguing. There were several parts I did like, for instance, there is distinct emotional maturation to be seen in both main characters throughout the book, which was satisfying as a reader. The format of switching POV’s every chapter was a cool way to meld contemporary and historical fiction. The visual descriptions of Paris, Brittany, and Cornwall painted a pretty picture of each, so now I especially want to visit Cornwall.

Eliza Graham did a great job of building tension between the Germans and the French and Breton people whose homeland was being occupied. She also showed the range of positions taken by the French and Bretons at that time, varying from joining the Resistance to betraying countrymen. And I loved that she included a mentally disabled character, showing both how difficult life can be for disabled persons AND how worthy of love, respect, and protection they are anyway! Points for diversity and inclusion.

However, I really struggled to even finish this book. The first 60% of the story is extremely slow. I am a really forgiving reader, pushing through slow starters and always giving a book a solid chance to reel me in. It is exceedingly rare for me to quit on a book, but the only reason this one didn’t land on the DNF list was because I was determined to fulfill my obligations as a reviewer. I’m glad I persevered, as the ending was nice and unexpected (I would be shocked if anyone predicted the end of this story, so it’s got that going for it!). But, honestly, I was pretty relieved to just be done with it. Again, I rarely feel that way about a book.

I think the author could have resolved this issue by cutting some redundant parts and shaving down time spent building suspense for storylines that didn’t really contribute to the big picture. For instance, for the first several chapters, Morie’s accident is referred to very vaguely and mysteriously, leading the reader to believe that it is a major plot point. But, all it does is contribute to Morie’s backstory for why she feels like a failure, which was accomplished perfectly fine with just the breakup and business troubles. Yes, the accident triggered those things, but that doesn’t mean it deserved even half of the weight it was given at the beginning of the story.

Like I said, the author wrapped things up pretty well in the end and there were some really nice aspects to parts of the story. It’s still a book worth reading, if you have the patience to trudge through the first half. But, personally, it was not my cup of tea. I rate it 3 out of 5 stars.

Presently surprised at how much I liked this story!
Wonderful characters, very well written and an awesome plot!
4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and the Author and publisher for a copy of this book. The Opinions expressed are my own.

What a wonderful book telling your story of Rozen and her granddaughter Morane.

Rozen was born in France but ended up in Cornwall during the war. She is a very strong woman but did not tell her family about what happened in France when she was there. Rozen and her family end up in St Martin as her Father is a Doctor. They want to get Yann out of France so arrange for him to go on a boat to Britain but something goes wrong and Rozen & Luc find themselves in the boat.

Morane is so like her Grandmother a very strong character but when Rozen dies she leaves the house in Cornwall to her oldest Granddaughter and Morane wonders why.

Morane wants to find out some more about what happened to Rozen in France so she travels to St Martin the last place her Grandparents were.

It is a place for Morane to make discoveries and find out about her family.

I really enjoyed this book and could not put it down.

I loved the setting of this book,. Cornwall is absolutely beautiful, but I found the story a bit slow and honestly a bit over used. I have read this plot in similar novels before.

Absolutely loved this book. It was so well written and easy to read. I loved the duel point of views and the story line overall just draws you in from the very start.

Family, secrets, relationships,……these elements came together in a captivating plot. The writing is atmospheric and beautifully done.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

loved this as a historical novel, the characters I felt were interesting and I enjoyed going along for this journey.

This WWII novel was a nice read! It was filled with love, family, and betrayal in two time periods. I couldn't wait to see how this one would unfold, and did not disappoint.

Great dual timeline book following Rozenn in the war and her granddaughters in the present. Full of plenty of secrets to uncover to explain Rozenn's actions in the present and sibling problems. Really enjoyed it especially the historic aspect. Eliza Graham always a must for me

I love a good historical fiction, especially when it’s a mystery. After the death of Morane’s grandmother, she finds that her grandmother left her home to her sister. Feeling as though this was unlike her, she sets out to uncover her grandmothers past and learn more about who she really was. This dual timeline follows Morane’s search for answers, and her grandmother Rozenn’s story during WWII, all while uncovering family secrets.
I enjoyed this a lot. WWII is always one of my favorite times to read about and this story kept me engaged and wanting to know what happens next.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good drama. Perfect read for the weekend.

A very intricate story of love, finding oneself and recovering from losses so great that future was bleak and doomed.
Two generations of women connected by blood and disconnected by times, events and choices experience love, life, loss, hardship in their own way. Grandmother's youth comes at the time of WWII and granddaughter's 'finding oneself' comes after grandmother's passing.
Finding out that her beloved gran' left her house to her sister instead of her, Morane is shocked and confused. But being her grandmother's daughter she intends to find out why, how and whatever for.
The story is told through time-split - in two times: WWII in Europe and modern day England seaside.
The story is amazing, warm but direct, romantic and sad.... It has everything a family sage should be.
One could say it shows human face of the war and strong backbone of modern youth.

This was a really good read. It was about a girl called Rozenn and her family during world war II in France. Im really interested in books set during this time period.

I was immersed into this book immediately.