This is a matter of it's me not the book. I have just read too many WWII books and even more resistance books lately. While the topic is important and valuable, I have found my tolerance for yet another WWII backdrop book is low. This book had all the promising factors of a good book with strong female leads, historical fiction and solid writing. But at the end of the day, I just didn't love it, because frankly, I've just read too much WWII. I wish this favorite backdrop for books would change.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the e-copy of this book.

This is a dual storyline WWII novel. It follows Ava who is an American in Lisbon, Portugal collecting newspapers and other materials to copy and send back to America to help track the war and provide possible intel. The other storyline follows Elaine in Leon, France who joins the resistance effort and helps with their newsletter. In some ways this felt like two completely different stories/books. Their storylines only overlap in the sense that Ava is receiving copies of the newsletters that Elaine is producing and, at one point, they both help a mother and son try to get to America. Since it felt like two separate stories, I wanted more from both. The Elaine story tries to create a villain in a specific Nazi, but he's really just mentioned by name as a ruthless man who tortures his prisoners. I wanted to have more experience with him to really see him as a threat in the story where I truly celebrated his demise. I wanted characters further developed to really connect with them and more insight into what the resistance was doing. As for the Ava story, aside from copying the newsletters, I didn't really feel like they were being spies. There is a small part about her with a British spy, but even that felt underdeveloped in terms of espionage. It almost felt more like a romantic interest rather than spy work. Each story could have been a book on its own, so I wanted a little bit more to raise the stakes in each story. It all worked on a whole and it created an interesting novel, but I found myself wanting a little bit more suspense, especially if we're dealing with spies and the resistance. Elaine's story had more suspense/threat than Ava's.

On a whole it was an enjoyable book. It was interesting to learn about the librarians' efforts to record materials and to learn about WWII Portugal. However, come the end, the novel on a whole was not overly memorable in a sea of WWII fiction. I would not dissuade someone from reading it - it was a good book - I'm just not rushing off to tell everyone about it.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A interesting take on civilian side-espionage during World War II with well-developed characters. Each have their own distinct voice and personality and the story is interesting, if similar to other WWII espionage tales of late.

4/5 ⭐️
Anything that has to do with World War 2 and the Holocaust are a automatic read for me. This was no exception. I really loved this story of these two women.

I love anything that deals with librarians and this book was great. Intrigue and suspense, it held me from the beginning to the end. Would definitely recommend

Be ready with tissues when you pick up this book. I’ve read many books about WWII and this one impacted me more than most. I felt the Resistance’s strength in its members and felt their losses. It was heartbreaking to read the terror and pain the people went through. The story is told by two woman who do not know each other but help each other in the best way. These woman are strong and determined to fight for what they believe in and I love stories that feature these type of characters. It is a must read story, especially if you like to read the WWII historical fiction genre. I cannot say enough good things about this book.

2.5 stars

I think the idea for the story was great and there were elements that I really enjoyed. But I felt like several things were just glossed over - Lukas, Daniel, etc. - and they really should have been a lot more significant to the story. All in all, it just read as quite scattered, and I wasn't a fan of jumping back and forth between the two women, I was much more interested in Ava's story.

Two storylines going on at the same time and while the reader has to wait a bit for them to collide, when it does, it is so good!

Ava was happy working at The Library of Congress when she was approached with an interesting job - to go abroad and work with the US military in intelligence. Elaine is living in occupied France and with recent happenings going on around her she decides to join the effort and work for a printing press trying to get the news from the Resistance out into the world.

I absolutely loved this book. I enjoy reading about this war, and while I know about the atrocities that happened, sometimes it is hard to read the hard truths of it all. SO I like these books where I can read and learn more about this war, but not quite enter into the depths of all that happened.

When there are two storylines, sometimes I lean towards one or the other, but not the case in this book. These women were in two different parts of the war doing two different things and I loved seeing both of them in the same book.

My second Madeline Martin historical fiction book and she is quickly becoming an author that I will immediately open and read!

Dangle a World War II set novel, written by a woman, with “librarian” in the title in front of me and you better believe I’ll grab it. Immediately. With both hands. I was so excited to read The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin not just because of those three things but also because I very much enjoyed her debut, The Last Bookshop of London (review here). It was a really interesting – and enjoyable – read!

Here’s the book’s description:
Ava thought her job as a librarian at the Library of Congress would mean a quiet, routine existence. But an unexpected offer from the US military has brought her to Lisbon with a new mission: posing as a librarian while working undercover as a spy gathering intelligence.
Meanwhile, in occupied France, Elaine has begun an apprenticeship at a printing press run by members of the Resistance. It’s a job usually reserved for men, but in the war, those rules have been forgotten. Yet she knows that the Nazis are searching for the press and its printer in order to silence them.


As the battle in Europe rages, Ava and Elaine find themselves connecting through coded messages and discovering hope in the face of war.
Truthfully, the use of “librarian” in the title is a wee bit misleading. Ava isn’t at the Library of Congress for very long and I didn’t get the sense that she was very bookish (and if I’m misremembering, my apologies to both Ava and Martin!). BUT librarians (and other library staff) do a lot of different things and her knowledge of certain materials would have been intriguing and helpful to the government during war (how did they find these people?).

I found switching between Ava’s story in Portugal and Elaine’s in France to be a bit…I don’t want to say annoying because I wasn’t frustrated. It was more…like I was reading two different stories. I was certain they’d connect at some point, but it took an awfully long time for the two women’s stories to come together. They were both interesting, don’t get me wrong. Each woman was doing really important work to help end the war and I enjoyed learning the little bits of information Martin shared. But there have just been a lot of historical fiction novels like this that are either dual timeline or dual narrative and sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. I have to wonder if it’s done because authors don’t think they have a robust enough story to focus on just one aspect or if publishers somehow think this is all historical fiction readers want.

I really didn’t know much about Portugal’s role in WWII before reading this novel. Essentially, they were neutral throughout most of the war – although it seems they were quite helpful to the Allied forces. They were also one of the last escape routes out of Europe for those trying to flee the dangers of war. I’m definitely interested in learning more about this part of WWII that is new to me.

The Librarian Spy was one of those books that I had a great time reading but isn’t the best novel in the historical fiction genre. I expected a little better from Madeline Martin and this book doesn’t hold up to a scrutinizing review but I was entertained from start to finish and I’ll for sure be reading whatever Martin writes next.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

3.75 stars, rounded to 4.

This historical fiction novel is set during WWII. Ava, a Library of Congress librarian, accepts a contract position overseas in neutral Portugal working for the US military, where her job is to obtain daily papers and put pertinent information on microfiche. Simultaneously, in occupied France, Elaine has begun work with the resistance after her husband Joseph goes missing. These stories alternate and eventually intersect. The author is very adept at bringing each of these character’s stories and experiences to life. There is mystery, suspense, and very difficult things to read about as the Nazis do their best to advance their objectives. I ultimately enjoyed this story and would recommend to anyone who wants a glimpse into what it must have been like with the rationing, the fear of capture, and the way lives and societies can change during war. These strong women are great characters. There were times where I felt the writing veered into a history lesson, but it’s a minor quibble.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Hanover Square Press, Netgalley, and Cindy at Thoughts From a Page. This novel was the June early reads for the Thoughts From a Page Patreon group, and I received an advance reader copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was such an excellent read, I am only sorry it took me so long to get to it! This story, told from the perspectives of two women, sucked me right in and held on to the very end. I am always so awed by the grit and resilience of people who live through war, and this story really brings that to the forefront. This is a story about love and sacrifice, and the lengths people will go to in order to protect those they love. I won't forget it, and I'd love to read more from this author.

The Librarian Spy is a novel that alternates between Lisbon and France in World War II and is told with two alternating narrators, Elaine and Ava.

The two women find themselves connected through coded secret messages in publications to aid the resistance.

The Librarian Spy is a powerful and ultimately a hopeful story. The characters are well developed and I felt their belief and passion in the pages of this book. The love of books and reading Ava felt was very present and really came through when reading this novel.

Many historical fiction novels have a “current timeline” that has some connection to the historical one. However, although The Librarian Spy has two plotlines, they both occur at the same time in 1943. That sounds confusing but it’s not. What is the significance of each woman’s story and how do they relate to each other? The author takes great care to build the plot lines independently but with enough action in each to further draw in the reader. Ava’s is more intriguing due to her eventual position and duties. But Elaine’s is more compelling due to the urgency of her work. It’s difficult to say that one enjoys reading about dark periods in history, but this book kept me up at night, as I was eager to find out the fates of both women. For more details, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. This review was written based on a digital copy of the book from Harlequin Trade Publishing/Hanover Square Press.

Madeline Martin once again takes you back in time and lets you walk in someone’s shoes. One of the two POV in this book takes you to neutral Lisbon, Portugal with a librarian. Every scene felt authentic and exciting. The themes about the power of communication and the role women played in resistance were exciting in new ways. The narrator Saskia Maarleveld delivered both POV with stunning clarity. She embodied these characters and transports the listener with her commitment to each personality.

This novel is not your typical summer read, but if you would like to be immersed in a story with two strong women during WWII then this is a great one to pick up. The story unfolds with dual narrators: Ava, a librarian at the library of Congress who is asked to join a special government group and go to Lisbon to work for a covert operation, and Elaine, a French resistance fighter.

I did not know much about Portugal during WWII and hadn't realized that they remained neutral. Martin does a wonderful job of immersing the reader in 1940s Lyon and Lisbon, her attention to detail was so interesting to read. Because Portugal was neutral those sections were a little lighter and easier to read than the very tough situation that Elaine lived as a resistance fighter.

Overall this was a compelling, at times tough read about two strong women.

I really enjoyed the characters and introduction to an aspect of the war I had never considered, but overall, the pace of this novel didn't really hold my interest as I would have hoped. The narration for the audiobook was excellent, however.

I found all of the characters to be so fascinating and heartfelt and I wish I could have connected to the plot just a little bit more.

Thanks to HTP for a copy of The Librarian Spy.

Two things I love -- historical fiction and spies. I didn't know much about these librarian spies during WWII but I found this book fascinating to learn more about these remarkable women!

Helene wants to work for the resistance for her war torn country of France. When her husband disappears she discovers he is a major force within the resistance giving paperwork to Jews trying to escape the Germans. She discovers he has been captured by the Nazi's and gets a new identity to help him escape. The story of Ava an American in Portugal blends in with Helene's story. There are a lot of novels similar to this published. It is heart wrenching and sad that the world lived through this era.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book but found the execution lacking. Martin is happy to kill off as many characters in her books as possible (based on previous reading of her works) but occasionally someone who should for sure die somehow magically lives which feels a bit preposterous. There's something about her writing style that never quite connects me to the emotion of her stories. I think this will be my last of her novels.

A librarian who is a spy set in World War II? I was sold from the beginning. In The Librarian Spy Ava exchanges her job at the Library of Congress where she is an expert at microfilming for a U.S military post in Portugal using the same skills. While microfilming newspapers and other documents from throughout Europe, Ava not only becomes familiar with the plight of many Jewish people trying desperately to leave Europe but also stumbles upon a coded plea for help in a French Resistance newspaper.

Author Madeline Martin does a wonderful job of intertwining two unique stories. The two stories unfold simultaneously involving two entirely different sets of characters and seem completely unrelated. Alternating between the two story lines causes the story to be a bit slow at the beginning, When the two stories intersect, the characters work together to accomplish their mission over different countries and in some cases without meeting in person. Their clandestine work using top of the line World War II era technology combined with their persistence and strong female characters provides a wonderfully, entertaining yet poignant work.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complementary copy of this book via NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.