Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. I have chosen to write this honest review voluntarily and it reflects my personal opinion.
I was attracted by the blurb describing this book as I enjoy novels set in the war era featuring spies and Resistance work with strong female characters, such as those written so well by Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger. We learn about Alix through various events and times, from her finishing school in Switzerland and what led up to that, and into the war years, demonstrating where the 'three lives' comes from. The timeline was clearly shown but I thought it moved around a bit rather than following a clear progression of events and I didn't like the way this clouded the story. The descriptions are very detailed but I thought this slowed the action. By the time I had read 30% I had to admit to myself that I wasn't enjoying the book and gave up.

Emotional and sweeping.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book in exchange for my review.

A really enjoyable read that was well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters who I really liked especially the protagonist.
One of the best historical fiction books I have read this year

I thoroughly enjoyed the main character in this novel set in Paris at the end of WW2. She is incredibly courageous and determined to achieve her goals, but also flawed which made her feel even more human. Travelling to Paris in 1946, Alix has been hired to become the publicist for a new fashion house - The House of Dior. Her bright future is out in jeopardy when a face from the past appears, determined to expose her secrets. How can she stop them without taking drastic measures? Only three years before Alix was employed for the American Intelligence services, the Office of Strategic Services wants to place Alix close to a Nazi who has agreed to feed secrets through to the British. However, she needs to be very vigilant as it’s just possible that he is a double agent. Then something goes wrong.

The story is told across two time periods, 1943 and just three years later in 1946. Paris is still picking itself up and dusting itself off. Across those two times we see Alix doing two very different roles. In the past we see how Rachel has become one of those invisible women of war. While our men were largely serving in the conventional forces, Alix is doing something just as dangerous but with no reward or public praise. She is then returned to a world that’s gone backwards in terms of hardship, finances, availability of goods and the treatment of women. This novel shows perfectly how women who had really proved their worth in a dangerous field suddenly reverted back to being the little woman at home. Of course Alix is trying to avoid that fate, but the irony of working for Dior at this time is that built into the very structure of his beautiful ‘new look’ is a wish to return to a time when women dressed like women. Fashion history shows us that rather than the utilitarian fashions of the war years, Dior was returning to women having that exaggerated shape to their skirts, with a nipped in waist and acres of fabric. The stunning dresses described here can be read as an attempt to restrict women’s movement in direct contrast to the dungarees of the land girls. Of course the dresses described are exquisite and having recently watched Mrs Harris Goes to Paris I could imagine it all in my mind’s eye.
Alix is an extraordinary character who goes from orphan to spy to working at Dior, if you enjoy fashion, historical fiction or women’s history this is a great read for you.

Alix St Pierre has always been poor, and has been used to working hard to get what she wants. Orphaned at the age of 13, she is taken in by her best friend Lillie Van Der Meer. The Van Der Meer's live in a world of privilege that Alix knows she must use to her advantage if she is going to survive.

Sent to finishing school with Lillie, the two are separated when Alix travels to Paris. Wanting to stand on her own two feet, and make use of her language skills, Alix secures a job as a junior fashion editor When the second World War breaks out she returns to America and is reunited with Lillie.

Their reunion is brief as Alix is enlisted in the USA's fledgling intelligence organisation the OSS. Her multilingual skills see her operating as a spy, assisting the Italian partisans. When a mission goes wrong with tragic consequences, Alix blames herself.

Years later, she returns to Paris to work in PR for the newly created house of Christian Dior. She keeps track of the post war trials and is horrified to discover that a face from her past has somehow avoided a jail sentence or worse.

When she receives an anonymous note advising her to leave Paris, she knows that she is in danger, and she knows that he has something to do with it.

As much as part of her wants to flee back to America, she knows that the key to her forgiving herself for everything that went wrong that fateful night is understanding what really happened. He is one of the only people that can help her with that.

This is a beautifully written historical fiction novel, with a good mix of fictional and real characters. Some good, some not so good, but all of them with a story to tell. It deals with the brutality of war sympathetically, as well as addressing the injustices that many faced post war. Highly recommended.

The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre is the latest historical fiction work from New York Times best-selling author Natasha Lester. It is a captivating, beautifully written novel told in three timelines: before, during and after WW2. The story is impeccably researched and historical details were seamlessly woven into the narrative.
In Alix, we have a really strong female protagonist who is witty, headstrong, courageous and had me truly enchanted. She is beautifully complex and we see her trying to recover from the trauma of a failed mission towards the end of the war and the responsibility she feels for it.
Although I was drawn to The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre for the WW2 aspect, I also really enjoyed the time period which focused on Alix’s PR work for House of Christian Dior. The exploration of Parisian post-war fashion and the experiences of women such as Alix navigating post-war Paris were really interesting and really set this novel apart from other WW2 historical fiction works.
The narrative started off with a slower-pace as Alix established herself in Paris and I will admit that during these chapters I found it quite hard to fully engage with. But I’m glad I stuck with it because as the novel progressed it became fast-paced and had me completely hooked by around the halfway mark. Natasha Lester effortlessly builds tension and has the reader on the edge of their seat before switching back to one of the different timelines and making us hold out for answers.
I enjoyed the slow burn enemies to lovers relationship between Alix and Anthony and, in the earlier timeline, it was also beautiful to see the connection between Alix and Matteo blossom even if it was a typical short-lived right person, wrong time relationship. I did feel like some of the scenes between Alix and Anthony could have done with being a little bit spicier but I appreciate that this isn’t the style of all authors.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed by the ending as (whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers) the apparent resolution surrounding the Nazi agent they’d been trying to track down felt really anti-climatic and lacked the drama and tension I craved. Natasha Lester did a good job of making sure all loose edges were tied up and it was interesting to see how different aspects of the story linked but unfortunately quite a lot of this was predictable. This was a shame as until the final chapters the book was a 5* read for me but my dissatisfaction at the ending reduced this rating.
Overall, The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre is a powerful and incredibly gripping piece of historical fiction which is both heart-breaking and heart-warming. It is a must-read for fans of WW2 historical fiction who also have an interest in Parisian fashion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

This is yet another novel set in two time frames but this time there is only a few years between the two parts of the story. One is during WW2, the later setting being in Paris in the years just after the war. I so enjoyed the parts of the book about the rise of the fashion house Christian Dior and would have like more of the story to have focused on this but I do realise that this was in many ways, just an aside as most of this novel is about the resistance and the follow up clean up operations to track down those who had committed war crimes. All in all this is another good novel by Natasha, well researched and most enjoyable.

This novel will take you back to the years of World War II and show you a world of impossible choices, fear and destruction but also of extraordinary courage, the power of friendship and love. From the very beginning, I was captivated by the character and personality of the main character Alix St Pierre. She's one of those characters you want to meet in real life. Full of passion, humour and ambition. The second thing that captivated me was the story full of action and emotions, which cannot be easily forgotten. I admit that I read every page with flushes on my face, learning more and more new complications and troubles that fell on the main character. I was fascinated not only by the world of spies and partisans but also by the world of Parisian fashion in the late 1940s and, in particular, Dior's creations. I think everyone will find something interesting in this book. I found.

Loved this one, it was so interesting. I do enjoy. Natasha’s books and have all of them so far. Another winner for me and ine I would highly recommend. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I enjoy stories set around WW2 especially ones that revolve around the Allied secret services. However, I struggled with this novel and was unable to finish.

Yet another great book by Natasha Lester and another great book about making a new life after war.

This is the story of Alix St Pierre and how she becomes a spy and then starting a new life after the war but the war has not left her and things don't go to plan. The past comes back to haunt her and and she will then have to find a way to move past the past.

This is an intriguing and thrilling book which with it's dual timeline (Over three parts of Alix's life) brings a story of war and life together. It brings all the parts of her life together to make a read that flows well, keeps you interested and brings thrills, sacrifice, love and even fashion to the realm. It is a wonderful story and I do highly recommend it.

I love the notes that follow the story as they make this story more real and even more interesting. It is a well researched book that is believable yet brings the perfect balance of fact and fiction together.

Read this one in a mixture of ways with kindle book and audio. The commencement of the story with fashion and real life Christian Dior moments mixed in was definitely interesting, and the attention to detail,vivid. As this story splits into a variety of mixed timelines, the one with an abandoned Alix getting a job at Harpers Bazaar didn’t quite ring true. The war time elements of the book could have been more intense. One tiny draw back of the audio was missing the date and place orientation at the beginning of a new chapter and having to figure out what storyline you were in. Overall, I found the pacing too slow for my personal taste but would try this author again.

I really wanted to like this one as I love historical fiction and Paris is one of the places that has a piece of my heart. However, the fashion storyline did not grab my attention as I have zero interest for it and I could connect with Alix. I felt there was something missing at the beginning of the book, explaining who she is and why she has had three lives as it got me very confused from the beginning. I am clearly in the minority here as many people love it so probably is a me problem and not the book.

Another wonderfully engaging historical fiction read by Natasha Lester. This is one author that never disappoints.
Alix St Pierre is orphaned at 13 when her immigrant working class parents are tragically killed. Her best friend is Lillie Van Der Meer and her parents semi adopt and sponsor Alix to attend a Swiss Finishing school with Lillie. Alix must learn to not live on charity so when she leaves the school in 1937 she travels to Paris and secures a job as a junior fashion editor with Harpers Bazaar but with the outbreak of war she returns to America. Her skills and multilingual ability are noticed by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and she is recruited as an aid to the office director in Bern during WWII. Alix leaves behind her fiancé Bobby and her best friend Lillie. Her skills and PR ability see her liaising and assisting the Italian partisans as a spy. A mission goes terribly wrong killing not only her fiancé but also the resistance leader Mateo who Alix has fallen in love with.
The book has Alix taking on a PR role in Paris with the new fashion house for Christian Dior following the war in 1946 but the chapters alternate with Alix’s time before the war and during the war working for the OSS. She cannot forgive herself for the loss of loved ones and she is out to seek revenge.
There are so many strong characters in this book and you can’t help but fall in love with them. This is a book about the horrors of war, the loyalty, bravery and love of friends, the beauty of fashion but above all it tells a story of the need to let go of the past and move forward to the future. A truly captivating read.