A beautifully told dual timeline story of Sophie who is assigned to the Windsor castle library in 1940 and years later, her granddaughter, Lacey, who lives in Philadelphia and discovers a letter from WIndsor castle. The story is very intriguing as Lacey finds out about what happened to her grandmother. Well written, interesting historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to be able to read and review this book!

This delivered what it promised and more. This story is so beautiful and heartwrenching at times. I loved it so much. This needs to be more famous.

This wasn't really what I was expecting. The synopsis sounded right up my alley, but then the book, well it was not up my alley. Not even in my town's alley in fact.

This is a dual timeline novel (which I love with historical fiction), WWII and 2021-2022. I think if the present day was any other period other than 2021-2022 I would have liked this more. The present day was so much about COVID pandemic, which honestly, can we just not use this in plots anymore?

The 'present day' writing was a completely different style writing too, almost like a different author wrote this portion and threw it with the historical portion. I think, personally, that this novel could have done without the 2021-2022 portion and just focused on being in WWII.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for my DRC.

This is literally the best historical fiction I have read all year. Set in a dual timeline, in WW2 Austria and England, and current day. And the best of all, this is about sisters. I loved it!

Many thanks to Net Galley and Avon Books UK for an audio ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was really interesting and atmospheric historical fiction. I loved the blending between fact and fiction. The dual timelines work really well. The themes of survival and truth among the secrets of the past were well done. I particularly liked the Windsor sections if the novel. A good read.

This was a nice easy read, lots of factual history throughout the fictional story. It was easy going between 2022 and the war years. I felt like the overall tone to the story was neither up nor down throughout. Lots of extra bits not relevant to the storyline were there too - ie the drinking/being drugged. Overall, it was a decent read.

A dual timeline historical fiction that I found very slow as took more than 50% to get things going.
There's a lot of potential but I found it too slow
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The story moves from pre war Austria to modern Windsor with an interesting plot, moving between the two worlds where the links unfold throughout. I like the authors writing style and the authenticity of the settings. Recommend as a good read

Sophie and her sister Hanna escape from Vienna after the Nazi invasion. However Hanna goes to America and Sophie is recruited by the intelligence services to go to Windsor Castle in England. Sophie works in the Royal Library and uncovers various secrets. She is always under suspicion though because she is foreign. She and her sister never see each other again. This story is told from the modern day, with Lacey trying to discover what actually happened after finding an old letter hidden by her grandmother. Nicely told, captures the feeling of suspicion and fears in the days of the war when England was under threat and feeling very alone in the world. Also describes life at Windsor Castle for those that served and a nice insight into the Royal Family

After the Nazis occupied Austria in 1938, Sophie Klein and her nine-year-old sister Hanna were orphaned when their parents were killed. Determined to save Hanna, Sophie arranged for her to be rescued and sent to America, promising to reunite with her. Shortly after, Sophie was recruited by the British government and, after a harrowing journey, found herself working with the Royal Librarian at Windsor Castle. Decades later, Lacey Turner adored her grandmother, Gubby, but knew little about her mysterious past. When Lacey accidentally discovered that Gubby had a sister, she traveled to England to uncover the truth, unearthing secrets that would change everything. The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood is a captivating historical novel, weaving together the lives of Sophie, Hanna, and modern-day Lacey with rich historical detail, particularly Sophie's role at Windsor Castle. The novel's compelling characters and engaging plot make it a must-read. Highly recommended.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book was really not my favorite. I didn't find the characters intrigued me or pulled me into the story. I was sad to see this as I've loved other books by Daisy Wood but this one just didn't do it.

I received a copy of The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood from NetGalley. This historical fiction book is set in dual timelines- one is in the present (2022) and the other during World War II. Lacey finds a letter with a royal seal amongst her grandmother’s things. This letter intrigues her and leads her on a fascinating journey to unravel family secrets. I loved reading Daisy Wood’s The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris, so I was really excited to read another one of her stories.
It’s 2022, and after a long time, Lacey and her family are getting together for Christmas. The lockdowns for COVID-19 are easing, allowing them to meet her 94-year-old grandmother aka Gubby. Lacey is a ghostwriter. After a traumatic incident, she has isolated herself to her apartment, and with the lockdown, she barely goes anywhere. Accidentally, she finds a letter from Windsor Castle in her grandmother’s things and is intrigued by it.
Sophie and Hanna Klein are two sisters living in Vienna, Austria with their family. They are happy and content with their life. In 1938, Nazis come to Austria and take over. This changes the family’s lives irrevocably. Being half-Jewish immediately puts a target on their back. The descriptions of how Sophie and Hanna witness the death of their father and their mother being taken away are horrible. Desperate to protect her little sister, Sophie sends Hanna to America with a family that is taking children out of Austria. She visits the British Embassy every other day to find a way to escape. She speaks English really well and is recruited by the British intelligence services. With her experience as a librarian and being bilingual, she is sent to Windsor Castle.
The Royal Librarian by Daisy Wood is an emotional tale about a family. It is very difficult to read through the parts set in Vienna. It is so sad that Sophie and Hanna are never reunited again and that they never made up before Sophie’s death. The story has amazing character arcs, especially Sophie’s. This historical fiction book keeps you hooked from the start. I loved reading The Royal Librarian.

Lacey is assisting her elderly grandmother when she discovers a letter on stationary from Windsor Castle. While Grandma Sophie doesn't want to discuss it, Lacey knows she must find out more. In the dual timeline, young Sophie has become a librarian at Windsor Castle, preserving the royal library and interacting with the young princesses. With war raging, she learns that Windsor Castle could be a dangerous place, especially for young Elizabeth, the future queen.

I've loved Daisy Wood's other books and was so excited to read this one. Once again, she does not disappoint. I really enjoyed Sophie's story and the insights into Windsor Castle, especially her interactions with the young princesses! The book was another that kept me up all night to finish it as each piece of the puzzle begins to fit into place. I always enjoy a good novel that ties into the royal family and this one definitely held to its promise.

Content warnings: Nazis, murder, loss of a parent, imprisonment, attempted kidnapping

Sophie Klein lives in Vienna with her parents and younger sister Hanna. When the Germans start to invade, Sophie must make a terrible decision -- sending her younger sister to America for her safety, without the rest of the family. Sophie emigrates to England to work at the Windsor Castle library, not knowing if she'll ever see her sister again.

In 2022, Lacey finds a letter at her grandmother's house marked Windsor Castle. She travels to Windsor to find out why Gubby had the letter and uncovers several things that will change her life and her family's forever.

Recommended for fans of World War II fiction, bookish fiction, and royal-adjacent tales with below-stairs characters.

Representation: half-Jewish main character, immigrant main character

This is the 2nd book by Daisy Wood that I read and I real enjoyed them both. This book toggles between 2 timelines - one in the past about Sophie and one in the future about Lacey who is her niece. I really enjoyed the story about Sophie but the story about Lacey was a bit dry. Every time I was in the present timeline, I just wanted to get back to the real story in the past. I did enjoy it overall and I really appreciate the advanced copy to read.

I’d enjoyed the authors previous book The forgotten bookshop in Paris and was given preapproval to Read the Royal librarian on NetGalley UK prior to publication.

The novel tells the story of a young girl who moves from Austria after the takeover by the Nazis and is appointed to be a librarian in the Royal library at Windsor Castle
Often with books like this where one section is set in such a momentous time as a second world War and the other in modern times I find that the modern sections are less satisfactory. This is not at all the case here where the characters and their behaviour are interesting and appealing .
The geographical settings are also all very different which adds an extra layer to the interest in the novel. There are some sections set in Austria some in America and perhaps the most interesting where the section set in England in particular in Windsor Castle
The author describes characters well and all her characters feel entirely real and three-dimensional their reactions to the stresses in their lives develop their characters further.

I recommend this novel to those who like a historical novel with real characters. If you liked all the light you cannot see , by Anthony Doerr The boy in the striped pyjamas by John Boyne and I think you
would enjoy this novel
The novel was published in the UK on the 11th of April 2024 by Avon books UK
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads and my book blog bionicSarahSbooks.WordPress.com. It will also appear on Amazon UK.

I am not a fan of dual timelines, and that is totally on me for not fully reading the blurb, but I do know that many of my readers love dual timeline stories. I thought that earlier timeline in the 1930s/1940s was strong and made a great novel on its own- it was so well written and I was always caught up in the Windsor story.

Wood built the story well, and seeing Sophie in pre-War Vienna as the Nazis gained power was a striking start to the novel. (Some parts were difficult to read, but the past is not always easy to reconcile with.) I would have loved to see more of the Windsor 1940s timeline fleshed out instead of the modern piece, as there were some fascinating characters. However, I think that the spy theme was built up well without being over-the-top- I find that a lot of WWII novels with spy-related plots often turn into a black-and-white movie where everything is done to the extreme. We did not lose Sophie’s overall story for her work as a spy, and that made it a great read.

This is a great choice for anyone interested in historical fiction related to the royal family or the Second World War!

This book wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The synopsis sounded incredible, and I really like the premise of the book. This is a dual timeline novel, part of it takes place during WWII and part of it takes place in 2021 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The parts that take place during WWII are very well written and engaging. I enjoyed this storyline. But the parts that take place in 2021 felt like they were written by a different author. The writing was not on par with the historical and I just couldn't get invested in this storyline.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

I don't read a lot of historical fiction, so it's always interesting when I do pick up one, and the history portion of this book was fascinating.

The story is split into two timelines: Sophie's, as she navigates World War II-era Austria and England, and "present-day" [2023] Lacey, as she finds some kind of tie to Windsor Castle to her family. I couldn't read Sophie's chapters fast enough, and it was so descriptive that sometimes I could just see what was happening to her.

Lacey, on the other hand, read as flat and a little pointless. Maybe if the character/situation had been written differently, the concept of finding some kind of secret in the family would have been interesting, but it felt more to me like it was putting off Sophie's chapters. We don't even see what happens to Sophie, because Lacey meets a couple of people who explain the ending- but after a big moment with Sophie, that's the end of the book. I wish that Lacey's entire section had been cut because then we could focus on Sophie and her story, rather than part of her story that ends anticlimactic and explained instead of shown.

thank you Netgalley for the arc

I had read and enjoyed The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris, so was really looking forward to reading this one and it didn't disappoint. Set initially in Austria just before the outbreak of World War 2, then alternatively Windsor and USA, this is a brilliantly written page turner of a historical fiction novel. Great characters and a clever plot.