Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for an honest review!

This is the first book I finished in 2024 and it’s definitely starting out strong — I’m adding this to my list of favorite books! The Girl From Provence follows the life of 21 year old Lilou, a seamstress and beekeeper who takes care of her family’s sheep farm in the mountains of France. After her best friend and brother are taken away by the Germans, she starts aiding in the French resistance, initially by smuggling messages in loaves of bread, but later becoming more and more daring + hiding away a young Jewish boy named Eliot.

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, so I may be a tad biased, but this is so beautifully written, you’ll feel like you’re right with the characters every step of the way. The characters are complex + well developed — it’s difficult not to fall in love/get attached to them (and the animals!), and the description of the village and the nature she spends her time in is captivating.

Did I mean to start and finish this in a single day? Absolutely not. But could I stop listening? Also absolutely not. This is a suspenseful, utterly heartbreaking, but riveting piece of historical fiction that, despite not at all shying away from the brutalities of war (there is graphic violence and vulgar language), still somehow manages to leave you with a sense that there is still hope in the world and good in humanity. There is love and joy, but also grief and despair — I so admired the strength, bravery, and resilience of so many of the characters.

The narration is done well — crisp and clear with distinct voices for the different characters. I found the speed to be on the slower side though, so I did switch the speed to 1.25x, which felt like the perfect pace for me.

I’ve always found solace and a sort of quiet joy in looking up at the stars in the night sky, and this book made me love this all the more. There were so many different things that I wish could’ve happened instead in this book, but sadly, you cannot expect neatly tied up happy endings in a book about a world war.

I will likely be curling up with some tea + lavender honey and The Little Prince soon to lift my spirits. This was truly a beautiful (+ haunting) read.

I was drawn to this book because of the lavender fields, like a place where I lived.

This is the story Lilou (fun name to say!) who lives in the French countryside during World War 2. After seeing her friends taken from their shop, she joins the resistance.

I especially liked the relationships between the characters. I loved Elliott - can’t tell you anything about him without spoilers though 😊

I listened to the audiobook. It was fun to listen to. The only challenge is it wasn’t totally clear when we changed between character viewpoints.

#netgalley #AGirlFromProvince

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the free audiobook in exchange for my honest review. This is narrated by Naomi Frederick who does a fantastic job reading.

Lilou is selling her lavender honey and rescuing bees while living in the south of France during WWII. The Nazi's invade her town and round up the jews, including Lilou's best friend. So, Lilou decides to fight back and joins the French resistance. Her assignment is to work as an agent in the mountainous Provencal region in the South of France taking caring of a young Jewish boy, Eliot.

The story is very immersive and quite picturesque in its imagery of the lavender fields and the countryside. The characters are well developed as well. Its a bit of a different take on WWII, which is nice. Highly recommend!

Horrified when her friend is taken away by the Nazi’s in occupied France, Lilou joins the French Resistance and is given the task of keeping a little by safe. At first, she doesn’t understand the child’s importance to the resistance, but then discovers the child possesses a book that will decode messages, and perhaps turn the tide of the war. But can she keep him, and his book safe from the Nazi soldier who has arrived to look for hidden Jewish families? A beautifully written book about honor and sacrifice during some of history’s darkest days

Lilou is selling honey while living in the south of France at the village square. The Naxis came, and took the Jews, including Lilou's best friend. She joins the French. Resistance, and works to help the Jews.

I did enjoy this book. I think I'm taking a break from historical fiction though. The books are starting to run together, and all seem like they are similar to each other.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookuture Audio for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very unique in my eyes. Typically, WWII books that I’ve read do not focus much on the character’s life outside of the drama of war nearly as much as their life within it. The parts of this book I found myself enjoying the most were simply about Lilou’s more isolated experiences on the farm, with the bees, etc. Similarly, I was surprised to find myself truly trusting Kristian, and I usually find myself very hesitant when introduced to a Nazi character who readers are intended to favor.

Eliot was by far the standout character in my eyes. He was the embodiment of the Little Prince (which I immediately ran to read after reading this book, and this book made me connect to TLP far more than I think I may have without it). I feel as though I can’t say all that much about him without spoiling his storyline, but I was captivated. His introduction was when I started to get truly attached to the book. I also adored the inclusion of astronomy, something I have read very few books involving.

I have seen many reviews of this book that disapprove of the vulgar language in this book. However, in contrast, I believe that the use of such language made the book more powerful. The large majority of Nazi’s were not kind, peaceful people, and to portray them as such is a disservice, especially as the number of people alive during the war is waning in 2024. These characters SHOULD make you uncomfortable, and using this language allows you feel it right through to your bones. I think it was an intelligent move on Fripp’s part.


While I enjoyed the audiobook, I felt like the narrator was a mismatch for this story. As it all took place in France, with a majority of French or German characters as well as many male characters, it felt bizarre to listen to it read in its entirety in a female voice with a thick British accent. Nothing negative on the narrator, as she was very talented, but it just wasn’t a great fit for my tastes.