Great story of enormous courage made even more wonderous as it's based on a true story. I do not think any of us in the modern day can comprehend the bravery of all SOE operatives in nazi occupied territory.

A great story set in WW2 showing the power and courage of the Resistance members and the danger they put themselves through to save others. Elizabeth and Guy are great main characters and the story is one that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it

This is my honest review of the ARC of this book, which I received from Netgalley. Trust me, it's 100% honest. I'd have wrapped it up in less than 100 words if it weren't.


Holy shit.
I loved almost each and every freaking moment of this story. I've read the Diary of a Young Girl (haven't finished it yet, but someday, I WILL. It's a must-read!). My curiosity about the time of the Holocaust was further ignited recently during the current Genoc1de going on. When I read the description of this story, I knew I HAD to read it! And I'm so glad I did. It might not be a true story, but it might have been someone's, as the story was inspired by the true stories of the escape lines established during the WW2.

The main character, Elisabeth, is the kind of woman I'd want to be someday. Strong, cunning, resilient, caring, level-headed. Don't we just love the books where the women ARE the main characters, not just in words, but in every action?! She's knows when to take control, and knows when to let someone else take the reins.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this book, and would surely recommend it to someone who wants to read a historic fiction that captures the tense situation, dubious moralities, depth of the characters brilliantly!
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A truly inspiring historical fiction story of courage and sacrifice.
Elizabeth a strong woman and the protagonist in the story is working for the resistance in France aiding Jews, refugees and English pilots escape from German capture. Her childhood friend’s older brother Guy comes to France to assist the resistance and Elizabeth and Guy form a partnership in their quest to help others. There is one boy, 6 year old Robert, the last survivor of a Jewish orphanage who Elizabeth is determined to see across the Pyrenees mountains but the Gestapo are chasing them.
A heartbreaking powerful read and one I couldn’t put down.

If I Can Save One Child is the latest breathtaking novel from historical fiction author Amanda Lees. This page-turning story explores themes of survival, courage, hope, sacrifice and love of all types, set against the backdrop of Nazi-occupied France.

Amanda Lees is one of my favourite authors in the Second World War historical fiction genre due to her incredible ability to craft compelling, emotive and powerful stories packed full of meticulously researched history, so I was eagerly awaiting the release of If I Can Save One Child and it only exceeded my incredibly high expectations. There is genuinely nothing I can fault with any of her books I’ve read so far, she’s an absolute star of the genre.

I was truly captivated from the gripping prologue and this carried on throughout the entire novel, which I read in a single day. Personally, I adore the use of short and snappy chapters in all of her books as it helps to maintain a fast-paced narrative which is packed full of tension. This tension puts you on the edge of your seat from the very first page and the story takes so many twists and turns that you never know what is going to happen next; that is some of the true magic of Amanda Lees’ stories. The vivid setting descriptions brought the French settings to life on the page, leaving you as the reader feeling like you’re actually hiding out in the caves with the characters or sitting with them in the various safehouses they frequent.

Elisabeth was a courageous and strong female protagonist who was beautifully written. I also loved Guy’s character and will admit that I fell in love with him very quickly. The way that the two of them were willing to risk their lives to try and save a child was beautiful and a powerful tribute to the real men and women who were part of the SOE and the French resistance, including those who ran the escape lines out of France. I loved the historical romance element we had through Elisabeth and Guy’s characters. It was included in the story in a way which was impactful yet didn’t take away from the drama of the main plot line. It really provided a sign of hope and light against the darkness they were facing.

Overall, If I Can Save One Child is a really powerful story which is undoubtedly one of the best pieces of historical fiction writing I’ve ever read. Amanda Lees is one of the true queens of the genre and I can’t wait to see what comes next from her.

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted my review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk

*Thank you to NetGalley, Amanda Lees and Bookouture.

If I Can Save One Child by Amanda Lees is an equally heart-rending and inspiring novel of tenacity and resilience in occupied France in WWII.

Elisabeth is in Vichy, working to help english pilots and Jewish refugees escape the horrors of internment in German POW and Concentration camps. Lees is put into a position where she has to decide whether to abandon her post, or go over and beyond to save one littel Jewish orphan from a terrible fate. With her love Guy alongside, Elisabeth risks it all and embarks on a treacherous journey across the mountains in a bid to help this child to safety

Lees introduces a wide array of characters,mostly likable and some (rightly so) detestable in their evil, but all taking part to make a compelling, engrossing novel that left me absolutely drained (in a good way)

An absolute blinder of a novel from Lees, who is surely up there in the accomplished, compelling authors of historical fiction (I absolutely loved the Midwife's Child and I am really getting into the Resistance series) Histirical fiction is one of my favourite genres and being a huge history buff, I can be very picky about detail and the human experience, but Lees has immaculate research along with a deep empathy and understanding for her characters. he fact that this was also based on a true story made it even more compelling

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Amanda Lees for this incredible ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all reviews are my own

This book was so good and historical fiction usually isn’t my Jam. The characters were so easy to fall in love with it and it genuinely was an easy read.

Though this book is very interesting, it started very slowly. The beginning is confusing because there are so many different characters introduced and it is hard to keep the straight. The story did pick up as it went along.

Fans of historical fiction will likely enjoy this story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this heart-rending and emotional account of survival in World War 2 France. We follow Elisabeth and how she helps to save individuals from occupied territories and getting them to the free countries. The author had me going through all emotions - had me sitting hunched over with tears in my eyes one minute and the next minute I was chuckling along with the characters. I loved how the world was explained and immersed the reader into the experiences of the time. The characters develop and we can see the arcs that they go through to where they are at at the end of the story. I want more of Elisabeth's story.

This is quite a gritty view of the resistance movement in France during WW2. We are given an in depth understanding of how this movement ran in the South of France, showing us how even in Vichy France, the residents were happy to help the Germans but also how brave people were in defying and trying to stop the Germans.
The lines that were established were vital in the movement of both civilians and soldiers/airman/agents in getting to neutral and safe countries and ultimately to rejoin the war effort.
Marianne is deep within the resistance, but her place there is compromised so she needs to get to safety, she takes this journey with an orphan.
This a deep book with many twists and turns, but you realise what a job these people undertook to try and keep their country free.

Elisabeth is working in France during WWII helping pilots and Jewish refugees escape. When daredevil agent Guy and the brother of her childhood best friend arrives they work together to help save others. Soon Robert, the last survivor of a Jewish orphanage, comes into her orbit, and she knows she has to help him. So they undertake a perilous journey over the mountains, with the Gestapo, led by Drexler chasing after them. Will they make it across the mountains to safety on the other side?


This story had me on the edge of my seat. I loved the main characters, Elisabeth and Guy, as well as the others who worked with them to help save the pilots and refugees. I’m constantly amazed at the bravery of the men and women of the resistance, as well as those that risked it all to help save others that were escaping the Nazi regime. This is my second read by this author and I’ve enjoyed them both. I’m looking forward to more of them.


This is my stop on the #booktour for If I Can Save One Child.


Thanks to @bookouture, @netgalley, and the author of this ARC

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! If I Can Save One Child by Amanda Lees is a fast paced novel of one woman’s courage fueled by her love for her country, her home and her best friend. Growing up, Elizabeth, spent her summers with her best friend Hélène and her older brother. When she meets up again with Guy, she is in the throes of the resistance helping smuggle people through the dangerous Pyrenees mountains. Though, she could never have imagined the strength she had within her, she will do everything in her power to help Robert, a six year old boy, escape France to start a new life in England. This powerful novel reminded me, yet again, of the courage and selflessness many French people had throughout the Second World War as they faught with the resistance to help liberate their country and keep others safe from the German occupation. Overall, a novel I would recommend to others.

Amanda Lees’ new book If I Can Save One Child opens with a brief but tense, terrifying and angst-ridden prologue which sets the scene for the remainder of the story. Elisabeth, the heroine of the book, is in a very precarious situation and everything has come down to this moment. Will she be successful or will those who have wanted her downfall for so long bring it about?

We are then taken back to 1942 to Marseille, where I felt we were plunged straight into the book without much background information being provided. It came across as if I had missed out on important information or perhaps that this was a continuation of a previous book which I knew it was not. It did take me some time to get into the flow of the story because of this and I think it was only around the midway point that things really began to click for me and the disjointed feeling I had been getting because I thought the plot was jumping from one thing to another began to settle down. The main purpose became clear and started to be put into action and the story found its rhythm so definitely the later half was much better than the first.

Elisabeth’s ability to blend in has kept her alive up until this point and it’s by sheer good fortune that the Germans haven’t caught her. For to lose her would be detrimental to the work the British and the Resistance are carrying out in France. Elisabeth is part of a network trying to help downed aviators and refugees who are all desperate to reach safety. An escape line has been established but someone is passing on vital information and safe houses are being raided by the Germans. Everything they have done to help so many is under threat and soon there are wanted posters for Elizabeth appearing here, there and everywhere.

I felt I needed more context as to how Elizabeth came to be working for the British in France. It’s later revealed her mother is Spanish and her father English but at the time we meet her nothing is really said about her at all and there are several male characters that I felt I should know more about them too. As I’ve previously mentioned the story jumped around a lot for the first half almost as if it was searching for it’s focal point and I felt like there was an awful lot of filling in the gaps to do but once these issues resolved themselves there was a much better flow to things and the story became more enjoyable and interesting to read.

Robert is a young boy, the last survivor of an orphanage raided by the Germans. He becomes a symbol for all those that they have lost but also for freedom and for everything that Elisabeth and so many others are working towards achieving. But Robert’s whereabouts are now unknown and now she is determined to locate him and bring him to safety. The Germans are determined that this boy will not be able to tell the truth as to what happened to his fellow orphans and the staff members members who cared for them. They have been transported to camps but the Germans want this kept secret. As the safety line has been breached due to an unknown source that also has to be re-established and in steps Guy, who is part of a group known as the Devil’s Brigade. They are on a top-secret mission but some of his men have been arrested and they need to be found before the bigger plan of fixing the safety line can begin. Elisabeth has been basing herself at Chateau Bleu where Eliane and her husband harbour people who need refuge and safety.

An eclectic cast of characters are introduced but when Elisabeth sets eyes on Guy everything changes for her. For she knew him previously. He is the brother of her best friend Helene and there is a definite spark between the pair which is worked nicely throughout the plot. I would have expected for Guy to have taken on the more dominant role for the remainder of the book. Quite often, its portrayed in stories that the men were the ones who lead everything and pulled all the punches but this didn’t happen at all in this case and I was delighted. Elisabeth really stepped up to the plate and fulfilled her role to perfection. Yes, Guy in some ways had to take a back seat when he becomes incapacitated and Elisabeth could have just withered away and given up. Instead, we see her ingenuity and resourcefulness start to come to the fore and thankfully the pace picked up rapidly in the second half of the book and the feeling of being disjointed dissipated as there was a clear trajectory and one common goal in sight.

Elisabeth goes through a lot of physical and emotional pain and turmoil but I was rooting for her all the way as things became very edge of your seat stuff. But her desire for justice and revenge for so many I feel were what spurred her on. She could have just escaped out of the situation given the Germans had a bounty on her head as she had the means to do so and had been offered an easy escape route thanks to guy. But no she stuck around and was determined to get the line going again and try and find Robert and get him to safety. No doubt about it she was gutsy and courageous and my admiration for her grew and grew as she placed herself in situations that others would have ran a mile from.

If I Can Save One Child shone a spotlight on a dangerous and heart-breaking journey undertaken by one brave woman aided by so many. Through reading of Elisabeth’s experiences Amanda Lees also showed how so many ordinary people did their bit without question. The details regarding all the cogs in the wheel that made up the safety line were incredible and one wonders would be people be as willing, ready and able to do the same today? Elisabeth, sacrificed everything and had so much courage and generosity of spirit that her story does become engrossing and you are hoping for a positive outcome on a professional and personal level. Although, If I Could Save One Child, would not be my favourite book by Amanda Lees, I think it is still very much worthy of a read.

What a beautiful moving powerful historical read. I loved it.
A story of bravery, survival, strength, friendship, love, courage and sacrifice. It’s full of tension, intrigue, romance and acts of heroism. I couldn’t put it down. It definitely pulls at your heartstrings.
The characters are believable. I loved the chemistry between Elisabeth and Guy.
Overall an inspiring and heartbreaking read. Definitely recommend for fans of historical fiction.
Thanks to @bookouture for inviting me to read #IfICanSaveOneChild.
Book publishes 30 July 2024

In this fascinating and complex World War II historical fiction novel, readers follow Elisabeth, a linguist and agent in the British secret service, as she carries out missions and works in occupied France on an escape line transporting downed pilots and refugees out of the country. However, she has become recognizable to local Gestapo forces, endangering her fellow operatives and those they help the longer she stays in France. When a reckless fellow agent comes to her to help a little Jewish boy escape the country, Elisabeth agrees, knowing that any mission could be her last and that there is no guarantee that those she transports will make it out of France alive. Based on the true stories of escape lines, World War II spies, and the Jewish refugee crisis of World War II, Lees’ book is powerful, vivid, and descriptive in its imagery and her ability to bring the terror and tension of undercover work to life. Elisabeth is a fascinating heroine with a period-accurate backstory and the skills and training of a capable agent, and readers experience her emotions and motivations as the novel progresses. Another excellent addition to the World War II historical fiction genre, Lees’ book is descriptive, emotional, and immersive, and fans of the genre will absolutely love joining Elisabeth on her escape line in occupied France.

I've read a lot of WWII/Holocaust literature. Both fiction and non fiction. But I've only recently started reading books centred around SOE operatives. I don't know if that's because the files being declassified and making their way into the public domain, leading to more of them being written, or just that I'd not really seen them before. But either way Amanda Lees had fast become one of my favourite authors of this genre.

I don't know which of the many female SOEs Elisabeth is based on in particular, or how many of her escapades really happened. But my goodness was she brave. As were all the spies, undercover agents and members of various underground networks that operated to save the innocent from the Nazi war machine.

I found this to be a tense and gripping read, full of brave, selfless and supposedly 'everyday" people. Although I'm not sure I could be as brave as them should the need arise. Whilst I understand why there is a romance storyline running alongside the action, I almost wish there wasn't. Whilst I'm sure some of the secret service personnel did bump into prewar acquaintances in their line of work, and I'm sure romances did happen, I sometimes feel that they detract from the more important storyline.

I'll end this review with the following quote from the book, which for me, sums up how we should all be. Especially in the current political climate.
"Kindness is something we can all extent to the dispossessed."

France, 1942 tensions remain high as World War II rages on across Europe. With the Nazis and the Gestapo lurking around every corner, no one is safe. Elisabeth has been working for the British Secret Service since the war began. She spends her days and nights rescuing pilots when their plane goes down. As a beacon of light in the darkness she also helps Jewish refugees. Knowing that if she ever wants to return to England, her next mission must be her last. But when Guy, a fellow agent, begs Elisabeth for her help to rescue a little boy who is somewhere in occupied France, Elisabeth knows in her heart that she can’t say no. So she and Guy head out together to accomplish one last mission together.

If I Can Save One Child, written by author Amanda Lees is a heartbreaking and inspiring story based on true events. This story of bravery and risking it all for the sake of a child had me flying through the pages. I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced book, with characters that broke my heart, and leaving tears running down my cheeks. The fact that this story was inspired by true events made me even more sad. The sacrifices that people made for each other to survive this terrible time amazes me. Lees always pulls the reader into story and doesn’t let them go until the very end. I loved this book and I highly recommend it.

Lovely war time story around a young woman and her resolve to help smuggle as many people as she can through German occupied countries. One little boy called Robert who managed to survive against all odds needs her and her other friends help to give others hope.
Plenty of drama and romance to keep you hooked.

Danger, romance, drama, love, loss, courage, bravery and sacrifice all packed into this historical WW2 novel. Throughout the book you are reminded that it was ordinary people, mothers with children etc that just wanted to do the right thing. Putting their life and family in danger to save just one life. Amanada Lees has done it again with a gripping, well written, page turning, breathtaking book based on true events. If I Can Save One Child that left me in ore. Highly recommended.

I would like to thank Bookouture, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this complimentary copy for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
#IfICanSaveOneChild #NetGalley

Once again, Amanda Lees has created an emotional roller coaster that contains oodles of tension and action with a romance thrown in.

The main character of Elisabeth is excellent, as are all of the characters in this book. What I particularly liked was that the focus was on the bravery of ordinary men and women who risked their lives to help desperate people escape the despicable regime that had invaded and taken over their country but whilst there were parts that dealt with the atrocities of the invading force, this wasn't the main focal point which was a nice change.

If I have one complaint, it's that I would have liked to have found out what happened to one particular character who turned collaborator and seen him get is comeuppance however, that's only a blip in what is otherwise an excellent book.

Full of action and suspense with a plot that was absolutely riveting, this is a book that I would recommend to lovers of this genre and I must thank the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read this powerful story.