This novel is a gorgeous, haunting journey through time that grips you by the heart. The juxtaposition of Ruby’s fight for life with the bravery of these women in WWII creates such emotional depth. The way the author weaves the past and present together feels seamless, Ruby’s connection with these two women feels so real. The pacing is perfect, and the historical elements are richly layered, making it impossible not to get lost in this story.

Wow!!!

This was the first book I’ve read from this author, and it certainly won’t be my last.

From start to finish I was gripped, so much so that I stayed awake until 2am to finish it. Books with multiple timelines can often end up confusing and disjointed, but Mary expertly wove the stories together in a way that was just perfect. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories of both Ruby and Sylvia, and love how there were additional POVs at the start and end of the book from others - not too much, but enough to round the whole story out.

I would love to read sequels from the POV of Emile during the timeline of this book, and Otto through to the end of the war.

5 stars out of 5 ⭐️

I love this book and feel Taylor has a way with creating characters with heart and storylines that keep you engaged and motivated to continue reading
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review book

Oh my gosh
Ruby is a huge fan of historical French cinema and especially an actress named Cecile who was popular in the early 1940’s and then disappeared without a trace in 1942 and Ruby wants to try and find out what happened to her
A note before I properly start the review, some things may read a bit odd this time and apologies in advance, there are some bits of the book that I don’t want to spoil for you
This book is truly totally amazing and had me hooked from the very start. It looks at a part of the war that so often doesn’t get talked about, those who had to work with the Germans and in a more niche subject, the French film industry in wartime which is something I didn’t really know anything about before reading this book
The story is told primarily by Ruby and Cecile’s dressmaker Sylvia, whose daughter is assisting Ruby in her quest to find out what happened and to tell her mother’s story. To me, this worked really well and I could feel the danger and drama that Sylvia and Cecile had to go through and then the contrast with the modern characters which flowed and kept me reading
I will admit that there were some twists and turns that I didn’t see coming but which I loved and this book kept me hooked and reading late into the night, desperate to know what would happened
I would recommend this book to those who enjoy an unconventional war time book which will pull you in and keep you reading

I really enjoyed this as a story and enjoyed the look into these women's lives, the overall storyline worked well and was glad it had that element that I was looking for. Mary Ellen Taylor has a strong writing style and the characters had that feel that I wanted. I enjoyed the overall feel of this and enjoyed how it showed the different periods.