Michele Phoenix's The Space Between Words is a poignant and haunting novel that seamlessly blends historical fiction with contemporary drama. The story follows Jessica, who, in the aftermath of a terrorist attack, embarks on a journey of healing and discovery. Her path intersects with the remnants of a Huguenot family from the 17th century, unraveling a tale of persecution, resilience, and faith. Phoenix masterfully crafts a narrative that is both gripping and deeply emotional, with rich character development and vivid historical details. The novel's exploration of grief, hope, and the enduring power of words makes it a compelling and thought-provoking read. The Space Between Words is a testament to the strength of the human spirit across time.

The idea was interesting and elements played out well but it felt busy and overly complicated. By the end I was ready for the book to be closed and some type of ritual take place.

This book was really good. Sorry for taking so long to read but enjoyed it! I wished there was chapter navigation though since I sometiumes fall asleep while reading.

Jessica wakes up after being unconscious on the day after the Paris attacks. She wants to leave, but her friend convinces her to stay and finish their trip. She finds a letter hidden in an antique that changes the way the trip goes. She tries to figure out what the letter says, as it is written in an Old French that she does not understand. this was a fun way to learn a bit more about French history.

While the book is certainly imbued with a subtle sensitivity, I didn’t find it compelling enough to get excited about it. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Jessica and Vonda are visiting their friend, Patrick, in Paris when their trip turns from tourist to terrorism. At a concert one night the crowd is infiltrated with terrorists and lives are lost. Jessica survives but not without physical and emotional scars. Vonda can't cope and flees Paris for their home in Denver, Patrick is an eternal optimist and convinces Jessica to stay and do the roadside antique shopping trip they had planned before the attack. So Patrick and Jessica hit the roads of France countryside. When Jessica comes across something in one of their searches it kicks off a whole new trip, one that takes her on a quest to hunt down the past in hopes it can help her present.

This was okay. I feel rather indifferent about it. It wasn't bad and it wasn't spectacular. I feel like the potential of what it could be linger in the pages. While reading I felt like it was sitting on the edges of it being something I could be really excited about. Instead, I'm left just shrugging my shoulders and checking another book off my list. The writing is solid and the characters are pretty good but it lacks, in my opinion, engagement. Phoenix did all the right things but that made it feel like maybe she was checking things off a list. Plot? Check. Characters? Check. Points of tension? Check. Resolutions? Check. The past that Jessica ends up researching, The Huguenots and their escape from France, is interesting but again, lacked complete engagement. It has the feeling, to me, of a wallflower at a school dance. It steps away from the wall and takes a few steps toward the action but then retreats.

As I said above, it's a book I can now check off my TBR.

This book was much more intense than I expected from the description and the cover art. I was surprised that there was not really a historical component to this book. From reading the description, I imagined a book like Sarah's Key, where the reader travels through time each chapter as parallel historical events happen in different era. Jessica wakes in a French hospital having experienced the devastating Paris attacks, and we focus on Jessica and her friend group in the aftermath of this tragedy.

This is not for me. The blurb of the book is more interesting. I cared little about the romantic aspect. The characters were likable separately, but not together. The mystery aspect was more interesting.

This book has been on my shelf for a couple of years now. I have tried a several times to read it, but I just can't seem to engage with it. I think I am going to give up as it is much too late to give a useful review at this point. Thank you to Thomas-Nelson for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I do think others may enjoy this book; it just wasn't grabbing me.

While this book wasn't quite the type of book I like to read, I found the author did the subject matter justice. The author pulls you in at the begnning and you become one with her characters. The book does span centuries but welcomes you to be a part of the period. I enjoyed it, but didn't fall in love with it.

I received an ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

After Jessica is shot during the Paris attack of 2015, she plans to fly back home as soon as she is medically able to. However, her friend Patrick talks her into taking the trip to the south of France as they had been planning to do. There, Jessica buys an antique sewing box that hides pages from a Bible and handwritten notes. Mona and Grant, who run the B&B where Jessica is staying, help her translate the notes and learn of the Baillard family, Huguenots who were persecuted for their faith over 300 years earlier. Adeline Baillard chose to stay in France with the children she taught, while her brother, sister-in-law, and sister fled to England. Jessica, Grant, and Mona need to know what happened to the family and go to England in search of answers.

Jessica's story hooked me early. I could not imagine going through a terrorist shooting and wanted so much to help her through the PTSD she was clearly suffering from. The writing in this book is superb. <spoiler>The one negative thing I would say about the book is that I didn't feel any connection between Jessica and Grant. It seemed to me like they just got together because he was the only (living) man in the story, and as a women's fiction novel, Jessica had to end up in a relationship. Jessica and Patrick's chemistry was powerful, and I just didn't sense anything close to that between Jessica and Grant.</spoiler> This is a Christian book, but faith was mostly only brought up during the Baillard family's part, other than at the end of Jessica's story. This was a 5 star book for me for the majority of the novel, but the end left me feeling a little disappointed.

Disappointing. Not what I expected. I tried several times but simply could not get into this book. Maybe it's just me.

I was interested in the premise of this book and knew it would be a book of recovery, reflections and new beginnings. And this book delivered exactly that!

It wasn't the easiest book to read with its shifting timelines, characters and the relationship that all feel to much and many to feel completely comfortable to me personally but while its not the easiest book or the fastest to read book in my option its worth the time and effort its takes!

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I would highly recommend this book to my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!

When I began reading I thought this would be another romance book centered around some type of disappointment. I soon learned in one heart stopping, totally unexpected, catch my breath, OMG moment that I was way off. I don’t often react like that to my reading so needless to say Ms. Phoenix had my attention from that point forward. As I read on I began to realize how important the introduction was and I had to go back and reread. The historical references in this story added to it’s impact. I enjoyed this book very much for the simple fact that the message delivered was different, realistic and honest. The author did an outstanding job of educating the reader while dealing with strong emotional issues. She skillfully dealt with an unbelievable situation with the help of a child. The reader is able to bond with the characters, even the historical ones, through the events in the book. The symbolism, historical events, and the “meaning between the words” written make this an unforgettable story. I look forward to reading more books written by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me early access to this thought provoking text.

I forced myself to finish this, because it got some good reviews, and I kept expecting it to get more interesting. It just wasn't my piece of cake, I guess, even though I did enjoy the French in it and was familiar with many locations in the story.

What would you do if you got shot during the Paris attacks and wound up in a french hospital? This is how the novel begins. The Space Between Words also connect a character from the present to a character from the past. What are the connections? I believe this novel allows the reader to become absorbed in every facet of the plot as it unfolds. This is they type of novel that will keep you up at night reading to find out what happens. It is an insightful and uniquely written. I would definitely want to read a novel by this author again.

A beautifully written book of personal recovery from the horror of a terrorist attack in France. While following a trail of another woman’s attempt in survival hundreds of years earlier in France, the character gently rebuilds and heals from her traumatic loss. An inspiring and wonderful book. Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and author for this copy. All opinions are my own.

This book has such strong storytelling and craft that there is so much to dissect! The perspectives and weaving of plot between them is well executed and fabulous to read.

This was a really beautiful story. The descriptions of the Paris attack were heartbreaking and poignant.