This book is one that encourages you to take some time to reflect- both while reading the book and after. The dual storylines are somewhat difficult for me to follow, but it gave another dimension to the writing. Overall, a solid read that takes younon a wild ride.

The Space Between Words is a tale about how our minds protect us after a tragedy. It started out as a vacation abroad where a concert with friends turned into tragedy. This book is so relevant with today's news and the chaos around us. I simply feel in love with the characters here. Their pain and loss is told so well. If you are looking for an action packed book that has you turning pages, this probably isn't for you but if you are looking for a book that holds your interst and draws you in this fits the bill. With a touch of mystery and a little love thrown in I found this a pleasant and drawing read.

Had a difficult time getting into the story at first but such lovely writing and very impactful. One to savor.

I wasn't too excited about this book. The plot seemed interesting, but I just wasn't sure how I would fall in love with it. But boy did I! At first I didn't realize it was going to be a back and forth through time book, so it took me a minute to figure out what was going on. It felt like I was reading 2 different books. Once the connection came I really got into it. I gave it 4 stars because I felt like it was so slow in the beginning and then so rushed towards the end. The flow was a little off for me, but I really enjoyed it overall.

I am a fan of the author's work and was delighted to receive a ARC from the publisher to review this new release. The ARC did not influence my review.
This is a compelling read that captures the reader and tugs at your heart. During a visit to Paris a trio of steadfast friends are in the Paris bombing. After walking up in the hospital Jessica wants to leave Paris immediately but her friend convinces her to stay and continue with their trip through France. As they proceed Jessica becomes involved in a mystery from the 17th century and finds a way through her own grief.
This is a heartfelt wonderfully written view of both victims of a bombing but also rebuilding one's life in the face of immense grief and terror. It is beautifully crafted from both time periods . I loved this book and highly recommend it for a exciting compelling reading experience.

Another well written read by one of my favorite authors. Usually I am not as big into contemporary books but the author does such a great job with the story that it really draws you in and keeps you engaged until the very end. A totally engaging book that is a real page turner and leaves you thinking long after the last page is turned.

My review can be seen at RT Book Reviews / 4.5 stars TOP PICK

The Space Between the Words by Michèle Phoenix is a story across two time periods. It shares the story of Jessica, who survives the 2015 terrorist attack in Paris, and it goes back in time, as she tries to unravel a mystery.

A fascinating split-time featuring a formidable story that intertwines the lives of two women centuries apart amidst devastating tragedy.

The modern frame is wound around the all-too-recent terrorist attacks in Paris, while the historical piece weaves Huguenots history in a deftly researched way.

Literary fiction at its finest--- the strong narrative (for both pieces of the tale) places it above your run-of-the-mill women's fiction

A moving story of a young woman who is injured in the terrorist attack on the Bataclan in Paris in 2015. Jessica's friend Patrick convinces her to go on a trip through the countryside to look for antiques. She finds something that belonged to a young Huguenot woman from centuries before and becomes engrossed in finding out what happened to her. Learning about the life and faith of this girl from the past as well as the people who befriend her and help her with her research contribute to Jessica's healing from the trauma of the terrorist attack.

Interesting historical fiction--I hadn't known much about the Huguenots and the persecution they endured. Also interesting contemporary fiction!

I have been a huge fan of author Michèle Phoenix ever since I read her phenomenal Of Stillness and Storm. (In fact, that was one of the best books I read during the last year.) So when Netgalley offered me the chance to read this author’s newest book, The Space Between Words, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!





The story

Jessica is an American living in France, working alongside her employer Patrick and fellow employee Vonda. (The trio are also platonic roommates.) Patrick owns the Denver, Colorado boutique Trésor, which is filled with (as you’d guess) treasures from Europe. “Picking chiner,” as it’s defined in France, is Patrick’s joy and métier. He drives around France’s rural areas and purchases things which aren’t valued by their owners but which make his store a beloved stop by fashionable Americans. The three agree to head to France together for store shopping. Patrick speaks French, and Jessica envies his easy friendships and rapport with the French. On the trio’s last day in Paris, they decide to do some sightseeing and art-viewing. But Vonda is offered free tickets to a concert that evening; a death metal band, which isn’t really Jessica’s thing (nor Patrick’s, as he heads off to le musée). The next day they will head off to search for treasures in the country.

But the evening doesn’t go as anyone expects. Vonda and Jessica are headed to the Bataclan, where three terrorists will open automatic rifle fire and kill 70; and injure many more.

Jessica wakes up in the hospital, wounded, and broken in her spirit. She plans to leave immediately to go back home to Colorado. Vonda, uninjured, isn’t much help; but dear Patrick is supportive, kind and consoling. He works and works to convince Jessica to go with him on their country treasure hunt. Paralyzed by fears brought on by the attack and injuries made by a bullet, she is hesitant to agree. But finally, when she’s released from the hospital, they begin their journey and head to a charming inn in the south of France.

As they’re poking around the countryside, the pair finds a barn filled with an amazing collection of furniture, junk, and dusty objects. Jessica happens onto a collection of ancient hidden letters in a barn (which is also full of other amazing goodies) and, reading them, enters the story of a persecuted Huguenot Christian Adeline Baillard.

But there are mysteries ahead for Jessica that she cannot even imagine. Is she in a ghost story? What is really going on in this journey she’s undertaken after the Bataclan attack? Is there love and hope ahead for her?


In closing

I will honestly pick up ANYTHING by author Michèle Phoenix. Her writing and perspective captivated me from the first moment I picked up one of her books. The Space Between Words is a timely, engaging story of the terrors and struggles that we face today, juxtaposed with the ones that Christians faced hundreds of years ago. It turns out that our desire and fierceness to survive aren’t all that different after all. Check out The Space Between Words….and everything else you can find by Phoenix!



Enjoy! –Wren



DISCLAIMER: From time to time, finchnwren may receive a free product or service in exchange for our honest opinions expressed in our blog. We are not required to write a positive or glowing review, nor are we additionally compensated for these reviews. We share our own opinions, and our family’s opinion, of these products. We’re disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations.

I received a digital e-reader copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for this review.

There were seconds, when I woke, when the world felt unshrouded. Then memory returned.”

Space Between Words is about 3 friends: Jessica, Patrick, and Vonda who take their dream trip to Paris. They were having a great time until their last night in the city, when tragidy strikes. Jessica wakes up in the hospital injured. Patrick sits with her til her release. Her trauma and pain makes her want to rush back home but Patrick convinces her to follow along. She finds a beautiful b&b where she finds a beautiful box hiding a secret of outs own. Now with the help of the amazing family of the b&b she will follow the boxes story to try and over come and move on from her own devastating loss and pain.

Even tho Jessica is in her 30s it really feels like a coming of age story. One of over coming pain and terrible loss. Her journey to discover the Baillard family fate and come to terms with her own tragity. I wasn’t sure about this book but it really surprised me and I really liked it. I would defiantly recommend it.

Part mystery, part drama, and part historical fiction - THE SPACE BETWEEN WORDS tells two stories. The first one belongs to Jessica, a young woman who survives a terrorist attack while visiting Paris and then struggles to recover a sense of emotional well-being. The second story belongs to a brave group of French Huguenots, forced to leave their home during the 1600s for safety in England.

What ties the two stories together is an antique box Jessica is drawn to in a remote French antique store and the quest she begins to find out its origins. Helped initially by locals, including a brother and sister who run the B&B where Jessica is vacationing, Jessica and her new friends eventually travel to England to follow the box’s story. Finding answers about the box becomes increasingly tied to Jessica’s understanding of her own post-trauma struggle.

It’s an interesting story, although somewhat flawed. The characters sometimes lapse into conversations about religious beliefs that drifts into preachy territory and isn’t quite believable. And the author doesn’t seem to trust that the reader will understand the link between the two stories without some heavy handed explanation. But there’s a lot of promise here and the author is still young. So, I will be keeping an eye out for her future offerings.

This was, quite simply, an amazing book. I will admit that I cried through most of it. Some of that is because I have suffered quite a bit of loss in the last 18 months and I was totally in-tune with Jessica's grief, and some of it was because the story, almost from the moment I started reading [and then listening], the story just grabbed me, struck me, and never ever let go and I was totally swept away by the emotions that the book emoted. It was stunning and brilliant and lyrically beautiful.

I am glad that I looked around for the audiobook of this - I found it on Hoopla and the narrator seemed okay so I went ahead and got it <--THAT was a very good decision. The narrator was very good and really brought the story to life for me. All of the feelings and emotions that Jess was dealing with really came out in her voice and added to the feels I was already having. I was grateful to have the story on my Kindle as well, so I could look up the French sayings [that I didn't know/understand] and to review some of the story of Adeline and Julie and Charles.

I cannot really give this a review with details; it just cannot be done. You must truly experience this without knowing too much going in. THAT is the very best way to read this. You can know this; it is a beautiful story of love, faith, family. It is also a story of love, friendship and deep grief. And it is a story of love, returning faith and recovery. It is, quite simply, a beautiful, amazing read and I am grateful that I had the chance to read it.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I requested this book, I was soon caught up in the story that was hard to read at times. I enjoy dual time books, so this was completely up my alley. Highly recommended!

A fictional account of a woman who survived the Paris Attacks. This book has everything a page-turning novel should; tragic events, surprises, travel, connection between past and present, and romance. So. Good.

The Space Between Words is an unusual take on the terrorist attack at the Bataclan Concert Hall in Paris in 2015. While narrator Jessica survives the attack, she is mentally unstable in the aftermath. Travelling rural France looking for antiques, Jessica stumbles across a sewing box containing a centuries-old Huguenot journal. Her search for the writer's missing sister helps her with her own healing and loss. I thought the plot was quite clever and the historical information interesting; however, the various relationships were not the most believable and the Christian themes were sometimes a bit heavy-handed. This was a nice, light historical read with clever parallels drawn from the persecution of the Huguenots to the political situation around the world today.

This novel was provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

On their last night in Paris, roommates Patrick, Jessica, and Vonda head to different attractions – Patrick to an art gallery, and Jessica and Vonda to a concert at the Bataclan. Before the evening was over, the three were faced with unspeakable horror as the terrorist attack on the club unfolded, where Jessica was shot but managed to escape with the help of another audience member, a man who died within steps of the exit door. After being released from the hospital, Jessica heads out of Paris into the French countryside, continuing the trip she and Patrick had planned.

While wandering through a flea market, Jessica finds an antique sewing box with a hidden drawer containing handwritten Bible pages. With the help of Grant and Mona, the owners of the B&B where she was staying, Jessica becomes determined to trace the story of Adeline Baillard and the history of her sewing box, and solve the mystery of the hidden Bible pages.

This was a page turner, most definitely! I was reading way past my bedtime so I could find out what happened to Adeline and her family, persecuted for their faith during the time of King Louis XIV, and follow Jessica and Grant’s journey from France to England as they followed the path taken so many decades before by the Baillard family. Jessica’s personal journey of healing after the trauma of a terrorist attack was no less compelling, and I enjoyed seeing her courage as the days progressed. I loved the historical aspects, and the touches of deep and abiding friendships that endure beyond the grave.

The only way to describe this book is ‘heart-breakingly beautiful’ and even that doesn’t do it justice. I was not prepared for the plot twist in the beginning that involved my then-favorite character.

This book is a story within a story and I love how beautifully Michèle Phoenix wove them together. This is one of heartbreak, loss, self-discovery, grief, happiness, and a little mystery. It was everything I love in a book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

This was a good story, but not quite what I was expecting and for me, falling a bit flat. The idea of a novel revolving around the Paris terrorist tragedy at the Bataclan was what drew me to this book. I knew little more about the story as I began reading. I really enjoyed the beginning of the book that focused on that contemporary event. I was intrigued by author's historical addition of the Huguenot family to the plot. I also liked all the characters. There was maybe just too much trying to happen in this book, and while I liked it, I didn't love it.
I expect there will be a large number of readers that will appreciate this book more than I. It is a touching story that, withholding the terrorist act, is lovely and heartwarming, much like a Hallmark movie. In fact, that might be a good deciding factor for if you would enjoy this book.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.