Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this gifted copy. It has been a while since I've read historical fiction. The Tuscan Girl has a dual timeline, switching from WWII to the present. With rich descriptions, the reader is easily absorbed in the story and becomes invested in the characters.

Give me a WWII historical fiction dual timeline book and I am a happy reader. This is the third book in the series, but you can read it as a standalone. The characters are well developed and you will find yourself deeply invested in their lives. The vivid description of the landscape was appealing. I enjoyed learning about how the war progressed in Italy … something of which I was not familiar. The focus of this book was more about the relationships rather than the actual battles. A good read for those who are interested in this time period.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I have become a substantial historical fan and was thrilled to receive an arc of this title. Unfortunately, it was a bit slow for me, and I struggled to get through and did not finish. It may be one I try again if I can find an audio copy.

Alba Starnucci has been living in London, when her partner James is killed in a tragic accident, and she returns home to Rofelle a small village in Tuscany. Alba has always enjoyed walking, it helps her clear her mind, and on one of her hikes she finds an old wooden box filled with antique silverware near the ruins of a house destroyed during the war.

Alba has always been interested in the wartime history of the area, but decades later and she’s not sure if she can solve the mystery. Alba meets Massimo, during WW II he fought in Egypt, was a prisoner of war in England and returned to Tuscany in 1946. He finds it painful to talk about the past, when he returned home after the war ended, he was shocked by the destruction and atrocities committed against the local people.

His childhood friend Lucia, was a spirited young girl, who fell in love with a German soldier, she was punished for being a collaborator and in fact she was a member of the local partisan resistance. Captain Florian Hofstetter, was horrified by his fellow Germans treatment of the Italian people, stealing priceless treasures, and he did what he could to stop them from being sent back to Germany.

The dual timeline story, goes between Tuscany during WW II and the present time. Alba and Massimo become close, and he shares with her his memories of the war and what happened to Lucia. The Tuscan Girl by Angela Petch is full of wonderful characters, historical facts and an engrossing read. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, I highly recommend reading it and five stars from me.

It’s easy to say a book transports you somewhere, but the author knows Tuscany so well and portrays her love of the region with such skilful language, you are instantly there. And because you feel so much at home it is easy to dive into the lives of the characters, as though you are right at their elbows.

The Tuscan Girl is a beautiful story that doesn’t fall into any of the usual tropes. Love takes many forms and both the World War Two narrative and its present day counterpart weave together in sometimes surprising ways, which makes it all the more magical.

The best book I have read so far this year.

The Tuscan Girl
I love historical fiction books, that’s why I requested this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The book plays out in two time frames 1940-1946 in Italy and England during WWII and the present time. Massimo is the common bond during the two time frames. He is an old man of 90 now, who through flashbacks tells his story to Alba of the war years. Alba recently moved back to Tuscany from England where her boyfriend died in an accident Alba feels responsible for. Massimo’s tale includes his time in England as a prisoner of war, and his return to his home country in Italy. While he settles back to life, he encounters Lucia, whom he knew from his childhood. Lucia is the Tuscan girl who has a tragic story to tell.
This book is a story of war, love, losses and memories that form us.
It’s very well written, beautiful descriptions of the Tuscany countryside, it’s people, foods, customs.
Overall a 4 star book for me.
Thanks NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advanced copy.

This book was a new author for me and I am so appreciative that I was given an early ebook copy to review.
The main character, Alba, returns to Tuscany, her father's home after suffering a tragedy. She meets 90-year-old Massimo, a local village gentleman who has a regretful WWII past. Together they share stories and help heal each others emotional wounds. A wonderful story of caring and helping one another to overcome life's sorrows and difficulties.

The Tuscan Girl is the second book from Angela Petch. It was written in past and present days. I loved it!!! Beautiful description of the landscape, poignant and emotional story.

#Angela Petch of bestselling ‘The Tuscan Secret ‘ has a new novel ‘The Tuscan Girl ‘. It’s a Historical Fiction which goes from past to present. It’s a fascinating story that centers on Alba who
has lost her fiancé to an accident.Heartbroken She goes back to Tuscany to her parents to get her
life sorted.There she mets Massismo, and his story and secrets brought Alba back to the world of living.

Thank you,
#Netgalley,#Angela Petch and #Bookouture

When Alba's fiance is killed in an accident in London she returns to her family home in Tuscany. While there she discovers a box of old silver and is determined to find out about its origins. Massimo it's an old man living in a home as he is unable to cope alone in his beloved house with his memories, so when he is befriended by Alba he gradually starts to unwind and tell her of Lucia the love of his life and the history of the war.

A great story told by Alma in the present day, Lucia during the war and Massimo just after the war, and the three timelines blend well together and tell a memorable story that stays with you long after finishing the book, highly recommended

Albas fiance has died in London and she returns to her home in Italy to grieve. She walks the mountain and finds an old ruin where she is convinced she sees someone but the person seems to disappear over a ledge. Everyone is convinced she is dreaming but when she persuades her brother to come and help her look they find a bag with old silver ware in it. Alba decides to discover its origin and along the way she meets Massimo an older gentleman who tells her his war stories, Alfiero an old school friennd and Lodavico an enigmatic hermit who lives a monastic life nearby.
I loved this book. The book is set in the present day and also between 1944 and 1946 during the war. The history of the are was very interesting but you also saw how prisoners of war were treated in Libya and the UK. I look forward to reading more from Angela Petch, I have already downloaded another of her books.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This historical fiction had many elements; love, loss, mystery, and friendships to name a few. I did not want to put it down. It was beautifully written and very atmospheric.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Tuscan girl by Angela Petch turned out to be one in a series of three books set in Tuscany during the second World War and in the present.
When I started reading Tuscan girl I was not aware that it was a sequel to a book I read before, The Tuscan Secret, but a couple of chapters into the book I started realizing that I "had met" some of the characters before. I write had met because the characters in Petch's books really seem to come alive when you read the books.t
This is the story about Alba, the daughter of Francesco and stepdaughter of Anna from the previous book who returns to her native Rofelle in Tuscany after her fiancé dies in a car accident. Like in the other book this story is also set in two separate time-frames because a major part of the book centres around Massimo, an old man Alba meets and whose life (and love) story during the second World War she slowly discovers during this book.

In the present day Alba's own love-story with her former classmate slowly develops despite encountering some ups and downs.

I can recommend this book to everyone who is into historical novels, Tuscany or just anyone who wants to read a great story. I'm looking forward to reading the next sequel.
Definitely 4,5 stars

I want to thank Netgalley And Bookouture for providing me with an ARC of this book

I totally enjoyed this book by Angela Petch. I like the plot and her writing style. Will definitely be checking out other books written by her in the future.

A historical story mixed with present day life. This was masterfully written to quench a range of genres from romance to suspense and of course, all the history. Angela Petch captures your attention right from the beginning and it was hard to put the book down at any time! I have grown to become a huge Historical Fiction reader and this story was INCREDIBLE.

Being Italian and having visited many places in Tuscany, Angela really transports you to each place and you forget where you are in real life until you put the book down - IF you can put the book down!!

A must read and one I will highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary eARC of this book. I am honored to have read it in exchange for an honest review.

In the present day, a personal tragedy send Alba back to her family in Italy where she learns to come to terms with her grief. She befriends an elderly man Massimo and he begins to tell her about his experiences of the Second World War.
The narrative is split into three separate timelines: Alba in the present, Lucia mainly in 1944 and Massimo mainly in 1946. The author uses dramatic irony to a certain extent as we know that Massimo and Lucia marry so know what will be the partial outcome but we still need to learn about their journey up to that point.
Lucia befriends a German soldier who has concerns about how his comrades are behaving. He decides to help the Italian partisans, but even so, Lucia is hounded out of her village for fraternising with the enemy. We learn about Massimo's experience of being a prisoner of war in England and then his return to Italy, finding Lucia again. Alba in the present day finds her childhood friend Alfi but he is struggling with a controlling girlfriend.
The best and worst of humanity are demonstrated through The Tuscan Girl. We see violence and hatred on an international, local and personal scale. There is kindness and love that shines through stronger than the pain and grief that inevitably accompanies it
I really enjoyed this book. The use of the three timelines allowed the events to be revealed gradually and I was completely swept up in the story of these relatable characters. I felt that the main characters had a depth which inspired an emotional connection, and I found it refreshing that Florian was portrayed as a German rather than a Nazi.
The Tuscan Girl is a beautifully written book. I wanted the characters to find happiness and love: this only partially worked out but they did find peace and contentment.

This was a beautiful and thought-provoking book and was an utter joy to read. You can feel her love for Tuscany radiate off the page and it has made me want to visit the area even more! But it was the characters which made this book sing, they are so beautiful in their souls.

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When it comes to history I am very much interested in individuals lives, especially when it comes to war. I don’t really care about battles and manoeuvres, it’s about how people coped with the circumstances surrounding the war. The passages where we see Massimo in the Italian POW camps were of interest as although I was aware of them, I didn’t know a lot about them. I wasn’t aware they were allowed to be billeted out to farms etc and enjoy free time out of the camps. I also knew nothing I am embarrassed to admit about the how the war played out on Italian soil. But this is what makes great historical fiction in my mind, you learn from it! Yes it is fiction, but the best versions are extensively researched and based on real events. They allow the reader to feel as if they have lived in the period and encourage them to find out more after they have finished the book. This was definitely the case in this instance!

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The true love story in my opinion here (and therefore probably wrong!) is that of Alba and Massimo. There are not many young people who would instantly start caring for an old man who was essentially a stranger at the beginning of the book and also want to listen to their war stories! The bond between these characters was heart warming and gave me a sense of hope for the world! Corny I know but hey 🤷‍♀️! It made me think back to my relationship with my Gran and how towards the end of her life I started to record her oral history about her experiences. It was a time I loved with her.

If you like WW2 books this one is for you. Heartbreaking story, beautiful Italian culture and views portrayed in this book bring the pages to life almost. This story is a modern fiction twist with WW2 period of time. Good read.

A beautifully written book set in dual timelines. A central character Massamo features in both stories as he tells his story of WW2 to Alba. Alba in todays timeline is returning home to Tuscany following a tragedy. Back in the 1940's we hear the story of Massamo and Lucia. A story of bravery and sadness as the Italian resistance fight the Nazi's. Todays timeline highlights the beauty of Tuscany and the wonderful sights, sounds and food! Both timelines are heartbreaking and heartwarming.

A great read! Modern day twisted with WWII. If you are a fan of WWII historical fiction, I highly recommend. This book taught me a little more about Italy during the war. I feel like there haven’t been nearly enough books written about it. Great read