Secrets, Lies, love, in Vichy France at the beginning of the German occupation. I know my history, but I somehow always wish that France with its beauty and splendor was overlooked by the Germans; that General Petain hadn't cut a deal with Hitler so that one half of France would be occupied and the other half would be unoccupied or a "free zone" which committed the people of France to the horror it experienced not only by the Nazi's but by their own friends, family, and police. So many Vineyards were destroyed by lack of water or taken to be used for the entertainment of the German's and French Shadow Puppet Regime. So many lives ruined because of French Leadership. It breaks my heart.

The Girl from Vichy is one of those books that bring out a wide range of emotions. My first emotion was gladness for the fairytale vision of Adele's father's vineyard and all the nooks and cranny's his wine cellar held. Then it was disgust and rage from encounters that young Adele has in forms of forced relationships. Most of all I am in awe of Adele's found strength, how she takes risks that show she understands the situations that the people of Vichy are placed in and wants to encourage them to hold strong against the Milice and the Nazi regime.

When I read, The Girl I Left Behind by Andie Newton I was enthralled by the depth of research to detail and setting that Ms. Newton had done and the characters that she had created, especially Ella, who you watch grow from a young naive teen to a confident young woman. The Progression of Ella's strength, maturity, compassion, and how the story was written made me want more from this debuted Author. So when I read that Ms. Newton was writing a new book, It was placed on my "watch-for and must-read" list!

The Girl from Vichy hasn't let me down. Once again, Andie Newton has created a world that you can smell, breathe, taste. A world where you want to slap the smugness off a character's face when they walk into their scene and hug those who desperately need it. I wanted to outright cheer (and I actually did, my husband thought. I was nuts when I told him it had to do with something that happened in a book. 😂) You will want to take weeds and turn them into symbols of hope right alongside Adele.

Summer is a time for love and this is also a summer read. If you love Historical Fiction, learning about different countries and it's people, love characters you grow to appreciated and care for and find escape through danger and intrigue than this book is for you!

The Girl from Vichy is loosely based on the lives of two women in the French Resistance of WWII. Newton explores the emotion and lives of people living under the puppet government set up in Vichy by President Petain. The book opens with Adele running away the night before she is being forced to wed Gerard, a Vichy Policeman and German Collaborator. She hides in a local nunnery, where all is not as it seems. The nuns are helping the Resistance and Adele soon becomes a part of it. I was unsure when I picked up this book as another WWII book, but it pulls you in from the very first chapter, and it keeps you interested in Adele's story. It was also nice to read about a different angle, and look closer at what it was like living under the Vichy government. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest review on #TheGirlfromVichy.

Set in World War 2, The Girl From Vichy is a drama-filled story of life in the French Resistance. The girl of the title is Adèle Ambeh who, having taking sanctuary in the convent of Notre Dame de la Compassion to escape marriage to a man she has come to despise, soon discovers there is more going on there than prayer and painting. In fact, the convent is cover for a Resistance network. Soon Adèle is recruited into the Resistance and witnesses first-hand the consequences of discovery or betrayal.

A novel featuring the French Resistance enters a fairly crowded field, jostling for attention with books such as Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale or Kate Mosse’s Citadel. However, being set after the armistice with Germany and France's separation into "Free" and "Occupied" zones provides a fresh slant. The author vividly conveys the divisions between those who supported the Vichy regime led by Marshall Petain and those who opposed it, seeing it as little more than a puppet of the Reich. Divisions that were played out within communities, within families, between friends and even between husband and wife.

The mission Adèle is given underlines those divisions only too clearly when she is asked to get close to the man from whom she originally fled, now an influential member of the Vichy police force. Able to receive or grant favours on a whim, he's also a ruthless hunter of Resistance members.

I liked the way the book sheds a light on the different motives of those who joined the Resistance, whether that's fighting to restore the freedom of France, the desire to rid the world of evil or for reasons of a more personal nature. And conversely how, in a time of uncertainty and scarcity, it make take very little for someone to be tempted into the role of informer.

The Girl from Vichy is set in a fascinating period of history with many dramatic, occasionally shocking moments. I found myself drawn into Adèle's story, applauding her bravery (and that of the real-life women on whom she is based) and wondering how events would unfold. As the book illustrates, even in time of war people experience loss and find love but they also learn what human beings are capable of - both the worst and, more importantly, the best. As her mother reminds Adèle, "We do what we have to do. When we have to."

Last year I fell in love with Andie Newton's debut novel, The Girl I Left Behind, and now she's back with her sophomore novel, The Girl from Vichy, which proved to be just as amazing!

The story follows Adèle Ambeh, a young woman that lives with her family in Vichy, France. At this time in history, France signs a treaty with the Third Reich, and their country is split in half - one part is occupied by the German and the other is under the rule of Phillippe Petain, who is secretly collaborating with the Germans unbeknownst to the locals. Adèle is against the deal with the Germans and is desperate to get away from her upcoming marriage to an officer in the French police, which her father arranged. With the help of her mother, Adèle travels to a convent so that she may ask for refuge. Along the way, she meets another woman on the train - and oh boy, what a meeting that was! The woman, Marguerite, turns out to be heading to the convent as well. After their tense first meeting, the women aren't exactly fans of each other but once Adèle finds out that Marguerite is part of the French Resistance she is brought into the fold and trained to be part of the Resistance. I don't want to give too much of the plot away, but I will say that you will be sitting at the edge of your seat for some scenes! It's so good!

Between The Girl I Left Behind and The Girl from Vichy, Andie Newton has proven to be an exciting new voice in Historical Fiction and I cannot wait to see what she writes next!

The Girl From Vichy had been on my most anticipated reads. I fell in love with Andie Newton's beautiful book, The Girl I Left Behind. I still think about that book to this very day and remember how much I enjoyed it. I am probably going to re-read right away because I am definitely going to have some withdrawals after reading this, and will be anxiously awaiting for Andie Newton's next release.

In The Girl From Vichy we are introduced to our heroine, Adele Ambeh escaping Vichy, escaping Gerard whom she is to marry and leaving her family behind to seek refuge in Lyon to a convent ran by the Sisters of Notre Dam del la Compassion. While there, Adele helps in the fight by rallying with the Resistance.

There is just something so special about Newton's writing that really tugs at my heart, for the incredibly strong female characters, the hardships and sacrifice they face, and the triumph of overcoming evil and difficulties, written in a beautiful and hopeful story that stays with you long after you have finished reading.

The writing was poignant, immersive, and rich in detail. This incredible well researched historical fiction took my breath away. From the first page, the suspenseful atmosphere kept me turning those pages and my heart pumping. What a fantastic story that everyone should read.

I highly recommend this book!

Adèle Ambeh desperately flees her home the night before her wedding. She has been betrothed to Gerard, a collaborator and ruthless member of the Vichy police in 1942, France. Adele is given a letter by her mother and sent to the Sisters of Notre Dame de la Compassion. On her way, Adele meets Marguerite, a postulant also heading to the convent. The two get off to a rocky start, but once at the convent, Adele finds her place leading the delinquent girls that have been placed with the sisters. However, something seems off at the convent and when Adele is brought into their confidence she becomes a member of the Resistance. Earning the name Catchfly, Adele dives into danger and puts herself right back into the situation she ran from in order to help her country.


Passionate and engaging, The Girl from Vichy tells a riveting story of the very real Alliance nicknamed Noah's Ark in France during WWII. Adèle's character is vivid, strong and thoughtful. The writing kept me intrigued through all of Adèle's journey from her narrow escape to her imprisonment, I felt like I was part of the action and clearly able to see everything through Adèle's eyes. I was intrigued about this part of France's history as I did not know much about France at this time, the Free Zone and it's leadership under Petain. The Resistance activities kept up the suspense as it divided Adèle's family and put her in grave danger with Gerard. I was constantly amazed by Adèle's creativity and bravery when standing up to the Regime. I loved the themes of friendship and family and loyalty that run throughout the story. The romantic aspects of the story were done just right, not taking over the story line but adding another layer of daring to Adele's activity during with the Resistance. In addition, though Adèle's character was fictional, the historical aspects of the story were well researched and fit into Adèle's story line. With amazing female protagonists and an exciting plot, The Girl from Vichy is a breathtaking historical fiction read about France during World War II.

This book was received for free in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful read! The author has done her research on this one, and it pays off with a very informative read which kept me spellbound until the very last page.

Adele Ambeh is young, French and, thanks to her father's recent announcement, on the cusp of marrying a man she's not sure of at all. Her mother doesn't like the idea either, and helps Adele to flee the situation by packing her off to a convent to take refuge. But all is not as it appears at the nunnery and it doesn't take long for Adele to become embroiled in the goings on which she discovers are connected to the French Resistance. Before long Adele must return to Vichy and pretend to be enchanted with the man she ran away from . . .

I have always been fascinated by how ordinary people survived the Second World War domestically, and my interest extended to the French Resistance since reading about Edith Cavell and Violet Szabo when I was a young girl, admiring their selfless actions. The writing in this novel manages to convey the horrors of war, the terror of those living in occupied France whilst producing an absolutely gripping tale! My emotions were all over the place by the time I reached the final page, alternatively covering my mouth with a tissue with the horror of it all one moment and mopping up my tears the next. I can't imagine anyone reading this and not being greatly touched. Andie Newton has produced a fine novel which earns everyone of the five glittering stars I'm so very happy to give it. I cannot recommend this one highly enough - a must read.

My grateful thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley and to Vicky Joss for my spot on this tour; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

I loved the blurb for this book and was very excited to read it. Sadly it just didn’t live up to my expectations and I struggled through it.

Will not be posting reviews on other platforms.

The setting was a home run for me - the “free zone” in southern France during WWII. I enjoyed learning about the area, it’s residents, and the political climate of that time. A very different perspective than I am used to. Loved the strength of the female characters - Adele, a young woman whose father has promised in marriage to a boorish collaborator, her mother, who takes many risks to help the resistance and follows through on her own beliefs, and Marguerite, a member of the resistance. Many of their interactions brought me to tears. Also enjoyed the romance with Luc. This read combines the best of two worlds - historical fiction and suspense, with romance on the side. Even the auxiliary characters, her father and sister Charlotte, hedgehog and others added so much depth to this read. Great read! Many thanks to Andie Newton, Aria, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasurable opportunity to read this read, soon to be published on August 13th. You will lose yourself in this read.

This book tells the story of Adèle a young woman who flees to a convent to escape an arranged marriage to a German collaborator. This is 1942 and France is under Nazi control. Once at the convent she meets members of and joins the Resistance. The premise is good, but I could not get on with this writers style, nor her characters, The more Adèle spoke the more annoying I found her and things like the ‘feet on seats’ etc jarred. The whole thing just didn’t ‘gel’ together for me as a cohesive story and I just didn’t care about the characters, Unfortunately I also found the ‘betrayal’ easy to guess,
All in all it just lacked the emotional punch of other similar books I’ve read in the same genre.

The Girl from Vichy by Andie Newton

War changes people! A war not only destroys a direct target, but it can silently split apart a family because of conflicting principles. In this particular book the husband and wife had dissenting opinions as did the two daughters. The oldest daughter married a man who was going to be on the same side of the German Reich who were trying to take over the free side of France. The husband was also trying to force the youngest daughter,Adèle into marrying a man who was an upcoming leader for the Reich trying to infiltrate the Free France Zone. The mother was doing everything she could to help her daughter get out of the marriage and finally she aided her in sending her to a Resistance fighter at a nunnery. The Mother Superior was the leader of the group and Adèle mother’s friend from their time in the previous war that they experienced horrific things done to them by the enemy. Adèle ended up joining the Resistance but because of a fluke encounter she got tagged as a leader, but she was not it was another lady in the nunnery who was the actual leader of the group. Due to this mixup, Adèle had to face her worst fear and that was the creep who she ran from on her wedding day. They wanted her to infiltrate and get information.
The author did an awesome job in describing the dilemma of not only what Adèle had to face, but her family was torn apart. When you love someone and you know if they just look beyond the fake words and emptiness and truly see what is happening and how everything around them is falling apart under this new regime. The new regime is being tricked and that the bad guys are really running the country. It’s like take off the blinders and quit looking through your rose colored glasses and see what is happening. Finally, her dad does, but it was almost to late and his wife was almost beat to death before he truly seen what was happening! The sister wants to see,but she is still under the guise of trying to be the good wife and get her husband to love her after five miscarriages he is not coming home as often, she thinks he doesn’t love her. She wants to be a good regime wife and so she in a unstable frame of mind turns her sister in and her sister becomes a hunted traitor. Her sister believes she did good by turning in a infiltrator. However, at the end she realizes what have I done! War can truly damage a persons psyche. You can do things that you would never think you ever could do to another human being or condone to be done.
Love is even found during War, but the chances that the person you connect with could be killed at any point because every mission is dangerous.
The author delved into the relationships of families and the dynamics of how war affects them when they are on opposing sides. It’s not easy to hate or to forgive a family member for an act of betrayal, but Adèle is forced to experience that very action. She endures many atrocities and commits some atrocious things, but she manages to retain her self humanity.
This book is a wonderful book and has some great factual information on the French Resistance.
I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and I am willingly giving my thoughts and opinions.

I read over 50 pages of this novel, and unfortunately I could not connect with it. I am a longtime reader of historical fiction and I love this genre. Having said that, I was disappointed that I didn't love this one. However, I will be on the lookout for more by this author.

1942. WWII rages on as Hitler’s Nazi regime hostilely strives to occupy most of Europe.

France is no exception. Making a deal under leader Petain, German soldiers take over most of the country, allowing a small free zone. The villagers in the free zone area are still able to live in their homes and allowed very few liberties. This small allowance gives the Resistance fighters a chance to hide in the safety of villagers’ homes when not out on dangerous operations.

Her loving parents coddle the beautiful, and ingenuous Adèle Ambeh but that does not stop her father from arranging a marriage for her to a callous turncoat. Adèle’s mother is vehemently opposed to the marriage, and the night before the wedding, she secretly sends Adèle away to stay with nuns.

There, Adèle’s eyes are opened to the underground world of the Resistance—groups of young people united to fight for freedom. She soon leaves her youthful beliefs behind and joins these brave and courageous Freedom Fighters—quickly facing the cruel reality of pure survival and doing what is necessary, regardless of the duty.

With the introduction of several strong characters that help shape Adèle’s convictions, we read as she stumbles through her training and struggles with self-doubt. We see how exposed to danger Adèle is and the fear that she felt throughout. We see her develop from a pampered young girl into a bold believer of freedom and rights.

Adèle’s story is one of spirit, heroism, and valor. As are the countless other untold stories of young women who played a crucial part in the liberation from the Nazis.

Andie Newton’s realistic, well-researched, and seamlessly delivered story-writing, immediately engages the reader in The Girl from Vichy.

Freedom came at a tremendous cost of lives. The Girl from Vichy duly honors and pays a powerful tribute to those heroes.

Highly recommend The Girl from Vichy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Aria for the read of Andie Newton’s, The Girl from Vichy.

Opinions expressed in my reviews are my own.

Catchfly

This is an emotional read, heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time. The book is written about the French Resistance during WWII. It is especially about the women's role in the resistance, and the dangerous roles they played. How many times they had to pretend to be collaborating with the German's in order to gain information for the resistance. In doing so their own countrymen labeled them collaborators and were often mean to them. Even within families and friends the war split families apart.

The characters in this story are realistic and believable. Adele, Marguerite, Luc, the mother superior and the priest, and even Adel's own mother worked with the resistance. Adele had to pretend to like a French policeman, Gerard, that collaborated with the Germans to gather information.
The saddest part of the story is when she finds out her own sister Charlotte turned her in for working with the resistance. She is than on the run from the Gestapo with Marguerite and eventually captured and put in prison. The women of the resistance were taught to never speak when interrogated and they withstood severe torture.

It is sad what the captured went through and what the Jewish people went through. It is inspiring that so many of the French fought back in the resistance, especially the women.
This book kept me reading late at night and all the next day until I finished it. It was a page turner, and a tear jerker. It had a bit of romance and a lot of suspense. I know that if you read it you will be inspired by these women in the resistance. I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Andie Newton, Aria Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I’m not sure what to say about this book. It seemed almost like every other book I’ve read about the resistance.
It did keep my interest and I wanted to find out what happened to the main characters.
Thanks to Netgalley for the early copy

This book is beyond incredible. It is heartbreaking, moving, and so much more. Whenever I picked up "The Girl from Vichy", I was whisked back in time, and I learned so much from this novel.

This is the first book I have read by Andie Newton, and it certainly won't be my last. Her writing is simply beyond words. She truly knows how to immerse the reader in the story, characters, and time period, and she makes the past vividly jump off of the page. Her characters felt like real people, and their interactions felt so authentic to who they are. I can only imagine the amount of research Ms. Newton must have done, as every single word and moment seemed so real to the era.

Adéle is such an incredibly strong, courageous, and hopeful woman who knows she must fight for what is right. The fact that she is able to stay strong through what she endures, and helps those she cares about was mesmerizing. The friendship in this novel between Adéle and Marguerite is absolutely beautiful to read as well. Two seemingly very different women come together to realize they are similar in many more ways than they could ever imagine, and their strength is something I do not even have the words to express.

Parts of this novel were very difficult to read, as the brutality many people experienced is absolutely heartbreaking. I don't want to spoil anything in this review, but, many scenes had my heart pounding and racing. There are also many people who are not who they seem, in some cases, this is good, and in some, it is absolutely horrific.

If you enjoy historical fiction novels, I highly recommend this book. It kept me up late turning the pages to find out what happened next, and I absolutely could not put it down. There is a touch of romance as well, and these scenes certainly made me smile.

Thank you so much to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, NetGalley, and Aria for the ARC of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This was not a favorite of mine... I love this particular genre, but found this book just did not keep my attention. I was able to read it in a few days...but I struggled. There are many characters who are very much believeable and you will love and hate some. There were times I was not quite sure what was going on, and it seemed that time (in the book) moved forward but it wa snot clear to me when that happened...

Book Review: The Girl From Vichy by Andie Newton
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 stars

Pub date: August 13, 2020

I very quickly fell in love with this story. As many of you know, I love a good historical fiction, and this one didn't disappoint.
Adele is a French girl from Vichy. Her father has promised she will marry Gerard, a member of the French police in the Free Zone. On the night before her wedding, Adele runs away to a nunnery to escape her fate.
Little does she know that several of the nuns at the nunnery are part of the Resistance! Once Adele joins the Resistance, they send her back to Vichy to win Gerard back. She is to learn as much information from him and funnel it back to the Resistance.

This is a beautiful story about how when France, and even families, were divided, love and friendship brought us together.

Favorite quote: "I wanted to fight with this war with all my bones. Now my bones are all I have left."

If you are a fan of the Nightingale, definitely pick this one up!!

In 1942, Adele from Vichy hides out at convent in Lyon, fleeing arranged marriage by her father. At convent she helps with girls that need “rehabilitation,” the ones who “had strayed in God’s eyes.” – During a war time you’re concerned with that?

Adele later at convent gets involved with Resistance since the convent cooperates with them. But her attitude, at least, at the beginning is as they are nuisance. I did not like the protagonist from the very beginning.

On the train, from Vichy to Lyon, Adele puts her feet up on someone’s seat. Really? There are quite a few things that raise an eyebrow in this story. 1940s Europe and a woman puts her feet up on a train? I don’t see this happening. Someone on a train saying casually that people from Resistance just entered – not believable.

On the train, Adele’s feet land on Marquerite’s seat, who is also on the way to the convent. And from the start Marquerite dislikes Adele for that. At convent, Marquerite has tendencies to accuse Adele of ruining things for her. Mother Superior gets involved between two young women to encourage amends. Sounds pretty immature.

Adele feels sorry for a young nun, who didn’t give herself a chance to fall in love, missing on those love feelings. Missing “the touch of a man, a brush of his finger on your bare shoulder, the smell of his cologne on a warm day-“ I never connected with the protagonist, but the more she said the less I liked her.

Some word choices just didn’t fit right, for example, Adele thinking of someone and hoping “she won’t be so nasty.”

I got interested in this story, because of the Resistance. I wanted to read more about it. However, the protagonist and the style of writing is not something I connected with.

I would like to thank Aria for asking me to read and review this book as part of the blog tour.
I love the cover to this book. I think it makes it really stand out and I love the blue colour with the dark planes flying over and its perfect for this story.
Recently, I have really got into reading books set in France during the second world war, it's nice to read from a different perspective and when researched well it can lead to a very interesting plot. Andie Newton has sure done her research as this book really highlights the ideologies that people had at the time and the rifts that could appear even for families. I enjoyed reading about the characters struggles and they felt very real.
The tension running through this story is great and kept the pages turning. I loved that I came away from reading this with the thought that despite whatever hardship people could be faced with there is always hope and strength to get through it.
A great historical read.