I enjoyed this story and learned a lot about an aspect of history that I didn't know much about. It's well written and the reader does care about the main characters. I would definitely recommend this title to patrons looking for WWII historical fiction.

I have to say, I wasn't sure what to expect from a debut author. You never can be. But with the perspective that this offered, I was looking forward to it.

Hedy is a Jewish Austrian immigrant who has fled to the Jersey Islands and is trying to live out the rest of the war in some semblance of peace. Little did she know that not long after her residence began, the Nazis would occupy the island. Hedy's friend Anton, also a Germanic refugee, falls for one of the islands, Dorothea, and is then conscripted to join the Nazi army. Before he leaves, he helps Hedy find a local job, working perilously close with the Nazis as a translator in one of their canteens. Whilst there, Hedy meets Kurt, a young Nazi officer, who does not agree with many of the Nazi ideologies. Before Hedy knows what has happened, she has fallen for Kurt and Anton is leaving. This leaves Hedy in a position she wasn't expecting. As the war goes on, Hedy must go into hiding with Dory in her home in Cheapside. Dependent on each other, with the help of Kurt, they work to rebel against the Nazi occupation and somehow hope to survive the war.

Firstly, I'd like to get the not so great things out of the way. I really wish the author had stayed true to the origins of her research and wrote this from Dory's perspective. I understand that writing it from Hedy's perspective allowed to show Dory's character unfolding little by little. However, as far as the acknowledgments make us aware, Dory is the real character. We don't know if Hedy is. It seems disingenuous to write the story from the perspective of an Austrian Jew (a perspective the author might not understand), when they have Dory's perspective right there. Hedy could have been the supporting lead just as Dory was to Hedy in this book. The story still could have been told. It would have been very different. Maybe adding in the afterword that Hedy was real or not might help assuage this concern?

Beyond this, holy goodness. The story. I usually have so much trouble reading ebooks. I devoured this book. The characters and how they interacted. The world and how it was put together. I actually know there might be people who are upset that so few people were interacted with within the island (because island towns are typically small), but I think it helped lend a cohesion and tension to the story to keep the cast of characters small. The world felt more foreboding with that lack of a support system. It felt more as if it was really Hedy, Dory, and Kurt against the world.

I will say, I did have to suspend my disbelief that Hedy made it through the war unscathed as a Jew. But at the same time, I had to tell myself, she wasn't in mainland Europe. That alone could have made all the difference. The descriptions of the situations (food, clothing, scarcity, physical appearance), I think it really helped set the scene continually. It almost lent a screenplay like essence to it. You could see so much of their life everyday. You truly felt like you understood how bad things were getting as time went on.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book. Thank you for the ARC.

‘The Girl from the Channel Islands’ by Jenny Lecoat was a lovely story full of suspenseful tension, romance, revenge, and beautiful friendship. I highly recommend it.

Hedy Bercu is a young Jewish girl who fled Vienna for the island of Jersey two years earlier during the Anschluss, only to find herself trapped by the Nazis once more—this time with no escape. Her only hope is to make herself invaluable to the Germans by working as a translator, hiding in plain sight with the help of her friends and community—and a sympathetic German officer.

I enjoyed this book enough to give it 3.5 stars. The author depicted life on the island of Jersey during WWII with authenticity. During the war, both sides of her family were heavily involved in the Resistance; one grandfather made crystal radio sets for locals to secretly access the BBC, while her mother’s family sheltered an escaped Russian slave worker. It too bad those acts of defiance didn’t factor more in her novel. One of my favorite books is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and although Lecoat’s historical novel is completely different, I couldn’t help but compare them. Here, I felt little connection to the main character, Hedy, and never got the sense she was truly in peril. I guess I expected more drama from a screenwriter. Still worth a read if you have a weakness for war novels.

Based on a true story, this book tells the little-known tale of life on an enemy-occupied British island during WWII. Dorothea, a seemingly shallow, vapid woman, shows herself to be resilient and brave in facing down the Nazis during the occupation of the Channel Islands. Hedy, a Jewish woman stranded there, falls for a German soldier, even while being hunted by his troops to be deported to a camp. Dory (Dorothea) helps Hedy elude the Germans.

Lecoat, the author, was born in the Channel Islands and uses some of her own family's experiences during the occupation as the basis for the book. This book is recommended for anyone fascinated with WWII especially, though anyone who wants to be enthralled by a dangerous love story will also enjoy reading The Girl From the Channel Islands. Recommended.

The often overlooked Channel Islands are the backdrop for this unlikely World War II romance between a Jewish girl who has escaped Austria and is trying to hide in plain sight and a naïve German officer who saves her because of his growing dissatisfaction with the Nazi regime. Based on a true story and real characters, Kurt and Hedy, along with her friends Anton and Dorothea, try to survive the deadly Nazi occupation of the small world of the Channel Island of Jersey. As the number of WWII survivors are diminishing, this historical fiction is a much needed addition to our repertoire of World War literature.

1940 on the Nazi-occupied Channel Islands finds Hedy Bercu, who is a Viennese Jewish girl, trying to survive and evade German officers. Hedy meets and falls in love with German officer, Kurt, during their time in Jersey, but they must keep their romance hidden. With the help of her friend, Anton Weber, his wife Dorothea after he is conscripted, Hedy finds herself in hiding after leaving her job as a translator for the German transport staff. The novel follows the hardships of war on the Channel Islands during German occupation: starvation, paranoia, and death.

Based on true events, this novelization of Hedwig "Hedy Bercu" Goldenberg's survival during WWII is, somehow, a lighthearted read for a WWII novel. This is due to the emphasis on the romance between Hedy and Kurt as well as the friendship between Hedy and Dorothea. There were points of the novel where the reader is left on edge as Hedy continues to try to evade the secret police and survive. However, there is not too much detail of the gore and ravages of war/a battlefield. This would be a good book for folks who enjoy historical fiction, but not necessarily WWII enthusiasts.

The Review

What a complex and tense story. Anytime a historical fiction novel explores WWII, readers know that heartbreak and emotional turmoil are sure to follow suit. It was a tumultuous and deadly time, especially for those of Jewish descent. What makes this story stand out immediately is the background that showcases this is based on true events. The haunting nature of the occupation and the impact it has on the island’s residents is gripping for the reader, drawing them in slowly but surely.

It is the strong character growth of this narrative that makes the novel stand out. From protagonist Heady and her struggle to hide within a German-occupied land to highlighting German soldiers who didn’t believe in the “cause” or Hitler’s Vision of the future, but instead were forced to participate in the army and worked to help protect innocents from the crimes of their nation, this novel really helped develop complex and emotional characters that viewed the war from multiple angles and highlighted how many people suffered during this time.

The Verdict

A memorable, heartbreaking, and engaging read, author Jenny Lecoat’s “The Girl from the Channel Islands” is a must-read historical fiction novel. The war was devastating, as were the millions of lives lost to a madman and his ruthless, savage cause. The author perfectly captures the raw emotions and cruel reality of the war and those impacted by it. A truly heartfelt journey, be sure to grab your copy of this fantastic read today!

The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Graydon House for a complimentary ARC for an honest review.

This historical fiction was based on a young Jewish girl, Hedy Bercu, who had escaped Vienna to the Channel Islands. Dorothea, a Jersey island native, hid her when they were rounding up the remaining Jewish people during WW II. The author shows the fortitude of these people who survived the occupation of the Nazis with no outside support. You can really feel what they endured during the those dangerous times.

I really enjoyed learning about this facet of the war and highly recommend it.

#TheGirlfromtheChannelIslands #NetGalley

Did not finish..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

This was a slow start for me but it definitely grew on me by the end! The focus is on Hetty, a young Jewish woman living on the Channel islands during German occupation and how she manages to survive great deprivation during the war. Originally from Austria, she manages to get a job as a translator for the Nazi administration and ends up developing a forbidden love affair with a German officer. While this won’t make my favourite WWIi historical fiction list some of things I did enjoy were:
-humanizing of a German soldier that wasn’t brainwashed by the Nazi ideology
-focus on the war experience of the Channel Island residents (not a common setting)
-an honest representation of love and lust by the characters

What didn’t work well for me was the slow plot - there’s not a lot of action until the end of the book ; and the closed door nature of the romance - I was really excited that this book acknowledged how the main characters still had sexual desires and lust for the people closest to them but then all of the sexual encounters ended up being implied rather than explicit.

Fans of the German midwife or the German heiress, where German soldiers in WWII are given a more humanizing representation , should enjoy this book too!

I wrote about or featured this title on my blog and will provide the details directly to the publisher in the next round of this review process.

I would not have typically read this novel, as I don't read many World War II novels (and I've already read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which is a similar story during the same German occupation of British islands) but there are a few reasons this surfaced:

-I'm trying to finish reading a book from every country in Europe this year. I realize Jersey is not exactly a country but it's also not exactly a part of the UK. (The internet says it is part of the "British Islands."
-The author was actually born on Jersey and her parents lived on Jersey during the occupation, so she has more direct experience to speak of. I think this comes across in the novel, both from the research and the placeness of it.
-The four central characters are all based on real people, and so this issue of an Austrian (Jewish) woman escaping to an island that ends up occupied by Germans is a frightening and true story.
-While the very famous book club book I mentioned above is about resistance, this novel looks more at the people who collaborated/were forced to collaborate/were seen as collaborators. One woman works for the Germans because she is fluent in German and English. One woman marries a man living on the island who fled the mainland but ends up conscripted into the German army, and suddenly she's a collaborator and her family won't speak to her. And this is only the beginning of the complicated and difficult situations the islanders find themselves in, not to mention Churchill's resistance to sending them much needed food and supplies.

Jersey is a place I'll probably never get to visit, so I spent an hour last night poking around on Google maps and looking around. Apparently most tourists that go there these days are interested in the war history so they've really emphasized those locations on the island. When you see the British Islands on a map, Jersey is practically enfolded in a French bay, so it makes visual sense that the Germans would have seen it as an easy defenseless place to conquer.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. It came out February 2nd but I came across it after that somehow.

*** I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ***

I really enjoyed The Girl from the Channel Islands. It is a WWII story based on one woman's real life experience. It is a story of survival, love, friendship, and antisemitism. This book is written very well and follows the story of Hedy (an Austrian Jew) and Kurt (a Nazi Lieutenant) who meet serendipitously one afternoon on Jersey Island and fall in love. This book has suspense, drama, secrets, and romance (all the good stuff). The extreme measures taken to ensure Hedy's survival are nothing short of heroic, it's truly a wonderful story from a different perspective of the war. I highly recommend this book if you're a WWII historical fiction and romance lover.

I always enjoy a good historical fiction book, especially stories based on true characters. I appreciate Jenny Lecoat bringing this real-life character to life! I thought this was well-written (minus some language and some sexual language that popped out of nowhere), but overall it was a great story of courage and perseverance. And I love the cover as well!

Excellent! This wasn't just another book about World War II; it was real. Real people with real lives that were shattered by the occupation of their small island in the English Channel. and five years of sadistic treatment by German soldiers. The main characters were two women who formed a close relationship while trying to survive and help each other deal with the new, grim realities of their lives. One of the girls, Hedy, was Jewish and her life became a game of hide and seek with nowhere to go. The Germans decided early on that their small island wasn't worth defending so they were unsupported in every way. Starvation set in and neither would have survived without the help of the other. This book is based on facts that were uncovered long after the war was over.

First, the cover of this book is just gorgeous. It draws the reader in to the world of those living on the Channel Islands. Not all readers may know that the region was occupied by the Germans during WWII. It is shocking to think of as the Germans were so close to England. It is a fascinating period and location for an historical novel .

I have written many times about the plethora of WWII novels. Yes, here is another one but don’t let WWII fiction fatigue keep you from giving this one a read. The story of a Jewish girl and a German soldier is well told and engaging. Readers will hope for good things for protagonist Hedy who left Vienna only to be equally at risk in her new home. She hides in plains sight as a translator for the Germans; what courage she shows! Find out more about her story!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

A beautifully written historical novel of strength, courage and hope in times of hardship and despair, Jenny LeCoat’s riveting The Girl from the Channel Islands is a mesmerizing tale that will steal readers’ hearts.

Two years ago, Hedy Bercu had been left with no other choice but to leave Vienna behind and seek refuge in Jersey. With German planes flying over Jersey skies increasing on a daily basis, Hedy cannot fail but feel apprehensive. If an invasion is imminent, all of Hedy’s nightmares will come true, but reality proves to be a far more terrifying prospect as rather than an invasion, the Germans do not attack, but choose to settle in Jersey. For many of the islanders, this situation is one laden with discomfort and frustration, but for Hedy this prospect is far more terrifying because as a Jewish woman, she could face deportation or a fate that doesn’t even bear thinking about.

Hedy is trapped. She cannot escape without arousing the German’s suspicions and she daren’t risk drawing any attention to herself, so she decides to hide in plain sight and begins to work for them as a translator and starts to silently work against them. Hedy is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but when she finds herself forging a tentative friendship with a German officer, will she manage to keep her feelings to herself and her heart firmly under lock and key? With the conflict intensifying with each passing day, Hedy is plunged into acute danger, but her survival will depend not just on herself, but on the community that has come to mean the world to her and a man she should fear who has changed her life.

Will happiness ever be within Hedy’s reach? Or is she doomed to lose everything again because of this wretched war?

Emotional, astute and nuanced, Jenny LeCoat has written an affecting and heart-wrenching historical novel that meticulously brings the past to life and beautifully plumbs the depths of the human heart by writing so sensitively about war, fear, loss, resilience and hope. The Girl from the Channel Islands is a sweeping tale of forbidden love, the ties that bind and the power of friendship that manages to be heart-wrenching and uplifting at the same time.

Readers who enjoyed The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will not want to miss out on Jenny LeCoat’s The Girl from the Channel Islands.

This book follows Hedy who is a young jewish girl living in Channel Islands after fleeing Vienna two years earlier. We see the impact the war has and the Nazi's who show up. There is no escape on this island. The best Hedy can do is hide in plain sight.

This book was intriguing to the say the least as we read about Hedy and her friends and neighbors and how they helped her out when they could. This book brings you through so much while the war is raging on.

Definitely a fabulous book for all WWII fans. I could see reading this one again!

February has, so far, been a month full of historical fiction with my first three reads of the month set in the past. Two of which featured German occupied areas during World War II. The one I'm featuring today is Jenny Lecoat's debut, The Girl from the Channel Islands.

Here's the book summary:
The year is 1940, and the world is torn apart by war. In June of that year, Hitler's army captures the Channel Islands--the only part of Great Britain to be occupied by German forces. Abandoned by Mr. Churchill, forgotten by the Allies, and cut off from all help, the Islands' situation is increasingly desperate.
Hedy Bercu is a young Jewish girl who fled Vienna for the island of Jersey two years earlier during the Anschluss, only to find herself trapped by the Nazis once more--this time with no escape. Her only hope is to make herself invaluable to the Germans by working as a translator, hiding in plain sight with the help of her friends and community--and a sympathetic German officer. But as the war intensifies, rations dwindle, neighbors turn on neighbors, and Hedy's life is in greater danger every day. It will take a definitive, daring act to save her from certain deportation to the concentration camps.



A sweeping tale of bravery and love under impossible circumstances, Hedy's remarkable story reminds us that it's often up to ordinary people to be quiet heroes in the face of injustice.
The occupation of the Channel Islands was something I had read about before. Back in 2008, when it was published, The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society was extremely popular (I was working at a bookstore at the time and I sold so many copies - to so many people who could never remember the full name of the title). It took me a decade to finally read it (if you haven't find it on audiobook - you'll be in for a treat) and I loved it. And then I watched the Netflix movie and enjoyed that too. Why am I bringing this up? Because Guernsey is, like Jersey where Lecoat's novel is set, part of the Channel Islands. It was also occupied by German soldiers and the characters faced many of the same hardships that Hedy and her friends did. What sets Lecoat's story apart is that it takes place during the Occupation, plus Hedy is Jewish. Not only that, but she had already seen some of the horrors of the war in mainland Europe and had no desire to be rounded up like her neighbours had been in Italy.

There are so many war movies based on famous battles so I especially enjoy when books take a look at the quieter part of war. What it was like on the homefront in Canada, for example, or in the countryside of England or France? How did those left behind survive the war? That's why I keep reading all of these wartime novels because they all give me an extra glimpse into the horrors of war. Sometimes I wonder why I do that to myself because it was a terrible, inhumane time. But I also marvel at the strength the characters had. And I wonder if I would have had the same strength. Would I choose, like Hedy, to work for the enemy if I had no other choice? Knowing one wrong look or move would send me to jail simply because of my religion? (Sometimes it's hard to fathom as I'm not religious.) Would I hide my Jewish neighbours? Would I find some other way to resist? Or would I turn a blind eye to it all and hope for it to be over soon?




I've recently had several, lengthy conversations with my bookstagram friend Megan about books that feature "good" German soldiers. Not full-blown Nazis that believe in the Fatherland and a pure race, etc. etc. But the men who had to enlist and fight for their country. How much of the atrocities that occurred were their fault? Did they really not know what was going on? How many of them were just trying to do their jobs so they weren't jailed or killed? The logical part of me knows that it's a "not all Germans" situation. I do know that. But when these stories are set against the backdrop of the islanders effectively being starved because the soldiers are rationing the rations and also rounded up because of their religion or who knows what else? When there's no firewood to be had? When the soldiers are able to go to brothels and bars and have drinks and a full meal? It's really hard to find any sympathy for them, even when it came to Kurt, a German officer I truly did feel was haunted by what his country was doing and was trying to help where he could and for the woman he loved. I have to remind myself that I wasn't there. I wasn't falling in love with someone who maybe wasn't the best choice for me. I wasn't fighting for survival. I don't know what I would have done and maybe I shouldn't judge one solider for the actions of his superiors.

The Girl from the Channel Islands didn't wow me but as I worked on this review I realized that perhaps Jenny Lecoat's debut novel might stick with me for longer than I expected. The plot points might fade but the circumstances the characters found themselves in might stay with me for awhile. It's worth a read for historical fiction fans, especially if you don't know anything about the occupation of the Channel Islands, but I'd categorize this one as a borrow or buy on sale.

Buy the book:
Harlequin * Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Powell’s

Connect with the author:
Author Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

About the author:
Jenny Lecoat was born in Jersey, Channel Islands, where her parents were raised under German Occupation and were involved in resistance activity. Lecoat moved to England at 18, where, after earning a drama degree, she spent a decade on the alternative comedy circuit as a feminist stand-up. She also wrote for newspapers and women's magazines (Cosmopolitan, Observer), worked as a TV and radio presenter, before focusing on screenwriting from sitcom to sketch shows. A love of history and factual stories and a return to her island roots brought about her feature film Another Mother's Son (2017). She is married to television writer Gary Lawson and now lives in East Sussex. The Girl from the Channel Islands is her first novel.

*An egalley of this novels was provided by the publisher, Graydon House Books/HarperCollins, via NetGalley, in exchange for a review for the purpose of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*