Hedy fled the Nazis several years ago and evacuated to the Channel Islands. But her safety is now in question as the Nazis have invaded the islands.

Hedy cannot escape the island so she is now in grave danger. But, the Nazis need her help. She is fluent in several languages and so she takes a job as a translator for the Nazis. Hedy is very resourceful and ends up confiscating…well that may not be the right word…steal is more like it…gas ration coupons. She gives these to the local doctor so he can continue to make house calls and help the people on the island. As you can guess, this leads her to more danger but it also leads her to love.

I love Hedy. She is smart and kind. And the kindness leads her many dangerous situations. I also enjoyed the setting of the Channel Islands. This is a very unique place during WWII. So, I learned a good bit and I could just picture this quaint town on the edge of the sea.

Need a wonderful book with a wonderful setting…this is it! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The most important thing to know about The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat is that it is based on a true story. For that, I love this book. I vest in the story and the outcome because it represents history, but I walk away feeling like I want to know the characters – their backstories and their emotions – better.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2021/02/the-girl-from-channel-islands.html

Reviewed for NetGalley and the Winter 2021 historical fiction blog tour from Harlequin Trade Publishing free of cost in exchange for an honest review

This World War II book was about people rather than the war and is a story that we should know about We often get reports about the hardships of people behind the lines and this one was about English people on a German occupied island. It reminded us that suffering did not have to include bombs and conflict if there was not enough food. Hedy was a German Jew who was left on the island when the family for whom she worked fled the island. She managed to survive and find happiness in spite of her situation. Unfortunately I felt that I was standing on the sidelines watching rather than experiencing what was happening to her and her friends. There were times when the author skipped a significant period of time in the narrative and I felt as though I had missed something that must have happened in the interim. The book did remind us that the human spirit can indeed overcome the obstacles we may face.

This is a story based on true events. The main character, Hedy Bercu, flees to Jersey in the Channel Islands to escape the Nazi persecution.


What follows is a story a young woman brought to desperate measures when the Nazis invade her home and she must do what she can to survive.

What I loved was coupled with a story of survival was one of love that gets found in the most unlikely of places. It helped soften the sadness of Hedy's circumstances and offer hope.


A must read for fans of WW II reads.

Phenomenal. Is that a good enough review? Having never read a book by Jenny Lecoat before, I was still instantly drawn to this novel. I’m intrigued by World War 2 stories because of the stories about survivors. I love hearing how they survived or who they helped others survive and what they went through. I find it important to not repeating mistakes in society. The Girl from the Chanel Islands was one of those stories that told of a life seriously affected by Hitler and his regime and the brave and terrifying things one girl had to do to try and survive.

This story followed Hedy, a beautiful, brave Jewish girl living in the Chanel Islands as it is taken over by German soldiers during World War 2. For years she is made to barely survive, labeled as if she has a scarlet letter for being Jewish, and live in constant fear of being deported to one of the rumored concentration camps. With the help of her close friend Anton, his girlfriend Dorothea, and one kind soldier, Hedy’s tale of survival and hope is one for the history books. I mean, it is based on a true story.

I just love Hedy. She quite literally has nothing and still manages to fight against the regime in little ways, stand up for herself, and do what needs to be done in order to survive the war. Anton and Dorothea were characters that actually took a while to grow on me. I love the ups and downs between Hedy and Dorothea and how that relationship grows over time. I was not a fan of Dorothea, but for no valid reason, in the beginning. She quickly showed her true colors and I was able to adapt my opinion accordingly. She may now be one of my favorites. Then you have the sympathetic German officer who quickly won me over and does things that could quite literally get him killed. I love someone “loyal to the cause” is actually helping the good guys. Gives you someone to cheer for.

I’m sure a lot of a research went into this novel because I felt like I was there. I felt Hedy’s stomach pains. I felt her loneliness. I felt her fear. Lecoat did such a great job of writing these characters and setting the scenes that you truly felt like you were seeing it through their eyes. I could picture the streets she was walking down or the bare counters of the store as people lined up in hopes to grab a wedge of moldy cheese or bread. It flowed so smoothly and just as I thought I was going to put it down for a night, something big happened and I would have to read just one more chapter.

I cannot give enough praise to Lecoat for such a phenomenal story. The Girl from the Chanel Islands has everything. War. Romance. Drama. Terror. It’s all there. AND based on a true story. What more could you want? If you don’t feel this book as you read, there is something wrong with you, not the book. Hats off to Lecoat for this heart wrenching, pit in your stomach, hopeful feeling in your chest, story. I cannot wait to read more from her.

To start off, I did enjoy this book. However, I felt that so much was glossed over.
Set in the Channel Islands during WWII, an Austrian Jewish woman is trying to survive German Occupation.
With Jersey being the main focus a lot of the other major aspects of wwii were lightly touched on in conversations. This book was very romance heavy. I was expecting some, but not it being one of the two main plot points. Getting to the 50% mark I stopped caring about all the characters.

Another gripping story of the tragedy of the ideologies of WWII, set in one of the small Channel Islands that were occupied by German soldiers during the war... The book was not my usual genre, Christian fiction, but certain scenes and language were not extremely vulgar.

It took me a bit to warm up to this book. Initially, I didn’t realize it was based on a true story. But once I picked up on that tidbit and did a little research into what happened, the story became much more engaging to me.

At the heart of the story is the unlikely friendship that develops between Hedwig Bercu (Hedy), an Austrian Jew who was working as a nanny on the island before the Germans invaded, and Dorothea Le Brocq Weber (Dory), a resident of the island who married an Austrian conscripted into the German army.

At the time of the German invasion of the Channel Islands, there were very few Jewish people remaining there. Most had already fled. But Hedy remained, and even though she was identified as a Jew, she was able to get a job as a translator, working for the Germans. Still, being a Jew during World War II was a precarious situation. Hedy’s ethnic identity becomes widely known when she is found to have been stealing fuel coupons, and the Germans are on the hunt for her. It is only through the valiant efforts of Dory and of Hedy’s German lover, Kurt, that she is able to survive.

I thought Hedy was needlessly callous toward Dory when they first met. Hedy and Anton were friends before Dory came into the picture, and Hedy appeared to make no bones about her dislike of Dory. Her attitude seemed a bit harsh, but I guess it’s not unexpected from someone who struggled to trust anyone. Still, it made Hedy something of an unlikeable character at first.

Ms. Lecoat has clearly done her research, and one thing that really drew me in about the book was the description of the absolute privation that comes in wartime. A fair bit of historical fiction touches on that topic, but doesn’t really go into detail. I could almost feel Hedy and Dory’s hunger pangs and exhaustion as they tried to find something, anything to eat.

Overall, I found this to be a story worth the read. It gets four stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House Books for an advance reader copy. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.

“Survival, it seemed, was an expensive business for the soul. “

The Girl From the Channel Islands relays the story of Hedy, a young Jewish girl, and how she survives Nazi occupation in the British Channel Islands during WWII. Terror, incredible sadness, pain, fear, loss, doubt, hate, love, hope, triumph and survival are skillfully woven throughout the pages and leaves the reader unable to put the book down.

The author uniquely captures the rampant prejudice and fear of “other” that influenced all people on all sides of the war. She demonstrates how an Austrian Jew, for example, could be hated by locals and branded an enemy for bearing a German accent while at the same time, be hated by the Germans for her Jewish heritage. Being hated by everyone, Hedy distrusts everyone...It makes for a lonely existence.

I loved the relationships highlighted in the book that transcend this loneliness. Kurt and Hedy, Anton and Hedy, and most especially Dory and Hedy. The friendship of these two women and pictures of their strength and bravery are some of the strongest scenes in the book. I say scenes because really this book reads so much like a movie to me. It would be an easy transition and one I hope to see happen!

Great read, unputdownable, loved it!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!!

I didn’t find this novel to be an epic swept away whirlwind tale with danger and daring around every corner – you know the type, I mean. However, I loved the “everyday” feel of The Girl From the Channel Islands – we were flies on the wall while the characters went about life, however miserable or mundane or dangerous it was in any given scene.

It made me ponder what it would be like to lose everything and then to fall in love with the supposed enemy. I was also struck by the reminder of how unfair war was to everyone involved – not all Germans were evil, not all serving on the front were evil, the Allies were guilty of their own sins, and war is just horrible (an understatement, I know) all the way around.

The romance felt secondary to the primary story arc but was a very elemental detail in Hedy’s decisions. I offer a content warning for a few scenes. Hedy, Kurt, Dorothea, and Anton were all just very ordinary, offering their own subtle resistances as they struggled for survival. The devastation to the island (and islanders) of Jersey was visible, the thread or hum of danger while eking out a meagre existence palpable, the uncertainty and fear and hunger felt in the captivating tale. I particularly enjoyed that this gave a “fresh face” to the WWII historical romance, transporting us to a seldom explored location in this era and telling a unique aspect of the story.

I was slightly disappointed in the ending, but I don’t want to offer any spoilers so I will leave you with this. If you have questions about what happened next or want to read more about the novel and the key players, utilize a quick Google search! In a nutshell, this was a moving tale of simple bravery, ordinary people living with extraordinary courage, and the resiliency of humanity when balanced with compassion and friendship.

My thanks to our friends at Harlequin for sharing an Advanced Readers Copy.
Full review posted to my blog as part of the Harlequin Winter 2021 Historical Fiction blog tour.
www.lifelovelaughterlinds.ca/

The Girl from the Channel Islands: A WWII Novel by Jenny Lecoat released on February 2, 2021. This WWII novel shares the story of a young Jewish woman and her time during the war. There is romance and strong friendships as well as hardships endured. The story was very well written and I would highly recommend this book to fans of historical fiction novels. Thanks to Graydon House via Netgalley for this review copy.

Thank you #Netgalley #Harlequinn for my complimentarary e arc of #TheGirlFromTheChannelIslands upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In June of 1940, Hitler’s army takes possession of the Channel Islands. Cut off from all help, the residents grow increasingly desperate. Hedy, a young Jewish girl from Vienna, is trapped on Jersey with no escape. In desperation, Hedy begins to work for the Germans as a translator, and she meets a sympathetic German officer (although he doesn’t know her whole truth). As Hedy’s life is in more danger every day, she decides on a dangerous course of action in an attempt to save herself from deportation to a concentration camp.

The Girl From the Channel Islands is an engaging and unputdownable read. The island and time period are vividly described, and I felt like I was living there. Lecoat builds tension and suspense well as the story unfolds. I can’t say more about the plot in order to avoid spoilers.

I love stories about real, ordinary people living their one amazing life. This story features three real life people: Hedy (Jewish, came to Jersey to escape Vienna, worked as a translator), a German soldier (a love interest), and Dorothea (an acquaintance, an unsung hero)……all the other details of the story are imagined. All the characters are realistic and mostly likable. I wish that quirky Dorothea had been a bit more developed…I wonder what motivated her to take the risks she did.

Themes: Friendship, bravery, taking risks, determination, loyalty, forbidden romance, and survival.

At the end of the story, I wish more had been said about their lives. For example in 2016, Dorothea was posthumously awarded the prestigious “Righteous Among Nations” award (to convey the gratitude of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to those who took great risks to save Jews during the Holocaust). Hedwig “Hedy” Bercu’s children were there as well to give thanks to their mother’s savior. Dorothea Le Brocq is an unsung hero.

I highly recommend The Girl From the Channel Islands for fans of engaging and well-told WW11 historical fiction, for readers interested in the Channel Islands, for those who appreciate stories of strong women, and for book clubs.

I’m happy today to be taking part in the blog tour for a new historical novel of WWII: The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat. I’d classify this story as historical romance. It takes place during WWII in the Channel Islands, which, owned by Great Britain, were occupied by Germany during WWII. I actually had no idea that Germany had taken over any part of Britain, so I found this really interesting. Also it was new to me how men were conscripted to join the military for Germany. Life was not easy for those left behind. This story was at times heart- wrenching. I will say that, like always, I enjoyed the historical part more than the romance part, but overall this was a great and interesting historical read of WWII.

Don’t miss the author bio as she’s had an interesting life and has a direct connection to the Channel Islands!

Thank you for making me part of the tour! Harlequin tours never disappoint!!

This story takes place in the Channel Islands, a place that ended up being occupied by the Nazis and basically forgotten by the British during WWII. Hedy is a Jewish woman from Austria, living and working on the islands who hides in plain sight actually working as a translator for the Nazis. She is forced into hiding and like most people on the island she is starving. An interesting story that takes place in the Channel Islands, which I knew very little about.

First, I have to say that I enjoy historical fiction even more if the story is based on a real person. Hedy Bercu was a young woman who fled to Jersey from Vienna to escape Jewish persecution, arrest and probable death, only to find herself trapped on the island during the German occupation. Because she can speak, read and write both German and English, she was hired to work as a translator for the German authorities. She uses her position to carry out small acts of resistance. She becomes involved with a German Lieutenant, Kurt Neumann, who hates what the Germans are doing. Kurt worked against the Germans to keep both Hedy and Dorothea alive. Can Hedy, Kurt and her friend Dorothea survive the occupation?

I was aware that the Germans had occupied various channel islands, but this story enlightened me even more about the conditions the people on Jersey dealt with. The Germans had many rules, regulations and punishments. They controlled everything; food, fire wood, clothes, petrol and more. It was difficult for the locals to survive and by the time they were liberated in 1945, many of the people were starving, physically ill and dying. I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Hedy and Dory grow. They were friends because of Anton, Hedy's friend and Dory's husband, but they became friends through necessity, then true friends depending on one another. I also liked how Kurt was portrayed and that not all German soldiers were evil. Many did not want to fight, but they had no choice. As we follow Hedy’s story we go on a heartbreaking journey as Hedy struggles to live each day. This is a heartbreaking story, but it is also a story full of hope. Not only Hedy, but all the inhabitants of Jersey were determined to survive. They persevered and did what they could to hang on until the allies arrived. Jenny Lecoat has written an excellent historical fiction novel of one more aspect of World War II and an actual character that lived through it. I definitely enjoyed this story and recommend it to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially WWII.

Sometimes you can’t help who you fall in love with and this was true for Hedy, a Jewish woman, who was hiding in the British Channel Islands when she falls in love with a German Officer, Kurt. As the Germans continue their brutality of the world, things are ok on the islands until they aren’t.

Hedy is a strong and brave woman for doing her small part to resist the power of the Nazis. It most certainly does help but it also put her in grave danger. Kurt is also risking his life by being with her but he is where he is because of circumstances. As they both lose during the war, will they be able to keep each other?

I have read many books about WWll but this was my first that was based in the Channel Islands. I loved that this was based on something that really happened. I felt that everyone on that island had a very hard time. There did not seem to be many that came away unscathed. I loved the characters of Hedy, Dorothea, Anton and Kurt. I felt this showed that there were good and bad people on both sides. This made me cry. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

I struggled with this book a little bit. While I thought the book really captured life during World War II accurately and gave a clear picture of the brutality and grim realities of living during occupation, I had a hard time imagining the characters or caring about them particularly even if I could sympathize with their situation.

Hedy was a difficult main character to love. Her resilience was admirable but she had a somewhat grating personalty. I could understand her defensiveness and unwillingness to trust others but at the same time that made it hard to connect with her. I felt bad for the things she was going through but I never felt like I got to know her that much, it’s as if she kept the reader at as much a distance as she kept everyone else in the book. Her relationship with Kurt was the closest she came to vulnerability and even that was a bit stifled to me. The friendship between her and Dory was forced upon her and that strain was evident throughout the book. I had hoped for more development of the closeness between the two of them but the differences in their two personalities was only heightened as the story progressed. Even at the end when it was meant to be a parting of friends it still came across as relief rather than sadness in saying farewell. Anton was the only character that Hedy appeared to have any connection to but that fizzled out by the end.

The romance between Kurt and Hedy was good but for me it lacked sentiment. I struggled to fully realize Kurt as a character and while I believed that he cared for Hedy in the ways that he provided and tried to protect her it was difficult sometimes to see their romance as so deep when many of his thoughts of her were of a sexual nature. I get that romance and relationships may have been conducted differently during war time and of course the stress and pressure that Hedy and Kurt were under as he’s a German officer and she a Jew would’ve been unbelievably intense but there were moments that were decidedly unromantic. Also the relationship came across as unbalanced, in that he risked a lot to help Hedy and Dory but in the end it seemed as if once the tide had turned Hedy wasn’t willing to risk much the same. She was happy to wait for him but not to fight for him as he did for her beyond one plea to someone who knew wasn’t likely to help.

I think the best parts of this book are in its portrayals of what life was like for someone during occupation. The harsh realities of food shortage, of no income, of being treated as half a person. That’s where this book does a really good job. Unfortunately I feel the characters weren’t fleshed out very well and became more a picture of what life was like during the war. And it’s a stark and startling picture for certain, brutal and harsh in its depiction. The author doesn’t spare the reader from showing the realities of both sides. The fact that Kurt, as a German officer, didn’t agree with the polices of his side but also didn’t fully know or comprehend them. And Hedy, coming to terms with living under the thumb of people who would want to persecute her if they knew she was a Jew while still trying to find a way to have her own rebellion. I did like that the author showed the mental toll war takes on people over time, how it numbs people and changes them and the things they thought might matter really don’t anymore. I think that’s where this book really shone is in dealing with the toll that war takes on a person, their relationships and themselves and where they go once it’s over.

I did wish that there would’ve been a better resolution to the book as it was so fraught for the entire story and then wrapped up quickly. Especially relating to Hedy’s family as I felt I never truly understood the full story on them. I was ok with where Hedy and Kurt ended up but it would’ve been nice to have even further follow up to see how they were fairing but I guess in a way it was suited to a happy for now ending.

Overall this was an enjoyable read. While I would’ve liked some more detail on the characters, the plot kept me engaged the entire story wanting to know what became of Hedy and those around her. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a good WWII fiction with tense moments, an unlikely romance and small acts of courage amidst terrifying circumstances.

The Girl from the Channel Islands by Jenny Lecoat tells the story of a young Jewish nanny who is stuck off the coast of France, on the Channel Islands, when the Germans invade. Despite her fear, Hedy takes a job as a translator for the occupation forces. As a small act of resistance, she begins stealing petrol coupons to smuggle to the local doctor and is almost caught. But a young German officer steps up to take the blame and they end up falling in love. Soon after, Hedy’s best friend, Anton, gets conscripted into the Wehrmacht. Against all odds, they hide their relationship and take care of each other with the help of Anton’s wife, Dorothea. As the war rages across Europe, Kurt and Dorothea risk their lives to hide Hedy from the local Germans. Can they hold out on their small isolated island until the war ends?

I have read a lot of World War II historical fiction and this one was just ok for me. The beginning was a little slow, but it may have just been that I’m so familiar with the time period that I don’t need as much scene setting as most authors give. Once the story really got going, I was engaged with the characters and wanted to find out if they all made it to the end of the war. I would say, if you like historical fiction, then you would probably enjoy this one. If not, you’ll probably find it a little slow.

Trigger warnings: antisemitism, animal slaughter, war

(3.5 stars, rounded up)

Hedy Bercu's mother's name is Goldberg, and her Romanian stepfather is Jewish. She flees her native Austria for the island of Jersey when she is unable to escape to England. To Hedy's horror, the Nazis invade Jersey in 1940 and she finds herself cornered once again.

She is branded by the Nazis as a Jew when they don't accept her farce about not being Jewish by blood, but by marriage. Despite the red "J" stamped on her identity card, she lands a job as a translator for the Germans. Her proximity to the Nazis has a surprising result -- she begins a relationship with Nazi officer Kurt Neumann.

Hedy promises her friend Anton that she will look after his wife Dorathea when he is sent into service, and Hedy visits her to listen to the BBC radio broadcast. As the war progresses, Hedy finds herself leaning on both Kurt and Dorathea to survive.

Recommended for fans of World War II fiction. Those who enjoyed the small island setting of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society will enjoy the novel's environment of Jersey.