An unlikely Spy by Rebecca Starford is loosely based on the true story of Joan Miller, an English M15 recruit who, during the very early stages of WWII, infiltrated a fascist underground political group that sought to rally support for Hitler within England.

The story is told from dueling time lines. In the 1930’s we meet Evelyn a twenty something young woman who studied German in college and who is recruited by MI5. In 1939/40 she completes her mission and stumbles upon another group she wants to checkout. The second time line is set in the late 1940’s.

I really enjoy stories about female spies during WWII. I was engrossed for about 90% of the way. My complaint was that the ending unraveled awkwardly. It seemed rushed and did not display the thoughtfulness and language used in the rest of the novel.

I would like to thank the author, Ecco and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Starford based her fictional book on real life spies who operated in London during the war. She explores the ideas of loyalty, sacrifice, and identity. Evelyn is an interesting character who made some choices I didn’t agree with, but, then again, I can’t imagine being in that situation. The plot moved quickly with lots of intrigue and drama. I had been taking a break from WWII fiction but this one had such a different angle. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this entertaining spy thriller.

The writing in this book was pleasant, but I struggled to find the plot in the this book. I wanted to like this book; it the kind I usually like very much, but I just couldn't get into it.

An Unlikely Spy is a historical fiction novel about a spy posing as a Nazi sympathizer and how her past is coming after her. I found the story interesting and unique. I felt like more character development would've added to the story. I still enjoyed it and recommend to fans of World War II novels.

Thank you Ecco and Harper Audio for An Unlikely Spy.

Who is Evelyn Varney? She comes from a meager family, who sends her to an upscale school, which catapults her out of their station in life. She doesn’t fit into her new life and yet she doesn’t fit into her old life. A chance meeting with an old boarding school friend, Julia, Evelyn’s life once again is set on a new course, to a new lifestyle. Her studies at Oxford, learning German makes her a perfect candidate to work for the war room, in London. WWII is raging on and Evelyn, for better or worse becomes an excellent spy.. How will she do at this job? How can she give up herself for the new characters she must become. Rebecca Starford did a great job of developing Evelyn’s character, while describing WWII. Her writing is very good. It is a very good story. There were a few spots, where I was so interested and I couldn’t put it down. Her work with M15, never leaves her.. actually most times, it haunts her.. can she find peace, can she recover her own identity, her own life? You will have to read to see how this one ends.. so good!!! Thank you to Netgalley & Rebecca Starford for my copy of this book for an honest review.. It is always a pleasure to read and this one did not disappoint.. I hope you enjoy it!!!

An Unlikely Spy is set during World War II. Evelyn is used to blending in to fit in. She attended an elite boarding school and instead of dwelling on where she came from, she figures out where she can go. After attending Oxford University she is recruited by MI5 for counter-intelligence work. Evelyn has a talent for being in the background and not drawing attention to herself so she makes a great unlikely spy. Soon lines start to blur and it's hard to tell where the truth ends and the lies begin. A great story about women doing extraordinary things during wartime!

I really enjoyed this book, even though I started out not really liking the main character! It was, in a way, a book where I was constantly searching for Evelyn's redemption.

I was frustrated with Evelyn and her disconnect from her parents early on. I thought it was wrong she kissed her friend's boyfriend- even though he kissed her, too. I felt that she was turning her back on her family, even as I know she struggled to fit in with those who were above her in the classist hierarchy. She didn't seem like someone I would like as a person, as someone I could connect with. But really, it seems that's what makes a good spy, right?

So again when Evelyn becomes a spy and has to do terrible things to maintain her cover I began to dislike her. Her mention of feeling free to act without consequences really contradicted most other WWII spy type stories of those in the Resistance in Europe- she was not a heroine in the typical sense of the world. But her frank admission of guilt and feeling miserable had me going back and forth. She's betraying people on both sides and feeling badly about it, but didn't she in a way do the same to her parents? Why doesn't that occur to her?
It's only really once I got to about halfway that I realized how skillfully the author had set up the story and laid the hints within the plot. Things early on that I had disregarded as relevant suddenly all came to light. I did feel that the book wrapped up rather quickly, however I don't know that drawing out the events after Evelyn's arrest would have added anything.

The back and forth between different years helped set up the importance of events in the early years of the war as they affected life postwar. I did especially like that it was set during the so-called "Phoney War" time period which is often not covered. It felt like it was covering new ground in a fictional time period that is bursting with stories. Five stars!

I really enjoyed this book. The storyline is unique for a World War 2 book. It gives a different perspective of the trials the British people faced leading up to the war.
It was very informative, well researched, and easy to read.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A new take on WWII spies. Interesting characters and plot. A sparkling debut! I'll be watching for more from Rebecca Starford.

In this book, Evelyn becomes a spy in England during WWII. She is kind of lost and doesn’t really know what to do with herself. She turns her back on her own family and spends a lot of time with one of her roommate’s families. They are wealthier and far more interesting. Eventually she becomes a spy trying to find Nazi supporters in London. She throws herself into the role she is playing that she nearly loses herself. Some good twists at the end.

An Unlikely Spy by Rebecca Stanford. I'm still not sure how I feel about this book. Yes, it's a good and interesting Spy story prior to WW2 and what is going on in England. Evelyn was described well but I didn't get connected with her. I connected with Sally more. I had to read the ending twice, because I feel I missed something but I haven't figured it out yet. I lost tract of which time line I was in also. I'm not sure if I would recommend, maybe cautiously. At times I felt the story was plodding along and the ending just so sudden. Thank you for letting me review this book

Thank you to Ecco Books and Net Galley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoy WWII historical fiction so I was very intrigued by this title.

In the wake of WWII, Evelyn Varley is withdrawn and traumatized. Once a scholarship student at a private academy, Evelyn was recruited into MI5 as an undercover operative during the war. But what exactly happened with her biggest case? What still haunts her?

This story had amazing potential but ultimately it was only a 3 star read for me. I love a good spy story, but Evelyn’s mission doesn’t start until about halfway through the book. The post-war timeline felt a bit repetitive and lessened the suspense of the plot. I also couldn’t understand Evelyn’s choices or her thought processes.

The setting of England during the early years of WWII was absolutely fascinating. It’s easy to forget that during that first stage of war, many English people did not support it and were openly sympathetic to the Nazis. Seeing a spy delve into the inner ranks of upper class conspirators was fascinating.

There was one solid twist at the end and I did enjoy the writing, but I felt like there was a lot of wasted potential. With the ingredients (historical setting, a country girl turned spy, and a host of eccentric and suspicious characters) this should have been a sizzling read. Instead, it was just average for me.

Trigger warnings: antisemitism, mob violence, short scene of torture, sexual harassment.

My thoughts: This WWII novel was unique, offering a perspective of what it was like to work in the early days of the resistance effort. So many WWII novels take place after 1941. The first half of this book moved slow and lacked any action. You get to the second half of the book and there’s a new revelation or detail every other page.. it felt rushed. While intriguing, at the end I was like that’s it? I appreciated the author’s note at the end of the book, I think provided great insight to the book and context. I think it some of this commentary would have worked well as a prologue and provided more understanding for where the book was headed.

this book took me on a journey! I don’t read a ton of historical fiction, but when I do I want it to be very atmospheric and this one definitely delivered.

I feel like I got a new glimpse into WWII Europe that I had not before. our main character (Evelyn) gets recruited by MI5 to pose as a Nazi sympathizer and join a secret club whos intentions are to increase support for Hitler in England.

the format of this book also made it very easy to digest. flipping between ‘now’ and ‘then’ as Evelyn relives her past as a spy after running into a former friend with her now boyfriend. there wasn’t really any info dump which was good and I will definitely be recommending to readers who enjoy historical fiction!

Thank you to Goodreads and Ecco Publishing for a gifted copy of An Unlikely Spy by Rebecca Starford. All opinions are my own.

How does an ordinary person end up becoming a spy during WWII? Evelyn's story alternates between 1948 and 1939 in this dual timeline historical fiction. Evelyn is a scholarship student who befriends a wealthy family which eventually leads her to an unusual work situation.

Evelyn's character is very stand-offish. She is fiercely independent and a bit cold which works well for her character but also makes her a not very likeable main character.

I like that the cover is unique and not like so many of the other WWII books. The author has great author's notes at the end which is something I love in historical fiction books.

Historical Fiction
Mysteries & Thrillers
Women's Fiction
Release Date: June 1, 2021

Evelyn is a bit naïve and I think it was good that her duties kept her in England because I don’t think she would have survived in enemy territory.
Seeing everything in black and white, looking for acceptance and recognitions makes her a good candidate to make some major mistakes. Torn between following orders and warning some people she considered friends thinking she could save them from disaster ended her on the wrong side of where her loyalties should have been. I did enjoy the story and highly recommend the book.

I enjoyed this book but ultimately found it to be a bit sad. It’s interesting to know more about women's roles in the war. Evelyn was an intriguing character and I liked the structure of the book. It kept me engaged without drawing the plot out too long.

This is a fascinating portrait of a woman who is a chameleon. It moves back and forth between the pre-war, war, and post war years in the UK and hits an issue on the home front that's rarely seen in fiction- Nazi and fascist sympathizers. Evelyn's scholarship to boarding school changed the path of her life as does her friendship with Sally, daughter of an incredibly wealthy family. She attends Oxford, where she reads German, and then is recruited into MI5. In 1948, though, she's living on the margins and working in a bookshop, unable to tell her lover what's wrong when they run into Julia, Sally's cousin. What happened when she worked for MI5 to infiltrate the Lion Group? No spoilers from me but know that this builds slowly to a conclusion I found surprising. There are great atmospherics and nice small details. What resonated was the depth of selfishness of several characters and sacrifice by others. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A great read for fans of historical fiction.

What is the cost of denying your background and taking on new identities? How do you live with deception when your friends and family don’t know what you really do? Told in dual timelines, 1930s and 1948, this book reveals the struggle Evelyn Varley faced as she spied for the British among the Nazi sympathizers in Britain in the early days of the war as well as her struggle to really understand who she wanted to be.
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Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.