SISTERS OF THE RESISTANCE by Christine Wells is an interesting and well-written dual timeline novel told from the point of view of two sisters who end up helping the French Resistance in Paris during WWII. Gabby and Yvette Foucher join Catherine Dior’s group, unbeknownst to the other, one with enthusiasm, the other with reluctance, but both taking risks to do their part and protect their family.
The dual timeline encompasses both time during the war, and a few years after, as Yvette returns to Paris to face her sister, her mother, and her actions during the War, while Gabby seems stuck in her present, assuming her wounded British soldier died after leaving since he hasn’t contacted her but refusing to find out either way.
An enjoyable read as we follow the sisters’ journeys, full of secrets, heroics, and a touch of romance, Wells has created a novel that will keep you engrossed and turning pages as secrets are uncovered and the sisters embrace their past to move into their future.
Thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader’s copy of this novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#SistersoftheResistance #ChristineWells #williammorrow #thebookclubgirl #BookClubGirl

I was excited to read this book. I love historical fiction with strong female protagonists, particularly those involved in the Resistance movement during WWII. It being pitched to fans of Kate Quinn and Jennifer Chiaverini sealed the deal.

The audiobook was narrated by the immensely talented Saskia Maarleveld, who also read The Rose Code, Resistance Women, The Huntress, The Alice Network, The Victory Garden, and The Home for Unwanted Girls, all favorites of mine.

The book never drew me in because the dual timeline jumped between 1944 and 1947 also had a dual narrative between Yvette and Gabby in each of those timelines. Yikes. It was hard to follow. I was hoping to learn more about Catherine Dior, sister of fashion designer Christine Dior, but she played a minor role. Both sisters had a romantic interest, making the book too sappy and somewhat formulaic. Overall, Sisters of the Resistance was enjoyable, just not phenomenal. 5 stars for the narration, 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the book.

Alternating between 1944 and 1947, this book follows sisters Gabby and Yvette in Paris. During the war, both sisters secretly helped the resistance, until Yvette was forced to flee over the mountains. Riddled with guilt, Yvette reluctantly returns to Paris to testify in the trial of a woman being tried for treason.

This book caught my attention instantly. It was well written, the characters were dynamic and the story was well paced. The back and forth timelines worked really well and came together beautifully in the end. Overall, highly recommended.

Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells unfortunately was a little underwhelming for me. I love WWII Historical Fiction and had read a little about Catherine Dior and her work in the resistance previously so was looking forward to this book! I found this slow and hard to get into the story.

#SistersoftheResistance #NetGalley
The Sisters of the Resistance is a story about two sisters, Gabby and Yvette, who both get involved with the Resistance in France during World War II. The situations they get involved in are mostly by choice, but many are more dangerous than either one anticipated.
The girls live in a building where their mother is the building’s concierge and Gabby is her assistant, while Yvette loves the fashion industry and works for the famous designer Dior. Dior’s sister, Catherine recruits both to the Resistance, but neither sister is aware that the other is involved in the Resistance until later.
The story goes back and forth between 1944 and 1947. From risk, to love, there are many parallels in the lives of both characters. The story also follows the involvement of Catherine Dior, who was a real-life participant in the Resistance,
If you enjoy reading historical novels about World War II, you will enjoy this book as it has a bit of a different angle than some of the others I have read. I only wish the author would have given more specific details about the Resistance and the life of Catherine Dior, but it was a good read. Thank you to William Morrow and Custom House and NetGalley for this ARC.

The war; it's ugly with pieces of beauty thrown in.

The book draws attention to the past. A big fear at the time was the Nazis taking control of Paris in 1940. But there's another fear just as dangerous with a group of French thugs who wanted power and they got it from the police and support of the Third Reich. The "Gestapo" was known to search for Jews and interrogate them. Nothing stopped them from taking property and valuables in this city of love and romance.

Within this craziness, two sisters, Yvette and Gabby, worked in the fashion industry and helped Christian Dior's sister, Catherine, with the WWII French Resistance in different ways. Yvette was a delivery girl. She said, "the only good Nazi is a dead Nazi" as she dropped off packages on her bike route and helped a movie star, Louise Dulac, to get ready for the evening's events. Gabby worked with her mom as a concierge of an apartment building. One of her tenants was Catherine Dior who was secretly hiding Jews. Gabby was there to offer assistance.

While both sisters were involved with the war, Yvette was more daring and found herself in a dangerous position. She had no choice but to escape to New York. In another timeline of this book, 1947, Yvette returned to an all-paid trip to be a witness for Louise Dulac's trial who was locked up in a prison as a traitor. The question is: will she help someone that is the most hated woman in France? And did I mention romance? Yes, love, fashion and everything you can expect from Paris is in the book.

There has been an overwhelming amount of historical fiction novels recently on WWII. Each one helps us learn a piece of what happened because of the words written by an author. My thanks to Christine Wells, HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy to be released on June 8, 2021.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the duel timelines and learning about Catherine Dior. I want to do some research to learn more about the real story!

I adored the mystery of this book it kept me guessing. The characters were so well devolved and I enjoyed the intrigue and suspense of the story. I liked that it also had a bit of romance in it too. I want to read more by this author!

This was a very good read that kept me wanting to turn the pages. We find that the there are 2 sisters who work for the resistance in different ways and I loved how different they both were. Would definitely recommend this to any historical fiction lover!

I'm not sure I knew the sister of Christian Dior was involved in the French Resistance until I read Natasha Lester's (amazing) The Paris Secret. Catherine Dior was a passing secondary character in that novel so when I heard that Christine Wells was writing a novel that focused more on Dior's role in World War II? I was immediately intrigued. Sisters of the Resistance was a riveting read that shines a light on the women who worked behind the scenes, at a great risk to their own lives, as they fought to liberate their country from Nazi Germany.

Here's the book's description:
France, 1944: The Nazis still occupy Paris, and twenty-five-year-old Gabby Foucher hates these enemies, though, as the concierge of ten rue Royale, she makes it a point to avoid trouble, unlike her sister Yvette. Until she, like her sister, is recruited into the Resistance by Catherine Dior—sister of the fashion designer, Christian Dior.
Gabby and Yvette are both swept into the world of spies, fugitives, and Resistance workers, and it doesn't take long for the sisters to realize that their lives are in danger.



Gabby discovers an elderly tenant is hiding a wounded British fugitive, and Yvette becomes a messenger for the Resistance. But as Gabby begins to fall in love with her patient and Yvette’s impulsiveness lead her into intrigue at an ever-higher level, both women will discover that their hearts and even their souls hang in the balance as well.
I may have been interested in this book at first because of the Catherine Dior connection but the novel isn't actually about her. Sure, she plays an extremely important role and is featured prominently but the story isn't told by her. The reader follows sisters Gabby and Yvette as they each do work to help Dior's resistance network. It shouldn't matter that it wasn't really about Dior. I believe I've read that there isn't actually a lot of material on Dior and her part in the resistance for researchers and writers to pull from. It makes sense that authors, like Wells, don't want to put fictional thoughts in the minds of real people when the information just isn't there. That's all fine. What I don't love is when publishers try to capitalize on a Big Name in History to sell books. I think historical fiction fans are interested enough in learning more about the people (women especially) that we haven't read about before. Those lesser known stories that are only just being talked about now, decades later. None of this is a bad thing, exactly, but I think readers need to temper their expectations when going into this novel as it is not told from Dior's point of view.

All that said, this novel is a fascinating look at what it would have been like in Paris during the Occupation and as residents worked together to fight back. The French Resistance is so interesting. The number of people, especially women, who put their lives in danger to protect their Jewish neighbours or to provide a safe house for injured Allied soldiers or pilots is astounding. And many of them believed that they were just doing what any normal person would do. But the thing is, a lot of people didn't do anything. It was a terrifying time so it's understandable that some people just weren't able to justify risking their own lives to save someone else's. So many women were left widowed because their husbands had to go off to fight at the front. Why would they risk what little they had left? But others? Like Catherine and the other Resistance Fighters? There was no question. They did everything they could. And there were so many ways that people were helping. I don't want to spoil anything but Wells does a good job of highlighting the many different types of things Parisians were doing to save their city. It was awe-inspiring.




The story is told from both Gabby and Yvette's perspectives (third person) and in two time periods. During the war, in 1944, and afterwards, in 1947. It's similar to what Kate Quinn did in The Rose Code but it wasn't quite as nimbly done. I listened to both novels - they're actually narrated by the same person, Saskia Maarleveld, who I find incredibly talented - so I know it wasn't a listening vs reading thing that had me comparing the two. I can't put my finger on what didn't work but it wasn't as well done as I was expecting. Not to say that it was bad! I find the post-war period really interesting because it did take years for Europe to emerge from the shadow of war and I think that's a time period that should be explored a bit more. *searches for more novels set in the late 1940s*

As I said, I listened to the audiobook of this novel. Maarleveld put on a French accent (Parisian, not Quebecois like I'd be used to hearing in my own country) when the sisters and other French characters were speaking. It was a bit more of a reminder that, technically, they would have been speaking French most of the time and yet I was reading (listening) in English. It's always a bit weird to read novels like that but what else is there to do? I can't read a book in another language! (Even if I am trying to learn French online. It's slow going.) Maarleveld has a really pleasing voice and I'll definitely be looking into more of the novels that she narrates.

Overall, Sisters of the Resistance was an interesting read that shone a light on the important work French Resistance members, like Catherine Dior, did during World War II. Christine Wells' novel is a good one for historical fiction fans who are looking to learn even more about the time period.

*An egalley and an advanced listening copy of this novel were provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada/Harper Audio, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells is the story of two women who fought with the Resistance in France during World War II. Yvette and Gabby were very different people and loved and fought differently. It is three years after the war and Yvette has been summoned from New York City to testify in the trial of the infamous movie star, Louise Dulac, who is fighting charges of being a collaborator. To the world, that is what it appeared. Yvette wasn't entirely sure. There were so many lies, so much ugliness, it was difficult to know. Gabby was just plugging away at her job as a concierge at apartments on the rue Royale. The story is told in flashbacks from the current 1947 to those terrible times in 1944 before the Resistance had snuck Yvette out of Paris, to Spain, and eventually to the US. People had died and suffered because of her, she thought. She had been a naive young woman, riding a bike to make deliveries for the House of Lelong, when she had gotten involved with the resistance, making deliveries melded in with her own. It progressed, of course until she was being used a bait on a Nazi officer while Louise sacked his room. At the same time, Gabby is hiding people, spies, Jews, who knew? It all got so very complicated and wrong.

Yvette is now a mannequin (runway model) for the House of Dior. She is confident and beautiful, and filled with guilt . . . for so many things. Gabby is still the loyal concierge, running errands and dusting, endless dusting. They are both strong women who have met the men for them but have lost them, oddly. Their loyalties have not shifted but they have been retooled. It is no longer wartime, but so much of it remains: the memories, the rationing, the changes in life. Life is better in so many ways, but there is still fighting to be done, for them both. This is an enticing read, full of Nazis, love, lying, and misunderstandings, thankfully no camps. It provides a different view of the war and what people had to do to survive. It is well worth the read.

I was invited to read an e-ARC of Sisters of the Resistance by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #netgalley #sistersoftheresistance

Sisters of the Resistance: A Novel of Catherine Dior’s Spy Network is absolutely fascinating. Inspired by the real-life bravery of Catherine Dior, it tells the story of Gabby and Yvette Foucher, who are as likable and relatable as any characters I’ve had the opportunity to spend time with lately. Combine that with mystery, intrigue, and a hint of romance, and I 💯 percent agree with Natasha Lester, who says it’s, “As dazzling as a Dior gown.”


https://www.instagram.com/p/CQHBplcrF_j/

I spent a couple of days last week fully engrossed in Christine Wells new book, Sisters of the Resistance. First, I was intrigued by the beautiful cover of the two sisters walking their own paths and the shadows they leave. The book is set in two time periods. The first is 1944 Paris and the second is set in 1947 Paris. Gabby and Yvette are drawn into the Resistance but neither knows that each is doing this. They are fictional characters however Catherine and Christian Dior are not. Each of their jobs pose danger. When the period switches to 1947, we find Yvette arriving in France to testify at Louise Dulac’s trial for being a traitor.

If you like historical fiction, you will like this beautiful, heartbreaking story (at times). Something mysterious happened and the sisters have not talked since 1944 and this is a story of finding out what happened, of love interests, of very difficult hardships during the war and the courage of women involved in the resistance. Be prepared that the book is emotional, I had feelings of fear for these characters and definitely shed a few tears. I liked the conclusion, and I could see that there could be a second book exploring their lives. My thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

Two sisters, Gabby and Yvette, become involved with the Resistance in occupied Paris during WWII. But neither sisters knows that the other one is involved. Catherine Dior, sister to designer Christian Dior is also involved. Lots of secrets. Years later, Yvette is called to testify in a trial in Paris of a women who betrayed her. But war-time relationships and activities were complicated. These women were all strong and courageous and having interesting lives. A good story.

(3.5 stars, rounded up)

Trigger warnings: attempted rape, war

Gabby and Yvette Foucher are sisters living in France during World War II. Yvette is a fashion house courier and uses her errands as a cover for delivering messages. Gabby's role as the concierge of her building allows her to hide and aid an injured British soldier. Neither sister knows about the other's involvement.

The novel vacillates between wartime and post-war stories. After the war, Yvette is returning to France to give her testimony in the trial of the collaborator Louise Dulac. Gabby is shocked to find her sister in France.

Both sisters are healing after the war and coming together may be what they need to begin again. Yvette learns about what really happened with the Resistance from Gabby, and she must reevaluate her misconceptions about the events.

I was hoping this book would help me learn about Christian Dior and his sister, but they are minor characters in the novel.

Recommended for World War II fiction readers who like their stories based in France.

I found that the first few chapters were hard for me to get into, it was getting use to the dual narrative, I think. After that the book was interesting and I was hooked. Historical fiction can be hit or miss and I am glad that I continued reading,

WWII story of 2 sisters who join Catherine Dior’s spy network and the part they play in the resistance.

I went into the story expecting to hear more of Catherine Dior’s story .

#NetGalley #SistersoftheResistance #reading #bibliophile #bookstagram #2021reads #bookstagrammer #bookish #booknerd #NewRelease #readinginohio #booklover #instabook #bookworm

I really enjoyed this novel!! A historical fiction novel centered in the WWII era, this story is inspired by the real-life Catherine Dior (sister of the famed fashion designer Christian Dior) who was a big part of the French resistance during the Natzis' occupation of France and much of Europe.

I didn't know anything about Catherine prior to reading this novel, but have researched her since finishing the story and am in complete awe of this true heroine. Although Catherine and her involvement with the resistance is a big part of this novel, the main characters are actually two sisters who get involved with Catherine and the resistance.

This story is full of heart as these women learn to fight for themselves, their country, their loves, and each other in the midst of war and chaos. There were many strong and empowered female characters in this story which I LOVE to see. It was an inspiring and thrilling read. Bravo to the author, but mostly to the real women who lived stories just like Catherine's during WWII.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4026701950

Blending fact with fiction, Christine Wells weaves a compelling tale of two sisters caught up in the harrowing, life-threatening mission of the French Resistance during the final weeks of WWII and the uncertainty of starting over in the years following.

Wells pulled me into this story from the beginning and held my attention throughout. I was fascinated by the "behind the scenes" look at the French fashion industry during and following the war, especially that of the house of Dior. I had no idea that Catherine Dior (sister to fashion icon Christian) was so instrumental in the resistance movement in Paris. Though she is not the primary focus of this novel, her involvement brings authenticity to the story and is important enough to make me want to know more about her.

Wells brought Paris of the 1940's to life on the page. It was very easy to lose myself in the daily events of sisters Gabby and Yvette Foucher, their neighbors, co-workers, enemies, and compatriots. All of the characters are so vividly depicted that I quickly forgot who was real and who was not. I became attached to many of them, invested in their well-being, fearful when their lives were placed in danger, and anguished when their hearts were broken. Once I was immersed in their stories it was impossible to stop reading until I knew everything.

I enjoyed the fact that Gabby and Yvette were so very different and that their journeys also took different paths. It made them more real to me; gave me greater interest in the complexities of their sibling relationship and more joy in the resolution of their differences. It also made each of their romantic relationships unique and the romantic decisions they each made more authentic to their characters. I enjoyed watching them each evolve throughout the course of the book and, by the end, was very satisfied with the people they had become.

Events move back and forth between 1944 and 1947 but the switches were seamless and never left me feeling confused or pulled from the story. It's a type of storytelling that doesn't always work for me but in this instance it enhanced the overall story rather than detracting from it. If you enjoy WWII stories that highlight the courage of women who put their lives on the line for the survival of their country and freedom of their fellow citizens, I recommend you add Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells to your reading list.

*ARC received for fair and unbiased review

Catherine Dior, sister of the famous designer and a real-life heroine of the French Resistance, recruits two sisters for the famous guerilla movement. Set in Paris before and after WWII, with spies and double spies, love and heartbreak, and of course, haute couture adding spice to it all. An enthralling tale that kept me on tinder hooks, made me gasp during twists and turns, ugly cry at times, and left me inspired and very moved. Highly recommended!

Pub Date 08 Jun 2021
#SistersoftheResistance #NetGalley

Thanks to the author, William Morrow and Custom House, and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine.