This book wasn't really my cup of tea. I love a good historical fiction novel. I was expecting this to be more classic historical fiction and less romance focused. Even though the main romance was between Monique and someone in the resistance movement, I struggled to get past the fact that so much of the book centered around Monique's abusive relationship with a Nazi officer. I would have preferred a book that focused more on a strong independent woman joining the resistance without a focus on romance.

The Girl Under the Flag takes us to Nazi occupied Paris during the war. A different angle to the usual world war books, Monique had me captured as she struggled to survive. An emotional ride that I just couldn't out down. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in historical books set at that time.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I enjoyed reading a WW2 book from a younger perspective. It was a great read and will definitely recommend it!

This is a surprising and intriguing young adult WW2 fiction, I'm not sure if it was intentionally aimed at the young adult market but as a seasoned reader of WW2 historical fiction books, I think I am allowed to say that this is a book which will be perfect for a younger reader just discovering the genre.

The Girl Under the Flag is a pretty easy book to read, the pacing is pretty speedy and I enjoyed the engaging writing, the historical detail is crisp and clear and clearly says that a lot of research has gone into this story.

It's an interesting story and one I've not come across too often, so I was interested to see where it would lead and what would happen to the lead character Monique.

Overall, a great introduction to the author's work and a great introduction to the genre. I can't say I loved it, but I did enjoy reading it.

I love reading WWII historical fiction books. This one was a great addition to this genre of books. The only negative comment I have is regarding the writing style. There were some times that the text did not flow smoothly. But I could endure that because the story was captivating. The characters were well developed and the author did extensive research which was evident in the details she provided about that time period and the atrocities that occurred. With the focus on the French resistance, you will find yourself drawn into the book and be amazed at how individuals demonstrated pure evil while others were willing to help others survive this horrendous time in history.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is the story of Monique, a 17 year old Jewish girl in Paris and what she does to survive. We see the story through her eyes. Her character was complex and well-built and the story was well-researched. It started with a harrowing telegram sent regarding Parisian Jews during the Nazi reign of terror in Paris.

This was a very generic WWII historical fiction book. There was nothing in the story that would make it standout against others. A Jewish girl hides her identity to survive in the Nazi occupied Paris, joins the resistance and starts dating a German officer in order to provide a better intelligence to the resistance. There was a lot in the book that was told, but not shown. I still don't know how exactly she ended up with the resistance - I mean, one moment she is hiding in the street, all alone, and the next she is being taken to meet the resistance. How did that happen? Also, there was no progression in her relationship with Phillip - one minute he is just her handler, who she knows absolutely nothing about, and he next minute - she loves him, and she still knows absolutely nothing about him.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read. The Girl Under the Flag caught my attention right from the start and I had to continue reading to find out what happened next. I would definitely recommend this book to others and look forward to reading other books by this author.

The Girl Under the Flag is a story of a 17 year old Jewish girl living in Paris. When her family is taken by the Nazis she does anything she can to survive including joining the Resistance. Told in first person you can really feel the range of emotion this woman goes through! Many parts were just heart wrenching to read!

The novel opens with a grim Telegram, 1942 – ‘Arrest all Jews of Paris and concentrate them in the Velodrome d’Hiver winter sports stadium, in order to cleanse the Paris area of Jews and send them to resettlement in eastern Poland’ followed by the arresting “According to our records, there is a missing person here. A girl, Monique, seventeen years old.” An interesting premise, and a fast-paced story of a volatile and frightening time during the Nazis reign of terror. Told from a third person (present tense) narrative, yet the reader views the story through the main character’s eyes only. The main character, a girl youth Monique, finds herself suddenly alone in the world and fighting just to survive. When she falls into the hands of a resistance group, she agrees to go undercover and join their movement. The protagonist’s harrowing infiltration of the German high command by sleeping with the enemy was well described. The writing flowed effortlessly along with suspenseful yet believable occurrences. I have read other books about the French resistance in Paris and this was one of the better ones. The lives of the so-called horizontal collaborators ( mistresses of the German officers) was well detailed. The novel was so suspenseful that I read it in one sitting. Monique is a strong character who is both resilient and careful, risking her life everyday. This is the first in a series about strong women during WW2. First in a series that will show women as strong and share their stories. Looking forward to more in the series.
Thank you to the publishers, the author and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to review this book. This book fell flat for me. Historical fiction is my favorite genre but I just couldn’t get into this one.

I really enjoyed The Girl Under the Flag. It was a very enjoyable book. When it started I thought it was a copy of Anne Frank's story but after the first chapter it changed. It really made me think about what the Jewish people had to go through with the horrendous treatment they had to go through by the german soldiers and what some in the resistance actually did to try to help fight the war from within the war zone

I enjoyed The Girl Under the Flag: Monique. I look forward to book two from the WW2 Girls series. Four stars.

The Girl Under the Flag is a wonderful historical tale by Alex Amit.
It follows seventeen year old Monique, a Jewish teen who has to deal with the horrific treatment of Jews during WWII.
I wanted so much to enjoy this book. But the writing style isn't my favorite and I had to eventually put it down. I am a stickler about dialogue and the stilted dialogue in this is very awkward.

This book got me right in my soul. Monique is one of the better characters I have come across as a reader in awhile. How she could do what she had to to survive as a Jewish girl is amazing. I know in no way would I have the strength and courage these ladies had at 17. I still try to wrap my head around it

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

This is a book that from the beginning is well written and researched. Captivating you from the beginning narrative sets a dark grim tone. The reader feels impacted by the events that took place in Paris. It focuses on showing that the French Resistance was a key player in WW2. The author Alex Amit does a remarkable job portraying the depth of what the people in Paris went through, that you go on an emotional roller coaster. The writing doesn't flow as smoothly in some areas, but that may be because the main character was supposedly speaking in another language than their first or that the author lives in Israel causing the book to potentially be translated to English.

From the beginning this book has you drawn in and invested in the main character Monique. Amidst the chaos, heartbreak, darkness, and despair there is hope, perseverance, and bravery found in a young Jewish girl who just wants to survive. Set in WW2 Paris, France a grim telegram is received "Arrest all Jews of Paris". Monique is enjoying a quiet evening at home when the police arrive, knowing she and her brother must hide right away, unfortunately, her younger brother refuses to hide with her. Hearing her family dragged away, she knows that she is now on her own and has no clue how she will survive, knowing that that soon they will be searching for her too. She escapes through the streets of Paris, searching for a place to hide. Turned away by relatives she is forced onto the street and was it not for a twist of faith, she encounters a member of the resistance while running from the police. Her desire to survive no matter how and her knowledge make her a useful tool to the Underground Resistance. Philip, a man of the Underground Resistance, offers her a deal in order to save her life by changing her identity. In return, she needs to provide information about the Germans by becoming acquainted with them. Monique stays with a woman who accepts her no matter what and begins working at a high-end bakery that caters to German officers and soldiers. When the opportunity to befriend and have a romantic relationship with a German officer Oberst Ernest comes her way, she is forced to take advantage of it. She begins infiltrating even deeper than the Resistance has ever before. Torn between her feelings for Philip and her fear of Oberst Ernest, Monique steps deeper and deeper into the war. Every day that passes, she knows that it is only a matter of time before any little mistake could lead her to her discovery by the Germans. Faced with constant fear, Monique questions if she is able to maintain her cover and survive undetected by the German officer, if she fails she is left to face the Germans and almost certain death for her role as a spy.

What you would do if you were just trying to survive in a war zone? What would you be willing to sacrifice? These are questions that Monique answers for herself as we go on this emotional journey with her and find out the lengths she is willing to go. Monique deals with internal struggles as she is forced to maintain a certain composure. Monique grows as a strong character who is both resilient and careful, risking her life every day for the freedom of Paris.

Overall I loved the book even though the romantic relationship with Philip felt forced throughout the book I enjoyed their ending. I was so invested in Monique that I felt sad that we never truly knew what happened to her family, one could only assume. This book deserves to be read as it shows a powerful young woman fighting all odds just to survive. I highly recommend this book to everyone who loves the WW2 era, women lit, and historical fiction. You will not be disappointed.

*Thanks to NetGalley I received this book for free for my honest opinion.

Monique is a seventeen year old girl running from the Nazis, through the streets of Paris.
When she meets Philip a resilient man who saves her life. He offers her a deal in return she needs to get information from the Germans.

Fighting her feelings for Philip and her fear of Ernest a German officer who wants to get to know Monique, she gets in deeper with the Nazis worrying that any day she could make a mistake and is found out by the enemy.

Monique is telling her story through her own eyes what it was like to survive in occupied Paris, as a young girl on her own and what she has to do to survive while the Germans March through Paris, and change everyone’s lives.

I love reading about the history of WWII and how strong people where to go on against all the sorrow they where put through that we are still learning about today.

I loved this book. A great read for anyone interested in the history of sorrow.

I loved this book the trauma she faced was real. She was so relatable and I loved that.

She was emotionally real and the people who helped her were there.

An interesting premise, and a fast-paced story of a volatile and frightening time during the Nazis reign of terror. Told from a third person (present tense) narrative, yet the reader views the story through the main character’s eyes only. The main character, a girl youth, finds herself suddenly alone in the world and fighting just to survive. When she falls into the hands of a resistance group, she agrees to go undercover and join their movement.

The style was somewhat different—the way the characters spoke threw me sometimes. Like “I would be happy to invite you to see me again” or “Today I’ve arrived alone.” Much of the story read like it was translated into English; a bit stilted. This made it difficult for me to immerse myself in what was happening. There were some spelling and grammatical mistakes. Like 'she felt the smell of his body'? Some mild PG-13 material (talk and experiences of being a beautiful girl dealing with the attractions of men and her own attraction to the resistance leader who is training her).

NOTE: my review is only based on the first half of the book. Because of the above issues, it did not hold my interest enough to finish.

Monique is a young Jewish girl fighting for her freedom (and life) in occupied Paris.

I definitely recommend this book for people who love books about WW2 and strong female protagonists! I could not put it down.