I was lucky enough to win 2 ARCs of this book in the same week - a physical copy from Goodreads and the audiobook through NetGalley. It's fairly long so I alternated between the two at first but the narrator was so wonderful I wound up sticking to mostly audio, even though it made it longer. I mostly listen during my commute to and from work and I'm working from home halftime now so it took me a while to get through but I never once got sick of it and I'm honestly glad I savored it.

This was an amazing read. There are three heroines, all very different, and I couldn't tell you a favorite because I love them all so much. Each story is filled with joy and tragedy, wrapped up in friendship, secrets, and mystery. A lot of reviews about this book focus mostly on the plot but I don't want to do that because I let the story unfold knowing very little about the book and I loved every moment of it. The characters and plot are complex but not confusing. You can tell the historical details were thoroughly researched and it left me wanting to learn more about the Bletchley Park code breakers. I'm excited to read more by Kate Quinn - I love reading about the badass women of history and she tells their stories so well. I truly loved this book, it's one of the best I've read so far this year. Highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley, Goodreads, Quinn, and publisher for the ARCs in exchange for an honest review.

I felt very fortunate to receive an advanced listening copy of THE ROSE CODE by @katequinn from @netgalley and @harperaudio. This book was SO WELL DONE on audio and I adored the narration. I've read Kate Quinn's other books and enjoyed them immensely (especially The Huntress), but I think this one is my new favourite of hers!!!

The Rose Code follows three women (Osla, Mab, & Beth) and multiple lovely secondary characters as they meet through their work at Bletchley Park. The book is set alternately during WWII with these women contributing to the war effort in a unique and secretive way playing different roles in codebreaking at BP. The three are very different, but their friendship is fierce...for a while. As all WWII-based novels typically play out, this story was not without immense sadness, heartbreak, and passion, and it was extremely well written. It is not a short book but I could not believe how drawn to the story I was - I could not WAIT to find out what happened to all of these characters, especially as the plot built towards a very intense climax in the last few chapters. It read a little bit like a mystery/thriller at times as the reader attempted to put pieces of a puzzle together without all of the details (a bit like The Huntress that way too). Kate Quinn's writing is phenomenal and so well suited to this tiny subset of a genre in historical fiction. This book had:

-Strong, well developed female characters with feisty fortitude in their personalities
-Excellent friendships with some betrayals and forgiveness
-Great moments of love & romance
-Suspense and page-turning plot points
-Fictional events and characters based on real people (and several actual real people known as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip gasp!)

As always, it was a total delight to buddy listen to this with my book bestie because my jaw dropped on more than one occasion, and sharing that experience was perfect. Reading is such a solitary activity that buddy reading just fills my introvert heart with a lot of joy :)

I am so sad that I am all finished with The Rose Code. This was such a captivating read that will grab at your emotions and peak your interest. I’ve read many books on World War 2, but I was still so intrigued by the story of these code breakers, especially focusing around women code breakers.

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook. Despite having multiple characters and time frames, the narrator made it easy to keep track of what was going on.

Thank you Netgalley & publisher for an advanced audiobook!

Another fantastic historical fiction read from Kate Quinn! If you loved The Alice Network and The Huntress as much as I did (both were 5 star reads) you absolutely must read The Rose Code! As with the other two novels, strong, intelligent women are the main characters, and their stories keep you turning the pages quickly! Mab was my favorite character, though I was interested in all three story lines. The chapters were short, and I read this book in just a few sittings because it was so hard to put down. I read the last 200 pages in one sitting and felt like I just couldn't read it fast enough because I was so into the story. This will definitely be one of my top reads this year.

I received both the paperback ARC from a goodreads giveaway, and the ALC from NetGalley. One of my favorite things to do is listen on audio and read the book at the same time and this allowed me to do that. I feel like it helps suck me into the story even more! The narration for this book was just as fantastic as the book itself.

This is a long audio book and the physical book is 656 pages, but I enjoyed every minute of it!! I actually hated when it was coming to the end.

Based on/inspired by the true story of code breaking women at Bletchley Park during WWII. The Rose Code follows three girls, Osla, Mab and Beth as they arrive at Bletchley Park during WWII and trained to break German military code and continues all the way through to the end of the war. While doing their part as code breakers during the war efforts, the girls become unexpected friends. Their backgrounds couldn’t be more different, but their secrecy ties them together. This story shares the lives of these women, their friendship, heartache, hardships, good times, grief and even their mental health.

Kate Quinn has a way of bringing her characters to life and it feels like they are actually “coming off the page” and I’m part of the scene or in this case, “included me in the audio” as if I was one of the girls living their lives. Her characters are unforgettable and I know that I will remember this story for years to come.

This was an engrossing listen with a female and male narrator which added to the depth of the storytelling. I enjoy historical fiction that is based on true events/people and Kate Quinn is a master at that in this book

Brief Synopsis: The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Huntress and The Alice Network returns with another heart-stopping World War II story of three female code breakers at Bletchley Park and the spy they must root out after the war is over.

Review: The Queen of Historical Fiction is BACK! And with another beautiful reading by my favorite audiobook narrator, Saskia Maarvelad, I could not stop listening to this book. Kate Quinn brings us another group of phenomenal women behind the scenes of the war efforts. She has a way of weaving romance, suspense, heartbreak and raw, amazing characters all into a beautiful historical fiction piece. In all of her books, she paints strong & admirable women that I would love to befriend - and this one is no different!

For someone who doesn't naturally gravitate to historical fiction, this was a rare treat.

Osla, Mab, and Beth couldn't be more different. However, when it comes to war, it is amazing what will bond people together. All three of these unique women have come to live and work at Bletchley Park, a top secret place where codes are broken and the war is fought on paper. They navigate relationships, friendships, and learning that there is a traitor in their midst at a time when rationing was common place.

I listened to this on audio-thanks to Netgalley for the advanced reader copy- and found myself pausing and rewinding portions to make sure I caught all the details of Quinn's writing. She is descriptive in a way with all of the character's histories that led them to Bletchley Park that I found myself so invested in their outcomes.

Kate Quinn is a master storyteller. I usually don't love historical fiction, specifically WW2 for the simple fact that it can be repetitive and the characters are always expected. However, these women: Osla, Mab, and Beth will stick with me for sometime.

If you love historical fiction, pick up The Rose Code. It will be known as a top read for a lot of historical lovers this year.

Fascinating story of the code breakers who worked in Bletchley Park during WWII. Well-drawn, multi-dimensional characters woven into an historical fiction account of London. Great subplot involving Prince Phillip and his life before marrying the queen.

Kate Quinn has done it again with another smashing classic historical fiction win.

The Rose Code is a nail biting suspense story filled with the glitz, glam and harsh reality of London during WW2.

Three unlikely and very different women lead the story and take us deep into the mysterious and wonderful world of Bletchley Park.

Osla, the dashing debutante, Mab, the practical spitfire from the wrong side of London and Beth the meek socially awkward brilliant girl, three girls with very different backgrounds who become unlikely friends.

There’s a mystery afoot at Bletchley Park, deeper than the secret mission the girls have been sent to BP to complete and Kate keeps readers guessing until the very end.

I loved getting to know these three women, each powerful and enigmatic in their own right, each with their own secrets and stories to tell. I was terribly sad to leave their story behind and felt myself wanting more! A must read for fans of historical fiction, London high society and drama!

I love Kate Quinn and have read all her books! The Rose Code is excellent as are all her books. The Rose Code follows three young women who worked at England's Bletchley Park, a country estate converted to a code-breaking facility during World War II. Three very different women from very different backgrounds came to work at Bletchley Park at the same time. Osla Kendall was a debutante, born rich and beautiful. She wanted to do something important for the war effort, Since she was good with languages she became a translator. Mab Church lived with her mother and sister on the east side of London and they were very poor. Mab wanted to find a suitable husband. She became good at working the code breaking machine. Mab and Osla became roommates at the rooming house where some of the Bletchley workers rented rooms. There they meet Beth Finch the daughter of the owner of the house. Beth is mistreated by her mother and has low self-esteem due to constant criticism, but she is brilliant at solving puzzles. With the encouragement of Mab and Osla, Beth starts to work at Bletchley Park. The three women become friends, but soon the war, personal loss and the difficult pressure of secrecy tear the friends apart and sends one of them to an asylum. In 1947 the three are reunited to crack the code of the traitor who was responsible for destroying their friendship. This marvelous book blends mystery, intrigue, suspense and strong female characters. I loved this book! Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

I’ve been reading a lot more historical fiction lately. I could never get into it before but over the last few months especially, I’ve been enjoying learning more various historical events and situations. I fell in love with this audiobook and have already recommended it to multiple people. It makes my heart happy when I see other's have picked up copies because I know the strong female characters they're about to get lost in. I found this one really touches close to home since my grandmother was from England and was there during the war. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Harper Audio for this advanced copy!

This book was absolutely incredible. I loved the characters, the story and the pacing. It was truly a triumphant story of the power and strength of women.

Oh my good gracious, this book. I very much enjoyed Kate Quinn's last two novels so I assumed I would like The Rose Code. Um, I LOVED IT. I was invested from the start and could not stop thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. I listened to the audiobook, which is still a new-ish thing to me, and found myself trying to squeeze in listening time as often as possible. Then, when it was done, I was at a loss. Now what is there to do except wait for Quinn's next novel?

Here's the book's description:
1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes. Vivacious debutante Osla is the girl who has everything—beauty, wealth, and the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses—but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, and puts her fluent German to use as a translator of decoded enemy secrets. Imperious self-made Mab, product of east-end London poverty, works the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and looks for a socially advantageous husband. Both Osla and Mab are quick to see the potential in local village spinster Beth, whose shyness conceals a brilliant facility with puzzles, and soon Beth spreads her wings as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy will tear the three apart. 1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter--the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship and left one of them confined to an asylum. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger--and their true enemy--closer...

As I said, I listened to the audio for this book. The narrator was Saskia Maarleveld and she was phenomenal. She was able to create an ever so slightly different voice for each of the three main female characters and her male voices weren't irritating in the least. (It's something I've found annoying with audiobooks when narrators have to voice the opposite gender - it's not always done well.) I could have listened to her for ages and will definitely take a look at what other novels she narrates! If you're an audiobook fan, definitely think about getting this one (and may I suggest from Libro.fm where you'll support an indie bookstore of your choice?).

There was a lot happening in this book (it's over 650 pages and almost 16 hours on audio) but it all ticks along, never really seeming like it was too much. Of course, I'm a big fan of WWII era books and found the history of Bletchley Park incredibly fascinating so I wasn't bored at all. That might not be true for all readers, of course. I didn't know ton about BP, as the characters called it, but knew enough that there were codebreakers and an intense amount of secrecy which meant it wasn't discussed at all for decades. I have watched The Imitation Game (Turing makes a few appearances in the novel) but now I'm on the hunt for more books and movies (fiction or non) about the group of men and women (so many women!) who worked in the small town in England. Suggestions welcome!

The story goes back and forth starting in 1940 and moving through the war and 1947, in the days before Princess Elizabeth's wedding on November 20th. There are alternating chapters told in third person POV from Beth, Osla, and Mab. The past (the time at BP) and the, well, more recent past are clearly defined and it was not hard to follow at all. I didn't find myself frustrated with wondering why someone was locked in an asylum and when it would all be revealed. I trusted Quinn and she gave me a magnificent, mysterious tale that when it was revealed, it was immensely satisfying.

I cared about each and every character. The three women were so different but still managed to form a friendship in the most unlikely of situations. They were found family and went through some absolutely horrendous times both together and apart. They were bound by the Official Secrets Act and even though they couldn't tell each other everything, they were still in the BP bubble together and no one outside that bubble could ever really understand what that was like. And even while that bonded them, it also, ultimately, tore them apart. Because I cared about them so much, I felt every emotion each of them was feeling. They had some terrible feelings at times so it was tough to read at some points. But there were moments of levity as well and I appreciated Quinn's talent of balancing the horrors of war with the everyday things people still had to deal with.

The Rose Code is, by far, my favourite of Kate Quinn's novels. It was well-written and entertaining and perfectly hit the kind of history I was really interested in. I highly encourage every historical fiction fan to pick up a copy of this one.

*An advanced listening copy (ALC) was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

another rousing installment in kate quinn's repertoire!

just when i think world war ii novels are trite and overdone, kate quinn absolutely knocks one out of the park. as someone who only knows about wwii from high school history, quinn exposes everything i wish i had learned in school: what were the women doing while the men were off fighting each other? more specifically, what were the women doing other than work? while the work is always fascinating, (spies in "the alice network" and code breakers in "the rose code,") i have always been fascinated by peoples' every day lives during such world-altering events. (i guess my life currently meets that description considering the current pandemic...) though not perfect people by any means, the three main characters are all lovable in their own ways and their motivations are clear and understandable. at almost 700 pages, this book is not short by any means, yet i flew through it due to quinn's compelling writing.

saskia maarleveld is a master at narration. each character has a distinct voice and their personalities shine through the audio format. while i believe the book would be quite enjoyable reading it physically, i found the audio format highly enjoyable and i will continue to listen to quinn's novels if i can.

whenever i feel the urge to recommend a historical fiction novel, my go-to is kate quinn's first book, "the alice network." now i'm adding "the rose code" to my list. specifically, this audiobook version. (i'm sure "the huntress" also belongs on that list, but i read it at a time when my book plot retention was quite low so i need to re-read it to make sure.)

ultimately, if you're in the mood for a feminist historical fiction that focuses on women and their lives through the lens of lesser-known events of world war ii, "the rose code" is sure to please.

thank you to netgalley and harper audio for an audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Kate Quinn's latest, The Rose Code follows suit of her other titles, not just on the subject of how women served in WWII, but also by being an absolute must read. The Rose Code looks specifically at three women working at Bletchley Park, the code-breaking hub for Britain during WWII. Like in Quinn's previous titles, the narrative bounces between the three women and different timelines creating mystery surrounding who betrayed who and when. As with her reading of Quinn's other title The Alice Network, Saskia Maarleveld's reading is superb. Maarleveld captures each distinctive voice adding to the already strong characterization through her narration of the book. While I've been a big fan of Quinn's since I read her first book, The Rose Code by far is my favorite of hers. And that's saying a lot considering how much I love Nina from The Huntress!

This is a fantastic novel and excellent audiobook. I am so glad I got the opportunity to listen to this brilliant novel. The narration was so well done. I was completely hooked on this story from the beginning and throughly enjoyed it. This novel tells the story of many people throughout World War Two, but focuses on three main characters, Oslo, Mab and Beth, who are hired in a top secret fashion to work on various parts of code breaking during the war. These women each find their niche in their work and take so much pride in their work, to the point where their jobs cost them friendships and relationships. This was such an interesting story that I haven’t heard from this point of view before. I highly recommend reading this book and would definitely recommend the audiobook version.

Every single time I think I'm tired of WWII historical fiction, I discover another one that I love!

I listened to the audio book narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. She did an absolutely fabulous job narrating this book. Her voice and storytelling really added to my enjoyment.

The Rose Code takes place in Bletchley Park, located north of London, during WWII. Mab, Osla, and Beth are roommates with starkly different backgrounds. They are working together at a deeply secret facility where they spend their time breaking code and intelligence being transmitted from the Russians, Germans, and Italians. Each of these ladies are brilliant in their own ways and The Rose Code highlights their struggles with where they fit in the world, the war, and their futures.

The Rose Code reminded me of a mix between The Crown and Bridgerton.

This is only my second book by this author. I read the huntress last year (maybe? the year before) and though I liked it a lot, it was quite slow and felt like a longer book than it was. This book on the other hand? SO good! I buddy read with Heather, which is always fun.

I felt such a connection with the 3 women in this book, really felt like I knew them. This book is so well written, fast paced, fabulous characters, compelling storyline. Also, I won't lie, *super* here for all the romantic subplots. This book made me laugh and smile and feel all the feelings. It also made me cry, which for some reason, always makes me think the book must be good (I don't know why I think this, I cry easily - I guess it's because it means I've connected with the book/characters).

Most of this book seems pretty character driven, just telling their stories during a time of life we have all already read about several times, but then in the last quarter or so the plot really picks up and I was sitting on the edge of my seat hoping everything would work out.

I listened to the audio and the narrator was absolutely fantastic.

And yeah, this would make a fabulous movie. When's it gonna happen, hollywood?

A thrilling tale of code-breaking during WWII at Bletchley Park. Osla, Mab, and Beth are billet-mates during the war, but on D-Day, Beth is sent to a sanitarium. Three years later, she sends an encrypted message to Osla and Mab, begging for their help to find out who betrayed her and put her there. This was sooo good! The characters were really well-developed; I felt like they were my friends. The narrator was amazing., and she made the audiobook experience unputdownable!

I received an Advanced Listening Copy from NetGalley and Harper Audio in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited that I was approved for this ALC because I loved The Alice Network and couldn’t wait to read something else by this author.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like this one as much as I was hoping or expecting to.

I don’t know if it’s because I was listening to it, but I had a hard time following along. A lot of the time I couldn’t follow what was happening, or what timeline we were in. Sometimes I got confused on which character was which between Mab and Oskar. The whole beginning part to me was a blur. How the girls were found and recruited I still don’t remember.

I was worried I wouldn’t like this the whole way through, but there last third of the book really kept my attention and I didn’t want to stop listening. Beth inside the Sanatorium and her point of view was what I found the most interesting, that and trying to solve the mystery of who the traitor was, even though I figured that out pretty early on.

This would have been a lower rating, but I did really enjoy the end. I may have been able to follow along better if I hadn’t listened to it, because I do like her writing and I love historical fiction, so I think maybe I should have consumed this story by reading it. But as it stands, I give it 3.5 stars