I have read several books by Eliza Graham and I think that You Let Me Go is one of her best.

I loved the dual timeline narrative, in present time by Morane and in 1941 by Rozenn, they both gave me a real sense of how they were both struggling in life - Morane with her money and business problems and Rozenn with her family problems and the fear of living under Nazi occupation in a small French village.

I could totally understand Morane's need to find out about her grandmother's decision to leave the cottage she loved to her sister and not her. I was willing her to discover more about her grandmother's past.

The writing is slow and steady going, gradually building up to the truth of what really happened and the suspense was a real page turner.

A great read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

You Let me Go is a cleverly written timeslip which moves between 1941 and the present day. Marie and Morane's French grandmother Rozenn Caradec has just died. Morane anticipated her house by the river in Cornwall - Vue Claire - would be left to her and her sister to share. Instead it is Marie who inherits, while Morane's only gift is a silver compass. with her great grandfather's initials FJG engraved on it.

Morane is an interior designer with a troubled past. She was involved in a riding accident that resulted in the death of a child - something she cannot put out of her mind. Because of this she cannot bear to be near horses.. She has also broken up with her partner Nick, whose gambling has wrecked both her life and business. With a lull in jobs she agrees to spend time at Vue Clare to help Marie redecorate. Agreeing to house sit while Marie and her husband are away, she discovers mysterious notes in Rozenn's room. She decides to head for France to try and uncover more information about Rozenn, grandfather Luc, and the reasons they came to England in 1941.

Absolutely loved this book. A wonderful story. The author has created a totally authentic feel for life in France during World War 2. The story moved seamlessly between past and present as it reveals the truth about Rozenn's family. It's an absorbing read I found very difficult to put down.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing, Eliza Graham and Netgalley for an Advanced Review Copy of You Let Me Go. A definite five star read!

This is a poignant dual timeline story, a family saga from occupied France in the 1940s to the present day. The prologue gives clues about the story's secrets and the heartbreaking discoveries to follow.
Two sisters Morane and Gwen, find their relationship strained when their beloved grandmother Rozenn bequeaths her house to Gwen. Morane has already suffered, and now she feels rejected by her grandmother. A chance discovery leads Morane on a quest to find out about Rozenn's life in occupied France, which has surprising consequences.

The dual storylines are well written, both full of vivid characters and emotion. The historical timeline is particularly engaging, as it conveys the horrors and stark choices of life in occupied France. The familial relationships are relatable, and the plot twists keep the reader engaged.

This is a family saga of betrayal, forgiveness, love and sacrifice with a satisfying conclusion.

I received a copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Morane is troubled, not only has she lost her beloved grandmother Rozenn, she is also suffering post-traumatic stress following a tragic accident and a crippling financial blow to her business. The realisation that she has been left out of Rozenn’s will raises more questions than answers, especially as she knows something is missing, something Rozenn was trying to explain but the stroke had robbed her of her ability to speak. There are some clues, a compass and a few pages of a longer letter, written in French, that mentions a small fishing village in Brittany. Her obsession with the past and her decision to leave Cornwall, looking for answers, leaves her Dad and sister concerned by her actions, but gives her a focus as she thinks about the future.

In this book we also get to follow Rozenn as her family leave Occupied Paris for a fishing village in Brittany. Her father takes up the respectable position of the local doctor, but they have a secret that must be kept from the villagers as they settle into their new life. The hardships, lack of food and living in constant fear of interrogation isn’t easy for Rozenn, who came across as strong, determined and quite different to her siblings. I felt her frustrations with her family and the situation, as she questioned her parent’s motives. She might have missed the city life she was forced to leave behind, but the descriptions of the coves, cliff tops and stone cottages of Brittany made it easy for me to imagine her falling in love with the coast. I also found it interesting to see the comparisons of life in Paris and then Brittany during The Occupation.

In France, Morane finds herself in a close-knit community, where the local people are wary of questions from so long ago, but a good Breton name and the ability to speak French slowly opens some doors. With so few survivors still alive, a lot of what she initially learns, gives rise to more seemingly unanswerable questions.

I love a good mystery and as events from the past and the present slowly unfurled, I tried to piece together Rozenn’s story and work out what had happened to fracture her family all those years ago.

If you like historical fiction, with plenty of mystery, family drama and heartbreak, I’m sure you will enjoy this one. With its choice of location and plot, this book certainly had something different to other books set in Occupied France that I’ve read.

YOU LET ME GO is more than historical fiction, this is a dual timeline story that brings it bang up to date.

Admittedly, it’s a slow burner, but all of that background info only adds to the story as a whole. I guess it could be a little trimmer, but I’m not complaining because, for me, all those details really pay off once the second half gets going and Morane (Morie) heads off to Brittany to look into her grandmother’s past.

Morie had always been closer to her grandmother Rozenn, much more so than her sister, Gwen. It , therefore, came as no surprise to see her portray similar traits to Rozenn as the truth unravelled. This made Rozenn’s decision to leave her Cornwall home entirely to Gwen such a mystery. It made little sense, if any, and proved to be the catalyst for Morie’s trip to France. Was she peeved? You bet. Did she struggle to hide her feelings? Absolutely. Which is why putting some distance between herself and her sister seemed to be the right thing to do …before she could say something she might later regret.

Morie, you see, had had her own fair share of troubles up to that point – a horse riding accident, a failing business due to her partner’s gambling addiction. So this news from Rozenn’s will was the nail in the coffin. By going to France maybe she would be able to understand her grandmother’s decision.

Arriving in St Martin, the village from which her grandparents left France for Cornwall, Morie met up with ancestors of villagers who knew Rozenn and Luc. There was some initial reluctance to tell Morie anything, and the puzzle seemed to be missing more pieces than ever until she met with Madame O’Donnell, whose father remembered Rozenn’s family. It was during a conversation with him that Morie discovered her grandmother was not an only child – that she had a brother and a twin sister. So why had she kept their existence a secret all these years?

Piecing the past together, Morie encountered yet more surprises. Including one that would change her own life forever, and which proved her grandmother had made the decision about the Cornish house for a very good reason.

The second half of the book became compelling reading. The author paced the chapters perfectly, swapping point of view at critical times that meant I just had to read on. By the end, I had an inkling as to what was to come for Morie, and it was just as delightful and emotional as I expected.

Neither Morie nor Rozenn are the most instantly likeable of women, but their personalities grew on me and I thoroughly enjoyed how the story came to its conclusion. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves dual timelines and who can hang in through the slow start. It’s worth it.

The story that unfolds in You Let Me Go is told in alternating chapters from the point of view of Rozenn and her granddaughter Morane, transporting the reader between Nazi occupied France in World War Two and present day Cornwall – the Helford River area to be precise. Having been fortunate enough to visit that part of Cornwall in the past, I could easily imagine the creeks described in the book.

For quite a while the reader knows more about Rozenn’s experiences than Morane does but it’s still interesting to witness Morane piecing together the fragments of information she discovers about her family’s history.

Beyond the obvious blood relationship between Rozenn and Morane, I admired the way the author introduced other more subtle connections between the two women such as their natural flair for design and appreciation for architecture. Most significantly, they share an abiding sense of guilt for their part in events that were, in some cases, not their fault. ‘Guilt could wind its fingers around you and refuse to let you go.’

The book also explores the often difficult relationships between siblings: the rivalry for parental affection; the burden of responsibility for care of younger members of the family; the similarities that can remind you only too painfully of your own shortcomings or flaws. At the same time, the story includes joyful family moments, often recorded in photographs or through treasured objects.

Being a historical fiction fan, I found myself particularly drawn to the parts of the book dealing with Rozenn’s wartime experiences and the realities of daily life under German occupation. However, I could also understand Morane’s curiosity about her grandmother’s past, if only as a distraction from the situation in which she currently finds herself – a failed relationship, financial worries and a struggling business. As Morane describes, ‘I felt an urge to delve into Rozenn’s past, find out who’d she’d been before she’d become an architect, a wife, a mother and grandmother’.

On her arrival in the Breton village to which her grandmother’s family fled from Paris during the war, Morane is perhaps fortunate to find people who were around at the time or can pass on the recollections of older family members. As the two storylines converge, the final pieces of the historical jigsaw fall into place revealing the complete picture, as well as some neat links between past and present. In fact, you could say Rozenn designed the perfect ending to ensure any rifts that might remain are healed.

You Let Me Go is an absorbing story of family secrets and how choices made in the past can reverberate down the years.

You Let Me Go is everything I love to read, historical fiction, dual storylines, settings in gorgeous places I would love to visit, suspense, mystery and family drama.
I loved that the mystery is set right from the very beginning. Why has Rozenn written her favourite granddaughter Morane out of her will? What is the secret Rozenn has kept hidden all her life?
The alternating chapter dual storyline between the then and now is easy to follow and flows well. I loved all of the characters and really connected to Morane and her storyline.
The build up of tension in what unfolded in the past is really well written and links brilliantly to what is happening in the present.
Whilst I felt it took a few chapters to really get going, once it did I was gripped and couldn’t put it down!
The ending really was perfect for the characters and I finished it with a smile.

This was a wonderful read about Rozenn and her family in WWII in France and about difficult decisions in very hard times and their ripercussions on her granddaughters in present times in England. There are secrets in Rozenn's past that she can't bring herself to speak about, not even to her closest granddaughter Morlane. When she dies Morlane is going to find out who her grandmother really was and what happened in Britanny all those years ago.
The narration is beautiful, with greatly described settings that bring you inside the story. Furthermore the taste of mistery throughout the book will keep you engaged from start to end. Also Clare's character will earn a special place in your heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley. Although it is a WWII novel it occurs in dual timelines spanning 75 years and decades of family history. I recommend this for anyone who enjoys the little known stories of WWII.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and had a nice pace to it. I would recommend this book for others to read.

This was a simply wonderful read! I may have a penchant for WWII based historical fiction, but even putting that aside, You Let Me Go was filled with great characters, locales and enough tension to light up the night.

These little known stories, such as this off the coast of France in Brittany, intrigue me. This was no exception. Rozeen’s family fleeing there from Paris to hide her brother from the German’s was a small story with far reaching impact felt by their family 75 years later. The taste of mystery had me guessing the identity of the traitor and I’m sure it will you too.

The beautifully drawn descriptions of landscape, architecture and design were so realistic I couldn’t help but see it in my mind’s eye. Just an added bonus to a compelling book.

Again, I may be partial to this setting, but still so enjoyable!

Thank you #NetGalley for the chance to offer my opinion.

You Let Me Go is a dual timeline book set in WWII France and modern day England. The opening almost had me quitting the book but I kept going and after a few chapters was interested in how it played out. It's tough to summarize this book about a beloved grandmother and her secrets. Eventually most of the secrets come to life and are resolved. I enjoyed the timeline set in rural France during the war a bit more than the modern story but this is a solid 4 star book. I'd recommend it to my book club.
Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my advanced reader copy of this book.

★★★ 3.5 stars

What drew me to this book initially was the premise and two things I further noted - Cornwall and dual timeline. I seemed to be drawn to stories set in Cornwall, particularly one that is dual timeline. And the mystery to one's past sounded like an exciting aspect I looked forward to peeling away.

But...I won't lie. YOU LET ME GO is a slow starter. So slow I wondered when it was ever going to get there. I wouldn't say the first half of the story is superfluous because it does give you the background of what's to come. I just wish it got there quicker. It's not until the second half of the book, after Morie makes the decision to travel to Brittany to uncover the truth of her grandmother's past that things really start to get interesting. Does it make trudging through the first half worth it? I think so...eventually.

Devastated by the loss of her beloved grandmother Morane is equally at a loss to learn that her sister Gwen is the sole beneficiary to inherit Rozenn's beautiful home, Vue Claire, in Cornwall. All that Morie had been bequeathed was an old silver compass with initials engraved on the back. Feeling somewhat guilty, Gwen assures Morie that she would have the deeds changed to reflect both sisters as co-owners. But Morie refuses. Rozenn had her reasons...if only Morie could understand why.

Having suffered her own tragedies in recent times with an accident (not fully revealed till about halfway through), the loss of her business and partner, Morie is now struggling to rebuild her own business as a property manager rebuilding and renovating properties for clients. Her business is based in London but her heart is in Cornwall, and so she finds herself making any excuse to travel back to Vue Claire and help Gwen redecorate the house. It's while she is there that she makes a puzzling discovery. A single page from a letter in a hand Morie didn't recognise. The contents are equally puzzling as they don't appear to make much sense despite her name being mentioned. Who wrote this letter to Rozenn and why did the writer mention making contact with her? She has received no communication from anyone to do with Rozenn. So what is this all about?

The letter takes her back to some old photos she'd come across in an old album along with some sketches of birds and mice. It seems her grandmother had a deft hand at drawing though she never seemed to pursue it, choosing instead to become an architect. Some of the photos seem to puzzle her also...particularly two of Rozenn as a little girl in the 20s, sitting on a beach. In one she appears serious and contemplative whilst in the other she is beaming at the camera. And although the photos appeared to be taken on the same day, she is wearing two different bathing costumes. Why? It made no sense to Morie at all. Then when she discovers a second page to the letter it is then that Morie makes the sudden decision to travel to Brittany and to the village St Martin, which is mentioned more than once. What does St Martin have to do with Rozenn? And more importantly, what does it have to with her?

It's 1941 and eighteen year old Rozenn has had to leave all that she knows and love in Paris as she and her family travel to St Martin to live for an indefinite period. France under German occupation is a dangerous place and the family need special permits to travel to the village port of St Martin, a restricted zone. But they are desperate. Germany is bringing in forced labour for men of working age, and that includes Rozenn's brother Yann who has only just recovered from his time in a German camp. As French residents, they are required to register with the German authorities as to where they are living and while they are registered in St Martin, Rozenn's brother Yann is not. And so they keep him hidden in the outbuildings of the house on the cliff in which they now live...a far cry from the pampered lifestyle of their apartment in Paris.

In the village, Rozenn keeps to herself while not drawing attention to herself or her family but a woman with her looks is not forgotten in a hurry. She meets some of the locals - Luc, Martine and a delightful Irish woman, Madame O'Donnell. But she still yearns for Paris. Life in the house on the cliffs is primitive at best. In Paris she had a bidet; here the privy is in an outbuilding. But like her family, Rozenn had to make the best of things. It wasn't forever...just until they could get Yann to safety. Her doctor father didn't appear to be making any headway with this so Rozenn made enquiries with local boy Luc about fishing boats aiding an escape. It was a dangerous move, as Luc reminded her, for if they were caught...but Rozenn's family were desperate. It wouldn't be long before the Germans discovered an unregistered man living in their outbuildings and then they would all be punished.

The boat was to take Yann to Britain, where he could maybe join the Free French and fight for their freedom, but on the night of the escape things go horribly wrong...changing the course of Rozenn's history of which she would never speak again.

So what became of Yann? And Rozenn's family? And their primitive house on the cliff? How had Rozenn come to be in England? And why would she never talk about it? And what is it about St Martin that holds the secrets to Rozenn's past?

After the initial first 50%, I couldn't put the book down. But that first half was dreadfully slow and seemed to be weighed down with a few unnecessary aspects and could have moved a little quicker had they been removed. For example, Theo. I don't understand the point of his presence at the beginning. It didn't go anywhere, it wasn't integral to the story and then he was barely mentioned throughout the rest of the book...so why was it even there? And the constant referral to Morane's "accident" throughout the first half without actually saying what it is until she gets to France...what's the big secret? Again, not integral to the story. It was just an incident which occurred that didn't seem to be wholly important, except to keep Morie from actually moving forward. Once it was revealed, I was like...so, that's it?

That being said, YOU LET ME GO is a compelling tale taking us back to the past as well as keeping us in the present. It alternates between 1941 and the present day in each chapter from Rozenn's and Morane's perspectives. There is one chapter from Rozenn's sister Claire's perspective towards the end but apart from that, it is Rozenn and Morane's story. At first I was confused as to where I was as there was no "header" as such to each chapter letting the reader know in which era the chapter is set, but after a while you become familiar with how the story is told and it no longer becomes an issue...but at first it was.

Although I didn't much care for Rozenn, her story was intriguing but she wasn't very nice to her sister and she was a bit of a snob. The villagers could see it and the reader can see it. The turning point for her was probably the escape which was more than likely a penultimate time in her life. I think part of Rozenn remained as such because even after her death she seemed to be unreachable. No one, not even her son or granddaughters, knew anything of her past apart from the fact she came from Paris. Was she ashamed of the part she played in whatever became of her family? Did she feel guilty that they may have all been captured and thus suffered at the hands of the Germans while she got away? Guilty that it was meant to be Yann's escape, not hers? I don't know. Rozenn was a closed book both during her life and after her death.

I wasn't particularly enamoured with Morane either, but I applaud her doggedness at seeing her journey through. She got her answers in the end as did the reader. She just she seemed to be submerged in her misfortune a little too much whilst refusing help from those around her. And then when she found something to sink her teeth into she kept second guessing herself. I don't know - maybe it was that, maybe it wasn't. It's just something about her didn't endear me to her.

I did, however, thoroughly enjoy the second half of YOU LET ME GO which was intense and had me engaged from 50% onwards. I found myself trying to work out what went wrong, what happened and what it all meant. There were twists and even I didn't guess how it would end.

If you love your books quick and fast-paced, then this one isn't for you. The beginning is very slow and did not really start until about 50% but if you are patient, I promise it will be worth it in the end.

I would like to thank #ElizaGraham, #RachelsRandomResources, #Netgalley and #AmazonPublishing for an ARC of #YouLetMeGo in exchange for an honest review.

The cover of You Let Me Go by Eliza Graham caught my eye and drew me into the story. The story is told with alternating timelines. But don't let that distract you. The story started a bit slow. But keep going as you won't be disappointed. A very solid read with intense moments and good character development. The story held my interest throughout, after a bit of a slow start.

#YouLetMeGo #NetGalley

Family First

A story of two sisters in modern day and a story of two sisters during WWII. A family secret, and a daring escape.

Morane and her sister Gwen often visit their grandmother at her seaside home Vue Claire. When their grandmother passes away she leaves Vue Claire to Gwen and a shiny silver compass to Morane. What Morane can't understand is why the house was left only to her sister and not to both granddaughters. This leads Morane to try and find out what happened to her grandparents during the war.

During the war two twin sisters Claire and Rozenn lived in Paris. Their father was a doctor. When the German Occupation happened they moved to the country by the sea to hide her brother Yann from the Germans so they would not send him to a Labour camp. When Rozenn set up a rescue boat for Yann to leave for England the rescue went horribly wrong.

These two stories are told as the young woman Morane researching the past after the death of her grandmother. The story is sad and it is happy, The ending is a surprise, but it is a good ending.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Eliza Graham, Amazon Publishing U.K., Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy of the book for an honest review.

Ah yes, another WW2 novel with alternating viewpoints and a modern day narrator uncovering secrets of the past, while the past plays out in alternate chapters.

In modern day Cornwall, Morane is doubly devastated by her grandmother's death and the fact that her grandmother mysteriously left her home on the shore to her sister and her sister alone. Compelled to uncover the reason behind the oversight, Morane goes on a journey to Brittany where she uncovers the truth of her grandmother's mysterious past during the war, one she refused to talk about while she was alive. What she discovers is the story of a family doing their best to survive the horrors of the war, while doing what they thought was best for themselves.

Though I feel like I've read this type of story many times before, You Let Me Go was compelling and I enjoyed the development of the main characters across generations as they come to terms with the truths of their lives and how to best share those truths with their families.

The book was OK, not my favorite. I would give it 2.5 stars. The beginning was very slow and I found it hard to get into the story. I didn't care for the characters- Rozenn and Morane. Rozenn wasn't very nice to her sister. I didn't understand the scene with Theo. It didn't fit in and seemed unnecessary, plus he's barely mentioned throughout the rest of the book. If Yann was really trying to hide from the Germans, he did a horrible job of it. His family risked everything for him and he does the opposite of keeping himself hidden. I'm certain everyone in the small community knew he was there. Morane refused any help from her family, even though she obviously needed it. She reminded me so much of Rozenn. The story didn't become interesting until Morane visits France and all is finally revealed about the family.

Recommend giving the book a try, it just wasn't for me. I loved "The Lines We Leave Behind" and look forward to reading more books by the author. I love the cover of the book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had everything I love to read about, the Second World War, a dual time-line and a story that I could really get my teeth into. This was a first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this one! I couldn't read it fast enough. I don't typically read this genre, but this one was intriguing. I couldn't wait to finish and see how the plot tied together. The transitions between the main two point of views was perfect and seamless. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Long Buried Family Secrets Find Closure. Here, we get an interesting spin on this oft-travelled subject and technique. So many books of this genre want to take place primarily in the past with only the occasional jump to the future (ala Titanic), but here Graham sticks remarkably close to alternating every single chapter past and present. The past storyline is, perhaps, a touch more urgent, as it involves hiding a brother and trying to smuggle him out of France in 1941. But the present storyline has more of the "women's fiction" elements of a woman trying to find herself after the tragic loss of her grandmother soon after the loss of her significant other and business partner... and stumbling across things about her grandmother that had never been known in the family, which leads to her quest and ultimately the resolution of both timelines. Both timelines worked quite well, and it is indeed rare to see a single book blend elements of the two distinct genres together so effectively - which speaks to just how good Graham is. Very much recommended.