"Every time I read about a moment in history, I ask myself 'What would have been like, to be a woman there?"

What an amazing story about survival and perseverance. We always think we know how we'd handle a life or death situation; that we'd hide refugees, that we'd bravely run into gun fire and not away from, that we'd throw ourselves over someone as a shield so they could live. This book reminds you there are many ways to handle these stressful situations - and not everyone makes it out.

I loved our main characters. It's told from a few perspectives and all of them are women. We have French sisters who are staying low in their home while their town is invaded. And we have a nurse who is left behind to care for the injured British soldiers that can't walk out and evacuate like the others.

These 2 groups will collide and create a moment where they all fight to survive. It was such an inspiring story, one that feels even more real and horrific in the times we live in now. I did this as an audio and I highly recommend it! The narrator was absolutely wonderful and added a nice layer to the story.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Over the years my reading habits have changed and I no longer reach for historical fiction as much since my brain can't seem to follow along with all of the variety of characters. I do no feel like I can give a fair review for this book because of this so I am just going to move it onto my "in the future when life slows down" tbr.

• The setting of the book takes place in Occupied France, 1940, during the evacuation from Dunkirk.

• Nurse Cate is left behind during the evacuation and flees with an injured soldier. Meanwhile, two soldiers survive a massacre and find refuge with sisters Elise and Adelaide.

• The author provides a glimpse into the lives of those affected by the war and the difficult choices they faced. The realistic and vivid writing added to the emotional depth.

• Characters are well-developed, with their relationships and dilemmas driving the narrative.

• Although a difficult and sad subject, it was a complelling narrative that transported me to a pivotal time in history, highlighting the human spirit in the face of adversity. I truly found it hard to put down.

The Secrets We Left Behind
by Soraya M. Lane
Pub Date 20 May 2021
Amazon Publishing UK,Lake Union Publishing
General Fiction \(Adult\)| Historical Fiction| Women's Fiction


Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing sent me a copy of The Secrets We Left Behind:


Are they willing to go the distance for family, friends, and love?


Germany occupied France in 1940. Nurse Cate is left behind when the field hospital's staff draws straws to decide who will evacuate from Dunkirk. Taking one patient with her, she flees into the night when the Nazis arrive to claim prisoners of war.


The advancing Germans shoot dead the surrendering Royal Norfolk Regiment soldiers 50 miles away. Under the pile of bodies, two men crawl to the safety of a nearby farmhouse, where sisters Elise and Adelaide risk their lives to take them in. Cate, too, shows up with her injured soldier, and the pressure increases.


To keep their visitors safe, the sisters are risking everything. But the Nazis are coming closer and their relationships are getting more intense, so they've got to question how much sacrifice they're willing to make. What will they do for family, friends, and love?


I give The Secrets We Left Behind five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

Enjoyed this story very much….will definitely recommend. I look forward to reading more of this author’s stories!! This is a favorite by this author. Soraya M. Lane has become a go to author for me.

I am a hug fan of Soraya Lane. However, the more books I read of hers, the more they seem the same. It’s always the same formula, three women with different story lines that eventually intersect. I’m always a sucker for WW2 historical fiction, so I’ll keep reading. This was a good story. I did enjoy it, I’m just seeing that her books seem to follow the same outline each time. It’s not enough to make me stop reading. I’ll always pick up her next book.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I really enjoyed this one the plot kept me interested until the end which is not easy, and the characters were engaging and believable. I highly recommend this book.

Soraya's books are always absorbing and this one was no exception. Always the right blend of history and romance and the sort of stories and dilemmas that you can relate to and think about after the last page has been turned. Well done!

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read … especially when it is focused on WWII. This book provided a different aspect of that time period that I have not read about in the past. I continue to be amazed at what individuals were willing to do to thwart Hitler’s evil plot. The characters were well developed and the sheer courage demonstrated will bring you to tears. This is a definite read for people who enjoy this type of book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A dramatic women's fiction novel. Highly recommend

I've read several books from this author and could not wait for this release. So much so that when an opportunity arose to get an ARC, I jumped on it. I love historical romance and never tire of the WWII stories and this author never disappoints. If you haven't read her other work, I would highly recommend: "The Last Correspondent" and "Hearts of Resistance". Two stories that I'll carry in my memory for a long time to come just as this story will.

From the very beginning, each page-turn takes you back to 1940 when the Germans were occupying France. The British got involved and were driven back by the Germans leaving nurses and doctors drawing straws to see who would stay behind to care for the non-walking patients while everyone else evacuated. That in itself, I found heart-wrenching but the story was only getting started.

I never give spoilers so I won't go into any details, just know that each character will win a place in your heart and maybe one....not so much. Anytime I was reading about Wolfgang, I pictured the blonde in "Sound of Music" that met the 16 year old in the gazebo. This author gives you an up-close and personal view of what a war-torn French town was like during its occupation. I can't count how many times my heart was thumping against my chest. The horror of having so little food, so little hope, and trying to survive one day at a time.

I think my daughter described it best when she was lucky enough to read this book first. Just as she finished it, she came out in the living room and flopped down on the loveseat. Her eyes were glassed over from hours of reading and she says, "You know it's a really good book when you look up and have to blink yourself back to reality." I think that describes it better than I could. Buy the book, you won't be disappointed.

It was a little hard to get into this novel, it may be that I just wasn't in the right mindset to read this or that I have read too much with a similar plot.

As I type my review, I know that this will be a book that I will not soon forget. After taking a long break from historical fiction, I randomly chose this from my NetGalley shelf on a whim to read. I have to say that this will be one of my favorite books, if not my favorite, that I have read this year. This was my second novel by Soraya Lane. She has such a endearing and beautiful prose to her writing that I immediately became attached to all the characters in this story. There are two groups of characters that we are introduced to, and soon their stories and lives merge in a way that I could have not imagined. We follow friends and new nurses, Cate and Lilly, as well as Jack, who have been staying at a make shift hospital near Dunkirk. We also follow sisters, Adelaide and Elise, who live in a home in Le Paradis, France. One evening Adelaide and Elise are witness to a cruel war crime in the barn across from their home, not knowing that two British soldiers/survivors will knock on their door, and change their lives as well as Cate and Lilly's lives forever. I enjoyed the action in this story as well as the romance. I really didn't want this to end, and when it did, it did so very beautifully. Five solid stars!

I loved the characters and the plot in this one!! It is so hard to maintain a semblance of happiness during hard times, but this one nails it!!

A different perspective of WWII. The characters were well developed and there was a bittersweet ending. The plot took place during the events of Dunkirk and the atrocities experienced by the British troops and the French inhabitants.

The story became intimate with the introduction of Wolfgang Schmidt. With a mixture of betrayal, love, innocence and hatred, this book is worth reading.

Thank you #NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this.

Author Soraya M Lane always nails historical fiction!
France, 1940 and enemy planes are flying over. The French army is trying to get to Dunkirk.
Ladies like Nurse Cate Alexander are trying to help the wounded. The British medical staff are making decisions on whom should stay at a makeshift field hospital (located in a French chateau) and whom can evacuate. As the Germans arrive at the hospital Nurse Cate escapes with a Jack, a patient.
Several soldiers of the Royal Norfolk Regiment are stranded in a barn. As the German's close in they fell they must surrender, however many are murdered, and a few survive after the mass murder. A couple patients are saved by sisters Elsie and Adelaide DuPont at a nearby farmhouse. Jack and Cate also end up at the farmhouse.
Things become increasingly dangerous as a Commander makes advances towards Adelaide.
The choices made and bravery that these women made and their sacrifices are explored. Loved this book!

This book was a masterpiece. A beautiful reminder that even in the midst of war, there is happiness. Characters, plot, setting--everything was so evocative and compelling. I was drawn in from the first page to the very end.

Another lovely book about strong wartime women from this author. A great story of the lengths people would go to to do the right thing while putting their own lives in danger. A real page turner with plenty of secrets and romance

I enjoyed The Secrets We Left Behind by Soraya M. Lane. I would love to read more by this author in the future. Four and a half stars.

A heart-breakingly beautiful tale of bravery and friendship. Of facing the trauma of war and choosing to do the right thing, even when it could cost you everything. The cast of strong women quickly makes their way into your heart, and as their story unfolds, it will have you holding your breath. Soraya M. Lane has crafted a luminous work that will stay in readers’ minds and hearts long after the last page.