Unfortunately I have not been able to connect with this book and after multiple attempts have had to mark as dnf.

This story is based on true events and told over a dual timeline. This book is very well researched and the details are given to us so well. The book was slow paced for the first half. I wasn’t keen on the timeline jumping around so much

The Lost Song Of Paris is told through a dual timeline narrative, sharing the stories of Sophie (aka Agent ‘Colette’) in the 1940s and Amy in 1997. Amy is an archivist who was recently widowed and is researching Agent Colette, leading to her meeting the agent’s MI6 'godmother' Verity Cooper. Much of Agent Colette’s story is told retrospectively as an elderly Verity tells Amy the story she has kept secret for sixty years.
The idea of a character being shunned by her friends and neighbours for being a ‘Nazi collaborator’ when truly she was an undercover operative for the Allies was a fascinating premise which was really well executed. The story perfectly captured how crucial the work of SOE agents was to the war effort and ultimate Allied success.
The Lost Song Of Paris was impeccably researched and historical details were seamlessly woven into the narrative. Although the story is largely fiction, certain plot points such as the SOE agent discovery of the existence of V1 and V2 rockets truly happened and it was nice to give a little nod to the real SOE agents who were involved in this.
The narrative was relatively slow paced for the first half of the novel as they took the time to world build and establish the characters but this pace was dramatically increased during the second half and it had me on the edge of my seat. Whilst being mindful of avoiding spoilers, I thought the ending was really cleverly crafted to include the elements of a happily ever after many readers crave whilst also capturing the horrific impact of war and Nazi persecution.
One of the things I struggled with in The Lost Song Of Paris was the way the narrative continuously jumped forward suddenly, missing out months or even years at a time. Whilst I can in part understand a need in WW2 Historical Fiction to feature occasional jumps forward in time in order to cover the full six year war where appropriate, in this case it felt like the jumps forward cut out really important parts of the wartime experiences of the character, therefore affecting the flow of the novel overall. It felt overall that the book needed to be a couple of hundred pages longer to fully tell the story and do it justice.
I do feel like the murder of one of Sophie’s close Jewish friends deserved a lot more attention than it was given. Her death was mentioned in a single sentence in Chapter 20 and then the narrative was moved on and I think this was a mistake as ultimately, it’s a significant contributing factor to Sophie’s motivation for continuing to fight against the Nazi regime.
Overall, The Lost Song Of Paris is a powerful and moving story which perfectly captures the bravery of the SOE agents during the Second World War. Sarah Steele has an enchanting way of storytelling which had me hooked and she’s created a story which is a must-read for fans of historical fiction.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

This book sounded quite interesting, but I ran out of time to review it. As i read through this later though, I found it had some rather bothersome content and I will not be reading this one again. It had potential, but could have been better. I received a complimentary e-book from the publisher through Netgalley, and was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts above are my own.

Another excellent historical fiction ( though based on factual events) from Sarah Steele, it was also dual timeline one of my favourites to read. Dashing airmen, super spy’s and dose of Paris, music and stiff upper lip of the official secrets act.
Highly recommend and thank you for letting me read this book.

This is a well written and well researched piece of WWII fiction, based on real people and descriptions of their experiences in both London and Paris. A dual timeline is used to tell the story of Amy, in 1997, uncovering the truth of a story of a woman thought to be a Nazi collaborator. As she is an archivist, and a pianist, she is struck by the story of Sophie Clement, a talented pianist in Paris in the 1940’s. There is so much depth to both stories, particularly as we read about the women in the Special Operations Services working with Sophie. I highly recommend this book, and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fascinating story which was really interesting to read it also is very well written and the research that went into it was really good and factual.

Amy is an archivist and interesting documents come to her. She started looking into the life of Sophie Clement who was a spy during the War.

I found the story heartbreaking and amazing that so many of the agents that were brave and resilient and how some survived and some didn’t.

I would say this one of the best books I have read this year.

Please read this book and my congratulations to the author for such an interesting and intriguing book.

An incredibly moving story set during the second world war. I was totally enthralled in this story and couldn't put it down.

An enchanting story about WW11 women at ‘work’.
Descriptive events which really involve the reader in the facts that took place years ago. Research to complete the book of the life of a spy and how much was given up to protect others lives. Touching story and well with reading.

I received an ARC of, The Lost Song of Paris, by Sarah Steele.Wow, what a story. War, secrets, love, intrigue, music, and lives lost. Verity is a very strong woman.

This is a great novel about the war, focusing on SIS (forerunner of MI6) rather than SOE. Amy is an archivist working on papers recently released from Government restrictions and becomes fascinated by Sophie Clement; she is only mentioned briefly and seems to be a bit of an enigma. As Amy delves into the past to uncover the truth about Sophie she meets many fascinating people and also starts to sort out her own life.

A great read and highly recommended.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

This is an excellent semi-fictional story of the work of the Special Operations Executive and Special Intelligence Service during the latter half of WW2. The author has taken considerable trouble in her research, pulling together the various components and characters in her story. The story is told in two parts, that of the present day with Amy doing all the groundwork and pursuing the truth, with the earlier stories of struggles, daring and courage of the undercover operatives during the 1940s. It’s both a moving and sad novel, beautifully written and easily relatable to what has already been written but with a wonderful musical tilt to the story. Once started, it’s impossible to put this book down until all the gaps and questions are answered.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers Headline for this advance copy.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

This is a dual-timeline story, about true
events, it’s about two women, from different era’s, bringing out the truths about what actually happened.

As well as losing her husband, Amy also doesn’t want to play the piano and can’t see how the future will now be with for her and daughter Holly.

She works as a archivist. One day she’s given a file which, they were given after it was
released under the Official Secrets Act from WWIl.

It’s about a lady called ‘Colette' working as a French spy during the time the Nazi were in Paris. Amy discovers Collette is Sophie Clement, who was a well known French pianist, and people thought she was a Nazi associate.
In fact, Amy realises that there’s more to her story which she wants to find out.

The story kept me turning the pages wanting to know what happens next. It’s about love, and the courage shown for those that were included in the espionage.

I highly recommend this book.

Amy has lost her husband, lost her will to play her piano and has lost her way to seeing what her future life holds but she has her daughter Holly and a great job as an archivist.
She is handed a file recently released under the Official Secrets Act from WWII about ‘Colette’ who was a French spy during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Amy finds out Collette is actually Sophie Clement a well renowned French pianist and thought to be Nazi collaborator but there is so much more to Sophie’s story and Amy is going to uncover it.
A truly riveting story about war time Paris and London. A heart wrenching story of love and the bravery and danger of those involved in espionage.
Love a dual time line story, especially one inspired by true events. This book links two women from different periods of time together so that answers to long lost questions are discovered. It is a period of history that we should never forget.
A must historical fiction read.

This story is set in two periods - WW2 and the turn of the twentieth century, when certain papers subject to the official secrets act are made available to the public. The main protagonist in the modern day is a historian who discovers a bundle of papers about the mysterious french spy 'Colette' who operated in Paris during the war. Keen to learn more of Colette's history she locates Colette's 'godmother' or 'handler' in the UK, alongside other who worked with her, discovering in the process that she and Colette both have a background as pianists. There are back stories about both Colette and Amy which help to make them feel more three-dimensional. I loved this book - I felt it was a perfect bank holiday/summer read. I am hugely grateful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read it in return for my review.

Inspired by incredible true events, The Lost Song of Paris is a heart-wrenching story of lost love, danger and espionage and one remarkable woman's bravery... A MUST READ!!!! LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!!!! THIS BOOK MUST BE READ!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed this book, it was well written with a gripping storyline and well developed characters. I loved books that are based on real people or true events and I loved the dual timeline in the book as it worked really well.I loved it.