So I’ll just be over here nursing the biggest book hangover EVER because I don’t know when I’ll be able to extract myself from Paris and Bern, from the bar at the Ritz, from French 75s and chocolate tarts, from Dior’s maison and Alex’s pension. This is by far Lester’s best book yet and it will be both what her loyal readers expect but somehow better, deeper and more than what she’s delivered before.

This story is at the same time cunning and elegant but also full of tension and heat that would set the city of light alight.

I think the cast of characters was perfectly executed and the various timelines are used and worked in such perfect interchangeability to keep us readers on the edges of our seats. Even at the 85% mark I truly was not sure how it was going to end (to me this is a good thing) and I found myself still guessing as the final pages flicked by.

This book is the reason that I will keep reading Second World War era books about what or who we might call badass women who weren’t trying to be extraordinary but whom somehow found themselves at the forefront of the action, with the war at their fingertips.

Elegant, exquisite and transporting.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I really enjoy historical fiction but I’ve grown tired of WWII stories over the years. This book is definitely an exception.
Alix St. Pierre was an orphan and is now determined to live a life of her own choosing, rather than what society deems appropriate.
Alix is definitely one of my favorite fictional characters!
During the war she works as a spy, proving to be an invaluable resource until she’s given false information from a trusted informant and 9 men lose their lives. After the war, Alix is struggling with the guilt and the loss of her fiancé. She moves to Paris to be the PR officer for Christian Dior, which was so fun to read about!
This story flips back and forth between timelines, pre-war, during war, and post-war. I loved how the story unfolds slowly as the characters are deeply developed.
This was one of my favorite books of 2022!

A historical fiction account that takes place in the lead up to WWII, during the war, and the fall out after the war. Our protagonist must rely on the wiles she achieved being a spy during the war to bring the past to justice. In the interim, she becomes employed by an up and coming fashion designer named Christian Dior. The is a story of heartache, intrigue, drama, and espionage all wrapped up together in a compelling story. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

Incredible! I got completely lost in this historical fiction gem. There was romance, heartbreak, intrigue and suspense.

Alix is such a badass character, I loved a glimpse into her lives. Through alternating timelines, the reader is immersed into her life as a genius PR Director for Dior and as a spy during WWII.

I find myself hesitating to reach for World War II novels as sometimes they can be heavy. And while this has its moments that gut you, overall, I found this empowering. There is a strong point-of-view of the role of women post-war that is woven not only in Alix's storyline but evident in the great supporting cast as well.

Natasha Lester's writing is captivating. The way she describes Paris and the breathtaking fashion, while also developing unforgettable characters and quote-worthy dialogue makes this book a dream to read.

Thank you to Forever and Grand Central Publishing for an advanced copy of this and the opportunity to share my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I LOVED this book! I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and this is perfect for readers who enjoy Fiona Davis and Kate Quinn. I learned a lot about intelligence and the war in Italy specifically, lots about Christian Dior and the beginnings of the brand, and society in Paris immediately post-war. This was a romance, there were mystery and suspense elements, it was about friendships, it was just so phenomenally researched and well-written. I would recommend it to almost anyone, I think it has so much to offer. A great way to end 2022!

My thanks to NetGalley and Forever for an advance reader’s copy.

As someone who works in PR, reading this book was super fun. Alix's post-war job of working PR for Christian Dior was really interesting for me to read about, especially with Dior as a character. I also thought that the inclusion of the three different timelines was interesting and kept the story flowing, although it did get slightly confusing for me at times.
It took me a little while to get into this book, since ocassionally I felt like characters were just being thrown at me, especially those from before and during the war, but once I got them all situated in my head, I really enjoyed reading about them, especially Alix and her three lives!

Thank you so much for an advanced copy of The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre!

Star Rating: 3⭐️
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: January 10, 2023

I was very excited about TTLOASP. First off, I LOVED the inclusion of Christian Dior. I thought the fashion house, Alix's role, and all the glamour of Paris was so well-done. It was my favorite part of the book, honestly! I also really liked Alix. I felt like she was a relatable main character who definitely brought the main character energy to the page! Her life was really interesting, and I thought she was so elegant.

Where this book fell short for me (and ultimately earned a three star rating instead of a four star rating) is that the story just felt jumbled to me. The plot was interesting, but the story didn't have any flow. It felt choppy and like it jumped around too much for me. I don't know if that is a writing issue or an editing issue, but it didn't work for me.

I still enjoyed this one, and I will want a copy for my shelves, though!

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester
Historical Fiction
Publication Date: January 10, 2023

The novel begins with Alix as a new publicist for the relatively unknown Christian Dior fashion house. Alix has a skill set acquired during her mysterious past during 1943-1945 in which she worked in Switzerland as a OSS operative. With the war now over, Alix is trying to keep the past in the past but her past refuses to remain hidden.

The novel is divided into sections of Alix’s life both during and after the war, with the bulk of the novel taking place after WWII. I’m not the biggest fan of alternating timelines, especially because I think it is relied on too heavily in historical fiction however, I think grouping by chapters in this particular case worked. The book left an excellent trail of breadcrumbs for the reader to follow throughout the past and present. That being said, I was more interested in Alix’s life in Paris post WWII because it touches on post-war effects on society and individuals.

The male lead is swoon worthy and delivers some incredible dialogue. There’s an exploration of family, friendship and women’s rights simmering underneath the surface of a well-researched mystery. There are a lot of chapters initially establishing the character so despite the mystery unraveling slowly I stayed intrigued from beginning to end. The dash of romance probably helped. The male lead was downright swoon worthy and I will forgive the author for writing the typical scene where a female character descends in a gorgeous dress because it was flawlessly executed.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is definitely one of my favourite historical fiction reads of 2022 and I am delighted to find out this author has numerous titles in her back catalogue for which I will be snagging from the library immediately!

Thank you to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing an advanced reader’s copy through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

“‘I can’t compliment you on how you look because there isn’t a word I can think of that’s enough.” … He didn’t think he would ever forget, for the rest of his life, the sight of Alix St. Pierre in the doorway of the maison. And it wasn’t just the dress; it was that smile. It was like snowflakes catching the moonlight against a black sky, diamonds suspended for an instant before they vanished. He’d felt his eyes smart, and then he couldn’t look at her at all.”

I just want to apologize for the word vomit that is about to ensue. For me, The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is one of those reads that doesn’t even register on my star rating system because five stars is indisputably inadequate. This books gets all the stars in the universe. Even as I sit and write this review, I’m dreading starting another book. I feel sorry for that book because I know it’s going to fall woefully short of giving me the feelings this book has. So bravo, Natasha Lester. You broke me. I’m so broken that I don’t even know how to review this masterpiece.

Friends, this is historical fiction/romance at its absolute finest. This story is told in dual timelines and the way this was done masterfully reveals the bits and pieces to the mystery of who is after Alix St. Pierre. The way each part of the timelines ended had me on the edge of my seat and aching to go back to that time. This was deliciously maddening because as soon as I got comfortable in one timeline I was pulled into another.

Alix St. Pierre’s story was both beautiful and heartbreaking. Reliving pieces of World War II through Alix’s eyes felt very real and it was extremely eye opening as to the many horrific atrocities that happened during this time. If this book doesn’t make you cry at some point, are you even human?! Lester’s writing is so lush and descriptive. From the streets of Switzerland and the Italian war front, to the Ritz of post-war Paris and the luxuriant rooms of Maison Christian Dior — the descriptions were so stunning and vivid. I truly felt like I was there! And the dresses, oh the dresses of Christian Dior. I want them all. If you read this, please know that all of the dresses noted in this book are real. It was so much fun googling them and being able to picture them in the story — especially a certain dress that is integral to the romance.

And so the romance! I wasn’t expecting it. I was not prepared for the way it utterly destroyed me. I’m not mentioning any names because the way to experience the deliciousness of it is to unravel it for yourself. It’s so multilayered and will break your heart while putting you back together.

There is also an entire cast of amazing supporting characters that could make this review go on for another ten pages. I absolutely loved diving into all the lives of Alix St. Pierre and getting to know all of the people that shaped her along the way. She’s such a fierce and courageous character thrown into extraordinary situations and the way she handles them with poise and grace is addicting. She has her flaws, but they make you love her and you understand why she is the way she is; I was rooting for her from page one. If you love history, fashion, mystery, unexpected twists and turns, and romance that makes you ache, I truly can’t recommend this story enough. The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a timeless story that I will come back to over and over again.

Thank you to Forever for an advanced copy. My thoughts are my own.

In 1943, Alix St. Pierre is recruited by the U.S. government as a spy and is sent to Paris. There, she is assigned to a potential Nazi turncoat who is meant to help the Allied Forces. But there are always risks.

In 1946, Alix is in Paris as the head of publicity for the newly established House of Dior. However, Alix’s past is haunting her. Can she put it to rest and bring justice? Or will she drown in sorrow?

I have not read any of Natasha Lester’s novels prior to this one. Normally, I am weary about reading WW2 novels. It seems odd to me that the individuals who were there are also the people who don’t talk about it, and yet we as a civilization write stories about it. I think it’s important, but also it can be invasive and emotional. A fact that the author conveys throughout the whole novel brilliantly. The emotional and psychological impact that such horrors had on everyone and on the countries themselves was conveyed with the utmost detail.

I enjoyed Alix. I saw a lot of my grandfather in Alix and in Anthony. The emotional side, I should say. There were many things that my grandfather, and Alix, couldn’t talk about. However, I also found them all to be incredibly strong, realistic characters. I liked that the “past” was chasing Alix. Many believe that everything ended with the war, but that isn’t true. Scars can last a long time.

Even though this is historical fiction, I put Natasha Lester up there with David Grann and Erik Larson. It is easy to judge the individuals from a hindsight point of view. But we must remember that no one really knows how they will act or react. I felt Natasha embodied that with Alix, especially with her ending.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre is a rich, deeply detailed story of an orphan who made good as a a publicist and a spy who is determined to seek revenge for the death of her fiancé. The story is told in three time periods (before WWII, during the war, and after the war). Alix lost her parents as a young girl and is taken into her friend Lillie van der Meer’s family. They go to a finishing school in Switzerland, The second time period, 1943-1945, finds Alix in training and assigned to go to Switzerland to gather information as she is multi-lingual. She cannot tell Bobby, her fiancé, or Lillie what she is doing. Alix reports to Allen Dulles who is in charge of the OSS in Switzerland. The third time period finds Alix leaving New York to go to Paris where she obtains a job for Christian Dior as his publicist.

The story is complex and themes of revenge, friendship, trust, and a possible romance. There are many characters, and I found it very helpful to make a character chart. I learned, while reading Lester’s Riviera House (a favorite of mine) that Lester is a master storyteller and she does lots of research to bring the reader a rich story that entertains and gives readers the feeling that they are in the story. I really appreciated Lester’s author notes! I would have liked a short epilogue (maybe 20-25 years later 1967ish) to see what happened to the characters. My thanks to Forever and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

As the book opens, the reader is introduced to Alix St. Pierre, a newly hired public Relations Master for the new couture fashion house Christian Dior in post-war 1947 France. The story unfolds in different layers with the reader learning about Alix St. Pierre's two prior lives: 1) her early years built on familial tragedy and 2) her time as a government operative during the war in which she loses her fiancée, Bobby. Even as Alix forges ahead with her new life and tries to find out who she is now, she must come to terms with her past actions. Those actions while well-intended gave rise to horrible consequences including the death of her fiancée. She must also hope her past, including a dangerous Nazi, does not find her first.

In addition, to Alix St. Pierre, this book has a wonderful chorus of supporting characters including childhood best friend, Lillie; a possible love interest; a sex worker/spy; the colorful Dior who insists on working at the top of the stairs as well as all those who work for the fashion house.

There was much to love about this book from the amazing descriptions of both the French fashion world and Nazis during WWII. Alix St. Pierre is fearless and pragmatic and is definitely a character you will want to cheer on despite her flaws.

I received this book in an exchange for a honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing!

Have you ever gone through an event that changed your life forever? For Alix St. Pierre it was WWII and her time working of a covert team trying to aid in Northern Italy.

What I liked:
- The house of Dior was a large part of the present day part of the story
- The strong female characters
- There was romance
What I didn’t:
- There were three timelines in the book; prior to WWII, during the war, and after. It honestly got confusing.
- I couldn’t connect to Alix. There was just something about her I couldn’t connect to.

Over all the book was a 3 for me. I loved the fashion and how the women’s roles during WWII and how they changed forever was central in the story but Alix was just not like-able

Chiffon, taffeta, silk, wool, swirl down the stairwell of the House of Dior. As Natasha Lester weaves a tale of love, war, trust, and so much more. Her vibrant words and details sweep you up and transports you back in time, a time when you must keep your mind razor sharp or have everything be whisked away from you. Lester breaks the book up into sections before, during, and after World War II. Focusing on the main character Alix St. Piere. Alix St. Piere is everything you want in a main character. Strong, bold, elegant, courageous, brave, and a sense a humor to get her through all that life throws at her. There is more to Alix then what meets the eye. There is a woman inside that finds it hard to trust and believe in others, after what she saw and witnessed when she worked as an OSS agent in Switzerland. Will she be able to believe in others again and wish upon a star that tomorrow will be better.

Alix St. Piere has had a life. Her parents were ripped from her at an early age during a tragic accident. Her best friend's parents took her into their home and lives. Leaving her to want for nothing but not able to pay them back. She is determined to make something of herself and to blaze her own trail. She is hired by the OSS during the war and is whisked away to Switzerland, where she is to spy and collect information from the Germans. Through her friendships and contacts, she develops so much more and is destroyed by the end of the mission. She moves to Paris at the end of the war to work for the House of Dior as head of PR. She still is looking over her shoulder knowing someone is following her. Will she be able to uncover who before they destroy the life she has created?

I loved this book and every other Natasha Lester book I have ever read. Lester takes you in and creates the perfect setting, characters, and plot to entice you. With the perfect touch of elegance and glam to light the way. I cannot recommend this book enough. Thank you to Natasha Lester and Forever Books for gifting me this sensational read.

I have read all of Natasha Lester's books, they have a strong female lead, doing something very progressive for their time, gut wrenching war story, mixed with a love story.

While some of her other books flick back and forth between now and war times with dual love stories running, this one focuses on the time of the war and the years following.

Alix, is strong, intelligent, and in stepping up to do her part in the war, is not willing to give all of that up to return to finding someone to marry, in her class system and give up on all that she is passionate about.

There is a mystery that runs through as they try to work out who an informant really is, and to make him pay for his war crimes.

The horror of war is always an emotional read, this is mixed with some very happy moments and a slow simmering love story.

I usually have my friend in Australia send me the new books as it is released in the US 6mths later, this year, I was able to read the ARC, so thank you NetGalley.

Alex St Pierre is an amazing character that I loved getting to know. From a career with Christian Dior to espionage to looking for Nazi sympathizers hers is a life filled with excitement and intrigue.

This is my first read by this author and definitely won’t be my last. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book to read and review!

The three lives of Alix St. Pierre continually took my breath away page after page. I couldn’t put it down, but there were moments I actually had to put it down to physically catch my breath because it quite literally left me breathless at times. From the Parisian glamour and romance, Dior couture shows and the Ritz in 1947 to the horrors and devastation of WWII and the ugliness of humanity at its worst, The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre takes you on the enthralling epic and emotional journey of an incredible trailblazer of a woman.

I read this on a plane after being delayed 5 hours and flying all night and when I should have been sleeping, instead I read all night and downed gin cocktails and I have to say, if you have to be stuck in an airport or tarmac with long winter travel drama, you want this book as your companion. It transported me into a whole other world. I absolutely adored this story. I had gotten through maybe chapter 3 when I had already recommended this book to 4 friends by text and 3 Alaska airlines flight attendants who were nice enough to give me extra gin cocktails after the synopsis and enthusiastic endorsement.

As far as content and setting there was never a chance I wouldn’t like this book, there was so much I could relate too. In another life, when I was 21 and going to college at the University of Washington, I got participate in a program in Paris where I studied jazz, and learned how Europe kept the genre alive after it was no longer mainstream popular in America. Part of my final project was to present something that related jazz music to the city of Paris. I was absolutely obsessed with Dior so I went to his shop, stood outside a star studded Dior fashion show and created my own Jazz inspired fashion line with silhouettes that not only mirrored the instruments but famous songs and styles popular from the 1920s-1950s. My best friend works in fashion PR and when we lived together in LA, I worked briefly as an intern, so learning that Dior/Alix St. Pierre was one of the trailblazers to start dressing celebrities for fashion press was so fascinating for me. That being said, you definitely don’t need to relate as closely to the content to be completely ensnared by this story. The WWII history was devastating and gave me so much respect for the people who lived through it. It made me completely grill my 95 year old grandma at Christmas for more stories about this time period and resulted in photos I’d never had the opportunity to see. The love stories and mystery were so captivating. I will need to give it another read because I’m sure there were nuances I didn’t pick up on as the story went back and fourth through time. I really loved that it switched to Anthony’s POV when we got to the Paris 1947 portion of the story and their love story started to unfold. Their love story had me on pins and needles praying for a happily ever after. I was completely in love with Anthony March, good God that man can make a woman melt. This book has intrigue, romance, horror, heartbreak, beauty, loss, love. Natasha Lester’s beautiful writing tells the story of a strong spectacular woman who lived an incredible life. Five stars all the way, I will be buying copies for all my friends!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Forever.
I had a hard time with this story. I put it down multiple times thinking I should just DNF it, but I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it. In the end, I am glad that I finished the story. There was so much jumping around and everything was so scattered I had a hard time following everything. The back and forth between Alix’s time in the war and her present life with Dior were confusing. There were too many different Parts because of the jumping from past to present.
It took me til I was about 2/3rds through the story to really get invested in the characters. Then I wanted to see how the story ended. I wanted to see who was truly to blame, and if Alix and Anthony could survive it.
Even though I’m hesitant, I still would like to check out other books by Natasha Lester.

Thank you NetGalley and @ReadForeverPub for a complimentary copy of this novel! I was excited when I saw I was approved to read and review it! All opinions in this review are my own.
This novel alternated between Pre-WW2, WW2, and Post-WW2. Alex St. Pierre is a PR wizard. The US government recruits her as a spy for the OSS due to her fluency in French, Italian, and German. She get sent to Bern, Switzerland where she helps the war efforts by assisting Italian partisans to secure ammunition and other weapons. But towards the war’s end, a mission she helps put together goes horribly wrong. Alix had been sending messages back and forth with other agents, including La Voce, a possible double agent. Is he the one that caused the mission to go wrong? Or someone else?
After the war, Alix moves to Paris where she works as a PR wizard for Christian Dior. She works tirelessly and creatively to bring fame to his clothing range. But she cannot put that failed mission behind her. So together, with Anthony March (another blast from her past), they work to find out who sabotaged that failed mission. Will the answers they find finally give Alix the peace she truly wants?
If you love danger, intrigue, secrets, spies, double agents, duty, sacrifice, fashion, and love and romance, then this is the book for you! Natasha Lester’s novel has it all and more!!! The first third of the book seemed to move slow for me, but then it started to pick up. I couldn’t put it down!! I wanted to know if Alix would finally be able to find La Voce, if he was the one who has sabotaged the failed mission, and if justice would be served? This novel will be available January 10, 2023.

A well crafted and written WWII novel which also encompasses what comes after. Alix was recruited into the OSS in Switzerland. A tragedy on a mountainside haunts her even after and, in 1946, when she's working for The House of Dior, she finally finds a way to make someone atone for the deaths of 9 men. This moves between the war and Alix's life running publicity for Dior, It's got all the elements of the genre- there's espionage, danger, secrets, romance, and a reckoning (this last is mild). Lester has good storytelling skills and brings Alix, along with the other characters, to life. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.