This book is fantastic. Romance, mystery, history, feminism, and fashion. I am not really into high end fashion, but I loved the glimpse this book gave into the beginnings of Christian Dior's rise to fame and household recognition.

As always, I enjoyed and appreciated learning about people who actually existed and events that took place during the war and their significance. Reading the Author's Note at the end added even more substance to parts of the story set during the war and after.

Not only is Natasha Lester a wonderful storyteller and historian, she has a gift for building chemistry between characters. I absolutely adored Alix and Anthony on their own, but together? I was swooning. They were perfect.

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

Natasha Lester takes us back to Paris for the amazing story of Alix St. Pierre. Because of her ability to learn many languages Alix is recruited to work for the OSS in Switzerland during WWII. Her main job is to help get supplies to the Italian Partisans even if she has to do it on her own. After the war Alix works helping launch the new line of clothing by Christian Dior. But things from her past are catching up with her and she needs to resolve a major mission that went wrong during the war and bring those responsible to justice. I loved hearing about the fabric, color and styles of that time and the celebrities that were excited to wear them. Alix St. Pierre really does have many lives in her lifetime and each one is more excited than the last! Highly recommend this book!

I stayed up way too late reading this and have only great things to say about it. Author Natasha Lester writes such dynamic and courageous female characters. I’ve never been terribly interested in fashion, but the way she writes about clothes and integral part fashion plays in history makes me wants to learn more. (I may or may not have been googling Dior dresses from the 1940’s after reading this). If you are interested in historical fiction, the history of fashion, or the roles of women in war and the limitations woman faced in the post-war years, you should add this to your reading list!

Alix is a fascinating character with an exciting backstory. We are taken on her life journey. From the beginning, she’s an orphan, she becomes a spy during the war and she starts another adventure as a fashionista. An intoxicating historical fiction story, with titillating characters. This book is a definite must read. The author doesn’t disappoint.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Forever for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This was the first book I've read from this author even though I've been interested in reading her other books since I'm a huge fan of historical fiction. The timeline during WWII Switzerland and Italy when Alix was a spy was thrilling and interesting. I also really enjoyed Alix in Paris after the war working in PR for the new fashion house Christian Dior, as well as her dealing with the return of someone from her past. I'll definitely be adding Lester's other novels to my to-read pile.

This story was all over the place, making it very difficult to follow and connect with any of the characters. Alix herself is an interesting woman: she’s a PR person for Dior, a spy for the government, a fiancé, a reluctant socialite, etc. There’s so much thrown at you, it’s inevitable you’ll lose track of what’s going on in which time period. I am not a fan of dual timelines where the time periods are so close together. This might have been better told chronologically but, as it’s laid out now, I was not a fan. I struggled to finish this one but I can definitely see how others would really enjoy this.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

A very enjoyable WW 2 historical fiction novel. Lester is a preferred author as she writes strong women doing big things. A must-read!

It’s been such an age since I’ve read a historical book set during the events of WW2 and this one is just unlike anything I’ve read before. Set in two separate timelines following the same characters (though as of now I don’t think some of the characters know that they have interconnecting timelines). Alix St. Pierre is many things but.. a murderer she is not and yet, both she and a hidden amount of others think otherwise due to a sad occurrence of events during the war.. now with someone (or ones) after her, she must retrace her steps during the war and find out just who is after her before she loses it all including her life. A must read for sure!

Natasha Lester remains at the top of my list for historical fiction; her character development is so rich and thorough that you feel invested in the individuals, even some of the smaller characters. I thought overall the book had great pacing and movement with no lulls.

Oh how I loved this book. Part WWII historical fiction, part glamour, part just an ordinary girl trying to fit in! It didn't take long for me to love Alix. She's so lovable. I think anyone who loves historical fiction will fall in love with Alix just as much.

This is my first novel by this author and won’t be my last. This is a beautifully written novel about Alix St. Pierre. The story is told in three alternating timelines that unfold before, during, and after WWII. Alix’s education and background make her the perfect spy for the American government. However, after the war and rise in high fashion, she finds herself in a position to right some wrongs from the war, but also fearing her spy identity will be discovered by the wrong people.

This novel is full of beautiful noteworthy quotes. If you enjoy historical fiction with intrigue, you might enjoy this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Forever Publishing for this digital ARC for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is a fascinating story of an extraordinary woman. The research of the author and the history of the times are amazing. Will look forward to more from this author.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction story about a fashion icon and spy during WWII.

The book is told in three timelines that take place before, during, and after WWII. My favorite timeline to read about was during WWII when Alix was a spy who was sent to Europe. I loved reading about her adventures as a spy.

This book is for every WWII historical fiction fan, as well as people who enjoy books about women who made a difference during the war.

4.5 rounded up

I've read many stories set during WWII, but love when I read a fresh take on this time in history. THE THREE LIVES OF ALIX ST. PIERRE follows the story of a woman named Alix St. Pierre, an orphan who never truly felt like she belongs in the world of fashion and glamour, until she becomes a fashion icon in Paris.

While I enjoyed the historical elements to the story, I thought the inclusion of the fashion storyline was so fascinating, as the House of Dior is created.

I loved listening to the novel as an audiobook, narrated by Barrie Kreinik. One of my favorite things about reading Historical Fiction is learning about a time in history, and I always appreciate a strong female lead, and Alix St. Pierre was such a well rounded character. I was so taken with how the author included themes of gender equality and women's rights, and it still baffles my mind that women were looked at as such an inferior gender, even as late as the 1950's.

*many thanks to Forever and Hachette Audio for the gifted copy for review

I first read one of Natasha Lester’s novels at the very end of 2020. The Paris Secret (review here) had been on my radar but it was thanks to the rave review from a trusted book friend that had me finally picking it up as 2020 came to a close. And, my word, was it ever good. I loved it so much that I requested both The Riviera House (review here), Lester’s 2021 release, and The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre (publishing tomorrow in North America) without even bothering to read what the stories were about. That is how much I love what Natasha Lester writes. And this new one? It is, by far, my favourite (so far).

Here’s the book’s description:
1943. After spearheading several successful advertising campaigns in New York, PR wizard Alix St. Pierre comes to the attention of the U.S. government and finds herself recruited into a fledgling intelligence organization.
Enlisted as a spy, Alix is sent to Europe where she is tasked with getting close to a Nazi who might be willing to help the Allied forces--but there's also the chance he might be a double agent.
1946. Following the war, Alix moves to Paris and takes a position as head of publicity for the yet-to-be-launched House of Dior. But when a figure from the war reappears and threatens to destroy her future, Alix realizes that only she can right the wrongs of the past and bring him to justice.

Dual-timeline historical fiction novels are all the rage these days and Lester has done that in previous books. Usually the timeline is war and present day (or the not so distant past as it’s getting awfully hard to set a book in the 2020s and also have folks who fought in the war are still alive - a sobering thought). I love that Lester chose to have the two timelines in this novel take place fairly close together. We find Alix in Paris in 1946 as she’s forging a new life, but we also had Alix’s time in the war, specifically from 1942-1945 (recall that World War II began in 1939 and America, where Alix is from, didn’t enter the war until after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941). I enjoyed this for a couple of reasons. First, it meant the entire story was all about Alix. I got to meet different side characters but she was the star for the entire novel. I don’t get that often enough in historical fiction novels these days. Second, it reminds readers that WWII didn’t just magically end on VE day in May 1945. There was still rationing and, in the case of Alix and countless others, there was still an immense amount of grief and trauma and that really came through, and came through masterfully, in Lester’s novel.

Whenever I read historical fiction, I always come away having learned something new or at least gaining a better understanding of something. It’s been through books that I’ve started to understand how both world wars, for example, affected not only the men who fought, but the rest of their communities. Especially how women stepped up to take on work and, as it turns out, become spies. The fact that women were spies was not a new fact for me but Alix’s experiences were. It was fascinating - and heartbreaking - to read about her time gathering information and trying to save her informants.

Alix was a fascinating character and I absolutely adored her. She was living in the wrong time and I wish she could see what women are now able to accomplish (though we still have some work to do). I hated that she felt that marriage (and therefore love) was not for her because she adored her work so much. Most men wouldn’t want their wives to work and even if she did work, she couldn’t have her own bank account if she was married. Those restrictions chafed at Alix, and I don’t blame her. Also, given my own background in communications, marketing, and PR, I loved that she was working as a publicist for Dior. The decisions she made (for work, at least) were brilliant and I hope I can be half as good at my own work as she was at hers.

Don’t forget to read the author’s note at the end of this one (or any book, for that matter, but especially historical fiction). Lester shares some of the sources she used for her (massive amount of) research as well as explains how and why she shifted some details around to suit the narrative.

The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and Natasha Lester did not let me down. The story was captivating, the characters were intriguing, and the writing was excellent. If you’re a historical fiction fan, you must buy this book!

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishing) & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

I have now read four of Nastasha Lester’s novels. Any book she writes is one I want to read - they are that good. Combining real people and events with her imagined characters brings history to life and makes me feel as if I’m right there in the thick of the action.

This novel is about Alix St. Pierre, an exceptional young woman – orphaned at 13 – who, after graduating from college, is recruited by the US as a spy at the beginning of WWII. Told in three timelines: before, during and after WWII, this page-turning story “takes readers from the dangerous, intrigue-filled rooms in Switzerland where the elite of both sides mingled and schemed during the war, to the glamorous halls of the House of Dior in the golden age of French fashion and journalism.”

Going back and forth in time, the novel is suffused with the wartime atmosphere of threat and menace. When the war is over, Alix returns to Paris determined to right the wrongs of the past - a past that holds tremendous personal grief and guilt.

I love how Lester often includes fashion in her novels – this time incorporating the launch of the House of Dior. In well-researched detail, she provides vivid descriptions of dresses, fabric, models, and Christian Dior himself – with the less familiar perspectives of fashion publicity and journalism. Lester authentically describes the House of Dior in its early days and combines it with the backstory of Alix’s role in the secret intelligence organization during the war.

Another theme woven throughout the novel is the feminist viewpoint – women’s determination for independence and equality – especially to be respected in the workplace, marriage, and fashion (pants as an acceptable everyday clothing option for women didn’t truly catch on until the mid-20th century). It is shocking to realize that “as late as the 1950s, even later, American women seeking to work for fulfillment, rather than out of necessity, often had to ask their husbands’ permission to do so. And many men refused it.” (From the author’s notes).

If you’re looking for a well-researched and engrossing World War II novel with vivid characters and a memorable story, you’ll want to read The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre.

The Three Lives of Alix St Pierre is not only a historical fiction book about WWII but is so much more -- it's a romance and it's a fantastic look at fashion in Paris and the rise in popularity of Dior as a fashion icon. It's told in three time lines -before, during and after the war.

World War II time line: Alix is an orphan who has always dreamed of living in Paris. It's where her parents grew up and she wants to experience that beautiful city. She's recruited as a spy during the war and works on getting closer to a Nazi soldier who appears to be on the side of the Allies -- or is he actually a double agent? She tries to help the Italian underground get information that will help them as they try to drive the German troops from their country. She's involved in a failed mission near the end of the war and when she finds that the person responsible may be living in Paris after the war, she works to bring him to justice.

After the war, she is offered a job by a new designer in Paris - Christian Dior. He wants to bring glamour back to the women of Paris - and of the world. Dior's designs were more voluptuous than the boxy, fabric-conserving shapes of the recent World War II styles, influenced by the wartime rationing of fabric. Working for a new designer in Paris is challenging for Alix and as the head of publicity, it's her job to bring his first fashion show to the eyes of the fashion writers. Along with her work at Dior, she is trying to find the man who led her friends and the man she loved to an ambush that she was blamed for. She gets in touch with many of her contacts from her war years and puts herself in extreme danger. She becomes involved with one of the fashion writers who, it turns out was also a spy in the war so they decided to work together to bring the German traitor to justice.

Alix was a fantastic main character. She was faced with rampant sexism during her time in the OSS but she faced it and worked hard to prove that she was much stronger than they were giving her credit for. Even after the war, she continued to face discrimination in her work for Dior but his faith in her helped her to overcome it. She was a strong and resilient character and knew what she wanted out of life and how to get it.

As usual with Natasha Lester's World War II books, this one was well researched and it showed in every part of the story. I especially enjoyed reading about Dior and how his new style was so popular, I had to spend some time goggling many of his earlier clothes after reading descriptions of them in the book. This book is another winner from Natasha Lester and I highly recommend it.

I received a copy of The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre by Natasha Lester from Forever in exchange for an honest review.

My first Natasha Lester novel - The Riviera House - blew me away when I read it last year. And with the reading of The Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre, I am certain that Natasha Lester is going to be one of my must-read authors when it comes to romance and historical fiction. The way in which she weaves a story that goes between different periods of times - and in this one, the fashion history - is just spellbinding. I really enjoyed this story about Alix and reading her story as she lives through the wartime and also the world afterwards. This story has a great combination of history, intrigue, and romance that kept me reading through the night. There was a particular line throughout the story that focused on the contributions of women during the war - and the ways in which society decided to push women back into the homes after the war was over that really struck a nerve. I'm looking forward to the next Natasha Lester book.

Utterly fascinating and gripping story! Natasha Lester brings us into the world of The House of Dior as realistically as she does the mountains of France with resistance fighters. The two places juxtaposed by alternating chapters captured me immediately, as did the mystery involved. Dior and his world absolutely transported me there, seated on the staircase watching his amazing house come to life. Loved the fact that his dresses each had names and looking forward to looking them up online. He is portrayed as the very kindest of men, especially compared to the other men described within the pages of this story, which literally made me appreciate the women who have paved the way, making it easier for the women of today.
Matteo and Chiarra stole my heart, but so did Anthony by the conclusion of the story. Alix was such a breath of fresh air, haunted by so many things but trying to live her life to atone for the wrongs she feels she has done. Her thoughts and feelings are laid bare for the reader to become so entwined with her emotions, making the story actually come alive for readers lucky enough to have an opportunity to read this engaging story. Job well done by Natasha Lester.
The descriptions of the House of Dior, the amazing dresses, the Ritz, and the streets of Paris - especially the attack on the model, all provided such a vivid picture, but nothing compared to the descriptions of the atrocities committed by the Nazis on the partisans. So very heartbreaking.
Many many thanks to Natasha Lester for making me feel, Hachette Australia for providing her with the opportunity, and NetGalley for affording me the immense pleasure of reading an arc of this just published incredible story. I am looking forward to reading more from this gifted author!