I love a great WWII story, and base it upon real-life stories, and I am instantly invested. This one inspired by two women, intertwined by fate, and their fight with the resistance in Italy definitely intrigued me. Told in dual storylines, it took a bit of setup but once the pieces fell into place, it was easier to become engrossed in the story. Having been to Italy before, one of my favorite aspects was that I found it easy to picture the places and locations. The characters of the two woman are completely different, and I found myself wanting more of Livia's story, and less of Isabella's. All in all I think this was a great story about the Italian WWII resistance, and one to check out for historical fiction lovers. Thanks so much to Debbie Rix, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this e-arc.

The Italian Girls is an unforgettable story inspired by real events capturing the absolute power held by Mussolini and the fascist party during WW2, and the ordinary people whose courage, sacrifice, bravery and conviction led them to do of extraordinary things during the darkest days of WW2.

A hearty thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an advance reader copy. This is my honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.

I was swept away by this story! I have stayed away from historical fiction since i read The Nightingale (it upset me so much). But I am happy I gave this book a chance!


Livia and Isabella are from different backgrounds and have a mutual friend connecting them. Isabella Bellucci is a famous film star known as Italy’s sweetheart. This story connects these women in a way that wont leave you disappointed. It was even inspired by real events.

Thank you for the advanced copy!

I unfortunately generally do not like reading historical books but I was lucky to receive this one from Net Galley.
I found this book a little boring, meaning it was too historical for me and it seemed to go on and on. I did find the two womens accounts during WWII well portrayed. It brings a new prospective of the Italian Women and what they dealt with during that time. I recommend this book.
Thanks again Net Galley for allowing me to review this book.

Although it is difficult to read about Hitler’s Youth programs but this one was a well-crafted and interesting story told from the perspective of two young girls, one German and the other English. It was fascinating how the author joined the two stories together through a downed English airman and the American OSS. I highly recommend this novel.

Thanky ou to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportuntiy to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

This book promised to be good and it surely followed through. The story of two young women in 1941 Italy, was so well written and obviously the author researched well for this story. The two young women were so different yet so alike in many ways, their struggles and sacrifices were so ppoignant and the story really made me think. The book grabbed me right from the start, I quickly read it and was very satisfied with the way the book wrapped up the styoryline.

This novel is a great view of how dangerous it was for Italians to thwart the Nazis during WWII. The characters, based on actual people, draw you in and keep you engaged the entire time.

4 stars

I have read a whole lot of WW2 historical fiction most of it set in France or Germany. This one was set in Italy and it was done fairly well.

The two main characters come from different backgrounds live different lives and they don't ever cross paths in person, but rather through a mutual friend. They are both doing their part to stand up to the fascist regime and ideologies that are plaguing their country.

Livia is a university student who is eager to join the resistance and stand up for her beliefs.
Isabella Bellucci is an Italian film star who finds herself stuck between her fascist bosses in the film industry and her loyalty to the film director Vicenzo Lucchese

This book was well written and sucked me in I flew through it. The characters were well thought out and their situations were put together and resolved well.

Thank you Netgalley and Forever for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As an avid reader of Historical Fiction, of course I wanted to read THE ITALIAN GIRLS, which follows two timelines of war ravaged Europe. Italy 2019 and Italy 1942;

Isabella and Livia's lives are forever entwined as they risk everything to protect the ones they love,

I loved reading this story of strong females, helping to do their part, and while I've read plenty of WWII stories, I really appreciate when a book can still involve this timeline while making the story feel fresh and new.

*many thanks to Forever for the gifted copy for review

3/5 stars

Italy during WW II, I really enjoyed a look into Mussolini’s rein and how it effected his citizens.

The characters were my favorite part of this book! I loved Livia, she was such a head strong take control of her own life character. She brave and strong while still caring about others. I admired how helpful she was through out the book.

Isabella was Livias complete opposite. While Livia was independent Isabella almost couldn’t function with out someone telling her what to do. She had a childlike quality to her. Compared to Livia she was an immature and unlikeable.

The pacing for this book was all over the place, the beginning dragged with an overload of information being thrown at us. Then we have the end which was incredibly rushed and it was just very blah to me. It just happened way to fast.

Thank you NetGalley for gifting me a copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

These women really did so much to help win the war, it really is amazing! Every WWII novel I read, I learn something new and interesting fact of things that happened that no one knew about until after. The risks these women took and that they didn't think twice about putting their lives on the line to save others is so amazing! This novel follows two women, Livia and Bella. Livia is a university student who gets herself immersed into the resistance with her father and Bella was once a well known movie star until the war shut down the cinema. Livia and Bella's lives intersect in a most curious way and each of them have to fight for their life and prove whose side they are really on. I just loved reading about these two women and how they are based on true people. Thank you to Forever Publishing and NetGalley for the free book.

This captivating World War II novel intertwines the lives of two women living opposite lives in occupied Italy. Livia grew up with her father being part of the resistance and secretly helping the partisans. She has made the choice to do all she can to assist her father and those trying to evade the Nazis. Isabella is an actress who is not fully aware of the impact of the war or how it has affected others. With a mural acquaintance connecting them Livia and Isabella must decide where their hearts truly lie and what they are willing to risk to save the ones they love. Facts woven together with strong female characters and a gorgeous setting make for a wonderful historical fiction read!

Wow, this was so beautifully written and a richly compelling story that follows the journey of two young Italian women where a awful betrayal is inspired by jealously and love. I highly recommend it.

5 stars, Great storyline and well written, characters came to life and the story held my attention. Look forward to reading more by this author and will definitely read it again.

I enjoyed this book which was based on a true story of two Italian women during World War II.

I don’t see many historical fiction books set in Italy during World War II, so it was a refreshing part of history to read about. I did keep wondering, as I’m sure they did at the time, when the heck the allies were going to finally come to their villages and towns as the war was winding down.

The dual POVs come from Livia and Isabella who are very different characters. Livia is a brave college student who starts working for the resistance. Isabella is a film star who was pretty self-centered and annoying, but she redeems herself in the end.

I appreciated that the author included a section at the end to explain the story behind the book. I like to hear the background historical information uncovered during her research.

An ever-incredible historical fiction with time jump. Seeing a WWII historical fiction set in Italy versus other more common European countries was a nice shift for this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the free advance copy.

I was swept away by this beautifully written, richly evocative story. The Italian Girls by Debbie Rix is an exceptional read for lovers of historical fiction

The Italian Girls by Debbie Rix is republished on 11/22/22 in print and audio from it original ebook only publication two years ago. This is a very welcome addition to this genre, as books set in Italy during WWII are less common than other European locales. The publication of the historical novel Eternal by Lisa Scottoline in 2021 has stimulated interest in the war from the Italian perspective. Spanning the years 1941-46, Ms Rix has very capably taken real life characters and events and merged them with fictionalized characters. Her main characters, Livia, a university student in Florence and Isabella, an actress in Rome although fiction are actually based on real individuals. The two storylines, which run in parallel, cover the spectrum of Italian society and political views during this period. Both Livia and Isabella are involved in resistance movements against the Fascists and ultimately the Nazis in very different ways. Each is forced into situations in which they need to appear to be sympathizers or even collaborators in order to achieve their true objectives and survive, as well as to secure the survival of others.
This book is well researched and has well developed storylines that kept me engaged. I selected this book based solely on the subject matter as I was not familiar with the author. I would definitely read another of her books.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC and provide a review.

Here’s what I loved:

✔️A look at the Italian Campaign, rather than historical fiction set in Germany or England
✔️Two uniquely different female characters; both with unique voices
✔️Well-developed characters and plausible growth
✔️Authentic wartime experiences
✔️ Beginning and ending were both beautifully imagined and vividly described
✔️Exploration of BOTH fascism and anti-fascism and the complex political situation during wartime Italy
✔️the conflict of emotions caused by a country at war with itself and its oppressors
✔️A chance to re-visit my favourite city, Florence
✔️An obvious pouring out of the author’s heart on every page
✔️A prompting to research ‘Italy’s Little Sweetheart’ (Maria Denis) and Luchino Visconti further

This book is one I’ll treasure and reach for time and time again! I’ve also loved The Secret Letter and The German Wife by Rix and will be eagerly watching for her next book. Rix has a wonderful way of highlighting the lives of real women of history in inspiring life stories.

I was gifted this copy by Forever, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.