If you had a chance to go back in time and change one significant moment, would you do it? Keeping in mind, that your life may never be the same?

A parcel from America lands on Marcelle's lap. A dairy that contains information she has never shared before, memories she does not remember but feels so close to her heart. Is old age playing tricks on her? Or has that occurred?

I am having a hard time expressing my feelings about this book. The first two halves are beautiful stories of survival, love, and courage. Such a strong set of characters, I cried when they cried, and my heart ached when their hearts were broken to pieces. I held my breath when they held to their lives by the strand of their hair... This novel was written in a manner that made me feel I was there, a part of their strange but loving circle. But let me tell you about the last part of the novel... the language and story were so intense, that I had full-body chills. I cried when George described his final moments with Philip.

"Midnight on the Marne" is beautiful work of fiction. It is different from many other WW novels due to its alternative timeline, which gives this novel a different direction. Thank you, NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

This was fabulous, and I was very pleasantly surprised by the plot. It was easy to get quickly invested in the characters and their stories and from the start, you are engulfed in the history and story of WWI, as told through multiple characters and via different timelines. Although I am no stranger to historical fiction, this had so many little twists and turns, and such a unique take on the story that it pulled me in that much more. Thanks to @NetGalley for a chance to review the audiobook version! The narrators did a great job, will absolutely recommend this to others, and I am excited to read other selections from this author!

Midnight on the Marne by Sarah Adlakha was a novel that was inspired by the true events that occurred at the final battle of World War I and to the men of the Third Infantry of the United States Army and those affected by the consequences of the outcome. It was told in alternative timelines and relied upon choices and decisions made by a select few. Over the course of time, some have pondered about what would have happened if only I had done this or that. What if you were given the chance to go back in time and were able to change one thing? That was the premise for Midnight on the Marne. It was fast paced and the narration of the audiobook was well done by John Pirhalla and Saskia Maarleveld.

Maracelle Marchand was a nurse during World War I but unbeknownst to her family she was also acting as a spy. George Mountcastle was an American soldier who found himself in France in 1918 where he saw Marcelle and instantly knew that there was something about her that made him want to care and protect her. He and his best pal, Phillip, both members of the third infantry in the army of the United States, were both engaged in the Battle of the Marne. Due to choices and decisions George made that day the Germans and Russians defeated the Allies and won the war. They took over France and made life so unbearable. Both George and Marcelle were captured by the Germans and imprisoned. George was captured as a prisoner of war and Marcelle was captured for spying but they ended up in the same prison. George was able to rescue Marcelle and help her escape but not before she was tortured, raped and made to watch her fiancé hang. George and Marcelle developed a loving relationship and ended up caring very deeply for one another.

What if George was given the opportunity to go back and do things differently? Would he choose to do that? What would have happened if George had not saved Phillip’s life? Would the allies have won the war? What would have happened if George had prevented Marcelle from going to prison? Would she have witnessed her fiancé’s hanging? If presented with the opportunity to change Marcelle’s fate and France’s history would George choose to embrace the opportunity?

Many years later, in present day France, Marcelle’s daughter was visiting Marcelle, now an elderly and frail woman. A diary had arrived from an army soldier. As Marcelle’s daughter read aloud from it, she was surprised to learn things about her mother’s past that she had never heard about or knew. Marcelle assured her daughter that the events and acts described by this army soldier were not as Marcelle remembered them transpiring during World War I. Marcelle was unclear why this army soldier had written about her. She had a faint recollection of an army soldier but their paths had crossed so very briefly that she had trouble remembering him. Marcelle decided that the soldier had a great imagination and wanted to see what kind of story he could create and write. Was this army soldier’s story a figment of his imagination or the retelling of what had transpired during World War I reshaped into different versions?

Midnight on the Marne by Sarah Adlakha was a historical fiction novel that took place mostly in Soissons, France. It focused on the themes of the ability to make choices, responsibility, sisterly love, friendship, romantic love and love for a child, bravery and loss. I enjoyed reading about these events that occurred during World War I and imagining what life might have looked like if second chances were not possible. I was not well versed about this final battle of World War I and enjoyed learning more about it. Overall, I enjoyed listening to the audiobook of Midnight on the Marne and recommend it very highly.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for giving me the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of Midnight on the Marne in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Publication is set for August 9, 2022.

A WWI historical drama about a alternate timeline during the Battle of the Marne .
How it could have different outcome for Marcel,George and the other characters,
A very good interesting story.
THe narration was very good enjoyed listening to it.
Voluntarily reviewed.

Rating: 4.5/5⭐️
Pub Day: 8-9-2022

Inspired by the true events of the U.S. Army Third Infantry Division in the Battle of the Marne, this was a compelling historical fiction.

The story takes place mostly in Soissons, France during WWI and is written with an alternate timeline, stemming from the First Battle of the Marne. What if the Germans and Russians won that battle and then the war?

This book takes a deep drive into what that life could have looked like, making it a marvelously unique historical fiction.

There were also some lovely characters whose lives I felt fully invested in. The narration, by John Pirhalla & Saskia Maarleveld, was truly fantastic. I highly recommend this one on audio!

This book actually gave me some of the same vibes as “What the Wind Knows” by Amy Harmon, and I loved that! I particularly appreciated that the author made sure to give a clear picture of what really happened at the Battle of the Marne so I wasn’t left feeling off balance when the story ended.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the alc in exchange for an honest review!

Midnight on the Marne is a heartbreaking but beautiful story about love and loss during WWI. When Marcel receives a diary from an American soldier, she is shocked to find that he has written about her life during WWI. However, the events described in his account are not as she remembers them or how they are written in the history books. This novel explores the idea that one decision can change a persons life or even the course of history. I enjoyed this audiobook and thought that the narrators were well cast. This story is a dual timeline and is told from multiple points of view with medium length chapters. The author keeps a relatively fast pace and does not leave you feeling bored with the story at any point. Midnight on the Marne is a u inquest time travel novel that will keep your attention from beginning to end.

At the 40% mark, I was thouroughly confused a lot. I liked the story within a story, but I couldn't follow the timeline consistently. I was a bit bored through most of it. Kept fading out and having to rewind.
I put it aside and sped up the speed, starting at 75ish% or so, when George went back in time, til the end, I was so onboard and made the rest of the books worth it

I didn't realize this was an audio book. I would prefer the book. I would rather not listen to a book.

What an amazing book. Completely unexpected turns and it kept you on your toes while reading. It was nice to have a recent fictional book about WW1. The characters are so real like and engaging. The author was able to make you feel like your apart of the story. Highly recommended.

A beautiful story of friendship during the war. The River Marne in 1918 was the final battle of WWII.

France 1918-Marcelle Marchand and her sister Rosalie are nurses and live in Soissons. Their elder brothers are off fighting the war. As the war rages on Marcelle has been holding a secret close to her. She is a spy.

Americans George Mountcastle and his friend Phillip are fighting on the river Marne as part of the 3rd Infantry.

Bravery, love, sacrifice, friendship and the details of the war are explored in this beautiful novel. The authors writing gives you a vivid account which makes you vision the entire event.

My first book by this author and I cannot wait to read more. Thank you #netgalley, #forgebooks, #sarahadlakha, #bookreview, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #audiobook

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

I’ll admit I didn’t have really high hopes for this book once I realized it has the same “old woman looks back on her heroic ‘but I wasn’t a hero’ days during the war” dual timeline trope that feels like every other war book has these days. I’m glad to say I was wrong, though, and there were several enjoyable aspects of this book!


Things I enjoyed:

📚 The past timeline takes place during World War I, which meant I learned about battles and events I didn’t previously know about. It feels like World War II books have saturated the historical war novel genre, so it was nice to see a different span of years portrayed.

📚 The old woman in the more present timeline denies many of the events being remembered, so there is some tension as we try and decipher what’s going on. I liked that it wasn’t just the typical memories of a long-ago war.

📚 I know the book blurb mentions time travel, but I forgot about that when I picked up this book, and it caught me completely off guard! This aspect really livened up the storyline for me, and I loved seeing how decisions and changes impacted (or in some cases didn’t impact) larger events and relationships.

All in all, I enjoyed the juxtaposition of historical fiction + time travel, and I really liked this unique take on a war novel!

Thanks so much to Macmillan and Netgalley for this advanced edition!

Thank you for gifting me Midnight on the Marne in exchange for my honest review.

Since I read and enjoyed Sarah Adlakha’s first book, I had high hopes for this one. In addition, I normally love Workd War I and II books. Sadly, I was mistaken. While the author’s writing style is thoroughly gripping and engaging, I was bored throughout this book. There were enjoyable parts, however, like when I was able to hear about what Hitler was doing. Hopefully, with some tweaks, this book will be improved. Sarah deserves the best.

Really enjoyed this historical fiction take on a WWI event I wasn’t very familiar with. I found myself caught up in the stories of the characters and the emotions of the events in their lives. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of this book.

Midnight on the Marne
by Sarah Adlakha
A thought provoking alternative history book, that had me searching for the facts shown in the books. The author has a way of writing in the details of the story creating a plausible alternative history. I found the characters very engaging, and I quickly connected to them. I was surprised by the fact that the story was not real, more than the events that happen. It was so familiar to world war 1 history that I know I almost believed it was a real history. It shows the consequence of war, the sacrifice of heroes, and the knowledge of prevision of humanity in war.

This is an interesting WWI historical fiction story. I enjoyed that not only did it feel realistic, but it also had sci-fi type parts in it. It’s a pretty typical war story - with some time travel like parts in it and I found it to be creatively executed in a way that made me want to keep listening.

Thanks to NetGalley, I got my hands on the audio version and the narrators did a great job keeping the interest level up - there are multiple POV and a dual timeline to this story, which is pretty common for historical fiction novels of this type.

There’s the war, mystery, romance - it’s has plenty to interest anyone. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Whoa. What a great combination of historical fiction and fantasy. Reminiscent of Outlander, The Man in the High Castle as well as a Kate Quinn historical fiction.

What happens if we are given the opportunity to go back and change one thing. One pivitol moment that could change anything. Like Eminem says “You only get one shot”….and everything will change.

Living WWI in the company of French people and Americans, we encounter this “what if” throughout the novel. What if the Empire and the Russians win? What if, given all the information we gather on that trajectory, we are sent back to make a change? What changes? All good? All bad?

What an amazing take on history and moments that live in infamy. Entirely well done. Bravo!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion .

Title: Midnight on the Marne
Author: Sarah Aduakha
Audiobook Narrators: John Pirhalla and Saskia Maaleveld
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Historical Fiction WWI France
Pub Date: August 9, 2022
My Rating: 4

Prologue: France, 1991, Marcelle receives a package which contains a Diary.

Story takes place in France during an alternating timeline. 1918.
Marcelle Marchand and her twin sister Rosalie are nurses working on the front lines in France. Marcelle is also keeping a secret from her family ~ she is a spy and she is taken captive by the Germans for espionage.
George Mountcastle is a young American soldier who is also captured.

Story is told from the POV of and Marcelle and George. (The audiobook narrators do a wonderful performance of the characters.)

George and Marcelle make their way out of prison along with her sister Rosalie and George’s friend Phillip.
However Germany wins the war.
George and Marcelle have a connection however do not stay together.

A few years later, George wakes up and finds that he is back in 1918 on the banks of the River Marne.
He now knows he can make different choices. He can actually change the course of history on this battlefield. If he does it will surely change his own future—but perhaps not for the better.

I have read many WWII novels and although interesting they are always so sad. SO I really wasn’t in the mood on another sad story.
This however is WWI and a bit of time travel that changes the course of history.
I enjoyed the ending with the retelling of events that were written in the diary.
[author: Sarah Aduakha] tells us that the story, of course, is fiction some is historical fiction but most is a product of her imagination!

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early Audio eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for August 9, 2022

George Mountcastle is an American soldier in France during World War I where he meets and falls in love with nurse (and spy), Marcelle Marchand. Fighting alongside his best friend, Philip, George makes a fateful decision that will save Philip’s life, but drastically change the outcome of the war. In this alternate world, Germany wins the war, leaving Marcelle, her twin Rosalie, George and Philip fugitives in a now permanently occupied France. When George is given the chance to set history right, will he do so, even if it means making the ultimate sacrifice? The Butterfly Effect is one of the most fascinating philosophical debates out there and Adlakha riffs on it to great effect