I always struggle with giving a lower rating to books involving the holocaust because the subject matter is so intense and the stories all so desperately need to be told. The subject matter of this was beautifully conveyed, worthy and inspirational. My issue is with the character development. I feel like all the characters are very black and white and not necessarily authentic. I feel like I would like this better if some this characters cursed once in awhile and exhibited some negative thoughts. I’ve had the same issue with other works of historical fiction. With that said, this story is definitely one that was waiting to be told and so important in understanding historical heroes.

Code Name Sapphire, by Pam Jenoff, is a very well-written and fast-paced historical novel set mostly in Nazi-occupied Belgium during WWII. It tells the story of the Resistance fighters who risked their own lives as well as the lives of those they loved. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns, and was inspired by real events. Jenoff also seamlessly embeds several family crisis and romances amidst all the war turmoil. Nonetheless, I was most impressed by the moral questions Jenoff raised. How do you resist knowing you risk your safety, or is safety only secured if people do resist? If the only way you can protect those closest to you is to betray others and the cause, should you? To whom do you owe loyalty, and how do you choose? I find myself thinking far more about this book and the issues it posed than I expected while actually reading it. Consequently, I am awarding it 4.5 stars, rounding up to 5. Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for the opportunity to read a digital ARC.

This is another excellent novel by Pam Jenoff that takes place in Europe in the early 1940s, at the start of WW2. What's different about this story is that it's the story of resistance fighters, mostly taking place in Belgium. Of course the reader gets involved with the characters in the story and you find yourself asking what you would do in a similar situation. How far would you go to save a family member, would you risk your life? Would you risk the life of your child? There's also an added mystery about the people you trust and betrayal that makes these 368 pages go very quickly.

If you know me, you know I love WWII stories of Resistance. This was another great read from Pam Jenoff, with unforgettable characters and lots of historical details.

Thank you for my copy and for making me part of the tour!


Code Name Sapphire
Pam Jenoff
On Sale Date: February 7, 2023
9780778387091, 0778387097
Trade Paperback
$17.99 USD
Fiction / Historical / World War II
368 pages


About the Book:
A woman must rescue her cousin’s family from a train bound for Auschwitz in this
riveting tale of bravery and resistance during World War II


1942. Hannah Martel has narrowly escaped Nazi Germany after her fiancé was killed in a
pogrom. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, she has nowhere to go but to
her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Fearful for her life, Hannah is desperate to
get out of occupied Europe. But with no safe way to leave, she must return to the dangerous
underground work she thought she had left behind.
Seeking help, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a secret resistance network led by a mysterious
woman named Micheline and her enigmatic brother Matteo. But when a grave mistake causes
Lily’s family to be arrested and slated for deportation to Auschwitz, Hannah finds herself torn
between her loyalties. How much is Hannah willing to sacrifice to save the people she loves?
Inspired by incredible true stories of courage and sacrifice, Code Name Sapphire is a powerful
novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times.

Code Name Sapphire was the first book I’ve read by Pam Jenoff. I received a copy of the ebook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel follows three young women in Belgium during WWII. As you could imagine, they were are all greatly impacted by the war, but in very different ways. Their stories were intertwined and all equally enjoyable for myself as the reader.

I have read a fair amount of WWII historical fiction but had never encountered one that took place in Belgium, so this was great for me. There were a few critiques I had for Code Name Sapphire, one being that I felt the love triangle added no value and actually look away from the storyline. I also found the locations used were confusing and I often couldn’t figure out where various events were taking place. This book had a few similarities to The Nightingale which I read last month but unfortunately it just wasn’t done as well. I think this may be one reason I feel a bit disappointed upon completion.

Thank you to the publisher, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Hannah has managed to escape Nazi Germany once, but when her ship that promised an escape to America is turned away at port, there is no choice but to turn around and head straight back to occupied Europe. She seeks shelter with her cousin Lily in Brussels, but knows that Belgium can only be a temporary haven. With the dangerous role she played in the underground movement back in Berlin, getting out of Europe entirely is her only chance at safety. She goes looking for the local resistance movement in hopes that they can help her and stumbles across the Sapphire Line, a network led by Micheline and her brother Matteo that arranges routes for stranded airmen to escape occupied territory, and they agree to arrange for her passage if she will assist their network. But one mistake causes Lily and her family to be arrested and put on the list for deportation to Auschwitz, and Hannah is desperate to rescue them at any cost.

I was first introduced to Pam Jenoff’s books back in 2021 when I received an ARC of The Woman With The Blue Star which was an extremely moving read. So when I heard of this book, I added it to my TBR immediately. I read a variety of WWII historical fiction, but the ones I enjoy the most are ones like these, that relate to things like undercover work and the various resistance movements during the era. Code Name Sapphire is based around the true story of how one of the trains headed to Auschwitz was liberated. Of course, a bit of creative liberty has been taken with dates and times, as described in the author’s note, but this made for a truly gripping read. It was a powerful story showing how women played crucial roles in the resistance under the most dire of conditions. The tone of the story and the backdrop of 1942, I felt, reflected very well how life would have been for people living in Nazi occupied territory. This book was well written and an easy read. The engaging plot had me turning the pages so fast that it took me just over two hours to finish it. It was full of unexpected twists and turns and plenty of action too.

There were three POVs for this story: Hannah, Lily and Micheline, and the narration was very well balanced between them, their voices distinct and easy to follow. Micheline’s POVs were the ones I found most intriguing and I would have loved it if there was more information about her and her experiences running the Sapphire Line. Lily’s arc was also interesting to follow, but I felt like just as it was getting somewhere and her character had just started to change her viewpoint on things, the book was just about wrapping up. Hannah, despite arguably being the central character, was the one I had the hardest time connecting to. While she did have a rather tragic past, I didn’t find her to be particularly likeable – unfortunate, since she is supposed to be the heroine and didn’t come across as one. All three characters, while they had a lot of potential, weren’t developed as well as they could have been, leaving them very surface level. I wasn’t too fond of the sort of love triangle that unfolded, it didn’t take over the plot or unnecessarily complicate it in any way, so it was okay for the most part.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending honestly, especially the reveal of who the traitor had been all along, but it was a shocking and action-packed conclusion that wrapped things up neatly, if a little abruptly. The reason behind the betrayal didn’t make much sense as it didn’t help all that much in the end. Hannah’s decision in the book’s final pages also didn’t sit right with me after what she did. Overall, this was a solid read and one I’ll probably re-read at some point. If you’ve enjoyed any of Pam Jenoff’s novels in the past, this is definitely one book that should be on your TBR this season and I would highly recommend this book to all historical fans in general too!

Hannah Martel narrowly escapes Nazi Germany after her fiance is killed during an uprising. She boards a ship bound for Cuba but it is turned back and she must seek shelter in German occupied Belgium with her estranged cousin Lily. Based on an actual resistance organization, I was fascinated by the multiple ways they used to transport downed airmen back to safety so that they may fight another day. Under extreme pressure and attention from the Nazis these amazing people put their lives on the line every day to defy the enemy. After finishing the book, I'm still thinking what I would have done if I was in Hannah or Lily's shoes. I recommend this book for lovers of historical fiction and book clubs!

Thank you to net galley and Harlequin trade publishing for the opportunity to read this phenomenal book. Pam Jenoff once again does an extraordinary job of drawing in the reader to her characters and their incredible story. This book is based on true events during WWII and the attempt to liberate a train on its way to Auschwitz. I could not turn the pages fast enough on this journey. The story centers around 3 women, 2 of them cousins long estranged and their relationship with a third women, a member of the resistance. The story is set mainly in Belgium with cousins Hannah and Lily. Hannah, has escaped Nazi Germany only to find herself trapped in Belgium and seeks shelter with her cousin Lily. Lily lives a comfortable life a bit in denial of the danger around her until an unfortunate mistake changes life as she knows it. Hannah with the help of the resistance must attempt to save Lily. Jenoff has a way of putting you in the room with her characters. These women show incredible love, loyalty and resilience in a time of terror and sadness to incredible to bear. Definitely a journey edge of your seat action with romance and betrayal and loyalty not to be missed. Just incredible!

This fascinating story is based in part of a little known piece of WWII History. I love Pam Jenoff's books and this one did not disappoint.
Though I found parts of the story moved at a slower pace than I would have liked, my attention stayed captivated from page one and did not waver.
This story centers around 3 very dynamic women, each with their own characteristics and weaknesses and strengths. You have Hannah, she has been drawing subversive caricatures of the Reich and is now on the run. Then there is her cousin Lily, whom she has not seen in years but is Hannah's last hope after flight to America is thwarted. And finally Micheline, a resistance fighter who helps downed airmen behind enemy lines in Belgium.
These women and their relationships and loyalty are tried and tested over and over, how far will you go for someone, what is worth dying for, what matters the most, how do we decide? They are faced with impossible. choices. As always Jenoff makes time and place come alive, the characters are real and the reader "knows" them, feels what they feel, lives the horrors of the war with them.
I read this book in one day, staying up late in the night to finish and as with all of Pam Jenoff's books I loved every minute. I give 5 stars and highly recommend!
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and to Net Galley, I am leaving my honest review of my own free will and am not obligated to do so.

A historical fiction story set in World War Two. A fascinating tale about love, family, courage, and the resilience of human heart. A harrowing story that kept me at the edge of my seat. I was wishing and hoping for a happy ending while reading this book. But, having the knowledge that that kind of ending is very rare in that era. A must read historical fiction story.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Many thanks to my partners @parkrowbooks @htpbooks and @tlctours for the #gifted copy.

Jenoff pulled me in to the terror of Nazi rule in those first scenes. A downed pilot in peril. A pregnant young woman forced to watch her fiancé beaten to death by Nazis.

From there the story settles into slower rhythm through the entwined stories of Micheline (the head of a resistance line), Lily (a complacent Jewish Belgian), and Hannah (Lily’s cousin and active resistor).

The premise of this one is strong and based on a little-known piece of history: A daring rescue of prisoners bound for Auschwitz. {I’m eager to learn more about this part of history.}

And while Jenoff’s fictional account of this rescue was the most fascinating part of the story for me, it felt like more of an afterthought than the spotlight. Perhaps this storyline reaches too broadly, attempting to include too many other aspects of WW2? In such, the buildup to the main event felt slow and a bit muddled.

I do love bold, female heroines though. And Jenoff is one of the most prolific at showcasing the impact women made in those harrowing times. This story is worth the read for that point alone.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free advance e-reader copy of “Code Name Sapphire” by Pam Jenoff in exchange for an honest review.

What a terrific book! Based in part on true events, “Code Name Sapphire”takes place in Belgium during WWII and features three female protagonists: Hannah, a Jewish artist who has fled Germany where she is wanted for drawing subversive cartoons on behalf of the Resistance, her Belgian cousin Lily and Micheline, head of the resistance line that rescues downed Allied airmen behind enemy lines. The existential questions asked by the book underlie the novel: whose life matters most? How do we decide? What constitutes resistance? What constitutes betrayal? What’s worth dying for? The characters grapple with all these questions while trying to live under Nazi occupation.

With Jenoff’s typical narrative flair and impeccable research, this book will stay with me for a long time. Five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Park Row for the ARC!

After Hannah escapes Nazi Germany in 1942, she has nowhere to go when her ship is turned away in America other than to her cousin Lily in Brussels. Even though her and Llily haven't seen each other for over 20 years, Lily welcomes Hannah with open arms.

The two cousins endured extremely hard circumstances together and their loyalty to each other was tested time and time again throughout the story. I loved how there was a little romance intertwined with the book as well as family relationship drama.

I was also surprised by a couple twist which aren't too common in historical fiction- it definitely made the story more enjoyable for me. I was moved to tears a couple times towards the end of the book which is rare for me!

I highly recommend this one even if you're not typically a fan of historical fiction!

4.5 stars

I admit I am a historical fiction junkie and I have read several of the authors previous books. This one was every bit as good as the others — and I felt transported to the 1940s. While it’s a story of World War 2, at its heart it is a story of family, loyalty and courage. Although I started reading the Arc, I quickly switched to the audiobook because I wanted to hear the story in the characters’ voices. I was so caught up in the story I ran a red light! The author does tremendous job of making this very tragic time come to life. This ARC was provided to me by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

“We’re at war. We’re all involved whether we like it or not.”

One of the reasons I continue to read historical fiction set around the horrific events of World War 2 and the Holocaust is because of the heroes – ordinary people like you and me – who rose to the occasion and stood in the gap for the victims of hate & injustice. They weren’t perfect people or superhuman; they simply chose not to look away while evil ran rampant. They smuggled ration cards, medication, food, messages and people to safety, at great personal risk – and often great personal cost. They inspire me to stand in the gap, too, and that’s why I love reading stories like Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff.

The spotlight in this novel shifts between three women (clearly labeled so you’re never confused) – Micheline, Hannah, and Lily. These three young women bear the scars of life from before the war years and certainly because of them. Each one has her own strengths and weaknesses, and each one has her part to play in the drama that unfolds on these pages: Micheline, the head of the Sapphire Line resistance network (which the author modeled after actual underground networks that existed at this time). Hannah, an artist turned underground political cartoonist, then refugee, and then member of the Sapphire Line. And Lily, a wife and mother and cousin who unwittingly becomes a major player in the story. I appreciated how the author gave them each moments of courageous strength as well as moments of flawed weakness, thereby keeping them from becoming one-dimensional caricatures. The complexities of their individual relationships with the one person who ties all three of them together add to these layers and emphasize the fact, again, that Micheline, Hannah, and Lily could be people just like each of us – with complicated emotions and mixed experiences that shape our behavior.

“You can’t keep your head down and hope they won’t come for you. Sooner or later they will come for everybody.”

I have not spent much time (if any, to my recollection) on the Belgian resistance front of World War 2 until reading Code Name Sapphire, and I am grateful (and smarter) for now having done so. The underground efforts here in Belgium were orchestrated by men and women who may be more quietly represented in the history books but just as bravely kept the evil of the Nazis at bay as long as they could – and saved many Allied soldiers downed behind enemy lines… and over 100 passengers on a train bound for Auschwitz.

Bottom Line: Pam Jenoff’s books always captivate me with the heart-tugging stories of ordinary people who become extraordinary heroes and make me a smarter human at the same time. Code Name Sapphire is no exception. Despite the emotional topics at hand, Jenoff manages to prevent the book from being hopelessly heavy and infuses her characters with intriguing and complex layers that we can all relate to on one level or another. This is another book for the keeper shelf, another story I will recommend to other readers so that we can avoid repeating the evil of the past but also so that we can dare to replicate the courage that took action against it.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

Code Name Sapphire is an enthralling and emotionally captivating read that delves into the difficult choices women must make when their allegiances are challenged in the most unimaginable of situations. From the very first page, I was hooked and left wanting more.

Hannah Martel, an artist who drew anonymous anti-Nazi political cartoons, managed to escape Nazi Germany after watching her husband die at the hands of the Gestapo. When the ship she was on was turned away from every port, Hannah was unfortunately forced to return to Europe. Because she had family in Brussels, Belgium who would vouch for her, Hannah was allowed to go there instead of Germany.

While living with her cousin Lily and her family, Hannah joins the Sapphire Line, a resistance network devoted to rescuing and evacuating downed British fighter pilots. The group’s leader, a young woman named Micheline, promises Hannah that in exchange for her help on the line, she will make arrangements to evacuate Hannah as well, before the Nazis realize she was the one drawing those political cartoons.

Hannah is devoted to the cause but in her desperation to secure her own evacuation, does something reckless that causes Lily and her family to be arrested and sent to a camp. Hannah knows it’s her fault and when all other means of rescue fail and she learns the family has been called up for deportation to Auschwitz, which is death sentence, she calls upon the members of the Sapphire Line to risk everything in order to help save her loved ones. Their only option? A daring and seemingly impossible rescue attempt that involves trying to stop the train while it’s on route to Auschwitz

You guys, this story was incredible! I devoured it in just a couple of sittings and was just so invested in the lives of these characters. I was also blown away, as I often am when I read historical fiction, to learn that the train rescue mission was actually inspired by true events. I always love when historical fiction teaches me something new, especially as it pertains to the incredible things that regular citizens will do in the face of such impossible odds.

This story spotlights the strength, determination and resilience of the resistance fighters and I thought it was just fabulous that Jenoff’s leader of the Sapphire Line was a 20-something year old woman who was truly a force to be reckoned with. I adored Micheline and her brother Matteo, who fought alongside her.

What made this story even more compelling for me was that Jenoff’s characters while inspirational are not without their flaws. Hannah can be thoughtless and reckless at times, and she’s not the only one. I really liked how Jenoff illustrates what desperation can drive people to do, both the good and the bad.

Equal parts heart-wrenching and inspirational, if you enjoy World War II historical fiction, be sure to pick up a copy of Code Name Sapphire. You won’t regret it!

This book wrecked me. I have read plenty of WW2 stories about the atrocities of the concentration camps. I’ve visited Dachau. The horrible things those people faced is inexcusable. But I read this book, where part of it addresses a mother with her child in a concentration camp, while I nursed and rocked my own baby to sleep. It hit me so much harder than previous WW2 books. The bravery the people of the resistance had is unparalleled. I am glad that authors like Pam Jenoff take the time to find out these acts of heroism and write books about them to share their stories. This book will stay with me for a very long time. All the stars.

Hannah has escaped Germany and made it to her cousin, Lilly’s, home in Brussels. She is hoping to evade capture and secure passage out of the country and away from the Nazis. But, Hannah gets caught up in helping the resistance. She makes a terrible decision to use Lilly’s papers when stopped by a German officer. This leads to Lilly’s arrest and transport to a concentration camp. Hannah is determined to correct this error and stop the train.

This author has become a staple in my reading. She has fabulous books based on true characters. You can see the review for The Woman With The Blue Star here. Almost all her books are 5 star reads for me. The only reason I gave this one a 4 star was because I just did not feel connected to the characters like I usually do. But, this is minor, the story itself is very intense, as most WWII books are. Plus, the ending is heartbreaking.

I love that this story is based on a real person and true events. Anytime a story has me researching, it is a big plus!

Need a good WWII resistance adventure…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

Pam Jenoff strikes again with another poignant WWII historical fiction. Lily and Hannah are cousins who, over time, lost touch with each other. Once reunited, their worlds collide. Lily and Hannah’s loyalties are tested as they determine how best to find safety in a country that has been taken over by Nazi forces. This is a well-written book about resiliency, family bonds, and strong women. Very strong women.

I was hooked from the get-go, as the book was inspired by true events of resistance fighters determined to stop a train bound for Auschwitz.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy!