Code Name Sapphire is Pam Jenoff’s new historical novel. The enthralling plot begins in 1942 and revolves around three young women who risk their lives to help others. Micheline directs the Sapphire Line, a busy Belgian segment of an underground resistance group that leads downed British airmen across Belgium and occupied France to freedom. Her brother Matteo is also an integral part of the group.
As a Jewish artist living in Berlin Hannah and her partner Isaac waged their own war against the Nazis. Hannah drew popular anti-fascist cartoons using a pseudonym and Isaac printed and distributed the underground newspapers they appeared in. After Isaac is killed for his resistance activities Hannah flees on a ship to Cuba. Tragically her boat is turned away from Havana Harbor, but Belgium agrees to accept those passengers with local relatives. Hannah is saved by her dear cousin Lily who welcomes Hannah into the beautiful home she shares with her husband and son. Lily is ignorant of Hannah’s former activities, but Hannah knows that her presence is a serious threat to her cousin’s family. A chance meeting with Matteo leads Hannah to Micheline and the women reach an agreement. Micheline will help Hannah escape if she initially works for the Sapphire Line. Lily is shocked when she sees Matteo, the true love she left behind, with Hannah. She is also angry when she learns of Hannah’s dangerous past and the risky work she is doing for Micheline’s group. Hannah steals Lily’s identification card to use as cover when delivering messages for the Sapphire Line. When Hannah loses the card, she knows the consequences could be devastating for Lily and her family. Would Hannah be able to rescue them if needed? Shockingly, as the Sapphire Line’s success quickly plummets, Micheline is convinced there is a betrayer at the highest level of her group.
Code Name Sapphire’s fascinating characters and thrilling plot are what make this novel a true gem.

A well written book about something we all wonder-why didn't more people stand up and fight the Nazis? The futility of trying is very real but the hope that one person can really make a difference is the struggle portrayed by the characters. Can we live with ourselves if we do not try to make a difference in the world when we see injustice?

Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff is a moving historical fiction set during WWII.

Inspired by true stories, this novel follows three woman, Micheline, Hannah and Lily and Resistance efforts to liberate a train of people on the way to Auschwitz.

An amazing story of courage.

What a powerful story about women in the resistance and the resiliency of people faced with the most dire circumstances during WWII. I’m this novel we follow three women, Hannah, Lily, and Micheline and the chapters give us a look into their thoughts with their point-of-views throughout. The Sapphire Line is inspired by real-life networks that were part of the resistance and I found their work to be so inspiring and courageous. They sacrificed so much to save the lives of many while putting themselves in danger. The storylines were great and engaging, I felt they did a good job reflecting what times were like in 1942 during the Nazi takeover. I think I connected the most with Micheline’s storyline the most, but found the later events that Hannah and Lily went through to be heart-pounding and kept me wanting to read more to see where their journey ends. Supporting characters were great and the descriptions of the different settings were well done!

As WWII was escalating, Hannah Martel, living in Berlin, Germany, together with her lover Isaac, were members of the resistance. Once Isaac was murdered, Hannah tried to escape by ship to Havana. When foreigners were unable to disembark and the United States refused to let the ship continue on, the passengers were forced to return to Europe. Hannah found refuge with a cousin who lived in Belgium. She is welcomed with open arms and Hannah moves in with her cousin Lily, her husband and young son in Brussels. Lily naively believes that she and the Jewish residents of Brussels are safe. As Hannah is a known member of the resistance, she fears for her life and seeks help to leave the country, which is now under German occupation. Hannah connects with a local resistance group known as the Sapphire Line, headed by Micheline, a brave young woman aided by her brother Matteo. Hannah agrees to help the group in exchange for a means to escape. Hannah gets involved in their efforts to rescue airmen as well as a unique plan to rescue Lily and her family on a train bound for Auschwitz after they are arrested.

Pam Jenoff has written a collection of compelling WWII-era books that are inspired by real-life occurrences and true heroes. In Code Name Sapphire, Jenoff found her inspiration for the Sapphire Line in the Comet Line, a resistance organization in the 1940's as well as the actual attack by the Belgian Resistance which freed over 100 prisoners from a train heading to Auschwitz in 1943. The women in this fast-paced book were complex, brave and fierce. They were not always likeable and did not always make the right decisions, which made them more realistic. As many books in this genre, this is a story of strength and resilience during the worst of times. These stories need to continue to be told.

As with all Jenoff's books, they set the reader down a path to learning more about the actual events, which I always appreciate.

In 1942, Hannah Martel has escaped Nazi Germany on a ship bound for America, after her fiance' was killed. When her ship bound for America is turned away at port, Hannah has nowhere left to go but to her cousin Lily, who lives with her family in Brussels. Desperate to get out of the country, she has no choice, except to 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?

This book was inspired by a true story. It was equally fascinating and horrifying. The author did an excellent job of drawing you into that world and making you feel like you were really there watching it all unfold. If you are a fan of historical fiction, then you definitely want to read this one. I highly recommend it.

🚉 BOOK / REVIEW 🚉

Another emotionally charged book by the infamous @pamjenoff 🥺 I will never stop loving her writing and #codenamesapphire was such a treasure to read.

I will admit this book took me a lot longer than I wanted to finish. You can't casually pick this up because you will need to cancel all of your plans. This is long, very emotional and quite a rollercoaster of action and then quiet. There is a very interesting love triangle in this book and it had me at odds with which characters I wanted to be together. Also, there was so much hurt and forgiveness in this book that you feel deeply connected to the story and people.

I would love to see a part 2! Thank you @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for my #ARC - this one publishes 2/7/23. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Code Name Sapphire is the newest WWII historical fiction from Pam Jenoff, and once again, I found myself enthralled. This story is told from three perspectives - Micheline, Hannah, and Lily. Each woman had their own distinct voice, with their thoughts, wants, and fears, all relevant to who they are and what they were fighting for. I really liked this tale that was loosely based on real resistance work and a real break from a Nazi train heading to Auschwitz. It was heart-pounding, and I needed to know who betrayed the network, if Lily would survive, and if Hannah could rescue her cousin. I appreciated this look into resistance work and how difficult it must have been to know who to trust and how to help.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book releases on Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff is a story about 2 women in Belgium in WWII and their involvement/leadership in a resistance movement designed to bring British airmen, downed in enemy territory, back to England.

Unfortunately, I found this book very slow and hard to get through. By the midway point, I was still waiting for the story to develop. The characters were not always likeable and, despite it being based on a true story, I found that the character egos sometimes seemed to interfere with the safety and security of others, a feature which I had a hard time delineating as fact or literary license.

Furthermore, the long-lost-lover trope seemed trite and unnecessary compared to the real life dangers of participating in the resistance movement and the risks that were taken to save hundreds of people's lives. Overall I found the flow of the book disappointing.

I truly thank Net Galley for providing me with this ARC but would not recommend it to book clubs interested in WWII resistance literature.

Thank you to NetGalley, HTP and Pam Jenoff for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.


I will start with what worked for me. First this was an easy read, and I loved that this book was based on two true stories. (You can see the authors notes for info on this). I love historical fiction novels that are based on historical fact. While I did enjoy the book, there are a couple of things that did not work for me.

1) This book was based in Belgium. I loved that this was a book about WWII that was not in France, England or Germany. But, there really wasn't any information or descriptions about Belgium, its people or what it was like during the war. For me descriptions like this make a book more interesting.

2) This was a book with women at the forefront. I loved that!!! But the characters of Hannah and Lily were not very likable. Yes, Lily started to grow by the end of the book, but for me it was too little too late. Hannah, was impulsive, critical of everyone who did not think like her and when they didn't do what she thought they should inevitably she would do something that would cause catastrophic results. I never believed her sincerity and thought she was just out for herself.

3) I loved Micheline. She was strong. She knew what should be done and how to do it. She was the one redeeming character in this book.

Ultimately this was an ok read for me. And it won't stop me for reading more of this authors books. 3⭐

Pam Jenoff writes some of the best WWII Historical Fiction and her newest - Code Name Sapphire out next Tuesday, February 7th is one I recommend you check out.

Set in Belgium, Code Name Sapphire is about two cousins and the choices they make. When one volunteers for a secret resistance network and unknowingly sets up her cousin and family in harms way. This is a powerful novel about love, family and the unshakable resilience of women in even the hardest of times.

I'm pretty picky about my WWII Resistance books and I like that it was based on real Comet Resistance line and that the train rescue was also based on a true story. @PamJenoff has a way with words and telling stories that you don't want to put her books down. This story felt unique and I love how much research goes into it and the author's note was exactly what I needed when I finished reading.

With this novel, Jenoff has delivered an engaging story set during World War II highlighting the role women played in the role of the Resistance. Hannah and Lily are cousins that are both dealing with the War in two very different ways. Lily is living her life relatively untouched by the war, while Hannah is very much involved in Resistance efforts. But when Hannah finds herself in trouble, Lily does come to her rescue. But what happens when her continued efforts put Lily and her family in danger?
Based on real events, this story pulled me in from the first page. While there is no shortage of World War II fiction to choose from, this one still managed to keep me engaged and left me a little surprised with the twist as well.

Hannah flees Germany only to be turned back from Cuba to Belgium. Her cousin Lily takes her into her house but Hannah wants so badly to get out of occupied Europe that she joins the Resistance—Sapphire. Very tense read including arrests, prison camps, escapes, and traitors.

This book lived up to everything I thought it would deliver and much more.
I knew next to nothing about partisan activity and resistance through Belgium during WWII. Jenoff does an incredible job of describing the situations so meticulously.
I liked how she intertwined Hannah’s and Lily’s stories as well as their intersections with Micheline and Matteo.
The ending had me reeling with shock. I already had contempt for once of the main characters for her careless action that led to more danger and then to find her duplicity was a punch in the gut.
The heroic actions of all the resistance during WWII should always be honored.

Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite authors and I have loved each of her books. Code Name Sapphire swept me in with suspense and historical facts that were sprinkled throughout. I loved that the book is focused on one of the resistance lines getting airman out of Brussels and back to their home countries. The ways in which the men were moved and the effort within the resistance was astounding. There were parts of the book where I hesitated and could not wrap my head around how they did not get caught.

Hannah is a young woman who just lost her husband and unborn child in Germany due to their activity in the resistance, she draws anti-fascist political cartoons. She must get out of the country before it is too late. She boards a ship going to Cuba, the ship is turned back, and all of the passengers are brought back to Europe. The only family she has left is her cousin Lily, in Brussels. Lily takes in Hannah into her stately home that she has built with her husband Nik and their son Georgi. Hannah finds herself struggling and wanting to get back into resistance work. She meets a handsome man, Matteo, who is deeply entrenched in the Sapphire Line. Hannah quickly immerses herself into this group, hoping they will find a way for her to get out of Brussels. Will her desire to get out of the county place Lily and her family in harm's way?

This is a quick read, which keeps your eyes focused on the page. I had a tough time connecting with the characters. I wish there was more background given. I feel like I am missing out on Hannah's cartoons in Germany and Micheline's background with the resistance. There is a love triangle that weaves its way throughout the story. That brings twinges of jealousy between the between Lily and Hannah. The ending is shocking, and I must say I did not see it coming. My jaw hit the floor and my eyes closed in shock. Thank you to Pam Jenoff, Park Row Books, and TLC Book Tours for this fast action read.

WWII holocaust fiction⁣
-resistance elements⁣
-love triangle ⁣
-unexpected betrayal
Characters that make you feel all of the emotions.

Quick and Dirty⁣
-WWII holocaust fiction⁣
-resistance elements⁣
-love triangle ⁣
-unexpected betrayal⁣
⁣
Synopsis⁣
Forced to flee Berlin after suffering a terrible personal tragedy, Hannah finds herself adrift. Her only hope is her cousin Lily who, for the time being, is able to live freely in Brussels as a Belgian-born Jew. Not long after finding safety in the arms of Lily and her family, Hannah is sucked back into her Resistance work by the promise of passage to America by the enigmatic Micheline and her handsome brother Matteo. It’s not long before her work becomes dangerous, putting both her and Lily’s family at risk. As the Nazis close in on the network, Hannah’s decision to impersonate her cousin changes the course of everyone’s life. ⁣
⁣
Musings⁣
WWII fiction is my favorite, so this screamed my name from the moment I read the synopsis. Luckily, my gut instinct wasn't wrong. I devoured this book with lightning speed, getting easily sucked into the interpersonal drama and the overall plot. This story is told in two acts: Act I is a bit slower with much focus on Hannah while Act II is much more fast-paced with a focus on Lily. Once I started Act II it became hard to put this one down. I had to know what happened next! As for the ending, I wanted a nice, neat ending that probably belongs in a romance novel; Jenoff's ending is much more realistic, a stark reminder of what life during an occupation is like. Personally, I would've liked a bit more explanation behind the betrayal and a bit more internal dialogue about the conflicting feelings created by the love triangle. But this is still a solid WWII historical fiction that many readers will love!

Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff was a moving historical fiction novel set in both Nazi occupied Berlin, Germany and Brussels, Belgium during World War II. I have read almost all of Pam Jenoff’s books so I was so excited when I saw that she had written a new book. I couldn’t wait to read it. It never ceases to amaze me how new information about World War II is constantly being discovered and written about in such detail. Code Name Sapphire was based on true events that I had had no knowledge of before reading this book. In my opinion, the criteria for a good historical fiction novel is when the novel lends itself to introducing new and unknown historical facts to the reader. Code Name Sapphire managed to do that for me. I enjoyed the character development in this book, especially the three female protagonists. Code Name Sapphire was fast paced, well plotted and impeccably researched. It was extremely hard to pull myself away from it.

Hannah Martel lived in Berlin, Germany. She and her fiancé Isaac had been part of the resistance in Berlin. Isaac had owned a kosher butcher shop. Hannah was an artist. She drew anti-Fascist cartoons for an underground newspaper but she never signed her cartoons with her real name. Maxim was the pseudonym Hannah had used. Her fiancé was in charge of printing the newspaper and handing them out. The printing press that was used to print the newspaper was located in the back of the butcher shop that Hannah’s fiancé owned. One night, Nazis soldiers forced their way into to the butcher shop. There was a yellow star painted on the door that identified the shop as being owned by Jews. Both Hannah and Isaac had hidden as soon as they heard the disturbance. Isaac tried to distract the Nazis from discovering Hannah and the printing press but to no avail. The Nazis brutally murdered Isaac and destroyed the printing press. They now knew Hannah’s real identity. That night, Hannah lost everything that was important to her in her life. She lost Isaac, the man she loved with her whole heart and her unborn child. Hannah had no time to grieve, though. She had to get out of Germany before the Nazis found her. Hannah sought help from friends and boarded a ship that was going to Havana, Cuba. However, once the ship arrived, the passengers were denied entry into not only Havana but the United States as well. The passengers, most of them Jewish, were about to face their worst fears. They were being sent back to occupied Europe. Hannah had a cousin in Belgium. She had not spoken to her in years but when they were young they were as close as sisters. Hannah sent a telegram to her cousin Lily Abels and hoped she would vouch for her and allow her to stay with her until Hannah could get to America.

When Hannah arrived in Antwerp, her cousin Lily was waiting for her. Lily was now married to a surgeon and also had a son. She welcomed Hannah warmly and brought her to her home in Brussels. Lily led a very comfortable and almost privileged life in Brussels. Even though the Nazis occupied Brussels, they had not disrupted the lives of the people living there yet. Hannah tried all the legal and safe ways to get to America but nothing looked even remotely possible. While living at Lily’s home, Hannah got in the habit of waking up early and going for a walk or run. On one such morning, Hannah observed a man in a park leaving a note under a rock. Hannah wondered if he was part of a resistance group. A few days later, Hannah observed the same man in a park near Lily’s home. She decided to approach the man to find out if her suspicions were correct. Perhaps a resistance network could get her safely to America. It was worth a try. That was how Hannah met Matteo and his sister Micheline and how she became involved in the Sapphire Line. Micheline was a twenty three year old woman. She was the mastermind of the Sapphire Line that helped downed and injured pilots get out of occupied Europe so they could fly and fight again. Micheline promised Hannah she would try to get her out of occupied Europe if she helped their cause.

Hannah was becoming more and more involved with the operations of the Sapphire Line. Desperate to complete an assignment, Hannah decided to do something that ended up putting her cousin Lily and her family in danger. Lily was arrested and was ultimately sent to Breendonk, a transit camp. She was assigned to work in the laundry. Then one morning, a group of new arrivals arrived at Breendonk. Among the new arrivals were Lily’s husband and son. Lily was so happy to see them yet so sad that they had ended up at Breendonk at the same time. Her husband told Lily that the police had come to their home, had arrested them and had brought them to Breendonk. A few weeks later, Lily, her husband and son had been selected for deportation. Lily learned that they were being sent to Auschwitz. She knew that they would not survive. Lily was able to get word out of the camp to tell Hannah about the fate they were facing. With intricate planning, Hannah and Matteo were able to stop the train on the tracks, open the doors and free a good many prisoners. Lily and her family were not in the car they were supposed to be in, though. Would Hannah and Matteo be able to find them in time to free them? What would Lily and her family’s fate be?

Code Name Sapphire was inspired by the true event of how a train bounded for Auschwitz was liberated. These brave people who attempted and succeeded in doing this should be honored as heroes and never forgotten. Their bravery, courage and determination were undeniably one of the most, if not the most inspiring and heroic acts that occurred during the Holocaust, in my opinion. I had never heard about this until Pam Jenoff wrote about this in her book. The resistant groups who cared enough to risk their own lives to save downed pilots were also so brave and selfless. The ship Hannah took to Havana and was ultimately returned to occupied Europe was inspired by the events that actually happened to the ship called the St. Louis. Code Name Sapphire was about family, antisemitism, sacrifices, secrets, friendships, courage, bravery, leadership, taking risks, love, hope, choices and actions. There were twists in the plot that kept me guessing and an unexpected twist at the end that I did not see coming. If you enjoy historical fiction, I recommend reading Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff very highly. Publication is set for February 7, 2023.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing/ Park Row Publishers for allowing my to read Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff through Netgalley in exchange for my voluntary and honest review.

I’m always completely fascinated reading about real heroic events that have taken place during WW2. I’m just in awe of people and their bravery during this time. In Code Name Sapphire we follow a few different characters as they plan and implement a rescue off of a train that is making its way to Auschwitz, a concentration camp. I enjoyed this book for the most part, however there were aspects of it that I would have enjoyed more of. I felt like we only got to know the characters on the surface and I was looking for some more depth to the challenges they were facing. I would have liked a bit more about the historical events that occurred in this story and the ending was a bit abrupt for me personally.

Nevertheless, I love Pam Jenoff’s books and this was still a page turner for me. These characters were admirable and I enjoyed the real historical events tied to the book.

It's no secret that I have a weak spot for WWII fiction... And especially if it offers a setting or angle that hasn't been written about often. Code Name Sapphire seems to be offering both and I've enjoyed Pam Jenoff's historical fiction in the past, so of course the decision whether to read this newest story was an easy one. And while it sadly didn't fully live up to expectations, it was still a solid enough read.

One of the things that makes Code Nam Sapphire stand out is the fact that the story is mostly set in Belgium, and it focuses on the resistance network there and how the group tries to save British airmen. It is refreshing to have a WWII story set in Belgium for a change, and in cities I've visited myself in the past... Which is probably why it's a shame there wasn't more focus on the descriptions of the different settings as well as what daily life was like in Belgium during the war. This would definitely have taken the story to the next level for me... Even though I did like the references to some of the historical events (details are changed though).

The story has a multiple POVs structure, using the POV of three women to tell the story. There is Micheline, who is the leader of the resistance network and for me the strongest character by far. Then we have the Jewish Hannah, who is forced to flee Germany and has worked for the resistance before... And there is also her cousin Lily, who is a Belgian Jew living in Brussels. Like I said, I much preferred Micheline over the other two, and I kind of wish there would have been more focus on her character. I wasn't really a fan of Hannah or Lily, and my dislike only increased as the story developed and certain things were revealed... Hannah is supposed to be the heroine, but she didn't come over as such for me.

Like I said before, I did like the historical aspect of Code Name Sapphire and its focus on Belgium, the resistance network and the rescues of the British airman. There is also focus on a true event inspired escape from a train headed towards Auschwitz, which I hadn't heard about before and made me want to know more. It's a shame that the historical aspect wasn't more detailed, because that would really have improved the reading experience for me... Instead, there was a lot of focus on family relations as well as the romance angle. Oh yes, this story includes the dreaded love triangle as well as a cheating vibe, and it truly put a damper on things for me. I don't think it added anything substantial to the plot either; the story would have been a lot stronger without it.

I can't deny that I still love the premise though, and it was interesting to learn a bit more about Belgium during WWII and the resistance network. I would have loved more focus on the historical and less on the romance, but I know most people won't mind... And despite my niggles, Code Name Sapphire there is no doubt that is still a solid piece of WWII fiction.