An interesting book that just didn't feel all the way there for me. I enjoyed it, but didn't really take much away from this book. I think it'd be perfect for book clubs though! 3.5/5

One of the standout aspects of "The Book Spy" is Hlad's skillful storytelling. His ability to weave together a complex and thrilling narrative is truly commendable. The book effortlessly combines elements of historical fiction, espionage, and mystery, creating a rich and multifaceted reading experience.

THE GOOD:
Fascinating true stories of Americans sent to Portugal, and other neutral countries, to obtain Axis power intel not available in Allied newsprint.
Our leading lady forms a lovely attachment to a bookseller, so there is some romance in there too, to give the story some depth.
Leading lady Maria is put in the pickle of having to cozy up to a Swiss businessman, who is aligned with the Nazis, and doing so without compromising her integrity, which is a tricky feat.

THE BAD:
The cover; I get the vibe this was AI-generated, and it just isn't moving or inspirational.
The novel was enjoyable, but just didn't have enough of that "it" factor or emotional impact to push it up to a 5-star review for me.

CONCLUSION:
Recommended. Great for Book Clubbers and WWII fiction fans.

I love historical fiction books and especially those that are set during WWII. This one was a wonderful addition to that genre and a different focus than those I have typically read. The author has done an amazing job with research and provided a story based on little-known facts from the war. The characters are so well developed and meeting the main character, Maria, as you delve into the story will take you on an amazing journey. She is a strong, dedicated, resourceful, and intelligent young woman. Her willingness to do whatever it took to be a part of the the group of librarians and their part in helping with the war effort during WWII. The relationship that develops with Tiago who is selfless and brave added a bit of warmth to the story. Wonderful characters and an amazing story will have you flipping through the pages quickly to see how things will resolve at the end. This is definitely one to put on your to-be-read list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

This novel did not disappoint...I was hooked throughout the whole story, Thank you #AlanHlad for this new story! I would also like to recommend his Churchill novel as well for readers of historical fiction, it was just as entertaining.

I really loved this book. I love reading books about espionage in WWII, especially by women. I had never heard of librarians joining the war effort in neutral countries like Portugal, so this book was so fascinating and entertaining. I would definitely recommend this book (and any other by Alan Hlad) for anyone who likes to read historical fiction. 5 stars! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

It is 1942 and Maria Alves is a microfilm expert currently working at the New York Public Library. She learns of a plan, put together by President Roosevelt, to send librarians and microfilm experts to Europe to search through public records for information that might prove useful to war effort. Eager to be a part of this, Maria finagles a way in to a meeting to offer her talents. Being a woman, she's initially discounted as one of these types of spies, but her temerity impresses the right people and she's offered a post in Portugal.
There, Maria finds some very useful information buried deep in the microfilm files of buildings used by the Germans for ammunition manufacturing. She also frequents a used book store where she finds useful books that provide a wealth of information. She becomes friendly, then romantically friendly, with the bookseller, Tiago, who supports her searching.

Maria also becomes acquainted with a powerful man, Swiss banker Lars Steiger, who is supporting the Nazi war efforts. Maria's superiors ask her to become a double agent, giving Lars false information for him to pass on. This works well, but it puts her bookselling friend in great danger when he is sent to prison for being a part of the resistance.

I found this book to be quite interesting - I must admit that this is an area of espionage that I had not heard about, but as presented here by author Alan Hlad, made a great deal of sense. There is a wealth of information to be found at libraries and book stores that many of us might not otherwise consider. From a historical aspect, this was really great.

From a story perspective, I found this a bit dull. I was never really drawn in to Maria's world. Everything was presented directly to us (telling, not showing) so we as readers were kept at arms length throughout. Because of this, the romance was simply something that happened - we had no feelings for those involved, so Maria's reactions later on, when Tiago is imprisoned, just doesn't matter.

Similarly, there's no real tension as Maria becomes a double agent, other than the general tension of knowing someone is doing something dangerous. It's a very passive feeling rather than something that impacts us directly.

Some of this is a product of dialog:

"Frederick Kilgour recruited me," Roy said. "He's from Harvard, but he's recently taken on the role as head of the IDC - it's an acronym for Interdepartmental Committee for the Acquisition of Foreign Publications."
Who talks this way? It's just info-dumping disguised as dialog. And at one point, Maria says:

"I admitted to deceiving the Astors in a last-ditch attempt to speak with him about joining the IDC. I thought I might be arrested, but Donovan was impressed with me gate-crashing the event and he told me to expect a call from Kilgour."
This is too much information for Maria to relay given that we had JUST read the account of what happened. We were there for it, why do we need to have her telling someone else about it? It's little moments like this that hold the book back.

Looking for a good book? The Book Spy by Alan Hlad is a fascinating WWII historical fiction book that suffers a bit in the story-telling, but the premise is worth reading about.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

WWII fiction, based on actual people.

Fascinating story told from several views. The story and characters have stuck with me long after finishing. Would recommend to fans of Kate Quinn, Lauren Willig, and Kelly Rimmer.

I am a huge historical fiction lover and this one is even better because it includes my favourite thing books. I fully enjoyed this and definitely recommend.

I love books that feature librarians, booksellers and the worlds that they inhabit. This title shows how some of those who worked with books were essential to the WW2 war effort.

As the story opens, Maria Alves is working at the New York Public Library. She leaves the city when she is tapped for a mission to Portugal at the OSS’s request. Maria will be sending microfilmed documents to London for analysis.

Maria works with and gets to know Tiago. He is a bookstore owner but is also doing much more in his own war effort to help save those who are Jewish. The plot gets even deeper and more complex when Maria is given yet another assignment. Readers will turn the pages hoping that she is successful and alive at the novel’s conclusion.

There are so many WW2 books out now yet I still recommend this one. The setting, characters and plot will engage the reader.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

The Book Spy was a great read by Alan Hlad. An American librarian and a Portuguese bookseller are on a mission to change the tide of the war. In 1942, the war's outcome is hanging in the balance. Every single piece of intelligence can be critical. President Roosevelt sends an unlikely new taskforce on a unique mission. The librarian and microfilm specialists are trained in espionage. They work with a special branch of the Office of Strategic Services. They acquire Axis newspapers, books, technical manuals, and periodicals. They gather information about troop location, weaponry, and military plans. Maria Alves is one of those experts that worked at the New York Public Library. She is dispatched to Lisbon to meticulously photograph publications and send the film to London to be analyzed. She works with Tiago Soares, who is a honorable bookstore owner on a mission of his own. He is providing Jewish refugees with forged passports and visas. The two grow closer but their future is jeopardized. Her superiors as her to pose as a double agent, feeding misinformation to Lars Steiger. He is a wealthy Swiss banker and Nazi sympathizer that ends up laundering Hitler's gold. I enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more by the author.

A well written look at a little explored part of WWII history- the use of librarians in the war effort. Maria is a terrific character who will engage the reader and her story keeps the pages turning. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc. For fans of the genre.

The Book Spy was disappointing – having read about the subject already, I found this version was too implausible & unconvincing. Normally I like learning about history through a fictionalised story, but this one didn’t live up to my high hopes. There were too many gaps over explaining how things could possibly have worked out – the reader’s credulity was strained far too often. The storyline itself was promising, but its execution was too shallow for the seriousness of the subject.

What is your favorite novel or movie that has a female spy?

The Book Spy is an intriguing new WWII historical fiction novel. Maria Alves is a microfilm expert at the New York Public Library. One of her colleagues becomes a part of a new government program that is sending librarians that are microfilm experts to Europe as part of a new branch of the Office of Strategic Service. In Europe, the librarians will work as espionage agents to look through newspapers, magazines, and books that could contain any information that will help with the Allied cause. Maria uses her wit to be recruited and she is sent to Lisbon, Portugal. While there she meets Tiago Soares. He runs a bookstore, but is also helping Jewish refugees escape Europe with counterfeit passports and visas. As the war progresses, both of their futures are thrown into question as Maria becomes a double agent. Will they be able to help push the allies to their final victory, and will they survive?

I adored this novel. It had a bit of everything – romance, intrigue, suspense. I love learning something new in a historical fiction novel and I felt like I learned so much in The Book Spy. I had no idea that this program existed in WWII and it was fascinating to learn about. I’ve also never read a WWII novel set in Portugal and I learned a lot about what was going on in that part of the world during the war. Over one million refuges escaped through the port of Lisbon. I also learned about the tragic crashing of the Yankee Clipper through Maria experiencing it in this novel. It was a heartbreaking accident. Maria and Tiago were both very brave characters and I enjoyed reading about them. The side characters were interesting as well.

The Book Spy was the Brenda Novak Book Group February selection. I was a bit behind on reading it, but I enjoyed listening to Brenda Novak interview author Alan Hlad at her monthly book club on Facebook. Alan Hlad stated that he likes character driven novels with characters that you root for. He succeeded with that in the The Book Spy.

The Book Spy ended with a great author’s note that detailed all of the real history and historical characters in the novel. It was fascinating. It also had great questions to use if you read this with a book club.

Review Copy from Netgalley. Thank-you! I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

It's amazing that there are still new WII stories to tell. This one, featuring a librarian spy, was absolutely fascinating.

Princess Fuzzypants here: after Pearl Harbour, when America entered WWII, many patriotic citizens joined up. For women, there were limited opportunities and for female librarians who were experts in microfilming, it was tough to get the old boy’s club to acknowledge and use their special skills. Maria has life experiences that complement her skills but she still has to go to extremes to catch the eye of Bill Donovan. When he sends her to Lisbon, she proves her mettle and more.

A chance meeting at a casino puts her into the spy game and she proves to be as good as any of the guys. She is instrumental in fooling the Nazis by passing along false information including information of where the Allied invasion would land. Along the way, she meets and falls in love with a bookseller who has been striving to help Jewish refugees escape Europe. Their two stories are powerful, moving and exciting. I found myself riveted.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Thank you NetGalley & Kensington Books.

I went into this book thinking I would be on the edge of my seat with a fast paced page turner. That is not the Book Spy. While the story itself is well written and intriguing it does come across as very slow and a bit monotonous. I feel this had an opportunity to be a lot more action packed and that opportunity was missed.

Despite the shortcomings I did enjoy The Book Spy.

4 Stars rounded up from 3.5

Wow! What a fascinating story! I really knew nothing of the role Portugal played during WWII and found myself sidetracked and looking up various interesting things. A true sign that the author had me totally engaged in the story. So much of the story is based on facts, a page turning history lesson. The description of the surroundings was excellent as I had been to a couple of the places. The story of Maria and the courage to do all she can to aid the Allies against the Nazis and of Tiago to help the Jewish refugees escape the horrors of the Nazis was a gripping and had me spellbound.
Only only wish there be a continuation! I want to know what happened to some of the characters. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #TheBookSpy

Wow, what a great story! WWII historical fiction books can get a little repetitive, but this book is unique and unlike any story I've read before. It is set mainly in Lisbon, Portugal and focuses on a little known event in history where U.S. librarians acted as intelligence agents, deployed overseas to microfilm publications which were then analyzed for strategic information to use in the war effort against the Germans. Many Jewish refugees fled to Lisbon as a safe harbor and from there tried to gain passage to places such as America. This book reads as smooth as butter--I never got hung up on a sentence, re-read the same paragraph a few times, or was confused about what was happening. This book has courage, espionage, love, duty, and suspense. And it totally took me down a rabbit hole because it included so many factual happenings--an airplane crash, the Germans effort to collect wolfram to use in their manufacture of their tanks, a Portuguese prison, and real people in history. It was so good...

Something about Alan Hlad's novels always has me looking up historical references. I was intrigued by this book's setting during World War 2. Before this novel, I knew nothing about Portugal's stances during World War 2.

Now the writing was fairly easy to follow. There were a few scenes where it seemed repetitive, where actions or thoughts were being repeated more than twice. The dialogue and action scenes were well-balanced although in my opinion, a few of the character's thoughts could portrayed differently with either a subtle dialogue or physical reflection of the character(s). Overall conclusion, I felt the character developments & the connections were solid. I enjoyed Maria's character with her spit-fire determination to do anything for her country, even if it means social engineering her way into situations.

I highly recommend this book. I already mentioned it to several friends because this one is different. Out of the hundreds of historical novels set in World War 2, this book takes you to a different place I never would of considered. This is what I enjoy about historical fiction novels, especially Alan Hlad's novel. He provides something new and different I want to discover before the stories are forgotten over time.