This book was utterly fantastic! It tells the dual timeline story of Adele, a schoolteacher in France during the Second World War, and an older lady who in modern times goes back to that area of France every year. Although this book was fiction, it definitely drummed home to me that things like this really did happen and I found it just so sad. The author did a fantastic job of recreating what happened and made me not want to put this book down at all. I didn’t know how the two main characters were connected until mid way through and I was so blown away by this revelation. I haven’t read anything else by this author but I’m definitely going to read more!

This was a fabulous read full of suspense, love and intrigue. What an amazing woman to risk her life to save others. This was a captivating story from beginning to end.

Thanks to netgalley for providing an advanced copy for the purpose of review

This was a gripping and emotional historical read with a dual time frame. We'll written and tugged at the heart strings.

What a beautiful book. A WW2 book where a dance teacher hides Jewish children out of Paris. This completely tugged on my heart strings the entire time. I highly recommend this to anyone who is a lover of historical fiction and WW2 set stories.

Kept me awake most of the night as I just had to finish it. A great read… grabbed my attention from the first page… with each new revelation, I just kept wanting to turn the pages… I highly recommend this book

Talk about tugging at your heart strings!!
This book had it all, well developed characters, a heartwrenching story and a well researched storyteller.
I throughly enjoyed each side of this timeslip. Each story flowed together well and I looked forward to seeing how the two worlds collided. There were some definite surprises along the way.
This is my first read by Fortin and definitely won’t be my last!


Thanks to Net Galley and Embla books for the advanced copy.

The story flips between the Second World War and modern times, with plenty of adventure and romance in both. I found the time-changes easy to follow and the story was really tense and gripping. Highly recommended.

A gripping and emotional read set in dual timelines of Nazi occupied Paris in 1942 and 2015 UK.
Adele is a dance teacher and is concerned when Nazi soldiers demand the names of her Jewish children. She cannot turn a blind eye when the children are at risk. She uses the attic space to conceal and feed the Jewish children until she can help them move safely out of Paris.
In 2015, in the UK, Fleur agrees to help her grandmother confront the past and horrific memories. They return to Paris and uncover secrets that have been hidden for decades. A beautiful story of love, compassion and confronting the past. A superb read. #thedanceteacherofParis #suzannefortin #embla

I have newly discovered that I like historical fiction so I am just dipping my toes in at the moment and this was a brilliant dip! So beautifully written, it had me gripped and moved in equal measures.

An engrossing story of Paris, 1942, from the perspective of dance teachers, trying to keep children safe from the Nazis. Great historical fiction. That kept me coming back for more, but also the dual timeline including 2015 added to the story in an additionally interesting way.

Really enjoyed this book, had to keep turning the pages to find out what happens next, 1942 Paris is occupied by Germans and to make matters worse Adele sister is involved with a German Officer. But as a teacher along with her father she wants to keep the school going and starts doing dance lesson at end of day to take the children's minds of hunger and fear. Then she is asked to produce a list of her Jewish children.

She find this deplorable and tries her best to aid the children, even if she puts herself at risk.

This is a dual timeline novel. In 1942 occupied Paris, Adele is a teacher who holds an hour long dance class in the afternoons. When the Nazis demand a list of her Jewish students, she springs into action and hides students and their mothers in the dance school attic. With her friend and romantic interest Manu, who is the curator of a museum next door, she devises a plan to get them out of Paris. Things are complicated and made more tense and suspenseful because her sister is dating a German officer. In the present timeline of 2015, an elderly woman Lydia lives in England who makes yearly trips to Paris.. This year, she has decided to bring her granddaughter Fleur with her and reveal her past. The two timelines eventually converge and the connection is revealed. Usually in dual timeline stories I am less interested in the present day timeline but in this novel I was more intrigued by trying to figure out how Lydia was connected to the past timeline. This is an emotional, poignant story of courage, bravery, sacrifice and love.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it certainly won't be the last! I am well read in this genre and yet I found the points of view from the characters to be new and refreshing. To read a character in love against all odds with the enemy, to read about what Parisians had to do to alienate Jewish people and to read a character who had survived after being a child in the war was interesting and engaging. The dual timelines stop and start in perfect positions and I love the way that the author lets tidbits of information slip out here and there instead of huge revelations of everything right at the end. There were times that I couldn't bear to pick it up again but not from lack of interest, just that I couldn't cope with the dialogue or scenario on the page at that current time. The author really does write gripping and accurately awful scenes that delve into what the climate must have been like. I'd like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for a temporary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy. This book was so well researched and written. I was captivated by both timelines from the start and enjoyed this book immensely. I couldn't wait to get back reading it each time. This is the first book I've read from this author but I can't wait to read more ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

When Fleur goes to Paris with her grandmother to learn the story from her past, she also discovers what she truly wants. A story told in 1942 and in 2015. The story of Adele trying to save some Jews by hiding them in her school, with the help of her friend Manu, under the nose of her sister who is seeing a German officer, is great. Rich storytelling full of a variety of characters. However the 2015 story of Fleur is not as engrossing, and you just want to get back to finding out what happened with Adele.

I didn't connect with this book as I hoped. The story was plausible and the research strong, but I didn't connect with the voice. Thank you for the opportunity to read.

This historical fiction based on WW2 is a great book to read. Although fiction I am sure that the basis of this novel a true facts. There is so much emotion within these pages that make this a great book to be read. 5 stars. and I recommend reading this.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

The best historical fiction I have read for a long time! I teared up at points it was so heartbreaking to see the sacrifices and working together of the people of Paris.

Thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book, I’m forever grateful

I absolutely love historical fiction and this reminds me why , it’s heartfelt and heartbreaking and shows the horrors of what happens but also shows that hope and light always wins.

This is not a light fluffy read. It’s a heavy, story that too many people were forced to endure, although it’s historical fiction.
Adele is a teacher but she also hides some of her students during one of the most evil and pernicious periods in history. Lydia was one of those children and every year she revisits Paris to remember and commemorate.
At times I found the 1942 time frame almost unbearable to read and liked the 2015 angle better.
One of the lessons of the past is to heed its warnings, a melody people often don’t want to dance to or hear.