Thank you @netgalley and @simonschusterca for sending me this book for review. Opinions are my own.
“A sweeping historical novel following a Jewish woman attempting to bring justice to her family on the eve of World War II.”
The Jazz Club Spy takes place in 1939, on the eve of World War II. Giddy is a Russian Jewish immigrant living with her family in the tenements on the Lower East Side, working as a cigarette girl at a Manhattan jazz club. Giddy’s family fled Russia 19 years earlier, following a pogrom that killed many from her village, including some of her own family members. When, on a streetcar in NYC, she sees one of the Cossacks that attacked her family, she makes it her personal mission to track him down and confront him. It soon becomes clear that she’s not the only one looking for him, and she teams up with the Chief Commissioner of Immigration at Ellis Island, who is hunting the same man. He suspects the Russian is involved in an assassination plot that will destroy American and Soviet relations, and he enlists Giddy to moonlight as a spy for him.
I was surprised at how into this book I ended up getting. It was confusing at times, trying to keep track of all the espionage and who was spying on who and who was on which side, but I got the jist of it. And it was definitely a bit far-fetched. Giddy is basically convinced by those that enlisted her as a spy that her actions to will help stop an international crisis and ultimately stop American from entering World War II in 1939.
However, there were certain points in the book where I almost felt like I was supposed to feel sorry for the Russian that participated in the pogroms in Russia, or at least try to understand him more. And that made me really uncomfortable. So for that reason, I’m giving this book 3 stars, where I might have otherwise rated it a little bit higher.

Years ago, I read and loved the Midwife of Venice by Roberta Rich. The story opened my eyes to the history of Venice providing a memorable viewpoint I haven’t forgotten. In The Jazz Club Spy, Rich introduces us to Giddy Brodsky, a Jewish jazz club cigarette girl who barely survived a massacre in her Russian hometown to start a new life in New York. One day, Giddy spots the Cossack responsible for her tragedy and uses her connection, Carter, at the club who works at Ellis Island only too willing to help her identify the man. What follows is an opportunity for Giddy to help her new country by providing Carter with information sending her into dangerous predicaments. A wonderful look at 1930s New York at the dawn of the second world war and a peek at the undercurrents of the spy world where no one is who they seem. his book explores serious subject matter including: sex, class, race, and religion. Giddy is an unforgettable character who follows her heart, but is unwilling to settle for a quiet betrayal, and ultimately comes out victorious thanks to her gumption and capitalizing on others underestimating her. his book is perfect for those who love historical fiction, with a spy twist! This story is memorable and like Rich’s book from long ago, I leave learning more about the history of a place I thought I knew. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon Schuster Canada for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

If you like war time fiction, in particular stories of what women did to get through the war times you will like this book. The story is fun and intriguing but at times over the top and was slightly too over the top for me although I did enjoy the book. If you’re looking for a light fun, historical fiction this book could be for you.

An interesting piece of historical fiction that was a quick read with a great range of characters. Set primarily in the States, particularly NYC, there was suspense, with Rich giving just enough info to keep you engaged in the story and wanting to keep reading. This was a fresh story, with a fabulous main character. Perhaps I liked The Midwife of Venice (an earlier novel of the author’s better?), but certainly am glad to have been given a copy of this to read. Thanks to @simonandschusterca and @netgalley for the arc.

A fast bingeable read. I love historical fiction. Sometimes this one felt like a little too much. But was a fun read.

I used to love reading historical fiction, but I haven’t in a long time. I’m so glad I read this book - I really loved it!

I enjoy mostly historical fiction surrounding WWII, but it was especially interesting to read a book set in the USA, while the world is on the precipice of WWII.

Giddy is a remarkable and resilient young woman. She is resourceful and fearless, and I have so much respect for her character. The cloak and dagger spy craft was intriguing and definitely drove the plot along at a great pace.

The intricacies of the relationships between Giddy, her mom and Arnold added so much emotional depth; this isn’t just a thriller!

This book was short and intriguing. I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction and this felt new and different. The story takes place in the US where the war’s effects were very different. Reading from the POV of a Russian Jewish girl who immigrated to American is different. It felt a little predictable but I don’t view that as a bad thing. But at the same time it tackled topics I did not expect and I loved that. It was a great read for the story, for the people it represented and for a different perspective.

This was a suspenseful historical fiction thriller featuring a Russian American Jewish woman seeking vengeance against the man who raped her mother. Set in late 1930s New York, this book was full of intrigue, romance and tons of heart. I was pleasantly surprised by the how much I fell in love with the MC, Giddy Brodsky.

Determined to make it in America but unable to forget the horrors of her past, Giddy jumps at the chance to help track down the man responsible for her mother's pain. Along the way she gets entangled with a married man and has to face some tough decisions. Great on audio and perfect for fans of Pam Jenoff and Heather Marshall. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for an early digital and physical ARC copy in exchange for my honest review!

CW: rape, abortion

This is a refreshing take on almost WWII historical fiction. I really liked that it was set in New York in 1939 with flashbacks to 1919 Ukraine. I always appreciate reading about cultures, places and time periods that I am not familiar with. The Lower East Side of Manhattan and the European Jews who lived there satisfied my love of social history. At times, I felt that the pacing felt a little off. The ending especially as all of a sudden everything was happening but this was an enjoyable spy novel/ historical history mashup.

2.5 stars

This was an interesting story but I found it to be very depressing.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster Canada through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you, Simon & Schuster Canada.

this was such a well written book i really fell in love with the characters. i just really enjoyed it and finished it quite quickly !

A really strong start but fell into predictability half way through for this historical ficiton read.

The story started with a brutal scene and I was instantly hooked. It was ugly and raw which gave us the back story to our main character Giddy.

I love Giddy as a character and I think she was well written. She is smart as an individual and has heen forced to grow up too fast at a young age, having witnessed the devastating crime of her village being destroyed, along with the lost of loved ones. However, she still has this innocent in her that made her too trusting to a handsome face that is a constant visitor at the Jazz Club she worked at as a cigarette girl and it leads to a lot of trouble she did not need.

The Jazz Club scenes were excellent and I wanted more. The atmosphere created was wonderful and again, part of the strong start. I felt like all of that disappeared after 25% into the book. Then the story became quite predictable and I wasn’t surprised by any of the following events that took place and a little disappointed by how blinded Giddy was over a handsome stranger's face.

Giddy is a strong, and brave individual who survived through so much to make it to America with her parents that I found it a bit hard that she would fall for someone so quickly. That part didn’t really fit with her character personality to me.

I did enjoy the parts of Giddy being a spy and I love the relationship she has with her ma and little brother. There were many emotional parts with their past history that was excellent to get through.

This being called The Jazz Club spy, I was expecting more spying in the Jazz Club but was disappointed that it wasn’t. The story felt a bit disconnected without real need of the Jazz Club. Giddy could have worked in a restaurant or a clothing store and the story wouldn't have been effected.

The pacing was well done but I felt the writing could have been better. Of course this being an ARC, the writing can change and I am hoping the last few chapters will be revised a little in writing style. The use of common sayings appeared much more frequently and it lowered the quality of writing to me.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read but I felt like there were parts of the story and action that didn’t match with the strong character Giddy is. The writing started out strong as well but again, it tapered off nearing the end. Having read many books over the years, it was a predictable read too so there was nothing surprising to me. However, I will still recommend giving this book a read because it was still interesting and emotional.

WII historical fiction is my favorite; however, there is so much of it out there that it's difficult to find a fresh premise, so I was intrigued by this book as the setting (New York) and protagonist's background (Russian) are unique for the genre. The historical research and accuracy is sound, and the world of 1930s New York is brought to life with vivid imagery and lush descriptions - I felt that I was moving from the sparkling jazz clubs to the gritty backstreets with Giddy. The author carefully balances the need for the looming cloud of WWII to darken everything, but uses this to heighten the atmosphere and the reader's investment rather than simply creating an oppressive, dreary mood. There is a thriller element to this and the stakes are high - not only are we on the brink of war, but our protagonist is out for revenge, driven by personal heartbreak and justice for her family, which makes it easy for the reader to empathize with her, understand her choices, and root for her.