Thank you to the team at AVON for sending over a copy of this book. I love Paris, I love historical fiction, especially centred around WWII, and flashback timelines, so this hit all the marks for me. Elodie is such a strong woman and her character shone through the pages and I loved learning more about her. I had never heard of Josephine Baker - she’s an incredible woman and her activities throughout the war should be more widely known. The description of Paris and other parts of France made me feel very nostalgic from my own visits. This book had a lot of great things for me and I really enjoyed it - it’s historical fiction with a bit of flair.

Elodie Mitchell leaves Chicago for Paris just before WW2. She is a journalist but then she meets a fellow American, Grant, who recruits her to help with the resistance. Elodie is then introduced to Josephine Baker and gets involved carrying messages, weapons and trying to help in France.. I found this to be an interesting story.

4.5 stars rounded up
Very enjoyable read inspired by the work of Josephine Baker in the French Resistance during WWII, although she is actually not the female lead in this book. Set in Paris at the beginning of the war, it focuses on journalist Elodie, her relationship with Grant, who is also involved in the Resistance, and her friendship with Jo. The combination of espionage, romance, performance, history, and social justice make this a compelling read. There was no author's note in this audiobook though.

If I knew who Josephine Baker was when I first saw this book from Netgalley, I never would have requested it.

What I was hoping would be a clean spy tale wound up being a scandalous thing that left my face burning just a few chapters in.

While I know nightclubs, strippers and provocative dancers may be no biggie to some, it's just plain wrong how this woman acted.

Seriously, making a living selling yourself and your soul to the public is nothing to be proud of, nor what any other women should look up to or model themselves after.

There were so many mentions of Josephine dancing in the nude (in the past and being famous for it), mentions of outfits that barely covered parts that should be covered, and mentions of public posters with her draped over objects. Also, Elodie's landlord (a woman) suggests Elodie needs a nice romantic affair to pick up her life. *cringes*

This was not at all what I expected of this read, and I absolutely do NOT recommend it to anyone.

I received a complimentary e-book from the publisher to review through Netgalley, and was not required to write a positive review. The thoughts and opinions above are my own.

WOW! I don't recall if I've ever read WWII historical fiction, but this was so dynamic and vast and breathtaking. Embassie Susberry is a prolific writer and storyteller and I cannot over-express the absolute care and research that went into writing Code Name Butterfly—it truly shines through on every page. Elodie and Josephine Baker's adventures were so interesting and brave and their desire to help the French resistance fight against the Nazi's. Christine's digging into Elodie's past was so captivating and I loved her as a character as well. This was so excellent.

Thank you to Avon Books UK, Avon, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Wow! I absolutely loved this book.

I loved Elodie and what she stood for. A black skinned woman in Nazi occupied Paris who tried to help as many people as she possibly could.

It kept me turning the pages and wanting to find out more. The characters and story are written very well with some emotional bits thrown in there.

Highly recommend

I just reviewed Code Name Butterfly by Embassie Susberry.
Thank you to NetGalley for a complimentary ebook, This has not influenced my review.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. I have read many many world war 11 novels and this one stands head to head with the best of them. The characters are well developed and believable which certainly adds to the richness of the story. I look forward to more from this author, thank you for sharing this story.

This was an interesting book. I knew nothing about Josephine Baker at the beginning of World War 11 and this story is fascinating. The descriptions of the characters are good, the adventures are interesting with much potential jeopardy. The romance and tragedy are well worked with a number of twists at the end.

I'll start my review with the fact that I really don't read much historical fiction. I always really find myself enjoying these stories, especially those from World War two. This was no exception. This was a fascinating story that I really knew nothing about prior to this book. This was very well written and researched. Definitely something I'll recommend to anyone looking for a historical fiction recommendation.

In this novel, Embassie Susberry tells the story of how Josephine Baker helped spy for the Allies while she was in France.

This book is told from the point of view of Elodie, a young American who came to Paris before WWII in order to write for a black newspaper. Through a bit of confusion, someone mistakes Elly for Josephine. Elly is then asked to stay in France to help in the war effort.

While this book is set mostly in the beginning of WWII, I would not say that it is a typical novel dealing with this time period. Embassie has a wonderfully descriptive way of writing. I found her prose very immersive. Elly is rather naive at the beginning and we see a lot of growth in her character over the course of the novel. She especially struggles with how to combine her Christian faith with necessary wartime actions.

I highly recommend this novel especially to those who are looking for a different view of WWII than we normally get. I gave this 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for an honest review.

A fictional story that takes place around the real story of Josephine Baker during WWII in France. I didn't know much about Josephine Baker but as a spy working for the French Resistance she was incredibly brave. I enjoyed this and it taught me about a perspective of WWII that I wasn't familiar with.

Yes! This was a wonderful book and knowing that it is inspired by a real individual is incredible. This story of resistance and love was beautifully done!

Very interesting plot wound around the true story of Josephine Baker in Paris before and during WW2. We see how the entertainers would become spies using their ability to go to all the social functions without suspicion to gather information. Elodie is a young impressionable woman caught up in this world and agrees to stay in Paris and help the cause. Some long rambling pages at times, and some opportunities lost to engage the reader with jumps in the story, do not detract from an overall good read

A most interesting book using fictional characters working with an historical personality from the time in this case Josephine Baker.. Based around her well documented work with the French resistance this story is set in the early years of WWII and involves a group of mainly American people of colour recruited by Josephine to help with her work .
The author paints a realistic picture of life and France for these ex-pats both before and after the Germans invade.

Wow, a brilliant historical book. Very interesting and well written. I enjoyed this one very much. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I've been wanting a book about Josephine Baker for a long time and Susberry delivers! The main character, Elodie Mitchell, is a student recruited into the resistance and works alongside Baker, along with her handler, Grant. This worked really well in my opinion, as the author could control the story and not ascribe thoughts and feelings to a woman who is so intriguing and fascinating.

Baker's code name is Butterfly; Elodie's is Moth. Light and dark...splashy and subdued. It suited their personalities perfectly as a foil for each other. There's a love story, but what really grabbed me was Elodie's arc and how strong she was by the end and unwilling to compromise her dreams and values.

I also want to note that I never realized that while racism did exist in France, it was a much more accepting environment for Black people than life in the States.

Glamorous, gritty, sweet and sometimes quirky, CODE NAME BUTTERFLY is an unforgettable story not to be missed.

I always enjoy historical fiction where I find a good foundation in reality with interesting fictional characters and events around it. This novel brings both nicely together.
The events take place in France, in the run up to the German occupation and in the early stages of it. Elodie, an American journalist finds herself drawn into the events unravelling in Paris. She meets Grant, who will change her life and she meets Josephine Baker, who will also play a major part in what Elodie gets up to during the war.
The novel takes us into the show business world of Josephine Baker, and also, more importantly, into her involvement in the French Resistance. Elodie finds herself involved in the cause of the free France, in her friendship with Josephine and the group of spies and resistants around her, and she finds herself irresistibly drawn to Grant.
This story evokes many topics that were at play at the time such as war, politics, nationality, religion, race, underground networks and the complexities of loyalty and courage.
I found it an interesting and entertaining read and I learned enough about the role of Josephine Baker during that time that it motivated me to look into her life a bit more. And a historical fiction that sends me digging for more is always a good one for me. It was a pleasure to discover Embassie Susberry. I will definitely find out more about her books too.

I have read a lot of WWII historical fiction and I always seem to learn something new. This one introduced me to the work that Josephine Baker did with the French resistance using her cover as an entertainer. The story is told from the POV of the fictional character of Elly, who ends up masquerading as Baker's cousin. Filled with details about Josephine Baker and complete with danger and romance, it was a very entertaining read, although the end seemed a little rushed. 4.25/5

A five star review for this great insight into the support given to the French Resistance during WW2. I love reading these historical novels and especially when it starts off with present day questions leading into a great story. If you enjoy this type of story follow Elodie, Josephine Baker and their friends in their quest to help others during this dreadful time in history. I could not put this down and was fully enthralled.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the privilege of an early review copy.

I really enjoyed this story. I didn't want to put it down once I started it. The story just drew me in and enlightened me on events that I was not aware of. Definitely pick this one up!