A intriguing story about an English recruiter, Sylvia, as she follows the journey of her trainees. Her job is to find and prepare female spies. Some don’t come back which is hard on Sylvia. What bravery!
This is a duel timeline story of past and present day.
A heartbreaking but important part of history to read about.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Girl who Never Came Back is a haunting novel using facts as a framework for what happened to many SOE agents during WWII, those caught and some of whom were even used as bait by senior civil servants in Intelligence to attempt to confuse their Nazi captors. Cantered on the story of one very young fictional agent who never came back the author explores two seriously important themes. Did those who recruited these young women ever feel guilt and did their families ever question their training?

The story opens late in the twentieth century with the death of Sylvia , an imagined recruitment agent who cared so deeply for her ‘girls’ she questioned her boss. She cared in particular for Phyllis aka Simone who ‘ was pink with enthusiasm relishing the chance to launch herself into danger’. She was the youngest of the ‘girls’. When Phyllis does not return after the war not only was Sylvia determined to discover what happened but her life was haunted forever by her twenty year post war search. It begins with a harrowing journey through post war Germany. Phylis’s brother is unforgiving that his sister was recruited in the first place and is bent on revenge.

Peggy is Sylvia’s childhood friend who has no idea for years what her close friend and companion did during the war. Peggy worked in the Plessey Factory moved underground for the war’s duration. As did the author’s aunt. As she discovers Sylvia’s truth so does the reader within a dual time layered and deeply perceptive narrative. Sylvia’s quest becomes our quest. The characterisation in this novel is superb providing a reader with three dimensional, rounded personalities who knew the value and loyalty and survival. But the novel also reminds us that albeit within an often misogynistic society women were offered opportunities they never had previously, something we must never forget. This is an unusual and important novel exploring aspects of SOE work I have not encountered before in fiction. It is unforgettable and the author’s best novel to date and they are all excellent. It is deserving of prizes, certainly to be put forward for the HWA Crown Award.. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it in advance of publication.

I found The Girl Who Never Came Back to be quite sad and depressing.
Sylvia performed an important function during the war but tortured herself for the rest of her life with the knowledge of what happened to most of her agents.
I really didn’t like the litany of nasty grams one of the agent’s brothers sent to Sylvia. I understand his grief, but his sister knew the risks and to perpetually blame Sylvia was frustrating. I mean after a certain time, he needed to move on.
I thought Peggy should not have sent the final letter to the nasty brother.

Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “The Girl Who Never Came Back”, by Susan Goldring. If you are looking for a different type of WWII novel, this is for you. This follows a young woman and the haunting aftermath of the spy ring.
The story is told from two points of view and slips back and forth in time. I liked how the author named all of the chapters.
Peg- Present Day- Peg and Sylvia are best friends from childhood. They are older now and Peg lives with Sylvia not only as her friend but as her caregiver. Peg is often confused by some of the things Sylvia says and does.

Sylvia - War time- Sylvia works in an underground spy organization sending young girls to spy in Europe. She is consumed with guilt for not protecting the girls, especially Phyllis, her youngest recruit.

The author did not hold back describing the brutalities of war. This is another excellent book with twists and turns that you don't expect. I was waiting the entire time to find out what happened to Phyllis.
I won't give away the ending but it tied up the story nicely. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Historical fiction at its finest! I loved the dual timeline and Suzanne Goldring had me from page 1. First time for me reading one of her books and I am thrilled to discover more from this author. A huge thank you to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC.

A story about finding out what happened to missing spies after WWII. The story is set in dual timeline as Sylvia tells what happened during and after the war as she strives to find her missing girls and in the present as Sylvia is close to the end of her life.

I enjoyed this story but it took me a few chapters to figure out the relationships and timeline. It is a very well written story. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and makes you want to pick up the book. If you enjoy WWII historical fiction you will want to check out this book.

The Girl Who Never Came Back by Suzanne Goldring is a powerful, historical, heartbreaking novel that tore my emotions to pieces.
The action alternates between World War II and up to 1999. We witness the devastating effect that war has on lives – a young boy who never recovers from the loss of his sister and a young woman who was responsible for training women to go overseas as spies.
Contrary to what some may believe, losing her girls to the Nazi war machine in occupied France, haunted a character for the rest of her life. She spent a lifetime searching for answers. She wanted to bring the guilty to justice and would not rest until she did.
The reader travels from wartime England to postwar Europe and back again. We learn of the horrors of the camps and those who ran them. It is dreadful and horrifying to see the Nazi ideals still retained in former Nazis, who ran the camps, many years later. Unrepentant characters with black hearts still believed in what they did.
Uncovering the truth brings the search to an end. Sometimes it is best to keep the painful truth hidden.
We follow a friendship that spanned eighty years. Love and loyalty remained.
The war years held many secrets. Due to the nature of her service, a character cannot speak of her war years for decades afterwards. She still remains on high alert, always planning her escape route, even into her eighties.
All the characters were well drawn, likable and realistic. Their bravery is to be commended.
The Girl Who Never Came Back is an eye-opening read. It cries out to be read in memory of the brave men and women of World War II – Of those who perished and of those who survived. It is such a powerful read.
I received a free copy from the publishers for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

I found this book a bit confusing at times. The chapters alternate back and forth. I did find the inserts of the special operations executive manual interesting. I thought the last third of the book was better.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

3.5

This book wasn't quite what I was expecting, and it ended up being a bit of a letdown for me. While I generally enjoy books that go back and forth between time periods and perspectives, it just didn't work for me this time. I was more invested in the chapters dealing with the past than with the present, though I was still hoping for more.

The past chapters deal with Sylvia and her time working with the SOE during the war, and the times after trying to find one of her operatives, the beautiful Phyllis (seriously; every time Sylvia talks about Phyllis, she has to mention how beautiful or lovely she was. It was a bit odd and got rather grating after a while). And while there were parts in between chapters that were directions out of an SOE manual, I was hoping for a bit more explanation on what they and the operatives did. It's not an organization I'm super familiar with, so a bit more information would have been helpful.

The present chapters are told from Peg's perspective, who is a long time friend of Sylvia's. I didn't find these chapters very engaging or interesting, and found my attention wandering more during these parts. Peg isn't as good of a narrator, and I found a lot of what she discussed to be rather boring. It's these chapters that made me feel less connected to the story and the main reason this didn't get as high of a rating. The ending was also rather abrupt; I would have liked to know exactly what Sylvia's letter to Humphrey said. I think it would have given the book a little better of a send off.

This wasn't terrible by any means, and I'm sure many people will enjoy it. It just wasn't engaging enough for me.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

There are times when you read a description of a novel and it has a lot of the things in it that you as a reader enjoy. This is the case with Suzanne Goldring’s book The Girl Who Never Came Back.

A about two old ladies who have known each other since childhood who lived different lives but have always remained friends, told through two timelines looking back on their lives, and finding out what interesting lives they lead, especially around world war 2 and how these events affect their lives now.

The trouble is there are times that the novel can only disappoint from then however The Girl Who Never Came Back is not one of those as it was a pleasure to read a novel that had me gripped all the way through.

In addition with some of the best descriptions of the horrors of the World War 2 German regime, including an emotional interview about the torture spies had to endure.

What Suzanne Goldring did in this novel was allow the reader to get into the minds of these elderly female characters, particularly Sylvia as she tries and finds what happened to Phyllis and how this affected her.

While Peggy the other old lady in the book gave the novel a lighter feeling than what otherwise would have been without distracting from the emotional story of Sylvia.

I liked that it had short chapters. Something I really loved was the ending I love when books end like that.
And what I didn't like was that the first chapter didn't make me to want to keep reading. At times I felt soo bored like nothing was happening
Maybe it wasn't the book for me which is sad because with the title, cover and blurb alone I was really liking the book

For obvious reasons I won't publish my review until a month after the publication of the book, thank you so much for the book I really hooe in the future I'll read something of the author that I would like a little more

The girl who never came back is an excellent historian fiction novel by a seasoned author. I enjoyed that the novel spanned more than just ww2 and the post war era following Sylvia through the decades after. The two timelines really dug into the internal struggle with guilt she felt for her part in sending the girls into the war. Fans of Pam Jenoff and Kate Quinn will enjoy this as much as I have. This was a great read to get me out of my summer reading slump.

This World War Two historical novel spotlights the women of the Special Executive Operations, the secret British Intelligence Agency. Brave young girls trained is espionage and sent to France to join the resistance.

The story flits about in time between two character viewpoints. The main viewpoint is from Sylvia who recruits and trains the agents and the second viewpoint is her lifelong friend Peggy who has no idea what Sylvia has been involved in but will come to find out as Sylvia reaches the end of her life at the end of the 90's.

The novel used historical facts and research to realistically portray the danger 'her girls' (as Sylvia calls them) are heading into and the horrors of what happens to those that never made it back after the war. The youngest and most promising of Sylvia's agents is Phyllis and when she goes missing Sylvia will stop at nothing to find out the truth.

It's an easy reading style that has great emotional depth. For a war novel it's unique in that it is mostly concerned with the aftermath of the war more than the war itself.

Some of the scenes that Peggy recounts as she gives care to her friend are quite amusing and provide some light relief in between the darker and sometimes upsetting details of events in the past which include prison brutality and concentration camps.

Interspersed between the two timelines are pages from the SOE manual giving advice to the spies and agents in training.

Although there is a lot of going back and forwards in time it never gets confusing. For added drama (as if it was needed!) Sylvia is also receiving threatening letters.
It's tense & emotional with lighter touches of love and friendship and hope. A recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC.

thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. This is one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed this book. I especially loved the main character. She was truly a brave woman. Hearing the stories of what these women accomplished and what they went through makes you very thankful to be safe. It also makes you think about current times and how close you could be to this happening again. I would read more by this author.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book. This is the 3rd book I have read from this author and she does not disappoint. I love historical fiction books and if it wasn't for Amazon I would have never discovered her books, and I'm so glad I did. This book book is about friendship, love, determination & peace. I wanted give Sylvia and both of her friends great big hugs. For me personally I think this author is up there with Pam Jenoff and Kristin Hannah. Highly recommend!! #netgalley #TheGirlWhoNeverCameBack

I like to read a few historical fiction books a year, and especially enjoy stories taking place during WWII. Sounds weird, but it’s a reminder of the terrible events that happened and a hell I hope never occurs again.

This book follows Sylvia, who spends countless hours after the war searching for answers to what happened to some of the girls she recruited to spy in France. One woman in particular, Phyllis, was the youngest recruit and the mystery around what happened to her haunts Sylvia in the years that follow.

Part of the story is told in first person from Sylvia’s best friend's perceptive. Peggy is funny with her thoughts, which gives you a break from some of the tougher chapters, and she has no idea what poor Sylvia went through during the war and after.

A heartbreaking story, but well told and keeps the reader hooked.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a dual POV from present day to Sylvia’s life as a spy during WWII. Sprinkled between chapters are the spy guide manual with tips and tricks which I really enjoyed, however, I found the beginning of this book hard to follow. Some of the words used are so foreign to me that I’d disconnect from what was happening but once it started going, it was really cool. Woman are so strong and brave and this book is a great reminder of how important and forgotten they are in history.

The Girl Who Never Came Back
The story begins in 1999 at the funeral of Sylvia, a woman who had been a trainer of spies in WWII. Peg, her childhood friend and eventual caregiver, was left with the task of sorting out Sylvia’s large amount papers. Once she started reading them, she learned about Sylvia’s top secret work in WWII.
In 1942 Sylvia was training young English women to be spies behind enemy lines in France. She became very protective of these women and one, 19 year old Phyllis, became a favorite. Due to the high secrecy of the operation, Phyllis could not divulge anything about it to her family.
However a short time after a group of the women were parachuted into France, it became obvious that Phyllis & 3 other women had been captured and compromised. Their whereabouts after the capture were unknown.
Once the war ended, Sylvia tried to find out what had happened to the group women spies. Some were alive but the group of 4 that included Phyllis, could not be found.
Sylvia made it her life’s work to find what had happened to the women. That search took her to former Nazi interrogation offices, prisons and eventually a concentration camp. She had the help of Charles, a Nazi war criminal investigator.
After a long search she was able to find the fate of 3 of the women but not Phyllis. It is not until the end of the book that the mystery is solved.
Throughout the story there are many letters from Phyllis’ brother Humphrey,asking about her whereabouts. Eventually he accuses Sylvia of neglect and deception and continues to send threatening letters until her death.
This is another of the many WWII stories being published recently. What makes this one different is that it deals with the aftermath of the war and the effect on survivors of the concentration camps as well as their sadistic guards and superiors.
I enjoyed the story as I had never heard of this group of female spies working behind enemy lines.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Girl Who Never Came back was a book I did not want to put down and hated for it to end.

The story is a dual time line: present day and WW2 where Sylvia was a recruitment officer for women joining the SOE.

Sylvia took pride in her girls and one in particular, Phyllis, she could never forget.

Sylvia made her business at the end of the War to find out what happened to each and every girl.

In present day Peggy is looking after the ailing Sylvia and she know that something is greatly disturbing her good friend.

She wont rest until she finds that very last girl.

I loved how Peggy narrated a great deal of the story and we got to know the characters through her eyes.

The excerpts from Special Operations Manual that were inserted between chapters just adds that extra something.

The pages turn quickly and I will think often of The Girl Who Never Came Back.

Suzanne Goldring always writes a story you get lost and involved in and The Girl Who Never Came Back is no exception.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an outstanding read.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
I read a lot of WWII historical fiction, but this one is about some of the female English spies who didn't return after the war. It goes back and forth between different points in Sylvie's life as she sends out female spies, tries to find out what happened to the ones who didn't come back and gets harassed by the brother of someone who didn't return through the end of her days. No one who went through that experience really recovered from it. It has some interesting POV from Sylvie's good friend who knew her throughout her life, but didn't really know what she did during the war until much later.