Moscow in 1983 finds Ella in her dream role of Natasha Rostova in War and Peace at the Moscow Theatre Academy. But somehow she gets involved in a protest and becomes labelled as a traitor and has to give up her dream. But will she have to give up her life?

This is a wonderful debut novel by Julia Levitina which brings to life the ups and downs, the cat and mouse games and the way of life in communist Russia at this time. A real eye opener, dramatic, tense, emotional and at times even scary. I enjoyed reading this book and found it interesting, intriguing and paced well with well developed characters. I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Pantera Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

1983 in Moscow saw Ella deep in her dreams of stardom; to be acting in War & Peace at the Moscow Theatre Academy. But when she became mixed up in a protest - wrong place, wrong time - with her good friend Vlad, the KGB were instantly made aware. Meanwhile, her boyfriend Roman, whom she'd just discovered she was pregnant to, was creating problems and pushing boundaries. Ella had to quit the Academy, much to her distress, which made her rival smile with glee. But would she keep the baby? Confused, Ella sought advice; marrying Roman was the answer. But did she love him? Suddenly Roman was arrested and sentenced to two years in a labour camp. How could Ella escape the oppression of the Soviet regime? She needed to flee the country she'd learned to hate.

The Girl From Moscow is Aussie author Julia Levitina's debut novel and it wasn't what I expected. It seemed to tread water for quite some time, with the focus on Ella's pregnancy, Roman and other friends, drawn out. Olga's days during the war were few and far between and didn't really feel relevant, which was a shame. There could have been more depth to that part of the story. That said, I'll be interested to see what the author has for us next.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.