The Secret History of Audrey James – Heather Marshall
Pub Date – 2/25/25
ARC Provided by NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine
It’s 2010 and Kate Mercer is dealing with a personal crisis. With her marriage over and the recent untimely death of her parents, Kate seeks solace in the past by taking a job at the inn her parents stayed at for their honeymoon. The owner of the inn, Audrey James, is initially resistant to her help, but the two soon form a connection and share their stories.

This dual timeline story alternates between 2010 and WWII era, starting in 1938. The Nazis are gaining power and implementing more anti-Jewish laws when the home Audrey is staying in gets upended and overtaken by Nazi officials. In an effort to help her Jewish family and friends, Audrey takes a housekeeping position with the invaders. But what starts out as a personal mission soon becomes much bigger than she could have predicted.

This story was equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. The struggles of the oppressed in Germany and beyond is just so hard to imagine, and the strength of those who stood up for what’s right should be commended. The twists and turns in this historical fiction novel were not what I was expecting, both for better and for worse. I loved the way the author wove together the past and present, and learning more about the secret cells working against Hitler was very interesting.

Beyond the historical aspect of the novel is a story of love, loss, regret, and forgiveness. There’s an important lesson in not letting the worst moments of our past define our future, of being able to give yourself grace. I highly recommend this book not just for fans of historical fiction but for anyone who is looking for a well-written, poignant story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

True rating: 5 stars

"In my experience, a person will never do anything if they always wait until they're ready. We have to make ourselves uncomfortable, Kate, in order to move. Otherwise we get stuck, stagnating, until we lose the ability to move anywhere at all."

In this review, I will talk more about my feelings than about the plot of the book. There are so many twists and turns and I feel like every reader should experience it organically. I can only say that I was heavily invested in the plot as much as I was in the characters. It is the perfect blend of a character-driven story and a plot-driven book. I always try to be vague so that I don't have to hide my reviews. I hope this is enough to convince anyone who reads this to read this book. It is set in the early 2010s with flashbacks leading up to and during the Second World War.

What a profoundly moving story this turned out to be. The powerful women that drive this narrative filled my heart up and reminded me of the strength that women carry in their hearts, in the marrow of their bones. They give me hope, despite the unspeakable odds both women face in their lives. Two strangers from vastly different generations, meet, teach, and heal each other; forging an unbreakable bond in the process that speaks to the importance of friendship and sisterhood in women's lives. There is romance. My shipper heart was very thrilled. But the friendship makes up the core of the book and it's so *right*. It's so necessary in a world that teaches women that romance is all that they're meant for.

Every woman should read this book. It explores themes of love, loss, grief, friendship, and the sometimes beautiful and sometimes cruel randomness of fate and the universe. It teaches us how vital it is to face our past, our traumas and our mistakes, and own them. We have to face them. We have to be uncomfortable. We have to *move.* It might be comfortable to stay still, but it's a lie. We have to move.

I loved this book. It broke my heart. It filled me with love and with hope. It made me feel proud to be a woman. It made me want to hug my best friend a little tighter and tell her how strong she is.

I would recommend this to any and every historical fiction lover.

I loved Heather Marshall's first book, Looking for Jane, but I confess I had trouble focusing in this one. I wasn't able to finish. I'm sorry.

I highly recommend this book. I could not put it down. Marshall fuses together several remarkable real-life stories of brave, courageous women from WWII. In the "Author's Note" section (which I highly recommend that you read because it's chock full of valuable information), Marshall tells of the time her eighth grade class was learning about the Canadian Confederation and the men who made it happen. Marshall raised her hand and asked, "What were the women doing?" She was sent to the principal's office for asking.

I am thankful for authors like Marshall who bring these amazing stories to us, the ones we don't learn about in school. She is a master at fusing together the stories. The novel contains dual timelines: Audrey James in Berlin, 1938, and Kate Mercer in London, England 2010. I love the way the story unfolds, and I love the story of these women. I won't give you any spoilers, but you will learn how these two women are connected. I love the way the author reveals the connection.

I can't wait to read more novels by Marshall. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books for a chance to review this book.

Heather Marshall’s undertaking, of this creative and systematic work, is transformed into a well written historical novel, The author’s notes at the end of the book are excellent. Heather Marshall’s explorations, into the archives of Nazi Germany during WWII, incorporated an historical and credible account of that time. The resistance groups were especially interesting to me as the reader, and the Nazi officers who were part of these groups, were deeply affecting. Some characters in the story, albeit fictional, blended so well with factual accounts. The relationships throughout the book are visceral. It’s so extremely baffling how Hitler could have accomplished all the terror and destruction without being stopped. Truly a horrific time in the history of the world. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #SecretHistoryofAudreyJames, #RandomHouseOublishingGroupBallantine, #NetGalley.

Oh. My. Goodness. I love this book. Love how it goes from the 1940’s to the 2010’s. Kate and Audrey are such great characters. Audrey’s retelling of her harrowing experience of Nazi Germany was so heartbreaking and believable. The lives of friends and loved ones are detailed with care and respect. I really like the back and forth, from one place in time to the other. For me it was easier to stick with more than had it been just a historical novel which can sometimes be too dry. I can really see this as a movie. It’s important to keep some hard parts of our past in front of our eyes.

This was fantastic. I usually don't like dual timelines, but the way these two stories came together was beautiful. I'm so glad I was able to read this

We rely on authors who have devoted a great deal of time researching and digging deep to bring us all sorts of personal accounts from the past – many that are shocking, based on the truth.

Heather Marshall shares what she has learned from those that lived through the horrors of WWII to create this book. It’s gripping throughout with characters that give us a sense of the emotional times. Some of the past is very painful for those that lived through it. They tend to block certain memories to avoid these dreadful times.

Often when we read books like this, we pause to think about our own past. After the war, my father would say only one thing: “I traded cigarettes for food.” I should have begged to hear more about what happened while he was dodging bullets in Germany and France.

It starts when Audrey James was 92 years old, working as a caretaker for a beautiful inn she inherited from her aunt in a tourist town of England. She reluctantly agreed to hire Kate Mercer in 2010 as an assistant. Kate, in her 30s, was living in London and facing a dreadful past. She needed to get away and this cozy place was a perfect fit. However, neither one realized how much they needed each other.

This book is everything you’d want from a historical fiction with a believable setting, plot with conflict and a touch of romance. It’s a glimpse of the past with the horrors of Hitler trying to take control in WWII. Unfortunately, Audrey waited too long to get out of Berlin when it was safe. Now she had to figure out how she was going to survive. Audrey was the focus and certainly one to love and admire.

It's engaging from the start and captures your attention throughout the book. Once the characters found their way into my head, they stayed there long after I closed the chapters. It’s a good book to show us how people were brave during WWII surrounded by hatred, fear and rage. And how we must never let it happen again.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of February 25, 2025.

I don't think that I have read anything in the past 6 months that triggered tears, but this one did for sure. And it was a bit embarrassing because I was reading it on the plane to Disney when I got to the tear jerker part (for me). My son thought I was nuts to cry over a book, but he also thinks it's funny when I cry for fireworks so ....

All that to say that this was a really good read. I find that it can be challenging to get into books like this when the historical fiction and modern times alternate, but once you get there, it's definitely worth having stuck it out. At the start, I was more interested in the modern Kate and her need to escape to somewhere to properly move on from the accident; and I kept wanting to get back to her story. But as things developed for Audrey, I then started to feel the complete opposite and resented being pulled out of her tragic story to hear more about Kate. There were some coincidences that felt a little too much for me, but at the same time, I had happy and sad tears so I was able to look past them and truly get into the characters. Audrey and Kate are likeable and sympathetic, and the plot moves quickly through their lives or, more specifically, through the period in their lives where they are coming together and where Audrey is storytelling her life.

A good historical fiction that also deals with tragedy and loss. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys these books. Personally, I liked it much better than Natalie Jenner's writing.

I haven't read Looking for Jane, but I am thinking that it will have to be something I pick up in the near future.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Heather Marshall for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of The Secret History of Audrey James.
This is a beautifully written, heart wrenching historical fiction story about a pianist in Berlin at the start of WWII all the way to 2010. There are two separate timelines that converge in the most interesting way.
I fell in love with these characters, they were so real and filled with such deep emotion, it was difficult to let them go at the end of the story. The decisions they needed to make, maybe right or wrong, were so difficult and many of these decisions changed their lives forever. I was on the edge of my seat many times waiting to see and feel the outcome of their choices. I really enjoyed observing the creative ways the resistance groups outsmarted the Nazis. Not everything worked but the effort was certainly thought provoking. Much of this I was unaware of and it adds to the supreme effort in trying to stop the destruction of society.
The plot was fast moving with lots of twists and turns. Fasten your seatbelt - it’s a wild ride.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and loved Looking for Jane as well. In the author’s note, one question won’t leave my mind - What were the women doing? No doubt-a lot! I can’t wait to see what Heather Marshall comes up with next. Please hurry!

Heather Marshall's debut novel, Looking for Jane was a top read for me from 2022, so I was intrigued to see how this next novel measured up. I loved that The Secret History of Audrey James also explored three-dimensional, strong female characters.

This novel is a dual POV/Timeline - the first is Kate in 2010 and the other about Audrey in the late 1930s. Kate needs to leave London as she tries to escape her failed marriage and tries to deal with the trauma of losing both her parents. She finds an old picture of her parents at the Oakwood Inn, sparking her interest in the Inn and ultimately leading her to take a job there where Audrey is the owner/innkeeper. After a rough start, Audrey begins to confide in Kate about her past. Audrey's story begins in Berlin, where she was living with a Jewish family (her closest friends) right before WWII began. The narrative continues through the horrific things she faced throughout the war years and the sacrifices she made to attempt to protect her loved ones.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but I loved how the author brought the two POVs together in the most unexpected and beautiful ways. I also loved how the characters were fully three-dimensional, not all good or bad, and how female friendship was also explored.

Lovers of this genre will definitely enjoy this heart wrenching read.

THANK YOU to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I am a Heather Marshall fan through and through - her stories are invigorating. I've read a lot of books about this time period (one of my favorite to read through historical fiction) and this was a different take.

It's similar to the Nightingale I feel like - however covered more of the cells and their underground planning and scheming to assassinate Hitler.

Audrey James and Kate share secrets from their past. 1939 and 2010 - very huge age gap, yet the closeness they get together through stories was amazing.

Love love love. add this to your MUST READ

Heather Marshall really has outdone herself again. I really enjoyed her first novel, so the opportunity to jump on this novel is great with the ARC. I love all things WWII, historical fiction, the Holocaust, and this book was perfect as it intertwined multiple characters and quickly captivated my heart with Isle, Audrey, Frederik, and Kate's viewpoints alternating between 1938, to 2010.

The strong storyline revealing and uncovering Audrey James' history between her telling her story and Kate capturing all the details, making sure nothing was amiss. The wide range of emotions that this book sent me into, also demanded me read more to find out what was going to happen to the characters I had invested reading time into. 2 things really stood out to me in the book is that Marshall dove into bridging the gap between those that have experienced the war and those who hadn't and building new paths in a once broken world.

I also had a deep appreciation for the all the inspiration behind Audrey James and her history. Marshall's note regarding Audrey and Mona, women in the attic, the German reistance all made this novel a memorable one and one that has impacted me jumping into 2025.

Please pick up The Secret History of Audrey James if you're looking for one incredible work of historical fiction that is inspiring and based upon real events, strong FMC, and investment into our historical past. Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC. Another great book from Heather Marshall. Dual timeline. A twist I didn’t see coming. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Heather Marshall I’ll probably read everything you write.

A tremendous thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

For anyone who is a huge fan of historical fiction like I am, this book is a must read of 2025. The Secret History of Audrey James tells the story of Audrey and her courageous life as she lived in Berlin before the onset of WWII. We learn of her trials and tribulations as she tells them to Kate, in 2010, after Kate is hired on as help at Audrey’s residence. The atrocities that Germany and it’s Jewish population were forced to endure in the late 1930’s and throughout WWII are no secret, but this book sheds light on those who were part of the resistance against Hitler, and the lengths that they were forced to go through to simply survive in their homes and daily lives. Without a doubt, this book will be at the top of my best books of 2025. If you are a fan of Kate Quinn, Fiona Davis, and Kristin Hannah, I know that you too will enjoy this book. Also, don’t miss out on Heather Marshall’s first book, Looking for Jane, which is another absolutely astounding read!

I found this story very emotional and I as I kept reading I was wondering who would survive., I kept thinking of all those people who didn't make it and how horrible humans can be to each other. I dread WWII stories because of all the horrors that happened, but this story is a little more hopeful in that the characters are fighting against the bad things that are happening and are trying save others and alter history.
I like how the story is told to Kate and unbeknownst to the them both they have a connection. I also like how the story slowly evolves so that you don't get all the bad at once. I like how strong Audrey's character is and how much is was willing to give up to save her friend. I like that they was another side to some of the people in this tragic war. I also like that there is a real person that this story was based on and that the author show how strong the person was. I love that there are dogs in this story who support their human companions.
The best part of the story is how the story is told, it is very engaging and powerful and it doesn't let up until the end. There are many events that surprised me all the way until the end, and that there is also peace for some of the characters. What a terrific story.

I want to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this powerful story about friendship during a horrible period of human history.

A read that kept me page turning past my bedtime, I needed answers!
This is a dual time read, from the late 1930's and then 2010, a story of strong women, and upheavals and life changing events.
The 1930's takes place in Germany when the evil that was taking place started it murderous advance. This is a story of love and loss, of saving and giving, and mainly good vs evil!
There are big surprises as the story unfolds and I did know there were attempts on the life of the leader, but this one will make you take notice, but the lasting ramifications change lives.
Be sure to read the author's notes at the end, their is so much of truth built into this fictional read.
I did enjoy how this read ended, but the main focus is we need to not forget the atrocities that were committed against society.
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine , and was not required to give a positive review.

A dual timeline historical fiction tale weaving together the stories of Audrey James, member of the anti-Hitler movement in Berlin in 1938, and Kate Mercer, who comes to work with her in a guest house near Scotland in 2010. Kept me rapt with the intense narrative, well-developed characters, and beautiful prose. Histfic fans will want to put this on their TBRs ASAP!

The Secret History of Audrey James
By Heather Marshall
Publication date: Feb 25, 2025

What would you do for true love? Would you give up your ONLY chance to escape and RISK your life to try to stop the enemy?

I have always been a fan of historic fiction and love when authors find a ‘nugget’ to expand upon to create a new story that I know nothing about from my history classes. Heather Marshall discovered the true story of one woman who jumped in with both feet to help the German resistance fight in the shadows against Hitler. From her research and own personal connections to WWII, Heather created Audrey James (Ada Jakob). A prestigious British Piano student turned resistance spy to save the person and people she loves.

Love stories take on many facets, but the story of Audrey and Isle is soul-crushing and uplifting at the same time. Audrey’s unrequited love is expected, but still, she persists to fight for Isle, the Jewish people and for the good of Germany.

After the Nazi takeover and in an unlikely role, Audrey meets a few surprising ‘partners in crime’ and together they form an unknown division of the German Resistance movement. Their small band is made up of German officers, who have better access to Hitler and Audrey, who has the looks and, most importantly, a way with people to get access to information. Their bonds are tested, and they find themselves pushed to the limits of humanity.

In 2010, Kate is a lost soul struggling to overcome her own demons and guilt. She takes a job working as a caretaker in an old guest house. She meets a kindred soul and together they work to find a way through their guilt, tears and heartache. As the story unfolds, the connection of these two women is more than just their grief.

The dual timeline offers details into the person Audrey becomes after prison and the war. Through their shared grief, Kate is the only person who knows the true story of Audrey. Sharing her story is Audrey’s way of letting go. Kate encourages Audrey to share more widely, and Audrey encourages Kate to do the same.

I love the strength of all the women in this book. Each has so much to overcome, and each loses so much for the greater good. The simple moments in life are lost to the craziness of war and the aftermath.

I love the tie back to honoring the German Resistance Movement. There were so many proud Germans who risked it all. The story is a way to honor those unsung heroes.

Order your copy for delivery on Feb 25th. Five stars!

Net Galley and Random House Publishing, have provided me with an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Super interesting, seeing an aspect of WW2 resistance from inside Germany. I’ve heard of the White Rose and Red Orchestra but not read much on it, nor about the assassination attempts on Hitler. I thought it paired together well the deportation and murder of the Jews, but also the property seizing, and the resistance efforts, and how some of that became a moral gray in Germany.

The dual timeline was well done, and I really liked Audrey’s character. She had consistent grit and determination and carried her role well.

I did not, however, care for Kate’s character. She constantly had a victim mentality and was super self-focused, taking offense at everything, giving up easily, or lying to protect herself without thought on what that would do to others. I get that she was dealing with grief and shame but that doesn’t cause you to have a consistent lapse in character like she did unless that lapse already existed.

The only thing that didn’t make sense for me in the story, is Berlin in May 1945. That’s when the Red Army was knee deep in occupation there and you did not want to be a female of any age existing in Berlin. The book didn’t acknowledge any of that, or rather seemed to ignore it.

All in all, it was well written and had a very interesting and unique perspective that I enjoyed.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are mine.