This was somewhere between 3.75 and 4 stars for me.

This is again another past and present formatted story. Throughout most of the book, I continually felt like I could have completely skipped the "present" and read an entire book based on Audrey's past. It was an incredibly captivating account of Jews during Hitler's regime, but with a couple of twists that I hadn't read about previously. On one hand, there are thousands of various fictional stories about this point in history; many are based on true accounts, as this one is. But the author did a wonderful job of creating real, likeable, and believable characters, which causes this book to stand out for me.

Eventually I understood the need for the present timeline, and while it wasn't entirely bad, I still was just so much more connected to Audrey's past than Kate's present.

An excellent story requiring tissues handy. The dual timeline and settings are 1938 until the end of WWII in Germany, and 2010 in England. Audrey is attending a conservatory in Germany in 1938, living with her best friend Ilse’s Jewish family, when tragedy strikes due to the Nazis. Audrey commits to staying in Germany with Ilse despite her father telling her to return home to England. Kate survived a horrendous car accident, killing both her parents. As she escapes a failed marriage, she ends up in Northern England at an inn owned by Audrey. Their stories are both heartbreaking and traumatic, but offer hope as their relationship depends into a true friendship. A must read! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall is a dual timeline novel. The historical timeline that started in 1938 was more compelling to me than the 2010 storyline with Kate Mercer. As the book progressed, the connection between the two timelines becomes clear. Audrey’s story starts off well but slows down in the second half. Kate and Ian are quite uninteresting (so dull). There are some descriptions that, while accurate, are upsetting (the female prison camps). The author included parts of history that many people may not be familiar with, but she took creative liberties with the timelines. I found myself skimming in the latter part of the book because it seemed to go on forever and there was too much going on (gave me a migraine). The ending was rushed. The twist was expected (it seems to happen in every book that takes place during World War II). I was not a fan of the storyline regarding Audrey and her love interest. The Secret History of Audrey James was fine, but I found it to be a forgettable tale.

I'm glad I decided to read this book despite it being "yet another" book about Nazi Germany. This book was written from a different perspective than most other books- it is about resistance from Germans, both regular citizens and Nazi officers. Thankfully, there were only limited descriptions of Nazi atrocities. In our current political environment, I saw too many resemblances between the rise of Hitler and now, and it was quite frightening. The author did a wonderful job bringing the characters and time period to life. The book has two timelines, and both had great characters. I enjoyed both narratives. This was my first book by the author, and I intend to read her previous book. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This was one of the books I was most looking forward to in 2025. I loved Looking for Jane and was excited to learn the author had written a WWII historical fiction novel, however this book blew all of my expectations out of the water. This was a beautifully written store about trauma, sacrifice, love and resilience. I was easily emotionally invested and found tears rolling down my face while reading the end of the store. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this wonderful book. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Audrey James is living in Berlin with her best friends family finishing her studies at the piano conservatory. Ilse and her family are Jewish, while Audrey is Christian. There are rumblings about the Nazi regime taking over and Ilse Kaplan and her family have been laying low, but with Audrey's recital coming up, they decide to go out shopping for a new dress. And that outgoing changes everything. Audrey and Ilse are now living alone in the family home when Nazi officers decide to move in. Audrey James puts on the performance of her lifetime to convince the Nazi officers to hire her as their housemaid so she can continue to shield Ilse upstairs until they have a plan.

I love all historical fiction books about the war and this was no exception. There are so many good resistance stories and gives hope that there is still good in the world. While some of the details are a bit of stretch, it is a heart warming story about resilience, chosen family, and the will to survive.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. Opinions are my own.

The Secret History of Audrey James is a beautifully written historical fiction novel with a dual timeline—one set in 2010 and the other during World War II. Each timeline could stand as a story on its own, but together, they create an unforgettable narrative. There are many stories about courageous individuals who risked everything for the greater good during this time in history, and this is one of them.

Heather Marshall masterfully weaves past and present through the experiences of Audrey James, the central character in both timelines. While some dual-timeline novels can feel disjointed, this one is executed seamlessly. Through Audrey’s journey, we witness her sacrifices during WWII, her personal struggles, and the lasting impact of her past. Decades later, a chance encounter in the 2000s forces long-buried secrets to the surface.

Marshall’s storytelling is immersive, making it easy to feel as though you are right alongside the characters. It’s an emotionally powerful read—have your tissues ready. I found it hard to put down and highly recommend it to fans of historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced complimentary copy of this book.

Here’s a dual timeline story with a haunting WWII line set in Berlin. Audrey, half English and half German, refuses to leave her beloved Jewish best friend Ilse after Ilse’s father is murdered and mother and brother hauled away.
In present-day northern England, Kate visits her deceased parents’ honeymoon locale and meets Audrey and forms an unlikely friendship. Full of surprising twists.

In alternating timelines between London 2010, and Berlin, 1938, Heather Marshall weaves the trauma in the lives of Kate and Audrey with the guilt of survival and complicated relationships.
Audrey, who is at the end of her life, shares her history with Kate, who is looking for a new start. Losses forge a quick bridge as Marshall’s emotionally drawn characters understand terror, guilt, and forgiveness by sharing their stories. Crossing the bridge that connects Audrey and Kate involves Kristallnacht, Resistance cells in Berlin, new identities, lifelong loves, escape plans and assassination attempts. Was Audrey a pianist, an assassin, or a spy? These threads of history intertwine!
This novel takes readers from the rubble of streets in Berlin to the rambling paths and gardens of Oakwood Inn on the Scottish border. The Secret History of Audrey James is an emotional, rewarding journey filled with secrets and survival.

This was a World War II novel that was both heartbreaking and very entertaining—a rare combination. I kept reading right through my tears. Highly recommended!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Have your tissues ready for this one. Beautifully written story that makes you feel right alongside the characters. It was hard to put down and carry on with life. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. If you like historical fiction, this one is for you.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Although there are numerous Holocaust-related stories, this one is unique and different. Although it is not a true story, parts of the story were based on real people and/or events making it even more intriguing. Audrey is an exciting heroine. Her kindness, loyalty, bravery, and courage make her easy to like and root for. Although Kate is a likable character as well, it doesn't feel as if you get to know her in quite the same way as Audrey or perhaps it is just that even though Kate has been through a lot, it is not quite as extreme as the things that Audrey has been through so she is the more interesting character.

The story moves along quickly. It is full of a mix of heartwarming tender moments and sad heartbreaking ones. The ending is a sweet surprise and really ties everything together in a nice way. Although there is romance in the story, it is not completely a romance, and there is unrequited love as well. Even so, the book should appeal to both history and romance lovers.

A very beautifully written book about love, loss, heartbreak and hope. I enjoyed the dual timeline and how they wove together so very well. I enjoyed how this was a work of fiction that included historical facts that one may not know.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the opportunity to advance read.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This was an unexpected read that I really enjoyed!! The life stories of the two central characters finally merge and the story is one you will want to read.

Following the long months of rehabilitation after the auto accident which killed her parents and her unborn baby and left her badly scarred , Kate Mercer is ready for a change. She and her husband have never really recovered from the loss of their unborn child and it is finally time to end the marriage and start over. Trying to recover some connection with her deceased parents, she finds old pictures showing an old Inn in Northern England that her parents once visited, possibly on their honeymoon. She looks it up online and finds an ad for a assistant administrator, applies, and is offered the job.

But when she arrives, the elderly owner of the inn, Audrey James, doesn't know anything about the job listing, much less that Kate has been offered a job! Turns out, the housekeeper has placed the ad and offered Kate the job without her employer's knowledge, knowing full well that Audrey won't accept the assistance that she so desperately needs.

Allowed to stay temporarily, Kate finds the very room she believes her parents occupied on their visit, which seems a good omen. Left alone for the long winter off-season ,Audrey and Kate share their stories and Audrey finds it is good to have some companionship and when she learns Kate is homeless and without any family, they become close. So close that Audrey decides to tell Kate her life story, one that is a small part of World War II not readily known. As the women grow closer and Audrey's story more compelling, Audrey's health also grows more fragile and soon it is a race against time to get the story told and out to the world,

I am going to stop here and let you read the rest for yourself, but I promise you won't be sorry!!

This is a beautiful and empowering book about a woman who at the end of her life gets the chance to tell her life story. It is one of love, loss, empowerment, and rebellion. Audrey would do anything to keep her friend safe from the German invasion, including hiding in plain sight with the enemy. This story takes you on a wild ride of someone doing everything they can to keep those they love the most safe at all costs. This book is perfect for a book club and I love how everything resolves and plays out in the end.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

“Inspired by true stories of two courageous women and the German resistance during WWil, the motif of the novel is the scars we bear after traumatic experience, and how we learn to live in new skin that will never be quite the same as it was before.”

⟡ 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 :
-unrequited love
-dual timeline : present day/WWII Germany
-The Nightengale by Kristin Hannah
-The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
-historical fiction based on true events
-found family

⟡ 𝙈𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 :
Looking For Jane, Heather Marshall’s debut, was one of my favorite books last year - so I hit that request button on Netgalley for Audrey James without hesitation.

I know you might be thinking “not another WWII novel”, but this was a new perspective. The past storyline focuses on the life of Germans leading up to the war & their brave efforts to resist the dictatorship of the Nazi regime, while the present storyline is about a women finding herself after a tragic accident that changes the trajectory of her life — both women are trying to come to terms with their past & feel fulfilled in their present.

Books like this one are why I love historical fiction, & why I recommend everyone giving this book a try. Whether you’re into mystery & suspense or love stories & big emotions - Audrey James is for you! It’s about resilience, courage, friendship & sacrifice. I loved these characters & was captivated by their stories.

Like in Looking for Jane, I was absolutely floored by the way to two timelines weave themselves together. Marshall knows what she’s doing! The ending was so so good. I already know this will be a top read of the year for me.

★★★★★ 5/5 stars

In the authors note, Heather Marshall reveals that much of Audrey’s story is based on real events, & hints at the topic of her next book - the treatment of women's mental health & incarceration in Toronto during the 1960s. I cannot wait!!

Thank you to netgalley, PRH AUDIO & Heather Marshall for the opportunity to read this arc ♡

I enjoyed reading The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall. You will fall in love with all the characters. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy Reading!

I almost didn't read this one as I'm really limiting the amount of World War II historical fiction I'm reading at this point (there's so much), and I'm so glad that I let myself be swayed by how much I'd loved Heather Marshall's debut, Looking for Jane. This was moving and impactful, telling a captivating and harrowing story with profound connections between characters and quickly moving storytelling.

In 2010, Kate Mercer leaves her life behind to work at a guest house that she thinks her parents visited once upon a time. She is working for an elderly proprietor that has some secrets in her life.

In 1938, Audrey James lives in Berlin and is close to graduating from music school. She is living with her Jewish friend, Ilse Kaplan. Ilse's family disappears.

This book goes between both time periods so we get the whole story. I could not put this book down. I love the historical fiction genre in general, but this one I loved more than others.

I enjoyed this novel. It is full of secrets, drama and unique situations.

Kate is struggling to come to terms with her parents’ deaths and the loss of her marriage. She decides to take a job in a guest house. Her parents actually stayed in this guest house on their honeymoon. She hopes to discover a few tidbits about their lives. But instead, she discovers Audrey.

Audrey is a unique character. She at first comes across crass and brusque. But she soon discovers she likes Kate. These two develop a bond and then Audrey begins tell Kate her life story.

As most of y’all know, I love a book with secrets and this is a story you don’t want to miss. And yes it has a secret or two or three. And the way it unfolds will keep you captivated from start to finish.

Need a novel about friendship, sacrifices and love…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the the publisher for a honest review