I am so drawn to historical fiction and since the majority of that genre seems to center around WW2, I read a lot of that time period. When I come across a WW2 book that appears to have a different plot line, I always get so excited and that’s exactly how I felt when I saw this book on NetGalley.
In 1938 Berlin, Audrey James is living with her best friend’s family while she is finishing up her schooling at a music conservatory. The Kaplans are Jews and while Audrey is not she realizes Berlin isn’t the safest place. When Ilse’s family is attacked by SS Officers, Audrey does what she can to protect Ilse, even joining a German Resistance cell to help stop Hitler before another war breaks out.
In the modern day story line, Kate Mercer’s life has been turned upside down after a tragic car accident and she leaves London to work at a small, run down guesthouse on the Scottish border in an attempt to regroup and find herself. While the elderly proprietor is standoffish at first, she soon begins telling her story to Kate and the two women soon bond.
I really wanted to like this book, and I did for the first 60%. The last 1/3 was so long and there was so much going on I found myself skimming pages just to try to finish. I love how the author tried incorporating many different areas of WW2 especially as I have never heard of any of the topics included- the German Resistance, Mona Parsons, and Elsa Koditschek. While in real life none of these three things happened together and Heather Marshall admits to taking creative liberties to put all three together for this book and while it flows cohesively, it’s a lot.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for an advanced copy of this. The Secret History of Audrey James hits the shelves on February 25th.

The Secret Life of Audrey James by Heather Marshall is a great story set in dual timelines with 1940 Berlin and modern day London. When Kate responds to an ad for an assistant at the hotel Audrey lives in and operates outside of London, she has recently been orphaned and her marriage is in trouble. Little does she know her section to run away from her current problems will soon force both women to confront their their pasts and the trauma they buried there. I loved this book and highly recommend it. I received an ARC of this book and all opinions are my own.

Ever since reading Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall, I have been not so patiently waiting for her next novel! I am so glad to say that the wait was worth it, and this book did not disappoint!

This work of historical fiction is about Audrey James, who is living in Germany when Hitler starts to take power and, eventually, World War II begins. Audrey, who is not Jewish, is living with her best friend Ilse, who is Jewish. The story follows the friends journey as Audrey tries to do everything in her power to keep Ilse safe, and even risks her own life to do so. The story also follows Kate in 2010, who travels from London to the Scottish border to escape her past, and ends up working for Audrey at Audrey’s hotel. An unexpected friendship forms between the two, as Audrey entrusts Kate to document the horrors she went through during the war in Germany.

Even though this book is a little bit on the longer side (432 pages), Marshall held my interest throughout the whole book. I felt connected to the characters and was rooting for them throughout the entire book, hoping for their safety while they navigated the challenges of the war.

While this book obviously touches on some pretty tough topics, it also touches on topics that I think a lot of people will relate to and resonate with. For example, Marshall writes about the struggles of having a strained relationship with one’s parent with such depth. She also talks about issues such as divorce, having a chosen family, and the deep bonds you share with a best friend. Marshall treats these topics with sensitivity, while also allowing the reader to become invested and feel what the characters are feeling.

The authors note made me appreciate this book even more, as Marshall describes the extensive research that she conducted. I also loved that the main character is based off of a real women who was heroic and worked against the Nazis during the war.

I believe that this book is going to be widely discussed when it is released, and is a perfect choice for a book club. This is a book that will stay with me for a while, and I am already eagerly awaiting her next one!

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing for an ARC of the novel in exchange for my unbiased review! This book is out in the U.S. on February 25, 2025!

4 stars for a very readable historical fiction book. It opens with Audrey James being discovered by Canadian soldiers in the Netherlands, near the German border in 1945. Then we learn why Audrey, daughter to an English man and a German woman, was in Germany in the next chapter, set in 1938. She is attending the konservatorium, a famed music school in Berlin. Subsequent chapters alternate between Kate and Audrey.
Kate's chapters are set in 2010. She is seeking a fresh start after her marriage failed. She applies for, and gets hired as an administrator at a B&B in the north of England, near the Scottish border. The owner of the B&B is Audrey James, but it was not Audrey who hired her. It was Sue, Audrey's only employee. Audrey and Kate get off to a bad start, but they grow to like each other. Audrey opens up to Kate about her experiences in Germany during WWII.
The author explains that Audrey is based on a real person, Mona Parsons, arrested by the Germans in WWII for helping allied soldiers and airmen escape. Some parts of the book are fiction.
I liked the surprise ending.
Thank You Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for sending me this eARC through NetGalley.
#TheSecretHistoryofAudreyJames #NetGalley.

Pub Date Feb 25 2025

Audrey James is a young English girl living with a Jewish family in Berlin in the late 1930s while she is pursuing her studies in music. However, Hitler’s power is gaining and Jewish lives are threatened. After a disastrous visit to a Jewish department store, Audrey and her best friend Ilse’s lives change as they fight for Ilse’s survival.
Years later a young Kate Mercer discovers a photo of her parents taken at an historic Scotland inn and, in researching the photo, she comes across an ad for help wanted. Escaping a painful divorce and tumultuous memories, she takes a position at the oakwood Inn. There she becomes a confidante to Audrey, the inn’s owner. The women share their stories of their heartbreaking history and find they’re connected in more ways than they would ever expect.
A well-researched and heartbreaking story of the horrors of the Holocaust.

Just when I think maybe I have read to many WWII books, then one like this comes along and I think, oh my, what a great story!! I can’t say this was a different scenario, we still have war, Nazi atrocities, resistance fighters and more, but the author gives us a version that is interesting, totally believable and we start to care about the characters and can’t wait to read more. I loved Audrey, Else and especially Kate and Ian. Second chances can heal and create new beginnings.

This was an excellent read, I even read it slow so I wouldn’t miss anything. Audrey’s story is so worth it.

I received an ARC from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with a high 5 stars.

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall

There is a strong theme of guilt and healing running through this story. In the 2010 timeline, Kate Mercer has lost so much after a tragic accident. Now she's heading to a job at an old guest house near Scotland and the reason she picks this location has to do with her past and her parents. Once at the house, Kate meets the owner, Audrey James, a wall of stubbornness in a 90 something year old body. These two will challenge and support each other throughout their time together.

Then we go to earlier, 1938 Berlin, when Audrey is a teenager living with her best friend's family while attending a prestigious music school. Audrey's mother was German, her dad is British and Audrey's heart is in Berlin even though her mom is gone and her dad has moved to Britain. In fact, he wants Audrey to leave Berlin, NOW, despite the fact that Audrey's music school graduation is only a few weeks away. But that can't happen because Audrey's best friend and her family are Jewish and disaster strikes when the family is accosted on the streets.

Audrey must hide her best friend Ilse, while living a false life as a housekeeper for the enemy. We meet Germans who don't support Hitler, who are willing to risk it all in attempts to kill him, and Audrey becomes a spy and a resistance member. Over the next many years Audrey has to make decisions she will regret for the rest of her life.

This story meshes so well with others I've read lately. I'll leave the horrors of what Audrey saw and experienced to the book but I'm always amazed at just how horrible things were for people in Berlin, people whose families had been established there for generations. Possibly movers and shakers in their communities but finding that they are now nothing at all, not considered worth the air that they breath. The story allows us to see that not all Germans supported the things that Hitler and his minions were promoting although letting that fact be known would mean certain death. I was able to read this with DeAnn and it helps to get to discuss what we've read. The author's notes are very important to the entire story and I aways enjoy knowing the author's thought processes and reasons for writing things the way they are written. I also enjoyed the series of questions at the end of the book. I needed to process what I had read and the questions helped me to do so.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

4.5 heart-breaking war stars (rounded up for my tears at the end)

This is my first book by Canadian author Heather Marshall, but now I’m eager to read her first book, “Looking for Jane.”

Inspired by a real person, this one features a woman, Audrey James, who has a fascinating but tragic life story. Audrey had a British passport but considered Germany her home since she grew up there. Many historical novels alternate with a modern-day storyline with scenes from the past. Some succeed, like this author, and some are mediocre. I liked both storylines in this book and liked the alternating timelines.

Kate Mercer is a woman on the run from a tragic accident and the loss of her marriage. She’s moving out when she spots an advertisement for live-in help at an inn in the far north, near Scotland. She knew this place as her parents visited on their honeymoon. She finds an aging Audrey as her new boss and owner of the inn, and the two haunted women begin to share their lives as time progresses. Kate memorializes Audrey’s story by recording and writing her story.

Both women have complicated pasts, and I became totally invested in both of their stories. Audrey lived through the tumultuous events of WWII. She had been studying piano at a Berlin music conservatory and was just about to graduate, living with a Jewish family she had known most of her life, including best friend Ilse.

As the crackdown on Jewish families and businesses starts, tragedy hits the Kaplan family. Military officers take over the house, as was often the case.

The book explores so many elements, from friendship to resistance to courage in the face of impossible odds and forgiveness. I was hopeful that Kate could find a fresh start and maybe a second chance at love. Also, I hoped that Audrey could make peace with her past and some of the unintended consequences of her actions.

Don’t miss the compelling author notes at the end! I found them fascinating.

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