After devouring The Stolen Book of Evelyn Aubrey, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Burdick’s latest creation - A Promise to Arlette.

Ida Davies is the youngest child in her family and the only daughter. She’s treated as an afterthought at best and, understandably, jumps at the chance to get to know a group of artists who’ve taken up residence in her tiny village. When they pull up stakes without saying goodbye, she follows them first to London and eventually to France, a country on the eve of invasion. There, Ida must face the reality that she’s been used by the one person she wants more than anything to love her back, leaving her trapped in France to survive the war on her own. As Ida waits for the war to end, she’s taken advantage of by the Nazi occupiers in a way that completely breaks her, and only the arrival of a lost American soldier begins to mend some of her wounds.

Thanks to Sidney’s love and trust, Ida manages to put the horrors she’s witnessed behind her, and he brings her home to his tiny, traditional New England hometown. Intent on being the best wife and mother she can be, Ida still struggles to fit into the role of the proper suburban housewife. That struggle starts to make more sense when the reveal of a neighbor’s new art acquisition forces Ida to face her past

While Burdick’s lyrical prose lures the reader in, I found many of the characters in the book hard to relate to. Ivy never really comes into her own until the very end, and while it’s easy to sympathize with Arlette considering the insurmountable challenges she’s faced, she still isn’t the most likable person.

In terms of plot, many of the twists were easy to see coming, and I wish that instead of focusing on so many of those at the end of the story, we could have gotten to see Ida more fully turn the corner and start to live life on her own terms.

Thanks to Atria and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Title: A Promise to Arlette
Author: Serena Burdick
Publisher: Atria Books
Release Date: June 17, 2025
Rating: 3.75 ⭐️

I wanted to love this more than I did. The premise was incredibly strong - post War suburban life - the pre War Paris art scene - the French Resistance - complicated romantic relationships - all components that usually grab my attention.

The overall flow of the novel was uneven. It had a slow start, a racing middle, and a slow end that was ultimately very predictable. My second struggle was with character development. Ida and Arlette were complex but without revealing enough about their internal motivations, which kept their dynamic flat.

The Positives: The settings were vibrant and easy to visualize. I loved the real historical figures who came into the story - Man Ray, Peggy Guggenheim etc. The line between survival and collaboration was articulated beautifully - the tension was palpable.


Final Verdict: I wouldn’t be disappointed if I checked this out from the library, maybe a little disappointed if I paid for it.

Thank you to @netgalley for providing an ARC.

It’s the 1950’s and Ida and her husband, Sidney, are living in the suburbs with their two daughters. While at a 4th of July party, Ida sees a photograph that causes her to leave in the middle of the night.

The book begins in 1952 and then jumps back to 1938, pre-WW II, and reintroduces Ida as a young girl who, after a traumatic event, leaves her family home to follow a group of wealthy artists, including Arlette. This decision changes the course of Ida’s life, putting her at the center of the Nazi invasion.

Why did the photograph cause Ida to leave her family? What happened during those years where Ida was caught up in the war? The book has a satisfying and emotional ending where all questions are answered and secrets of the past are revealed.

“A Promise To Arlette” is going to be one of the most talked about books this year, and an incredible addition to the historical fiction genre. It will also make an outstanding book club pick!

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read in advance! This has already taken a place as a top read of the year for me.

This historical fiction follows the life of life of Ida where we find her in a Stepfordesque New England neighborhood in the 1950's. She's unraveling as the result of her abusive childhood in England prior to World War II where her only solace was her violin as well as the devastating choices made in France during the war. However, coming face to face with an image from her past catapults her into fracturing the life she has with her husband and children to wade into a search for redemption and her own identity.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for this ARC. This book authentically deals with childhood neglect and abuse. It also portrays the monied classes and how they viewed the world quite well. I struggled getting into the book and came back to it after a break. Since characters had different agendas in the book I grasped for one to fully enjoy and connect with so had an uneasy read. The historical narrative rang true through different decades and continents and the characters were complex.

This was a good and very interesting book! I can tell it tried to be similar to the 7 husbands books, but this one was still very different. I liked the way it made you wonder what was going to happen, and how things tied together in the end. It was a good book!!

Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

A slow start to this one - the story didn't feel like it really began until a third of the way in. It's an interesting premise but it didn't quite deliver in execution. I think it's because I found Ida so mousy and Arlette so manipulative and bossy. I suppose that was the point, but spending time with these characters was not all that enjoyable. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the concept of this novel. The characters were everything that I wanted in this universe and how everything worked together to tell the story. Serena Burdick wrote this perfectly and thought the thriller element worked overall.