This is such an unusual premise that held me spellbound. I enjoyed the dual timeline, both narrated by Colette. The characters were well-drawn and the topic of jewels new to me. It's a story of families, love and tenacity to solve a mystery. Highly recommended,

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel was an absolute 5 star read for me. I could not put it down. The characters were very well written and the alternating timelines were perfect. I was invested in how all of the stories resolved. The subject matter was, of course, heavy as it was WW2 but Kristin Harmel wrote the characters and events with such care that it did not become overwhelming. Thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books for the advanced digital copy.

I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read by Kristin Harmel, despite the fact that I tend to get weary of World War II historical fiction. The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau is my favorite of all of them so far. It is a duel timeline (which also tends to drive me crazy) but in this story Colette is a narrator and protagonist in both times, one in the past where her mother and sister are killed, and then in 2018, when she finally has an opportunity to get answers about what happened so many years ago. The catalyst for Colette’s opportunity is a diamond bracelet that disappeared along with her sister reappearing. A bracelet that her mother stole decades ago that ended up costing her life. Colette is a thief too, trained by her mother with a code of ethics on who it is okay to steal from and what should be done with the proceeds of fencing it. This secret that she’s kept from the person who means the most to her will set an interesting course both for their relationship and for uncovering the truth. Especially when Avila finds herself falling for the man who has possession of the missing bracelet. I won’t tell you that the earlier timeline is rainbows and sunshine, because it isn’t. But it has a stronger lean on the relationships between people and how the war changed those relationships than recounting all the brutality of the war. The later storyline dovetails nicely, providing Colette with the opportunity for closure. The ending, while it definitely seems unrealistic, was one that I really enjoyed in a genre that isn’t full of warm and fuzzies. The book doesn’t follow a real life historical figure, which was fine by me. Instead it offers something more fantastical that still fits within the realm of plausibility. I really enjoyed this one. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Set in dual timelines, this historical fiction novel captures the time of Nazi-occupied France and the present. It is the story about a family of jewel thieves, descendants of Robin Hood, who only steal from very bad people to give to very needy causes.

When Colette’s 4-year old sister is kidnapped, she has an expensive, one-of-a-kind bracelet sewn into the lining of her nightgown. When her little body is pulled from the river, the bracelet is missing. Colette spends decades searching for the missing bracelet and the man who took her baby sister.

I’m a huge fan of Kristin Harmel and would read absolutely anything she writes. This book definitely stands out as one of my favorites of hers. It is gripping, it is compelling and it is powerful. This is an easy 5 stars from me, and if you enjoy historical fiction, you need to read this.

Thank you, NetGalley and Gallery Books for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, Kristin Harmel, and Gallery Books for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I cannot express how beautiful this book is. There is so much emotion written these pages. It almost brought me to tears many times. The characters feel like real people. I know in a way they are but the ability to bring characters alive like this is incredible. I wasn’t sure I was going to like the premise of a jewel thief. But I’m glad to say that it was amazing. I could have missed out on such a memorable book. I know this story will stick with me. If you loved The Book of Lost Names then you will adore this book too. I highly recommend it!

I love Kristin Harmel’s books
What a great story of WWII
It’s an inspirational story of survival during the Holocaust, love of family and never given up

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel is a riveting historical fiction account of a jewel thief who loses her family in Paris during World War II. The research Ms. Harmel conducted to create this realistic accounting of such an historic and horrific time in our world gives credit to the author she is today.

I champion the Robin Hood theme and the way the story is told from present day to jumping back to the scenario in the time frame of Paris 1940s.

The characters are beautifully developed and complex. I highly recommend this book. I could not put it down and neither will you.

Thank you to Ms. Harmel, NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to review this incredible book.

I am always a fan of Kristin Harmel's work, and The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau did not disappoint. Dual timeline is perfect for this story and the main character is wonderfully written and I was fully engaged in her past and present.

If you enjoy historical WWII fiction, dual timeline, and mystery - you will love this book.

As always, her authors note at the end is a wonderful read, as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the eARC of this book.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau by Kristin Harmel is another dual timeline story dealing with fallout from French resistance during WWII. It ranks right up there with The Book of Lost Names, my favorite book of hers. Actions have consequences and one of Colette’s have haunted her for seventy some years. What happened to the sister she was supposed to hold onto? The appearance of a bracelet that is a twin to the one she has sets her on a path that is as painful and often frustrating as it is satisfying as she searches for answers about her sister. The author is adept at bringing her characters to life and investing the reader’s attention in each event, regardless of the period. This is a story this reviewer had to immediately read a second time because it’s so good. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.

This is an interesting historical fiction novel about jewel thieves who have passed their skill through generations of the family. Colette was a teen girl during WW2, and was an experienced jewel thief by that time. The war was a horrible time as her mother was arrested by Germans after stealing a bracelet, and Colette's younger sister disappeared the night of the arrest. Each of the girls had part of the bracelet sewn into the hem of their nightgown's and when young Liliane's body was recovered from the Seine, her part of the bracelet was missing.
70 years later, Colette is shocked to see that the missing part of the bracelet is being featured in a museum exhibit. Questions boil up more than ever and Colette is determined to get some answers, while also have to face many really difficult memories.

My favorite Kristin Harmel book yet! I couldn't put down this riveting tale intertwining a family history of Robin Hood inspired jewelry thieveing with World War II France. The way it traced the ripple effects of wartime decisions to things still playing out decades later was fascinating and thought-provoking, and I'll be thinking about it for a quite a while!

I adore Collette and her story! I love the jewel thief/Robin Hood connection and all the big surprises at the end of the book. This story is so engaging and well done. This is my second Kristin Harmel novel but it won’t be my last.

This was a great read! I was fascinated by the jewelry theft aspect and the sense of mystery throughout. Will definitely be reading more from this author.

I was so excited for an advanced copy of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau! A huge thank you to Gallery Books for making my weekend! There is nothing better than getting an email from a publisher on a Friday afternoon with access to a very much-awaited book on NetGalley.

I loved this book. This historical drama is about a jewel thief, a priceless bracelet that disappears in 1940s Paris and the search for answers in a decades-old murder.

This was a dual timeline in 1940s Paris as we met Colette and her mom - jewel thieves who are helping fund the French Resistance and 2018 Boston when the missing bracelet appears in a museum & Colette knows she needs to find answers about what happened to the bracelet since it may share more about what happened to her sister.

The two timelines were interwoven and I liked seeing how this story and mystery unfolded. It really makes you think about right and wrong. I love that in the author's note, she mentions that in a lot of her WWII Historical Fiction, her characters do illegal things for the greater good and this book takes that up a notch. And when she questions her identity and how Harmel shared about writing this book after her breast cancer diagnosis.

I loved the story and didn't want to put this down. It was a beautifully written book and Colette was such a fascinating character!

I can't wait for everyone to read this wonderful book! I'm a huge Kristin Harmel fan and love the question she poses to readers in the author's note - What can I do to make the world a better place?

I was invited by the publisher to review this book. Colette comes from a background of jewel theft, learning from her mother to take from those only deserving of it and give to those in need. During World War 2, the French Resistance was funded by Colette and her partner in crime, Annabel. But then things go awry, and Annabel and her sister are caught by the Germans - Annabel is killed and later her sister is found in the river, minus the diamond bracelet that was sewn into her clothes. Seventy years later, the bracelet turns up at an exhibit in Boston, and Colette wants to learn of the bracelet's past so she can get answers of her own and get justice for her sister. Except someone from her past stands in her way, because they also want the bracelet.

This was a great premise for a book - generations of women in the family business of stealing jewelry. I also appreciated that Colette was written as a strong woman, and was in general a very well-developed character. I also enjoyed exploring different themes in this book, such as grief, betrayal, and identity, that were also woven together to blend seamlessly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Disaster, dedication, determination, and desire highlight this latest creation by Kristin Harmel. This powerful novel investigates the lives of many who persisted and perished as a result of the German reign and the Holocaust You will not want to relinquish finishing it until discovering the amazing twists and turns that define this unforgettable story. Thanks so much for the ARC of one of my favorite authors.

*will post on instagram closer to pub date* THE STOLEN LIFE OF COLETTE MARCEAU by Kristin Harmel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ The easiest 5 stars from me. This was one of THOSE books. The ones where you love every. single. page. and know you’ll remember it! I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the story happening in both timelines. I loved the mystery. I loved the characters. I did predict part of the mystery towards the end, but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable for me. If you love historical fiction with romance, mystery, and unique characters… then RUN to buy this as soon as it is released!

Colette grew up in Nazi-occupied France during the 1940’s and endured loss and heartbreak. She lost her mother, sister, and her father abandoned her. Now, a bracelet has resurfaced that was with her sister when she went missing decades before, and Colette is determined to find out what happened to her.

Pub. Date: June 17, 2025.

Perfect if you like:
•Back and forth timeline.
•Family of Jewel Thieves!
•Nazi-occupied France.
•Strong FMC.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice: No 🌶️
Mood: 🍜🍫🫗

I’ve long been a fan of Kristen Harmel’s work, so immediately jumped at the chance to read an early copy “The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau”. In line with her earlier work, the novel is a work of historical fiction that centers around a female protagonist during WWII, told across dual timelines.

In present-day 2018, Colette Marceau is a 90 year-old woman who lives outside Boston. At first glance, she appears to be a regular senior enjoying her older days and volunteering at the Boston chapter of a nonprofit dedicated to Holocaust research and support. However, in reality she’s a descendent of Robin Hood, and the tradition of stealing from the rich and unworthy to benefit the poor and needy has been passed down across the women in her lineage. Colette has continued to steal jewels in secret, using her gains to benefit organizations and individuals who have been harmed by the Holocaust - a worthy albeit illegal action. Her life is forever changed when she hears that a unique bracelet, the partner to one that she currently has in her possession, has re-appeared… one which was last sewn into the dress of her younger sister Lilianne who was kidnapped and killed over 70 years ago.

In 1942 Paris, Colette is just a young girl who’s been trained by her mother Annabel into the family tradition. Despite her mother’s careful attempts, Annabel makes an impulsive and risky decision to steal back a pair of diamond bracelets from a German official who confiscated them from a family friend during the Jewish raids. Her actions eventually lead to her own demise, but not before she sews a bracelet into each of her daughter’s dresses - a final attempt to keep them safe to ensure both her children and the bracelets will be reunited. But young Lilianne disappears the night of her mother’s imprisonment and her fate is discovered days later when her body is discovered in the Seine days later, the bracelet gone from its hiding place.

As the story progresses, more details emerge about both the past and present, and Colette’s past family and her current friends begin to enter the storyline in full force to help her unravel the truth. I loved the focus given to found families and the message that it’s never too late for anything, and the overall focus of the novel on questioning what is right and moral - and how it isn’t always what is legal. Harmel’s storytelling was strong throughout, and I appreciated how well-crafted and complex the central characters were. My only complaint about the novel was just how much focus was spent on the male romantic interests - both the physical attributes (comparing them to celebrities even well into their 90s) and the somewhat forced pairings for the female characters. In my opinion, this was neither needed nor beneficial to the storyline and took focus away from the main protagonists.

Overall a compelling novel that I’m sure many readers will enjoy when “The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau” is published in June 2025!

One of my catnip tropes is jewel thieves. This isn’t a heist novel, but it’s a fresh take on the French resistance in World War 2; I found the addition of purported descendants of Robin Hood and the (stolen!) jewelry that defined their lives intriguing. The theme throughout the book of diamonds outliving us all and being witness to many different lives in many different places is such a beautiful idea to build a novel around.

I was especially moved by the chapters where Colette, at age 90, travels back to Paris for the first time since 1945. To read about her full circle journey back to the place of her birth made me cry! And if that made me cry, don’t get me started on the ending, which I won’t spoil. I’d guessed one twist, but not realized there was a second, so I was shocked and burst into tears.

This was my first Kristin Harmel novel – I have The Book of Lost Names on my shelf and can’t wait to dive into it next!

Kristin Harmel’s newest release follows Colette, a jewelry thief who has dedicated her life to stealing from Nazis and seeking justice against those who have done wrong. Set in both the 1940s and the “present” in 2018, the story offers a glimpse into her life over time, especially when a missing bracelet from her childhood unexpectedly resurfaces at a museum.

Colette was a wonderfully developed character, and I found myself rooting for her nonstop as her story unfolded. The mystery kept me hooked, and I loved learning about Harmel’s inspiration for the story and its connection to Robin Hood in her author’s note. Get ready to feel it all and be completely absorbed in her words!