“I chose to do more than simply survive. I chose to live. To find a purpose in life. To search out the joy and happiness that is everywhere, even in difficult times, if we’re just brave enough to look.”

Thank you to William Morrow Publishing for gifting me a copy of All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White. 

“France, 1914. As war breaks out, Aurelie becomes trapped on the wrong side of the front with her father, Comte Sigismund de Courcelles. When the Germans move into their family’s ancestral estate, using it as their headquarters, Aurelie discovers she knows the German Major’s aide de camp, Maximilian Von Sternburg. She and the dashing young officer first met during Aurelie’s debutante days in Paris. Despite their conflicting loyalties, Aurelie and Max’s friendship soon deepens into love, but betrayal will shatter them both, driving Aurelie back to Paris and the Ritz— the home of her estranged American heiress mother, with unexpected consequences.

France, 1942. Raised by her indomitable, free-spirited American grandmother in the glamorous Hotel Ritz, Marguerite “Daisy” Villon remains in Paris with her daughter and husband, a Nazi collaborator, after France falls to Hitler. At first reluctant to put herself and her family at risk to assist her grandmother’s Resistance efforts, Daisy agrees to act as a courier for a skilled English forger known only as Legrand, who creates identity papers for Resistance members and Jewish refugees. But as Daisy is drawn ever deeper into Legrand’s underground network, committing increasingly audacious acts of resistance for the sake of the country—and the man—she holds dear, she uncovers a devastating secret . . . one that will force her to commit the ultimate betrayal, and to confront at last the shocking circumstances of her family history.

France, 1964. For Barbara “Babs” Langford, her husband, Kit, was the love of her life. Yet their marriage was haunted by a mysterious woman known only as La Fleur. On Kit’s death, American lawyer Andrew “Drew” Bowdoin appears at her door. Hired to find a Resistance fighter turned traitor known as “La Fleur,” the investigation has led to Kit Langford. Curious to know more about the enigmatic La Fleur, Babs joins Drew in his search, a journey of discovery that that takes them to Paris and the Ritz—and unexpected places of the heart.”

This is the first time I have read a novel by ‘Team W’ and I plan to read their previous novel The Glass Ocean as soon as I can get my hand on a copy. It takes an immense amount of talent to be able to co-write a novel with three people. Especially to co-write a novel with as much depth as there was in All the Ways We Said Goodbye. 

This remarkable story takes a look at the lives of three women in three different decades. I will admit, that the storyline took me a minute to adjust to; there were several characters introduced and I wanted to keep track of who was who as I had a feeling it would all be important at the end of the novel (I was right, by the way). But, once I acclimated myself to the characters, I was able to fall right in with the story. 

I loved how this novel took a look at not just WWI but also WWII and then what life was like post-war. It was a refreshing take for me as it relates to historical fiction. The storyline was deep and I was completely enamored with the writing style of Team W. They presented each piece of this novel with such photographic detail that I truly did feel as if I was walking along with Aurelie, Daisy, and Babs. 

I recommend this novel to anyone who loves the historical fiction genre. It was a fascinating glance into history. 

I was fortunate enough to receive not one but two copies of All the Ways We Said Goodbye and am currently hosting a giveaway on my Instagram.

Thank you to William Morrow Publishing, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White for the opportunity to read this novel.  All the Ways We Said Goodbye was published on January 14, 2020, and is available to order online now or to pick up at your local bookstore!