Review: All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White

Title: All the Ways We Said Goodbye
Author: Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, Karen White
Published: January 2020, William Morrow
Format: Hardcover, 448 pages
Source: Publisher via TLC Booktours

Summary: 
The New York Times bestselling authors of The Glass Ocean and The Forgotten Room return with a glorious historical adventure that moves from the dark days of two World Wars to the turbulent years of the 1960s, in which three women with bruised hearts find refuge at Paris’ legendary Ritz hotel.

The heiress . . .
The Resistance fighter . . .
The widow . . .
Three women whose fates are joined by one splendid hotel

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 own 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 to unexpected places of the heart. . . .


My thoughts: I can't think of anything better than reading a book by three of your favorite authors. I absolutely love that this talented trio, dubbed the "3W's" has once again written another stellar book. Somehow when they come together to write, they create magic...it is not three separate stories but rather one seamless story that if you didn't know better, you would think one author penned. I have loved their previous books and this latest one is just as amazing.

I absolutely found myself captivated with this book. I loved how it uses one central location, the Paris Ritz, to tie the characters together, but then has three time periods to tell the story. Of course, as I was reading it, I was trying to figure out how all the characters were connected. This is not a book with a huge twist at the end, but rather we are slowly led down the path with hints being foreshadowed throughout. I loved this as it allowed me to see where we might be heading and to enjoy the journey all the more.

All three women were unique, dynamic women in their own right. They were strong, flawed women who you could not help but become swept up in their stories and I found myself equally invested in all three timelines, something I am finding happening more and more to be the case lately - maybe because the quality of historical fiction is stepping up it's game or I am just picking really good books. Either way, I am loving it.

This book has a bit of everything to keep you reading - a little mystery, a little romance, secrets, family drama and even a little adventure - and it takes us from WWI to WWII to some years post-war. It really is an excellent read and I cannot recommend it enough to all historical fiction fans! And lucky for us, team W will be back with another book...which I will be eagerly waiting to read!!!