Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

“I have just been condemned to death. I will be shot tomorrow. Long live the King. Long live Belgium.“

I sometimes read books from lesser-known authors and become so baffled as to why they haven’t been snapped up by one of the big publishers. This is one of those books!! I was completely blown away by this book. For a genre I don’t tend to read much, it has to be something pretty special to keep my interest, and this one was such a moving and inspirational read. I am so thrilled to be sharing my review of The Belgian Girls by Kathryn J. Atwood!

About the book

When the Germans overrun Brussels during the First World War, Gabrielle is infuriated to see her newfound happiness shattered. It isn’t long before she is faced with an impossible choice. Three decades later, shy and bookish Julienne moves to Brussels with her widowed father at the height of the Nazi occupation and is horrified to witness the city’s callous treatment of Jews.

In this dual timeline novel inspired by the life of Belgian spy Gabrielle Petit, two very different young women must discover their inner strength to become the heroes their city needs. And when loyalties are tested and decades-old secrets are revealed, their legacies will become entwined forever.

The beginning

Straight away, I was drawn into this book by such stunning words and despite the instant emotion, a kind of poignancy and sadness in those first chapters, I found it so easy to love. We meet Julienne first, a shy, well-mannered girl, who is forced to leave her home during the Nazi occupation and head to Brussels with her father. She is mourning the loss of her beloved mother, and I could really feel how much her mother meant to her, the memories she held dear. But they had to move on. They needed work, they needed safety. Brussels turned out to be much different to L’Elpe; staying with her aunt opened her eyes to new experiences and, most importantly how this city treated Jews. Even though I knew how tough it was at this time, reading it in this book brought everything to life. It was horrific, of course, but how it was explored through the author’s words was exceptional. The book has a dual narrative and timeline, and we also meet Gabrielle Petit three decades earlier. Knowing the book is inspired by this real life Belgian Spy fascinated me and I couldn’t wait for what would unfold.

“How was it possible, she thought, that these four ordinary walls could hold echoes of both her deepest joys and her darkest miseries?”

I found Julienne and Gabrielle to be similar in some ways, but in others, they couldn’t be more different. They’d both lost a parent, yet Gabrielle was certainly more self assured, confident and even a little rebellious in comparison to a timid Julienne. I loved their differing perspectives and getting to know each of them in turn. Gabrielle’s chapters were further in the past, and when she meets Maurice, things began to click nicely into place for me. He was Julienne’s father, and I became even more curious about Gabrielle’s role in the past, in Julienne’s life. I loved learning about different relationships and family bonds, their different experiences in dealing with such traumatic circumstances, how it brought people together, yet broke others apart. I adored the moment Julienne comes across Gabrielle’s letters to her father in an old desk, the key moment that connected both of these characters from completely different times. It was clear that something happened to Gabrielle and Maurice, something that broke their loving relationship. And I needed to know what it was!

The middle

As time passed, I could really see Julienne grow in confidence, something that was brilliantly paced and written to perfection. Both she and Gabrielle want to do their part in fighting back, yet both are met with a lack of support from those around them. I adored their determination in such terrifying times, such selfless young women full of strength and a passion for doing what is right. And I’m going to say it; I loved all this just as much as I did in The Nightingale. I enjoyed finding out more about Gabrielle in Julienne’s time, from the people who knew her well. How she inspired people, made them want to follow in her footsteps after she was gone. And there was something really nice about seeing Julienne interact with these very same people, for the same reasons. Julienne had grown within herself to be so much like Gabrielle, and there was such a heartwarming feel to it. I felt so much emotion as Gabrielle must make a difficult decision, I felt a rage bubble inside me due to everything that was going on. Things were so incredibly dangerous, I could feel the heartbreak.

“Julienne didn’t understand her meaning, but didn’t dare ask more. Being in the presence of these heroes discussing heroes, all of them vastly superior to herself, overwhelmed her into silence.”

We see Julienne and Gabrielle head into even more dangerous territory through their own separate timelines. We can see the poverty, the destruction, the heartache that so many people had to experience, but I couldn’t feel more proud of these two women if I tried. I loved how they refused to let the enemy win. That they refused to be silenced. There were truly gut-wrenching scenes of the Germans parading English soldiers through the streets, making civilians watch as they hurt them, humiliated them, captured them. It was so sickeningly real, but written to absolute perfection. I was constantly so impressed by how this author writes, her description so vivid and had me completely gripped at all times, no matter the scene. I was also mind-blown by how she writes the relationships between different characters, especially the complex relationships between Julienne, her father and her aunt. I found myself thinking about these relationships even when I didn’t have the book in my hands! There is love, but also anger, and all of it is written with a fierce passion.

The end

Both women have very near misses with the Germans, and the tension at this point in the book was really something else. There’s so much upheaval, leaving familiarity behind which was so heartbreaking, but absolutely necessary. Even though we know Gabrielle’s fate from the start of the book, it doesn’t make it any less gutting when she is eventually arrested and taken away. Her bravery throughout everything was just incredible. I loved how she would not be silenced, no matter what. There were times when she was being interrogated, the Germans trying their absolute best to get information from her, but she was having none of it. She wouldn’t give names. She would not sentence her friends, her allies, to death. And I just felt so proud. I was also constantly thinking of Julienne’s fate, and I wanted more than anything for her to survive all this, to live a long and happy life once all this was over. I knew the ending would make me tear up, I could just feel it. But I also knew the author would end this book in the most brilliant way. I wasn’t sure I was ready to leave these characters, though!

“Do what you like but I will give you no names. And I will deny nothing, repent of nothing, because I did it all for my king and queen, my people, my nation.”

The ending was everything and more – I was completely in love with it! The author has really done these characters justice and created such a bittersweet, yet satisfying ending. The emotion was so strong, yet the intense heartbreak and the feelings of hope and positivity after such a horrific time were perfectly portrayed. I loved how we revisit some of these characters in 1944, when the war is over and people are were attempting to get back to some form of normality, something that felt so strange to them. But people were finally smiling again, which made me smile too. There are such moving moments in that final chapter, in those final seconds of this story that wrapped everything up so beautifully, and I don’t think any other ending would have been more perfect. I loved this book. One of those reads that really stays with you for such a long time after you’ve finished. I am so keen to do my own research of Gabrielle Petit after reading this! It is so humbling to learn that her statue still stands today in Brussels. Maybe one day I will visit and see it with my own eyes, remembering this incredible story!

Overall thoughts

The Belgian Girls is a beautifully captivating read about the lives of two very different women at two different points in time. It’s a dual timeline novel, following Gabrielle in the First World War, and Julienne in the Second. Both women become the beacon of light that those around them need during these wars and the Nazi occupation. Although living in different times, these women are connected in the most clever and satisfying of ways. They join the resistance, fighting for what what is right, making their voices heard, saving lives and bringing hope when people need it the most. It is a novel filled with heartbreak, a realistic dive into what life was like at this time and for the many Jews who suffered at the hands of the Germans. But it is also a novel filled with hope, love and community, one that will always have a little place in my heart. It’s incredibly well-researched, powerful and thought-provoking from start to finish. If you’re a fan of Kristin Hannah and loved The Nightingale, you will adore this!

You can grab your own copy of The Belgian Girls on Amazon. Make sure you’re following Kathryn on Instagram and X for more updates.

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