The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristen Harmel Review

 Hello Everyone :)

I pray today finds you all doing well, and I'm so thankful you decided to drop by The Preppy Book Princess for another book review.

I'm Kirby, and I'm so grateful you're here. The Preppy Book Princess has been my little bookish corner of the internet since September 2015, and I continue to love getting to share my thoughts about the many books I read with you all.

Up until a couple of years ago, If anyone had asked me what my favorite time period to read in historical fiction was, I would have without a doubt said World War Two.

Unfortunately, as of late, I haven't had much luck with a lot of the titles within this genre, and it's kind of kept me back from reading as many within because of the fact they just haven't been as good.

However, when I stumbled upon this particular title, I was definitely intrigued. I'd had wonderful experiences with a couple of this author's titles in the past, and I was hopeful that it would end up being a much more positive experience.

Keep reading down below to find out if that was the case.

The Room on Rue Amelie by Kristen Harmel:

Source: Bought for Myself

Publisher: Gallery Books

Publication Date: March 27th, 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction/World War Two Fiction

Synopsis:

When Ruby first marries the dashing Frenchman she meets in a coffee shop, she pictures a life strolling arm in arm along French boulevards, awash in the golden afternoon light. But it’s 1938, and war is looming on the horizon.

Unfortunately, her marriage soon grows cold and bitter, her husband Marcel, distant and secretive—all while the Germans flood into Paris, their sinister swastika flags waving in the breeze. When Marcel is killed, Ruby discovers the secret he’d been hiding—he was a member of the French resistance—and now she is determined to take his place.

She becomes involved in hiding Allied soldiers—including a charming RAF pilot—who have landed in enemy territory. But her skills are ultimately put to the test when she begins concealing her twelve-year-old Jewish neighbor, Charlotte, whose family was rounded up by the Gestapo. Ruby and Charlotte become a little family, but as the German net grows tighter around Paris, and the Americans debate entering the combat, the danger increases. No one is safe.

(synopsis from Amazon)

My Review:

After having read many disappointing titles within the World War Two time period recently, I was honestly hoping I'd love this one. I've enjoyed all the titles I've read by this author previously, and the synopsis sounded promising. Unfortunately, this one ended up not being at all what I was hoping for, and it heavily reminded me of other novels set during this time period that I also wasn't a fan of, like The Nightingale and The Socialite.

When I picked this up, I wanted to read about the escape lines, and the daring heroes and heroines who worked effortlessly putting their lives on the line to serve a greater purpose. And while that was definitely part of the story, it only played second rate to the romances included within, and honestly, this was a pretty bad romance book. 

Neither of the romances were believable, the main character is incredibly juvenile and shallow, and so many of the plot developments were completely implausible. The writing was not up to the usual standard of this author, and the plot was highly unoriginal, and felt like so many other books previously released in the genre. I personally didn't think the ending was the brilliant surprise others seem to have thought it was, as I'd already guessed at the majority of it early on.

 Overall, this one was boring, lackluster, and a badly written romance book masquerading as historical World War Two fiction. I'm not a fan of insta love, and that felt like what the majority of this story focused around.

Final Rating: 2/5.

Definitely not my favorite by this author, and one I personally won't be recommending or rereading in the future.

Thanks so much for reading guys! Have a great rest of your day :)

This is not a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. The photo does not belong to me, and all rights to the respective owners.