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All the Ways We Said Goodbye

Beatriz Williams (Goodreads Author),

Lauren Willig (Goodreads Author)

Karen White

4.10 · Rating details · 1,784 ratings · 384 reviews

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 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. . . . ...more

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Hardcover, 448 pages

Published January 14th 2020 by William Morrow

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ATY 2020 - Collaboration Books

116 books — 55 voters

Multiple / Dual story lines

293 books — 144 voters

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· 1,784 ratings · 384 reviews

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Oct 16, 2019 Paige rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

I would describe this as primarily a mystery of family lineage with the thrill of untangling the relationships of the characters in the past set over three different time periods. Secondly, I describe this as a romance. Each of the main characters has their own romantic relationship that is flourishing.

Summary: In 1914, heiress Aurelie seeks to restructure her future while war breaks out. In 1942, Daisy joins the resistance though her husband works for the Nazi's. In 1964, shortly after her I would describe this as primarily a mystery of family lineage with the thrill of untangling the relationships of the characters in the past set over three different time periods. Secondly, I describe this as a romance. Each of the main characters has their own romantic relationship that is flourishing.

Summary: In 1914, heiress Aurelie seeks to restructure her future while war breaks out. In 1942, Daisy joins the resistance though her husband works for the Nazi's. In 1964, shortly after her the death of her husband, Babs decides to find someone code-named “Le Fluer” who was part of the resistance during WW2 but had an alleged relationship with her husband.

Historically: The focus is not on the resistance, their fight, or the war. The reader does see a bit of resistance occur, but it is short-lived because the focus always turns back to the budding romance. The story revolves around their relationships. It very briefly mentions a few things that other novels have included such as Coco Chanel and the Velodrome. The Jews and their suffering are not detailed. The setting is historical, but historically nothing new is learned.

Chapter Organization : Each chapter alternates between three main characters: Aurelie, Daisy, and Babs. This takes adjusting on part of the reader. Each chapter is not short, so when a new chapter started, I often found myself having to internally remind myself which character that was and their background before beginning.

Rating Explained : There were a lot of scenes in Babs chapters that I found hard to believe. The story moved at a moderate pace until around 83% when the missing pieces of the lineage and relationship puzzle start to come together. (However, it was easy to predict most of these pieces.) This is a romantic mystery that takes place in the past. Overall, I kept reading to confirm my suspicions about the mystery concerning the relationships set in the past.
Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss, and HarperCollins for a copy. Opinions are my own. ...more

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Feb 16, 2020 Bkwmlee rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, netgalley-books

Three formidable women. Three different time periods. One hotel that connects their stories together. This is the premise of All the Ways We Said Goodbye , which is the latest work of historical fiction from the famous ‘Team W’ – authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. I’m familiar with each of these 3 author’s works individually, however this is my first time reading one of their collaborative efforts (though I have their previous two collaborations on my bookshelf waiting Three formidable women. Three different time periods. One hotel that connects their stories together. This is the premise of All the Ways We Said Goodbye , which is the latest work of historical fiction from the famous ‘Team W’ – authors Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White. I’m familiar with each of these 3 author’s works individually, however this is my first time reading one of their collaborative efforts (though I have their previous two collaborations on my bookshelf waiting for me), and seeing how much I enjoyed this one, I am definitely grateful for the opportunity.

The story opens first in the year 1964, with recently widowed Barbara “Babs” Langford at a crossroads trying to figure out her life after the death of her beloved husband Kit. When Babs receives a letter from an American lawyer named Drew Boudoin seeking her help with locating a Resistance fighter whom her husband possibly knew while working in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, she agrees to join him in a search that finds them traveling to Paris and the famous Ritz hotel. We are then taken back to the year 1914, at the onset of the Great War, where Aurelie, the daughter of the Comte de Courcelles, decides to leave her mother, who has been residing at the Ritz hotel in Paris, to accompany her father at their ancestral estate in Picardy, France. Not long after she arrives, the estate is taken over by German troops who requisition the home as well as its surrounding area for their headquarters. During this time, Aurelie discovers that she actually knows one of the German officers – Max von Sternburg – from her debutante days in Paris and despite being on opposite sides, they strike up a friendship that later develops into something more. The timeline then switches to 1942, where Marguerite “Daisy” Villon lives with her Nazi collaborator husband Pierre and their 2 children in Paris, a few blocks from the Hotel Ritz where she grew up and where the grandmother who raised her still lives. After some persuasion, Daisy agrees to assist in her grandmother’s Resistance efforts by helping to deliver identity papers created by a skilled forger named Legrand, to Jewish refugees. Eventually, Daisy gets pulled deeper into the Resistance network, where working closer and closer with Legrand with change her life in ways she never expected.

The first thing that struck me about this novel was the seamlessness of the writing in that, to me at least, there was really no way to tell that 3 different authors were involved with writing this -- this is significant given that, in their individual works, each author has her own distinct style of writing, yet here, those different styles were pretty much indistinguishable. Given the way the story was structured – with three alternating timelines anchored by three women with distinctly different personalities – I was impressed by how cohesively the narratives flowed together. In addition to some clever transitions thrown in that linked the end of each chapter to the beginning of the next one (which I actually didn’t catch on to until about a third of the way through the novel), the various plot points were also well-crafted in terms of joining the timelines together in a way that still left room for each character’s individual stories to be told. Speaking of the characters – one of the things I liked most about this book was the character development aspect, especially with regard to the 3 female protagonists, all of whom I found myself rooting for. Even the male characters were written well, which isn’t always easy to do when the female characters in the story are strong and at the forefront of driving each of the narratives forward – I felt that the authors were able to strike a good balance in this aspect in terms of giving us strong, well-developed characters on both sides.

With all that said however, I did struggle a little bit with the rating on this one, as there were a few things about this book that I had a problem with, which is why, in the end, I chose to rate this 4 stars instead of 5. One of the biggest issues was the emotional depth of the story, which I found surprisingly lacking given the setting against the backdrop of 2 World Wars -- I was expecting to be more moved by the story and even shed a tear or two, but that didn’t happen. Perhaps the reason for this is, while there were plenty of historical elements, all of which were incorporated well into each of the narratives, the focus of the story overall seemed to lean more heavily toward the romance aspect and the relationships between the characters. Of course, nothing wrong with this per se, but since I’m more of a historical fiction fan and less keen on romance, it makes sense that this would impact my reading experience a bit. Another thing was that the plot elements were largely predictable in that, from the first chapter, I kind of already knew the direction that the story would be headed (and it turns out I was spot-on in terms of how all 3 narratives tied together), so there ended being no surprises or “gut-punch” moments for me.

Overall, I did enjoy reading this one, as it had many of the things I expect in a good book: a compelling, well-written story that kept me turning the pages; well-developed, complex characters that I felt invested in (to different extents); a relatively fast-paced plot that flowed well; and of course, a well-incorporated historical setting. I think fans of the 3 authors will love this one and while it wasn’t necessarily a “favorite” in my book, I liked it well enough to want to go back through all 3 authors’ backlists as well as read the previous two ‘Team W’ works that they did – hopefully some time in the near future, I will have time to do so!

Received ARC from William Morrow (HarperCollins) via NetGalley.
...more

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Nov 13, 2019 Katie B rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, fiction, historical-fiction, war, france, wwi, ww2, 1940s, 1960s, 1910s

3.5 stars

I've been wanting to check out a book by this trio of authors for awhile now because I have enjoyed some of the solo efforts of writers Beatriz Williams and Karen White. I'm not sure how they broke down the writing duties for this one but I was really impressed how it felt like a cohesive story and not three different styles of writing. This might not make my list of top historical fiction reads but it certainly was a good story and I definitely recommend giving this one a look if you 3.5 stars

I've been wanting to check out a book by this trio of authors for awhile now because I have enjoyed some of the solo efforts of writers Beatriz Williams and Karen White. I'm not sure how they broke down the writing duties for this one but I was really impressed how it felt like a cohesive story and not three different styles of writing. This might not make my list of top historical fiction reads but it certainly was a good story and I definitely recommend giving this one a look if you are a fan of any or all of the authors.

This story alternates between different characters and timelines which I always enjoy although I did have trouble keeping track of all the characters near the beginning. Aurelie is an heiress living in France back in 1914 just as the war is breaking out. The German military has taken over her family's estate and despite being on different sides, she forms a friendship with one of the soldiers. Switching over to 1942, Daisy was raised by her grandmother at the Ritz in Paris. Her husband is a Nazi collaborator and Daisy secretly starts helping her grandmother's Resistance efforts. And finally there is Barbara, "Babs" Langford who is a widow after the recent death of her husband Kit. The year is 1964 and Babs has traveled to Paris to meet with an American lawyer who wants her help tracking down the identity of a Resistance fighter and perhaps traitor with the mysterious nickname "La Fleur". How do these 3 storylines connect?

This isn't a book in which the main goal is have the reader super shocked at how everything ties together. You do have a fairly good idea of the general direction of the story way before it is all revealed. However, because the female characters are written as strong women, whether they necessarily realized it or not, you feel invested in them and want to see how everything plays out. And there actually did manage to be one or two small surprises along the way which was nice.

As for my criticism of the novel, I thought Aurelie got lost in the shuffle a bit in the first half of the book. I had the most trouble remembering the things going on with her storyline compared to the other two characters. She became distinct in my mind eventually and was an important part of the story, but I really wish it hadn't taken quite so long to get there. I also wouldn't say this is the most memorable historical fiction book when compared to some of the other books about the war in that genre. A few touching moments here and there but I wasn't moved to tears like I have been with other World War 1 and 2 historical fiction novels. I enjoyed reading this book and liked how the story highlighted some of the Resistnace efforts by women but I wouldn't place this in the must read category.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review! ...more

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Jan 19, 2020 Laura • lauralovestoread rated it it was amazing

All the Ways We Said Goodbye was so good! It was written by not one, but three fantastic authors. This story takes three POVs, by three women in three different timelines, with the Ritz Hotel in Paris at the center of each of their stories.

This was such a beautiful story, and it captivated me right away. A beautiful story woven through the timelines of WWI 1914, WWII 1942, and post-war 1960s. I just loved this book so much, and recommend it to historical fiction lovers, and those looking to give ...more

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Nov 22, 2019 Karren Sandercock rated it really liked it

Shelves: edelweiss-above-the-tree-line

All The Ways We Said Goodbye is a story about three strong women and all had a unique connection to the famous French hotel. The three women had lived or stayed at the Ritz, Aurelie Courcelles is a French heriess, Marguerite (Daisy ) Villon is a French resistance fighter and Babs Langford is a English widow.

France 1914, Aurelie is staying at the Ritz with her mother, she makes a rash decision to leave Paris and to drive her fiance to the front. The Germans are advancing towards capital, all men All The Ways We Said Goodbye is a story about three strong women and all had a unique connection to the famous French hotel. The three women had lived or stayed at the Ritz, Aurelie Courcelles is a French heriess, Marguerite (Daisy ) Villon is a French resistance fighter and Babs Langford is a English widow.

France 1914, Aurelie is staying at the Ritz with her mother, she makes a rash decision to leave Paris and to drive her fiance to the front. The Germans are advancing towards capital, all men are being deployed to the front to stop the Germans taking Paris and she's soon finds herself stuck behind German lines.
Aurelie has to make it to safety, she starts the long walk to her fathers ancestral estate and she eventually makes it home. The next morning the Germans arrive, they take over the estate, she's shocked to discover a familiar face and she knows one of the officers. They met before the war, while she was making her debut in Paris, he's the handsome Maximilian Von Sternburg and she has always been very attracted to him.

In 1942, France has again been invaded by the Germans, Paris has fallen and the Nazis have total control.
Marguerite or Daisy is stuck in a very unhappy marriage, her husband is a collaborator, she was a silly naive girl when she married him and she now has two young children to look after.
Daisy is Aurelie’s daughter, she grew up living in the Ritz and she's soon drawn into helping the French resistance by her American grandmother.
She agrees to become a courier, she meets a man, his code name is Legrand he forges documents to help Jewish people escape France, soon they begin having a dangerous and very risky affair.

In, 1964, Babs is a English widow, a American lawyer called Drew Bowdoin, contacted her, he's trying to find a resistance fighter and he asks her to meet him in Paris. She's of course staying at the Ritz, she's hopeful he might be able to help her solve the mystery of what happened to her husband during WW II and help her to find some closure. Babs loved her husband Kit, she kept a secret letter from him and she feels very guilty. During her husbands final days he kept muttering the name La Fleur, she must be her husbands first love and she's a French spy?

The book has multiple timelines, it starts in 1914, it continues in 1942 and it ends in 1964.
It spans two world wars and the rather modern times of mini skirts in the 1960's.
All three women are of course connected, it's a long and very complicated story.
It's a saga really about war, love, tragedy and secrets.
I did enjoy reading the book and did it need to be so long?
I gave the book four stars, I have shared my review on Goodreads, Edelweiss, Twitter, Barnes & Noble, Australian Amazon and my blog.
https://karrenreadsbooks.blogspot.com/ ...more

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Nov 27, 2019 Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Three women, three different time periods, three different situations, but they all find the Ritz of Paris to be their comfort zone.

We meet Aurelie in 1914 who lived at the Ritz with her mother. She needed to get away and had the perfect excuse. She drove her fiancée to the front, and on her way back, her car was shot up. She thankfully was near her father’s estate and walked there to only find she would be stuck there because the Nazis had arrived and had taken over the estate.

We meet Daisy in ...more

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Jan 17, 2020 ABookwormWithWine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: historical-fiction, tough-subjects, murder-mystery-thriller, romance-ish, favorite-authors, not-set-in-the-usa, secrets, made-me-chuckle, drama, female-authors

/ 5

I am thoroughly impressed with All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig and Karen White. I mostly listened to it on audio and I loved the three narrators; I thought they each did an excellent job of reading their characters.

If you gravitate towards historical fiction novel with strong female leads then look no further, All the Ways We Said Goodbye has that and more. It was such an intricate plot that spans three different characters and three different time periods. I ...more

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Dec 09, 2019 MicheleReader rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

4.5 rating rounded up

All The Ways We Said Goodbye is another gem by the writing team of Willig, Williams, and White. Each strong writer tells the tale of one of the three female characters set in: 1914, 1942, 1964. As this writing team has done in two earlier works, the joint effort works seamlessly and effectively. While two of the three timelines take place during World Wars, the focus is on the strong women who are trying to survive versus the detailed horrors of war that we normally find in ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, for-review, adult-historical-fiction

It's 1914 in Paris and Aurelie leaves her plush surroundings at the Ritz to head to her father's estate. Once she gets to her father's very old, yet still impressive castle, it doesn't take long for the Germans to come and declare this location as their newest headquarters. This is obviously a tough pill to swallow, but she recognizes one of the German soldiers as Max Von Sternburg. Aurelie knows Max from a very different time in Paris where she was a debutante and their worries were few and far ...more

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Feb 09, 2020 Mellie Antoinette rated it really liked it · review of another edition

My most anticipated of January 2020 did not disappoint! Paris, war, castles, jewels, talismans, titles, titans, thieving armies (oh my!), family drama, hidden libraries, antique bookstores, and a guilded room at the Ritz. Makes you want bourbon on the rocks and a long-stemmed cigarette! So French. Loved it!

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Jan 20, 2020 KC rated it really liked it

Shelves: goodreads-win, historic-fiction, family, multiple-pov, war, overcoming-adversity, hope

Crossing multiple time periods (WWI, WWII, and post WWII) and told from multiple points of view, three women face tremendous hardship and loss while overcoming horrific challenges, clinging to love and hope. Perfect for book clubs and fans of WWII novels.

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Dec 22, 2019 Tammy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: release-2020

All The Ways We Said Goodbye is a sweeping family saga of three strong females and their heroic men that’s centrally located in different time settings at The Ritz of Paris Hotel and a beautiful century’s old French Chateau. This book easily transported me back in time to each different era. I didn’t want to put it down. With so many genres rolled up into one entertaining story; romance, humor, mystery & suspense, to secrets and tragedy from wartime France in 1914 & 1942 to the flip hair ...more

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Jan 20, 2020 The Nerd Daily rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Marla Warren

Almost immediately after closing this book, I already missed these characters. Williams, Willig, and White (also known as “Team W”) have crafted a gorgeous tale about the interwoven lives of three truly formidable women, in three different timelines, but all tied together through the illustrious Paris Ritz Hotel.

Aurelie is living with her American born mother at the Paris Ritz during World War I, but Aurelie is French nobility on her Originally published on The Nerd Daily | Review by Marla Warren

Almost immediately after closing this book, I already missed these characters. Williams, Willig, and White (also known as “Team W”) have crafted a gorgeous tale about the interwoven lives of three truly formidable women, in three different timelines, but all tied together through the illustrious Paris Ritz Hotel.

Aurelie is living with her American born mother at the Paris Ritz during World War I, but Aurelie is French nobility on her father’s side and feels out-of-place in her mother’s world of poets and academics. Through a little bit of trickery and more than a little bit of stubbornness, Aurelie finds herself back at her father’s ancestral estate, and on the wrong side of the front lines. As the Germans move in and begin requisitioning everything from the estate, Aurelie realises she has met one of the German officers before – at one of her mother’s debutante events. While they are on different sides of the war, they grow to see just how much they have in common. But this is wartime, and betrayal seems far more likely than a happy ending.

Daisy was raised by her free-spirited Grandmother in the Paris Ritz, but it is now 1942 and she is married to a French diplomat who is working for the German occupiers. Through her grandmother’s insistence, Daisy begins to help the resistance at great risk to her family and herself. She and the skilled English forger that she begins working with develop deep feelings for each other, but when Daisy is forced to confront dark secrets from her family’s past, she is not left with many choices of what to do next.

Babs is a young widow in the 1960s’. She married her childhood sweetheart, Kit, after he returned from World War II, where he spent time in a German camp. When he came home he had no desire to talk about those days and Babs, afraid of causing him more pain, does not ask for information. She even hides a letter that comes for him from a mysterious woman called “La Fleur.” But shortly after Kit’s death, Babs receives a letter from an American man named Drew whose father also fought in World War II and is now in extremely poor health. His father worked with the resistance and was supposed to meet La Fleur, but when she did not show, Drew’s father was branded a traitor. Drew wants Babs to help him uncover the secrets behind La Fleur and clear his father’s name. So they decide to meet in Paris. At the Ritz Hotel.

All three stories are beautifully told, and the book takes you back and forth between the stories so that they all unravel together. With this storytelling style, sometimes the reader is left wishing for more of one story or skipping ahead to get back to what is going on in one particular timeline, but NEVER in this book! All three tales are so uniquely told and fascinating that I never even thought of skipping ahead to get back to one particular woman’s story. I loved every minute of each woman’s adventure.

Just walking through a bookstore, I don’t think I would ever have picked this book up. I might even have rolled my eyes a little and thought, “ugh…another romance about war time.” But I would have missed out on something incredible! It makes me sad to think I might have missed out on this beautifully written, heart breaking, touching, fulfilling, magnificent book. I am so excited to read more from Team W! ...more

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Jan 16, 2020 Davida Chazan rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Fans of historical fiction, women's fiction, and literary fiction

Shelves: fiction, historical, jewish, mystery, women, literary, edelweiss-arc, multiple-authors, feminism, co-authors

4.5/5 stars! In their third collaboration, authors Lauren Willig, Karen White Beatriz Williams, (aka Team W) follow a family legend that spans two world wars and discovering the truth, with the stories of three women. This novel was released on January 14, 2020. You can read more in my #bookreview on my blog here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2020/01/1...

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Jan 16, 2020 Blodeuedd Finland rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, audiobook

This is a 3 part story, and I did feel that it either could have been longer or sorry one person should have been left out. I wanted more!

In 1914 there is noblewoman Aurelie, from an illustrious line, that keeps a locket with Jean of Arc's blood as a talisman. I did want more of her story. The German's take over her castle, she falls in love with one as she knew him before the war. Though she is just as much playing him for information. It was just over so fast!

I am not sure who narrated her ...more

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Dec 23, 2019 Rebecca rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, first-reads, 00-own-a-copy, 2020-favorites, best-historical-fiction

Set amid three different time periods (1914, 1942, and 1964), All the Ways We Said Goodbye follows Aurélie the French heiress, Daisy the Resistance fighter, and Barbara/Babs the widow. How do their three stories intertwine?

"Some women are lost in the fire, and some are built with it."

First of all, since so much of this story occurred at the luxurious Ritz Hotel in Paris, I took a few minutes to google it and ogle the extravagant photos. Oooooh la la! After that, I was ready to get back to ...more

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Dec 22, 2019 Tammy rated it it was amazing

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Nov 06, 2019 Dennis rated it liked it

Shelves: historical-fiction, family-drama, 2019-read, 2020-pub

A well written historical fiction/family-drama fusion. All the Ways We Said Goodbye has three different point of views (with Daisy's being by far my favorite) in three different time periods—World War I, World War II, and post-World War II 1960s. As the story unfolds, the three narrators, Barbara (Babs), Aurelie, and Daisy find that they have a lot more in common than they think. I really loved how the story unfolded, but quickly realized that this is more of a romance and family-drama than ...more

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Feb 04, 2020 Carla Johnson-Hicks rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, eidelwiess, audio, received-from-publisher-or-pr-co, edelweiss-challenge-2020, 2020-release

This was a historical fiction story with a bit of a mystery. There are three different stories, told in three different times, WWI, WWII, and the 1960s. When I first started this story I was a bit confused. What did these three women have in common besides The Ritz? How do these stories connect? Well, suffice it to say that when all was revealed, it was worth the wait and the minor confusion. Even though I had that original confusion, the authors kept me interested throughout and the stories This was a historical fiction story with a bit of a mystery. There are three different stories, told in three different times, WWI, WWII, and the 1960s. When I first started this story I was a bit confused. What did these three women have in common besides The Ritz? How do these stories connect? Well, suffice it to say that when all was revealed, it was worth the wait and the minor confusion. Even though I had that original confusion, the authors kept me interested throughout and the stories were woven together with mastery to keep me guessing until the end. I enjoyed all three stories equally and there was not any chapter that I wanted to end so I could get to the other stories. This was a story about three strong and independent women. There was some romance in each of the timelines, but that did not overwhelm the stories of the women. It is hard to believe that this book was written by three different authors, the stories were all strong, and well-written with great characterization. I do not want to give away this story, so will not share anymore of the plot except to say there is a talisman that also features in each of the POVs. This story had me racing through it in just over a day and I was disappointed that it was all over when I reached the end. I definitely recommend this Historical Fiction story to anyone who enjoys HistFic or to someone who wants to give it a try.

I listened to the audiobook of this story narrated by Helen Sadler, Nicola Barber, and Saskia Maarleveld. Just like the authors, each of these narrators brought life to one of the timelines. I thoroughly enjoyed the performance of this book, with the unique voices, great expression and intonation. I have enjoyed other books narrated by Saskia Maarleveld, but Helen Sadler and Nicola Barber were new to me. I will definitely listen to other books narrated by any of these three voice actresses. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own. ...more

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Feb 06, 2020 Carli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

/5. Three women’s stories combine over the course of 50 years in France, all convening at the Ritz hotel in Paris. It is partly a mystery of identity and part a testament to the strength of women. If you like historical fiction, add this to your list. ...more

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Nov 21, 2019 Samantha rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Having really enjoyed the previous collaboration of these three authors on The Glass Ocean, I assumed this book would be a winner, and indeed it was.

It is primarily a family saga— a complex and intricate one featuring not one but two commendable war heroines—with dashes of mystery, romance, and espionage.

I’ll be very curious to learn how the writing process worked amongst the three authors (anyone seen an interview on this yet with any of them? Please do let me know if you have). I am assuming ...more

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Jan 18, 2020 Rebecca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, own-to-read, home-library

4.5 stars
I really love family saga's and this one lived up to all my expectations of this subgenre. This book was full of loss and pain, but also love and hope and passion and man did I really enjoy it! This book tells the story of three women during different types of great pain and upheavalin their lives and shows how strong and resilient they are, even when they can't recognize it in themselves. It shows the turning point in each of their lives and what they chooseto do to with.
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There is ...more

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Feb 07, 2020 Merry rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 3-star

Written in a similar manner to other books these three authors have collaborated on, this particular book follows three women in three different timeframes whose stories are ultimately connected. We have Aurelie who resists the invasion of German soldiers during WWI yet still falls in love with a German officer, Daisy who turns spy during WWII despite being married to a Nazi collaborator, and Babs in 1964 as she tries to find out the identity of a Resistance fighter who had been in love with her ...more

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Jan 11, 2020 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wow this book is excellent! It weaves together three different stories from three different times. It was really hard to put it down. I did have to take notes to keep the characters straight but that’s mostly because it’s harder to flip back in an ebook. I really love historical fiction especially about WWII and this book was so good.

I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Feb 04, 2020 Gail rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I thoroughly enjoyed this book by three of my favorite authors. This is their third collaboration. I think it is their best!

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Jan 30, 2020 RoseMary Achey rated it liked it · review of another edition

Three time frames, three stories that naturally intertwine, a bit of mystery and a great deal of romance make up this novel. I had some difficulty with the rotating times and keeping the characters straight initially. It was moderately entertaining novel, however not an exceptional piece of historical fiction.

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Feb 09, 2020 Morgan rated it really liked it

I am totally impressed that three different authors can come together to produce a completely cohesive narrative.
1914 / 1942 / 1964
Three timelines, two different wars; three different heroines all come together melded into an intriguing story of love and betrayal; heroism in the time of war; loss and redemption.
There is a little bit of everything in this novel: Romance, mystery; a family saga spanning the ages and the Hotel Ritz in Paris as center stage.

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Jan 29, 2020 Lisa rated it it was amazing

Absolutely ADORED THIS BOOK! Vivid characters, outstanding descriptions. A myriad of emotions- sadness, joy, passion, heartache, fear, reunion, accomplishment, bravery and surprise. Everyone who loves historical fiction set in WWII must read this book! Not to be missed!

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Nov 15, 2019 Rhonda Ruff rated it really liked it

Time travel romance set in nazi Germany all rolled into one! Great storyline and unforgettable story makes for great reading. Wonderful book

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Jan 02, 2020 Hristina rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-the-best, e-books, reviewed, first-read-arcs, adult-lit, not-what-i-thought, historical-fiction, from-edelweiss

Everything about All the Ways We Said Goodbye was done right.
It flowed beautifully and felt very polished. The writing was somehow light, considering how detailed it was. The stories were intriguing, engrossing. I really enjoyed the characters, they were beautifully developed, and so easy to feel for.
All in all, it was an amazing, borderline unputdownable read. I really enjoyed it.

*Copy received through Edelweiss
*Rating: 5/5 stars

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