$$$
3 great authors make for 1 great reading experience. “All the Ways We Said Goodbye” is really a family saga that spans 50+ years from 1914 - 1964. There are historical elements, due to the setting being France and two of the time periods being WW 1& 2. All three authors excell in this genre and have woven their talents together, seamlessly. Each chapter is clearly marked and designated to one of the heroine’s: Aurelie, Daisy & Babs.

Lots of romance, a good mystery, a plot twist you WILL NOT expect and history with adventure to satisfy just about every reading preference. The prose is rich without being overly descriptive and the dialogue moves the story along at a good clip; almost 450 pages go flying by. There’s no gratuitous violence or sexual content and the language is clean; easily an Hallmark MOTW contender.

If you’re a fan of any of these 3 authors, all three together or just are looking for a good historical saga with a twist, “All the Ways We Said Goodbye” is a wonderful choice📚

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!

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 and HarperCollins for a copy. Opinions are my own.

$$$