A review by fairytales
Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

adventurous emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is brilliant and Nancy and Henri were amazing and brave in an incredibly scary time. Nancy’s story and leadership is just incredible, as was her relationship with Henri. I loved this book and particularly enjoyed how Nancy succeeded and gained such respect as often the only woman in male dominated spaces. My only critique (seriously don’t read it’s a big spoiler):

I felt like there was something missing in describing Nancy’s dream and then her reaction to the news toward the end. It’s possible this was just how Nancy actually did react, but the author describes in her note at the end that Nancy had a strong feeling after her dream that  Henri had died or something terrible had happened, so I was confused why that wasn’t mentioned in the book. I also felt there were a few times—and I do get that Nancy was compartmentalizing—when she could have focused on Nancy’s fear for Henri more especially towards the end. It felt a bit almost glossed over or not explicitly focused on. I get that enormous fear could be assumed but I felt like I needed it spelled out a bit more.