I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Now:

Grieving the loss of her mother, college student Lilah is hoping to reconnect with a grandfather who refuses to talk about his past. Then she receives a mysterious letter from a fellow student, Tommaso, claiming he’s found a lost family heirloom, and her world is upended.

Soon Lilah finds herself in Rome, trying to unlock her grandfather’s history as a Holocaust survivor once and for all. But as she and Tommaso get closer to the truth—and their relationship begins to deepen into something sweeter—Lilah realizes that some secrets may be too painful to unbury…

Then:

It’s 1943, and nineteen-year-old Bruna and her family are doing their best to survive in Rome’s Jewish quarter under Nazi occupation. Until the dreaded knock comes early one morning, and Bruna is irrevocably separated from the rest of her family.

Overcome with guilt at escaping her family’s fate in the camps, she joins the underground rebellion. When her missions bring her back to her childhood crush, Elsa, Bruna must decide how much she’s willing to risk—when fully embracing herself is her greatest act of resistance.

Short and Sweet Review

The Rebel Girls of Rome takes place in two different time periods, in the current time we have Lilah who is currently in Rome with her grandfather to bond and learn more about his past. In the past time period which takes place in 1943 Rome which is under Nazi occupation we have Bruna who becomes separated from her family. Lilah and her grandfather are in Rome to retrieve a locket that belonged to Bruna and even try to solve the mystery about what happened to her.

The Rebel Girls of Rome was a good book and I like how we got to see two different time periods and how the story was woven between the two. Lilah is our main character in the present time and she’s a college student and unfortunately just recently lost her mother to cancer. When she gets a message from a student in Italy asking about a family heirloom she knows she has to consult her grandfather, Ralph. Her grandfather is very closed off especially when it comes to his past so when they’re in Rome he does shut down conversations quickly if he isn’t ready to face them. We learn more about his past, it’s also important to note that the heirloom is a locket that belongs to Bruna which is his older sister. Lilah and her grandfather meet Tommaso, whom found the locket. Tommaso’s grandmother has history with Bruna and she’s also secretive but it’s understandable because both were survivors of the holocaust. Lilah and Tommaso team up to go through history and try to figure out what happened to Bruna.

When we get POVs of the past we meet Bruna who is living in the time where Nazi’s occupied Rome. One night she goes out to bring her brother back home because it’s not safe and she herself ends up not returning. Bruna ends up escaping but she feels a lot of guilt because she believes her family is now at a camp. Bruna joins an underground rebellion and reunites with a childhood friend/crush Elsa. Bruna is trying to navigate how to go forward in life and she know’s that she’s willing to take risks.

I liked both Lilah and Bruna and I feel like each of their POVs had a lot to offer and there was a lost of history that was explored. Bruna was brave and willing to fight for what she believed in even if it would cost her life. Lilah was interested in learning more about her grandfather’s past and trying to help him get closure from losing his sister which is her main motivation for trying to solve this mystery.

Overall, this was a really well written book and it’ll keep you engaged and wanting to know what’ll happen next. I found myself invested in both Bruna and Lilah’s story and only hoping the best for both of them. I would recommend this book for the history and the adventure of learning more about your family.