The Girl Who Escaped

Italy, 1940. The girl sobs and rages as her father tells her the terrible news. “Italy is entering the war alongside Germany. Jews are to be arrested and sent to camps. We have to be ready.”

As fascists march across the cobbled piazzas and past the towered buildings of her beloved home city, twenty-year-old Devora’s worst fears come true. Along with her Jewish parents and twin little brothers they are torn away from everything they love and sent to an internment camp huddled in the mountains. Her father promises this war will not last long…

When they are offered a miraculous chance of escape by her childhood friend Luigi, who risks everything to smuggle vital information into the camp, the family clambers under barbed wire and races for the border. But Devora is forced to make a devastating choice between saving a stranger’s life and joining her parents. As shots fire in the moonless night, the family is separated.

Haunted by the question of whether they are dead or alive, all Devora can do for their future is throw herself into helping Luigi in the Italian resistenza in the fight for liberty. But posing as a maid for a German commander to gather secret intelligence, Devora is sure she sees her friend one night, in a Nazi uniform…

Is Devora in more danger than ever? And will her family ever be reunited – or will the war tear them apart?

An absolutely devastating but ultimately uplifting historical novel about how love and hope can get us through the darkest times. Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Rhys Bowen and Soraya M. Lane.

Read what everyone’s saying about The Girl Who Escaped:

‘Absolutely stunning… takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions… Captivating… devastatingly heartbreaking… My heart was in my throat and I had tears running down my eyes… DO NOT PICK THIS UP UNTIL YOU HAVE CLEARED YOUR SCHEDULES AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!… I completely fell in love.’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Wow… another captivating on-the-edge-of-your-seat story by Angela Petch!… Stunning… Broke my heart… This deeply moving novel pierced my heart… I highly recommend.’ Cindy L Spear, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Emotional, heart-wrenching and unforgettable… Beautifully written… full of intrigue, emotion, drama and intensity… touches the heart and will keep readers glued to its pages… enthralling… simply superb… must-read.’ Bookish Jottings

‘Beautifully written… Gripping, absorbing and emotive… have a box of tissues handy… Heart-wrenching emotion.’ Sunflowerpublishing.com, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Absolutely gripping and beautifully written… Really pulled at my heart-strings… I resented every occasion when I had to stop reading to do other things, as I was so keen to go on devouring the story.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Brilliant… An incredible story full of twists and turns and edge-of-your-seat stuff… An excellent read, a real page-turner… Wonderful.’ Shaz’s Book Blog

‘Absolutely devastating but ultimately uplifting… This book took me away to Italy. Pick up this novel and you will find it hard to put it down again…’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A gripping tale… So rich in detail that it absolutely transported me to Urbino.’ Frost Magazine, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘You’ll find it hard to put down! This is one of few books that I wish I could erase from my mind just so I could read it again for the first time.’ Goodreads reviewer