Book Club: The Nightingale
I’ll be totally honest—historical fiction is not my jam. History was actually my least favorite subject in school—okay, that and statistics. When I asked for book recommendations, The Nightingale oddly enough didn’t come up much. At the time, I had just finished a mix of romance and thrillers and was looking for something different, something that would still keep me hooked. I think I first heard about The Nightingale on social media or somewhere else in passing. But when I mentioned it was next on my TBR, my friends were chiming in: “Be prepared, this one will WRECK you.”
“Perfect,” I thought. 2025 got off to a rocky start, and I needed something unpredictable, something outside my norm—something to cry about that wasn’t the state of my year so far.
And let me tell you—Kristin Hannah did not miss.
I originally planned to start this in January but didn’t pick it up until March. The beginning was a slow burn for me. I’ll admit it—I judged a book by its cover. When I realized it was historical fiction, I wasn’t exactly thrilled. But I had heard so many amazing reviews, and I was determined to give it a fair shot.
It wasn’t an instant page-turner for me, but once I hit the 50% mark (thank you, Kindle for tracking my struggle), I could not put it down. It consumed me. I finished the rest in 48 hours. Probably would have been even faster if mom life (chores, errands, dinner, etc) didn’t take over—because trust me, I wanted to drop everything and keep reading.
Kristin Hannah delivers an absolutely gut-wrenching story of two French sisters during WWII. If you’ve ever had a complicated sisterly relationship, parts of this book will hit you like a punch to the stomach. In school, we studied different perspectives of WWII, but I realized as I read this book that I had never really explored the war from the French resistance’s point of view. And while the characters themselves are fictional, the themes of loss, sacrifice, and survival are very, very real—and you feel that in Hannah’s writing.
Without giving away spoilers, I’ll just say this: The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah is a 5-star read for me. A must-read. Even if historical fiction isn’t your usual go-to, give this one a chance.
I’ve also heard amazing things about The Women, Kristin Hannah’s latest book, and I can’t wait to pick that one up next!