The Resistance Knitting Club

Threads of Resistance #1

by Jenny O'Brien

Inspired by the true story of a woman who used knitting patterns to encode intelligence during World War Two.

Guernsey, 2010. After a stroke, an elderly woman shocks her family by speaking perfect French – a language they never knew she possessed. As her granddaughter unravels seventy years of silence, a hidden wartime story emerges...

Paris, 1941. After her brother is declared missing in action at Dunkirk, eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne vanishes into Churchill’s secret army. In a bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, she poses as a simple shop girl while encoding intelligence from Nazi headquarters into knitting patterns. Each sweater smuggled to prisoners contains flight paths. Each scarf holds radio frequencies. Each mistake means execution.

Fellow agent, Harry Dennison, is the only person who knows her real name. But when the Gestapo close in, Lenny faces an impossible choice in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris – one that will haunt her family for generations. Because in the resistance, the most dangerous secrets are the ones you keep from those you love most.

Perfect for fans of The Nightingale, The Alice Network and The Last Bookshop in London.

What readers are saying about Jenny O’Brien’s historical

‘Nothing short of extraordinary. Evelyn’s courage as a wartime nurse in Nazi-occupied Guernsey was incredibly moving... This book not only sheds light on a remarkable piece of history but also explores the lasting impact of sacrifice, family, and love. It’s a deeply emotional journey that I won’t forget.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A fantastic read, I honestly loved everything about it and I couldn’t put it down. I read it in a few hours. I loved the writing, I loved the dual timelines...’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Oh, this book warmed my heart and shattered my soul... The author expertly weaves the two timelines together, introducing the reader to unforgettable characters and heartbreaking scenarios... This powerful book is not to be missed, and I will be thinking about it for a long time.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A poignant and heart wrenching story that will stay with you long after you put down the book... O’Brien brings to life the victims of war as no mere historical record can do; her writing is elegant and her portrayal of her characters is moving.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A compelling and captivating read that I won’t soon forget... Jenny O’Brien does an amazing job of bringing the two stories together... The book is beautifully written and I felt like I was right there.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Remarkable story that made me cry... I loved it.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A heartbreaking yet uplifting read... This is a truly emotional read and one that will have you reading well into the night.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘An utterly compelling and emotional read that will stay with me for a long time.’ Reader review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A stunning work of historical fiction based on a true story...

Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Fiction, France, Historical, World War II

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 6, 2026

About the author

Hi and thanks for stopping by.

I took up writing about twenty years ago when I first came up with a plot for a book, and I haven't stopped since. When I’m not writing, I’m ferrying around 3 teenagers or working as a nurse. I’m also an all-year-round sea swimmer.
I write what I love to read, which is romance and thrillers.

My next release, out February, 2026, is The Resistance Knitting Club, a World War 2 historical novel set in Guernsey, the UK and France. I am currently working on my third WW2 novel.

If you like my writing please get in touch - my social media links are below (I’m rarely on Goodreads so it’s best not to drop me a message here). I also have a newsletter, which you can sign up to via my website.

Jenny O

Facebook: Jenny O'Brien Guernsey Writer
Twitter: scribblerjb
Instagram: scribblerjb

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leonora and James Gallienne lost their parents at a young age, they were raised by an elderly aunt in Guernsey and she taught her niece to knit. After the battle of Dunkirk James is listed missing in action and she's sure he's still alive, and Lenny becomes a member of Churchill’s secret army and signs the Official Secrets Act.

As a newly trained M16 operative Lenny’s dropped into France, to work in bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, and she sends back information in encoded messages. Harry Dennison a fellow agent is the only person who knows her real name or where she used to live and her brother’s friend. With the Gestapo onto her Lenny hides in the Metro tunnels beneath Paris, and what happens during this time will make her feel guilty for years.

The story has a dual timeline, it’s told over four parts and is set in 2010 and 1941 and is easy to follow.

An elderly Guernsey woman shocks her daughter Liz and granddaughter Anna by speaking in French, after she has a stroke and her family have to solve a seventy year old mystery and to do this uncover long buried secrets.

I received a copy of The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O’Brien from NetGalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Inspired by a true story of a women who used knitting patterns during the Second World War to encode messages inside socks, scarfs and jumpers.

The narrative is brilliant just like the main female character Lenny in this historical fiction tale about the use of ingenious idea, what it was like to live in England, Scotland and France during the war, service, bravery, sacrifice, espionage, love, loss and second chances.

Five stars from me, I highly recommend and I'm keen to read other novels by Ms O'Brien.

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a big historical fiction reader and I was impressed by a unique plot and the author’s storytelling. Author Jenny O’Brien has a wonderful ability to weave fact in with fiction, creating a story that inspires and educates.

This superb historical fiction story is anchored in the warning to never underestimate the enemy, and highlights obligation and the hope that there is in believing that the lost can be found again.

It’s a dual timeline and is set in both Iles de la Manche, Guernsey and in Paris, just before and during WW2. I learned about the iconic Guernsey jumper, Operation Dynamo, knitting for victory and the clever use of Morse code. Leonora ‘Lenny’ Gallienne was my favourite character because she refuses to accept defeat and models for others how to become a formidable force. O’Brien held my interest from cover to cover, making this a book I’d highly recommend to other historical fiction lovers.

I'm excited for book two in this new series.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this true story. It attracted me as I enjoy knitting but, I had no idea how this helped during the war. Very interesting and now I can't wait until the second book of n this series comes out. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

[Tereza · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Resistance Knitting Club is a very impressive story, following Lenny, an ordinary girl from Guernsey, and her journey through WWII. I love books that focus on ordinary people and ordinary towns, because it was people like them who won the war—normal individuals doing extraordinary things and showing resilience, persistence, and courage.

Lenny was a great character, and I especially enjoyed reading from her perspective. However, at times the plot felt rushed, and I would have appreciated a slower pace with the story more spread out. It often seemed as though the author skimmed over certain parts, leaving me wanting more. I also felt that the presence of knitting—and truly seeing the fruits of that labor—wasn’t explored enough. I would have liked to see more concrete outcomes from Lenny’s ideas.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Overall rating: 3.25 stars

[linda hole · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really enjoyed this book. thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it feels a bit mean to give this 2 stars I feel I have to because of how angry I was when I finished it! I really wanted to read this book because of the title and the description. I heard a history talk earlier this year, and she mentioned the women who encoded information into knitted items and I found it fascinating, so this book sounded like it would be really interesting. I enjoy wartime stories, I enjoy knitting and crochet...what could possibly go wrong?
The book starts fairly well - I was interested in Lenny, and her adventure into War Office work. I was sometimes unsettled by her attitude, but I enjoyed her secret spy training and her idea of putting morse code into the knitting with the different stitches. So far, so good. But when she is dropped in France, with a new secret identity, things started to go wrong for me. Instead of sneaking around and coding things into scarves and socks and jumpers and smuggling them to the British, she manages 1 scarf, and then that doesn't even end up getting to the right people! The story turns into more of a romance, but then even that became disappointing as, without giving away spoilers, Lenny seems very changeable and I did shout 'what?!' a few times. I persevered to the end, in the hopes that things might get better, but instead we lurch back into the present day (and I had completely forgotten that we'd started there to be honest) but we never actually see Lenny relate her spy history to her family. It felt like a rushed ending to me, and I was still feeling grumpy about the lack of knitting and the dodgy romance plot.
If you don't mind a slightly random wartime story then do go ahead because there were parts I really enjoyed reading, and had the book had a different title and blurb I wouldn't have felt half as cheated! But if, like me, you're hoping for yarn-based subterfuge then I'm afraid I would recommend you look elsewhere...

With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy in return for an honest review.

[Pauline · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of a woman during the Second World War who devised a way to knit code into knitted garments giving the allies information about the enemy and how she had to evade capture from the Germans.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lenny wakes up in 2010 speaking French, shocking her family because they never knew she spoke another language. We get Lenny's story starting in 1940 when she gets a letter that her brother is missing in action and presumed dead. She goes to the War Office in London to find answers but finds herself joining the war effort. During her training to become a spy, she devised a method of hiding morse-code messages in knitted clothing to pass classified information which is adopted by the SOE spy network.

This book sounded good and it lived up to my expectations. It is full of excitement, danger, and romance. I couldn't stop reading it. It's just as emotional as it is entertaining. I did cry.

It's a mix of drama, thriller, mystery, romance, and spy novel. Exploring love and loss in a moving journey. The quick moving plot kept me invested. I appreciate that it wasn't stuffed full of flowery descriptors. It is a well-told story full of heart.

The main character, Lenny, is well-developed, likable, and believable. I enjoyed her excellent character development. However, I found the other characters to be a bit one dimensional and harder to connect with. I started to connect with James, but then his story gets brushed over in the end. I also would have liked to know what happened with some of the side characters.

My biggest complaint is that I wish there was more involving the knitted messages.

This would be a great read for those who love historical fiction.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the e-arc. All opinions are my own.

[Literary Redhead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping and beautifully written, this histfic WWII tale reveals a unique kind of spy craft: Knitting codes and messages into scarves and sweaters given to prisoners. Unputdownable!

[Mariana Brighton · Rating 2 out of 5]

As a knitter, as soon as i read the title and the blurb i rushed to request the arc as i was very interested in picking this up. Unfortunately i was very disappointed by this book. The pacing didn’t work, it was a very slow start but the 1st part was the only part where knitting had some relevance.The only knitting club in this book is in the first few pages and we got to see the idea come to fruition only for it to be dropped in part two to give space for a half hearted romance and the search for her brother while things seemed to happen around our main character with her having a mostly passive role. The brother plotline was interesting enough but because of the expectations i had around the knitting club and the other plotlines it wasn’t enough to keep me interested.

I wanted female friendships, spy work, a strong female character that got away with stuff from being overlooked and a knitting club - didn’t get much of any of it.

I’d like to thank netgalley and storm publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was thrilling but also emotional. It moves at a good pace which kept me engrossed and it had many twists. I found myself shouting "No!" at one point and then realised I had tears in my eyes. A truly good read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

[yarnandprose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lenny is a young girl forced to grow up fast in the midst of WWII. She desperately wants information about her missing brother and signs up to help fight the war. During training she invents a way to translate morse code into knitting and the army implements it to pass secret messages during the war.

This historical fiction has knitting, intrigue, and romance. Lenny has a truly brilliant moment with the morse code conversion. The first half of the story is very smart and quick to read. I blew through it in one sitting.

The second half of the story is more emotional. It focuses on the anxiety Lenny is feeling through the war as a female spy. Unfortunately we never directly view the impact of Lenny’s brilliant coding. Her scope is limited as the first person narrator.

This was a very enjoyable. The main characters were well described and the writing was easy to follow.

*** Many thanks to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for providing a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review. ***

[Aisha Faisal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspired by a true story, The Resistance Knitting Club weaves history, secrecy, and courage into a powerful dual-timeline narrative.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of The Resistance Knitting Club. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to read and review this moving and thoughtfully written novel ahead of publication.

I truly appreciated the way the story combined historical tension with emotional depth, highlighting quiet acts of courage and the power of secrets carried across generations. Thank you for supporting reviewers and readers by making ARCs available and for championing stories that deserve to be widely shared.

Guernsey, 2010. After suffering a stroke, an elderly woman astonishes her family by suddenly speaking flawless French, a language they never knew she had. As her granddaughter begins to piece together the mystery, seventy years of silence unravel, revealing a hidden life shaped by war, sacrifice, and secrets long buried.

Paris, 1941. Eighteen-year-old Lenny Gallienne disappears into Churchill’s secret army after her brother is declared missing at Dunkirk. Working undercover in a quiet bookshop on Rue de la Pompe, she disguises herself as an unassuming shop girl while secretly encoding vital intelligence into knitting patterns. Sweaters carry enemy flight paths. Scarves conceal radio frequencies. One wrong stitch could mean death.

Only fellow agent Harry Dennison knows her true identity. But as the Gestapo tighten their grip and danger closes in, Lenny is forced to make an impossible choice in the shadowed tunnels of the Paris Metro, a decision that will echo through her family for generations. Because in the resistance, the deadliest secrets are often the ones kept from those you love the most.

The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O’Brien is one of those books that looks cozy on the surface but quietly delivers emotional depth, resilience, and quiet defiance underneath. Don’t let the knitting fool you. This story is about survival, solidarity, and the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things when history gives them no choice.

Set during World War II, the novel follows a group of women whose knitting circle becomes far more than a harmless social gathering. What begins as a way to cope with fear, loss, and uncertainty slowly transforms into a subtle act of resistance. The brilliance of the book lies in how understated this transformation is; there are no grand speeches or dramatic hero moments, just steady courage stitched into everyday life.

The characters are the heart of the story. Each woman feels distinct, shaped by her own fears, griefs, and quiet strengths. O’Brien does an excellent job of showing how war impacts people differently, especially women whose contributions are often overlooked in historical fiction. Their friendships feel organic and earned, built through shared hardship rather than forced sentimentality. You come to care about them not because they’re flawless, but because they’re painfully human.

The writing style is gentle but purposeful. There’s a warmth to the prose that contrasts beautifully with the darker historical backdrop. O’Brien doesn’t shy away from the realities of war loss, hunger, fear, and moral compromise, but she handles them with sensitivity rather than shock. The pacing is steady, allowing the emotional weight of small moments to land: a conversation over needles clicking, a look held too long, a decision made in silence.

What truly elevates the novel is its theme of quiet resistance. The book makes a powerful point that bravery doesn’t always look loud or violent. Sometimes it looks like persistence, community, and refusing to let fear strip away your humanity. The symbolism of knitting, mending, creating, and connecting is woven seamlessly into the narrative without feeling heavy-handed.

If there’s a weakness, it’s that readers expecting fast-paced wartime action may find the story slower and more introspective. This is a character-driven novel first and foremost. But for readers who appreciate emotional nuance and historical realism, that slower pace is a strength, not a flaw.

Overall, for me, The Resistance Knitting Club is a moving, quietly powerful historical novel that honours the unseen forms of courage that rarely make it into history books. It’s reflective, emotional, and ultimately hopeful, a reminder that even in the darkest times, connection and compassion can become acts of rebellion in their own right.

[Meg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The trajectory of Lenny’s life is immediately and irrevocably altered in June 1940 when her brother is reported missing in action, presumed dead. Determined to find out what has happened to him, Lenny travels from her homeland, Guernsey, to London. After taking a job in the War Office, she bravely puts herself forward for a role in Churchill’s Special Operations Executive - a role that she is uniquely qualified for given her fluency in French and the simple fact that she is a woman and therefore likely to be underestimated. So begins her training to become a French agent; one woman among eleven men and subject to behaviour and comments which are intended to make her feel uncomfortable.

Lenny is an incredibly strong character. After losing family, friends, and her homeland to Nazi occupation, she feels that she has nothing else to lose. But others in the same situation would find the challenges that she faces up to and overcomes completely insurmountable. She has more to prove than any man and applies herself to the training with single-mindedness and resolve. It is her knitting which draws the attention of the Head of the Special Operations Executive. What started out as an enjoyable pursuit and a way of making clothes and supporting the war effort takes on a life of its own as Lenny uses this skill to learn Morse code – a knit stitch for a dash, a purl for a dot. This is a development that could make a real difference to the War, especially when letters are censored but knitting is not.

The novel was largely plot-driven and the pacing of events worked for the most part. The main exception to this was the particularly arduous escape journey in the second half of the book. Given the perilous nature of this journey, I felt that the description of what happened felt rather rushed and aspects of this journey could have been developed further.

This felt like the kind of book which would bring the characters’ storylines to a nice, satisfying conclusion. However, while some characters had happy endings, not all were so fortunate. I found this slightly disappointing as I was prepared for a schmalzier ending. In spite of this, I do think that the ending the author has given us is more realistic and true to life and, as such, it strengthens the novel overall.

I would recommend The Resistance Knitting Club to readers who enjoyed The Emmy Lake Chronicles by AJ Pearce. Whilst the Resistance Knitting Club does not have the strong female friendships that I enjoyed so much in Dear Mrs Bird, both novels are set in World War II, they shine with wartime courage and they show the bravery and determination of women in times of great adversity.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for sharing an eARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

[Daphne Sharpe · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story opens in Guernsey, June 1940.
Leonora, known as Lenny, lives in St Peter Port. Her brother James, is on war service as an interpreter. Both siblings had an Austrian mother and French father, these language skills were to be much in demand as the war progresses.
Lenny is in a local knitting group, making socks, hats and scarves for the troops as part of the war effort. Patterns and yarn are scarce, but Lenny loves to experiment with stitches and patterns.
When she receives a telegram telling her that James is MIA, she goes to London to get further information, a contact on Guernsey helps her to get a job as secretary for a new organisation being formed at the request of Winston Churchill, Section D stands for Destruction and Covert Operations, and she decides to undertake training for espionage activities overseas.
During training, Lenny introduces the idea of using the knit and purl stitches in knitting as a Morse Code, messages can be incorporated into hand made items that are sent to POW Camps to update prisoners about the progress of the war, and Resistance groups in France and Belgium could have a safe way of communication via the medium of knitting. Who pays attention to women and clicking needles, they become mainly invisible, which is what is needed to eavesdrop on plans about troop movements, train timetables, parachute drops and other useful information.
As a keen knitter myself, I was intrigued about Morse code being introduced into patterns, Steganography being the correct term for hiding secret messages in stitches. I would have loved to have learnt more about this coding method, how many operations succeeded due to this skill?
Without this knitting aspect, the book became more a spy novel and didn’t really live up to its very promising title.
Reading a modern day knitting chart with its mysterious symbols, arrows, dots, and cryptic instructions shows how ingenious this idea was.
My daughter insists that all knitters belong to covens, we use wool, waggle a couple of sticks about and produce a garment, Ha!
A successful blend of historical fact and fiction, but different to what the title led me to believe it would be about.
A three star rating for that reason.
My thanks to Netgalley and Storm publishing for my advanced copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I will leave copies to Goodreads and Amazon UK later.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was drawn to this book by the title. I love historical fiction for the new facts you learn as well as the story. I did not know that one strategy to pass information about the enemy used during World War II were codes knit into garments. I was intrigued by that. How did it work? How often was it used? Were there many secrets passed this way? Was it effective?

As it turns out, this is not a story about that. And by the way, there was no club. This is the story of Lenny’s war experience.

While Lenny, our protagonist, is in training to become a spy for the British, she has trouble remembering the morse code. A knitter all her life, she practices by knitting code into the socks she is working on— a dash for knit, a dot for purl. When her superior officer learns what she is doing, she is ordered to teach others this method. We learn that it is used and she sends a knitted code once. But that is the extent of it.

Instead, this is the story about a brave, intrepid girl who becomes a spy, is dropped into France to help the war effort during the occupation and to find out what happened to her brother who is missing in action. Through many unbelievable coincidental encounters, the story rolls on.

Most of the characters were one dimensional—Harry, James. Angus, the bookstore owners. But the thing that bothered me the most (outside of the lack of knitting anything more than scarfs, sweaters, and socks ) was Lenny’s lightning quick change of heart when it came to the men in her life. It really took me out of the story. This happened twice and would easily have been remedied by a more natural progression in turn of feeling.

In its favor, the sections set in occupied Paris were well done.

In the author notes at the end of the book, it is clear that Ms O’Brien did her research. I just wish she had found a way to integrate more of it into the story.

I don’t think there can be enough stories written about war to admire the bravery of so many and try to avoid a repeat, However, this one had an uncommon angle that was not explored ,leaving this one reader disappointed.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Storm for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Shari · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2010, Leonora, known as Lenny, is recovering from a stroke on Guernsey. She wakes up at one point speaking in French and it's urgent--she wants the jumper because the Germans are coming. Her daughter and granddaughter are confused because Lenny never gave any indication that she knew French. Indeed, when the younger women had asked for help with their French homework, she said she couldn't help them because she didn't know French. The book then takes readers back to 1941 and tells Lenny's story. As this part begins, Lenny is happily going to her knitting group, a bit concerned because she hasn't heard from her brother, James, in a while. As the women are knitting, a telegram arrives, informing Lenny that her brother is missing and presumed dead. She goes to London to see if she can find out more, bringing her knitting with her, of course. When she's at the War Office, she unexpectedly finds herself offering to work to further the war effort. This leads her to begin training as a field agent. Since French is her first language, she can be very useful. At the beginning of her training, she has trouble at first remembering the Morse code, so she helps herself by rendering the dots and dashes into knit and purl stitches. When the higher-ups find out what she's doing, they decide to make this a part of the training. When in Paris, she works as a shop girl in a bookshop run by people in the resistance. Plot ensues from there.

The book is inspired by true events and real people, but it is a novel. This was a great read, which I didn't want to put down. I kept turning the pages to see what would happen. I kept reminding myself that Lenny was barely an adult so some of the more impulsive decisions she makes would be understandable, given her age and the context. I was a bit disappointed that there was not more about the knitting once she passes her training course and goes off to Paris. It's mentioned in passing here and there, but it doesn't seem to play much of a role. I think it wasn't what I expected, based on the title. In spite of that, I did enjoy the book and since this is labelled as the first in a series, I'll look forward to the second.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a digital review copy.

[Ivy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge thanks to Jennie O'Brien, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Set during WW2, the story follows Lenny, a young woman drawn into the world of resistance and espionage. After she receives a telegram informing her of her brother's disappearance and possible death, she starts her job at the War Office, later to be trained as a spy. During her training, Lenny memorizes Morse code by knitting into socks and jumpers, turning stitches into signals. What begins as a personal survival skill soon grows, and she finds herself teaching knitting to other soldiers. Through her mission, she faces hard decisions while constantly watching out for herself and the others. During times of war, she experiences love, loss, reunion, and healing through this wonderful story.

First of all, let me start by saying that I loved this story so much. The writing flowed beautifully, and it was just immersive without being emotionally overwhelming. It pulls you in with restraint and confidence. The emotions are clear, grounded, and effective. There is no ornate language or forced lyricism. The author simply lets the story and Lenny's own experience do the work.

The story has an intimate, character-driven focus, and because the narrative stays closely tied to Lenny, it feels personal and believable. Her fears, resilience, and emotional responses feel deeply natural and human. On a side note, Angus might be my favorite character in the book, as his kindness and unconditional love had me tearing up.

A fair warning: The title may be misleading. While I loved the story a lot, I must admit that it makes the reader assume that knitting Morse code will take center stage in the book. However, that is not the case, and it wasn't detailed, along with its outcomes, as much as I hoped it would be. Still, I think the story itself was captivating enough to make me forget about it.

The story had a strong emotional impact through the themes of courage in ordinary moments, emotional endurance, love under impossible circumstances, and human connection - told without melodrama or excess.

I definitely recommend this book for readers who love intimate historical fiction, stories of quiet resistance, subtle espionage elements, and emotional depth without heavy prose.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a warning...don't think that you will just read a couple of chapters of The Resistance Knitting Club to get a feel for the book and get back to it later. That was my plan, too. Five hours later, I had missed dinner, but I'd finished the book. This story begins and ends on the Isle of Guernsey, but the action is in London and Paris. Lenny is such a believable character because she's an ordinary young woman, shy and bookish, not a superhero burning to fight the Nazis. In her quest for information about her brother's death at Dunkirk, she is recruited by Churchill himself for his "secret army" after he overhears her speaking French.

If you've read much about the SOE, you'll recognize many of the historical figures and locations as Lenny undergoes strenuous training with the first group of agents. You can imagine how those men felt about having an 18-year-old girl with them, especially one who carried her knitting with her wherever she went. "The one thing they didn't realize was that she was stronger than the lot of them put together. Having no one to lose was the key. No family. No friends. And now no homeland to run back to. She wasn't about to lose it because of some misguided belief that women should stay home and knit."

As a reader, I felt Lenny's fear and constant anxiety living in Paris under the Nazi occupation, not knowing who to trust. The plot twists and surprises kept my blood pressure elevated as the danger escalated with every page I turned. The author skillfully connected historical figures from the French Resistance to Lenny's SOE experience in France, to the point that I would forget she was fictional. I loved everything about this book, including the fond memories it brought back of my mother knitting argyle socks for my dad. I know that I'll never look at a blue pullover sweater the same way again after reading The Resistance Knitting Club. This is a spectacular read, and I highly recommend it, no knitting experience required.

My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read the ARC. This review and all opinions are entirely my own.

[Chanté Dove · Rating 3 out of 5]

True rating: 3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for allowing me early access to this ARC.

'The Resistance Knitting Club' is a historical fiction novel set in Europe during the time of the second world war, and follows our main character, Lenny, as she deals with the effects of war on her life.
After receiving news that her brother has been deemed MIA after a rescue effort in Dunkirk and subsequently is assumed dead by the War Office, she sets off to London to demand more effort be made to locate her brother. While at the war office, she is overheard speaking French by the Prime Minister which prompts the idea to create a spy network of British soldiers who can be sent to other European countries in hopes of finding out about the German's war plans and relaying these important messages back.

Lenny jumps at the opportunity to become a spy in order to find her brother, who she believes cannot be dead, and undergoes the intensive training that is required in order to be a spy. While undergoing this training, she uses her knitting to help her learn Morse code and this becomes a way for the spies to relay messages without being interceded- hence the formation of 'The Resistance Knitting Club'.

The novel is based on real life events, and I found that the war setting forces you to feel great empathy and investment into the characters story and their wellbeing as the story progresses. I did struggle with the pacing at times- initially the book sets off at a quick clip, as we establish who Lenny is and her efforts to find her brother- but found that from around halfway onwards, there were significant lags, and the interest I developed in the first was completely non-existent by around the 85% mark until the end.
I appreciate that the author was showcasing the after effects of war and grief on a person, which I think was done successfully given the contrast between how our two main characters behave after their return from France, but I really struggled to remain engaged in these parts.

Overall, I found it to be a fairly emotional read which has inspired me to pick up more historical fiction going forward!

[A Bit Bookish Co. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bit Bookish Co. Review
The Knitting Resistance Club
by Jenny O’Brien
5⭐️
🦖2025 Book 61/150📚

It’s safe to say Jenny O’Brien knocked this out of the park. It’s a cozy, emotional historical fiction with a hint of romance that all of us love in a WWII novel. Surprisingly fast read that has great depth while still remaining cozy- which is an incredible skillset of the author’s.

The FMC Leonora is just a kid- 17 years old- thrown into the deep end of life during the World War 2 and the Blitz in London. Her parents have died. She grew up with her elderly child free aunt in Guernsey, a remote tiny island- with just her older brother James. He ends up working for Churchill’s War Department and disappears during the Battle at Dunkirk. Missing but presumed Dead in Action. She knows he isn’t dead in her bones and goes on a search for answers, which leads her as far from her little island life as possible. She has crisis after life altering crisis, and this was exactly how life was at that time. My very elderly but favorite HS biology teacher was a toddler (4 y/o ) during the Blitz and some of her earliest memories that she shared with us in 2003- match up exactly to our main character’s experiences.

The amount of research that went into this book to tie it into real historical occurrences is staggering. I love the characters and her story telling. I want to thank the author for sharing these brave real heroes with us, even if they only had a small piece of the story. The sacrifices that they made turned the tide of the war, and if they hadn’t there’s a very real possibility that many countries and millions more people wouldn’t have existed to bring about the reality we know today. I will always be in awe of WWII and the unbelievable bravery that happened during that time. The fact that this historical fiction novel isn’t being raved about is sad. Wonderful writing! I loved it!

I was honored to be chosen by the author, Storm Publishing and NetGalley to read this book as an ARC reader. Thank you.

[Marcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The interweaving of fact and fiction in this book is as close to perfect as you can get! I loved learning about this unique method of coding used during World War II. Once again the perspective women brought to the frequently closed mind set men had about woman not being as capable as they shines in this book. We learn about Marjorie Maxse, the chief of Special Operations Executive (SOE) branch as well as members of the French Resistance, many of whom were women.
When the book opens, Lenny Gallienne has just had a major stroke and begins speaking perfect French to her daughter and granddaughter while lying in her hospital bed. They are shocked to hear this as she never let on that she even knew another language.
Lenny lives on Guernsey as the war begins. She lost her parents as a young teen. She and her brother James were raised by a maiden aunt, who passes a few years later. Her brother enlists as the war starts. When she gets a letter advising her that James is missing and presumed dead, Lenny immediately sets off to London and the War Office to learn more. Events lead her to apply for an active spy role with SOE. She successfully undergoes the demanding training program and is parachuted into France. Much happens to completely change Lenny's life during her time in Paris and she perilously makes it back to England, where broken in spirit she finally finds her way to living again. Choices lead her back to Guernsey after the war ends where she raises her family, never sharing anything about her life during the war, until near the end of her life. In many ways this was characteristic of many who served.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I appreciate a good historical fiction read and this is an excellent one. it has a strong female lead character, always a plus for me, and most importantly a compelling and believable story.
My thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had such great promise since it said it was “Inspired by the true story of a woman who used knitting patterns to encode intelligence during World War Two.” I thought there would be more instances of knitting coded messages in the story. In that respect, it was disappointing, but overall, it was a decent story.

Leonora (Lenny) Gallienne has lost everyone in her family, her parents when she was young, and recently her brother at Dunkirk during World War II. With nothing to lose, she goes to the War Office in London and ends up training to become a spy. This story details her training in learning coding, maps, and strength training exercises. During this process, she reconnects with Harry, her brother’s friend from when they were younger. Not surprisingly, she meets resistance being the only woman on the team but perseveres. Her superior officers learn about her incorporating coding into her knitting and they want to train soldiers to knit so they can send coded messages back home in case of capture.

Lenny ends up in Paris working at a bookstore as her cover. It seems at this point the plot is a little lost and seems rushed to get to a conclusion. The description of Lenny’s escape back to London is suspenseful and interesting.

There are instances in this book where Lenny isn’t very likeable, and you have to remind yourself she is only 18 and was very sheltered growing up. For the most part, she handles herself very calmly and maturely given the situations she is in. I don’t understand why she didn’t tell her family about her past as a spy and being able to speak French. It is only after her stroke that she opens up to her family. It is sad that she didn’t travel with her husband because of her reluctance to travel. Maybe she had PTSD associated with her time in London and Paris that made her want to stay in her small world.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m a bit of a sucker for WW2 novels and “The Resistance Knitting Club” sounded right up my street. It is the story of a young woman, Lenny who is a native French speaker as she comes from the Channel Isles. When she learns her beloved brother is missing in action she decides to travel to London to find out more from the War Department.
Whilst there she decides to offer her services as an agent and undertakes the special forces training as the only woman on the team.
She is sent to France but things go badly and she has to try and escape as quickly as possible as possible. There is also a romance with one of her officers, Harry, who also comes from the Channel Islands. Whilst training she develops a system of using knitting to transmit morse code which is eventually adopted by the SOE spy network.
This was an enjoyable and entertaining read which contained a lot of detailed research about the war years. I liked the character of Lenny who was extremely determined as well as very brave. I also found her burgeoning romance with Harry very moving particularly as it was conducted in such difficult circumstances. It was astonishing really how young they both were and what responsibility they were given. Lenny was 18 and Harry a mere 24!
The time she spends in Paris is very exciting and the secretive atmosphere, fear of the enemy and of course betrayal is well described.
My only criticism would be that the ending seemed very rushed and her change of heart regarding her choice of partner was very sudden. However her life would have been difficult had she not made the decision she did as times were very different from today.
This is my first book by Jenny O’Brien and I will definitely be looking out for more in the future.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O’Brien with genuine enthusiasm, because I am a knitter myself. The idea of knitting as quiet resistance, of stitches doubling as coded messages sounded very interesting. I expected women quietly knitting around the fire place, encoding messages into the knitting which helped the Allies win the war. Unfortunately, my expectations was largely unfulfilled.

Set during World War II era, the novel follows a woman from Guernsey who wants to do her bit for the country. She finds herself working in the War Office and then in a spy-training program. This is when her knitting skills come into focus and she is asked to teach knitting to her comrades, with the intent of encoding secret messages in knitting, which would go unnoticed. For my knitter friends – she basically uses knit and purl stitches to mimic Morse code. The idea sounds intriguing, but unfortunately this is where the topic of knitting ends. There is no exploration about what kind of messages were encoded, how were they smuggled and how were they put to use. Instead, the book turns into a historical romantic novel, where there is initial animosity, eventually falling in love, separation and heartbreak. If the book intended to pay tribute to the women’s knitting club, it falls short.

The book is still a good read as a romantic novel set in the backdrop of World War II. The writing is accessible and the pacing steady, making it an easy and often engaging read.

The Resistance Knitting Club is a historical novel about resilience rather than about knitting as resistance. Readers approaching it for the former will likely find it satisfying; those drawn in by the latter may feel, as I did, that an opportunity was missed.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

[Tzia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leonora 'Lenny' Galienne is a seventeen year old girl from Guernsey. Her world is turned upside down when she receives a telegram telling her that her brother James is missing, presumed dead. Determined to find answers Lenny heads to London, where a couple of chance encounters send her life in an entirely unexpected direction.

This was a really gentle, moving story - made more so by the fact that there is clearly a lot of research which has gone into it. In following Lenny from her home in Guernsey to London and beyond you can't help but bond with her as a character, particularly given her young age - as a reader you're aware you're watching her grow up, and in circumstances most of us couldn't imagine. She's very likeable and relatable - as are the other key characters in this.

I'm a real history lover so the idea of using knitting as code and a means of communication pulled me in - and I have to say that's at the root of any disappointment I have with this book. I would have liked to hear more about the coding side of things and the results of Lenny's work and ideas - how they were used and if or how they were built upon by others. I also found that the cameo appearances by Churchill and Chamberlain weren't really needed and added nothing to the narrative, I'm certain the resulting plot point could have been achieved without them.

The feeling of this book is quite intimate and personal, which is lovely. You do come to care about the characters and find yourself wondering what you might do in the same situation. It's also a reminder that acts of resistance - no matter how small - very much can make a difference.

- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review -

[Deborah J Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having thoroughly enjoyed Jenny O'Brien's The Book of Lost Children, I jumped at the chance to get an advance copy of The Resistance Knitting Club. From the blurb, it definitely looked like a book I'd enjoy - a dual time-line, with the story set mainly during WWII. However, I wasn't expecting it to be as compelling as I found it to be.

The story centres on Lenny Gallienne, who at eighteen years of age leaves Guernsey for the first time. She goes to London to find out what has happened to her brother James who has been listed as missing in action, and unexpectedly finds herself becoming an SOE agent. She is parachuted into France where she carries out her dangerous duties.

I like to guess ahead at how a story will unfold and was absolutely delighted that this one did not go the way I had expected it to. There is intrigue, danger, romance, relief and despair in this gripping novel. In France, I was not sure who Lenny could trust and that, at times, heightened the tension I felt for her safety.

What really caught my attention though, was that this novel is a work of fiction inspired by a true story. I had not previously heard about using knitting to encode messages and was enthralled that a simple craft could be used to transmit vital information. I read all the notes at the end of the book and have made my own list of research I want to do on this subject. It's always an added bonus for me to learn something new on top of reading a truly absorbing story.

I would highly recommend The Resistance Knitting Club to readers who enjoy WWII historical fiction with a strong female protagonist.

[Megan Toofan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance copy of The Resistance Knitting Club via NetGalley from Storm Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

This story is engaging, and I found the idea of knitting as a form of coded communication both interesting and refreshingly different from other WWII historical fiction I’ve read.

That said, I often felt confused by the execution. At times, it seemed as though the author was hesitant to state key information directly, instead relying heavily on implication and subtext. This created noticeable gaps in the narrative and, at times, in Lenny’s emotional journey. As a result, it was easy to miss important developments and the emotional impact didn’t always fully land for me.

The timeline itself felt very tight and somewhat unrealistic, especially given how quickly we move through significant events. Some pivotal moments felt rushed, while others seemed to happen off the page entirely.

I would have loved more depth in the Paris sections, particularly around the knitting work itself, the mechanics of the spy efforts, and the consequences of those actions. These elements were fascinating but felt glossed over, and I wanted more of that.

Overall, The Resistance Knitting Club has a compelling concept and is an easy, engaging read. While I enjoyed the reading experience and moved through the book quickly, the narrative gaps and lack of clarity around key moments ultimately kept it from being a higher-rated read for me. Readers who enjoy subtle, implication-heavy storytelling may appreciate this more than I did, but I personally wanted more directness around key moments and motivations.

I think book is a great entry point for readers curious about WWII historical fiction — it has some emotional depth without being as heavy or intense as something like The Nightingale.

[Dieuwke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lenny travels from Guernsey to the War Office in London to find out what happened with her brother James, who went MIA. Their parents died when they were young, and with him gone, she feels untethered and lost. Whilst waiting at the War Office, she exclaims in French, a language she grew up speaking due to a French mother. Having no ties anywhere, she's offered a job and being not only bi- or even tri-lingual (Austrian father) but also quite clever, she's allowed into a spy-training program, despite being a woman.
Trying to memorise morse code, she invents a knitting system that reads like morse. This is, in fact, true. Amazing.
I was incredibly engrossed in this book, particularly the training, the ways Lenny has to adapt and how fit she is, holding ground between the men - who, by the way, all need to learn how to knit, because obviously knitting code is Next Level.
She's dropped into France, and whilst working with the resistance there, finds herself face to face with her brother. Not dead.
Then, there's a love story unfolding, too.

Many people disappeared in those endless years of war, and my heart beat fast, keeping an eye on the timeline: it's 1941 only, how ever will the rest of the war play out for them?

I'm obviously not going to post any spoilers, but must admit I felt the story - Lenny- fell a bit flat towards the end. I'm not even going to say why, because spoilers.

3,5 stars rounded down

I received an eARC from NetGalley in return for my honest opinion

[Toni MD · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Review: The Resistance Knitting Club by Jenny O’Brien

Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the digital review copy.

I gave The Resistance Knitting Club five stars because the writing did something I don’t take lightly: it made me feel like I wasn’t just reading about Lenny, I was moving through the story with her. The prose is vivid and emotionally layered in a way that kept putting full scenes in my head, and that immediacy is what carried me through the novel.

Lenny’s character arc is the anchor. Even when the book jumped around from place to place and I had to re-orient, I stayed connected to her. And there were moments that genuinely stole my breath, especially when she turned the corner and saw her brother James, that was an awestruck, can’t-catch-your-breath turning point.

I also appreciated the connection to true events, and I loved the Marianne and Pierre thread and the bookstore because it felt lived-in and real.

There were flaws for me: the opening was confusing (the French detail felt like it came out of nowhere), some sections were hard to follow, and the ending felt rushed and choppy, including a sudden “40 years later” jump that didn’t have enough space to land. I was also confused about Harry and how Lenny ended up with a baby, since that thread didn’t fully pan out on the page. A few side characters could have used more development too.

But even with those flat spots, the writing and Lenny’s journey were strong enough that the book stayed with me, and that’s why it’s five stars.