Back in 2022, I started dreaming up a dual-timeline historical mystery about two queer Jewish women separated by over 80 years: Lilah, in the present, who discovers a family heirloom stolen by the Nazis in WW2; and her great-aunt Bruna, who escapes a roundup in Rome’s Jewish quarter and joins the Italian resistance. After three years of intense historical research, writing, and editing, I can’t believe REBEL GIRLS is finally published!

I am eternally grateful for all the support you’ve shown me and my books. Here are some ways to show some love to THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME.

GRAB A COPY: THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME is available wherever books are sold, and for request at your local library. If you’re buying a copy, I recommend—as always—that you support an independent bookstore or order from Bookshop.org. (If you’d like a personalized signed copy, order from Astoria Bookshop!)

LEAVE A REVIEW ONLINE: If you enjoyed THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME, it would be tremendously helpful if you could rate and review it on sites like Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes & Noble. Your positive feedback will help other readers find my book!

COME TO ONE OF MY UPCOMING EVENTS: There’s a waitlist for my NYC launch event—thank you to everyone who bought tickets! If you can’t make it and still want to say hi, I’m speaking at two other free events in NYC this month. Check them out on my website!

About THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME:

Part historical mystery, part sweeping romance, The Rebel Girls of Rome brings the stories of two young women to brilliant life: Lilah, a college student looking to understand her grandfather’s mysterious past, and Bruna, a queer Jewish woman who joins the resistance during World War II.

From Jordyn Taylor, author of The Paper Girl of Paris, this dual-contemporary and historical tale—where heartbreak, hope, and finding light in times of darkness are inevitably intertwined—is perfect for readers of Ruta Sepetys and Monica Hesse.

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.