8 Of The Best Books Like The Rose Code By Kate Quinn

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“If he doesn’t love me in a boiler suit, he’s not worth dressing up for in the first place.”

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If you loved The Rose Code by Kate Quinn, you’re probably craving more gripping historical fiction filled with secret missions, hidden romances, and the incredible bravery of women during World War II. This bestselling novel, set around the real-life codebreakers of Bletchley Park, blends mystery, espionage, and emotion in a way few other books do. Luckily, there are books like The Rose Code that capture that same magic – stories of courage, intelligence, and the resilience of women during wartime. Whether you’re drawn to tales of female spies, intricate historical mysteries, or novels that combine love and loyalty under pressure, this list has something for everyone. From bestselling authors like Kristin Hannah and Natasha Lester to hidden gems you may not have discovered yet, join us at What We Reading for the best books to read if you liked The Rose Code. 

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The Rose Code Summary

1940. As England prepares to fight the Nazis, three very different women answer the call to mysterious country estate Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break Germany’s military codes. But war, loss, and the impossible pressure of secrecy soon threaten to tear them apart. 

1947. As the royal wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip whips post-war Britain into a fever, three friends-turned-enemies are reunited by a mysterious encrypted letter – the key to which lies buried in the long-ago betrayal that destroyed their friendship. A mysterious traitor has emerged from the shadows of their Bletchley Park past, and now, Osla, Mab, and Beth must resurrect their old alliance and crack one last code together. But each petal they remove from the rose code brings danger – and their true enemy… 

The Alice Network – Kate Quinn

First up on our list of books like The Rose Code is another one of Kate Quinn’s best books, The Alice Network. 1947: In the aftermath of WWII, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the cusp of being thrown out of her proper family. She’s also nursing the desperate hope that her cousin, Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-controlled France, might still be alive. So when she is banished to Europe to have her problem “taken care of,” she heads to London, determined to learn what happened to her cousin. 

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she’s recruited to work as a spy. Sent into France, she’s trained by the mesmerising Lili aka. Alice, the “Queen of Spies.” Thirty years on, haunted by the betrayal that tore the Alice Network apart, Eve spends her days drunk in her crumbling London house. That is, until a young American barges in, uttering a name she hasn’t heard in decades, launching them both on a mission to find the truth, no matter where it leads. 

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Check Out The Best Books Like The Alice Network

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The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott

At the height of the Cold War, two secretaries are pulled out of the typing pool at the CIA and given the assignment of a lifetime. They are to smuggle Doctor Zhivago out of the USSR, where no one dares publish it, and help Pasternak’s magnum opus make its way into print around the world. Glamorous and sophisticated Sally Forrester is a seasoned spy who has honed her gifts around the world. Irina is a total novice but, under Sally’s tutelage, quickly learns how to blend in, make drops, and invisibly ferry classified documents. 

Similar to The Rose Code, The Secrets We Kept captures a watershed moment in the history of literature through the lens of remarkable women modelled on true stories. Told with soaring emotional intensity and captivating historical detail, it’s the perfect follow-up if you love Kate Quinn’s work. 

The Kitchen Front – Jennifer Ryan

Two years into WWII, Britain is feeling its losses; the Nazis have won battles, the Blitz has destroyed cities, and U-boats have cut off the supply of food. In an effort to help housewives with food rationing, a BBC radio program called The Kitchen Front is putting on a cooking contest – and the grand prize is a spot as the program’s first-ever female co-host. For four very different women, winning the contest presents a crucial chance to change lives. 

These four women are giving the competition their all – even if that means sometimes bending the rules. But, with so much at stake, will the contest that aims to bring the community together serve only to break it apart? 

The Girl From The Channel Islands – Jenny Lecoat

The year is 1940, and the world is torn apart by war. In June of that year, Hitler’s army captured the Channel Islands. Abandoned by Winston Churchill, forgotten by the Allies, and cut off from all help, the Islands’ situation is increasingly desperate. Hedy Bercu is a young Jewish girl who fled Vienna for the island of Jersey two years earlier during the Anschluss, only to find herself trapped once more. 

As the war intensifies, rations dwindle, and neighbours are increasingly suspicious of one another. Hedy’s life is in grave danger every day. It will take a definitive, daring act to save her from certain deportation to the concentration camps. A sweeping tale of bravery and love under impossible circumstances, like The Rose Code, Hedy’s remarkable story reminds us that it’s often up to ordinary people to be quiet heroes in the face of injustice. 

The Nightingale – Kristin Hannah

In the village of Carriveau, Vianne Maruiac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. But when the German army sweeps through France, her house is requisitioned by a German captain. Now, Vianne and her daughter must learn to live with the enemy, or risk losing everything. Without food, money, or hope, as danger escalates all around them, Vianne is forced to make one impossible decision after another to keep her family alive. 

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passions of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets a young partisan who believes they can fight the Nazis from within. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and time again to save others. 

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Our Woman In Moscow – Betriz Williams

In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her American diplomat husband and their two children. The world is shocked by the family’s sudden, sensational disappearance. Forty years on, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from her twin sister, whom she hasn’t seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in 1940. 

Within days, Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain. But the complex truth behind Iris’ marriage defies Ruth’s understanding, and as the sisters race toward safety, a dogged Soviet KGB officer forces them to make a heartbreaking choice between irreconcilable loyalties. 

The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet seems to have it all. But when the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, Odile tastes the bitter sting of betrayal. 

Montana, 1983: Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbour. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbour’s mysterious past, she finds that they share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them. Similar to The Rose Code, The Paris Library is a WW2 historical fiction novel based on a true story that explores how heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places. 

The Light Over London – Julia Kelly

In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene’s life had been decided for her – she would wait at home in her Cornish village until her wealthy suitor returned from the war to ask for her hand. But when Louise unexpectedly meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton, a dashing RAF pilot stationed at a local base, everything changes. And changes again when Paul’s unit is deployed without warning. 

Desperate for a larger life of her own, Louisa joins the women’s branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit as a Gunner Girl. The only thing that gets her through those dark, bullet-filled nights is knowing she and Paul will be together when the war is over. But when a bundle of her letters to him are returned unanswered, she learns that wartime romances can have a far darker side. In this book similar to the The Rose Code, Julia Kelly whisks us to World War II London in this heartbreakingly beautiful novel through forgotten antique treasures, remembered triumphs, and fierce family ties. 

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Check Out The Best WW2 Historical Novels Based On True Stories

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