I'll start by saying, honestly, I almost gave up on this book by about the fourth chapter. I couldn't help but notice how poorly edited it was. My brain was constantly pointing out ways I would have rewritten it, and it meant it took me a while to get into the story. However, it either got better after this point, or I just got over myself and paid attention to the story and the characters. And, I am so glad I didn't give up. This book completely captured my imagination. I could see, smell, hear, feel everything Lola and Max were going through. I became invested in their relationship and hoped they would both make it to the end of the book.

The premise for the book is, perhaps, not the most unique: a Nazi panzer soldier returns home to Germany injured in battle. His mother, however, is hiding two Jewish girls in their attic. After many arguments and close shaves, he (Max) falls in love with Lola. The story then follows the pair's attempts to stay safe and escape from their home town to somewhere the Americans are occupying, and to safety.

It was impossible to read this and not draw parallels with what is happening in Ukraine at the moment. I must confess to being encouraged to think outside the box of the normal responses to war. Okay. It is terrible, and the evils committed by the Germans were unthinkable. But, something I'd never considered, is what the Allied forces did in order to win the war. They decimated entire cities, killing women, children, and men. Their bombs were indiscriminate. There is one place in the book where Max and Lola are on a train to Dresden, and a Russian plane bombs the heck out of it. There could only be one reason, and that was to kill all the civilians fleeing their own towns. It felt cruel and unnecessary. And I'd never considered that before.

This book broke my heart more than once. But, in the end, it is filled with strength and courage. I really, really enjoyed this.

Fans of historical fiction, in particular that surrounding World War II. Fans of romance will also enjoy the love story.

How much I fell inside the story. I wasn't expecting that. The central characters of Lola and Max are fantastic.

I was dismayed with Hans-Peter. I didn't see that coming.

Discuss the Second World War with my hubby and tell him how differently I'm seeing the whole picture now.

Sad. Horrified. Happy.

Marius Gabriel has written other historical fiction novels surrounding World War II. I'm interested to read them.

It really makes you understand war more fully than you will have done before. I think.

It isn't edited brilliantly. The author could use a better editor.

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Created May 05, 2022 at 7:05am • Submit your own review...