I enjoyed this book. I’d like to read more books from this author in the future. I would recommend to family and friends as well.

This book about WWII had a different focus. You are not exposed to the horrors of the concentration camps. However, you will be exposed to life in Germany before the war and Hitler’s agenda becomes ingrained in the minds of the people in Germany. This was a difficult book to read from the viewpoint of white supremacy and how the lies and justification of decisions were made. How easily we make excuses for our behavior. This is a good book that presents a unique aspect of WWII.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing Corporation for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

think there may have been too many timelines in Wunderland for it to reach it's full potential as a World War II novel.

I give it credit for not trending toward outright romance in the shadow of war, as a lot of WWII novels do, or focusing on some aspect of the resistance to the Nazis, as many WWII novels do. The author attempted something different with Wunderland in that she focused on women in Nazi Germany and the effects that could have through the subsequent generations.

Unfortunately, it fell flat and a lot of that can be, I think, laid at the doorstep of too many timelines playing out at once and too much switching back and forth. It got confusing and clunky in places.

I wanted to read more about each of the women and every time the next page switched timelines, I couldn't help but wish we were sticking with the one who'd just been speaking.

Really, the story of Isle and Renate, Ava and Sophie could have been a duology to a trilogy and it would have been good. The subject matter deserved something more given what the author was obviously trying to convey in an under 400 page book that spanned sixty years and four main characters.

⭐⭐⭐

(Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the chance to read this book in exchange for a honest review. I apologize for how long it took.)

There are so many WW2 books these days, and a book needs to be very strong to stand out. I did not feel like this one did.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A wonderful illustration of how we are shaped by our culture. We would all like to think that we would have seen the truth about Nazi Germany had we been there. I suspect however that most of us would not have since we are equally blind to racial and religious hatred in our own time

Lush and atmospheric. I highly recommend this book if you're into historical fiction and literary fiction.

Wunderland was an amazing story centering around two girls in the midst of World War II. I was so emotionally invested in this novel as I read about one character becoming involved in the Nazi youth program and finding herself believing in the story that the Nazi's were telling of the bright future that would be forthcoming. The other character learns more about her family and the secrets they hold. It was a novel that kept my attention from start to finish and showcased how hard the time period was for all.

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2019; Crown Publishing

I really enjoyed Wunderland as it seemed different than other world war II novels being published at the moment. It was less about the romance and more about the climate of the time and the people trying to survive it. I would recommend this one to any fans of historical fiction and WWII fiction.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

Secrets and lies, despair, hope, betrayal - this book has it all. 1930's Germany, pre-WWII, two school friends whose lives were changed forever by Nazism. This was not an easy book to read, especially after family members told me stories from WWII. But it is also the book that should be read, because we all need to remember and not let it happen again.

Wunderland is a must read! I have read many novels about WWII, and only a few stand out as being memorable to me. Wunderland has been added to this short list and I have been recommending it to my friends and coworkers. I know that I will not be able to do it justice with any review that I write, but hope that people will take my word for it and read it!

What makes it stand apart from others is that it is not the typical and predictable setting and viewpoint, and it is not written in the usual prose. It was interesting to read from the viewpoint of a Jewish girl just prior to the start of the war, and then read through her experiences as the war developed and eventually passed.

Heart-wrenching, emotional, beautiful. Memorable, poignant, haunting. AWARD WINNER!

I think others may enjoy Wunderland, but it was sadly not for me. I struggled to get into this one, and I ended up DNF at 16%.

Ava receives a bundle of unsent letters along with her estranged mother’s ashes, letters sent to a tragic figure from Ilsa’s past. Ava finds the mystery person—Renate Bauer, and learns about her mother’s childhood growing up as a Hitler Youth, an organization that divided Ilsa from her best friend Renate. Epstein skillfully weaves the lives of two young girls into the horror that was WWII Germany, exposing secrets, betrayals, and primal fears, within all their complexities whilst rendering a friendship torn to pieces by circumstances. Though an oft written subject, Epstein’s take is unique in its in-depth view of how the Nazis reached out to indoctrinate children, evoking misplaced loyalty and mortal fear in even its youngest citizens. I was fortunate to receive a digital copy of this brilliantly written story from the publisher through NetGalley.

I've read countless books about World War II, but this one is unique in that it shows what was going on in Germany in the days before war broke out, when Nazism was taking root and growing. The timelines jumps in the story which is never jarring, so long as you pay attention. The characters are richly written & vivid and complex and I was still thinking about them after I had finished the book.

I received this book through NetGalley for my review.

WOW. I typically enjoy books that go from one generation to the next, but this one was really well done. I actually wished it had gone on a little longer, but maybe Jennifer Cody Epstein will so a sequel.

I loved the way it is told from a few different characters and it has twists. BrGroke your heart one minute and had you mad as all get out the next.

Highly recommend it.

Wunderland starts with two friends growing up in Germany in 1933. The rise of the Nazi party in Germany tears the friend apart. One is a German girl (Ilse) that joins the Hitlerjungen and becomes a pro-Nazi supporter; the other (Renate) is half-Jewish and witnesses first-hand the persecution of the Jews. Their stories are uncovered by Ava, Ilse’s daughter living in New York City in the 1980s. The wartime experiences of the friends were drastically different and the suspense rising toward the conclusion was well done. Characterizations were fully realized and the novel moved at a good pace. For those that enjoy WWII novels that portray how the ramifications of the past impact the future will enjoy the book. Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing the opportunity to read the book and give an honest review.

Compelling novel of the consequences of Hitler’s rise to power and the effect on the friendships of Renate and Ilsa. This novel vividly sketches the life of Berlin during this time period. Highly recommend.

Two girls who are best friends in Berlin during Hitler's rise. One joins the Hitler youth and the other becomes an outcast. Years later, a daughter finds out her mother was a willing participant in the Hitler youth and works to reconcile that information with the woman she has never known. There is also a mystery of who the daughter's father is. Told in alternating chapters from the daughter and the two friends, the story unfolds. Well written overall.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Very slow to get started, but it became more interesting. Not the typical WW2 historical fiction but more of a story of friendship and betrayal. The female leads were not very likeable though.

This was a very interesting book , that gave you three different views of what was happening during World War II. You have the view of a person of German descent, another the view from the side of the Jewish population and the last is from an adult that was born during that time period. The turning on people that you had grown up with and condemning them to some of the worst abuse possible shed's light on how it was possible. The manipulation of people's beliefs, fears, and feelings is shown in this book. The aftermath of what happen is seen in the adult that was born during this war torn time. This was truly a very good book the only problem I had with it was the last two chapters it seemed that everything was rushed to get to the ending of the book. The rest of the book went at a slower pace, but the last few chapters had a lot crammed in to a few chapters.