A tough call because this is intriguing historical fiction but those who have read many novels set during WWII might want more. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC.

Pub: October 2019
3.5

The Girl I Left Behind takes the reader deep into the German Resistance through the perspective of 18- year-old Ella.

I enjoyed getting to know Ella and Claudia.. The story flows well and you really get to know the characters. There are parts of the book, especially at the beginning, that were slow for me, but that's a regular experience of mine with historical fiction. The context needs to be set and I find I react differently depending based on my familiarity with the time period and this happens to be one I know well.

It's tricky to stand apart with WWII historical fiction due to the saturation of books in the market. The Girl I Left Behind is a solid book in this genre. The decision to have Ella at the heart of the story serves it well as she becomes an anchor to the reader and gives a perspective that is less focused on in other books.

Thank you to Netgalley & Aria for the gifted e-ARC to read and review.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Historical fiction has become a very popular genre at the library and this book has checked out a lot since it was published. The story kept me interested throughout, though I did start to question some of Claudia's decisions towards the end of the book. All in all, it was a great read.

I do love a good resistance novel and this one did not disappoint!
What a fast paced, intriguing page turner with interesting characters that I didn’t want to put down.


On the outside Ella looks and acts like a National Socialist attending meetings, wearing her uniform but on the inside Ella is struggling with the ideology. When Ella discovers that her friend Claudia is working for the resistance she knows she must join too. Not long after Claudia is arrested by the Gestapo and Ella flees the town to avoid being arrested herself. It is then you find out the lengths Ella will go to, to help her friend and fight for something she believes in.

A great debut novel from Andie Newton. I look forward to reading more !
Thanks to Aria and Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria for this e-copy in return for my honest review. I love books set during ww2 so I was delighted to have the opportunity to read this story. I'll admit it did take me 30% of the book to feel fully committed but I'm glad that I stuck with it. Well crafted story.

Unfortunately I did not get on with this book and therefore cannot rate it very highly. I really struggled to connect with the characters and storyline.

This book was a brilliant read and one that is perfect to escape for a few hours and loose yourself.
Characters that fall out of the pages of the book and make you fell apart of the story, the setting is lovely and captured well with words.
A great read. that I would highly recommend.

Wow. That is really the best word that I have to describe my thoughts as I put this book down and sit here to right this review. The Girl I Left Behind by Andie Newton has left me in awe at the strength that some people possess. I know the story isn't a true story, but it could have been. It follows Ella, a young German girl, barely eighteen, who joins the resistance to bring down Hitler's regime from within. She not only fights for her country, she fights for her friend Claudia, who was taken by the Gestapo. As she climbs the ranks of the Reich, doing everything she can to help the British and defeat the Germans, including giving up those she loves, you can't help but be taken in by her story. World War II was such a desperate trying time in our history,with so many lives lost and so much pain, that watching the story of one girl as she works so hard to fight against so much evil is uplifting and tragic and beautiful all in one. I would definitely recommend this book. I am glad that I read it. It offered yet another insight to a part of our history that we can only learn from. You should definitely read it!
I received a free copy of this story from NetGalley for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I found the book flitted all over the place for at least the first 35% until Ella went to Munich and then I felt that the book became interesting although a few odd chapters were included.

“The Girl I Left Behind” by Andie Newton

“A good shop girl can make a person believe anything”.

Ella an 18 year old girl who lost her parents from a car accident, now lives with her aunt, who is an antique shop owner, living in Nuremberg, Germany. Ella helps in the antique shop and has developed a talent in working with the customers to make a sale.

Her aunt, a strong nationalist ensured Ella become a member of the League of German Girls, a female branch of the Hitler Youth, where Ella is taught of Hitler’s indoctrination. In the League, Ella befriends Claudia who helps her realize that what they had been taught to admire was not worth admiring at all, and they cannot believe everything they hear and see from the propagandas against the Jews.

Ella with Claudia join a group of rebels, the German Resistance, and help in the efforts against Germany’s Third Reich. First starting out as a courier but later saves families from imprisonment, torture and worse, death.

Risking being caught in Nuremberg, her aunt arranges for Ella to move to Munich, where she secures a position as a secretary for the branch of government that handles and audits the files on Germany’s enemies. Through this, she is able to gain information to help the Resistance.

What will Ella continue to do to save others at the risk of her own life and the people she loves?

The book, “The Girl I Left Behind” by Andie Newton is a fantastic debut novel. This is a beautifully and well researched story that I thoroughly enjoyed reading from the vantage point of a young German girl, Ella. I loved that the story is seen through her eyes as she is coming to grips with her world changing, and seeing her country, family, and friends changed by the war.

This was an emotional story that had my interest from the very first page and will keep you turning those pages. I highly recommend this amazing book from Andie Newton. This was a story of bravery, survival and love.

To be honest, it took me a long time to get into The Girl I Left Behind. I kept picking it up and putting it down, but it eventually piqued my interest about 40% of the way in. Then I proceeded to read the last half of the book in one day! So definitely keep at it, as the story is worth it in the end. The Girl I Left Behind follows Ella, who joins the German Resistance during WWII. After her best friend is captured, Ella flees from Nuremberg to Munich and infiltrates the Nazi Party. It's an interesting WWII story told from a different perspective, with a dash of romance. If you like historical fiction, I recommend reading The Girl I Left Behind.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.

When I first spotted this novel, I thought I would enjoy reading it - what I didn't realise was how much I would learn!

Ella, a young German girl, inadvertently becomes involved in the resistance during WWII through her friendship with Claudia. When the Gestapo grabs Claudia, Ella finds that the best way to discover where she is would be to work from the inside. So, with the help of the man she loves, Ella manages to get a position working for the Reich. Can she convince others of her commitment to the party?

I admit to knowing nothing about the German resistance; in fact, I wasn't even aware of it's existence. Most of what I know about took place in France, so I was utterly fascinated to learn about everything this book had to teach. It's a gripping story, and I found myself holding my breath at various adrenaline-filled moments. Exciting, thrilling and awe-inspiring this one kept my attention all the way through, giving no hints as to how it would end. It's a fantastic story from another author I shall be more than happy to follow, and I look forward to reading more of her work in future. I'm delighted to give this one all five stars - I don't think it could be any better!

My thanks to publisher Aria for my copy via NetGalley and to Vicky Joss for my spot on this tour. All opinions are completely honest and entirely my own.

Andie Newton is a new to me author and I was completely taken in by her vivid and exceedingly clever writing, she really is a remarkable writer, one that I know I will be reading more of.
That first chapter is the best start to a book you could ever read, it immediately draws the reader in, you dive straight into the action, it makes you start asking questions, which will be answered throughout the intricately entwined story. I utterly loved it, Ms Newton has done an incredible job at building up the tension on each page, I was completely transfixed ad couldn’t turn the pages fast enough.
1941, Ella is a young woman, living in Nuremberg with an aunt after the death of her parent’s, like all German girls joins the League of German Girls as is required of all until they reach the age of eighteen, unlike most she uses her uniform and her position as a cover, something to not just hide behind but it is also protection for her, especially as she is apart of the German Resistance. It is this aspect of Ella’s life that I found utterly fascinating, I am hugely fascinated by the resistance of WWII the courage they showed in the face of adversity is inspiring and shocking.
When Ella’s friend and fellow resistance fighter; Claudia is taken by the Gestapo, if Ella doesn’t find a way to locate and rescue her friend then it could be the last she will ever see of Claudia. Ella must undertake the most dangerous task she has ever done, a task that could not only see her death but that of those she loves, including the mysterious man she has fallen in love with. Ella must go undercover and infiltrate the Nazi party.
I really won’t say any more about the plot, even the tiniest slip would ruin the whole story for other’s and believe me this book needs to be ready everyone, if you love the likes of The Kommandants Girl by Pam Jenoff and Citadel by Kate Mosse then you will love this, it is in a league of its own.
I have always been a fan of WWII era books, I’ve been reading them for years and must have devoured so many, which has made me a little picky with them, yet this was an instant like, this is one of the finest I’ve read for many years. Andie Newton has got an incredible skill at weaving dramatic history with a stunning fictional story that is full of raw emotion and poignant realism which will take your breath away.
This is how you write a WWII story, it’s a beautiful, atmospheric and illuminating book, that I know will stay with me for a long time. Ella, the heroine here, is a superb character her voice and courage shines through, she is beautifully written young woman who is in the midst of one of the most dangerous episodes of human history, Ms Newton has created one of the most memorable heroines I have come across, Ella is strong, brave and feisty. I love how over the course of the book we go from meeting her as a young seventeen-year-old girl who is shocked to see and hear what is happening around her to one who has matured beyond her years, she has experienced things that no young girl should experience and yet through it all, through the danger, the heartache, the secrets and lies and the mystery that twines through the story like a rampant vine, Ella is true and she keeps her individual sparkle. I think that to write such deep tension and so much heart-ache and to keep the leading character as likeable as Ella is throughout is a real skill.
I honestly cannot recommend this book enough, it has everything you would ever want from a WWII story, fantastic descriptions and gloriously researched detail, brilliant characters, a plot that will have you perched at the edge of your seat and a dangerous game of cat and mouse. A wonderful coming of age story that is all about what a person would do for those they loved, It’s thrilling and heartbreaking.

To the unseeing eye, young Ella Strauss appears to be the perfect National Socialist. She regularly attends Youth League meetings where she is instructed to read Hitler’s Mein Kampf and is often seen in her member’s uniform.

Behind the scenes, however, Ella is uncomfortable with the ideology and uses the meetings to catch up with her close friend Claudia, who she soon discovers is a member of the resistance movement.

Events quickly escalate after Claudia is arrested by the Gestapo and Ella finds herself faced with no option but to flee the city or face arrest herself. Determined to do all she can to to find Claudia, Ella immerses herself into the world of the Reich with far-reaching consequences…

This is an extremely well written novel which relies heavily on historical accuracy to support the narrative. The characters are portrayed realistically and in such detail that the reader is easily able to either empathise or take a dislike to their differing personalities.

This is a story of intense friendships, extreme bravery, strong ideologies and ultimately the lengths a person will go to to fight for what they believe in and one in which the reader can become truly immersed.

What an incredible book by a debut author! Filled with intrigue, daring and exciting storylines and just wonderful to read! A definite page turner ranging from tears to terrifying moments it was an exciting and most difficult book to put down---I just loved it.
Thank you for the opportunity to have read this book prior to publication---I just loved it!

A beautiful historical fiction which had me cheering for Ella.

She was a good National Socialist from outer appearances but soon was involved in the resistance movement. When her best friend Claudia was arrested, Ella fleed with her aunt and then became a spy to find out about Claudia.

My first book by author Andie Newton, I loved the vibe of WWII. descriptions came alive under the author's deft hand. Emotions of friendship and love and family shown by Ella brought mine to the surface. I found myself getting connected to her as the pages turned.

Though I don't read many hist fict, I found myself immersed into this book, and that was due to the passion of Ella, all credit to the author for the writing. The moments of risk that Ella took had me gasping too.

A captivating story, indeed.

If you like spies and secrets and what will happen next then this is your book of what happened in Germany in WWII! The wonderful characters you learn to believe and they come to you in a way you will get to know. What is friendship and what will you do for it? Wonderful story where it has you on the edge of your seat but have the tissues with you! Net Gallery let me read this book and review but not telling you the story you will want to read yourself!

When Ella's best friend Claudia confesses that she is part of the German resistance, Ella can't help but join in. When Claudia's cover is blown and she is arrested, Ella skips town before she is caught also. Determined to help her friend, Ella takes a job with the Nazi party.

I had a hard time with this book. None of the characters or relationships between the characters were well developed. Claudia didn't feel realistic. Her actions weren't well described, and other than one or two scenes, she didn't do much while employed by the Nazi's. I'm not going to give anything away, but the ending of this book was a complete letdown. Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

The Girl I left behind is the debut novel of @andienewtonauthor it was released October 3rd. This book is about young Ella joining the Resistance to save her best friend. It is well written, and shows a side of the Nazi Regime I haven’t read or seen in a very long time. Ms. Newton is a spellbinding author. You should read this book if you enjoy Historical Fiction and seeing sides of history you might not have read about. Don’t forget to keep the Kleenex close it’s a heart-wrencher!

Finally a more unique twist on WWII era fiction! This was a fast-paced story, with great strong female characters, lots of intrigue and a good amount of suspense. The ending felt a bit rushed but perhaps only because I was so involved in the story I didn't want it to end. Thank you for the opportunity to read this.