The book tells a true story of three Dutch girls during WWII. Overall, I think the book is decent. I do love the actual story. I wish the author would have done a little more research and fact checking before publishing it. I am a fluent German speaker and read a lot of fiction and non-fiction about WWII and see the potential this book could have had had it been edited properly. Also, I will be reading the memoir from Truus to compare the similarities.

This account of three Dutch teenagers who joined the resistance movement against Nazi Germany during World War II was mostly interesting, but I felt the author relied too heavily on a memoir and an autobiography and didn't really uncover anything new. Anyone with interest in this subject would probably do better to read Truus Menger's memoir and Ton Kors' and Peter Hammann's reports on Hannie Schaft, unless they want this condensed version of the events.

This one was a difficult one for me to get through because of the writing style. There is some good information in here for those that are interested in reading about happenings during WWII. I had to start and stop this one several times to get through it which is not something I normally do. While I found the story interesting, I've read much better written non fiction books about the WWII era.

Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Three Ordinary Girls
The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins--and WWII Heroes
by Tim Brady
Pub Date 23 Feb 2021
Kensington Books,Citadel
Biographies & Memoirs| Nonfiction \(Adult\)


Through Kensington Books, Citadel and Netgalley, I'm reviewing Three Ordinary Girls:


This is the incredible story of three fearless female resisters during WWII, whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring. It also made them the most valuable commodity in the underground. Recruited as teenagers, Hannie Schaft, and Dutch sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen fulfilled their harrowing missions as spies, saboteurs, and Nazi assassins with remarkable courage, but their stories have remained largely unknown...until now.Recruited as teenagers, Hannie Schaft and Dutch sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen fulfilled harrowing missions as spies, saboteurs, and Nazi assassins with remarkable courage, but their stories have largely remained unknown...until now.



It was May 10th, 1940. There were tons of Third Reich troops in the Netherlands. In seven days, it's all occupied by Nazi Germany. Joining a small resistance cell in the Dutch city of Haarlem were three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen who would soon band together to form a singular female underground squad.Hannie Schaft, Truus and Freddie Oversteegen joined a small resistance cell in Haarlem and formed a unique female underground squad.


Hannie, Truus, and Freddie took terrifying direct action against Nazi targets. They were smart, fiercely political, and dedicated to their cause. It included sheltering fleeing Jews, political dissidents, and Dutch resisters. By sabotaging bridges and railways, they led children from concentration camps to safehouses. As part of their covert operations, they transported weapons and set military facilities on fire. And they carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors--on public streets and in private traps--with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies.With the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies, they killed German soldiers and traitors on public streets and in private traps.

Brady gives a little-known perspective of the Dutch resistance during the war by telling the story of a fearless trio of freedom fighters. Of lives under threat; of how these courageous young women became involved in the underground; and of how their dedication evolved into dangerous, life-threatening missions on behalf of Dutch patriots--regardless of the consequences.This is a story of lives at risk; of how these brave young women got involved in the underground; and of how their dedication led to dangerous, life-threatening missions on behalf of Dutch patriots.

Three Ordinary Girls finally puts these three icons of resistance in the spotlight they deserve.

I give Three Ordinary Girls five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

This download from NetGalley was lengthy but wow so gripping. I want to thank NetGalley for the electronic review copy provided by NetGalley, author Tim Brady, and the publisher. The informative information that the author has provided certainly makes history more connecting for me.

This book was immersed in the details of the social, economic, and political conditions in Holland before, during, and after the German invasion.

The book has made me anxious to learn more about the role played by these three young Dutch teenage freedom fighters and their heroism should not be forgotten. An amazing true story of courage, as many of these types of war books are, and I highly recommend it if you like this genre.

I was expecting so much more from this book. I was wanting the story to grip me and make me not put the book down, that was not the case. I struggled through the whole book.

This was an interesting book about three teenage girls that joined the Dutch Resistance in the fight against the Nazis. This book was fact driven and at times I found myself getting lost in the details as I tend to prefer history books that tell more of a story. I thought that the inclusion of the Frank family was interesting, you sometimes forget that all of this was happening at the same time in the Nederlands.

Three Ordinary Girls is the story of three teens during WWII that did hard things to help their country. They were involved in many aspects of the war, from being spies to saboteurs as well as assassins. Personally, I don’t know if I would have been able to do what they did, but they loved their country and the people in it and made the decision to do this. The history behind the story is very interesting and I would recommend it to those that want to learn more about WWII than what has been written in the past. I would highly recommend this book, especially for history buffs.
Thanks for netgally and the publisher for an ARC of this book for an honest opinion.

As a person that finds WWII intriguing and loves reading books during the era, I enjoyed this one! I ended up switching back and forth between the physical and audio version. This is a matter fact type of book with zero fluff. But we meet three teenage girls who did hard things in the hardest of times and were so brave and courageous. I appreciated points in this book where it referenced what was happening with Anne Frank and her family at that time. It helped me link the time in history.

These three women are badasses. There’s no other way to say it. They are simply badasses. Trained assassins who would not kowtow to Nazis. This book is very conversational, well researched, very compelling, and sums up their lives completely and very nicely. Remember the names Truus Oversteegen, Freddie Oversteegen, and Hannie Schaft. But more than remember, think of the mindset required to stand up for what’s right. Obviously you don’t have to be an assassin, but even speaking up can make a huge difference. Use your voice, even if it cracks.

This is the true story of three young ladies who did extraordinary and heroic things. They were living normal lives, but when the unimaginable happened, they stepped up and fiercely resisted the Nazi invading force. They did it all: demolishing transportation routes, sheltering those fleeing death (sometimes actively taking a rescuing role), and killing their enemies. This was a difficult read, because of what they saw, did, and what happened to them and to so many others during that terrible war. War is hell and they lived it, fought against it, and were anything but ordinary.

Three Ordinary Girls- Tells the story of 3 women that worked with the Dutch Resistance. This is a non-fiction book filled with tons of information about the politics, landscape, and events that happened during the war in the Netherlands. These brave women were involved with many of the sabotages and assassinations that took place at this time. This book is perfect for history buffs!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I loved this historical non-fiction!!! I have great respect for these female characters!!! This would be a good book for high school students to read to learn their history & how good they have it!!!

I was so excited for this book. I've really enjoyed a lot of the world war 2 stories that have come out recently, ones that share a personal story and shine light on a specific person or small group of people making big change. Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes promises a unique story from the Dutch resistance however it's less of a story and more of a bunch of chapters full of facts. If war stories that are more factual are your thing this book is for you.

Three ordinary Girls could be considered a strange title for the two sisters and their cohort as they were anything but ordinary.
These three young ladies were part of the Dutch resistance in WW11 and succeeded in making a difference. They hid people, moved children around for safety and assassinated Nazis to name a few of their activities and yet until now their story of bravery and resilience is little known. I thought the book could have been more dramatic considering the contents, but a piece of history well worth reading.

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Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady tells the story of fierce women fighting in the Dutch Resistance during World War II. Mr. Brady is an award-winning writer of critically acclaimed books.

Every country has its heroes, stories of courage and fortitude. Unfortunately, many of these stories will never leave its shores. I was happy to read Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins–and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady because otherwise I never would have been exposed to these Dutch heroes.

Sometimes, it’s even better reading about other countries’ heroes because the authors are less biased. They tend to lean towards historical accounts instead of propaganda or anecdotes. As James W. Loewen points out in his excellent book Lies My Teacher Told Me, these stories soon make their way to history books.

Hannie Schaft, Freddie Oversteegen and her sister Truus Oversteegen, the women which the book focuses on, have had strong convictions which led them on very dangerous paths. Hannie Schaft even came to represent Dutch Resistance fighters on a monument honoring them.

The young women hid and rescued Jews, took parts in sabotage, assassinations, as well as running guns and supplies. I’m actually amazed that they survived more than a few months of the Nazi occupation.

The book is very well researched, the author certainly goes to great lengths to get the history correct. Additionally, I’m sure I’m in the minority of readers that actually takes the time to look over the sources. I actually find some new reads quite often. I’m most likely in the majority of those who enjoy reading the footnotes, however.

I love historical books set during WWII. The focus of the Dutch resistance was different for me. While the book is well researched, it was very dry and just a bunch of facts. I would have enjoyed more of an inspirational description about these amazing girls. Their true acts of heroism are praiseworthy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Citadel Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

This is the incredible true story of 3 Dutch teenagers who became spies, saboteurs, and Nazi assassins. These girls were some of the most daring and effective in WWII. Their story has been hidden away until now. I had a very hard time putting this book down as their stories unfolded. Definitely pick this one up!

The underlying story of the resistance in the Netherlands during WWII is inspiring but somehow this book just doesn't capture the danger and heroics in an interesting way. This book is ok but could be so much better.

Women spies yes please! I couldn’t put this one down. It’s so fascinating.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for the advanced e-reader copy. All opinions expressed are my own.