4 extraordinary stars
Three Ordinary Girls is a strong well-researched biography of three Dutch girls who are by no means ordinary. They started with simple things like distributing anti-German newspapers and stealing identification papers and ended up becoming spies and much more in a Dutch resistance group. “They sabotaged bridges and railways, and donned disguises to lead children from probable internment in concentration camps to safehouses. They covertly transported weapons and set military facilities ablaze. And they carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors.” Though the Germans did not usually suspect young women, their lives were in constant danger.

The pace is quick, the writing clear and organized. I can’t imagine myself or other people I know doing so much to fight Nazism. The teens were extraordinary. I learned new things about WWII from the Dutch point of view. They were the only nation that carried out a strike to protest the Nazi restrictions against Jews. I appreciated the footnotes and the afterward by the author as well.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a straight 10 book. There isn't much else to say about it except that you won't regret it. The writing is fantastic and I truly look forward to reading more form this author. Thank you for my ARC.

Historical spy novel is a 10 in my book. Then add women spies to the mix and I can't put them down. Another one in this genre that was thoroughly entertaining!

I received a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review
The Dutch Resistance was quite a fascinating branch of fighting back. These women were quite brave and by putting up such a fight, they boosted the overall morale and final conclusions of the war.

I had high hopes for this book when I saw the title and the description. While this was a very interesting book I was left wanting more from it. The book was full of interesting details about the young Dutch teenagers that were drawn into the Dutch resistance. It did focus more on Hannie than the other two girls Truus, and Freddie. The things that they did are remarkable and the fact that Truus and Freddie survived and lived to the age of 93 is amazing. The fact that Hannie was the only female Dutch resistance fighter to be executed is saddening to know. I don't know if there will ever be more information on the three women as almost the entire generation has passed on. This was a good book to read and learn so of what was going on in the Netherlands during their occupation.

I like to read or listen to books dealing with WWII, but especially about people or even that I do not know a lot about. I knew that the Nazis had invaded and occupied the Netherlands, but only about Anne Frank and Corrie ten Boom. This story was about the resistance, specifically, three young women who worked with the Socialists. The story begins in the Dutch city of Haarlem where three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen joined the local resistance and soon were some of the best agents they had. Some of the things they did included sheltering fleeing Jews, political dissidents, and Dutch resisters. They sabotaged bridges and railways and donned disguises to lead Jewish children to safehouses. They transported weapons and set military facilities ablaze, and even carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors.

These young women were fearless and took on missions that could have ended up killing them or capturing them, but they persevered and were willing to risk their lives for freedom and what was right. They were raised in political families and those beliefs of freedom and equality were ingrained in them. I was impressed with their courage and the faith the resistance had in them. There was also a lot of detail about the hardships of the Dutch people due to the occupation. The way they turned citizens against one another by offering special rewards turned many people into informants and some of them were killed by the resistance due to that. Living through a war is brought into a very realistic light in this book that is not always easy to read. I didn't realize that the Socialists were so entrenched in the Netherlands and was saddened to hear that these heroes were not honoured as they should have been due to their political leanings. I started to read this book, but it was a bit dry. I switched to the audiobook and was much more interested and able to attend more. One of girls did lose her life before the allies liberated them, but the other two survived into their 90s. Hannie, Truus and Freddie were all recognized by Israel and the Jewish people for her selflessness, named Righteous Among the Nations and finally honored in their own county in 2014.

Three Ordinary Girls who live in Holland during WWII. I enjoyed the setting in Holland as I have not read a WWII book with Holland as a back drop. The story is about 2 teenage sisters who are recruited in the underground resistance. The third girl joins the group later but they all work together. The book is not quite fiction but also not nonfiction. There are footnotes to refer to for more information. I enjoyed this book

Thank you #NetGalley, #KensingtonBooks and #TimBrady for the advance readers copy of “Three Ordinary Girls” for my honest opinion.

Mr. Brady did a great job researching the lives of the three young ladies. I found this nonfiction book quite interesting. I am drawn to WW11 fiction. Most of my previous reads have taken place in the UK and France, so reading a nonfiction about the resistance fighters in the Netherlands was something new for me. Besides the bravery of these three young ladies, I found it interesting that they had to deal with discrimination within the resistance fighters. There were a group of men within the resistance fighters, whom would give the girls jobs of no relevance to the fight against the Germans. The book is filled with facts. So if you are looking for a light read, this book will not be for you.

I love WWII books and really looked forward to this book about these amazing women: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen.
The author's research for this book is impressive! I struggled with so many facts, but I think that's me as I wanted to get into the people behind the facts.
The book portrays the violent resistance against Germans and Dutch collaborators during WWII in the Netherlands, something I knew nothing about. Several branches of the resistance were Communist, promoting Communism while decrying Nazi Germany.
I'm in awe of these women, and their bravery and willingness to be a part of the resistance. They played important roles in sabotaging the Nazis and rescuing Jews from the Nazi's occupation.
This book helps the reader understand the roles of the resistance movement during the years of Dutch occupation, an important part of history.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this book.

An inspiring non fiction account of the Resistance movement in The Netherlands during WWII. this well researched book portrays the ideals and heroism of three young women whose actions against the German occupiers constantly placed them in harm's way.

I shared my thoughts about this book on my blog and on GoodReads. I will provide the details directly to the publisher in the next round of this process.

Very thrilling story about 3 brave women. However, for me the writing didn't capure my attention the way I was hoping for.

I think maybe this story needs to be retitled to Three Extraordinary Girls. Nothing these young women did was by any stretch of the imagination ordinary. I’ve read a lot of WW11 era stories and I had never heard of this part of the story. So much of the focus in WW11 era novels is focused in Europe generally. The Netherlands suffered immensely during the war, with Nazi soldiers occupying the country for 5 years and the Jewish population being targeted especially viciously and suffering a 75 percent reduction over the course of the war. Most famously the Frank’s were outed in Amsterdam and sent off to the concentration camps. For Hannie Schafer, Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, their youth was not going to stop them from becoming involved in the Dutch Resistance. These 3 girls threw themselves into every aspect of defying the Nazi’s and they became quite accomplished smugglers, spies and in certain cases they would serve justice via brazen assassinations. Hannie in particular became notorious for her extracurricular activities and her bold, bright red hair. I am a WW11 buff, so I found this story completely fascinating. This is a must for history buffs especially if you are interested in WW11 era tales, but even if you are not this has a wealth of interesting information on the topic of Dutch Resistance fighters. Review posted to Facebook, Amazon, Litsy, Goodreads, and LibraryThing.

I got into this book having no expectations at all, not knowing how it must be like or if I would love it, but it came as a surprise

'May 10, 1940. The Netherlands was swarming with Third Reich troops. In seven days it's entirely 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.'

This is an amazing and inspiring non fiction account of the Resistance movement in The Netherlands during WWII. This biography is about these three women as it portrays the heroism and courageous way,whose actions against the German occupiers constantly made them feel followed and harassed
As part of the resistance effort, the young women sheltered fleeing Jews, political dissidents and Dutch resisters.
They also sabotaged bridges and railways, transported weapons, and led children to safehouses. They also assassinated German soldiers and traitors with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies

This reminded me of The Unwomanly Face Of War by Svetlana Aleksievici and the courageous way of how women can solve and be such helpfull soldiers on the edge of war. I appreciate so much the research made by creating this book
Many thanks to netgalley and Kensington books for giving me an arc copy in exchange of an honest review

Being a non-fiction reader, yet not a big memoir fan, I sincerely appreciate the presentation of the story of 3 very brave and intelligent young women, who played a pivotal role in war intelligence and fight against Nazi powers during WWII.
Unlikely "soldiers", the ladies made a huge effort in keeping destructive powers away, in sabotaging evil intentions and ambitions of the Nazi government. As always, in efforts to protect ladies, in a greater cause, some lives were lost, some dramatic events happened, however, such is war, it is evil and sometimes unlikely characters can have an immersive impact on the events, otherwise changing the fate of the nations and lives of millions...

A trio of fearless female resisters demonstrated immense bravery during WW2 in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Hannie Schaft and sisters Truus Oversteegen and Freddie Oversteegen joined the small resistance cell in the Dutch city of Haarlem. Each girl had leftist ideals and was loyal to her country.
As part of the resistance effort, the young women sheltered fleeing Jews, political dissidents and Dutch resisters. They also sabotaged bridges and railways, transported weapons, and led children to safehouses. They also assassinated German soldiers and traitors with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies.
Author Tim Brady compiles dozens of other works into this story about three ordinary girls who performed extraordinary acts. I really appreciated reading about these women, but I didn't connect with them emotionally. The book is more of a textbook, and I was expecting a novel. It would have been more moving if it had been written with more dialogue rather than lecture style.

. Courtesy of NetGalley, I received the ARC of Three Ordinary Girls by Tim Brady. This is an amazing and inspiring non fiction account of the Resistance movement in The Netherlands during WWII. Specifically this well researched book portrays the ideals and heroism of three courageous young women whose actions against the German occupiers constantly placed them in harm's way.

I have not come across much writing about the resistance effort in Holland and the Netherlands during World War II so I was interested when I found “Three Ordinary Girls”. I opened and closed this book not less than 5 times and finally put it aside as just not for me. While the history was interesting I had trouble wading through the writing. It is a story worth telling but the telling was the problem for me.

Even though I didn’t finish the book I was impressed by the research and my rating is based on this. I appreciate the advanced copy from NetGalley and Kensington Books.

Not really a page turner. Hannie, and sisters Truus and Freddie undertake dangerous tasks & showed a lot of bravery. It was pretty slow though.

This is a story of three women who saw what was happening and took action to help others. Once these women joined the resistance, they put their lives in danger every day. Would they be found out? Would they live to send end of the war?