This is the third book I have read from Mandy Rosbotham and like the others it is a very well written, well researched and compelling work of fiction which I really enjoyed.

This book is set in Germany prior to the start of World War II. It is a powerful story with lots of insights into life in Berlin in 1938,

It will appeal to lovers of historical fiction.

Highly recommended!

“...it was divine, the pastry light and airy. Unlike the mood in Berlin.” In the year before the German invasion of Poland, Georgie Young is dispatched to Berlin as a news correspondent. In that year, she sees a city on the outbrink of war, brimming with anger, hate, and the unquenchable desire for power. After linking up with other members of the foreign press, she begins to uncover some of the atrocities happening in Germany and there begins her endeavor to put a spotlight on what the world needs to see. This book is a very fast and exciting read. It is packed with action, rich with history, whilst incorporating the eternal bonds of love, loyalty and friendship. This book is a captivating story for lovers of historical fiction with a spotlight on the particular time period immediately preceding the Second World War.

I found the story quite compelling reading. I havent read a world war II book before that is actually set right before the war and I found that to be what made me want to read the book in the first place. Even though this book is categorised as historical fiction, there was also an element of suspense which I really enjoyed.
Unfortunately, for me, the ending was a bit too predictable and it all fell into place 'too easily'.
I found epilogue was very different from other books and I really enjoyed it, it is an interesting way to put closure to a lot of characters and the story.

The Berlin Girl was so good and I wanted more of Georgie's story. She was the perfectly imperfect protagonist that had such a strong relatability even though she lived a lifetime ago. The realism that was created in the imagery of Kristallnacht made me feel like I was there witnessing the heartbreaking event. I highly recommend The Berlin Girl

Mandy Robotham writes a wonderful historical fiction novel The Berlin Girl about a female reporter in 1938 in Berlin. Georgina (Georgie) Young writes for the London based paper the Chronicle, she is part of the foreign press reporting the events happening in Berlin and news about Adolf Hitler. Robotham introduces us to another writer Max Spender who writes for the Telegraph. We watch their story grow as the story of war grows. This novel is heart wrenching, suspenseful and intriguing.

The epilogue was a fascinating way to put closure to the characters. I look forward to reading more of Robotham’s books.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of the Berlin Girl.

This story is presented from a different view of WWII...the reporter's point of view, who is a woman. I couldn't put the book down pretty much from start to finish. The descriptions of Berlin and the surroundings were vivid enough to put me right there with Georgie & Max who are the main characters. The only fault that I had was with the ending. I felt that it was somewhat rushed and very neatly tied up in a bow.

Reviewed from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Avon Books UK via Netgalley for an honest review
Book: The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham
Published: 29 October 2020
Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction
My Rating: ⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑

This is the third book by Mandy Robotham that I have read and it’s fantastic!

Georgina (Georgie) Young is a woman in a man’s world, determined to show everyone that she can do it too. We are taken to Berlin, Germany, in 1938 where Georgie is a reporter sent to Berlin to report under the name George Young for the London based newspaper, the Chronicle. She is part of the foreign press and needs to report about the events happening in Berlin, news about the Führer, Adolf Hitler. What he does, what he plans and anything about the Reich. When Georgie arrives in Berlin, the streets are decorated with Nazi insignia and an ombre feeling of domination vibrated through the air.

Before going to Berlin Georgie sits at a bar in the London Ritz feeling awkward and willing the Summer Media Ball to be over. A glamorous event for correspondents, reporters, photographers and editors. While watching everyone enjoying themselves, a man comes up to Georgie and starts making small talk. She later finds out he is a reporter for the Telegraph. After a dismissal she puts the man out of her mind, never to see him again. Or so she thought.

After a few weeks, Georgie finds herself on a plane to Berlin, alongside the reporter from the Telegraph known as Max Spender. They were assigned to Berlin, together. Having a rocky start from the get-go, Georgie and Max’s relationship as fellow reporters are moulded by the horrendous events and scenes they witness. Soon realising that the Berlin she visited in 1936 to report about the Olympics has been replaced by a city filled with Nazi propaganda, fear and a hatred for Jews. Both Georgie and Max report to their different newspapers, but as they convene with the press pack at the Adlon, they soon discover the dark and sinister ongoing’s in Berlin. When the names of Joseph Goebbels, Heinrich Himmler, Rudolf Hess, Frederik Graf and Adolf Hitler are mentioned, a storm is coming.

With the sudden and mysterious death of a fellow reporter, Paul Adamson, and rumours about a camp (Sachsenhausen) where Jews were taken, proving to be true, Georgie and Max team up together to help a Jewish family, Rubin and Sara Amsel with their 2 children to escape the claws of the Nazis.

What I liked about the book was that the story has a good flow to it. The author has the ability to let the trauma, sadness and pain jump off the pages and straight into the reader’s heart. It’s not the feeling of ‘I feel what the character is feeling’. It is more than that. The author sits us down in the living room of Rubin and Sara Amsel when Georgie and Max arrive there to support them after they had to send their 2 children to England for safety. The author sits us down with Georgie, Max and Rubin when he reads the devastating letters from his brother-in-law Elias, that is held in the camp Sachsenhausen.

My favourite character is the main character, Georgie Young. She doesn’t give up in a time of crisis and pain, even when being emotionally overwhelmed at times. Instead, she uses it to fuel the fire inside of her to seek justice for the people that are treated unfairly. The characters felt real and believable. This book had me on the edge of my seat and kept me guessing.

Overall the book was fantastic, but I felt the ending happened too quickly. From 1946 to 1994 in just a few pages. But aside from that, I enjoyed the story and can’t wait for Mandy Robotham’s next work. She makes historical fiction enjoyable and never disappoints. This piece of historical fiction made me realise that that which causes us pain can be used to achieve goodness, even in the long run.

I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys historical fiction.

If you’ve enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz or Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris, you will certainly love this book!

Add The Berlin Girl to your Goodreads list.

Other books by Mandy Robotham
The German Midwife
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43011720.The_German_Midwife

The Secret Messenger
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52762957.The_Secret_Messenger

Thank you to Avon Books UK and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book.

This review is also posted on my blog.

This novel was an interesting read as it focused on a reporter being in Berlin the year leading up to the start of the war. As you are reading, you can see the tone of the book changing and getting darker and more intense as things progress.
Georgie Young is a reporter of of London, who due to her prior work and her fluency in German, has earned the post as a foreign correspondence in Berlin to follow and report on Hitler's rise and the changes in Germany. As a reporter, she expects to find stories to cover, but the stories she finds she isn't ready for. As the country moves towards war and Jewish people are being mistreated and taken away, she makes the effort to save a family close to her. In doing so, puts herself and others in the path of destruction.
I enjoyed reading this book. Georgie was a strong and likeable female lead and her story was interesting. I only rated 3 Stars because I felt there were alot of little stories unraveling in the background that seemed to become important and fade away so quickly.
The ending was tied together well with the rest of the story and it provided closure on many things brought up while reading.
Thank you Netgalley and Avon Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Georgie Young is a reporter that is posted to Berlin pre World War 2. She quickly becomes immersed in the city of Berlin as Hitler becomes a force to be reckoned with and not in a good way as history proves.

Georgie is my hero: she made me laugh, she made me cry, I cheered her on and I was frightened for her. Sometimes all at the same time !

Her bravery was outstanding as was all the others that did their best to help the Jewish, the politcal prisoners and many others to hopefully survive.

Georgie gets a lot of help from fellow journalists including Max Spencer.

It is quite the journey they takes us on; one that will stay with me for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley, Avon Books UK, Avon for a great read.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. Wow was this another amazing WWII historical fiction novel by this author. I loved every thing about this book from the characters, setting, and how it ended. Georgie is so full of spunk and is ready to take on the world smashing barriers before her. I love Max who tries to be tough but has a soft heart. I love how the author makes the press pack in Berlin a family. I am so glad little newspaper snippets wrapped up each character. Well written and researched. A cross between a spy novel thriller and pull at your heart strings tale. I fully recommend this one and can't wait for more!!

I was excited to read The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham as I had previously read, A Woman of War and had thoroughly enjoyed it. So, when I was asked to review this one, I jumped at the possibility!

The story centers around Georgina (Georgie/George) Young, a journalist for a newspaper set in her native England and the chance for her to gain traction and prove her reporting capabilities in Berlin at the onset of WWII. Hitler has gained quite a name for himself already and Georgie finds herself back in a city that doesn’t seem to be quite what she remembers from before. She encounters a prior Jewish man, Rubin that was her driver from a previous visit to Berlin to aid in the logistics of collecting information for stories, and it’s here where she really starts to see firsthand what the “New Germany” entails as things start to fall apart for Rubin and his family. The pursuance of a news story quickly begins to force Georgie to make life or death decisions for herself and for her friends.

Ms Robotham has done it again, but in this tale it weaves one that I’ve not quite encountered before with WWII historical fiction. The story of a female reporter, especially in late 30’s in pre-war torn Berlin, was a unique and powerful story that grasped my interest from the beginning. The writing was inventive, thoroughly researched, and captivating. I was really impressed with all of the threads at work between all of the characters, especially when they all seemed to come together in the tapestry of the story. Small details in one chapter were brought forth in another in a delightfully and sometimes terrifying way, making you wonder who was really who they said they were. I thoroughly enjoyed The Berlin Girl and look forward to more from the author.

If you love strong female characters, WWII historical fiction, and the telling of both from unique perspectives, you will not be disappointed!

An interesting look at Nazi Germany through the eyes of British journalist Georgie Young. Fans of Historical Fiction will enjoy this and fans of Mandy Robotham's previous book The German Midwife should give this one a read. The pacing of this book is slow in the beginning but not difficult to read. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for the opportunity to preview this ARC.

Thank you to Harper Collins Publishing for an adcanced eARC of "The Berlin Girl" in exchange for an honest review. #TheBerlinGirl #NetGalley.

Perfect for fans of Kirsten Hannah's "The Nightengale", this book is different than most historical fiction based around WW2 in that it is set in Berlin in 1938 prior to the war. We witness through Georgie Young, who is a newspaper reporter for the Daily Chronicle in London, the increased power of the ruling Nazi party. Georgie, along with her colleague Max Spender of the Daily Telegraph see first hand the treatment of their Jewish friends and suspect all is not what it appears at nearby concentration camp Sachsenhausen.

I really enjoyed this book. It drew me into the story and I cared about the characters and what became of them .
One minor quibble however is that I felt it took a little too long to built up the main story, which was over in a quicker than expected and seemed rushed. Could be perhaps that I did not want it to end. ?

This is a heart-wrenching story of a young woman, an English reporter, who puts herself in the line of fire as the world is about to be forever changed. Germany is on the brink of war. The story is set in Berlin 1938, at the height of summer and last till early Fall 1939.

After witnessing innocent people being torn from their home, Goergie Young along with her colleague, Max Spencer, needed to do something. As they dug deeper they uncovered the truth about Hitler’s Germany and through their eyes we see a world swathed in red flags and crawling with Nazis.

I was totally taken by this story; I simply couldn’t put it aside. Within the opening pages I was hooked and stayed eager to know what was in store for Goergie as she navigated her journalistic life during the Nazi occupation. Reporter’s work was not only censured by the Reich but the home office took great care not to offend the Germans by publishing what they thought were not based on fact reports; they wanted photos as proof before publishing anything, in fact Georgie and Max were also censured at home. Leaving the rest of the world oblivious to what really was going on.

There is a lot going on beyond the copious amounts of booze, smoking and yes strudel as Georgie bonded with her fellow journalists. She soon made friends with Sam at the British Embassy while she was involved with a German officer, but of course, this relationship eventually put her in extreme danger and the story behind is more than captivating. My favourite secondary character was Rubin a Jewish man who drove Georgie around the city till he no longer was permitted. The voices were essentially of Goergie but from time to time Rubin took center stage as he got more involved. By the end, along with his family, Goergie helped him escape Germany. I could continue but I rather you read this novel for yourself: discovering Ms. Robotham vision of events is what makes this novel a must read.

This historical novel is well-written and has sympathetic and likeable characters and we have quite a few to follow. Being during this difficult period in time the story plays with our emotions: although a truth spoken without drama. We have some elements of mystery, suspense and romance all perfectly balanced. This novel wraps up with a brilliant epilogue: closure for all....

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Avon Books UK via Netgalleys the opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was so hard to put down! Every chapter, every page had me wanting to know more. It was suspenseful and engaging and really left an impression on me. Mandy Robotham is a wonderful storyteller and I enjoy all of her books. The characters in this book are likeable and you become invested in their story and relationships.

Many thanks to Avon and publisher Harper Collins via Netgalley for my honest opinion and review of this uncorrected advanced reading proof copy of The Berlin Girl.

The author has created a fabulous read of intrigue, murder and suspense at the onset of World War II, Germany.

The Summer Media Ball and young Chronicle journalist Georgie sits at the bar in a borrowed dress and poorly fitting shoes nursing a Martini when a smug voice behind her says "sitting this one out"? Georgie does a grimace and replies that her shoes are causing her some problems and so dancing is not an option. A benign condescending questioning by the young man continues until Georgie hits him with the fact that she is working with one of Fleet Street's most prominent foreign journalists to which the young man tries to outdo her and throws in a little male chauvinism for luck. Little do the both know at this stage that in a very short time they will be plunged together into the intrigue and danger of the Nazi war machine, Hitler and the mass hysteria of the populace of Germany.

It is also the beginning of the brutalisation of Jewish citizens which takes on a personal involvement, Georgie's previous contact, Rubin Amsel who will again become a driver for her in Berlin. Rubin and his wife Sara are in a desperate state, the Gestapo have started to remove the "imperfects". The couple are caring for Sara's brother, Elias who through an accident is disabled. The only way is to create a room in the ceiling although in the end this proves to be futile.

Georgie's position as a journalist is pretty unique for the times but she has already done the hard yards and combined with her German language knowledge has been assigned to the Foreign Press Corps gig in Berlin. Arriving at the airport Georgie is dismayed to run into the same young man from the Media Ball who alerts her to the fact that he is waiting for a fellow journalist, George Young from the Chronicle that he has to pair up with. Standing tall and with courage she lets him know that in actual fact she is George (ie/ina) Young. A little tit-for-tat conversation happens, Georgie silencing Max Spender with her German language skills.

Arriving in Germany and into Berlin, Georgie views a completely different city to the one of her previous posting, the Olympics. The gloss has gone replaced with the full sway of Nazi propaganda. Max and her leave the taxi at Hotel Adlon where many of the fellow foreign journalists are holding up the bar. Both enquire about their individual contacts that are supposed to partner them only to be informed that each have their own extreme personal issues for which Georgie and Max have no choice but to accept that they are on their own. Paul Adamson makes a brief appearance for Georgie but it's obvious that he is preoccupied and leaves her to her own devices. Further into the read Paul Adamson is killed and it seems that his death is due to his investigations he was working on.

Bruno Bauer manages the Foreign Press Corps with daily briefings and propaganda. Georgie puts forward an idea that she wishes to pursue and after some reluctance this is granted and for which Rubin is grateful to become her driver particularly now that many occupations are prohibited for Jews to practice, his financial situation for him and his family is dire.

Colourfully evolving, the read has many dimensions, beyond the copious amounts of strudel, booze and smoking, Georgie's extraordinary new flatmates, her fellow journalists that she bonds well with and the sometimes obnoxious behaviour of Max along with the support of Sam from the British Embassy Georgie finds her feet and with the help of a spy delves into some of the secrets of Nazi operations. The German war machine is moving quickly while those in each respective reporter's country seem to be oblivious to unfolding events, everyone is on tenterhooks. Georgie becomes aware immediately of the cruelty to Jews and she observes the Kristallnacht. Her involvement with German officer, Kasper Vortsch, puts her into extreme danger when he discovers the truth about her. Elias is taken away, nobody knows where he is.

With the situation rapidly declining Rubin and Sara reluctantly approach Georgie to assist them to have their children travel to England. The only way is through Sam but the Embassy is already besieged by desperate people trying to leave Germany. It takes some time but eventually the children travel to England.

Max is arrested by the Gestapo and it's only by accident that Georgie discovers his passport and realises that Max is not going to be deported but that the Gestapo have other plans for him. She puts her own plan of action into place and with some good acting skills Max and her with the Gestapo hot on their heels make their escape from Germany and fly to Paris.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the arc of The Berlin Girl.

If you enjoyed the book The German midwife then you'll love this book or if you love historical fiction this is for you, this was a mesmerising 4 star read, this follows Berlin in the year 1938, Georgie whom is a reporter/journalist is sent out to Berlin, alongside colleauge Max from London, when they got there they saw lots of Nazis and red flags, Georgie feels emotional and helpless as they witness some horrifying things like familes being ripped apart from their own homes and families. As she starts to do some research deeper into Nazi Germany or Hitler's Germany it ends up more darker than what they intended and realised.

this was written beautifully and it had me hooked from start to finish i loved it so much well done to the author for such a compelling and heart wrenching and emotional book- highly highly recommend.

4 STARS!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Having read the authors previous books I was anticipating another fantastic historical fiction read and I wasn't disappointed at all. I always get swept away by Mandy Rowbotham’s storytelling and characters. Our lead, Georgie, is gutsy and very aware of her abilities. She hasn’t and doesn’t let anything or anyone stand in her way and I admire that, even though in gets her in some precarious positions! The people she meets, the relationships she establishes during her time in Berlin will change her life and vice-versa.
A fast paced read, it will have you intrigued, appalled and championing the innocents. It has heart and emotion. I often wonder what happens after ‘The End’ so the inclusion of the epilogue here really completes the journey for us.
Highly recommended.

Wow, such a marvellous story of courage and bravery. I was completely enthralled and captivated by the style of the writing. Really wonderful - a great book.

A totally engrossing story set at the beginning of the Second World War. Very different from other war books in that it is from the viewpoint of the Press. Hoe awful life must have been for those living under the eye of the SS and the fear they must have felt. These poor, innocent people despised and persecuted. I loved the characters in this story. George - such a strong and ultimately courageous reporter and Press colleagues Rob & Max.
This story had me so engrossed I had that rare feeling of wanting to peep at the end to see if all went well or would break my heart. I resisted and just read the book as quickly as I could to reach that point. I was so entranced by this story.
The epilogue truly wrapped it up and brought it to a heartwarming yet bittersweet conclusion.