Not only has Amy Lynn Green written a very memorable debut, I will say that this is one of my favorite reads of the year. I have only read a couple of epistolary novels and I can already imagine what a great audiobook this will make(my favorite way to experience epistolary novels).

With a fresh voice to fiction, the author pens an eclectic cast of characters through the various letters that surround a POW camp and the young woman who was at first unwillingly serving as translator. Ms. Green gives the readers a heroine who is outwardly brusque and obstinate, but taps an unexpected inner strength as a crusader for justice.

The many letters in this novel hold a magnifying glass that reveals the individual flaws and prejudices that can taint a community and how one strong voice can speak for justice....and grace for all.

This book is for the keeper shelf and I hope to read many more books by this author in the future.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author/publisher and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

This debut novel is written in the epistolary style, which means the whole thing is letters, notes, etc. I’ve read a few books in this style and they usually make for an interesting tale! I would characterize this one as a religious historical fiction book. I was fascinated to read that there were some POW camps in the Midwest that housed German POWs. The Germans went to work on the harvest as many of the local farming men were off fighting in WWII.

The book centers around a fascinating character, Johanna, a young woman who had been studying languages at University of Minnesota. She moves back to her small hometown to serve as the POW camp’s translator as one of the languages she knows well is German. Johanna is very bright and not afraid to speak her mind! Soon she’s trying to make the townspeople be more hospitable to the German POWs. As you might imagine, there’s a lot of fear and distrust toward the prisoners and reluctance to have them in the area.

There are also lots of letters between Johanna and Peter, a college friend who happens to be a Japanese nisei (a person born in the US or Canada whose parents were immigrants from Japan). His Japanese language skills are highly valued and he’s teaching Japanese to soldiers that will soon be headed to the Pacific theater.
From the beginning of the book, we know that there is a trial for treason happening and it takes nearly the whole book to tell the full story. The second half of book got really dramatic and I was worried about what would happen to Johanna.

Johanna really grows as a character and I enjoyed this exposure to a part of WWII history that I didn’t really know about at all. There are quite a few religious elements in the story, but it didn’t feel like too much to this reader.

Things We Didn’t Say is the story of Johanna Berglund, an opinionated linguistics student at the University of Minnesota who unwillingly returns home to a small town in rural Minnesota to work as an interpreter and translator at a POW camp for German POWs who are sent there over the summer to help work in the fields. Jo is charged with treason after the escape of 2 of the POWs in the opening pages, and the story is told entirely in letter format: letters between Jo and her friends, Jo and the editor to the newspaper, the POWs and their families back home, editorials to the newspaper, and notes left on desks.

As we read the letters, we are introduced to Jo’s friend Peter Ito, a Japanese-American from San Francisco who’s family has been interred in a camp in Arizona. Peter is working as a teacher at an Army camp outside of Minneapolis teaching Japanese to other Japanese-Americans who are preparing to deploy to the Pacific and be used as translators and interpreters. Through these letters in particular, we see Peter’s faith in America tested as he talks about his family’s internment and the treatment he and the other Students in his class are treated by the white soldiers. We also get to see Jo begin to see the POWs are just men, men with families and sweethearts back home, men who were teachers and musicians and bakers in Germany before the war. We also meet other people who work in the camp through Jo’s letters, but who is the traitor?

At first, I didn’t think the letter format was going to be enough to get the feeling behind the story, but it turns out it was! And frankly, that’s why I’m giving this 4 stars. Jo is a very unlikeable character. From the opening pages, she treats everyone she encounters terribly, and I couldn’t believe they just kept coming back to her like she was some special friend. She is so condescending and unwilling to accept anyone else’s opinions or views. Also, it dragged on a bit in the middle. And I didn’t realize this was Christian fiction, which didn’t bother me, but just know it’s there. It reads like a YA novel with bible references.

I loved the backdrop. My mother was from Iowa and I’d heard stories about the POW camps and how they were brought to the farms to help during harvest time. I also have friends who’s parents and grandparents were interred during the war, so I think it’s important that these moments in our history continue to be told, even in fiction, so that we won’t forget what we’ve done.

Overall, I would recommend this book. Very appropriate for young adults if you don’t mind the religious themes.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the author for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I am not a huge fan of epistolary novels and was not aware that this was one when I requested it to review. However, that preference aside, I really did enjoy this story. I know that it is a challenge to tell a complete story through letters alone, yet I feel like it was really well done. There were a few parts where the story dragged, but then there were parts where I totally did not want to put it down.

It was fascinating to emerge into the world of POW camps and letter censoring of WWII. I enjoyed the various points of views featured through letters and newspaper clippings.

Being that it was all letters, the romance in this is what I consider very appropriate for all audiences. It was a romance of denial, for lack of better terms. Toward the end, I was just waiting for that one letter that absolutely had to come.

The Christian content was not a super strong point in the story, in my opinion. Johanna questioned God and His involvement in people's lives, wondering why He was silent and while it did get semi-resolved in the end, it just was not quite as strong a thread. Also, because the denomination was Lutheran, there were a couple of more Calvinistic comments regarding the sovereignty of God.

Apart from that doctrinal difference I have with this book, it is one that I would hand to almost any teen, as it presents a fascinating side of World War II.

*I received this book from NetGalley and happily provided an honest review*

This girl's got gumption!

Who would have thought that a WWII Christian historical fiction novel would make me laugh in more than a few places, but the heroine of Things We Didn't Say kept me smiling and you-go-girl cheering given her "headstrong" nature throughout all 416 pages.

Comparisons to The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society are apt, given the structure of storytelling solely through letters, newspaper articles, and speech transcripts. Readers learn early on that these communications have been collected as evidence for the treason case against Johanna, the main character, who has been working as a translator at a German POW work camp in Minnesota.

What I love about this book is that it highlighted a piece of Midwestern history that I knew nothing about (the POW camps in the US) ... and I live in Iowa. While I've passed on WWII fiction lately due to burnout, this perspective was different enough to catch my interest.

My thanks to NetGalley, Bethany House Publishers and Amy Lynn Green for the advanced copy to review.

I admit I'm partial to epistolary novels, but even discounting that bias this debut is outstanding. Amy, what are you up to next? Where do I sign up to be a first reader? Please, please.

Changing things up a bit. I’m adding crowns, or tiaras, to my titles instead of stars. Due to this blog being titled Books, Lattes, & Tiaras, I felt it appropriate to rate using tiaras! Seems appropriate to me!

Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green.
Bethany House. Release date: 11/3/2020.
ISBN: 9780764237164
Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green takes readers back to a POW camp of German soldiers during WWII, who are assigned to work in the potato and beet farms in Minnesota. Johanna becomes the translator for all incoming and outgoing mail for the Germans, a position highly encouraged by her college scholarship sponsor. And Jo is an avid letter writer to her friends and some key people in important positions that can benefit her causes. In fact, the entire fascinating book is entirely of letters, articles, notes, and other documents.

I love that in Johanna’s letters to her friend Peter, she includes a German Idiom of the Day, the English translation, some context for the letter and whatever it is she wants to share with her dear friend. I have no idea how to say these German words, but the translations are similar to those I’ve heard growing up and I’ve found myself giggling at several of them.

To my surprise, Jo’s pen pal Peter shares about the Kotonks and Buddha-heads when describing the Japanese students he’s teaching these are terms I grew up with in Hawaii. Kotonks being the Japanese who grew up in the mainland and Buddha-heads are the Japanese who grew up in Hawaii. I found these Hawaii related conversations to be quite entertaining!

Jo is a resourceful and creative character that I feel could be a good friend. She loves reading and writing, too! She’s my kind of person! Johanna not only translated and censored letters to and from the POWs at Ironside Lake, MN, but she also encouraged them to create a band, submit articles to the local newspaper, taught English to the German officers, and even had some of the German musicians to play at the local benefit dance!

The storyline intensifies when Johanna is accused of helping two German POW escape soon after the benefit dance. It seems there’s so much evidence against Johanna. They also accuse her of aiding a Japanese spy, her friend Peter, when Peter goes MIA. How does so much get stacked against one innocent person so quickly?

Based on historical documents found at various museums, a digital copy of Things We Didn’t Say by Amy Lynn Green was provided complimentary by Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I give this book five out of five tiaras because I was glued to this story! Oh, how I wish it would continue until Peter returns to visit Jo!

Unique debut!

Johanna Berglund is an opinionated linguistic student at The University of Minnesota. She is pressured into returning to her small hometown and serving as a translator at the German POW camp.

Through this epistolary novel, readers learn about Johanna, her friends and family and happenings in the town. Johanna's snarky humor comes through loud and clear in her communications. A bit more subtly readers see her heart.

Alleged crimes and POW mishaps keep the pages turning with this novel. One thought that stood out to me is how would a mom feel with a son in a POW camp overseas that may not be getting treated humanely while the German POWs in her town were given descent meals, entertainment and opportunities to learn. It's a tough question to ponder.

The cover is lovely! I look forward to what the author will pen next.

Things We Didn't Say
by Amy Lynn Green
Back of the Book: “Headstrong Johanna Berglund, a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota, has very definite plans for her future . . . plans that do not include returning to her hometown and the secrets and heartaches she left behind there. But the US Army wants her to work as a translator at a nearby camp for German POWs.
Johanna arrives to find the once-sleepy town exploding with hostility. Most patriotic citizens want nothing to do with German soldiers laboring in their fields, and they're not afraid to criticize those who work at the camp as well. When Johanna describes the trouble to her friend Peter Ito, a language instructor at a school for military intelligence officers, he encourages her to give the town that rejected her a second chance.
As Johanna interacts with the men of the camp and censors their letters home, she begins to see the prisoners in a more sympathetic light. But advocating for better treatment makes her enemies in the community, especially when charismatic German spokesman Stefan Werner begins to show interest in Johanna and her work. The longer Johanna wages her home-front battle, the more the lines between compassion and treason become blurred--and it's no longer clear whom she can trust.”
Impressions: This was an epistolary novel composed of letters, news articles and notes which is a bit different then my typical read. I found it hard to put down however because the letters were short enough to read through quickly and of course I wanted to know what happened next.
Liked: I really enjoyed the perspective and plot. I have read other wartime novels and this one stood out. The perspective of being on American soil and negotiating the prejudices as a Japanese American as well as associating with the POW prison was thought-provoking. I imagine fear and propaganda were fueling a great deal of tension during WW2 as was voiced in this story. I admired Jo’s courage and boldness as she navigated her new position with faith and empathy.
Disliked: I didn’t care for the conclusion of this book. The relationship between Jo and Peter was frustrating. Peters feelings for Jo romantically were not overly obvious but clear enough. Jo’s realization however was this brief and unromantic aha! moment followed by the conclusion. It just left a “what just happened” feeling for me.
Learned: Jo and Stefan’s conversations were the most interesting. They challenged the idea of seeing each other as enemies. I enjoyed their exchanges a great deal.
Quotes: “Real life is dreadfully tedious, the way it interrupts reading.”
“We can do anything we must. How we do it, though, is up to us.”
“Men think that it is impossible for a human to love his enemies, for enemies are hardly able to endure the sight of one another. Well, then, shut your eyes- and your enemy looks just like your neighbor.”
“Who would I be without the propaganda of America?” – I liked this thought-provoking idea.
“Who are you when you don’t have the law telling you what to do?”
“But you can’t hold God accountable for promises he didn’t make. He never promised us the easy path, never said we’d never feel loss or loneliness or heartbreak. But he did say he’d be with us through it all.”
“Sometimes showing grace breaks us before it heals us. Forgiveness can feel like a betrayal of justice. We want others to deserve grace, or at least ask for it, even knowing full well that the greatest grace was extended to us “while we were still enemies.’”
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here.

Amy Lynn Green has written a captivating debut novel! This unique WWII story is told entirely through letters, newspaper articles, and other correspondence. Even with the challenging format, the author captured each character's distinct voice through their writing and wove together a fascinating look at some little-known aspects of the WWII era in America. We learn about life in a German POW camp through Johanna's eyewitness accounts, and understand more about the struggles Japanese Americans faced through Peter's perspective.

The epistolary format makes for rich characterization as we get inside the characters' heads through their writing. I really enjoyed Johanna's wit and determination, and Peter's wisdom and encouraging spirit. Although we are reading about the action after the fact, there is still plenty of tension and anticipation to keep you turning pages!

This book is a peek into history wrapped up in a powerful, moving story that will linger with you after the last page. Fans of Sarah Sundin and Roseanna M. White will especially enjoy this novel. It will be going on my list of favorite books of 2020, and I will be eagerly awaiting whatever Amy Lynn Green writes next!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Things We Didn't Say
by Amy Lynn Green
Bethany House
Bethany House Publishers
Christian | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 03 Nov 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Things We Didn’t Say through Bethany House Publishers and Netgalley:



Johanna Berglund, is a headstrong linguistics student at at the University of Minnesota and she has very definite plans for the future, plans that do not include going back to the hometown she left behind, along with the secrets and heartbreaks that happened there. But the Army has asked her to work as a translator at a nearby camp for German POWs.





When Johanna arrives she finds her once sleepy hometown is exploding with hostility. Most of the Patriotic citizens do not want to have anything to do with German soldiers laboring in their fields, and they're not afraid to criticize those who work at the camp as well. When Johanna describes the trouble to her friend Peter Ito, a language instructor at a school for military intelligence officers, he encourages her to give the town that rejected her a second chance.




As Johanna interacts with the men of the camp and censors their letters home, she begins to see the prisoners in a better light. Advocating for better treatment for the prisoners makes her enemies in the community, especially when charismatic German spokesman Stefan Werner begins to show interest in Johanna and her work. The longer Johanna wages her bottle on the home front, the more the lines between compassion and treason get blurred, and it becomes no longer clear who it is she can trust.




I give Things We Didn’t Say five out of five stars!



Happy Reading!

This book really surprised me... and in the best way possible.
I love letter-writing SO much! Pretty much any book involving letters interests me because... I LOVE them! That being said, as this one is told completely through letters... I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to like it. I wondered how I could truly get to know the characters and things like that... well, I shouldn’t have doubted.

This book was amazing! Yes, it took me a bit to get into it but it’s no fault of the book’s. I simply had to get into the story, learn who the characters were, get invested in it... and once I did, it was wonderful.

The characters are so full of life. Really. Jo and Peter were such great characters.
Jo was a character that really grew on me. She’s such a complex character. She’s full of fire and spunk but she’s also flawed and human. Her journey and character development throughout was inspiring to read, and some of the advice she got hit home.
Peter was incredible. Seriously. He has to be one of the BEST pen pal writers ever, even if he is fictional! His advice to Jo throughout the letters was so good and thoughtful. I love how he’s a friend who doesn’t just tell her what she wants to hear but tells her what she need to hear because he cares. He was an amazing friend and such a great hero! I loved his character so, so much.

The romance was not the focus of this novel and I was entirely okay with that. That being said, it was subtlety here. Oh, I felt it alright, and loved it.
I just love how they fall in love with each other as a person and it goes deeper than mere attraction to looks.

There were twists and turns that made it hard to put down but I also loved the spice-of-life element to it. It was so enjoyable and fun to read about little things going on in the characters lives!
I smiled and laughed and teared up!

This book was beautiful and had so many beautiful, thoughtful quotes as well! Also it ironically fit so well with this time in the world. It was encouraging and inspiring.
Truly a great debut novel. I can’t wait to see what Amy writes in the future! I’ll definitely be on the watch. ❤️

*Thanks to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for a review. All opinions are my own.

Things We Didn't Say was a refreshing book for me because of its epistolary style. It didn't detract from my enjoyment of this novel at all. I thoroughly enjoyed all the letters and learning about all the characters, though I will admit that it was a challenge because I'm not used to getting to know people through letters (at least not anymore!) Johanna was a strong character and I liked that she wasn't afraid of real and upfront. I didn't know what to expect of this novel but I do know if there is a chance of going back to Ironside Lake, I would not hesitate to go back and spend more time with everyone.

My gratitude to Bethany House Publishers. All opinions are my own

This story is told through a series of letters and newspaper articles. No “live action” at all.
Johanna Berglund possesses no subtlety. She says what she thinks, no matter how ungracious. Not everyone appreciates her pearls of wisdom. When she’s manipulated into working as a German translator at a POW camp in Minnesota, she faces a lot of opposition from townsfolk who do not want the enemy close by. Her abrasive personality doesn’t help.
The sensationalist newspaperman wants scandal and profits, not truth. The camp commander’s wife wants to go back to New York, away from this backwoods hick town, and she gossips about Johanna. Jo exchanges letters with a man with a Japanese surname. When Jo’s accused of treason, who will believe in her?
The unique writing format leaves out a lot, but kept this reader enthralled.

To be honest, epistolary novels make me nervous. Not only is it a challenging genre to write well but my mind struggles to get past the thought, “But…there’s no narrative.” As though that’s the be-all and end-all of a good story! But as Peter says in one of his letters to Jo: “Our feelings can lie sometimes. It’s up to us to shout truth back at them whenever we can. That’s what I want you to do right now.”

So this is for you, Peter: YOU DON’T NEED NARRATIVE TO TELL A BRILLIANT STORY.

In other words, my nerves were for nothing. From the very beginning, I was enamoured with Johanna’s voice—her intelligence, her frankness, her dry wit—and I was intrigued to discover the how and why of her story. In some ways, reading this was a little like being a historical detective, piecing together a story from archival documents such as letters, newspaper clippings and so on, except that someone had taken the time to put them in order for me. And the personalities and events could not have been more vivid had there been a Dickens-worth of narrative!

The story that unfolds is a thought-provoking exploration of what it means to love your enemy, to have your perceptions and hopes challenged, and to live in community—flaws and all. And I have a feeling it’s the kind of story that will only become richer with each rereading.

When one thinks of World War II, most often you think of Europe or the Pacific theatre. One rarely thinks about the POW camps that were right here in the United States. Things We Didn't Say, a debut novel by Amy Lynn Green published by Bethany House, focuses on just such a POW camp set in Minnesota.

Green uses a series of letters written between the various characters to tell the story. This unique device serves the two-fold purpose of both moving the story forward and also creates the body of "evidence" when lead character Johanna Berglund is accused of treason. The bulk of the letters are between Johanna, who serves as a translator at a German POW camp in her hometown, and Peter Ito, a Japanese-American who is teaching Japanese to future intelligence officers. Johanna, whom one might describe as "too big for her britches," is frustrated at being back in her home town rather than at the university. Her frustration at being in her small town combined with treating the German POWs as human beings creates conflict between Johanna and others in her town. However, her true test is still to come. The last few chapters of the novel were quite tense as you wonder what will happen and if Johanna will be found guilty or not.

While published by a Christian publishing house, I found that Things We Didn't Say does not contain several of the hallmarks of Christian novels. Prayer is mentioned frequently, but given calls for prayer during war time and the time period that was not unusual. The events in the story do cause Johanna to re-embrace her childhood faith towards the end of the story but not in an overt manner. As such, this book could gain a larger audience than it might otherwise. Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it well-researched. Others who enjoy historical fiction will enjoy it as well.

I received a complementary copy of Things We Didn't Say via NetGalley from Bethany House. I'm not required to give a positive opinion.

Things we Didn’t Say is Amy Lynn Green’s debut WWII novel set in the fictional town of Ironside Lake , Minnesota in 1944. Johanna is attending the University of Minnesota (U of M) on a full scholarship and has big plans for her future. While at the U of M, she meets Peter, a language instructor for military officers. She is forced to go back to Ironside Lake when she is pressured to be a translator at the camp for German POWs. Now their relationship is filled with letters that pass back and forth between the two.
This is an interesting book to read. The letters tell a nice story of two people forming a deeper relationship while separated. This story shows what it may have been like to be living during that time in the POW situation as well as what it may have been like for the loved ones at home. I enjoyed how the story portrayed Johanna as a caring person who treated the prisoners as human beings, treating them with respect and fighting for their rights. I also like the humor and need for faith in the story.
I received an ebook copy of this book from Bethany House publishers through NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Let me start this review by saying that this book written entirely in letters, newspaper articles, written interviews, and transcripts of conversations. The reader does not have any interaction with the characters except through what they write, if and when they write. Or, you may experience someone’s opinion of them if they wrote it down.

On some levels, the format made the Things We Didn’t Say difficult to read. It felt as if I was jumping from one person’s head to another and it was a bit hard to keep up with who was saying what. It was also a bit disorienting because the minute I got into the character’s voice I was in some other person’s head.

But then, I began to feel a real admiration for this new-to-me author. It takes a lot of skill to create a mishmash of literary pieces written in different voices from different viewpoints and have each voice remain distinct. I would still have enjoyed being in the middle of the action instead of being told about it after the fact in a letter it or newspaper article but I imagine this is how Charles Donohue Jr. felt ( no, I’m not going to tell you who that is. If you wanna know, go read the book).

After a while, some of the characters became real to me and I could identify their voice even without seeing the tags identifying the letter writer.

Things We Didn’t Say is a commentary on humanity–we can allow our fears to either drive us to take risks to better the world we live in or cause is to lash out in hate at each other. It’s a reminder that we can choose to treat even those we perceive as enemies as neighbors and see their humanity even when they have done inhumane things.

It’s a reminder that God is with us in the silence and He will make a way when there seems to be no way.

I received an advanced reader's copy from the publishers through NetGalley; a positive review was not required.

My anticipation of this book was on a bit of a roller coaster, first giddy excitement at the thought of a epistolary novel set during WWII, my absolute favorite time period, then fear that it wouldn’t be as good as I hoped especially since it was a debut, then back to excitement because it just HAD to be good! And thankfully it more than exceeded my expectations and I absolutely loved it!
Amy Green provides a unique and fresh new voice in the Christian Fiction world and I was captivated from the very start! It amazed me how she managed to make me fall in love with characters simply through letters. Jo was fiery and spunky and I absolutely loved her no holds barred approach, her unsent letters with her snarky replies were some of my favorites to read. Peter was the perfect quiet hero, the calm and thoughtful way he approached everything was just the balance Jo needed and I loved that she trusted him enough to let him speak into her situations.
The prison camp was such a fascinating setting and I truly admired the way the author, through Jo, spotlighted their humanity even though they were the enemy. Too often we write people off because they’re on the other side without stopping to consider how they are just like us in so many ways.
This story had me on the edge of my seat and made me quite frustrated with the craziness of life that kept interrupting my reading! If you try one new author this year, let it be this one, you won’t be disappointed! I definitely wasn’t and I’m anxiously awaiting what the author has in store for us next!

Brilliant format.
The whole book is told in the format of letters written. Set after the war with both Germany and Japan. A brilliant yet snotty young girl Jo is in college, finally escaping her small home town, when during the war she is pretty much forced to return home and act as an interpreter at a POW camp. Her best friend is a Japanese American guy who is a teacher of language for interred young men preparing to go overseas. The story opens with Jo being charged with treason. She fought going back home and putting her dreams on hold but her scholarship sponsor forces the issue.
It was uncomfortable at first reading a story in this format, but it didn't take long to find it brilliant. There is so much you learn about each of the people in the letters and you can read between the lines. Friends from collage, friends from home, German prisoners, people from the small community. All weave the story. Expertly. With family of German heritage I always wondered how they felt as Americans here during the war, what it was like with German POW camps nearby, how they were treated in this small town. This story gives you a possible glimpse. A sleepy small town becomes full of hostility, examples of the humanity of the prisoners soften the opinions of many. Hard to put down!
#ThingsWeDidntSay #NetGalley
I received this book free from the publisher and NetGalley book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.