This book did not capture my attention long enough for me to finish it, which is a shame. I think it might be more of a personal taste thing (genre, setting, style) than a reflection on the book itself.

Loved this book it is historical fiction at its best it’s best.The characters the storyline kept me turning the pages sad to read the last page.#netgalley #harper360

This was a stunning book! I absolutely loved it! It was my first novel by Mandy Robotham, and won't be my last. Georgie was such an amazing character to follow, brave, bold and daring. I loved her! It was interesting reading about Berlin. I usually don't enjoy books with journalism as a main theme, but the writing style and the story had me so engrossed, I didn't mind. I highly recommend this book for any WW2 historical fiction reader.

I loved this book. I'm always hesitant when reading historical fiction, because it tends to have a heavy romance aspect which I don't always like. But I was pleasantly surprised with this novel. There is a romance, but it is not a major aspect of the book and it is really well written, as was the book overall.

Absolutely stunning! I was pulled into The Berlin Girl from the very first page and I couldn't put it down. The character descriptions are colorful and vivid and you fall in love with Georgie, Max, Rod and the Amsels. Thank you for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

As anyone can probably tell from my shelves of feedback and to be read, this genre is an obsession with me currently. I never knew so many stories existed.
Georgie and Max draw you into this story. It is well written and easy to read in one sitting. But it does bring emotions to the surface. Which need to be revisited by many people.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. Georgie “George” was a corespondent for a British newspaper sent to Berlin a year before WW2 broke out. There, with several other members of the press, try to report the truths without being arrested or deported. All the while, trying to protect those that are being treated so unjustly. I really like her writing! Good book! #theberlingirl #mandyrobotham #Dec2020

The Berlin Girl is set in Germany as Hitler is beginning is foray into the commencement of taking control of the country. Georgie Young is a emerging reporter and she has begun to see the developing signs of Hitlers Regime because of troop growth. The other noticeable changes and extremely difficult issue to ignore is the victimizing of Jewish people.
Max Spender another reporter that Georgie is leery about at the beginning of her sojourn in Germany proves to be an ally when things take a dangerous turn.

The author has a great storyline, but I think there were a couple chapters that seemed to lack a cohesive flow. I found myself skipping paragraphs because it was not interesting and I kept putting the book down. Overall, the content of the book was good, but it just needed something. The characters were not all totally believable to a point and I think in this type of a book the characters have to mean something and come to life.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

Historical fiction during WWII is one of my newer favorite genres. While The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham takes place just leading up to WWII, it’s a serious peek into what life might have been like in Berlin during that time.

This book pulls you in from the start. Usually I get so frustrated at the length it takes to get to know the characters and setting, but it wasn’t an issue here. I love the intensity of heading into the unknown like Georgie. The book expresses Georgie’s concern and impressions quite well. This may have made getting into the story so much easier for me.

There are so many mysteries that took place in this time period, particularly in Germany and surrounding countries. With red Nazi flags flying everywhere and the SS and Stormtroopers everywhere, I can only imagine daily life being in high alert even if you weren’t a Jew or “undesirable.” Its unfathomable that there was so much hate towards a race, of people who grew up and loved their country.

My favorite character is Georgie. She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. While she questions many things, she gets it off her chest by going to fellow reporters for comfort and advice. She’s way more dating than I’d ever be. She can also. Stay in character like Georgie does.

I was surprised when George’s Editor pulled her back to England. How would she report on the happenings in Berlin if she’s in London? Thankfully she wasn’t there very long and was able to return to Germany. It’s when she returns that the plot thickens. I was so pulled into the story that interruptions from my family was unappreciated!

A digital copy of The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham was provided complimentary by Harper 360/Avon via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because I was so drawn into the story. Georgie became my fast friend that I hoped the best for. I was not disappointed!

The book could have been condensed but overall it is a good read. I like the research that appears to have gone into the book to effectively write about this time period. Overall a good read

Imagine you are witnessing the utmost horrific situation. Would you be able to stand by and do nothing, or would you jump into action? This is exactly what happened to Georgie in Mandy Robotham’s new novel.

The Berlin Girl is an absorbing and fascinating read that is powerful, engaging and emotional. Mandy’s new novel captured me from the beginning as the story continued to unfold and life as the world saw it, would forever be changed.

This novel is truly amazing and one I could not put down. Make sure to put it on your must read list for this month or 2021. I highly recommend this book to those who love WWII period genre novels.

I loved the characters! This was such a great read and I really love WW2 stories so I just ate this one up in one sitting!!

THE BERLIN GIRL
BY MANDY ROBOTHAM

"THE BERLIN GIRL" by Mandy Robotham focuses on Hitler's prewar Germany and he is already spreading his message of antisemitic propaganda against the Jewish people and people whom he deems as undesirables because they have been injured and have a disability.

This is a story about the journalist's from as far as America and the New York Times but mostly center's around a female reporter from Great Britain named Georgina and her budding relationship with her fellow comrade Max Spender. When the two first meet in the Ritz Georgie gets the first impression that Max is a snob but the two become close as they are trying to help one specific family called the Amsel's whom are Jewish.

Georgie hires Rubin Amsel as a driver as because of his only crime is one he can not help because it is his ethnic heritage. Rubin and his fragile wife Sara are hiding her brother upstairs in their attic because he was physically injured and deemed obsolete by the Nazi's.

As I was reading this I couldn't stop thinking about how many people were fooled by someone so cruel as Hitler is who does nothing but spread hate. Also how powerless the Jewish people were to leave Germany because other countries wouldn't accept them because they refused to recognize Hitler was arresting undesirables as he and his regime saw them.

Berlin is where as early as 1939 arrests were regularly carried out and Jewish people were ordered that they couldn't perform any longer in certain jobs like in Rubin's case he was stopped from working for Georgie as a driver. His brother-in-law was discovered by the Gestapo and was arrested and sent to a work camp out in the country called Sachsenhausen where living conditions were to match the horrible concentration camps that were not yet used.

In March of 1939, Hitler set his sights on invading the Lithuanian territory of Memel claiming it belonged to Germany and then as if by collecting properties on a Monopoly board turned its sights on Danzig, a tiny free state in the northern part of the Polish "corridor" sandwhiched between Germany and East Prussia. No one doubted the Fuhrer's greedy eye was focused on its thriving port and coastline into the Baltic rather than the freedom of German Danzigers. Two days later it became plain that the ongoing struggle over Danzig was a distraction; Germany and the USSR signed a pact, agreeing on how they would split the big prize: Poland.

Finally the world's politicians took notice and by the end of March, Britain and France made a verbal stance reassuring Poland they would support its right to defend independence though they stopped short of any details. The foreign press was incensed, and yet the sheer adrenaline drove them on, running from briefings to embassy statements trying at the same time to keep track on the increasing frustrations with the Reich, the world and humanity. No one in Berlin was safe beyond the long arm of the Gestapo.

Georgie and Max and Rod and all of the other foreign news agencies tried to help the Jewish people by trying to infiltrate the Nazi's secrets. Max and Georgie help the Amsel's but almost cost them their lives.

Thank you to Net Galley, Mandy Robotham and Harper 360--Avon for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Publication Date: December 08, 2020

#TheBerlinGirl #MandyRobotham #Harper360 #NetGalley

Georgie is moving up in the world of reporting, and it’s taking her to Berlin. The year is 1938, and Hitler is making moves against the Jewish population. While she’s settling in and meeting fellow journalists, she isn’t quite prepared for the Germany of today. Berlin is a city she could easily fall in love with, even if she is looking through naivety.

This one was a bit different from other WWII historical fiction books I’ve read because it takes place in the months leading up to the war. When Germans, and subsequently the world, were not only unprepared but unbelieving of the lengths Hitler would go to. As Georgie finds her groove, things progress, and she wants to be on the right side of history. I loved that the story took place before the war and the way the story was shaped around it. It was a well-researched story, and I definitely plan to check out more of Robotham’s work. Thank you, Avon, for sending this along.

(4.5 stars rounded up) An intense, gripping, and absorbing must read! This beautifully written book took me on a journey through hope and despair while reminding of the necessity of truth in the free press, a relevant lesson even today. I was quickly immersed into the world of prewar Berlin, and rich character development made Georgie feel like a long lost friend and a female heroine all at the same time.

Georgie is a fledgling British reporter, forging her way into a man’s profession, and newly assigned to the Berlin field office in 1938 as Europe is on the brink of war. Georgie is intelligent and ambitious albeit young and naïve. As the world holds its breath waiting on Hitler’s next move, she is intent to face the conflict boldly armed with words and her typewriter. Her mission is to bring the truth of the oppressive Nazi regime to the forefront no matter the cost, and there certainly is a cost! Georgie and her rag tag friends in the foreign press are quickly reminded of the cost of their job when a fellow reporter is found dead.

I’ve visited Berlin many times, and this book expertly breathed life into the streets of the city pre-World War 2. As I read, I was transported on a tour of this opulent, bustling, yet troubled city. You could envision the soon to be forgotten glory of this vivid city amongst its quick decline into oppression. I could almost taste the strudel and at the same time smell the fumes of tanks rolling down Unter den Linden. The city itself became another character in this novel.

I particularly enjoyed the epilogue, told through news reports either written by Georgie or about her, bringing Georgie and her passion for words full circle.

World War 2 historical fiction is my favorite genre. I found this book to be a fresh take on this genre, which is noteworthy and rare.

“It was the beginning of a war- and me, in so many ways. Part of me, I think, will always be that Berlin girl.”

Many thanks to Mandy Robotham, Harper Collins Publishing, Haper 360, Avon Books, and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was the perfect escape. It was lovely and fun. It was my first book by this author and I will definitely be on the look out for more!!

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books. I was totally up for a good WWII read and this delivered! Georgie is traveling to Berlin in 1938 to work on location as a reporter. The city is covered in red flags and swarming with Nazis. Georgie feels helpless to stop all that is going on around her as she reports back. She makes friends with a fellow reporter, Max as her year their progresses. Georgie and Max are pulled into a dark willed that is just starting!
I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It was interesting to read a story based slightly before WWII started. This was a different take and so interesting to me! I loved seeing things Through Georgie’s eyes! (Also, I really loved Max!) Comes out in December!