"The German Nurse" by M.J. Hollows
Release Date: 11.18.2020

The island of Guernsey is in a panic, as the British army decides to evacuate. Women and children are trying to leave on ships returning to the mainland.

Jack Godwin is a local policeman who lives with his mum and grandparents. The Germans invade on June 30, 1940, and they easily take over the island.

This story focuses on the living conditions under German rule in Guernsey during World War II. Life becomes difficult under Nazi occupation. The locals attempt small rebellions. Jack feels an internal struggle, as his role as a policeman and role as a son, grandson, and boyfriend.

The author did an amazing job showing the feelings of the characters. I really felt Jack's pain when his family died. I felt the frustrations of the island population, feeling abandoned by England. This book shows a different side of the war, one that is not really discussed.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title in exchange for an honest review.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. The opinions in this review are wholly my own.

I enjoyed reading The German Nurse because it really made me think: what would I do to survive? Is it easier to go along and follow those in charge, or is dissent always the best choice. The book is about Jack Godwin, a police officer on the Channel Island Guernsey during Nazi occupation. The British abandon the island at the onset of the war, so the Islanders are left to fend for themselves. This was something I did not know about WWII previously. The book follows Jack as he struggles with the choices he makes, whether to fall in line with German orders in order to remain in good standing, or to do what it takes to protect those he loves. We see some of the other peripheral characters struggling with the same. Jack is in love with a Jewish nurse who fled Germany before the war, which the author says is central to the story. I did not really feel like their love story was central at all. In fact, I was confused about why the book was titled The German Nurse. We don’t meet Johanna very often, there is next to no background about her, and the single narrative voice had me questioning whether Jack’s love was one-sided. I also struggled with some loose ends that I did not feel were tied up, such as Jack’s mother’s mental illness, the mystery of his paternal grandparents, Henrik’s fate, and Johanna’s family and escape from Germany.

Overall, I did enjoy The German Nurse, but I found the internal struggle of Jack to be more central than the actual German Nurse. The fate of the Channel Islands during the war was not something I was familiar with prior to reading, and I’m glad I’m more informed now.

Take me back to Guernsey in WWII anytime I say! After reading and Loving "Guernsey and Potato Peel Pie Society", I was more than ready to return to that beloved Island. In "The German Nurse," I finally got to, and I really enjoyed this tale of love, war, and the courage of the citizens that inhabit the Island. Sprinkled through this book are real occurrences, which made this novel that much more interesting. You can tell the author really did her research and she succeeded in recreating the atmosphere of the Nazi invasion. A really great book and one I recommend!

I like the fact this book is set on the Channel Island of Guernsey, not many WWII books are set in the Channel Islands and it was really interesting to read one from that point of view.
It is obvious a lot of research has gone into the writing of this book and it made the story stronger because of it.
I would have liked to have had the characters developed more, I feel that we didn't find out enough about them. Maybe having it focus a bit more on Johanna as well as Jack, from the title of the book, I thought we would have had more depth to Johanna.
I liked the part where the narrative switched to Henrik, but this only happened a couple of times and would have been nice if it featured a bit more.
I really enjoyed the story and it was very interesting, I just would have liked a bit more depth to the characters and their struggles, to create more of a connection between reader and characters.
I would definitely look into more books by M.J Hollows.

I loved this book, it’s a powerful and emotional read from the start, I was completely taken with Jack and Johanna, they pulled at my heartstring with their beautiful love story, there were times I was in tears.

The occupation of the Channel Islands has always grasped my attention, I have read many books and watched many films set during this time, the Channel Island’s – Guernsey especially – have been my to visit wish list for so long. I haven’t made it there yet, and with certain factors, in my life meaning, I most likely won’t. Thank goodness for books!

The stories that came out of that horrific and hard period will not only break your heart, but you stand back in disbelief that our country deserted them, support and protection were withdrawn and they were alone to face the full force of the Nazi army alone. Those who decided to stand back and allow our Channel Island’s to be occupied and not lift a finger to help them should hang their heads in shame. I do realise that there would have been many factors going on behind the scenes, but still, our Channel Islands were deserted and left to fend for themselves. Even once the war was over, the people of Guernsey and Jersey were still in dire need, they were starving and needing urgent supplies and again they had to wait for the UK to send much-needed aid. I think that was a blight on our history, it was disgusting how the UK deserted them and I look on those incredible people with such awe, the bravery that they showed they way many resisted against Nazi rule, these stories, their stories need to be told and I am so pleased that more and more authors are telling them.

Hmm! I think I got a little carried away there, I think I should talk about this book!

I love the opening, it sets the story up beautifully for what’s to come, you get a sense of what’s to come. Even from those first few pages, you get a real sense of just how much he loves Johanna, it’s in his every move, its the forces that push’s him onwards and its the thing that keeps telling him not to give up keep going. Jack’s undying devotion to her, to keep her safe pulls at the heart, yet saying that I think that the love story is more of a subplot, for me the main story is all about what’s going on with the occupation and how people – Jack – had to cope, how they struggled and how they survived.

This is all about survival, love and family and the contradicting feeling of duty, it’s the story of what a man would do to protect those he cares about most. Once Guernsey has occupied the people of the Island have to make choices to survive, Jack finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place, he has a duty to do to protect his family and yet to do that he would put Johanna in danger.

What is a man to do when everyone he cares about is the danger? Jack is a good man, he is a loyal and dutiful man, a man who is torn, he struggles with his choices but he can’t abide the thought that his choices would come with too high costs for those he loves. Your heart goes out to him, he faces grim times, the author does a brilliant job at portraying Jack’s struggles and hard times with realism and sensitivity.

MJ Hollows is a wonderful author, I have read and loved his previous book; Goodbye For Now (I need to write my review of that one) as soon as I got invited to take part in this blog tour, I couldn’t sign up fast enough. I love the writing, it sweeps you away to another time.

This is a must-read for anyone, but especially for those who love their WW2 historical fiction, I cannot recommend The German Nurse enough.

The characters are well expressed and I can feel the passion the author has for their work through their writing.
Atmospheric and well explained you could fell the heartbreak Jack is going through as he has impossible choices he must make to keep those he loves safe but what will the cost be to him.
Marvelous and true events are sprinkled into this story taking place during the Second World War years when Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis. You can feel the hardships taking place,feel the characters pain.
I recommend this to lovers of historical fiction that want a deep story.

Pub Date: 18 Nov 2020
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.

Hauntingly and vulnerable read of this time era in Guernsey.

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

To be honest, not what I was expecting. Still quite a good read and provides food for thought about life under the German occupation. Raises question about someone's orders versus their moral conscience and about how much can we sacrifice or risk for survival. My only previous knowledge of Guernsey was The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (which I love), and so I was surprisingly excited by the setting and learning more about the island throughout the course of the occupation.

That said I thought the German nurse, Johanna, was going to have a larger part in the story, or at least that we would have insights into her mind and actions, but rather the main character is Jack, a British police officer on the island. The predicament of the nurse a German who is Jewish does influence the story and the protagonist, but there is not much about her work in the hospital or her conflicts. So if you're looking for a female protagonist, I wouldn't go with this one, but if you are looking for an interesting story set during the German occupation, I was hooked and couldn't stop reading to find out what was going to happen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are all my own.

When the Nazis arrive on the Isle of Guernsey, one of the last policemen on the island, Jack must draw up lists of Jews residing there. Should he include the name of his lover, Johanna, on this list, or take the chance of endangering family and friends? Well written historical fiction.

This is one of my favourite books of 2020. Set in Guernsey and paints the picture of how the occupation felt for the local islanders and the conflicts that arose by having the German army on the island. Throw is some love and some German nationals who had made the island there home and you have a great book.
Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

This story takes place on Guernsey in the Channel Islands in 1940. Prime Minister Churchill and the War Cabinet have decided they cannot protect the Islands so they ferry the children and others that want to leave to England. They then remove all military personnel planning that the Germans, with no resistance, will not bomb the Islands. Many of the residents feel they’ve been abandoned, and the Guernsey’s Police Department is at a loss on what they should do. When the Germans take over, Jack, a policeman, finds he must still enforce the law but report to Germans and often rule against his countrymen. His situation is not made easier as his girl friend Johanna is a German nurse but also a Jew. How Jack balances this combination is quite a story.

** spoiler alert ** Having read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, I was hoping that The German Nurse would give another glimpse into what life was like on the island during the German occupation. It did that. This is really the story of Jack, a policeman on the island who decides before the occupation to remain on the island to look after his mother, grandparents, and his girlfriend Johanna rather than evacuate to the English mainland and join the military. Jack and the rest of the police force were in a precarious position with the German Army occupying them. They were made to turn in their fellow countrymen, spy on them, and uphold Nazi laws, all while feeling abandoned by the British. Jack seems to flip flop around her too. I’m turning you in, I’m going to hide you, it made no sense. Then the weird relationship with Heinrich the “un-Nazi” soldier.

Although the book is titled The German Nurse, Johanna is really a minor character. I swear he has a more meaningful conversation with Madeline, a shop girl who he dated in school and who appears twice in the story. It was just an awkward relationship. We learned almost nothing of her background, nothing of her work as nurse, and nothing of what happened to her in the camp or how she was liberated. I also have to say that I did not like Jack. I didn’t really mind that he chose to stay on the island rather than go fight, but he seemed to never really stand for anything. Stand for something man. And then there was this deep dark secret about his father that supposedly was eating his mother up to the point of suicide and then when it’s finally revealed it’s revealed matter of fact and sort of glossed over, like if you blinked you’d miss it sort of thing.

The writing was good. I would read the author again, I just think this story had so much more that could have been delivered.

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

I really enjoyed the idea of the story, especially because of the setting on the channel Island of Guernsey. There don't seem to be many books (fictional or not) about the Channel Islands during the occupation.
The author seems to have done extensive research in order to write the story and bring the characters to life.

Overall, I can say I enjoyed the book but did not connect with the characters. The inner conflict that Jack experiences is relatable but somehow I didn't connect enough with him in order for me to feel for him. The same goes for Johanna as she has been more of a supporting character and love interest but as a reader we don't get to know her well enough to connect with her or the lovestory between her and Jack.

The German Nurse I was so eager to read this book but at some point around 30% I felt like I wasn't getting the deepness of the story, it felt kind of weak and even the characters felt like something was missing, I really love the whole idea of the story and I was eager to know more about it but I find myself skipping pages and trying to find when the real deal was going to start.

When the Germans arrive on the island they also felt flat, I never felt the danger or the fear the Nazis usually spread, it was like they were hiding their own agenda always and even made their characters look like they were just pretending and in fact, in some way, they were lying and pretending to the whole island..

Johanna is hiding for them Germans, she is a nurse and she is trying to help anyone she can in her job but at the same time she has to hide and not show so much of herself as she can really get into trouble, Jack a policeman in love with Johanna is trying to save the whole island, doing whatever he can, he is worried for Johanna and he is doing everything he can to keep her safe. I wanted to know more about the main characters, their love story was missing so many details, I didn't felt the passion or the need between these two.

The German Nurse is a good novel but for me, it wasn't what I was expecting. I really recommend to anyone to Give this a chance maybe this book is for you.

The German Nurse by M.J. Hollows is a heart wrenching historical novel that will compel you to keep reading long into the night.
The novel concerns the Second World War years when Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis. The reader sees the hardships the islanders faced. We witness the bravery and the quiet defiance. We view the small acts of rebellion.
Not every German was a Nazi but every German was caught up in Hitler’s war. Everyone was faced with the choice – to act with compassion or cruelty.
The characters are all well drawn and realistic. We ‘feel’ for the lead character as we follow him throughout. His heart is good but he was faced with some impossible choices in the effort to keep safe those he loved.
M.J. Hollows has created a marvellous tale as he has woven actual events into his fictional tale. The German Nurse was a heart wrenching read that I can highly recommend.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

Jack spent his whole life serving as a police officer. When his s!all island was overtaken by German soldiers during WWII, he came to serving his people in a new and troubling way. Jack struggled with guilt as he saw friends and fellow islanders defy new rules and regulations only to end up arrested or shipped to camps in England. Johanna, Jacks love, tried to keep a low profile as a Jew. She narrowly escaped capture with her family before fleeing to the island. Jack tries hard throughout this story to prove t his family and Johanna.

I think this story gave an interesting looks into the lives of those n police officers forced to follow German rules and punish their fellow Englishmen. You could sense Jacks inner struggles. He wanted to uphold the law but regularly felt at odds with them.

I struggle to find a connection with the title of this book. I understand Johanna is the nurse mentioned, but her view point and story is a minor component to the book. If it was a shared viewpoint or written solely from.her perspective I could better understand the title. I also wondered why there were only two or so chapters written. from the German Henriks narrative. We spend the vast majority of the book as a single god narrator. Thn suddenly, about 80% through the book, Henrik is the narrator. I think it would have been interesting for more of the book to come from him.

I love historical fiction. Especially that from WWII. This one was well written but missed the mark for me. Maybe its because I have read so many and so many amazing books from this genre that it fell flat. I think it will appeal to man readers. Not my favorite, but still 3 out of 5 stars for me.

I enjoyed reading this book because I had never read any books about the Second world war set in Guernsey. There was plenty to keep me informed and interested. There was a simple story line and the main characters were both sincere and honest. I would recommend that you read this book if you want to know about Guernsey in the war.

I enjoyed the book but it didn't captivate me.

I had not read a book on what happened to Guernsey in the War and found it interesting.

The book was sad in places where the Germans decided that Jews and people who were not born in Guernsey had to go to the camps you did wonder what happened to the residents..

I found that there wasn't much of a storyline to this book and they dealt with more what happened on the island rather on the main characters.

The book has a good premise but was so slow. I just couldn’t get into the plot. I received an advance ebook from the publisher and Netgalley. This is my unbiased review.

This was an enjoyable read about a policeman during World War II that has to decide between duty and protecting his family after he meets a German nurse. The author's attention to detail was admirable, however at times the abundant facts took away from being able to stay invested in the story. This would have been a lot better with less fact and more focus on the storyline between these star-crossed lovers.