The whole island of Guernsey is panicking, the British army are evacuating and women and children are trying to board one of the ships returning to England. Watching the chaos at St Peter Port is Jack Godwin, he’s a member of the local police force, and he lives on the Island with his mum and frail grandparents. An invasion is imminent, it happens on the 30th of June 1940 the Germans arrive and they bomb the island first. The remaining citizens are left totally defenseless, the German army didn’t face any resistance and easily take over.

Jack is one of around 50 policemen working on the island; he’s in a very difficult position as his job is to keep law and order. He’s not a soldier, he hadn’t been trained to be one, what could he do to stop the Germans invading the island and some of the locals think he should have tried. Jack's very concerned about his grandparents, his mum and his girlfriend Johanna and she’s a Jewish nurse from Germany.

The German Nurse is a story about living in Guernsey during WW II; as the war years drag on life becomes extremely difficult, due to shortages of everything and the frustrated locals attempt small acts of rebellion. Jack always seems to be torn; he really struggles between upholding the law, looking after his family, friends, work colleagues, and keeping Johanna safe. Relationships are the main basis of the story, always complicated and especially for policeman Jack in German occupied Guernsey. I received a copy of book in exchange for an honest review and four stars from me.

The German Nurse by M.J. Hollows takes place during WWII on Guernsey, an island in the English Chanel. We follow, Jack who works as a police officer and lives with his mother, elderly grandparents and his girlfriend, Johanna. Johanna is Jewish and fled Germany to Guernsey thinking it would be safer for her there. Word is spread that the Germans are going to invade the island and the army flees the island, leaving its people to fend for themselves.

I liked that this story took place in Guernsey, very rarely do you hear about the Channel Islands during WWII stories. It was a new perspective that I appreciated, however I found the story quite slow at times and I just wanted more action!

I received this ebook from NetGalley and HQ stories with Harper Collins! Thank you for the opportunity to read this title early!

Beautiful cover picture!
The setting is on the island of Guernsey. The Army evacuated the island leaving the people unprotected and vulnerable to the expected German military arrival.
Overall, the story is quite interesting though it was a bit lengthy. The historical aspect was intriguing to read about as it was new information to me. You can certainly tell that the author put a lot of research into writing this story.
I have to say, I thought I was going to be getting a bit more of a romance aspect. Maybe I interpreted the synopsis of the story incorrectly.
Thank you to NetGallery, Harper Collins and the author for the arc of The German Nurse. All opinions expressed are my own.

Lots of historical detail about the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands, but a slow-moving story

Now, I love historical fiction, especially that set during WW2. Add in a bit of romance and you've got my ideal novel, which is what I expected from The German Nurse. However, the book itself was unfortunately quite underwhelming.

Firstly, it is very dense and informative and wordy, which meant it took a while to get into it and engage with the characters. The author has obviously done his research, but it did mean at times it felt like he was just throwing in facts to prove he knew them. I also personally felt that the characters lacked any real depth, being quite underdeveloped and therefore hard to connect to. However, my biggest issue though was the lack of warmth in the book. It's marketing focuses on the romance elements of the novel, which combined with the comparisons to The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz made me expect a very different book to what I ended up with. The romance element of the novel is really on the backburner, and it lacked the warmth and feeling you normally get in a historical fiction novel described as a romance. Or even historical fiction generally.

All in all, not for me. However, I will admit that part of the issue could be in how the book is marketed. I feel like the emphasis in the synopsis on the romance in the novel, plus the cover and tagline, and it being categorised on NetGalley as a romance, are all things designed to ensure it will appeal to the women's historical fiction market, but the book itself is very clearly written by a man, and it didn't feel like it was intended to be read as a romance. This isn't a bad thing, but I didn't feel that the book fit the category it was being advertised as. As such, maybe it's a case that the marketing team decided to try and take advantage of the success of books such as The Nightingale, and in doing so created a misleading idea of what this book is, thus leading to people such as myself (and other reviewers, judging by it's poor ratings) rating it poorly because it wasn't what they were promised? Sorry if that's all a bit rambling, just something to consider if you're debating whether to read it or not - it's not necessarily a bad book, it's just not what the synopsis says it will be.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

We are in November and the 11th has not long passed where we remember the heroism and loss of war. A time that we perhaps don’t always think about or even know about from the tragedies of WW2 is the occupation of Guernsey. An island that belongs to Britain, but is actually closer to France and where its people are fiercely independent and the majority are proud to be guernesiais. But this island was almost left behind during WW2 and became occupied by the German Reich. The Ebook that I am about to review, takes place just as the occupation occurred and follows the journey of Jack a Policeman on the Island, who has been living his life as a normal young man would, and spending time with his Jewish German girlfriend. But his life is changed in an instant with the arrival of the Germans on the Island and his love for Johanna, turns into fear. The fear of her being caught and discovered, and how rapidly the decline of the Island takes over and survival becomes the clear path that both these young lovers have to take.

The German Nurse, is a Historical novel as well as a romance. It has been written by M.J Hollows and is set in the Second World War. The book is being published by Harper Collins and is a big read but well worth it if you can spend the time over lockdown catching up on some books. I always enjoy anything that relates to the WW2 and its always interesting when its an aspect of the war that doesn’t often get talked about. You may all have heard of the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which has been made into a film based on its book of the same name. This tells the story of the time after the German occupation however, you also get a mini insight into what took place. But the book by M.J Hollows takes places actually during the German takeover and is such a powerful and emotional tale of what took place. Read on to really find out what I thought.

What I thought of the Ebook.

This is a well written and extremely descriptive Ebook. I was transported to the horrors and the woes of the people from Guernsey who were trapped on an island that no longer felt like home. We hear of all this through the eyes of Jack the lead in this tale. Which may seem confusing as the title is of the German Nurse. We do learn about Johanna, but she isn’t the focal character. She is always in the thoughts of Jack and when they do get to meet we do learn of her character and why she has ended on Guernsey.

Jack tells the story of the decline of the island and of the people on it. How Britain had tried to starve the Germans of supplies in the hope that they would just leave in defeat. But in doing so Britain also starved the people of supplies too. We learn of how the Reich brought over people from the worker camps in Germany and made them work over in Guernsey and they too missed out on food. Jack loses so much as the years pass, but still soldiers on trying to live some sort of life.

I don’t want to give anymore away but it's not hard to imagine what might have happened. This is a tale fraught with emotion and some of the decisions that have to be made can only be understood if you lived in that time, but M.J Howell has managed to ensure that the reader is able to feel the pull of love that Jack has for Johanna, and how it is the only thing helping him to survive during his darkest times.

The book is long, and wordy, and my only criticism would be that it isn’t really about the German Nurse. I found this title a little misleading. But I really enjoyed the historical aspects and had I not been expecting a full on romance, I think I would have to say its is still a great book. Like with many novels it has a little bit of predictability about it, but this doesn’t affect the fact that it has a pleasing end. Although perhaps not the end you may have thought (or maybe you did - I am not telling!)

I seriously love the historical fiction genre. And have read several books on the genre. But this book fell through for me. Even though I liked that IT took place on Guernsey. I liked the Main characters their fights for freedom their fight for keeping Alive. I liked that IT showed different kind of friendships and love. But still something was missing . And i cannot tell you what was missing because i do not know. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

I love historical fiction. It is my favorite genre to read. I first saw The German Nurse's cover, and instantly wanted to read it. The cover is just so gorgeous. However, after reading a lot of historical fiction books this summer, The German Nurse fell short of my expectations somewhat. It was a nice debut novel indeed, but it, at times, was just too descriptive, and I got bored. I did enjoy the setting. This wasn't one of my faves this year, but it was a decent read.

DNF @15%
This book caught my interest when it was promoted to lovers of The Nightingale and The Tattooist of Auschwitz. These were 2 books that I absolutely devoured and so I was very keen to read this book as well.
I loved the cover and liked that it It was set in Guernsey as I had never read a book in this genre set anywhere other than mainland Europe. I was shocked to read that the army evacuated the Island in 1940 and left the People unprotected from the Germans.

So why didn’t I finish it.......well it was very wordy and descriptive and whilst I enjoyed the historical aspect it just didn’t hold my interest enough to keep,going.

It also wasn’t told from the POV of the Nurse - as I had inferred it would by the title.

Thank you to Netgally, the publisher Harper Collins and the Author for an Advanced Reader Copy of this title.

I did enjoy reading this book although i found it was missing the warmth and feeling i usually find in these books.It is still a good story to read and enjoyable.4*

A powerful and heartbreaking WWII historical novel. I love to learn while I read, I was introduced to the concept of carrot tea and the secret knock of the resistance. While I was excited to be introduced to a different setting during WWII, I felt let down with the lack of warmth and heart that I felt should be in a novel claiming romance.

Jack, Johanna, and the Nazi’s

This is a story of the Nazi occupation of Geurnsey in the Channel Islands. The romance between Jack, a policeman, Johanna , a nurse, and the German’s occupying the island.

Jack , born in England , has lived on the island most of his life. Johanna escaped to the Island from Germany when the Nazi’s came into power after her parents were sent to work camps. Johanna is Jewish posing as a Christian. Through it all the only thing Jack wanted was to keep Johanna safe from the Germans.

It was sad and interesting to see Jack and the other policeman struggling under the German’s. They had to arrest fellow islanders and deport them to lobor camps. They were unable to help anyone and when they did it led to severe consequences.

The interaction and friendship between Henrik and Jack was also a good story. Henrik was a German soldier That didn’t want to be and didn’t believe in Hitler, but had to carry out his orders regardless.

I liked the way the story was written to show that there was good and evil in all. It showed the pride the islanders had in their home and the depression they felt during the occupation. It also showed that some had compassion and were willing to help others at the threat of their own lives.

I loved the romance between Jack and Johanna. They were both so brave and they were always there for each other. I also liked that the names were easy for me to read. I loved the ending.

This was a very good book, it kept me reading. I would recommend it.

Thanks to M.J. Hollows, H Q Publishing, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.

The German Wife is a wonderful and heart filled book. What went on years ago will surprise everyone unless your family went through this hell and have someone to remind you how lucky you are to be alive today.

The German Nurse brings a WWII history buff to the German occupation of the Channel Islands, namely Guernsey. It tells the tale of Jack, a island police officer torn between his duty, his people and the desperate need to protect the woman he loves most...Johanna, a German Jew who fled the horror of Germany to the safety of the islands. We follow Jack as he encounters situations that test his own humanity and sense of duty. We feel his loss as his immediate family die, leaving him alone in a world gone mad. We feel his love for Johanna and his determination to keep her safe no matter what. Her strength is his strength.

What I love about this book is it sheds more light and perspective on the occupation of the Channel Islands. The islanders felt abandoned by the English once they withdrew their troops and overwhelmed and constantly afraid when the Germans come rolling in. It’s hard great history lesson as many situations were based upon actual events that took place. I did not feel as though the love story was the central theme in this story. I felt it was more about a mans duty and the struggle to figure out what that was during a time of war.

Thank you NetGalley and MJ Hollows for the chance to read this a little early. I’m grateful for further insight to a part of the war I know so little about

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
New Author for me and quite enjoyed this book not quite what thought it was going to be but an okay read non the less.

There’s a storm headed for the Channel Islands and it’s not just the weather!

The German Nurse, by MJ Hollows, is a historical fiction novel of WWII to be published November 18, 2020.

What if you woke up one morning and discovered that the beloved Channel Island you call home would soon be taken over by a powerful enemy? Jack Godwin, an officer in the Guernsey police station, learns that Churchill has ordered the withdrawal of all military forces on the island. Saddened that his island doesn’t rank as worthy of resources needed to defend itself, Jack channels his energy into his job and into defending his family. Once the island is occupied by German forces, he finds himself caught in a purgatory-like reality as he is caught between being a proud Guernesiais, a policeman and essentially working for the German authorities. In his own words, he becomes a lackey for the Germans. You’ll follow Jack and Johanna through the five years of the German occupation of Guernsey and understand what it was like to live on an occupied island during World War Two.

I love to learn while I read and it was immediately obvious that Hollows had done his research. I had never considered such things as the distribution of Reichsmarks in exchange for Sterling pounds as currency, the fact that the occupying forces could commandeer vehicles and family homes leaving people homeless, change the language of signage in towns, and have segregated seating for native and German audiences in cinemas to prevent unrest. I was introduced to the concept of carrot tea and the secret knock of the resistance. What surprised me the most was Hollows informing his readers that not all members of the occupying force were happy to be there; they’d have rather been home living an uninterrupted life. And why not? I hadn’t thought about it previously. While I was excited to be introduced to a different setting during WWII, I felt let down with the lack of warmth and heart that I felt should be in a novel claiming romance. Like most of Jack’s actions, his relationship with Johanna just felt mechanical. I wasn’t convinced of love. It was almost as if the characters in the novel lacked depth. I also felt deceived as I was expecting a book about a nurse during WWII and instead was offered a book about a police officer during the same time period. That being said, I’ve never read a novel with more attention to olfactory detail. I was amazed at the descriptions about the aftereffects of the bombing, the bitumen used in making the resistance symbol, and the stench on the beach. Rarely does an author tune into all senses in their writing. The premise of this novel was amazing, and it had so much potential.

Thank you to MJ Hollows, Netgalley and HQ Digital UK for the gift of this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.