I loved that this book was a great work. I love historical fiction and it was a great read for me. 4/5 Stars for me.

The main characters seemed quite believable. Both Jutta and Karin come across as human rather than these perfect girls who can do no wrong. It makes them seem approachable, vulnerable and hence likeable. I did like getting the story from both their perspectives.
The romantic arcs with Danny and Otto are well-written.
While this is my first book by Mandy Robotham, I was impressed by her attention to historical detail.

I love Mandy Robotham's novels and this one is no exception.

A City Divided.

Twins Jutta and Karin do everything together but when Karin ends up in hospital in East Germany when the Berlin Wall is erected, they are suddenly torn apart with no hope of reuniting. Overnight Karin is on the wrong side of the City Trapped under Soviet rule in unforgiving East Berlin.

Two Sisters Torn Apart.

The sisters are forced to live separate lives for years, cut off by the wall.

One Impossible Choice.

Jutta tries her hardest to get her sister away from the strict Eastern regime and cannot believe her luck when she finally makes it through a hidden way in the wall. But will reuniting be as easy as she imagined?

The Stasi have eyes everywhere. Has Jutta put them both in danger?

This book was absolutely fantastic, so well written and you become emotionally involved with the families. You can’t imagine how difficult those times must have been. I highly recommend this book to everyone

This is a gripping historical fiction novel. This is a good book about the rise of the Berlin Wall. It is very well written

The Girl Behind The Wall is another hard hitting, well researched and great book by Mandy Robotham which is about the building of the Berlin Wall that not only separated the city of Berlin but also families maybe forever. The Girl Behind The Wall which is set just before the Berlin Wall was built is about one such family it centres on sisters Karin and Jutta who are not just sisters but identical twins and best friends. Overnight, Karin who had an emergency is trapped under Soviet rule in unforgiving East Berlin and separated from her twin sister, Jutta. Jutta is determined to not only reunite but also rescue her sister but over the course of the book you start to see the changes each girl goes through.
I loved this book just like all of Mandy Robotham books and cannot recommend it enough.

After her twin sister, Karin collapses and is brought to the hospital, Jutta finds herself in a difficult spot when the border between the West and East Berlin is shut down after the Soviet rule takes East Berlin. Because of this Jutta must find a way to get her sister back before things get worse.

I gave The Girl Behind the Wall 3.5 stars, enjoying the overall story and characters and liked that we see both sister’s points of views from both East and West Berlin. Jutta is willing to risk her life in order to get her sister back but as we bounce back and forth between both points of views, we see that life has changed so much for these twins, so much so that they almost don’t recognize each other after time has gone by. What I found interesting was how committed Jutta was in order to get her sister back while Karin’s life almost really looked up for her. As the twins are forced to separate, you see how much their life really evolved with each other in the same orbit but once East and West Berlin separated, their orbits were not longer circling the same universe. I think that it was rather heartbreaking seeing how one sister continued to stay and the other’s life began to look happier.

The one thing that I found pushed me towards a 3.5 star was the ending. I found that it began to rush a bit at the end and I felt unsatisfied with how it ended because it left me wanting more with how the sisters reunited again and what happened during their time apart. Overall, The Girl Behind the Wall was fun to read and something that you can pick up easily,

I absolutely loved this gripping historical thriller set in Berlin in 1961. The plot is very clever - twin sisters from West Berlin, one of whom ends up stuck on the East Berlin side the day that the wall went up, dividing the city for the next 28 years. Full of twists and turns, immensely readable and a real page turner, this book was fast-paced and emotionally powerful. Mandy is an excellent writer; I will be seeking out all her books immediately!

I really enjoy books by Mandy Robotham. This one did not disappoint. Set in Berlin, two sisters are separated by the wall. Fascinating and well written. Another enjoyable historical fiction by the author.

Mandy Robotham can certainly write compelling stories. Unfortunately this one didn’t work for me as it felt very fictional, at times unbelievable. But there is one question on everyone’s lips familiar to Germans, both East and West: After two World wars lost and a city in ruins, how was this ever allowed to happen? It’s a very interesting question. It’s a story of perseverance, of love, of the Berlin Wall and its ramifications. It was well researched, Unfortunately, it is a slow, slow burn and repetitive. The characters just weren’t all that interesting either.

I enjoyed this historical read and found the factual elements to be fascinating. However, I did think the middle part of the story dragged a fair bit and I think I was hoping for more danger and threats towards the twins, Karin and Jutta.

It sounds like a worst nightmare when you discover your country’s government is permanently splitting the country in two. I know very little about this time in history and could only begin to imagine the devastation caused by the Berlin Wall. In this story, the writer expertly captures the heartbreak with families divided and no obvious way of being reunited. The West side – free, frivolous and comfortable – seems like a place that those on the East can only dream of. Surrounded with propaganda that reinforces the importance of a communist way of living and experiencing circumstances similar to what the Second World War created, Karin realises she needs to keep her head down and accept that this is her new life.

Over the story, the two sisters are able to meet up and it prompted me to consider all the other ways in history that people tried to surpass the Wall. The constant fear of being discovered always threatens Jutta and Karin’s reunions but it seems worth it for the familial connection. It was interesting to observe the growing juxtaposition between the two characters as the Wall becomes more firmly embedded in German life. For Jutta, her secret portal is a way of seeing her sister, even though she is aware of the dangers. Yet, for Karin, she is far more fearful of being discovered and is beginning to accept that living in the East is the only way to actually survive.

Whilst I did lose a bit of interest midway through the story, I found the latter half to be more interesting as Robotham moved the narrative forwards. The disorientation and fear was palpable and I thought the colour symbolism to be particularly effective. I especially liked the ambiguities raised and I figured this was a reflection of the lack of answers that Berliners had during such a difficult time. Indeed, the closing chapter was the most fascinating as I saw exactly what the Eastern government was capable of.

An interesting history lesson but I did think the writing style was a bit heavy and dense. I think I would have preferred something that had more variety in the narrative to lessen the tedium. At the same time, I guess this “flatter” part of the story was a reflection of life in Eastern Germany and the constant monotony that the tough living conditions enabled.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I kept this book on my shelf way too long. Really enjoyed and very well written. Will definitely read more books written by this author.

Easy to read. I enjoyed “The girl behind the wall” very much historically but found the ending a little too convenient.

On the 13th August 1961, the wall was put up, tearing both Berlin and many the families inhabiting the city in two.

As fate will have, unfortunate events led to twins Jutta and Karin waking up on opposite sides. Jutta confined to the West and Karin trapped in the East.

A heart wrenching story encompassing so many themes - politics, families and how far you will go not only to survive, but also to protect those you love.

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the perspective of this book, and found the sisters' story of being separated on opposite sides of the Berlin Wall to be fascinating, and yet tragic. This book certainly made me want to go learn more about this period of history and how it impacted families. Thank you for allowing me to review this book!

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

This book was an EXTREMELY slow start. For about over half of the book it really didn't go anywhere. It was very dry and I felt the characters lacked depth of any kind. It finally started to pick up, again about by the time over half of the book was over. The last bit of the book was very good. Overall, I did enjoy it but I won't be signing up to be the first to read one of her books in the future. It just really took way too long for it to have any action.

A very compelling read. Steeped in history although fictional. Had me hooked from the start. Look forward to more from this author

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for my copy of The Girl Behind The Wall in exchange for an honest review.

I previously read The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham, also thanks to Avon and NetGalley, and absolutely loved it. I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, particularly one based around WWI and WWII, and The Berlin Girl was definitely up there in my favourites, so I had very high expectations for The Girl Behind The Wall, and it met every single one of them!

From the very first chapter, you are immediately thrown in to the pure emotion of the story, and the reality of what many families truly had to go through during this time. To be honest, the construction of the Berlin Wall and the subsequent events is something that I don’t know a great deal about, so I learnt quite a lot from this book, but it’s definitely something I want to do more research in to. This made the story all the more interesting for me.

Jutta and Karin are both brilliant characters. Both are exceptionally brave, and are willing to risk their lives for the people they love most. Jutta’s determination to reach her sister is incredible, she will go to any length to be with her, and that kind of love and loyalty is so beautiful, it’s an unbreakable bond. Every time Jutta ventured over the wall, I was on the edge of my seat, with my heart in my mouth. I was absolutely terrified for her, and desperate for her trip to be successful.

The romantic aspects of both Jutta and Karin’s lives are worked in to the rest of the story so seamlessly that neither of them take anything away from the more serious and emotional side of the book, which is something I really liked. And as someone who isn’t a huge fan of romance, it actually made the love stories much more enjoyable, because even those came with dangers, and possible ramifications.

Towards the end of the book, the story took a few turns that I hadn’t really expected, but which made it feel even more real. Those final chapters really pulled at my heartstrings, and brought tears to my eyes. Knowing that many people went through similar situations in real life made it all the more emotional, and it’s something that most of us will never truly be able to understand.

This book was everything I had wanted it to be and more. It was intense, heart wrenching, and impossible to put down. Mandy Robotham is a brilliant writer, and I can not wait to read more from her in the future!

I give The Girl Behind The Wall a 5 star rating!

Beautifully written and absorbing. We don’t always think of the families and how the the affected their lives.. The characters are like able , you’ll not want to put it down! Definitely one to read.

The Girl Behind The Wall is a great book depicting Ww2 in Germany. It showed how families were living. I enjoyed the story as it showed historical events.