Thankyou NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book. A really good read. Full of emotion and shows you that life isn’t always black and white and straight forward. A good read for you staycation this year

I was incredibly excited to read Mandy Robotham's latest novel as I have become quite a fan of her work! The Girl Behind the Wall did not disappoint and it was truly a pleasure to be given a digital ARC. Thank you, Avon Books and Netgalley.

The Girl Behind the Wall is not a statement about which ideology is right or wrong. Instead, it brings to life the complexities of ties that hold us together through love and family. Throughout the novel, Jutta and Karin make the most of their circumstance. Both sisters risk everything to hold onto those who are most important to them. It is a compelling story and a worthy read for historical fiction lovers who are looking for something a little different than what is currently popular.

I enjoyed that the novel explored that nothing is black and white. Though we may not always agree with the decisions that those we love make, we can choose to love and support them for who they are despite our feelings. The commitment to the family we are born with and the family that we choose is beautifully represented in this book. Despite everything, these sisters who are in an impossible situation choose love over division during a time when division was at the centre of their lives.

I am always impressed by books that teach me something new. The Girl Behind the Wall brought me to a time and place that I was greatly uninformed about. For this, I give the book bonus points! If you have read any of Robotham’s prior novels and enjoyed them, you are sure to find this one to be a hit!

I expected another detailed and accurate historical fiction book from this author – akin to that of her previously published work “The Secret Messenger”. I did not expect this book to have so much emotion, and to cause such a visceral emotion in me as a reader – keep tissues handy (and maybe some chocolate).

A relatively unexplored period in German history, this book tackles the Berlin Wall and the physical, emotional, and social divisions it caused. We follow a family torn apart by the barrier, including identical twins, separated not due to their living situations, but due to a terribly and unfortunately timed business trip. After one twin – Karin – undergoes emergency surgery, she is locked in East Berlin.

I will admit that my historical knowledge of this event was very small, so I did have to google or research certain areas (but that was definitely my own curiosity and was not a fault I can attribute to the author). The Berlin Wall was torn down ten years before I was born (something I was admittedly shocked about – how long it took to remove that barrier). This is everything you want in women's historical fiction, beautifully done!

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this amazing historical novel. This review is completely honest and uninfluenced by any others.

The Rabbit Hole

Different from other books I have read, this is a story of the city of Berlin and the beginning of the wall to separate the East from the west. This is a story of suspense, danger, love, friendship, and betrayal. The story of choices made that changed lives.

The war is over, or is it? For the city of Berlin, Germany it is divided between West Berlin and East Berlin. Life goes on much the same, West Berliners work in East Berlin and some East Berliners work and shop in West Berlin. Then one day when everyone wakes up there is a barbed wire wall keeping the East Berliners in and the West Berliners out. Soon the wall becomes a permanent concrete wall.

Two sisters Karin, and Jutta are separated by the wall. Karin is stuck in East Berlin and is refused passage home to West Berlin. She has to build a life in East Berlin and soon meets Otto and falls in love. Meanwhile, Jutta is doing everything possible to get passage to see her two in East Berlin. She is refused with every agency and every request.

One day, Jutta finds a way from West Berlin to East Berlin. She calls it a rabbit hole.
She slips through and visits her sister. It is very dangerous to go through the passage from west to east and back. The Stasi are everywhere, they even have informers in West Berlin. Her sister has to make a heartbreaking choice, stay in East Berlin or make a desperate escape to the west and leave the boy she loves behind.

I loved the characters in the story. I liked the character of Jutta and the characters of Walter and Otto. The nosy neighbor of Karin's was comical. The story is very well written and a refreshing change from the WWII books in that it is focusing on the Cold War.

I enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend it.

Thanks to Mandy Robotham, Avon Books U.K. And NetGalley for allowing me to read a copy for an honest review.

I was extremely naive about the Berlin Wall as it was before my time but loved learning more through this book and am interested in reading more.

This was a good story about identical twins, Karin and Jutta that suddenly find themselves separated by the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961.

Karin has an appendix that burst and while she is in the hospital in the East the wall goes up and no one is allowed to the other side.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for this advanced readers copy. This book is due to release in July 2021.

Wooo what a book.

Overnight the Berlin Wall goes up and sisters Karin and Otto are left separated. Karin is stuck on the wrong side of the wall and is under soviet rule. Her sister is the hope that keeps her going.

This is a very well written book about fictional sisters in a not so talked about part of history. To be able to write this well is a talent. Through the tragedy and loss we are able to still be gripped with the powerful prose.

There is so much I could write about this book to review it but then I would be giving ro much a way. What I will say is keep a box of tissues on hard before you start reading, as if you're anything like myself you will be crying quite early on in the book.
4 stars

Thanks to netgalley the publishers and writer for th ARc of the girl behind the wall in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon books UK for this ARC.

I dont want to diminish the importance of the events with my review.

I found this to be extremely slow. It took me forever to read it as it didnt catch my interest. I was waiting for something to happen or for it to pick up. It never did. I did a final push to finish it but i almost DNF'd it.

I've read the german midwife and LOVED it. I've also read the secret messenger and it was good but the previous where above board compared to this one.

Mandy Robotham’s newest historical fiction, “The Girl Behind The Wall,” highlights Europe’s best kept secret and the unfurling of the sealed orders for Operation Rose. Never heard of it? Neither had I. That is, until I realized that it was the code name for the construction of what the GDR called the “anti-fascist protection barrier” – the Berlin Wall.

Imagine this scenario: your sister’s appendix bursts, and she’s taken to hospital, but during the night the symbol of the Cold War is erected and suddenly, with no warning, you are separated. She’s in hospital in East Berlin and you are at home with your mother in West Berlin. It’s not just your sister, though. It’s your only sister. Your only sibling. Your twin sister. Your complete and identical other half.

Berliners awoke on August 13, 1961, to find Operation Rose in full swing. Phone lines were cut. There was no mail back and forth. Difficult to imagine, isn’t it? What a great premise for a book. I’m ashamed to admit I had very basic knowledge about the construction of the Berlin Wall and was so excited that the author focussed on the beginning and how the erection of the barrier affected those on both sides of the city. This book spans 1961, when the construction began, and ends in 1989 when it was demolished. It’s well researched and voices on both sides of the wall are evident. It was refreshing to read a book written in a single timeline because it helped my focus. I was shocked at the decisions that had to be made and the sacrifices that resulted. I also was reminded that sometimes choices aren’t straightforward; when the factors influencing choices change, then priorities change. I was in awe of the twins’ sacrifice and endurance. I did have trouble connecting to the characters, but it didn’t take away from the enjoyment of the book. As I turned over the last page, I started ‘Googling’ to find out more about Berliner's experiences. That’s a sign of a great historical fiction book – it is the catalyst to readers adding to their knowledge on a subject.

Quotes that stopped me in my tracks:

“It becomes strangely normal after a time. Berliners walk by without a second glance, skirting the barrier as if it’s always been there. The tourists come and go, they look and peer over the Wall to another land, at people who squint their eyes back at the West. They comment on the atrocity and they go away again. The Wall endures.”

“In the end, we’re proof, aren’t we – that you can’t control people’s thoughts. What goes on in their heads. Or their hearts.”

Publishes July 6, 2021

I was gifted this advance copy by #mandyrobotham #avonbooksuk and #netgally and was under no obligation to provide a review.

A beautiful tale of a devastating time. I am hugely interested in the Berlin Wall, and the way the city suffered. Having visited Berlin numerous times, it was enjoyable to read a book set there, and follow the characters' lives.

What a beautiful and clever mix of nonfiction and fiction! Inspired by true events in 1961-1989 Berlin, Mandy Robotham, the author, wove her own magic into the characters and imaginings. Her giftedness is unreal. The prologue alone is highly informative and evocative. But that, of course, is just the beginning. Read about perseverance, loss, love, trust and hope in impossible circumstances. I was often on tenterhooks, inhaling the atmosphere.

August 13, 1961 is undoubtedly forever imprinted on the minds of many who lived through the unbearable anguish of separation due to the man-built "barrier", aka wall. One day, Berlin is bustling as normal. But the very next, literally overnight, lives change with the unrolling of the barbed wire, stacking up cemented blocks and the unrelenting policing and refusal to grant access to either side. The East is controlled by the Soviets, the West by Allies. Though I had thought of this before, of course, the details had not struck me so profoundly until now. No one had any inkling this would happen, no warning. Wives and husbands, parents and kids, siblings, friends, co-workers, all separated...and with nothing with them but what was on their backs. Not only that but residential phones were out of commission. What do you do?? How do you communicate? Who do you trust? Secret police ingratiate and deceive and on the East side there was a "shoot to kill" policy in place.

Karin and Jutta, twin sisters, find themselves in this horrific predicament as Karin is on the east recuperating in a hospital while her family and home are all on the west. They are both forced to make very overwhelming choices. We watch them navigate their daily lives, their relationships and new stark realities. They are forced to become enterprising. We also meet other characters including cousin Hugo, Otto, Danny and the girls' parents. Family is everything but sometimes secrets between them are necessary for survival.

This book taught me so much and caused me to ask more questions including the layers of defense in the death strip, the "brain drain", the painful emotions...I spent three hours researching it and am glad I did as many details I read were echoed here. If you have the time, do watch some of the heartbreaking YouTube videos, too. The historical details are fascinating and I could instantly imagine being in Germany again.

My sincere thank you to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this achingly beautiful, chilling and emotionally crushing book.

This book follows the unique stories of twin sisters, Karin and Jutta, separated by a series of circumstances on the evening the Berlin Wall was constructed, resulting in years of little to no communication, but a constant yearning to be reunited.

Several years after their separation, by accident or fate, Jutta finds a way through the wall that no one is aware of and bravely crosses through, undetected. Once on the other side, she tracks down Karin and tells her of the secret passage way she's found. Torn by the life and love she'd begun to cultivate and the life she was forced to leave behind on the other side, Karin must decide soon, whether she'll return to her family or possibly say goodbye to her former life forever.

I was not intimately familiar with the history surrounding the Berlin Wall and the synopsis pulled me in. Admittedly, I struggled through the first 1/3 of this book but was so intrigued by the story playing out that I was propelled into finishing. By the time the second half hit, I could not put it down and this shamelessly became another "just-one-more-chapter" book on my shelf.

I have been a fan of Mandy Robotham from book one. So, I was intrigued to read The girl behind the wall.
It’s the summer of 1961. Jutta and Karin are identical twin sisters and are separated by the erection of the Berlin wall by the GDPR. Jutta is distraught, she has never been separated from her sister and worries about her as she lies in a hospital in East Germany with an expected appendicitis and wonders when she will see her sister again. Jutta does everything to get to see her sister but at first when they apply for a permit to visit the East it is refused.
But by chance Jutta finds a way to cross the divide but risking her own life in the process to find out what happened to her sister. Meanwhile, Karin after her recovery is taken in by one of the doctors, as she has nowhere else to go. But when the sisters meet, she doesn’t want to flee the East which is surprising to hear from her sister.
Thank you, Avon books, for a copy of The Girl behind the wall. This is a bit different to her previous books. Although this is fiction this is a factual account on how the Berlin wall came about. But also, a story of twin sisters and the sacrifices and heartache they endured to get back together. I did enjoy this but not as much as the others. The story was hard to get into at first but came through at the end. 4 stars from me.

This is another fabulous read from the super talented Mandy Robotham who never fails to give us a satisfying story. I have read all of this authors books and loved each and every one she has the ability to mix a damn good story with historical facts and does it such a way that just makes you want to read and read and I raced through this one.
This book is set in Berlin where twin sisters Jutta and Karin get separated when the wall goes up and overnight and they find themselves on opposite sides with no form of communication. It’s a great story which moves at a good pace and the dilemmas both sisters face made it a very compulsive read but then I have found all of Mandy’s books the same she really can weave the fact and fiction so well.
So excellent writing as you would expect, well crafted characters that feel real and a wonderful storyline what more can you ask for. I loved the book but I knew I would from the first few pages and so now I’m just waiting for the next and many thanks to Mandy for another wowee of a read !
My thanks also to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Mandy Robotham’s latest novel The Girl Behind the Wall is a fabulous historical interpretation on the time when the Berlin Wall was constructed. I am unfamiliar with other fiction novels that revolve around this topic of life post WWll and of the Berlin Wall being constructed. We are familiar with effects of the wall and what happened when the wall came down, but truth be told I had not knowledge about how people felt about the wall going up and how it effected both sides.
My mother always told me to give a book 100 pages and if after that I still didn’t like it then I could stop reading it. I am glad I had her voice in my head. I usually enjoy Robotham’s books so I was disappointed at the very SLOW beginning. The pace got better as did the plot and characters. The story is gripping, lively, profound and exhilarating.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to reading this book because I have enjoyed other books by this author; however, after the initial pages, I found myself not connecting with the story or characters, so I decided to pass on this book. Did not finish. Perhaps it was just not a good fit for me but I would try another one of her books in the future.

The Girl Behind the Wall by Mandy Robotham The story of two sisters, Jutta and Karin, separated during the building of the Wall dividing East and West Berlin, the aftermath and their efforts to be reunited. The story was a slow paced and for me it was hard to connect with the sisters. Interesting time period in history and setting.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Post the Second World War Berlin was divided into two parts one under the Allies (west) and the other under the Soviets (east).

August 1961, the people of Berlin wake up one morning to realise that barbed wire has been put up between East and West Berlin with no way to access the other part.
Karin, a West Berliner unfortunately gets separated from her family and her twin Jutta as she was hospitalised in the eastern part of the city. Unable to cross the wall, Karin builds a life for her on the eastern side with Otto. While Jutta spends almost all her waking minutes trying to reach or get a message across to her twin. But with the love of her life on the eastern side, would Karin ever decide to get back to her family?

Mandy Robotham has written the book in a single timeline which does not break the flow of the story and kept me engrossed. The exposition of people separated and divided by the wall is done beautifully and vividly. I was completely invested in Jutta's character. She is a courageous girl who went to great lengths to reach her twin. The book is slightly slow and at times some events appear repetitive and stretched. But overall a good book and worth reading.

This story spins an interesting tale of identical twins separated by a blockade. It opens the summer of 1961 during the time the GDR or East Germany began to build a barbed wire and concrete bulwark between East and West Germany and unfolds with ease till the crisis ended in 1989. This fictional story is one account that surely represents thousands of people affected by this decision.

This is the story of Jutta and Karin Voight

The sisters suddenly find themselves separated overnight with no means of contact, Jutta stuck in West Berlin and Karin by bad luck was being cared of in an East Germany hospital when the state decided to stem the mass defections from East to West. The author switches the narrative from one sister to the other and from their perspective we have an idea how they managed living apart. Ms. Robotham captures the fear and the uncertainty experienced to a tee and has taken a historical moment and made it come to life. Although sad the style is soothing and so easy to read with its short chapters and a slow but steady tempo to help us digest the content. At times some passages seemed a bit farfetched and a little unbelieve but it added some suspense to give us excitement. Nicely told and nicely played out by Jutta and Karin.

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.

Karin and Jutta are twin sisters. They never dreamed they would be separated, but a medical emergency forces Karin to go to a hospital in East Germany. Overnight a wall goes up and no one is permitted to cross. Jutta is desperate to find a way to bring her sister home and Karin wants to get home to the West, but there are many obstacles including some unexpected life altering ones.

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. For those reasons, I can only give this 2.5 stars rounded to 3. It’s unfortunate as I really like Mandy Robotham’s books generally.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.