“Is everyone here trying to forget the misery of their daily lives? Or is this ‘misery’ only what the West imagines, a construct to create heroes and villains in the politicians’ Cold War?”

I really enjoyed the switching POVs between the twins, Karin and Jutta, as well as reading about their sides of East and West Berlin! The book started off slow at first but after the first 1/3 it got really good and held my attention more.

I enjoyed the author looking at the experiences of people on both sides of the wall and it painted a more complex picture of people on each side, instead of the usual “good” vs “bad.” The writing style and character developments were well done, I felt nervous and heartbroken for the sisters and other characters. It’s quite an emotional read and overall I liked reading about this part of history that I hadn’t seen much fiction before!

My only sort of complaint on this book is that I was very frustrated with the author’s use of socialism and communism. She would use them interchangeably (more so opting for socialism to replace communism), when it’s just plain communism. It’s important to make those distinctions and I know historical fiction takes liberties but why take creative license with something this simple?

But overall an interesting read and would recommend to friends!

I’m a huge historical fiction fan-and there are an overwhelming amount of books out there based on World War II historical fiction. I was glad to see that this story took place post World War II during the Cold War era-it was a nice change.

This is a really gripping story of the ruse of the Berlin Wall. I love the writing style, the story line and the plot, and the characters were all lovely and I definitely felt a connection with them. This was a book that was hard to put down, I wanted to finish in one sitting.

This is an emotional read of two sisters who were separated by the Berlin Wall. I definitely recommend this to others, and am glad that I read it!

The Girl Behind The Wall is based loosely on the real life events of the rise of Berlin Wall from in early 1960s. It follows the fictional lives of twin sisters Jutta and Karin. Who both get separated from each other.

Having no contact from each other except for the odd message or letter, the women lead different lives. But when Jutta finds a hidden way into the wall, can she get Karin back to the other side safely or has Karin enjoyed her life on the other side?

The Girl Behind The Wall, focuses on the impact the wall had on family, friends as well as the community of Berlin living on both sides of the wall. I like that Mandy included the structure of the wall and how it began with fencing then later on a solid concrete wall. It was well researched in the historical department and I eventually looked up pictures of the wall and where it was built around Berlin.

Thank you to Netgalley, Avon Books for the gifting of the eARC and to Mandy Robotham for a fictional insight to the Berlin Wall.

This was a great story but be warned it has a very slow and melancholy start. So much so that the 13th August 1961 was 12% of the book!

But don’t be discouraged because when this books picks up it will make your heart race and I love that feeling.

This is my second book by Mandy Robotham and it too was well researched and well written.
Highly recommend to those who enjoy reading this genre

A big thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an advance copy of this wonderful book.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley for the eArc in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This book was beautifully written. The imagery was vivid, allowing me to see everything in my mind. As someone who visited West Berlin as a 9 year old the descriptions and images were atually a bit triggering to me. She describes the difference between the two cities exactly as I remember them, some 40 years later.

It is the story of the cold war and the separation of the two Berlins. Since the establishment of East and West Germany, and East and West Berlin, relations between the two have been strained. Persons from West Berlin were allowed to freely travel between the two ciities. But, those on the East Side were not allowed to cross the borders. To stop the number of escapees, the East German government decided to build a wall, basically making West Berlin a walled city with no way out.

The struggles on both sides were many, and this novel does a wonderful job of exploring that.

This was a thoroughly brilliant read!

I've not really read anything relating to the Berlin Wall and whilst this book is fiction, it was so good.

Despite this, the story really made you think about what the German people went through when the Berlin Wall went up, which happened overnight no less.

As you followed Jutta and Karin's story, you experienced everything from pain and sadness, to fear and terror. Everytime Jutta made a trip across the border, you found yourself holding your breath. It was so well written that even though I was only reading about it, I felt the tension. At times I found myself not wanting to read on!

Reading this also made me wonder how the German people actually lived with this for 30 years. Not just the fact that families suddenly found themselves separated, but living in fear of the Stasi and constantly looking over your shoulder. It's hard to imagine what it must've been like for the people who actually lived through it.

The book was really well written, especially when it came to ramping up the tension. The characters were really well written and likeable too meaning you really found yourself wanting the story to end well for them.

I would highly recommend this book.

Thank you to PH, NetGalley and Mandy Robotham for the chance to read this amazing book!

Harrowing but very readable. Sad but interesting. This is how I sum up this book. I don’t remember the Berlin Wall going up but, I do remember it coming down. The euphoria of the people and all the excitement. This book is worth reading just to find out what happened way back when. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Twin sisters Karin and Jutta have no clue their lives will forever be changed when the building of the Berlin Wall begins overnight. Karin, having stepped into East Berlin for work had a medical emergency and is in the hospital. Jutta is helpless as she waits for word if Karin will be allowed back to West Berlin. All hope is lost when Karin discovers she has been denied access. As days turn to months and months become years, Jutta never gives up hope. Will the sisters ever be reunited? Then the impossible happens - Jutta stumbles upon a secret passageway to the other side. Knowing the risks of what would happen if she were caught, Jutta knows this is her chance to look for Karin and bring her back home. But when she is finally reunited with her sister she is shocked to discover that by choice Karin refuses to leave.

I don't read too many historical fiction books. I was intrigued by the blurb and was glad to have read this. I am not a twin but I do have a sister and can relate to the bond and love these sisters have for each other. Jutta can't believe that Karin would willingly want to stay, but she is doing it because she has fallen in love with Otto and will not leave him behind. The sisters fear their secret passage will be discovered and as the likelihood of being caught increases, they don't realize that they have not been as careful or discreet and is soon caught up in a different kind of danger. I found the story to be slow-paced but then it picked up in the end. Overall a good read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and Avon Books UK for the opportunity to read this book.

The beginning of this book really grabbed me. The main characters are twin sisters who live in West Berlin. One sister travels to East Berlin on business and whilst there falls ill and gets admitted to an East Berlin hospital. That night the Berlin Wall goes up, with no warning. No one is allowed to cross and the sisters are now trapped on opposite sides.
Unfortunately the middle section of the book didn't grab me as much. Large sections of time were skipped over, making it difficult to form a connection with the characters. I must confess I skim read large sections. However it did pick up again at the end, with more action. Overall I'm glad I read the book and have learnt a lot about the history of the Berlin Wall now.

This is the tale of two sisters who are separated by government, injuries and circumstances. On the West Side of the Berlin Wall lived Jutta, while her twin sister Karin was trapped on the Eastside. There was no contact and had to discover a way to communicate with each other. Karin had been on the East side to show some of her designs when she developed appendicitis and was now trapped. Karin with some help from her doctor began to develop a routine before falling in love. On the opposite side of the wall, Jutta began a similar process, till one day she found a way to visit her sister. How far are two twin sisters willing to reunite each other and their family? What are they willing to risk?

Karin and Jutta are twins in late 1950 Germany. These are tumultuous times in Berlin. The city is divided into West and East Berlin though only halfheartedly - after all, the citizens can move through the gates easily.. But then, the Berlin Wall springs up in one night. Jutta can only watch in horror in West Berlin as she sees the irrevocable proof of being separated from Karin who has been trapped in East Berlin.

While Jutta has her family with her, Karin has only Otto who helps and guides her.

Will the twins be able to overcome the Wall and the ever-watching eyes of the Stasi and reunite with each other? Or will Karin decide to remain in East Berlin with Otto?

I have read The Berlin Girl by Mandy Robotham and liked it very much. Much as I love to read about WW2, I was woefully ignorant about the Berlin Wall. The Girl Behind the Wall made me look up the history of how and why the wall was erected and how it affected the life of the common citizen.

The storytelling is taut and suspenseful. We are kept on tenterhooks throughout the book. However, the author doesn't sacrifice character development in lieu of storytelling. All her characters are well-etched and rounded, They are easily relatable.

5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley, Avon Books UK, and Mandy Robotham for the ARC. The opinions are entirely mine.

I am old enough to remember the Berlin wall, but honestly never really understood much about its history and life behind either side. I learned so much from this book. The danger, the difference of living on either side. Twin sisters who must risk everything to "visit" with each other.

Was gripped by this story of two identical twin sisters separated by the newly built Berlin Wall. Timely considering many of us have been separated from loved ones in different countries by the invisible wall of Coronavirus! Jutta finds a secret passage across the border to reach Karin. Karin however has fallen in love and decides to stay in East Berlin so the secret rendezvous continue with the danger to each sister ramping up each time. Who can they trust, who is watching and who can tell... ? I knew very little of the history of the Berlin wall and very little in particular in the way it affected those on each side but this really brought the human experience to the fore.

I have read a couple of this author's books and thoroughly enjoyed them. This was a completely different subject matter which I knew very little about.

I thought that it was well written and highlighted the way lives were affected during this awful time.

I appreciated the message from the author at the beginning.

This is the story of two twin sisters separated by the Berlin wall and the lengths they will go to to reunite. I received this inspirational novel has an advanced reader copy from net galley in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Avon books for asking me to read an advance readers copy of this book which is due for publication on July 6th, 2021. All opinions are my own.

After a year and a half of a pandemic which has separated so many people from family and loved ones I think any reader should be able to identify with the anguish and emotion that twins Karin and Jutta feel when they find themselves separated inadvertently when Karin requires an emergency appendectomy while visiting East Berlin and overnight a wall is built that will drastically alter their lives for who knows how long.

I'm a child of the fifties but I don't remember personally exactly what was going on in my life or the world around the time that the Berlin wall was erected. My memories of it at the time were that it was a physical barrier that divided a city in half and my impression was that no one was allowed to cross from West to East and vice versa. I do remember the cold war and the fear of communism and what it might mean. As an adult I have read more about what life was like during that time and the fear of the Stasi. The author has given me an even clearer picture of that while reading this book. One of the things that made this book different from others that I've read is that it begins the day the wall begins to be erected. I had no idea that it was something that simply happened overnight. I can imagine the shock that families must have felt when they realized that this wasn't a temporary things and that they might never be able to connect with family members again. There was no internet. Phone lines were cut off. Mail from East to West was strictly censored if it was even allowed to be sent at all and incoming mail had similar restrictions so for many the cut-off was complete and absolute.

Jutta realizes first what has happened as she tags along with her cousin who is a budding journalist on the West side of Berlin. Karin is just coming out of anaesthesia as the wall is erected, and the medical staff choose not to tell her right away for fear the shock will impede her recovery but she can't understand why her family is not at her side. The reader experiences the story from both girls side in alternating chapters. Jutta is desperate to do anything she can to bring about the return of her sister - her soul mate, but she is rebuffed no matter how hard she tries. It is as if someone has designated her as a persona non grata' Little does she know that the Stasi have their eye on her uncle and as such she is also considered with suspicion.

At first I thought I knew where the author was going with this story and that it would be similar to others that I have read with a predictable outcome. It wasn't. When Karin is finally well enough to be released from the hospital where is she to go? She has no home on the East side, no clothing, money or job. At personal risk, her doctor helps her find a job doing housekeeping at the hospital and helps arrange accommodation. Life is very hard and Karin knows that her background as a West Berliner is not a mark in her favour. |People are watching her. Jutta somehow manages to hang onto her job even though she is an emotional wreck and feels almost a survivor's guilt at being the one lucky enough to be on the West side of the wall. She is willing to risk almost anything to reconnect with Karin.

This is not a story where there is a quick resolution. Time passes and each twin develops a relationship which becomes very meaningful to them. What if opportunity grants Karin a chance to return home? Will she accept? What will it mean to those who have helped her and learned to care for her? Will the twins reconnect? You'll need to read the book to find out.

This book was quite educational for me. Much of it was written as if events were happening in the present and I find this style of writing sometimes bogs me down but I moved past it fairly quickly and was really moved by the story. While this book is a novel, I believe that it symbolizes the story of so many people who were affected by the building of the wall and all that it represented. Looking to the present, we hear so many complaints about barriers to our freedom and yes there have been some and they are hard but this was something else again. Walls don't tend to "fix" relationships be they on an individual level or an international one. It is good to remember that.

Karin and Jutta are twins, living in Berlin in the 1960s and one day, while Karin is in East Berlin the Berlin Wall is erected, splitting the sisters and their family apart. Will they ever get to see one another again? And if so, how will it be done?

I haven't ever read a historical fiction novel about the Berlin Wall, so when I saw this one I definitely intrigued. The story starts the day the Wall is erected and follows the journey of Karin and Jutta through the subsequent years. During reading you could see how difficult it was for the sisters to be separated, and how depressing and crushing the hope followed by disappointment could be. The story did jump forward a bit between chapters, but the timeline is labeled at the beginning of each chapter, which I enjoyed. I also liked that the story was told from both perspectives of Karin in East Berlin and Jutta in West Berlin. The chapters were short, but the story was still well developed and the historical information was great. This was a story of survival, family, love, and hope and I enjoyed every minute of reading this book.

Set after World War 2 and about the building of the Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin; Twins, Jutta and Karin, become separated by the wall through unfortunate circumstances.

Karin now stuck in the East has to build a life for herself, and Jutta is stuck in the West, continuing life without her twin.

But when Jutta finds a way to get through the two are reunited.

However, is love stronger than the family Karen has left behind, or are both girls able to have it all?

The novel has a slow start, but it must be done to set the scene and to set up what happens.

Told with two narratives, one from Jutta and the other from Karin, it's easy to follow and I enjoyed the way it was written. However, when you think things seem so perfect, and you get a happy feeling inside Robotham literally punches you in the heart. (this happens more than once!)

More fool me; I still had 100 pages! I should have been prepared! I should have known more was to come. Because of it I was slightly scared to read on. I'm a sucker for a happy ending and I just didn't want anything to go wrong.

I love historical fiction and this author has written quite a few. She will definitely be added to my list of authors to read.

Jutta and Karin are identical twins, living in West Berlin. When the wall goes up, Karin is in the hospital having emergency surgery in East Berlin. Jutta and her mom think they will be able to see her the following day, not knowing all that will unfold with the wall going up. After Karin is released from the hospital she is unable to return home, so a doctor there takes her under his wing, she gets a job at the hospital, and before long she meets someone whom she falls deeply in love with. Jutta finds a hidden passageway into East Berlin and tries to get Karin to come home, but Karin has made a life there and Otto would never leave..... so Karin has to decide to stay with the man she loves or go back to the home she grew up in and the family she left there. How do you choose when either choice will break your heart?
I am a huge fan of this author's books and this one may be my new favorite. I was captivated from the very first chapter. It was so well written, I felt like I was really there, watching it all unfold. It was very realistic and it was heart-wrenching to read about all that they had to go through during that time period. If you are a fan of historical fiction then this is a must-read!

When her cousin Hugo woke her in the middle of the night, Jutta had no clue as to what was about to happen in her city of Berlin; something which would affect her and those she loved for a very long time. Hugo was a reporter and although horrified, was in his element as he covered what was occurring – but Jutta couldn’t believe the sight of a wall going up between East and West Berlin. The West was the family’s home, but Jutta’s twin sister, Karin, had gone into East Berlin for business during the day, and had been rushed to hospital – would they be able to bring her home to West Berlin?

Request upon request was denied as Jutta tried to get to the East to see her sister in the hospital, her frustration immense. Their mother, aunt and uncle were devastated but it would be two years before anything changed for Jutta – the small hole she ventured through was an exciting, but nerve wracking find. Her delight – and Karin’s – when they stealthily reunited, was a balm on their souls. But it couldn’t last. Karin had fallen in love with Otto, and she needed to make the decision; stay in the East with Otto, or leave Otto behind to rejoin her family…

Much worse was to follow – would the twins ever see each other again? Would the Berlin Wall keep them apart forever?

The Girl Behind the Wall is another gripping historical fiction novel by Mandy Robotham which I adored. The immense courage shown by both Jutta and Karin is indicative of women the world over, but especially during and following the war years. The Stasi were a cruel, vindictive people who’d think nothing of shooting one of their own for a slight misdemeanour, and both Jutta and Karin were aware of the dangers. The Girl Behind the Wall is only my second by this author, but it won’t be my last! Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.