I really enjoyed going through this book, it was a great WWII historical novel. The characters were what I wanted and the plot was well done.

The beautiful heartbreaking story is the real story of many children who were left behind or left without a family and home due to the cruelty of WW2 and the years who fought hard to disintegrate and solve many families.

This was the story of Elzbieta Rabinek and Roman I really enjoy the build-up of this book, the story of these two teenagers that will make you cry and smile but mostly they will warm your heart with the strength and the things they had to endure.

Great story, great characters very emotional and sometimes very brutal it was hard to learn so many of the things that happened during WW2 especially to kids.

Trigger warnings: rape, war, Holocaust, murder, starvation, loss of a family member, unwanted pregnancy

Emilia Slaska's parents and brother were killed and she is living with the Rabinek family in Warsaw under the false identity of Elzbieta Rabinek. Only her adoptive parents Truda and Mateusz know about her real identity and that Emilia is Jewish. When Elzbieta is recruited by her neighbor friend Sara to go into the Jewish ghetto to help the children, she is shocked and appalled at what she sees.

Roman Gorka is living in the Jewish ghetto with his family even though his deceased father is Catholic and he adheres to the religion. They live with several other families in the apartment that once housed only Roman's family. Roman's mother has just given birth to a baby they must keep secret, but the baby is malnourished and may not live much longer.

Elzbieta meets Roman when she and Sara come to offer the family some help by taking the baby and placing her with a non-Jewish family that just lost an infant. Roman is enraged and scared about his family separating, but when he witnesses children in the orphanage being marched off to concentration camps he persuades his parents to let the baby go.

Roman has the heart of a soldier and tries to fight for his Jewish brothers and sisters, then for all of Poland's independence. Emilia sees the danger in tying herself to him even as she falls in love with him.

This novel depicts the harsh realities of the Holocaust and is not for readers who are disturbed by starvation, rape, and mass murder. Recommended for those who read stories like this so they will never forget the atrocities committed during World War II.

I couldn’t wait to read this one! The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer is one of my all time favorite books. The Warsaw Orphan picks up the storyline of Emilia from The Things We Cannot Say and tells her story after the books ends.

Emilia lost her parents and is adopted by her aunt and her husband. When things get too dangerous in their town, they flee to Warsaw. Emilia befriends the neighbor Sara and her life changes dramatically.

Roman lives behind that walls that contain all the Jewish families in Warsaw. Life is hard but he stays positive and helps take care of his family the best he can. Until one day, everything changes.

In true Rimmer fashion, it had me in tears as I viewed life in Warsaw through the war and the subsequent Soviet occupation. Great read!

I've recommended Rimmer countless times and I've never had anyone disappointed with my recommendation. The Warsaw Orphan was no exception. Rimmer does her research and she is meticulous. This was a heartbreaking story but an important read. Highly recommended. Especially for historical fiction lovers.

A story about love and loss through the perspective of life in Poland during the establishment of the Jewish Ghettos in Poland.

THE WARSAW ORPHAN begins in the spring of 1942 in the occupied city of Warsaw.
Despite the fact the Germans are in charge Elzbieta a young teenager and her parents are managing to get by. The same can’t be said for the people who are living in the Jewish Ghetto near by. We see ghetto life from Roman Gorka’s teenaged perspective. In the ghetto there are long lines for very little food. Single family apartments now house multiple families.
Unable to go to school Elzbieta becomes with friendly with Sara a nurse who lives in the same apartment building. Elzbieta discovers that Sara is providing aid for the young children trapped within the ghetto. Desperate to be of use Elzbieta starts to help Sara.
Roman does what he can to help his family but feels it isn’t enough. Eventually Roman joins the resistance to help his family and others in the ghetto.
The two teenagers meet while Elzbieta is helping at the youth centre in the Warsaw ghetto.
THE WARSAW ORPHAN is a story of survival, sacrifice, human endurance and love.
The characters are engaging and the story is interesting.
Although there are many novels set in World War ll , THE WARSAW ORPHAN brings fresh voices to a familiar event.
Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for allowing access to an early e-edition of THE WARSAW ORPHAN.

This book is based on a true story of a woman who saved thousands of Jewish children. I love historical fiction -- but what makes me love it more is when an author can find a story like this one and bring it to life. If you don't know this about Kelly, let me tell you, she is truly one of the best.

Saying that, this is one of those stories that will stay with you forever.

Welcome to my stop on Harlequin Trade Publishing’s 2021 Summer Blog Tours for Historical Fiction.

Thanks #NetGalley @Harlequin @GraydonHouse for a complimentary eARC of #TheWarsawOrphan by Kelly Rimmer upon my request. All opinions are my own. Pub Date: 6/1/2021.

It’s 1942, and teenage Elzbieta lives in the middle of German-occupied Warsaw. She doesn’t like the Germans who patrol the streets, she resents the curfews, and she’s mostly uninformed about the hardships endured by her Jewish neighbors. On the other hand, she has heard about German brutality and is keeping a secret about her own true identity. Elzbieta makes two friends: her neighbor Sara who involves her in a dangerous world of smuggling children out of the Ghetto and Roman whose family lives in the Ghetto and is in great danger. This is a story of war, family, survival, and love.

Memorable Characters to Cheer for: Roman is a Jewish teenager and lives in the Ghetto. He’s angry, bitter, and extremely loyal to family. In fact, he feels responsible for feeding the family and also feels responsible for the baby and his little brother. Elzbieta/Emilia has false papers and lives with her adopted parents. She tragically lost her first family (father and brother were killed and her mother died in childbirth). Elzbieta questions God in all the tragedy she sees but she still prays. She feels a calling (from God) to help the Jewish people and bravely works with a nurse whose mission is to rescue children from the ghetto and place them with Catholic families.

Thought-provoking Themes: One thoughtful theme involves the choices between revenge and prayer. One character favors revenge and another is devoted to prayer. Another theme explores affecting change through war or change through politics. Other themes include compassion, sacrifice, friendship, bravery, risk-taking, hardship, suffering, devotion to family, a sense of calling, the most difficult choices, hope, and survival.

War and Suffering: (***may contain spoilers***) The Warsaw Orphan is an incredibly sad story and I really felt the evil and despair. Trigger warnings abound for war atrocities, suffering, desperation, violence, and starvation. There is also one graphically-described sexual assault. I could not read for long periods at a time and took some breaks. However, in typical Kelly Rimmer style, the writing is filled with vivid details and the ending is hopeful. I love that this story is inspired by a real life hero who saved many children from the Ghetto.

Although The Warsaw Orphan is heart wrenching, emotional, and tragic, I’m wholeheartedly recommending this well-written and page-turning story for fans of WW11 historical fiction, for those who appreciate books inspired by real-life heroes, and for book clubs.

I read a great deal of WWII historical fiction, but I never fully grasped the horror of life in the Warsaw Ghetto. At one time, over 450,000 Jews were imprisoned in a 1.3 square mile region of the city. Eight to ten people lived in each room and subsisted on meager rations. Between October 1940 and July 1942, nearly 92,000 of the residents died of starvation, disease, and cold. The Warsaw Orphan explores that life from the perspective of a young man living within the ghetto’s walls and a Catholic teenager living outside them. From Nazi occupation to the threat of a communist regime, it is the story of star-crossed lovers Elzbieta Rabinek and Roman Gorka, who fight to reclaim the life they once knew.

There were so many things to love about this book. It was a perfect blend of narrative and dialogue and the pacing had me turning the pages. The primary characters had grit and pluck, and I rooted for Roman and Emilia to be together. The dual narrative was a great way to tell their story. It was far better than The Things We Cannot Say, which Rimmer also wrote. She did a much better job of varying the length of her sentences in this book, which improves readability immensely.

Now, the editor in me needs to be persnickety. The author had an annoying habit of repeating words and phrases over and over again. It was so distracting, in fact, that I started counting how often she broke that cardinal rule. For example, she used forms of the word “frustrate” four names on just one page. A writer should never do that. A good editor should have caught that. “Hiss,” “determine,” “fury,” and “blurt,” were also overused.

All things said, The Warsaw Orphan was a fabulous book about an ugly time in history. I often measure books by their opportunity cost… was it worth the time I spent reading a book when I could have been reading, or doing, something else. Her book was definitely a good time investment. 4.5 stars.

Rimmer (The Things We Cannot Say) draws on the experiences of a woman who helped rescue Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during World War II in this expansive novel. Fourteen-year-old Elzbieta Rabinek lives in Warsaw in 1942 and is drawn to Sara, a social worker residing in a nearby apartment. When Elzbieta learns of Sara’s work helping Jewish children escape the Warsaw Ghetto, she is determined to help. Elzbieta risks her life spiriting children out of the ghetto and past German checkpoints as she is drawn to Roman Gorka, a young Jewish man whose infant sister is one of the children she helps rescue. Roman works tirelessly to provide for his family and his malnourished sister as he succumbs to the allure of resistance groups, joining their efforts and igniting his anger against the occupying forces. Elzbieta fears for Roman and his almost fatalistic nature as he insists on continuing his resistance work while facing life-threatening injuries.

When Elzbieta is forced to flee war-torn Warsaw with her family and take up residence in Lodz, she and her family endure continued hardship under the Soviet occupation. Though the dangers presented by the Soviet forces are different than their German predecessors, they are no less sinister. As Elzbieta comes face to face with Russian soldiers while walking alone in the city, she discovers first-hand the disdain the drunken soldiers have towards the Polish residents. Elzbieta draws on her faith to help her heal from a brutal attack as she hopes for a possible reunion with those she left behind in Warsaw.

Rimmer’s lyrical prose vividly highlights the desperation of Warsaw’s people, especially the residents of the Jewish Ghetto who are faced with disease, starvation, and the threat of being sent to a work camp. Historical fiction fans will be riveted from the very first page.

Overall, I enjoyed the storyline & Rimmer’s writing. Sara was my favorite character. What a strong and brave woman! Her relationship with Emilia was special and I appreciated the bond they had. Roman and his insistence on fighting was a little tough to read about at times but he was so strong-willed I can only imagine how much he wanted to protect and honor his homeland.

I always enjoy hearing about those who joined the resistance & refused to quit and this was no exception. Rimmer tapped in to so many emotions and did such a good job transporting me and making me feel like I was right there alongside.

Trigger warnings: Death, death of a child, genocide, rape, violence, malnourishment, unplanned pregnancy

Hello, my name is Kayleigh and I am OBSESSED with @kelrimmerwrites books. Especially when I consume them on audiobook. #thewarsaworphan was absolutely REMARKABLE. I truly enjoyed the experience from start to finish and if you love #historicalfiction, you MUST read this. The fact that this story focused on children in the ghetto during the war completely broke my heart. The lengths that these women went to protect people they've never met and risk their lives along the way was heartbreaking and endearing at the same time. This story is unforgettable! 4.5 🌟

I haven't read a book by Kelly Rimmer that has disappointed me - every one of them has been fabulous. Her writing is beautiful and powerful and I love her stories that she shares. The vivid characters and scenes unfold in my head and I find myself lost in her books.

Thank you for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

Haven't posted formal review on social media, but I can assure you, I will. Kelly Rimmer has done it again by bringing flawed, relatable characters to the page in this world war 2 novel. She's got a gift for storytelling and I'm so glad she shares her stories with the world. WELL DONE!

This was another fantastic, informative story about WWII that I knew little about. It's a great insight into what Poland endured during the war, and afterwards. I'd heard very little of the "ghettos" before this, and the author did a great job on researching details.
I loved the spirited teenager, Elzbieta, and the journey she pushes through, along with her fierce love of her adoptive family, and her country. Roman, another spirited teen whose personal family tragedies spur him to become involved in the resistance, is the other main character (the story is told from dual POVs.)
The author leads us along, weaving such a story of detail that I often felt I was there in the midst of the horrific crisis. It's the first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read others by her.
I always enjoy learning information about WWII (one of my favorite topics) and this was another informative page-turner for me.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this insightful book!

I love books about WWII. There is so much to know, so many angles to look at, and it's a fascinating study in human spirit and resiliency. I wasn't sure what to expect with The Warsaw Orphan, having not read anything by Kelly Rimmer before, but I genuinely and truly loved this book.

This book, set in and outside the Warsaw ghetto during WWII, is about Emilia, a young Polish girl with a secret, and Roman, a boy born to a Jewish family. Both want to fight against Germany in their own ways--Emilia helps with the effort to remove Jewish children from the ghetto, while Roman works as part of the underground from the inside. They meet, and both of their lives are changed forever. As they grow up during the height of the war, both will undergo horrible unimaginable tragedy, but their willingness to fight for what they believe in keeps them tied together. I don't want to say much more for fear of spoilers.

There was a lot about Warsaw I didn't know before I read this, and I'm thankful for the opportunity to have learned more about this ghetto and the people that lived there during this time. The book was well-written, the characters fleshed out and well-rounded, and I was hooked from start to finish. I fell in love with these characters and I didn't want the book to end. It's a welcome addition to all of the great WWII historical fiction.

I have yet to make it through a Rimmer book without ugly crying. Her books absolutely GUT me. She has quickly become one of my favorite authors so I was thrilled to get an advance copy of her newest, The Warsaw Orphan. It was another emotional gut punch and I absolutely loved it! She has an amazing ability to tap into the emotions and make the characters come alive on the page. The struggles and pain of the characters is so vividly portrayed and keenly felt. This was a unique dual perspective of someone from inside the ghetto and someone outside of it, which I thought was incredibly well done. Her writing is exquisite and makes the setting come alive. I was wholly absorbed in the book and couldn’t put it down! Sometimes this genre can get saturated with WWII books but Rimmer is in a class of her own. 5⭐️ Thank you @graydonhousebooks for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review!

This novel explores the struggles of two people from Warsaw on different sides of the ghetto. Roman is a teenager who lives inside the ghetto and tries his hardest to support his family. As news of an uprising begins, he has to decide whether he'll participate or stay away and keep his family safe. On the other side of the wall, fourteen year-old Elzbieta lives a protected life with her adopted family. When she discovers the truth about what's happening in the ghetto, she joins her neighbor in efforts to rescue children. Her path crosses with Roman's and a friendship forms, a bond strong enough to survive not just the ghetto uprising, but the revolution in the city and the people's efforts to rebuild. Warsaw's war is not just with the Germans and survival doesn't come easy for these two and their families.
This was a captivating story that created a well-rounded picture of the struggles of the people of Warsaw. Just when one battle seemed won, another began for these characters. I appreciated the different perspectives of someone from inside the ghetto and someone on the outside who had been sheltered from the reality behind the walls. While I liked the touch of romance in the novel and appreciated that it wasn't heavy handed in light of the serious setting, I was a little weary of Elzbieta only being 14 while Roman was a couple years older. Most of the romance is when she is a bit older, but she still felt too young (although I understand times were different and matured differently in the face of hardship). This is inspired by a real-life heroine but there was no author's note or historical reference, which would have been appreciated.
There is a lot to unpack in this novel between life in the ghetto, a number of uprisings, struggles under others' tranny, and a tragic experience that changes Elzbieta's life but everything is written in a delicate and respectful hand. This is an emotional book that beautifully illustrates the ups and downs of life during war.

The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer was a gripping, heartfelt and touching historical fiction novel that portrayed the real and authentic heroic acts of several brave women who risked their lives on a daily basis to successfully smuggle Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto. I listened to the audiobook of The Warsaw Orphan. It was expertly and brilliantly read by Nancy Peterson and Charlie Thurston. Kelly Rimmer’s research for this book was extensive and thorough. The characters were complex and well developed. I became so familiar with and invested in the characters in this book that thoughts of them stayed with me long after I finished reading The Warsaw Ghetto. I had previously read The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer which I enjoyed reading very much. The Warsaw Orphan, in my opinion, was equally as good if not better than The Things We Cannot Say. Kelly Rimmer has the distinctive ability to write novels that are both powerful and inspiring.

Elizbieta Rabinek was an almost fourteen year old Catholic girl in the spring of 1942. She had already witnessed more than any young girl of that age should have ever witnessed in her entire life. Her real name was Emilia but she could no longer be called by her real name nor divulge it to anyone. The Nazis had executed her sweet and caring father in front of her entire village at the beginning of the war and murdered her brother, Tomasz, right before her eyes. Tomasz had been helping Jews hide from the Nazis. Someone had exposed what Tomasz had been doing. The consequence for hiding Jews was execution for himself and his family. Tomasz was successful in getting his fiancé out of Poland before he turned himself in. Alina, Tomasz’s fiancé was also Emilia’s best friend and Truda’s (Emilia’s soon to be adoptive mother) younger sister. It was suspected that the Nazis were searching for Emilia as well. Emilia had been living in Trzebinia when all these horrors occurred. That was why when Emilia was adopted by Truda and Mateusz they changed her name to Elizbieta and they all moved from Trzebinia to Warsaw giving up the comfortable life they all led before the German occupation.

Elizbieta was wise beyond her years but burdened with emotions by all she had witnessed. She was feeling confused and resented how over protective her adopted parents were of her. Truda and Mateusz were only concerned for her safety. They had come to love her very much. Elizbieta found solace in her newly discovered friendship with one of her neighbors named Sara. Sara occupied the other apartment on the floor where Elizbieta’s apartment was. Often Elizbieta met Sara secretly on the roof in the evening. Although there was a big difference in their ages, Elizbieta enjoyed spending time with Sara. Sara treated her like a grown-up. She explained things to Elizbieta and shared books with her. Sara was a nurse and a social worker. Elizbieta’s adopted parents were not pleased when they learned that Elizbieta had been sneaking out to meet Sara behind their backs. Uncle Piotr, Mateusz’s brother, convinced Truda and Mateusz that Sara was trustworthy and very well respected. He assured Truda and Mateusz that there was no way Sara could be working with the Germans. After Mateusz and Truda were reassured of Sara’s integrity, Elizbieta was granted permission to continue her friendship with Sara.

As Sara’s and Elizbieta’s friendship grew and Sara earned the trust of Truda and Mateusz, Elizbieta started working in the Department of Social Welfare and Public Health with Sara. By the time Elizbieta had worked in the office for several months filing, answering the phone and doing anything that was asked of her, Sara’s coworker suggested that it was time for Elizbieta to accompany Sara into the Warsaw Ghetto and help her smuggle food and medicine into the ghetto and children out. Elizbieta was not at all prepared for the shocking realities she saw in the ghetto. Although initially Sara did not want Elizbieta to become part of this operation, Elizbieta became an integral part in their success of smuggling children out of the ghetto. Elizbieta’s first assignment was teaching young Jewish children Catholic prayers. One day, Elizbieta accompanied Sara to the Gorka resident. Samuel Gorka and his wife, two sons and sickly infant daughter lived in their overcrowded apartment with several other families. Roman Gorka was the oldest son and Dawidek was his younger brother. Roman’s mother had recently given birth to his little sister, Eleonora. Both his mother and sister were not doing well. There simply was not enough food to feed the family. Without good nourishment, Roman’s mother could not produce enough milk to feed Eleonora and keep her healthy. The baby was malnourished and fighting for her life. Roman’s parents had agreed to meet with Sara to try and get Eleonora and Dawidek out of the ghetto and into homes where they would be safe and well cared for. During that visit, Elizbieta had been watching the younger children while Sara was talking to Roman’s parents and explaining things to them when Roman came home. He misinterpreted what Elizbieta was doing in his home and ruthlessly tried to protect his siblings by using the only method he knew how to use. Roman physically and even violently attacked Elizbieta. Once Roman learned the truth about the nature of Sara’s and Elizbieta’s visit and what Elizbieta’s part had been, Roman felt deep regret and sorrow for what he had done. Over the next several months, Elizbieta and Roman forged a friendship, understanding of each other’s plights and something that grew into love. They would have to navigate their ways together through the Nazi occupation, the horrors of the ghetto, losing people they loved, the Warsaw Uprising and the Soviet occupation and the consequences that brought to the people of Poland.

The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer was an emotional and intense story about life in general, resistance, survival, love, courage, surviving, family, friendship, hope and hardships. It was both heartbreaking and uplifting to have watched both Elizbieta’s and Roman’s characters grow, transcend and transform throughout the novel. The Warsaw Orphan explicitly portrayed a true and honest understanding of the people that lived through those horrific times in history and what they were forced to endure. This was one of the better books I have read about the effects of World War II, the Holocaust and the Soviet regime in Poland. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Harlequin-Trade Publishing and Graydon House for affording me the opportunity to read this advanced copy of The Warsaw Orphan by Kelly Rimmer through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.