I have read many Auschwitz related books including The Violinist of Auschwitz, also by Ellie Midwood. You start to think you've read everything about what "inmates" did, to survive this most horrendous time in history, then another book comes along like this one, and throws more tales of sadness, heroism and love into the mix.

This is an outstanding read of the horrors of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Some of the events in this book caused a lot of conversation between myself and my Husband. We discussed both the horrors and some of the good things (if the word "good" is the corret one to use). We talked about how not all the Nazi's were sadistic and how some had been recruited into the role.

This book is well researched and certainly generated many thoughts and conversations. Although I found it quite slow to start with, thinking it was just going to go over things covered in other books of the same genre, it moved on and came into it's own. The "characters" are well described and delicately portrayed. It is a very thought provoking read.

I am not sure where to even begin with this book. It was so incredibly written, researched and shared that my review can’t even begin to do it justice. Based on a true story, the details and emotions in this book will have you constantly reaching for it.

In 1947, Dr Hoffman, an American psychiatrist serving in Germany’s denazification court found himself involved in a strange case. Franz Dahler, a former Auschwitz guard, is scheduled to be in court. And he wants to bring his wife, Helena, a former inmate, to testify. Andrej Novak, a Nazi Hunter, and former Auschwitz inmate, wants a full investigation of Dahler, a he believes the man is taking advantage of Helena. As time goes on, Dr. Hoffman finds himself questioning whether Helena is suffering from a psychological disorder or if she truly loves Dahler.

This story will leave you emotionally exhausted. From the questionable relationship between the characters, to the horrors encountered in Auschwitz, Midwood does an unbelievable job of making you feel as if you are a part of the story.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for my advanced reader copy.

The Girl in the Striped Dress begins with the Denazification Tribunals in 1947 where a very unusual case is presented in the court about a former SS guard at Austwiz named Franz Dahler who is accompanied by his wife Helena Kleinová, a Jew inmate under his charge. The court also consists of Dr.Hoffman, a psychiatrist; Lieutenant Carter, a lawyer and Andrej Novak, a nazi hunter who wants Dahler in prison at any cost.

The story is primarily told from Dr. Hoffman's and Helena's perspective.

Helena is a Slovakian Jew who arrives at Austwiz in March 1942 to be gassed the next day. However, the same night she is chosen to sing a song for a SS officer named Franz. Franz gets enamored by her and had her and the other women shift to Kanada by cancelling their gassing.
Helena hates Franz with all her might and when she gets a letter from him telling "I fell in love with you", she is unable to bear it and shreds the letter to pieces.
But gradually, she learns of his kindness and when he saved her thrice from the gas chamber and typhus, she couldn't control the feelings developing for Franz.
In a place where people were either dead or went mad, Helena was saved by a young man's love.
And, just like that love blossomed in a place where only death was meant to be.

The psychiatrist assumed that Helena didn't actually love Franz but couldn't name the actual condition since Stockholm Syndrome wasn't discovered at that time but as the story progresses and the psychiatrist learn of the whole story, he is not sure.

The book is a rollercoaster of emotions. I have never read about WWII or the holocaust, so this book was confusing at first. But the author did a very remarkable job in research and explanation. Elle Midwood gave me enough reasons to read about WWII.

This book isn't all beautiful, it had many tearjearking incidents. The mere thought of the sufferings gave me shivers.

The book talks about everything in details. The author made sure to let the reader feel all sorts of emotions whether it's hate, pain or love.
This book provided me many details of WWII. The chapter named 'A Note On The History' tells us that it is a true story where most of the characters and incidents were real. The chapter was quite informative.


I will recommend this book to everyone. This heartbreaking and beautiful tale of suffering, pain, love and survival is a must read.

Due to the circumstances surrounding the story of the book I don't want to say that I loved the book , somehow that doesn't feel right .
However I became totally absorbed in the story and the strange romance of the two characters . It really made you think how under such atrocities that this could have happened .
Having been to Auschwitz myself I could really feel and visualise the description of camp life that the author created .

4.75⭐️
Having read and enjoyed the violinist of Auschwitz I was keen to read this book.
This is Helena’s story, it starts at the end of the war with the Americans overseeing the German’s with the Denazification program.
It moves between the trial and the time of Helena’s arrival at Auschwitz.

Helena a young Jewish woman is destined for the gas chamber when she is picked to sing for Franz as it is his birthday. He falls in love with her. She became complicit in a relationship with him, was it because he has the power to save her. Does she love him? Is it Stockholm syndrome?which wasn’t heard of them, but Andrej Novák a Nazi Hunter is convinced that it was an abusive relationship and wants him to pay claiming he forced her to marry him to avoid prosecution. However does Andrej have ulterior motives?

Hoffman ( not the actual psychiatrists name) certainly recognises a disorder that would now be described as Stockholm syndrome.
It’s a very different storyline to the ones from Auschwitz I’ve read before.

It’s a story based in truth, the surnames have been changed, as it’s partially fiction.

It’s very moving, I think the most emotionally impacting of the books about Auschwitz that I’ve read. It’s harrowing in places, again some of the most harrowing reading of the books I’ve read. It numbed my senses. It turned my stomach. But most of all it left me with hope.

This book will stay with me for a long time.

Another brilliant book from Ellie Midwood.
Based on a true story we learn what happened to Helena at Auschwitz and how she narrowly missed death several times.
Helena is due to be killed the day after her arrival but is asked to sing for SS officer Dahler the night before. He is immediately drawn to her and asks that Helena and her group work in the Kanada sorting out belongings of the prisoners instead of being killed.
Dahler wants to get to know Helena but at first she is very wary of him.
We know from chapters about the Denazification trial that Helena marries Franz Dahler in 1945 and the book has chapters from their time at Auschwitz and also from the trial in 1947.
As with all books about the Holocaust, this is hard hitting and whilst their relationship is very unusual, they are two human beings brought together by a horrific time in history.
I liked the Author’s note at the end of the book as it shows the truth behind the story.
A brilliant book.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow! Another brilliant and thought-provoking read from Ellie!

This WWII historical fiction was quite unique in the sense of the perspective that the second timeline followed.

I really enjoyed that the second timeline followed the trial and that Helena's mental state was such a prevalent plot point. It added a new dimension to the story and highlighted just one of the many conflicts faced during this time.

Ellie's writing is captivating and she is quickly becoming my favourite WWII historical fiction author. The care and thought that she puts into her stories shows.

I have been fortunate enough to read several books by Ellie Midwood and have found those that I have read to be extremely well researched and written. When I saw that this book was available to request as an Advanced Reader Copy, I quickly hopped on it and requested to read it. Many thanks to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for allowing me the privilege. All opinions are completely my own.

Midwood has an incredible knack for finding fascinating true stories from World War 2 and making them come to life for the reader. Several of her novels have been set in Auschwitz as is this one. It is factually inspired and most of the names of the characters in the novel are the names of real people. She did , however, change the last names of the two main characters - Helena and Franz. I appreciated that even before I started reading their story Midwood had written a note to the reader to explain some of the background.

The story is set in the year or so after the end of the war when DeNazification Trials were underway to try and deal with the worst offenders from the Holocaust realizing that there simply were not enough jails or infrastructure to imprison everyone who had in some way followed the Nazi ideology. The Americans were trying to get as many trials done as they could before they were simply placed back in German hands where they felt even more people would get away with very little in the way of consequences. This story comes to life through the course of the trial and it grabbed me almost immediately and drew me in to the point where I hated to put it down. I found it gut-wrenching as the various witnesses told their story through the use of flashback testimony.

When Helena first arrived in Auschwitz she was told that she would be exterminated as soon as possible. First though she was chosen by a German officer to sing at the birthday celebration of Franz Dahler, another member of the SS. He liked her singing (and even more liked her) so he refused to allow her to be sent to her death and demanded she be assigned to work in "Kanada" under his command. Horrible though the job was (sorting the belongings of those who had just been exterminated), it was still one of the best jobs one could have in Auschwitz as the food was better, they were allowed to keep their hair (on their head) and they had better sleeping quarters. They lived however, surrounded by the stench of bodies being cremated pretty much 24/7.

Helena had no idea why she had been singled out to survive. The work was still extremely hard and whippings could occur for very minor reasons. When Dahler handed her a note telling her that he was in love with her, she was disgusted and couldn't believe it, but over time their relationship developed and ultimately, after the war they were married. Another inmate of Auschwitz, Novak became a co-plaintiff in the case against Dahler. He had personally been whipped by Dahler and had also watched as Helena developed a relationship with him. I honestly wondered if Novak was in love with Helena himself. He believed that Dahler was an abusive liar and rapist who manipulated Helena for his own benefit. Hearing his point of view throughout the trial was heart-wrenching.

Each trial also included a team which included at least one psychologist with experience in assessing whether an individual was telling the truth or not. They never expected that Dahler would come to trial holding his wife's hand, nor that she would seem so incapable of being parted from him.

Can love exist in such circumstances, or is it just some type of psychological disorder? Can someone who has been raised with Nazi ideology being hammered into his head truly change? Can a prisoner filled with hate learn to temper it? Is anyone innocent in such circumstances? This book provided so much food for thought and moved me immensely. I felt as if I had been in Kanada as the events were taking place. It will no doubt stick with me for a long time. I think it would be an excellent read for a book club as there is so much that could be discussed and learned from this story.

Where do I even begin to outline my thoughts the horrors that Ellie Midwood has recounted in this spectacular and beautiful story? How does one review such a telling and heartbreaking tale? THE GIRL IN THE STRIPED DRESS is a fictional tale based on the true story of an SS officer at Auschwitz and the young Jewish woman he fell in love with.

"He was an SS man and she was an inmate and a Jew."

Germany 1947: American psychiatrist Dr Hoffman is in charge of the Denazification process of former officers facing imprisonment for their crimes when a former inmate of the death camp Auschwitz has brought to his attention a guard who was brutal in his punishment of a particular inmate and even now continues his hold over her.

Now two years after the war ended, Dr Hoffman is present to witness former SS officer Frank Dahler brought to trial for crimes against humanity with his wife as his only defence. Is he innocent of the crimes for which he's been charged? Or is he a monster who has hidden his savagery well with a cruel hold over the woman who was once a prisoner and is now his wife? As he clasps her hand and gives it a squeeze, is it an element of control or a gesture of love? Those present at the trial have no idea of the torrent that is about to unfold as Dahler's wife begins to testify in his defence. The tangled web of love, dependence and heartache within the confines of Auschwitz of something so forbidden that could have seen them both shot.

Appearing pliant and incredibly timid, Helena Dahler leans heavily against her husband relying on him for support. Her eyes are downcast and she barely looks up throughout the court process. Dr Hoffman is puzzled by her demeanour and yet he finds her behaviour to be fascinating. Is she a victim of abuse being controlled by her husband? Is he a monster or was he a shelter from the storms that ravaged the death camp, keeping her safe from harm? Had she learned to seek him as her only source of strength and comfort? Did she marry him out of fear or repayment for his kindness? Did she truly love her husband or was she with him out of fear?

Helena is a Slovakian Jew who arrives at Auschwitz in March 1942 to be gassed the following day along with the many others with whom she has travelled. However, the night before she and a few other women are chosen to sing for an SS guard for his birthday. The officer, Franz Dahler, was enamoured by the young woman from the first moment he set eyes on her. Although she was scheduled to die in the gas chamber the following day, Franz had her seconded to his work detail in Kanada. Here life was not as harsh as in the rest of the camp. The inmates got to keep their hair, they ate marginally better and their lodgings were slightly improved. But they were still subjected to punishments from the whip if they so much as stepped out of line.

At first Helena rebuffed Dahler's kindness, believing him to be just another Nazi. He wrote her notes which she destroyed in anger, he hovered over her workstation which she found unsettling, he spoke to her with kindness which she saw as a trap. His behaviour toward her was disconcerting and she refused to be taken in by him. But then over time, she discovered that Franz Dahler was not like other SS guards. His kindness was not laced with malice. Nor did he have an ulterior motive. And not once did he force himself on her when other guards took their pleasures where they chose.

Over the course of her imprisonment, Franz saved her not once but three times from the gas chamber and through their shared experiences they formed an unbreakable bond. And in a place where there is so little hope, love blossoms. This is one of the reasons that Franz finds himself on trial. An SS guard, a sworn officer of the Reich, who was taught to be a natural Jew-hater...finds himself helping inmates and in love with a Jewess. This only exacerbated his case.

Brought to the attention of the court via Dr Hoffman by a former Auschwitz inmate, Andrej Novak who was also Slovakian, he fought against Dahler and Helena's supposed relationship and marriage believing Helena to be under duress and that Franz would forever be a danger to her. He presented evidence of many occasions in which Dahler had whipped or abused Helena in front of other guards and inmates, humiliating her. He also firmly believes that the couple were not in love and that Dahler forced himself on Helena with her timid behaviour currently evidence of his control over her. But as Hoffman listens and observes the actions of both Franz and Helena, he is not so sure.

Previously published as "Auschwitz Syndrome" , THE GIRL IN THE STRIPED DRESS is a powerful tale of true love surviving against all odds. In a place where there is no love, no hope, no kindness...Franz and Helena defied those odds. And while it is a heartwrenching love story, it will not be the only memory you will take away with you upon turning that final page. I have read many books set in death camps like Auschwitz but this one is not like any of those. Yes, we see the brutality of the guards and overseers, the hunger, the sickness, the stench of incinerated bodies, the propaganda of lies and deception, the inhumanity of it all...but in the midst of it, is a love story like no other. A forbidden love that would have seen them both put to death.

I cannot begin to describe the huge range of emotions that flooded through me as I read this book. Having not read Ellie Midwood before, the experience is such a powerful one that will have me seeking out further tales from the Holocaust that I know she has told.

THE GIRL IN THE STRIPED DRESS begins with the Denazification Tribunals in which Dr Hoffman plays a part afterwhich follows Helena's testimony of her time in Auschwitz told in her first person narrative. Throughout the story, intermittent chapters from Franz's trial is inserted as Hoffman seeks the opinion of another psychiatrist. There are a couple of chapters told by Franz with which Helena was not privy before the verdict is handed down in the final chapter. The plotline was cleverly presented through the various perspectives that unfolded skillfully through Midwood's capable hand.

This heartwrenching tale of true love that is based on the true story of Franz Wunsch and Helena Citronova, with their surnames changed for the book, is one that will remain with me for some time. Amidst the horrors, the heartbreak and the unimaginable inhumanity, a glimmer of hope shines with the miracle of love found between two unlikely people.

This is an amazing read that I highly recommend. Pick it up. Read it. You won't be sorry.

*Previously titled: Auschwitz Syndrome

I would like to thank #EllieMidwood, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheGirlinTheStripedDress in exchange for an honest review.

If you have ever read historical fiction from the perspective of a Nazi camp prisoner, you most likely have experienced the gut-wrenching emotions that accompany their story. Many authors who write books on this time period have done extensive research in order to stay true to the events, horrid conditions, dispicable treatment, and the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust. Ellie Midwood clearly has a passion and a personal connection to this story.

Readers will be entranced, gutted, infuriated, and confused throughout this story. For me, after reading the opening chapters and learning about the hearing taking place that would decide Franz’s fate…guilty or innocent of crimes against humanity, I already deemed him guilty. What else is there to know? He wore the SS uniform. He took orders to beat and torture people solely because they were Jewish. He witnessed horrendous crimes of torture being committed to other human beings and turned his cheek. I never in a million years thought that reading the story from alternating POV’s (Helena and Franz) would allow my mind to think anything differently. After Franz declared his love for Helena…everything changed.

“How dare he? In this cemetery where we dug our own graves daily, to give it to a Jew he’d watch go up in smoke one day? He was in charge of the work detail that sorted dead people’s belongings daily. How dare he even utter the word love in this place? How dare he imply that he could feel anything?”

Chapter 3. Helena
Dr. Hoffman was the psychiatrist responsible for hearing all sides, including the POV of another prisoner who adamantly fought to present Franz as a cold blooded murderer. As each character’s story unfolded, Dr. Hoffman became increasingly confused, as did I. Is Franz a manipulative Nazi or a rehabilitated person?

“All I’m asking is for you to start listening to that heart of yours and not that garbage that your superiors are putting into your head. When you feel inwardly that something is wrong, it’s wrong. That’s your moral compass guiding you. Do what feels right.”

Chapter 21. Helena
Is Helena suffering from survivor’s guilt? Has she been brainwashed into believing Franz’s proclamation of love for her? How can they possibly be happily married? Ellie Midwood invites readers to think, question, and ponder what truth lies within their stories.

Dahler’s motive was only too clear. What would look better on his new resume than marriage to a former concentration camp inmate?

Chapter 22. Dr. Hoffman
What drives a person to put on an SS uniform yet claim to “only be following orders”? Does this excuse the silence?

“It was the hardest for us, who grew up in a world that only had one master race; which drummed it into our heads since school how our lives belonged to the Führer and the Fatherland;…”

Chapter 30. Franz
What, if anything, can Franz do going forward that would tell the world he has learned to be more than an SS soldier?

“None of us should ever be silent in the face of injustice. The victims need people to talk for them, otherwise, it’s much too easy to pretend that they never existed.”

Chapter 32.
In Germany, 1947, the war might have been declared over, the crematoriums destroyed, and prisoners set free but the world will never be the same.

“The hatred, the racism, the xenophobia didn’t miraculously disappear with Hitler”.

Chapter 32.
Do you think it is possible for a Jewish prisoner to fall in love with a Nazi SS soldier? I encourage you to read Helena’s story and decide for yourself.

**Also a side note (and this doesn’t change my rating of the book), I really like the previous title “Auschwitz Syndrome”.**

This story is an absolute must read! 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Ellie Midwood is a new to me author, but I found the writing much like Heather Morris. I would even go so far as to compare this book to Morris' latest book Three Sisters. Both books are set in Auschwitz and have main characters who are women who work on the Kanada work detail sorting possessions stolen from the Jewish people sent to their deaths.

Set in Germany after the end of the war and the Nuremburg War Criminal Trials, this time of de-nazification was an opportunity to get justice for holocaust victims. The story is told through a trial with testimony taking us back to past events from multiple perspectives. It is through these different perspectives that we must piece together the story and try to understand the motivation of all of the different characters.

The trial is for Franz a Nazi soldier who served on the front and also in Auschwitz, he is now a auto mechanic, married to Helena. He has been brought to trial by Andrej a Jewish man and Nazi hunter who was a part of the sonderkommando in Aushchwitz, and feels that he should be brought to justice. The twist of the story is that Franz brings two witnesses to testify on his behalf who were also Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz, one who he married and the other who is her sister. As we listen to the testimonies, the stories of their time in the camp come out and we get descriptions of what it was like for both prisoners and the Nazi's who were in charge of keeping them there. Also part of the trial were two psychiatrists (Dr. Hoffman and Dr. Hudson) who observed all of the testimony and with their outside perspective provided very interesting commentary.

Holocaust literature always hooks me, but this was different kind of story for me. The opportunity to listen to characters look back and reflect on the past, while trying to move on with their lives after tremendous trauma was different from other literature on this topic. I also found the psychological affects to be very interesting, especially when viewed through the eyes of Psychiatrists who were looking for ways to help others. Resilience is a fascinating topic for me and when looking at the trauma that holocaust survivors went through, it is amazing how so many people went on to do amazing things with their lives. How did they do it? What effects did they have to deal with and overcome throughout their lives? What is it that makes one person overcome and another to give up?

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a free ebook in exchange for an honest review. This book was utterly incredible and I know it will leave me thinking for days.

The author clearly poured every ounce of research into this book and, as a reader, I truly appreciated it. It made the book so much more realistic and the strength in the little details helped me to absorb into the story. The way that the story is told is utterly unique. The time jump really allowed me to get a deeper insight into the denazification programme that took place after the war.

Helena and Franz’s story was one that left me wanting to keep reading. The sheer emotion that the author put into the characters allowed for you to understand from all perspective. That, for me, was essential in keeping guessing the eventual outcome of the court case. Only in the last few chapters did I put together the outcome.

For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey, and the Librarian of Auschwitz. This book will be a prized edition on any historical fiction lover’s bookshelf. I can safely say, I will be reading more books from the author.

Everyone needs to read this book! I love historical fiction and this is an excellent example. The story is unique and I love how it also touches on possible Stockholm syndrome.

The story follows Helena as she arrives at Auschwich in 1942. Helena is due to die the next day but is saved by Franz, an SS officer who she is forced to sing for. He takes her to work in the Kanada, a sought after position as it did not involve hard Labour and had privileges attached. Helena hates Franz, but slowly over time she comes to love him.

The story questions whether Helena is forced into staying with Franz when the camp closes and they marry. Can love overcome the atrocities she has faced, and which the man she claims to love has been part of inflicting on her?

The book tells the harrowing and traumatic atrocities that happened in the camp, and does not skimp on the gore. The book is exceedingly hard to read at times, but is important for people to read. It shows the horrors that were involved and makes you think about who is responsible and how much they should be punished. Learning Franz was 19 at the start of the story was an eye opener.

You need a strong stomach but this is a must read!

This was a highly emotional delve into a heartbreaking story, and one that has you constantly questioning the line between right and wrong and and the possibility of one being redeemed.

Although based on a true story, Midwood's descriptions are truly haunting, creating real visceral reactions that force you back into the horrifying reality of these people, even amongst the kindness shared between the Kanada inmates, and the relationship between Helena and Franz. I really enjoyed the writing style used, and I think the switching between the camp and the trial ultimately worked very well, and provided an interesting mix of outside perspectives.

Overall, I found this a very enjoyable read, one mixed with the perfect amounts of love and horror, that will leave you with questioning morality, and is something that will stick with you for a long time after.

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with this eARC!)

I've read a lot of books set in WWII and I've never heard a story quite like this one. The holocaust was a huge crisis, and everyone was effected in different ways. From both physically and mentally, Ellie Midwood does a great job at capturing this in the book. She doesn't paint the main characters as wholly good or bad, but writes them in a way that makes you stop and think for yourself. I appreciate the time and dedication the author put into researching this story. After finishing this book, I'm inclined to learn more about the real life events.
I enjoyed the writing style and how it jumped between the holocaust, and the trials that followed. Midwood chooses to follow a phycologist during the trial scenes, and I think this added to my interest, while reading. I recommend this book to everyone, from someone who wants to learn more about this time period, to someone who doesn't know a lot about this awful time. This book will get a solid 5 stars and I'll definitely be checking out more of Ellie Midwood's books.

Excellent. A profound way to ensure we Never Forget.

This story shifts back and forth from the court room post liberation to Auschwitz. The story of a prisoner that falls in love with an SS guard. Just fascinating. It kept me reading until all hours of the night.

The poetic message at the end between Novak and Franz is truly important and brings the story together in the end. I wont give anything away but it ensured this title should be on a must read list for anyone trying to understand the atrocities and lessons that came out of the war-- in a way that is rarely seen in fictional stories.

I appreciated the intensive research the author provided in her introduction and authors note at the end.

This is a must read for everyone - never forget.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and Ellie Midwood for the advanced copy.

When Franz Dahler sits before the Denazification Court, much to the surprise of the officiants, he brings his wife Helena, a former Jewish inmate at Auschwitz to testify on his behalf. This raises a lot of questions, especially with former inmate Andrej as one of co-plaintiffs who is convinced that Dahler is a liar, a rapist, a murderer and abusing his wife and forcing her to tell a story in order to be cleared of the charges against him. As they tell their story, it becomes quite clear that something extraordinary happened between Dahler and Helena during history’s darkest hour.

This is the third book I’ve read from
Elie Midwood that takes place In Auschwitz. She subtly threads each story together by including certain characters that also found their place within the barbed wire fences. And these characters, including Franz and Helena were very real people. Midwood manages to bring hope and light into a place where despair and darkness are overflowing. The way in which the author writes has a way of getting under your skin and you experience such a wide range of emotions as you turn each page and for me….those are stories that stay with me for ages. It’s vital to read the authors notes, not only at the end of this novel but of all Midwoods novels. The research is meticulous. The homage to the characters is honorable and honest. It’s just amazing work and I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Elie Midwood for access to this gem! Can’t wait to read what you come up with next!

- 3.5 stars

If you loved The Tattooist of Auschwitz, you will love this book. It's clear that the author had done their research and portrayed the events of World War 2 accurately. The characters were compelling and believable. The events were heartbreaking and traumatizing (please look up trigger warnings before reading the book).

I have to admit, for about 50%, this book was a solid 4/4.5. However, the last half felt like it dragged out. I was kind of getting bored with it.

Brief plot: Auschwitz, 1942: This unforgettable novel, based on a true story, brings to life history’s most powerful tale of forbidden love. Set within the barbed wire of Auschwitz, a man and a woman fall in love against unimaginable odds.

💫 Helena and Franz Dahler are very likeable protagonists, in fact, you don’t expect to find yourself liking a SS guard when you begin reading. Helena is complex and scarred by what has happened to her, but it’s for that reason that she becomes the perfect protagonist. It is her vulnerability that makes you care deeply what happens to her. The author could have quite easily implied Helena had stockholm syndrome. That would have being easier to write and likely given audiences an emotional reaction. Her decision to not do that is rather impressive as the route she takes helps this story to stay with you, even after you have finished reading.

I really, really struggled to read this book because of the topic. During Chapter 3 a poor baby is killed and that is a lot for me. I had to make a moment and put the book down. For this reason, I believe this book could be a trigger for some, please research before you read.

Often, books have an incredible ability to transport you to the time and/or place they are set, and this book is no exception. It is a feast for the senses, explaining Auschwitz with such detail you can imagine yourself at the grim gates.

Unfortunately, the ending felt like it was teaching a lesson. Almost lecturing. Sometimes historical fiction gets 5* because of the topic it is covering. Yes it’s a sad novel, I certainly cried at times and found myself having to stop & put it down to take a moment. But at the same time, the end was a little lack-luster.

Ellie Midwood has written another chilling and realistic book. One that is based on a true story of love and compassion. One done with extensive research. Read the author's notes at the end and get the whole story.

Two quotes from this book that I want to share:
1) Someone said that Auschwitz was such a terrible place that God himself decided not to go there. To be honest, I couldn't agree more with that statement.
2) If, in the future, you see a teenager shout a racial slur at someone, stop him, pull him to one side and explain to him where you served and how such slurs led to the slaughter of millions. If you see a newspaper article denying the Nazi crimes, write one countering it and tell the people exactly what you've witnessed. The hatred, the racism, the xenophobia didn't miraculously disappear with Hitler. They're all still very much alive and kicking and it's up to us to do something to fight them. (this is very profound, very spot on)

This is the story of a young woman, just a girl actually, who was sent to Auschwitz to be gassed. Her and her family were to die. It was just by a miracle that she was saved. By her singing a song to a young SS officer, a kid, that saved her. Both of the main characters in this book are so very young. They should have been enjoying their young lives. Living, going to school, out on dates. Living. Not surviving. Not one being in charge of lives. Not one being a victim of such hatred.

This story is very touching and very emotional. When Helena is saved from the gas chamber by Franz she has no idea what is in store for her. All the things that will happen. All the horrors she will see. The deaths. The cremations. The abuse. It's beyond belief. Yet it happened. All around her every day. She was spared death but lived a horrible life in a prison camp. The only thing that saved her was the love of a young man. And it was love. At least from him. Not sure if she was in love or a victim of Stockholm syndrome. Either way it saved her. He treated her as a human being. He learned to treat all of the prisoners as humans.

Franz was I'm sure taught from a very young age to hate. He was groomed to be a SS officer and do the things that he was told. He could be cruel yes. He could be kind also. He learned that kindness was better. Love taught him that I'm sure. It's very sad that these young people were groomed this way. Even today it happens. That is the sad part. Franz did things that he was sorry for. He paid a price. He also fell in love with Helena. A young lady who was suppose to die.

This is their story. It's not all glam and shiny. It's brutal. It's sad. It's filled with scenes that you will see. You will feel. You will cringe. You will most certainly weep. Hearing Helena's story hurts. It breaks your heart. Also hearing what Franz has to say will break you. I felt very bad for him and just could not help it. I think there are good people at times forced to do bad things and this is certainly the case here. Though he did show that he cared. He had a conscience. He took no part in having people gassed. He saved a few and that is commendable in my opinion. I had relatives who were Polish and I'm sure back then they would have felt differently. Possibly.

This is a very heartfelt story. Well written and well researched. I have to say this author does a great job of writing historical fiction. She gives it her all. So much feeling went into this book. You will feel it too. The hatred. The pain. The screams. And yes possibly the love between a boy and a girl.
I had to put it down a few times and walk away to compose myself and so I could see the words. It's very emotional. Especially towards the ending.

Thank you #NetGalley, #EllieMidwood, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and I do recommend it. Have plenty of tissues handy.