Ilse Stein is a German Jew deported to the Minsk ghetto with her younger sisters. Her father dies on the train journey and her mother is selected for gassing on arrival. Ilse lives in fear for herself and her sisters, death never far away. But a glimmer of hope and love sparks when she meets Luftwaffe officer Willy Schultz and he sees beyond the yellow star...
The Girl Who Survived is an historical novel set in the early 1940s. It is based on a true story which makes the details and descriptions even more poignant.
Ilse is brave and resilient, determined to retain her humanity and save her sisters. The Nazi atrocities are presented quite objectively as Ilse dissociates herself in order to preserve her mental health and inner strength. I felt that the emotion was unusually downplayed especially given the first person narrative style.
Schultz is a more complex character as he is defying the ideology that has dominated his nation for a decade. I initially followed Ilse's lead by being distrustful and wary of his intentions. However he continues to show kindness and gradually wins her over, facing danger as he defies Nazi policies towards the Jews.
The writing style is engaging and brings the characters to life. They feel realistic and human even in the most inhumane circumstances. The events in the book do not make for easy reading and the sadness within the pages is occasionally overwhelming.
The Girl Who Survived is a fascinating novel about love and hope in the most tragic and dangerous circumstances.

Thank you to the publisher, author and netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before release.

Unfortunately this was not it for me. I'm thinking it was right book wrong time and will try again another time.

I've never heard of Ellie Midwood before, so this was a new one to me, and OMG her writing was absolutely gorgeous even thought it's a story on the Holocaust and it's unusual love story.

This is the story of Ilse Stein. She was born in the town of Nidda in Germany in the early 1920s, she was a pubescent girl when Hitler came to power and turned her life and that of millions of German Jews upside down.

After loosing their parents, Ilse and her sisters go through terrifying experiences at a ghetto in Minsk, after a liquidation got thousands massacred. Then suddenly, she somehow impresses the officer, Willy Schultz.

Yup, WIlly and Ilse start a romance, a love story, an actual impossible love story between an Aryan German and a German Jew.

Sadly, I wasn’t as impressed with this book as I’d thought I might be, maybe because it got lost and bogged done in facts that I felt lent nothing to the actual story. Yes, it is based on a true story and I enjoyed it, but it felt that some good editing was missing.

Ilse and her two sisters were taken from Frankfurt to Minsk, in the Soviet Union on a train where both father died and her mother died as they got to the concentration camp.
The girls were terrified but were determined to survive in all the harsh conditions they had to endure.
Ilse thought all Germans were monsters until she met Willy a German who was different and he tried everything to make the girls lives easier in the camp.
Ilse and Will fell in love knowing that she could be killed as would Willy if they were caught together.
It was decided with help from other people that somehow or,other they would escape and have a life outside the concentration camp.
A moving story , thanks netgalley for letting me read this great book.

The Girl Who Survived is a powerful and emotionally gripping historical book that takes readers on a harrowing journey during World War II. Set in Poland, Gerta Richter, a Jewish girl endures unimaginable hardships as she fights for survival.

Ellie Midwood's novel is an emotionally charged and thought-provoking read that sheds light on the resilience of those affected by the horrors of war. It is a testament to the spirit of individuals like Gerta who refused to be silenced. The book is a poignant and unforgettable story that will leave a lasting impression on readers long after you have read the final page. It's a book that i have talked about and recommended to many people.

I have given The Girl Who Survived by Ellie Midwood four out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is filled with so much pain, fear, bravery and resilience. The destruction this historic event left on our world will always fill me with sadness and I’m always thinking about all of those innocent people who lost their lives during that horrible time.

The Girl Who Survived is based off of true events that happened between a German Luftwaffe Captain and a Jewish woman, during WWII. They fell in love in a hopeless place, although not all hope was lost as we learned about the strength, love and support these two characters had for one another as well as the well-written secondary characters too. The women throughout this book were so brave and incredibly determined to survive no matter the cost.

This is a love story which is not just about romance, but also about how their love helped so many people through a terribly tough and horrifying time. It was a very enjoyable yet heartbreaking read. Ilse and Willy will hold a special place in my heart forever.

As I was reading this book, it started to feel like I had read this story before. So I am honestly not sure if I happened upon it under its previous title or it just seemed familiar. But as a historical fiction fan, I definitely enjoyed the story. No reason for a fan not to pick this one up.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley

I have read a few of Ellie Midwoods books now, and while this is part of the series on "women in the holocaust" settings, each have their own special moments and differences.
Set mainly in the Minsk ghetto, Ilse Stein is a German Jew. Held, along with her sisters, they are relatively lucky to be not immediately killed on arrival (because they are young, fit and useful to the regime), they go on to work as part of the protected work teams supporting the ghetto infrastructure.
They seem to be able to quite easily move from the camp to the surrounds and dabble in the work of local partisans.
The love story of this book is between Ilse and Willy, who is a German officer, working in the camp, on administrative type duties. Emotionally and practically they support and nuture each other in the most horrific of killing sprees undertaken by the SS. Willy is married, but Ilse is the love of his life and they will live together or die together.
A story of humanity, resistance and resilience, a love story at heart. Not particularly graphic or horrific in my opinion....maybe I am becoming a little immune to the horrors of WW2 having read so many historical fiction of the era, but still, a book I looked forward to picking up each day.
Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and Ellie Midwood for my copy.

This is a story on the Holocaust and its unusual love story built on sacrifice. The author offers hope, love, trust ( even though that is hard to do in times like the Holocaust) and keeping the Faith no matter what happens!
This is a very emotional read and I highly suggest a box of tissues beside you!
I like how this author can draw you into the book without you even realizing it. I could even picture the characters and feel their emotions in this book while trying to struggle to survive!

Overall, great story, wonderful characters, and an author that knows how to deliver the truth while mixing a little fiction in with it.
We shouldn't ever forget or try to hide anything about the Holocaust. I feel it's to be remembered and maybe even learned from.
I couldn't find anything I didn't like about it and of course the cover of the book tells the story in itself.

If you’re a fan of popular titles like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Cilka’s Journey, etc, I would recommend this one for you.

The Girl Who Escaped From Auschwitz is a fictional story inspired by the true life story of Mala Zimetbaum, a generous and courageous prison of Auschwitz-Birkenau who was admired and loved for her selflessness and devotion to helping her fellow inmates, and Edek Galinski, the man she managed to find love with who cleverly planned their escape from the horrors, darkness and evil that surrounded them.

Like most books from this time period, this was a difficult read as the author doesn’t gloss over the horrific details of life within the boundaries of the concentration camp, but there was also beauty between these pages in the form of courage, bravery, compassion and resilience. While their escape was temporary and ultimately resulted in execution, I was inspired by the bravery, resilience and resistance displayed at their execution. Another fantastic story of ordinary people doing extraordinary things during good the most difficult of times.

A hearty thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of this story. Opinions expressed here are my own.

This was a poignant but powerful read. Very moving and I believe based on true events. It took a few chapters to get going but well worth it.

A highly recommended historical read and it deserves the 5 stars.

Thank you Netgalley.

Ellie midwood has done it again and she has fast become one of my favourite authors. She tells these harrowing tales with such elegance and respect that I couldn’t think of a better person to do it.

The story are so emotive and heart wrenching it’s hard to believe that people went through what she tells. The book is insightful and an important topic to bring awareness to so I would definitely recommend!

Overall I enjoyed this book. It is the first from this author that I have read and I am now interested in reading more from her.

I'd say for the most part I enjoyed her writing style, but there were a few times it seemed to drag on. I also enjoyed a "different" story from WW2, getting to see a Lieutenant fall in love with a Jewish woman. I thought the author did justice to how hard their relationship must have been for the two of them. However, I was a little bit disappointed in the ending, it felt super rushed. I would have loved another chapter or an epilogue farther in the future.

An utterly emotional historical novel by the incomparable Ellie Midwood, depicting the impossible love story between a young woman and a SS officer. Beautiful and painful.

An enjoyable read, though the romance did take away from the terror of the fact that this is a WWII novel. My favourite Midwood book is The Girl Who Escaped from Auschwitz, but this is still well worth a read.

I enjoy reading books set during World War II and found The Girl Who Survived to be a very enjoyable read. The plot was very interesting and I found it very difficult to put down the book once I started. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the arc of The Girl Who Survived By Ellie Midwood.

5 Stars- This is the inspiring true story of Ilse Stein whom was a German Jew who was imprisoned in the Minsk ghetto but fell in love with someone she was meant to hate.... She stepped off the cattle cart into Minsk Ghetto this is her new home surronded by the SS Guards and by barbed wire surronding the ghetto and she has to trade her belongings to get food scraps .. people in the ghetto dont want to give up and there is a resistance with a plan to escape.. she ends up meeting a guy named Wilhem whom is a SS administrative officer and she never expected that she would fall for him but she did and he promises that she will survive even if it costs him his life..

Emotional, hooking and a great read.

Ughhhhh I loved this one! Good grief. I did not expect to love this book like I did. I would definitely recommend!

I enjoyed this and found it to be a harrowing yet hopeful read. The fact that it was based on actual events added something to the story.

Another great book by this author based on a true story. I love books from this era and this one was a bit different being set in a ghetto rather than a concentration camp which made a great change and gave it a different perspective. Ilse is a great character and you were really rooting for her after all that happened to her as well as everyone else in the appalling place. Recommended for anyone who likes this genre