With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence by Imogen Matthews is based on a true story, and it truly hits home. A wonderful historical read for fans of WWII hist fic.

This was a great story that I really enjoyed. It was very interesting, and I loved the unexpected twists to the story. I enjoyed it that much that I read it in one sitting. I thought it had some great atmosphere. I liked how easy it was to connect with the characters. I really enjoyed the build-up of tension. It had me on the edge of my seat at times. I definitely recommend reading it. 
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK where found and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-girl-across-the-wire-fence-by-imogen-matthews-bookouture-4-stars under my name ladyreading365

I’ve read a lot of WW2 historical fiction and it never gets old for me. In my opinion these are stories that need to be told, need to be heard, and need to be remembered. The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a story about Saskia and Hans, two ordinary people that risked their own lives to bring comfort and hope to prisoners of Kamp Amersfoort (a large German concentration camp located in Holland) by smuggling letters in and out of the camp for them. Of all the WW2 fiction I’ve read, this was the first I’ve heard of Kamp Amersfoort. I appreciated this story more knowing it was based on true people and circumstances and am grateful to the author for sharing this perspective, one that I had not known about.

Thank you to @NetGalley, @Bookouture and the Author, @imogenmatthews for allowing me to read this advance readers copy in return of my honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

I genuinely love stories that are based on true events during the Holocaust because they really provide the reader with an insight into the lives of the prisoners in the camp, and this one especially into the lives of those outside the walls of the camp and their bravery in trying, as much as possible within their own power, to help the prisoners.

The Girl Across the Wire Fence follows the story of Saskia and Frans, two lovers who undertake a project of letter smuggling into Amersfoort Concentration Camp. When Frans has to enter the camp in order to collect potato peelings that the prisoners are tasked to do (although the potatoes never become part of their food), a prisoner by the name of Theo begs Frans to deliver a letter to his loved one. Frans then realises that one way in which he could help the prisoners is by trying to keep their morale alive, and this could be achieved through these letters. Together with Saskia, Theo and others, they risk their safety (which is already in jeopardy as the war looms closer to them than before.

I really loved this book and quite sad I didn't get to this sooner. The storyline was very captivating and really touched my heart to see the way the prisoners were treated in the camp. As much as we learn about this in history, it is very different when presented in the format of a story with actual people with names. What we often don't learn in history is how people risked their lives outside and inside the camp in order to survive, and how many had hope until the very end. Imogen Matthew's has presented us with a story that is so well thought and researched and really focuses on the characters and their feelings. It was also heart-breaking to see how often prisoners are appointed into administration ranks which essentially has them seen as traitors by the others in the camp, but essentially this is a no choice command to be followed. The themes of pain, suffering, bravery but also self-preservation are very apparent in this book. What I also liked was the fact that the book showed that although life inside the camp was inhumane, life outside of the camp was slightly better but not by much, as people were persecuted by the Nazi's even if they were not Jewish and how people became targets instantly due to the immense power the Nazi's had at the time.

This is a brilliant read and I would recommend to readers who enjoy stories from the Holocaust and who find the history of this very interesting. I am on of those readers and I would read many more stories like this in order to try and understand but also to develop my learning.

Saskia and Frans. One of the first words to pop into my head is courageous. While as a reader, I will never know what it is to be in the situation they are. But I know I could never be as courageous, loving and daring as they were. I don’t know where people from concentration camps found their strength! I really appreciated reading this book. It definitely opened my eyes to some things I didn’t know.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a true story set during World War 2. I really liked the story and look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

I’m obsessed with the World War II historical fiction genre at the moment. I’ve read quite a few recently and they have all been really good. The Girl Across The Wire Fence is no exception. It focuses on the bravery and strength of a young couple in love – Saskia and Frans. Based on a true story this novel shares will us the courage of the people who smuggled prisoners’ letters in and out of Kamp Amersfoort concentration camp in Holland.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, as it gave me a real insight into the sad conditions inside Dutch concentration camps. It was superbly written with amazing characters that showed us that good can win the fight. I would give it 6 stars if I could! Looking forward to discovering more of Imogen Matthew’s books!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the copy.

A great story set in 1944 in Amersfoot concentration camp in the Netherlands. Based on a true story it is a compelling read as you root for the young couple putting their lives at risk to bring a little comfort to the prisoners. I couldn't put it down and recommend it for anyone interested on this genre

1944 Holland, Saskia and Frans see their friends and neighbors herded into Amersfoort Concentration Camp. Forced to enter the camp daily, Frans takes chances to bring letters out from the prisoners. When Saskia is taken into the camp, he knows he must get her out. Touching historical fiction.

1944 Netherlands. A prison becomes a concentration camp. A young couple offer hope to the inmates by smuggling letters and parcels past the guards. But danger lurks and no good deeds go unpunished...
The Girl Across The Wire Fence is an historical novel set during WW2 in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It is based on a true story which adds an extra poignancy to the plot and characters.
Frans is a 16 year old farm boy who is exempt from conscription to the German army or factories due to his essential work. Saskia is his girlfriend whose family look Jewish and are persecuted despite their papers. Theo becomes an inmate of Kamp Amersfoort due to his mistaken attendance at an anti Nazi meeting.
Together the trio offer hope to the prisoners as they smuggle and distribute letters and parcels. The tension is apparent and thoroughly described over the developments of the book. The author doesn't shy away from the brutality of the camp but it is not shown in graphic detail.
Theo grapples with his morality as he is forced to work alongside the Nazis whilst undermining them to help the other inmates. I liked the emotion and realism of the characters which really brought them to life and made me care about them.
I found the ending a little abrupt and would have liked more of Saskia's perspective especially due to her circumstances in the final chapters. There are lovely details about characters we have met over the course of the book which lightens the tone so that the book ends on a note of hope.
The Girl Across The Wire Fence is an engaging and interesting novel about the Dutch situation during the war.

Oh wow. This is a beautiful, beautiful tear jerker of a book. Stunning writing. Thought provoking. Wonderfully descriptive. I felt like I was there, experiencing it all with the characters.

Cancel all your engagements for the day, because this book is UNPUTDOWNABLE. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough because I HAD to KNOW what was going to happen! A concentration camp in Holland is the setting, and our main character is a courageous girl who fights back against her circumstances. There are many WWII novels out there today, but you should read this one. Amazing. Truly Amazing.

WoW.....and breathe! The Girl Across the Wire Fence by Imogen Matthews was a beautifully written book that just took my breath away, especially as Imogen is a new author to me as well. The Girl Across the Wire Fence is a
historical fiction novel based on a true story of those who risked their lives to smuggle letters out of a concentration camp in World War 2. This prison camp was one of the largest concentration camp in Holland, However little is known about it This was a German concentration camp was called Kamp Amersfoort. Over 37,000 people where prisoners there and they were kept between 1941 and 1945. It was liberated by the Red Cross with the Canadian soldiers. I was hooked within the very first few pages, then again I am so interested in reading books about WWII this should be an area of our history that should never be forgotten.

I highly recommend this latest book and I will be reading more books by Imogen in the future.

Big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher Bookouture for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I was really interested to read a Holocaust story based outside of Germany or Poland, as I genuinely don’t think I have. Prior to reading, I had very little understanding of the huge role Holland played in the war and I had never heard of the Amersfoort concentration camp.

In this book, Imogen creates and describes a wide variety of characters who each have an important story to tell. There are those who are captured, those who had an active role in ensuring their demise and those who worked hard and put their lives at risk to bring a little hope or help to those who were suffering in the camp.

It takes some time for you to fully see the relevance of the title to the story, but the story itself is emotionally charged, moving and dramatic from the introduction of Theo.

There are a lot of ups and downs in the story and I loved the fact that Imogen was inspired to write based on a true story. I can only imagine how it must have felt to receive communication from a loved one in a place full of hate, hostility and loneliness.

This is definitely a tale of bravery on all sides. It has been a wonderful read and I would definitely recommend this book and author to fans of Ellie Midwood and Heather Morris.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was absolutely fabulous and stood out among other books based in WW2 on the concentration camps. The emotional connection to the characters made this story even better. You truly felt like you were living this journey with the characters, no matter whose POV the chapter was from. The fact that this book was based on true events made the story hit harder as you read through it.

One thing I adored about this book was the recruitment of prisoners into the SS which isn’t talked about much in general history, let alone in historical fiction. This made the book so unique and caused it to be a stand out among other WW2 historical fiction novels.

For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz - this is a book you won’t want to miss

Two sixteen year old teenagers, Frans and Saskia are trying to keep on living their lives during the Nazi occupation of Holland. But in 1944 the Nazi's throw a spanner in their plans when the haberdashery of Saskia's father has to close due to lack of clients and stock and her father is accused of being Jewish, even though he isn't.
Frans' live is put upside down when he meets Theo, a young men locked up in Kamp Amersfoort, when he visits the camp to collect potato peelings for the farm animals. Frans and his little brother Cas visit the camp daily and they are deeply touched by the hardships and cruelty the people in the camp have to endure.
Together Frans and Saskia decide to help the people in the camp by smuggling letters from and to their loved ones. This is the start of a series of heartbreaking events.

I found the story convincing, well documented and well written. What I liked foremost is that the book is set in my own country and it was good to learn a bit about the history of Kamp Amersfoort, a camp I didn't know much about, apart from it's existence. The book paints a vivid image of how hard life in the camps was. Even if this camp was foremost a transit and labour camp and not a extermination camp, a lot of people lost their lives due to hardship or reprisals from the camp guards.

Four stars for this excellent book.
I thank netgalley, Bookouture and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review.

Inspiring story of two Dutch teenagers and a prisoner who worked in the Resistance during WWII. Frans was 16 years old and smuggled letters from loved ones into the prison camp and helped to arrange meetings at his parents' farm between prisoners and family members.

Very good book and hard to put down.

Very poignant story and a recommended read for anyone who is interested in historical romance/based on true events/ stories. I appreciate that the author really fleshed out the relationships between all the characters and made them easy to root for. I would have enjoyed more of an insight into Saskia's trials and tribulations as a concentration camp inmate because I do not think it adequately reflected the true horrors of the war. Not only did her capture appear very late in the book, but it was heavily glossed over in favour of more passages with Frans when highlighting Saskia's plight would have enriched these. Nonetheless, a very informative and compelling book.

This was a really interesting story and I really am glad I read it. I especially liked at the end where the author had taken the trouble to explain why she wrote the story and gave the background.

This author is very talented on this subject and I would definately look out for more from her.

I was given an advance copy by Bookoutre and netgalley but the review is entirely my own

The Girl Across the Wire Fence by Imogen Matthews is based around true events which provide plenty of realism to this story set in Holland during the later years of World War Two. This was an interesting read as I hadn’t previously read a book set in Holland during the war and had never known that the infamous camps were also located there. You read so many WW2 books set in Germany, France, Russia or Poland so it was refreshing to read of a different setting which provided an alternative aspect to the horrors of the war which we are all unfortunately too familiar with. It’s a quick read at just over 240 pages but the author does manage to pack a significant amount in, even though at times I felt a little more description and exploration was needed. Given the length of the book, I felt there was plenty of scope for more and the story could have been extended as the ending felt slightly rushed and abrupt in places.

Amersfoot is a village in Holland where the Germans have infiltrated every aspect of the residents lives and things are only getting worse. There are shortages of food, clothing and household goods and many shops are closing. Frans lives on a farm with his parents and younger siblings and given the horrific situation his country finds itself in, his family fair ever so slightly better than others in that they can provide food for the table and work on their farm. That’s not to say life is easy for them. How could it be when the country you have lived in for so long has been infiltrated by those hell bent on eradicating an entire section of the human race simply because of their religion? Frans is the stand out character of the book and this comes across right from the beginning. He takes over the task from his father of the daily visits to Kamp Amersfoot where Jews and ‘criminals’ have been imprisoned. Each day on his cart he enters the camp to collect potato peelings which are used as feed for his cattle. Frans can see the injustice in this. On one hand without this feed his cattle would die and where would that leave his family? But on the other hand the prisoners are starving and receive the merest of rations and he feels wrong to be taking what could save them. The cruel behaviour he witnesses in the camp is clearly not justified and he wishes he could do something that would help alleviate some of the pain the prisoners are suffering.

I loved the chapters that focused on Frans and was always eager to return to read of his viewpoint. He may only have been 16 but he came across as being wise beyond his years. He was so clued in to the bigger picture and was constantly thinking of plans in order to make life better for those that had reached rock bottom through unlawful persecution and terror. I loved Frans as a character, it’s cliched to use the terms brave, courageous and determined but that is what he was. He was also clever and forward thinking and used every available resource to his advantage, I thought he always put his life on the line despite being well aware of the consequences if caught but still he persisted and kept going forward with simple yet effective and ingenuitive ideas which would hopefully offer a ray of light to those experiencing the darkest of times. Frans could have easily turned a blind eye and just did the job he was sent to do at the camp but through his actions he showed he had a heart and was kind and compassionate.

Some of the more secondary characters were Cas, the younger brother of Frans, who accompanies him on the daily visits to the camp and who in turn played such a pivotal role in the entire secret operation that unfolds. Saskia is the girlfriend of Frans and they truly have a deep connection and love for each other. She aids Frans in his plan to smuggle letters in and out of the camp to those that need to hear words of comfort and solace. A network of sorts is created to establish links between those that await news on the outside of their loved ones and those on the inside tormented by what they are experiencing. Frans and Saskia are the links that bring this sense of unity about but it’s not without its perils. The fear of discovery lurks around every corner and the author did a wonderful job of portraying a real sense of danger, menace and threat.

As mentioned in the blurb fortunes change for Saskia and to be honest I found myself waiting for this event to occur for the majority of the novel and it only transpired towards the end. We didn’t hear from Saskia’s perspective as to her experience and I feel the story as a whole suffered because of this. Several chapters from her viewpoint when the worst befalls her would have brought it home even more just what Frans was doing putting his life on the lie on a daily basis. It wasn’t glossed over. Yes, it does say it happened and we see what the fall out is but still I wanted to know how Saskia felt now she was on the other side. At certain points I felt the story jumped forward a little bit and things weren’t explained in enough detail. It was like something was mentioned briefly and I would have loved to have read more detail but instead there we were moving on to the next event. There was just a little too much of skimming the surface when more in-depth analysis or detail was required.

Theo was the other major character to feature and although his story was horrific it was still Frans that really captured my interest and heart throughout. Theo finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time leading to his imprisonment and when the Germans strike he is taken to the camp leaving all connections to his beloved Annelies severed. That is until Frans comes up with his clever yet dangerous plan. The scene featuring Theo and the rose garden was truly shocking and jaw dropping and left me feeling cold and with a sick feeling to my stomach. It showed how the Nazi’s stopped at nothing in their desire to crush and annihilate the human spirit and took such pleasure from doing this.

Overall The Girl Across the Wire Fence was a good story and shows that Imogen Matthews has lots of potential writing in this genre. If the few issues I found could be ironed out in future books I know I would be fully captured from beginning to end. This book is worth a read for the different perspective of a another countries experiences during the war and how when such evil is all around you that compassion, strength, helpfulness, kindness and love can be found.