Absolutely amazing. Beautifully written, with a heartbreaking plot and characters who are so lifelike, you’ll struggle to forget them, not that you’ll want to! I am a huge WW2 fiction fan, but this was a real standout for me, and definitely an author I’d read again - 100% a book to read if you enjoy WW2 reads like me!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Bookseller of Dachau is a powerful and wonderfully well written historical Holocaust novel with dual timelines and dual POVs. In the first perspective we are transported back to 1940 Germany where we are introduced to young Matilda who is witnessing the persecution of the Jewish people, first hand.

In the second perspective we have her granddaughter Grace, an architect living in the U.S. in 2018, who receives a mysterious letter stating she has inherited property (a bookshop) in Dachau from a recently deceased grandmother she knew nothing about.

This vivid story takes the reader on a remarkable journey as Grace uncovers mementos, photographs and letters from the prisoners of Dachau to their families.

Equal parts heartbreaking and engrossing, The Bookseller of Dachau is an absolute must read for fans of Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale or Kelly Rimmer's novels (The Warsaw Orphan, The Things We Cannot Say, The German Wife etc.)

4.5 solid gold stars from me!

When reading about the Holocaust, there are so many lives and stories left untold. Even though this is a fictional tale, especially Grace, Matilda, and Hans were written so beautifully and so realistic it was as if I was watching real life unfold before my eyes. I felt for every person on the page, even though I disagreed with many of their choices, especially Matilda’s father. Many tissues used, and time seemed to pass as I turned every page. Every emotion filled my heart and mind as I went through as Grace found her grandmother and read her papers. This story is a realistic tale, one that will tear at your hearts and minds. I have more books by Ms. Ryan in my to-read pile, and if this is a preview, there will be many 5 star reviews.

I should not have waited so long to read this beautifully written historical fiction. What a harrowing tale. A must Read!

From the first page I was completely hooked with the story. The writing and the plot was amazing. This book had me turning the pages so fast to see what would happen. The ending was amazing.
Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Such a fantastic and emotional read that completely tugged at my heart strings at times, This book is one you will need tissues to mop those tears.

This book was beautifulll and was so hard hitting 💔 I’ve always loved books set around world war 2 and find that time period really captivating in a historical fiction novel.

It’s very similar to a lot of others I’ve read so would recommend to anyone who is a fan of books like the tattooist of Auschwitz, the book thief or the dressmaker’s gift etc!

What I loved most were the descriptions. The author has such a beautiful way of giving the reader just enough description to conjure an image but still leave room for their own imagination.

Highly recommend!

I am a huge fan of historical fiction books set during WWII. And the dual timeline was an added bonus. The author did a wonderful job of blending the timelines and I didn’t feel like I was jerked back and forth. They flowed smoothly one to another. This WWII story was unique in that it occurred totally outside the concentration camps. The characters were well developed and you grew to care deeply for Matilda, Hans, Grace, and Archie. The relationships that evolve were touching. And I loved how the story of Matilda and Hans was delivered via letters. And what a surprise at the end. This is definitely one to put on your to-be-read list!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this book.

This book had me all in my feels and I even shed a few tears - as these books normally do. Hats off to the author who portrayed this story really well and made sure to make the reader feel deeply connect Dx and able to imagine it in their head

The Bookseller of Dachau tells the heartbreaking story of Matilda Ellman and Hans Bauer during the WWII. Matilda and Hans are happily living in Augsburg, but suddenly their life is destined to change abruptly. When the Jews are publicly portrayed as the enemies of the people and they are removed from jobs and schools, Hans and his family, because of their Jewish origins, are forced to leave. But Matilda cannot accept that separation and decides to secretly hide Hans in the attic of her house. She struggles to understand why something terrible is happening in her country and all people, even their parents, are bending to the foolish will of Hitler and doing nothing to stop it.
Matilda did everything to save Hans from deportation, but she was betrayed by her father that let Hans to be arrested by Nazi soldiers. She was even deprived of her child, but nonetheless she struggled to survive with the aim of seeing again her Hans and finding out where her child has been taken.
When Matilda discovers that Hans has been deported in the concentration camp of Dachau, she doesn’t hesitate to leave her house and walk to Dachau to do what she can to save him. In Dachau, she is helped by an old lady, Galina, owner of a bookshop.
The story of Matilda is connected with that of Grace, a young architect living in Boston in 2018. Grace is struggling in her job and hoping for a promotion, but a mysterious letter from the German law office Strauss & Strauss informs her about the inheritance of a property from Matilda Ellman, her grandmother. This is a turning point in her life and she doesn’t hesitate to leave behind everything and start her journey to discover the story of her unknown grandmother through the words and letters Matilda wrote throughout her life.
I can definitely say that it is one of the best books I’ve read this year and one of those books that you will remember for a while, because it is the story of a powerful woman that suffered a lot but nothing managed to quieten her hope for a better future. It still remembers us that what happened during the WWII was something terrible and that we need to convey those stories to the future generations to avoid that anything similar can happen again in our years. Peace is not obvious, but we must do what we can to preserve it for as many years as possible.

This was a GREAT book! The stories interweaving were a piece of art. I have visited Dachau, so this book hit a little closer. ❤️

I thought this might just be like every other book about the Holocaust, but it offered me a unique and interesting perspective. I liked the way the author conveyed the character’s emotions.

Again, this book falls into one of my favorite genres. I enjoyed every word of this gut wrenching book! It was just that good! So much story and emotion put onto these pages! I have read other books by this author in the past and enjoyed them, but this one might go down as my favorite! Definitely recommend!

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley, but also purchased a copy for myself to keep.

The story of Matilda and Hans breaks my heart. Childhood sweethearts that are torn apart by the Nazi's. Matilda and Hans were betrayed by a family member that gave information to the Nazi's about Hans were Hans was hiding. Matilda was unable to say goodbye but would not stop looking for Hans. She heard he was at Dachau so she traveled there to be close to him. She had no where to stay and was hungry and tired when she ran into Galina the owner of a bookstore across the street. Galina invites Matilda to come and have some tea. Matilda tells Galina the story of Hans being taken by the Nazi's and Galina invites Matilda to stay so she can be close to Hans. I could write more of this wonderful story but I do not like to include spoilers. Pick up the wonderful book by Shai J Ryan and read it. Thank you Netgalley for the arc.

I absolutely loved this book, it was fascinating to read and came with all the feels. I dont usually like dual timelines (starting to repeat myself on that one) but this one worked. I enjoyed the modern day story but my favorite was the story set during the War. A story of true love but also hate. Perhaps the MC parents were trying to protect her but.....I can understand her actions. This was my first Shari Ryan book and won't be my last. Recommended.

I will be posting my review on Amazon, goodreads & my Instagram book blog which can be found at www.Instagram.com/the.readinglife

My thoughts:

Things I loved:
- The setting. Call me depressing but I find a book set in WW2 England/Germany fascinating.
- The story told within the book is tender & heartbreaking. There were several moments that just wrecked my poor little heart
- Dual timelines. The story uses Matilda (1940) & Grace (2018) to tell the story & I whilst I lived for Matilda’s chapters, I still enjoyed Grace’s journey
- I loved some of the side characters - particularly Galina - she comes into the readers life (& Matilda’s) just when you need her most.

Things I struggled with:
- Whilst I loved the principles of the storyline - for me, the further I got into it I felt like I was reading a first draft. The book needs some editing. The conversations were too formal, parts of the storyline weren’t accurate & frankly unnecessary. (The Shooting, I’m looking at you!)

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I found myself flying through the pages & it was difficult to put down! It gave me the historical fiction feels I was craving & will happily consider reading other books by this author.

The Bookseller of Dachau is available on kindle unlimited if you fancy trying it out. Thank you NetGalley & Bookouture for proving me an ARC of this book.

I think, no matter what, any piece of media set during the Second World War will undoubtedly be very heart-wrenchig and emotional. And even more if it takes place in Germany, where some of the worst atrocities and injustices the world has ever known took place.

I enjoy consuming WW2 media, even as a bit of a masochistic activity as that can sometimes be, but until this book, I'd always done it through movies and TV series.

But, this book was a great first incursion into written content. I really enjoyed the dual timelines. Reading Matilda and Hans' parts could feel like nothing more that a made up story at times (which, yes, I know it is), but by adding the element of us learning these events through Grace's eyes, finding out a family history she never would have expected, everything hit so much harder. I think this passage perfectly captures what I felt while reading this novel:
"I'm not sure I want to finish reading—I don't know if I can bear the truth, yet I want to know every little detail about my grandmother from this moment in the story until her story ended"

I really empathized with her, and my heart squeezed at the overwhelming emotional whirlwind of uncovering Matilda and Hans' heartbreaking story. This might be a work of fiction, but I'm sure it must have also been the real life stories of lots of people, which makes it all the more impactful. Sometimes it's hard to comprehend that all those awful, unimaginable stuff depicted in WW2 media actually happened to millions of people.

I have nothing but praise for this book's plot. But the way it was written dampened the experience for me. The writing was so formal and stiff, which was fine for the 1940's parts, but was really awkward for the parts taking place in present day. The dialogues between Grace and the other characters she interacted with were especially wooden and unnatural. There were these longs monologues, used to provide exposition, and my brain kept getting snagged on the fact that that's not the way people hold conversations. I had a hard time getting past that, and it's what ultimately brought down my rating.

But, still, as dark and saddening as the story was, it was just as beautiful and inspiring. Intent on its message that even at the darkest of times we must fight to remain hopeful, how pouring goodness into the world is never done in vain, and how even the worst of events might always have a silver lining.

I'd been weary of historical novels before this to venture into WW2 fiction, but I think after this experience, I'll be coming back for more.

3.5⭐

**I received a digital copy of this book from Bookouture through Netgally in exchange for an honest review**

This book was absolutely compelling from the very beginning. I really loved this story. It was beautifully constructed and very well researched. The description of the bookshop was wonderful, I just wanted to go in and sit there and take it all in. It was very touching at times and certainly brought a tear to my eyes. It was brilliant following Grace's journey. Matilda was one very extraordinary woman. Brilliant read.

💌 This dual timeline book is set in Germany, during WW2, and in the recent past. In 2018, Grace Laurent learns that she has inherited a bookstore in the small town of Dachau and wonders how it is possible, given that her mother arrived from Germany in the 1940s as an orphan. When Grace visits the bookstore, looking for answers, she finds a pile of handwritten letters: the story of her grandmother Matilda, who fell in love with her Jewish best friend.

❤️ I liked:⁠
🔝 A different point of view on the holocaust. I read many books on the holocaust and WW2, and I liked that this was a bit different than most others, not focusing on the concentration camps, but on the people left on the outside.
👩 Matilda. Matilda is young, strong and in love. So in love that she hides Hans in her attic, without even telling her parents. She knows what she wants and what's worth fighting for.
👩 Grace. Thanks to the inheritance and while discovering her family history, Grace starts looking back to her life in Boston, rethinking her priorities.
✍️ The writing. The book is evocative and full of emotions. The characters are multi-faceted, the plot is interesting, and the setting is very vivid.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 Reading this book, I felt every emotion that the characters felt. The bookstore dedicated to preserving the writing of Jewish authors is the cherry on the top.

An emotional, compelling story full of surprises...I never really knew how it was going to end, and discovered the truth of Tilly and Hans's relationship along with Grace. At times I felt the dialogue slightly stilted and the tone a bit show and tell with the author's research, but it was a lovely, thought-provoking read - I couldn't stop thinking about it when I was forced to put it down.