This book was really good, however the plot described in the synopsis did not start until 75% into the book, so you might want to just throw the whole synopsis out the window and enjoy it for what it is. Also, there is no Rachel Altman. There is a Tilde Altman. I have no idea why that name is even in there.

There is a mutual friend between the two, Klara, who I kind of wish would’ve had her own perspective. She would’ve been interesting to follow. For most of the book, you don’t really understand her values or motivations. I would’ve liked to know what was going on in her head.

I didn’t really like Hannah much, but I think part of that was that she didn’t feel very fleshed out. She was trapped in a situation that she sometimes seemed to hate and sometimes didn’t mind, which may be realistic, but without having a deeper understanding of her, it was kind of difficult to understand.

I thought this book was entertaining and good, but at the same time it felt very surface level and I wish there had been more depth to it. There was a lot of potential and I think it missed the mark a bit. I’m still giving it four stars because I was entertained enough to not want to put it down.

The School for German Brides is a compelling fictional read that takes place in the early days of WW2 and tells a story about three young women from different very different German backgrounds whose lives became dangerously intertwined during the tumultuous time, when oppression and hatred ran rampant. It’s a beautiful story of the human side of the war and the lines that divide the beauty and brutality.

While the title leads you to believes this is a story about the Nazi bride schools, institutions that were established to train young women to be “perfect Nazi wives” who would conform to the Nazi ideal of how women should live, the setting of the school really doesn’t come into play until halfway through the story when the women’s lives cross path. The story calls attention to the cultural and societal expectations and demands set forth on women during this time, and focuses on friendship, resilience, strength and survival amidst the uncertainty of war.

3.5 stars from me. While I enjoyed the story overall, I felt misled with the title and was disappointed more wasn’t told about the bride school aspect.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review and the opinions expressed are my own.

If you are a historical fiction reader, you've likely read a lot of books centered on World War II. However, this book, while set during World War II, has a completely unique premise. Hanna is sent to her aunt and uncle's house after her mother dies. She ends up entangled with a SS officer despite what she wants. She ends up being forced to attend a Bride school so that she can be a proper wife to the SS officer. She discovers Mathilde, whom is hiding from the Germans, and must make some decisions. Both women have choices and hard decisions to make. This was an excellent, original, story that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend.

After reading, and loving, Girls on the Line last year, I couldn’t wait to pick up Runyan’s newest novel. Told in alternating perspectives, The School for German Brides tells the story of three different young women in Berlin at the beginning of WWII. Though they all come from different backgrounds and situations, I loved the way their stories intersected. Although they were all distinctly different, each of the three women was a heroine you could root for — smart, bold and driven.

I loved reading each of their stories. The writing was beautiful and the story compelling. I loved seeing women helping women and the story of female friendship.

I’d absolutely recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction and I look forward to reading more from Runyan.

I enjoyed the perspectives and characters in this story. I hadn’t realized how much women’s rights were affected even for white German women during that time. It was a quick, interesting read.

I liked this book quite a bit. I am very much a historical fiction reader, especially of this era of time. This book was a bit of a different approach for me, more from the German side, but it doesn’t change that the writing was good as was the story. Definitely a recommend for a historical fiction reader.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

I really loved this book! It was so intriguing and thought provoking to hear about WWII Germany from the point of view of the fiancé of a Nazi officer. Both of the lead women were so interesting and really made me think. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who loves WWII fiction with strong female characters. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Really interesting story about something that I had heard about in my reading over the years of WWII historical fiction and historical books in general. There are so many strange aspects to the Nazis but this story was a real page turner. I find these type of WWII stories very intriguing. I know that author must have done a lot of research, because it showed. So glad that Hannah was strong and had a moral compass. #schoolforgermanbrides

I've loved every historical fiction book I've read by this author, and this story was no different. It was another great insight into behind-the-scenes realities around the time of WWII.
The story revolves around three determined young women: Hanna, whose father has sent her to live with her aunt and uncle in Berlin after her mother dies, Klara, the young woman she becomes friends with... until Hanna (against her will) becomes romantically involved with the German officer Klara had been dating, and Tilde, a young woman whose father abandoned her and her Jewish mother years ago.
Hanna and Klara are enrolled in the school to be groomed for their rolls as wives of German officers. A fateful situation binds them together with their friend Tilde, and these three brave women do their best to buck the strict rules of "right and wrong" forced upon them.
It's a well-woven story about women with spunk, friendship, and a slice of history that educates and entertains. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this great book.

With so many books about World War II being published, it's always a surprise to me when someone writes a story that hasn't been told before. Aimie Runyan has done that with The School for German Brides. I had never read about the way that young Aryan women were groomed to make them better wives and helpmates to the Nazi husbands-to-be.

Hanna is sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Berlin after her mother dies. They are thrilled to have a 'daughter' and shower her with new clothes and jewelry. They take her to the best parties and introduce her to the hierarchy of the Nazi party. She soon becomes engaged to influential SS officer Friedrich Schroeder. He is much older than her and she feels trapped by the future that is being planned for her. When her mother was alive she taught Hanna to be independent and to help heal people. Hanna's desire is to go to school to become a doctor but since Hitler doesn't believe in educating women there's no way she can fulfill her real dream.

Klara is her new best friend until she becomes engaged. Klara's mother wanted her to get engaged to Friedrich Schroeder and feels that she's a failure as a daughter since she let him get away. She and Hanna later reconcile at bride school.

The third main character is Mathilde known as Titlde. She is a young Jewish dressmaker who is alone and pregnant. She realizes that she must hide to save her baby but will she be able to survive?

Fate ties together the lives of these three very different women. Their story comes to an explosive encounter while Hanna and Klara are at bride school to learn how to be good German wives. They are taught to cook and sew and be good hostesses. Along with those lessons, they are taught hate and prejudice.

Will these Hanna and Klara be able to save Titlde and her baby? If they can, what kind of future will they have? Can they ever feel safe again? This book was a very interesting look at the German beliefs about women - that their only job in life was to be a good wife and to birth perfect Aryan babies. Can these three totally different women be successful while they are turning their backs on the current beliefs in Berlin?

I really enjoyed this look at these three women. They followed their own beliefs instead of believing what they were being taught. It's tough to break away from societal beliefs especially in a government where the punishment is death. These three women were brave beyond words.

This is set in Germany during Hitler's reign. It tell the story of two women Hanna a German girl that is sent to live with her aunt. Thilde is German and Jewish. THeir stories ravel together due to the fact they share a friend Klara.
THe story had some high and low parts. I am never shock by what happens to anyone that was living during this era. It is haunting to read a book where women are put into a place where they do not really have a choice in what can happen to them..
THis book was not an easy read due to the subject matter, however it is history and I enjoy learning about it. In the end I did emjpy this book.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘎𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 by Aimie Runyan, inspired by true events, takes place in Berlin 1939. Written from alternating point of views of two young women whom connected with Klara, a young debutant of a wealthy Nazi family.
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Hanna, still in high school, when her independent brazen mother passed away was sent to her Aunt and Uncles by her father to learn how to become a more “German behaved” women.
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Tilde, a German/Jewish young woman, was abandoned by her German father to save himself as her mother was able to find freedom in the US. She was a seamstress and constantly in fear of being discovered as part Jew and now even more so as she has wed a non German man.
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When Hanna and Klara are sent to a school to train young women on how to become the best dutiful and enslaved German wives to please their soon to be husbands, they are hiding a secret not far away that could end their lives forever. Tilde was discovered and now is pregnant as they are determined to save her and her child, no matter if it’s against party lines.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
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💭 Holy Cow! This is one book that I thought it was going to go into a completely different direction than it actually did, having all my nerve endings firing in response.
The suspense and intensity was a snowball effect as it kept building and building. Perfect story and great reminder of those horrifying times and the lives of how those made it through.

Thank you William Morrow for gifting me an eARC of this book to review via NetGalley. This was a typical WWII novel. I didn't feel like it had a lot to add to the genre that wasn't already out there, but if this is a genre you gravitate to, you will like this one.

This book is about three young women who become the best of friends during the worse time of their lives. The things they went through and the very disturbing school they were made to attend that would groom them to become wives to Nazi Germans. The things they had to learn and things they had to do. It was truly horrible how some people were made to do things or be punished in horrible ways or have the fear of being punished.

This book was very emotional. Or it was to me. I had several feelings going on. Anger being at the top a lot but so many tears also. How family can do what Hannah's did is beyond me. Then the young German Jewish girl who was pregnant, Tilde. How awful what she went through. Tilde to me was the strongest and most liked of the girls. She fought hard to get what she wanted and to have a life.

Told from three povs this book will pull you in and not let go. It will have you feeling so many things. This author always writes such wonderful books with real feelings. She knows how to weave a story that will make you stop and think. Make you appreciate the freedom you have now. This one tells of strong friendships during a horrible time in history. Against all odds how these young women triumph and make lives. How they are there for each other no matter what. I loved it.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AmyKRunyan, #WilliamMorrowAndCustomHouse for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

5/5 stars and the highest recommendation. Grab it. Devour it.

After the death of her mother, Hanna is sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Berlin. Determined to match her with an SS officer, her aunt and uncle begin to groom her in manners, poise, and Nazi ideologies. Mathilde is a young Jewish seamstress. With her fair looks, she passes as an Aryan and avoids anti-Semitic vitriol.

Almost seventy percent of the book was a build up to Hanna being sent to the actual School for German Brides. While the characters were well developed, the book moved extremely slowly in the beginning. The last quarter of the book felt extremely rushed. The build up was just not worth the wait. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

This is a book about friendships formed against all odds, in hard times, as the horrors of WWII begin in earnest. It’s less about the School for German Brides, which acts mostly as a plot device, and more about life in Germany as WWII seriously gets underway.

Hanna and Klara are school girls who meet and instantly form a friendship. Hanna is grieving the loss of her mother, and her father sends her to live with his brother, a high ranking Nazi party member. Klara’s parents are also strong party members, and she can never seem to please them. Tilde is a young Jewish woman who is doing her best to get herself and her mother out of Germany. She runs a fabric shop and also acts as a seamstress. These three lives are drawn together and as the war ramps up, their friendship will be tried.

Even “true Germans” lived in fear of how they might be treated. They’re forced to conform or face punishment. So many of the things mentioned in the book are applicable to things happening around the world and in the United States today. Seeing those things laid out sent shivers down my spine.

This is a book well worth the time to read. It’s well written, but it did seem to have a lot of American colloquialisms that seemed out of place. I really would have liked to have seen more about the actual school for German brides.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I thank all involved for their generosity, but it had no effect on this review. All opinions in this review reflect my true and honest reactions to reading this book.

Wow, wow, wow. This was such a powerful, harrowing, encouraging and thoughtful book. I absolutely loved how the book was written from the perspective of multiple characters but in no way was it confusing or hard to follow. The book was written in a way that it was focused around an absolute injustice and travesty but felt very real and raw. The only complaint I had was that the story ended and I want a second book to delve more into the lives of different characters.

Book description:

Germany, 1939

As the war begins, Hanna Rombauer, a young German woman, is sent to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother’s death. Thrown into a life of luxury she never expected, Hanna soon finds herself unwillingly matched with an SS officer twenty years her senior. The independence that her mother lovingly fostered in her is considered highly inappropriate as the future wife of an up-and-coming officer and she is sent to a “bride school.” There, in a posh villa on the outskirts of town, Hanna is taught how to be a “proper” German wife. The lessons of hatred, prejudice, and misogyny disturb her and she finds herself desperate to escape.

For Mathilde Altman, a German Jewish woman, the war has brought more devastation than she ever thought possible. Torn from her work, her family, and her new husband, she fights to keep her unborn baby safe. But when the unthinkable happens, Tilde realizes she must hide. The risk of discovery grows greater with each passing day, but she has no other options.

When Hanna discovers Tilde hiding near the school, she knows she must help her however she can. For Tilde, fear wars with desperation when Hanna proposes a risky plan.

Will they both be able to escape with their lives and if they do, what kind of future can they possibly hope for?

As the war begins, Hanna Rombauer, a young German woman, is sent to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Thrown into a life of luxury she never expected, Hanna soon finds herself unwillingly matched with an SS officer. The independence that her mother lovingly fostered in her is considered highly inappropriate as the future wife of an up-and-coming officer and she is sent to a "bride school." There, in a posh villa on the outskirts of town, Hanna is taught how to be a "proper" German wife. The lessons of hatred, prejudice, and misogyny disturb her and she finds herself desperate to escape.
For Mathilde Altman, a German Jewish woman, the war has brought more devastation than she ever thought possible. Torn from her work, her family, and her new husband, she fights to keep her unborn baby safe. But when the unthinkable happens, Tilde realizes she must hide. The risk of discovery grows greater with each passing day, but she has no other options.
When Hanna discovers that Tilde is hiding near the school, she knows she must help her however she can. For Tilde, fear wars with desperation. The women must take extraordinary risks to save the lives of mother and baby.

Books from this author are always such a moving experience and this one delivers. Highly recommend to all that enjoy well written, researched historical fiction.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book from William Morrow and Custom House via NetGalley.

Germany, 1939 - As the war begins, Hanna Rombauer, a young German woman, is sent to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Thrown into a life of luxury she never expected, Hanna soon finds herself unwillingly matched with an SS officer. The independence that her mother lovingly fostered in her is considered highly inappropriate as the future wife of an up-and-coming officer and she is sent to a "bride school." There, in a posh villa on the outskirts of town, Hanna is taught how to be a "proper" German wife. The lessons of hatred, prejudice, and misogyny disturb her and she finds herself desperate to escape.

For Mathilde Altman, a German Jewish woman, the war has brought more devastation than she ever thought possible. Torn from her work, her family, and her new husband, she fights to keep her unborn baby safe. But when the unthinkable happens, Tilde realizes she must hide. The risk of discovery grows greater with each passing day, but she has no other options.

When Hanna discovers that Tilde hiding near the school, she knows she must help her however she can. For Tilde, fear wars with desperation. The women must take extraordinary risks to save the lives of mother and baby. Will they both be able to escape with their lives and if they do, what kind of future can they possibly hope for?

My favorite character in this book was definitely Mathilde, she was so strong; first for her mother, then for her husband and ultimately for herself. I liked getting the multiple perspectives during World War II of just how stuck certain German women were in the world they grew up in and that not everyone was brainwashed to have the same opinion, people still worked behind the scenes for what was right.

“It’s preposterous to me how men can spend their lives surrounded by the love of their mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters but not think them capable of the same tasks as men are. Or worse, know that they are capable of these things, but keep them repressed to satisfy the needs of their own insecurities. What a sad way to live.”

"Why would you make an alliance with a man who represents a party that wants to take women’s place in society back a hundred years?"

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of The School for German Brides by Aimie K. Runyan. As a lover of WW2 Historical Fiction, I enjoyed this one very much. This follows 3 women and their journey during WW2. Each life different.