As a historical fiction fan, I enjoy reading ones based on real people or facts from the war. So many people being brave often at risk to themselves. Sofie, her family, and town in Holland were among some of the amazing people of the time. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it to historical fiction fans!

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

The Hidden Village by Imogen Matthews is a book set in Holland during WWII and is based on a true story. In 1943, German soldiers invade Holland and systematically round up any transgressors of their new laws. This includes Jews, young men, who are conscripted to work in Germany, and anyone who disrespects them.

When 15-year-old Sophie comes home one afternoon to German soldiers terrifying her parents, the family knows that they must flee for their lives. They have fake identification, but this is not foolproof for their safety. They hide in a neighbor’s attic for a time. However, this is not an ideal situation as the soldiers raid homes to look for those hiding there.

It is decided that the townspeople will build a secret village of underground huts deep in the forest where the soldiers never go. People who are in danger go there to live and are supplied with food and other supplies by some of the resistance workers. Some of them are hurried along a route to safety in other countries or areas. However, the Germans find out that there is a secret village and are determined to find it. When tragedy strikes, Sophie finds herself alone and must flee to safety.

I read this novel with my heart pounding. The story tells of the incredible strength, resourcefulness, and dedication of people helping people. The characters in this novel are so terrified and determined that they will not be caught by the Germans, that I felt as if I was fleeing with them from almost certain death.

This was my first time reading a book by Imogen Matthews and I really enjoyed her writing. This was a lovely story and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

Have been unable to review due to illness. Review coming soon! This novel looks fantastic and I highly recommend this author to everyone!

The was an interesting storyline which I enjoyed although I did find it quite slow paced. The fact that it is based on a true story was fascinating, albeit heart-breaking as you catch a glimpse of the suffering and sacrifices that so many endured during this harrowing time.
Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy.

I did enjoy this story. It is more slow paced at times. Definitely makes you stop and think and sometimes cry. WW2 and Nazi Germany can be a hard topic to read about but definitely important to learn from.

The Hidden Village by Imogen Matthews is a compulsive historical novel set in Holland during World War II.
Holland was rapidly overrun by Nazis and many people had to go into hiding. The Hidden Village tells a tale of the brave folks in a community who helped to feed and hide not only their Jewish neighbours, but those from further afield.
A whole hidden village sprang up within a dense forest but it needed brave and trusted people to bring supplies. The reader marvels at this community, even the children got involved, sometimes using imaginative ways to get food.
Not only Jewish people were hidden but any downed airmen were also fed and helped to safety.
The ordinary folk reacted with extraordinary acts of bravery. Their behaviour was in complete contrast to the horrendous acts of cruelty by the Nazis. Lives were blighted and changed forever in an instant.
I thoroughly enjoyed following the exploits of the incredibly brave people who kept going for years.
I received a free copy via Net Galley. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

The Hidden Village by Imogen Matthews and Narrated by Antonia Whillans is the first book in the new Wartime Holland series. This new book by Imogen was beautifully written from start to the end and is based on a true story and the work, of the Dutch resistance, of a secret village hidden deep in the forest near Vierhouten, This was near a house called 'Pas Op' meaning Beware and it was to provide secret shelter for over 80 Jewish refugees to hid people from the German army and they lived there for more than a year in 1943 to 1944.

What a superb book but you will need tissues.

I highly recommend this book and looking forward to the next book in this series.

The Narrator Antonia Whillans was excellent.

Big thank you to Imogen Matthews, the author, NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC of The Hidden Village in exchange for an honest review

A novel set during the Nazi occupation of Holland during WW2. Members of the Jewish community are living in fear in a small village due to the close proximity of German soldiers. Hidden away in local houses they are on high alert, Families split apart and teenagers and children feeling frustrated, missing out on normal life. However those protecting them have other ideas in the grand scheme of things and are determined they will not be found by the enemy. They set about building a hidden village with all amenities in the woods at Veluwe. Nail biting and distressing at times, the author deals sympathetically with the situation.

Thanks to Netgalley the author and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

The Nazis have control of the Netherlands but they cannot stop the spirit of humanity as the Dutch community work together to protect Jews and outcasts. A village is built in the woods but the hidden people continue to rely on their friends for survival...
The Hidden Village is an historical novel set in the 1940s. It is based on real life events from the war and I feel that the author has researched the plot in depth.
Jan, a boy of 11, is the main character, determined to prove himself as his childhood swiftly ends under Nazi occupation. The narration style is quite simple, almost replicating the youthful simplicity of the main characters.
The brutality of the Nazis is understated and insidious for the majority of the book, with little violence. However, the threat of danger overshadows all of the characters until the ending where it becomes more overt and unpleasant. I found that the end of the book was rather abrupt, suddenly skipping on 20 years and still not fully resolving some plot threads in my opinion.
I enjoyed the sense of community and family which are powerful themes through the book. Friendships and the bravery needed to protect loved ones, a combined purpose and the endurability of human nature also permeate across the plot.
The Hidden Village is an enjoyable novel, well researched and subtly emotive.

Wow, what a book!!

This is a really fascinating story, and what’s more, it’s based on true event’s which is always a winner for me. I am a big fan of WW2 historical fiction, I am fascinated by the real stories of how people came together to protect those being persecuted by the Nazi’s, so this book was right up my street. I had never heard of secret and hidden villages in the Dutch forests before, which is something I feel as though I should have known. I knew all about the Bielski brothers who were hiding fellow Jews in the woods throughout the war but I had never heard that something of the like was happening in Holland too.

The book doesn’t only tell the larger story of the actual real-life hidden village, but it has two young people at its heart; Sofia and Jan, two young people, both involved with the village but on different paths of life. Sofia a young Jew who has fled her home and everything she knows and loves, to hide in the village, and Jan is a local boy who helps the residents of the village in any way he can. But mistakes are made, tongues are a little loose than they should be which could bring danger and disaster to the people in the village. These wrong’s are genuine mistakes done by foolish young people whose hearts are in the right place.

I felt that this would be a great bridge between young adult and adult historical fiction as its main character’s are young adults and so a younger reader audience will be able to connect and relate to them and as it’s quite light on historical description especially regarding the village itself I felt there could have been a little bit more depth and detail, so perfect for readers who are just coming into the genre as it’s not heavy and easy to read. But saying that this book can (and should) be read by everyone and anyone.

There is so much to think about whilst reading this, I am in complete awe of the bravery and dignity of the character’s and the difficulties and the constant fear, living every day as it if it were their last, I am in constant awe and admiration for them. We think that we have had it tough during the last few years with Covid and all the restrictions which have been placed upon us to keep us safe, to be perfectly honest what we have had to do – wearing masks, keeping socially distanced, hand-sanitising, getting tested. That doesn’t even compare to what the real people in history had to face and we should think ourselves incredibly lucky. Our ‘hard times’ is nothing at all to what these courageous people faced!

I did think that it was a little slow-paced at times, and I would have liked further information about the village and how it was erected, but overall I thought it was very insightful.

The Hidden Village is a hugely inspiring, emotional, powerful and compelling story of loss, courage and mistakes, a definite must-read.

This was a brilliant read and is being featured on my blog for my quick star reviews feature, which I have created on my blog so I can catch up with all the books I have read and therefore review.
See www.chellsandbooks.wordpress.com.

This is my 1st book by this author.I was
in reading it for several reasons. I like WW2 Historical fiction and my father grew up in Holland and was there during the time period of this book.
It is 1943 the Nazi's have invaded and now occupy Holland. I an attempt to hide the Jewish residents in a Dutch village a hidden compound/ village deep within a wooded area. While this is fiction it is a factual situation. As you may imagine there are many scenes with the Germans going house to house looking for Jews; it is sometimes heart pounding for the reader. It is an inspiring read and shows the strength of the Dutch. I liked the use of the Dutch names and phrases. I would highly recommend this book !
Thanks for the opportunity to read and review this book which published on 1/17/22. Thanks to the author, NetGalley and the publisher, Bookputure.

Moving. Absolutely touching and very poignant. So very beautifully written. A story that makes you think, question, cry. Just beautiful.

The Hidden Village is the second book that I have recently read by Imogen Matthews set in Holland during World War Two. Again as with her previous book I found it interesting to read a book set in Holland during the war as not many books in this genre are set in this country. The book is split into six parts detailing one community’s bravery, sacrifices and struggles during the war showing how no-one, no matter how small or insignificant, wasn’t left unaffected by the actions of one man’s quest for power and hatred for those he deemed unworthy of society or life.

The Hidden Village is a quick read with a very large cast of characters. It does become confusing to keep track of all the people mentioned and there are a lot of minor stories that flow out from the main plot. At times I felt the story jumped around a lot from one person to another rather too quickly. A few more pages or chapters focusing on one or more specific people before moving to the next set of characters would have been beneficial as the jumping around made the story feel disjointed at times. Essentially this is a good read with an important story and message to tell and it is told well even though I would say I think preferred the previous read from this author - The Girl Across the Wire Fence.

Jan Mulder is 11 and lives in the village of Kampenveld with his brother Oscar and parents Sara and Max. Sara is British but has lived in Holland for many years. There is an air of innocence surrounding Jan as he loves to spend his days in the woods with his friends Nico and Lex playing, hiding and making dens. But times are changing and the atmosphere is one of danger, unrest, unease and suspicion. War has broken out and Jews amongst many other members of society are being singled out. Jan is angry at what is unfolding in the world and at what is clearly approaching ever nearer into the heart and soul of the local community. Despite being so young he is determined to wage his own war against the wrongs being meted out to so many of his fellow country men.

A lot of the focus of the story is on Jan and how though he may be small he is mighty in that he sees the bigger picture and wants to help in any way he can. Others may view him as an insignificant boy but he has a huge part to play in the overall plot of the book. At times you would almost forget that he was so young given the situations he finds himself in. Rescuing and hiding British and American pilots, engaging in providing food for those that need it and helping his mother when her husband abandons her and they in turn go on to shelter Jews and refugees escaping unspeakable horrors. Jan is a stand out character and even though many adults feature in the book, it is the younger cast of characters that are the most impressive and noteworthy for their actions, determination, bravery, strength and courage.

Sofie is only 15 but yet knows that being a Jew means the stability and security in her life is slipping away. Soldiers arrive to her house to inspect her family’s papers and this time they are lucky and are not taken away. But how long will they remain safe given there are rumours of so many being taken away to camps where the truth of the untold horrors that occur there are not yet common knowledge? Restrictions to her freedom soon become common place and she finds herself separated from her parents. They have to stay with others away from their village but there was no space for Sofie. You can’t begin to even imagine what it must have been like to have your freedom taken from you simply because of your beliefs let alone the fact that you have to be separated from those that you love. There are numerous stories in this book that tell of this situation with Sofie’s being the dominant one. Again as with Jan, I felt she was older and wiser than her years. Yes, she mightn’t initially have had those traits but she soon came to have them in abundance when she realises now is the time for her to really grow up and put her own issues of love (the love she has for Oscar) aside and work with the hidden community that emerges to fight for their very existence.

The sense of community that exists in Kampenveld really emerges the further you delve into the book. The Dutch resistance is hard at work and it really comes into its own when it becomes evident that there are refugees flooding into their village but also that members of their own tightknit community need refuge. A village is built deep within the woods and that is what gives the book its title. Hidden far from prying eyes, those being the eyes of the German soldiers who patrol daily looking for those that are on their wanted list. The village grows and expands with parts of it built underground and the majority of the story follows how it was kept hidden, how food was brought in and how everyone worked together to keep those that had to live there safe. Caution, being wary and on a high alert at all times were the key factors. One small slip and everything could come crashing down and all their work to keep those they knew and so many others safe would have all been for nothing.

Sofie acted like a spoilt child at first, like she didn’t want to be in the village, like she would have preferred to take her chances. This only served to show her immaturity but as I have said she does grow in strength and character as the story moves forward. At around the halfway point, I was thinking in which direction is the plot ultimately going in? There was a lot of repetition of daily life in the camp and I was waiting for something dramatic and plot changing to happen. As first mentioned there were a lot of characters mentioned both those who lived in the camp, Jan and his family and many others working as a unit to keep the whereabouts and knowledge of the camp secret. But I felt at several points that I had missed important information when in fact I hadn’t. It was just that things jumped forward without specifics being actually said until after an event had taken place and even then mentioned in only one line where much more was needed to add cohesion and depth to certain junctures in the story.

What struck me whilst reading was how on earth did the Germans not know of or if they did hear rumours how did the village remain undiscovered for so long? I know the characters who built it were playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the army that could have been exposed at any moment but I still couldn’t fathom how the village remained undetected for as long as it did. Knowing this village is not just a work of fiction adds to the remarkable feats of bravery during the war. Before reading this book if you had told me that such a place successfully existed for the length of time that it did during the war I wouldn’t have believed you at all. It really served to highlight the courage and tenacity shown by a group of people in the face of such adversity and danger and how they would have done anything for those that needed help and to be hidden. These were brave, ordinary citizens who did remarkable things in extraordinary times of war and horror.

The Hidden Village was a good read although as I have said not my favourite out of the two books I have read by this author. The climax of the book was brutal in its descriptions and it needed to be and this where the depth I had wanted finally began to appear but it felt that it was coming too late. The climax itself set in motion another chain of life altering and terrible events but as I neared the end I thought everything was far too rushed and I was left with lots of questions regarding the characters being mentioned. I could see why certain things happened but I think even more explanation was needed and time for a new character to absorb and question things even further than they were allowed to. I sense there is perhaps a follow up book in the offing that may give the answers I seek. All in all, The Hidden Village is an interesting, thought provoking read.

This book revolves around characters in a Dutch village who help hide Jews from the German soldiers during World War II. I found it fascinating to hear about how the brave Dutch people helped the Jews. You can feel the fear and tension on the pages of *The Hidden Village. The fear of the Nazis discovering the village is great. By both the hidden Jews inside and the men, women, and children from the nearby village. They are risking their lives gathering food for all those hidden there. They are brave and resilient and do what they believe in. You will be on edge for sure!

It’s a well written novel, brilliantly researched with greatly developed characters. I found it easy to get stuck into and this continued throughout.

The Hidden Village threw me straight into the action with children playing innocently and Germans approaching the village. I continued reading with a sense of trepidation because we all know the atrocities they bring with them.

Told in third person, this story focuses on three main characters; young Jan who is still in his childhood but longs to be seen as older, Sofie a teenager whose future is looking bright until she is forced to hide and Sara Jan’s mother, whose husband helps set up the hidden village. The three viewpoints give a good overview of life because of their different stages of their lives and place in the community. Through Sofie’s eyes we see live in the forest, Sara experiences the goings on in the town battling to keep the Jews safe and Jan is a go between connecting the two.

Community is a key theme in this novel and despite the never ending threat of discovery, it was uplifting to read how powerful this sense of community was, which enabled the village to stay safe and fed during this time. Though the novel was harrowing in places, it was never graphic in it’s portrayal of the Nazi brutality and relied on the reader’s imagination and description of the sounds of hobnailed boots on floorboards to rank up the tension.

The Hidden Village gives a fascinating insight into life in Holland during the second World War and shows the horror of the time and the courage displayed by those who stood up against the evil of the Nazi regime. It is uplifting and shows love, and everyday things and emotions still occurred despite the dangerous threat of discovery. Perfect for those who love historical fiction and WW2 memoirs.

I did enjoy this book

It is about events that happened in World War II.

The story and characters flowed well. It was emotional in all the right places.

It did tend It slow down a bit at the end but it didn't effect my reading experience

What a great book! I loved this story based on true facts again showing the strength and courage of ordinary people in WW2. The story draws you in from the first pages with great characters and history but told in a way that I would think younger readers would like and help them understand more of what actually happened. A great page turner that I couldn't put down

Holland, 1943 Sofie’s family is threatened by the German soldiers and so she and her family flee in the middle of the night. They hide in a neighbor’s secret attic, but with constant threats of German raids their time hiding in the attic will be short. Sofie’s parents make the hardest decision of their lives. They decide to send Sofie away to a secret village hidden in the woods. The village was built by the local town for the purpose of offering a safe place for Jewish families. Being there is the only hope that they have of surviving. But the Nazis have gotten word about it and they are looking for it. Their determination and persistence in finding it is closing in on the families. But when the unthinkable happens, Sofie has to decide if she should save the village or save herself. This story was so heartbreaking and so inspiring I couldn’t put it down. I absolutely loved this story. My heart was pounding with the anticipation of what was going to happen next. You can’t help but feel like you are hiding in the village waiting to take your next breath. The author, Imogen Matthews has an amazing way of pulling you into the story from the very beginning and never letting you go. This phenomenal story is one you will never forget. My heart breaks when I think about the horrible things people had to endure during that time. But find hope in their survival. I loved this story, I can’t recommend it enough.

Thank you Imogen Matthews for such a wonderful historical fiction story. I absolutely loved that this story took place in Holland. I really enjoyed this wonderful story, and I highly recommend it.