Fenna grows up with hardships and performs with escape artist as young adult. She makes most of the equipment for the shows so is recruited by British military intelligence during WWII to design escape aids. She finds love, takes risks, and helps others. Different perspective of WWII based on true accounts

This was my first book by Kristina McMorris and I found it to be totally engrossing. Her characters are so well developed, the descriptions crisp and the research had to have been extensive. Of course, she fictionalized parts of the World War II story and plumped up the story into an educational, but totally entertaining story of a woman magician recruited to produce "gadgets" to help soldiers (secret maps, disguised telescopes and flashlights) and hiding places for them. Her personal story was a great enhancement to the story. There's also a truly touching romance thrown in and so many touching moments that made me cry.

The book is almost four hundred pages, but I found that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and I had finished it before I knew it.

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "The Ways We Hide" and all opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed a previous book "Sold on a Monday" by this author. Unfortunately, The Ways We Hide didn't hold my attention. I don't know if it was the magic tricks, slow pace, etc. I had a hard time following the story. I did not finish.

I loved Fenna and was rooting for her the whole book. There were a few parts inspired by true events that I never heard of which was great. This book was very well researched! A must read for historical fiction fans.

DNF at 50%. I wanted to love this book, being a big fan of WWII stories, but sadly it did not work for me. I found the writing a slow place and the story a lot longer than it needed to be. Also, when I read the plot summary, I thought the magic component would be more prevalent than it was. My favorite part was the section that took place prior to the war.

Maybe I’m an outlier but this book really didn’t do it for me. My favorite part was the first section, and the rest was sort of downhill. I had hoped the magic would have been a bigger component of the story, and it just wasn’t (a missed opportunity IMO). This book was also far too long for what it was. I wish I could put my finger on what didn’t work for me, but I found myself not really wanting to pick this book up.

Oh, my goodness. Run don’t walk to get this historical fiction book that is a must read. From the beginning to the end, I could not put this down. When I was reading this book, the irony was that I was on vacation in the Keeweenaw peninsula, heart of the copper country in Michigan where an important part of this story took place. Fenna Vos was a survivor. Having lost her mother early in life and later her father, a copper miner who also lost his life early to pneumonia, Fenna had to learn to fend for herself. As one of only a few who survived the horrible Christmas Eve massacre at the Italian Hall, thanks to the help of her new friend Arie. However, this affected her the rest of her life. Fenna has an affinity for Harry Houdini, magic, illusions, and escape. As an adult, she is the mastermind of escapes but seen as the assistant to Charles, an escape artist. Fenna is recruited to help M19 in London to devise special hidden gadgets to help soldiers in the field to survive during WWII. Meanwhile, her best friend Arie, whom she hides secrets from, is missing in action, and suspected of being a traitor. Fenna she sets out to prove them wrong and to save him as she goes on a secret mission to find him in the Netherlands. I loved the suspense which kept me turning the page. The characters are strong and relatable, they made me laugh and cry. It was an interesting read about elements of behind the scenes in a war, of spies, and the contributions of brave men and women to protect others. Who knew that Monopoly was used as a weapon in espionage? This is a story of courage, friendship, loyalty, perseverance, and love. I highly recommend this book.

Many thanks to #netgalley #wayswehide #kristinamcmorris #sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Kristina McMorris has cemented herself as one of my favorite authors with The Ways We Hide. The pace is a little slower, but it never feels like it drags on. There was enough happening to make me want to keep reading.

I like that The Ways We Hide was not only based on WWII, but also on other lesser-known events. At least I didn't know about them which made everything more intriguing. Fenna is a strong protagonist and I felt like I was experiencing everything with her and leaving a dear friend at the end of the book.

The Ways We Hide is a beautifully written novel. It's about the unexpected strength and courage we find in ourselves when faced with challenges, and surviving losses.

I highly recommend The Ways We Hide to historical fiction fans, especially fans of The Nightingale.

This books rates 10 out of 10 in could not put downness! Once you get started on this one, don’t make another plans. Fen's plucky innate survival skills serve her well from early childhood on. There is love, intrigue and heartbreak in every stage of the story. The characters are fully animated and fun to get to know. In a tide of books either to frivolous, gut wrenching, or heavy, Ways We Hide is a welcome sight on the new books shelve.

For some reason, I had a hard time connecting with this story. It may be me or where I'm at so...

There a lot of history which is interesting but the story moved slow which may have been the issue for me. The premise of the book is fascinating, but the pace seems to drag.

I thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Kristina McMorris has written another spectacular book with The Ways We Hide. The story centers around Fenna, a young woman who has gone through numerous traumatic situations. Fenna trains herself to become an illusionist like Houdini, which gets her recruited to help the British with the war against Germany.
This story evokes emotions of love, fear, friendship, and grief. It has complex characters and you grow to love them. Kristina McMorris does her research and shows you the history while enveloping you in the story. I look forward to reading many more books by her.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.

Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris is my first book by this author. I’ll start with the part that intrigued me the most. The premise of this story began with a minimally known fact about how Monopoly, the board game, was used to smuggle escape maps and aids to Allied Prisoner of War during World War II. Who would have thought! There in is the beginning of the intrigue of this story.

This is a very well written historical fiction novel. The story encompasses courage, fear, illusion, espionage, loss and war. It has tons of suspense, tragedy, heartbreak, hope, heroism and finally sprinkled with romance.

The settings throughout the book were very well written. You can feel the dark, the rain, see the cobwebs, smell the smoke and walk through the streets, houses and rooms. The author’s ability to place the reader into each scene is wonderful.

The main protagonist is Fenna Vos. She is resilient, courageous, smart, caring and likeable. The story is about Fenna’s life. She is a skilled illusionist who’s hero is none other than Houdini. The author had me so vested in Fenna’s story that it was difficult to put down. Fenna faces many fears from her childhood that reoccur and haunt her. This is the kind of character you find yourself crying with, cheering for her, worrying about and being in awe of her courage. Fenna has an admiring amount of inner strength which she relies on in order to overcome so many obstacles. She deals remarkably with the treachery and evil she is faced with. The author has the reader following this winding adventure from beginning to end.

I was thrilled to see how the author had woven all these various thread together at the end of the story. Be sure to take the time to read the Author’s Notes at the end. It is wonderful to see where the history was and where ideas grew from. To me, Kristina McMorris is the illusionist! Very well done. I will definitely be reading her other stories and wonder what she has in store for us next.

I would like to thank Ms. McMorris, SOURCEBOOKS Landmark and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. This story follows Fenna from growing up in Michigan’s Copper Country to being knee deep in the middle of WWII. Fenna has been fascinated with magic and Houdini since she was a little girl. When tragedy strikes, she is forced into fending for herself. Fast forward to 1943, she’s a part of the British military intelligence, tasking with creating hidden objects for aid of British soldiers. Realizing a friend from the past is in danger, she reluctantly signs up to go undercover in the Netherlands. A lot more than she bargains for awaits her and all she has to do is worry about fending for herself and being two steps ahead of her past. I loved this book and eagerly kept turning the pages wanting to know what awaited Fenna. I almost threw this across the room during a part that utterly broke my heart! Loved that my hometown is mentioned several times during the book and shined a spotlight on a part of Michigan’s history that isn’t well know. Highly recommend this book for not only the high pace action but the great storytelling!

A great WW II novel very accurate in her research Kristina McMorris has written an incredible tale of survival, friendship, trust and love. Fen and Arie’s life has been intertwined since childhood and, even if they parted ways abruptly, the war will bring them together in a risky mission amidst the Nazis in Dutch. A really great story that will keep you reading until the end.

The Ways We Hide is the story of Fenna Vos, a girl raised by her father in hardship during the Depression. Eventually orphaned, Fenna goes to live in an orphanage, then eventually escapes to live in the city, doing magic tricks on the street corner to make money. As time goes by, she is noticed by an important government official who gives her the opportunity to work for the war effort in Europe making and inventing gadgets that will help soldiers to survive and avoid capture. She is drawn into the world of espionage and is eventually reunited with her long-time friend, Arie, who has loved her since they were children. She is called on rescue Arie's niece and return her to her family in the US. I found the first part of the book slow and "wordy", but eventually grew accustomed to the writer's style and enjoyed it. The book is full of breathtaking suspense and the writer did an excellent job with these portions. There's a sadness to this story that I can't get past. It is based on a true story and must have required extensive research. The writer's note at the end is excellent, so don't pass it up. If you enjoy WWII historial fiction, you will be intrigued with this one. Thank you, Net Galley, Kristina McMorris and Sourcebooks for the ARC. Publication date is September 6, 2022. I recomend it!

I just reviewed Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris. #TheWaysWeHide #NetGalley

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmarks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be published September 6, 2022.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It started off so compelling, got a bit slow in the middle and then picked up pace near the end. Otherwise would have been 4.5 stars. I found the writing to be beautiful and eloquent, the kind of sentences you have to read twice because they are just that good.

It’s the story of young Fenna Vos, who learns the art of magic. It’s historical fiction so the backdrop is war time. Fenna is recruited to help during the war, and she crosses paths were her childhood friend Arie. They attempt a risky move to try to escape.

Themes include magic, war, loss and what it means to have family.

In the interest of full disclosure, it took me a couple of chapters to really become charmed by The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris, however, the push to keep going was entirely worth it. A truly engrossing, magical and twisting story, set in both the 1920s and the 1940s. We meet the main characters, Fenna and Arie as children, who experience a traumatic event, narrowly escaping with their lives. Arie gifts Fenna a copy of Houdini’s magic tricks, and she becomes obsessed with mastering his skills of illusion. While Fenna and Arie were separated for a time, they are reunited and grow up together, in the home of Arie’s parents, Fenna out of fear stemming from earlier trauma flees with only a letter left as a goodbye. Fenna follows in Houdini’s footsteps and becomes a part of an illusionist show, devising and designing complex escape illusions for her partner. After a performance she is offered the opportunity to go to England and join an M19 classified section to help create gadgets and tools for the Allieds to use to help win the war. Fenna ends up using the skills she has practiced since childhood to escape multiple dangerous situations and free a young Jewish girl with connections to her past.

Inspired by true events, including the Italian Hall Disaster in Calumet, Michigan, the tricks of Harry Houdini and board games which were used to smuggle escape aids to Allied prisoners of war in WWII. This novel is well researched and exceptionally well written.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and the author for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I read books electronically I often struggle with no necessarily knowing how long the book is... and man, did I feel like this book drug on and on at parts. I finally checked the page count and yeah, it was a bit long. Shorten this book by about 200 pages and I would have enjoyed it much more. It was an interesting take on WW2 but the romance part had me kinda ehhh.

Once I got into this book I was intrigued by Fenna and what was going to happen next as she went through her time in the service. There were moments of mystery that really pulls the reader in. It did take me a while to get into the book - it starts with her as an adult, and when she gets approached to join British Intelligence the story switches to her as a child - which I don't know was fully necessary and was less intriguing to me. This ultimately led to a 4 star rating. Once I got past about 35% and the story focused on Fenna as an adult/in British Intelligence the story was gripping and a fast read.

Synopsis: As a little girl raised amid the hardships of Michigan’s Copper Country, Fenna Vos learned to focus on her own survival. Though she performs onstage as the assistant to an unruly escape artist, behind the curtain she’s the mastermind of their act. Ultimately, controlling her surroundings and eluding traps of every kind helps her keep a lingering trauma at bay. Yet for all her planning, Fenna doesn’t foresee being called upon by British military intelligence. Tasked with designing escape aids to thwart the Germans. Fenna reluctantly joins the unconventional team as an inventor. But when a test of her loyalty draws her deep into the fray, she discovers no mission is more treacherous than escaping one’s past.

Thank you to netgalley and Sourcebook to for the Ways we Hide. A remarkable historical fiction novel that takes place during world war 2. The characters were memorable and I was eager to see how they developed into the story. Kristina Mc Morris is a talented author who develops memorable characters that you cant wait to see how there story takes place. This is my second book by this author but, it will not be my last.