Fenna Vos is the child of Dutch immigrants living in Michigan Copper Country. Fenna’s mom died in childbirth, so she is being raised by her father. In 1928, 11-year-old Fenna and her dad live in poverty, struggle through a mining strike and survive a town tragedy. These experiences shape Fenna into a courageous, determined and resilient young woman. Fenna befriends a neighbor, Arie, and the two quickly become best friends sharing secret codes and a love of magic and the great Houdini. Fenna develops her skills with the help of a carpenter and soon is the mastermind of a traveling magic show. Although she is the brains and talent behind the show, she exists in the shadows as an assistant. Her skills as an illusionist are noticed by Major Hutton, a British member of M19. Major Hutton recruits Fenna to use her skills to aid the war effort. Fenna moves overseas and creates gadgets, hidden compartments and invisible maps to aid allied POWs during WWII. Throughout the years, her relationship with Arie changes yet when she is asked to be an operative on the ground in the Netherlands to help her friend, Fenna accepts the challenge.

Review:
I love WWII historical fiction and was delighted to read a fresh and unique story, based upon actual events. During the war, monopoly boards were used to smuggle items to Allied POWs to aid their survival and escape. Fenna, as a skilled illusionist, is the perfect person to develop hidden gadgets amongst ordinary items. The story takes us from Fenna’s childhood to present through flashbacks. This is a well crafted historical fiction novel filled with suspense, danger and a lifelong friendship turned romance. The two main characters are well developed, the story is well researched and based upon actual events. The idea of magic saving allied troops is a magical one. If you enjoy historical fiction, this is a fresh take with a strong female lead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for allowing me to review this ARC. This book will be published on 9/6/22.

Kristina McMorris has done it again!! Just like Sold on a Monday, #wayswehide deserves blockbuster status and would make a wonderful, enlightening, war movie that I would pay to watch. In fact, I would reread this book again which is something I rarely do (so many books, so little time). Everything in this story, from the true bits, to the characters, to the interweaving of the fiction into history is spot on! The characters are believable, likable, and I found myself getting emotionally involved with their story.
I received an advance reading copy of this book from #netgalley and the publisher and this review is completely my own.

I enjoyed this book. I can not wait for more by this author! Thanks to publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book!

A sweeping WWII novel with a female illusionist protagonist, “The Ways We Hide” follows Fenna Vos from her childhood in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, through her early career as an illusionist’s assistant, and then as her skills lead her to be recruited by British intelligence. Fenna’s story is one of family love, romantic love, loyalty, danger, and espionage.

WWII novels are all the rage in the historical fiction genre right now, but Venna’s fascinating illusion and escape skills make this novel stand out in a crowd. Though Fenna herself is fictional, many of the plot points and characters are based on actual events. The author did an incredible amount of research, inspired by the Italian Hall Disaster and Bethnal Green Tube Disaster, as well as the true story of Clutty and how his gadgets and inventions influenced the trajectory of the war. Really interesting stuff! I’d have liked a little more of Fenna and her military intelligence work and a little less romance, but her relationship with Arie is necessary to the plot since it motivates many of her decisions.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me an advance copy of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for a pre-publication copy of this book.

This novel follows Fenna, a young woman from girlhood into adulthood as she navigates a desire to explore her chosen profession on her own terms, juxtaposed against the precarious time of World War 2. We have the world of magic (as in magicians) , some romance, and an exciting foray into the world of espionage. All of these were handled extremely well by the author. I would say that even though the story largely takes place during WW2, I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as WW2 fiction because it is so much more.

We follow our heroine through a challenging childhood in a few well chosen flashbacks, into her chosen profession of stage magic. Fenna was raised by her father, a Dutch immigrant, after her mother dies in childbirth. Left on her own after the untimely death of her father, Fenna is resourceful enough to fend for herself. She is a huge fan of Harry Houdini and enlists her childhood friend Arie as she explores this world. She and Arie form an unbreakable bond that follows them into adulthood.

I know nothing about the world of magicians and thought the author did a brilliant job describing the routines and preparation taken by this stagecraft. It is apparent that she did her homework. Equally impressive was the blending of fact and fiction as our heroine goes undercover for the British Military Intelligence during war time. After I finished the book, I was fascinated to read the background on the story. This is fiction but with ties to real events.

I have to admit I needed to put the book aside now and again as the suspense grew so acute, I needed to catch my breath. If I had been watching this on the screen versus reading the book, I would have had to hit pause. That being said, this story was told so effectively that I could easily see that it would translate well to the screen. The writing was wonderful, the characters well developed, and I was still thinking about the story days after finishing the book. I will definitely be reading more of this author.

Started very slow for me and never really took off enough for me to be engaged in the story. Just because it was not my favorite does not mean someone else won’t love it. A historical novel with likeable characters and some mystery

Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an egalley in exchange for an honest review

This historical novel takes its readers from Michigan's Copper Country in the 1920's to New York, London, and Amsterdam in the 1940's. I have been on a self imposed rest from WWII fiction for the majority of the year. The one exception was Girl in the Blue Coat which I read in June. Truth was, I felt I had oversaturated myself after many years been obsessed and I just needed to find different periods of history to learn more about. But had I ever read a WWII story about an illusionist being involved in the war effort? Nope, I never really had.

Our main protagonist is Fenna Vos, daughter of Dutch immigrants, Fenna learned how to survive on her own. Although she regrets the distance that now exists between her and the boy she loved, Fenna is intrigued to go to London and see what she can do. Once there, she is recruited to M19 and works for Major Hutton as they create game boards to help with the war effort. This is of course based on research that the author discovered and thus uses it in the storyline. Very interesting!

Readers are also given more of Fenna's backstory and while doing this Kristina McMorris uses the history researched about the Italian Hall Disaster, 1913. This historical event provides the inspiration of a fictional event that takes place in her novel's timeline. All of this is explained in the informative author's novel at the end of the book. Again, very interesting history!

I should also add that there's another piece of history which McMorris uses about the London bombings and the descriptions of that event felt so realistic and created a very tense atmosphere.

Do you feel that I am on the cusp of a BUT?

Yes, yes, I am! As coincidences happen in novels, Fenna, while in London, comes face to face with Arie, her first love, the one she almost married. This brief encounter will then spiral into how the remainder of the novel is going to play out. So Fenna later learns that Arie's conduct has come under the war offices scrutiny. Fenna feels defensive about her friend and sets out to clear his name. This eventually leads her to going to Holland to find him.

And that my fellow readers is when yours truly completely forgot that there was a world war going on. Because the WHOLE plot becomes about this relationship and there's some plot twists that did jolt me to the realities but they felt like they HAD to be placed. I KNOW a lot of my fellow reviewers LOVED this story( I see all those 5 stars on NetGalley!)but I guess for myself personally, I just find this romance vein in the genre is actually the chief reason that I became so tired out with WWII fiction in the first place. Because the protagonist has been set up that they're making their contribution to the war effort and I saw that when Fenna was in London. But then in Holland it becomes something else that left me wishing the book had not taken that route. Again, that's just MY PERCEPTION ON AN ELEMENT OF A PLOT THAT TRIGGERS ME AS A READER.


I look forward hopefully to a genuine and rich discussion with fellow reviewers and readers about this book. I don't want my last paragraph to be the only thing that people respond to because as I highlighted there are some very interesting historical events that Kristina McMorris brought to light that were what kept me reading.

Expected Publication Date o6/09/22
Goodreads Review Published 01/08/22

#TheWaysWeHide #NetGalley

I’ll be honest here. McMorris is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve read more than a few historical novels about female spies risking their lives in occupied European countries. This novel should have ticked all my checkboxes and I really looked forward to reading it. However, while a very strong and good read, it didn’t make its way to a five star for me as it felt like it worked to hard to create a backstory for the protagonist and tested my willingness to suspend my disbelief. After reading the novel, it felt to me that a lot of that work wasn’t needed. After all, heroes walk among us simply waiting to be tested and to rise to the moment. Perhaps it was the backstory that bogged down the beginning that left me waiting for something to happen.

This is the second book by author Kristina McMorris I have read. The character development of the main character Fenna Vos is wonderfully extensive. Fenna grows up without a mother and experiences tragedy after tragedy. She becomes a magician’s assistant who is the mastermind of the act. She develops new tricks and ways of escape emulating her hero Houdini. She is soon approached by British military intelligence and tasked with coming up with inventions to aid the military using her skills as a magician. She soon finds herself initially reluctantly drawn into the heart of the war in ways she never expected. She must use her skills to find and help someone from her past escape. In doing so she is put in danger and must rely on her skills of deception to bring herself and those she loves to freedom.

This is such a different kind of WWII story, it involves aspects of the war and intelligence that I had never considered or heard about. I really enjoyed reading the Author’s Notes at the end of the book and finding out that this is based on many actual facts from WWII. I took my time reading this book. I wanted to savor every chapter and enjoy the storyline.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this ARC in return for my review.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

To briefly summarize the book, readers are presented with Fenna, our protagonist. The story is initially set NY in 1942, where we meet an adult Fenna, working as a magician on the stage. Some things happen, and flashback to Copper Country, in the UP of Michigan, during the late 1920s for the backstory. Here we have Fenna, who after experiencing a series of heartbreaks, latches on to learning magic, using Harry Houdini as a role model as a sort coping mechanism to keep herself together. She is joined in this interest by her good friend,Arie. So from this point, I’m not going to ruin the plot, but if you choose to dive into this book you’ll be hanging with Fenna and Arie for a long time. And I mean a looooong time. This book goes on. And on. Honestly, that’s one of my gripes about it. I love a good long book I can get lost in for hours, but I found myself with this one wishing the author would wrap it up already. The writing is in the first person and it’s pretty much deadly serious. And while I love the WWII historical fiction genre, I honestly felt this author went way too far with contriving the storyline. I’m sure her research was spot on, but she overdid it. Her poor protagonist encountered so many catastrophic events I wanted to rescue her halfway through the narrative. All said, I finished the book but didn’t love it.

Fenna Vos is a magical mastermind, able to emulate Houdini's impressive feats of escapism on stage and in life. When the story opens, she is on tour with her partner of several years, Charles, but they have a falling out and Fenna decides to take a job working for London intelligence to help combat the Axis powers. She gets wrapped up in a unique mission in Holland that will test her loyalties, her resolve, and her bravery.

I couldn't put this one down! I was very quickly swept up in Fenna's story. I love how Kristina McMorris always includes detailed author's notes at the end, describing what features of the story are based on fact and which she has tweaked to fit the narrative. I think the blending of events in this particular story is perfect, they flow exceptionally well and really make the characters pop for me.

It's tough to find new WWII fiction that's unique in premise. This one is delightfully distinctive, with so many details around Fenna's illusions and the gadgets she and Clutty come up with. The soup can incident is especially hilarious, and even better when you learn that it's a true story! I also enjoyed the fact that this story took place in Holland/The Netherlands and was centered around Dutch immigrants, as I think this country is extremely underrepresented in WWII fiction. Loved it all!

Thank you to Kristina McMorris, Sourcebooks Landmark, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC!

Loved this beautifully written WWII historical novel. Kristina McMorris has a way of weaving her stories to make you fall in love with the characters and really feel and empathize with the hard trying times they experienced. Ways We Hide should not be missed.
Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I was anxious to read Ways We Hide as I loved Ms. McMorris' other book Sold on a Monday. She did not disappoint. I was hooked in the first chapter. Magic and magicians generally do not interest me but how the premise was applied to supporting M19 during WWII definitely did. The primary characters were fully developed including their flaws. I have shared this with my book club which also enjoyed Sold on a Monday. Please support this author who draws inspiration from her found objects and pictures.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I've been on a WWII kick lately. I love reading about the every day people who went above and beyond to help their to become unsung war heroes. It gives me hope for humanity.

The Ways We Hide is a historical fiction story based around true events. Fenna had a good, but hard life. She went through many hardships and overcame them to do great things. Her story is one of love and loss and courage to endure. I enjoyed her story, her tenacity, and her unwillingness to give up on those she loves.

This was my second book by this author, and I've come to enjoy the writing style and storytelling.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕎𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕖
𝙺𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝙼𝚌𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚜
World War ll Historical Fiction
496 Pages
Pub date: September 6, 2022

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

Fenna had a tough childhood going from poor but loved to becoming an orphan. Her two saving graces are magic and her friend Arie. Magic leads her to work with an escape artist. Although she is the brains behind the tricks, she doesn’t get the credit she deserves. So, when the British Military Intelligence wants her to work for them designing aids to help their men escape from the Germans, she accepts.

Adding escape methods to many everyday items keeps her busy and away from her past until she sees Arie again. Shortly after, she is grilled about what she told him. Learning that he is in danger, she puts herself in the same position as she is determined to keep him safe.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

The Ways We Hide is yet another look into a war that reached far and wide. The focus is on a young girl named Fenna who grows up to use her illusionist skills to help soldiers, including escape aids to prisoners of war working for British Intelligence. This was kept classified, helping thirty-five thousand men return to friendly ground. I had no idea of this Official Secrets Act. Amazing!

Another piece of history I have never heard about is the Italian Hall Disaster that occurred in Calumet, Michigan, in 1913, and I live in Michigan. Seventy-three people died from a stampede in a stairwell after someone yelled fire. There was no fire. In this story, Fenna was part of this.

Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. Kristina describes her research which is fascinating. I found this quote by the author incredibly accurate, “I often liken historical fiction to ‘literary Advil,’ in that, ideally, readers enjoy the sugarcoating of a story while benefiting from the ‘good stuff’ along the way.”

The story itself is a heartfelt look at a woman who suffered through many hardships while continuing to love and care for others. She worked tirelessly and put herself in danger to help soldiers and other people in her life. I’d say this book is sad yet informative, dealing with love and loss at a fundamental level. I certainly learned from it. .

A WWll novel about a female magician/illusionist who is recruited by British Intelligence to help the Allies by using common items to hide maps, rations, money and safe houses. Fenna finds herself in the Nazi occupied Denmark trying to save her childhood sweetheart. Historical fiction at its best.

What a unique story!! I thought I'd read every POV about WW2, but this was so interesting and different. Also, I am from the area near Calumet fires and knew NOTHING. This is why books are so important!!

I really enjoyed how these two unique events were woven together. The author notes go into this idea more and how it came about. Don't skip author notes, people!!

This is a tale of a little Dutch American girl, Fenna Vos. Her life is shaped by a childhood tragedy. Magic becomes a refuge for her. Her specialty is escapes. She appears as the assistant in the acts, hiding her mastery behind the scenes. But a clever spy gadget master sees through this and recruits her for a branch of the WWII British Intelligence Service. The story proceeds like a complex magic trick.
This is a review of an eGalley provided by NetGalley.

Some of the descriptors I imagined would pop up if I scrolled on this title for a show on a streaming service would say, "strong female lead, WWII drama, suspense, and based on true events.” The story is told from the perspective of Fenna Vos, a Dutch-American woman living during WWII, a time known as “the Greatest Generation,” and is set up in three different time periods. The story opens in 1942 when she and her partner Charles are performing escape acts in front of mostly WWII service members. Fenna doesn't realize it at the time, but she's sharing her special skills and abilities in creating illusions to someone from British intelligence. She masterminded the act and had helped to mold Charles into the showman and performer he is today. But he had started to veer from their plans. He went rogue during one act, and Fenna had a PTSD moment that hinted at past trauma.
McMorris gave enough clues to make me want to know what happened to Fenna that caused the panic inside. With her relationship with Charles fraying at the seams, she considered a new opportunity when approached by the British intelligence agent, Christopher Clayton Hutton, to work for MI9 in London. Her upset with Charles also caused her return in her mind to the past to someone else she wronged, Arie Jansen, a childhood friend. Fenna contacted Arie, an engineer and U.S. service member now, to tell him about the opportunity with MI9. Arie seemed distant and angry; he misunderstood her during that phone conversation. Conflict between two men in her life then appeared to push Fenna into the direction of accepting the position where she would invent gadget that hide things like maps, compasses, tools, and other items service members would need in combat.
The second part began in 1928 when Fenna experienced a horrific event as a child living in a copper mining town in Eden Springs, Michigan. She had attended a party on Christmas Eve party for striking miners and their children. This is when Fenna met Arie and explained the incredible bond they had, as well as their individual coping mechanisms. I won’t give anything away, but the pace picked up here and set my heart racing with Fenna’s through several chapters. I told my husband what I had just read one night when I couldn't block out the scenes, and he thought I had read a news article. I said, “No, but it might as well be! It's based on real events.” Searching online, I found the story about the Italian Hall and the tragic event on Christmas Eve 1913 that became the backstory for the traumatic event. I had some sleepless nights. I started reading this book in the daytime. Yes, it’s that intense.
One of Fenna’s ways of coping came from reading and acting out magic tricks from a book Arie gave her by Harry Houdini. I got the sense that she escaped often when faced with a breaking point in her life to avoid processing the pain.
And the hits in this novel just kept coming for Fenna. But then, she rose time and time again, doing the best she could to survive each new challenge.
Fenna’s coping mechanisms played into her skills in the field as an agent. She didn’t sleep often at night to avoid the nightmares caused by the traumatic childhood event. She could stay awake and alert. Her love of magic and Houdini led to her ability to escape life-threatening situations. She could hide inner turmoil, trauma, and fear behind a semblance of control. She could keep moving after seeing things that would leave anyone immobilized and terrified.
I had great respect and admiration for Fenna and felt this novel should be a "must-read" for fall. She showed:
1. Self-control. Whether thinking through possible scenarios or reading a situation or person, she let herself only briefly go toward the negative, and then stop herself and reign in her thoughts.
2. Strong loyalty. She didn’t jump to conclusions about the people in her life, at least not right away. Her ability to read people well developed over the years, so she trusted her own judgment.
3. Confidence. She collected information before she went with her instincts. She didn’t let fear take over and stop her in her tracks for long, even at the possibility of not making it out of a situation alive and well.
4. Character. She may not have overtly talked about a faith in God, but she held herself and others to a strong sense of morals and ethics. As a young child and later as a young woman, she often put others’ needs before her own. She also tried to protect others from harm at the possible expense of her own happiness, well-being, or safety.
Thank you, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for this opportunity to read and review Kristina McMorris’ “The Ways We Hide” before its release.

I loved the characters in this book! They were real people with real emotions that I could feel coming across through the pages of the book. Their struggles are real and the storyline is one that not only captivated me, but gave me information regarding the actions taken by the English to enable their soldiers and officers to escape if captured during World War II. It was information that I had never known and I felt connected to the characters and their trauma, struggles and love. War is never pretty, and love amidst war can make a person do things they never thought possible. That’s what this story is about. Enduring love in the midst of struggles and war. New to Kristina McMorris writing, but this won’t be the last of her books that I’ll read. I felt privileged to get an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.