I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I have tried to get into this book several times and even tried it on audio, but I can't seem to get into it. It is a well-loved title by many of my patrons, so I do plan to rate it high, although I couldn't finish it.

My favorite genre of books is historical fiction which occurs during WWII. However, the genre is saturated with books about this time period so it takes a special book to stand out among the myriad of similar ones. It either has to be a unique take/focus on the war and/or the author has to be a fabulous writer and has that gift to bring me into the story and hold my attention. However, The War Girls did not do that for me. The book was way too long and it felt like I was treading through mud to get to the end. I do appreciate the story of how the Jews were treated in the ghetto of Warsaw during WWII. The premise that this is about a spy is misleading. The majority of the book deals with the surviving life in the Ghetto under Hitler’s reign of terror as well as the way the individuals rebelled. I would have appreciated more of the spy aspect of the story.

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

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

In my opinion, this was a good book. Anytime a writer highlights the fears of a female during this time period I am going to read it. I just don’t know if this book had the punch I am looking for when reading this era. Yes the Warsaw ghetto was horrendous as was some of the decisions that had to be made. The writing was good.

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

With beauty and clarity, V.S. Alexander has penned another inspiring and unforgettable story about ordinary people whose courage, sacrifice, and conviction led them to do extraordinary things during the darkest days of WW2.

The War Girls is a well researched and beautifully written story of three incredibly brave and selfless women, Jewish sisters Hanna and Stefa Majewski, one imprisoned in the Warsaw ghetto during the occupation who is committed to work with the Jewish resistance, the other a Special Operations Executive in London who try’s to save her family in Poland, and Janka, a Polish Catholic woman who is sick of the hatred and cruelty she’s witnessed from her nazi supporting husband and others in the community, who comes to help Hanna rescue her family. Such a powerful story about love, compassion, friendship and sacrifice amidst the uncertainty of war.

I’ve read several books by this author. I have been drawn in initially by the beautiful covers, but have grown to love the beauty and depth of his writing and his strong women protagonists. Each story has been amazing.

A heart felt thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy of this fantastic story. This is my honest review and the opinions above are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. What a powerful story.!!! Historical fiction at its best. A story set in Poland, World War II, and a look at the Warsaw ghetto. One’s family to survive and the bravery of so many. Definitely recommend.

This is definitely a great book for people who want the woman on the cover war fiction, for everyone else it's middle of the road and a bottom tier compared to other (practically identical titles) this year

If I could give this book 10 stars, I would, for the brutal honesty of the writing, the characters and the story line. I have read many historical fiction books on the Holocaust, but the stories of the Blitz, the Warsaw Ghetto, and the resistance are some of the most accurate and realistic. Hanna left her home in Warsaw, rejecting the strict Jewish religion of her parents. Living in London during the Blitz results in Hanna joining the SOE to go behind enemy lines back to her home city. Her parents, along with her sister, Stefa, and her brother, Aaron, are suffering the fate of Jews once the Nazis invaded. Your heart will break while reading about Nazi brutality and some Polish collaboration, but will soar with the heroism of the Majewskis and Janka, a righteous Gentile. I highly recommend this book and give kudos to the author. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This follows the life of a family of Polish Jews during the German invasion and the building of the Warsaw ghetto and the subsequent removal of the Jews from the ghetto to the extermination camps.

Perla Majewski is Hanna and Stefa’s mother. As a traditional Jewish woman, she finds it hard to adjust to life in the ghetto. I do not mean to imply that anyone would find it easy to adjust to it. Stefa is a teenager who is ready to fight the Germans alongside Daniel, her boyfriend. Daniel joins the Jewish police force in order to help protect his parents and Stefa’s family. He learns that it is not the ideal solution that he had thought. Hanna has left her family in Poland to move to England. She joined her aunt who had also left Poland to settle in England. Anna felt uncomfortable trying to conform to her role in the traditional Jewish family, where the father and then the husband made the decisions. The English recruit Hanna to become a spy to help the Allies. Lastly, we see how the life of an ordinary Polish housewife, Janka, intertwines with the Majewski family mostly due to her actions to protect Hanna and Stefa’s younger brother, Aaron.

The author read numerous accounts from authentic Jewish sources. There are some scenes in here which are heart wrenching and difficult to forget. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads historical fiction. I gave it 4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the free Advanced Reader’s Copy in exchange for my honest review. The audiobook is recommended too.

This is I believe the first book I’ve read by V.S. Alexander. One thing is true, if you are a fan of Pam Janoff or Kate Quinn like I am, you will absolutely love this book. The War Girls will have you immersed in the story from the very beginning. It is quite obvious the author did extensive research for this story, especially when she’s writing about the Jewish religion. I found the story fascinating and well worth the read.

I will definitely read more books by V.S. Alexander. The storytelling and the history lesson was fantastic. Definitely one of the best WWII Historical Fiction books of the year.

I loved the story of the two sisters in this book! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

VS Alexander is a great writer. He knows how to bring you into his stories. Women were so brave despite loosing everything. So much thought and work went into this book.

The War Girls - V.S. Alexander

When this was put in the same category of historical fiction as Kate Quinn, Kristin Harmel and Pam Jenoff, I knew I had to read it and I’m so thankful to Kensington publishing and netgalley for my free e copy in exchange for my honest review.

Alexander based this book off of true stories of life in the Warsaw Ghetto during the Nazi occupation and tells the story of two Jewish sisters, one living life in the Ghetto and one serving the allied resistance as a spy.

Through their alternating stories, we get both sides of the Warsaw experience.

Hanna has been disinherited by her family for wanting more than the traditional existence offered to Jewish women. She moved to England to live with her aunt, who has done the same. As war finds then in London, Hanna finds herself a victim of war, narrowly escaping death and essentially orphaned. Through that experience, she realizes that she needs to do something and is in the perfect position to be recruited as a spy in an allied resistance working to infiltrate the Nazis in Poland.

Stefa lives in Warsaw with the girls’ family. She watches as the city comes further and further under Nazi occupation, relying on their father’s position keeps them from the worst of it all…until it doesn’t. She lives in fear. She watches friends and family die. She falls in love. She is bold and strong and a proud Pole. She becomes a member of the Jewish resistance.

Eventually her and her sister, along with a friend living on the Aryan side of Warsaw, join together to rescue their loved ones.

Their story is one of hope, resistance and bravery. I found it emotional and very personal, perhaps in part to the excellent character developement. I felt like I knew the girls and experienced their struggles, saw their dreams and felt their hopes.

I loved this quote - “History is important to me. We need a record - to tell the truth about what’s happening to the Jews in Poland. This record will let us live long past our years on earth.” I truly felt like that was what this book did.

The War Girls is set in Poland from September 1939 until May 1946. We meet the Majewski family, a Jewish family that is in danger now that the Nazis are moving into Poland. We also meet their neighbour, Janke, a Catholic woman who hates what is happening to friends and neighbours because of their religion. Hannah Majewski left Poland and her family when she refused to marry the man her father picked out for her. She moved to London to live with her aunt and uncle. The rest of the family: her mother, father, sister Stefa and younger brother, have been moved into the Warsaw Ghetto, where you either work or are sent away. Stefa's boyfriend, Daniel, gets a job with the Jewish Police and her father works in a gentile restaurant so they are better off than others, but still starving and constantly dangerous. Janke tries to help them when she can delivering mail and messages, but is constantly at risk as her husband is a Nazi and an abusive man. Meanwhile in London, the blitz has destroyed homes and businesses and killed Hanna's aunt and uncle. She is recruited by the SOE and trained to become a spy, where she hopes to return to Poland and see if her family is still alive. The War Girls is the story of both of these courageous women.

This is a long story, that does bog down at times, but it still held my interest. The characters were sympathetic and my heart broke many times during this story. Hanna is a great character. She is smart, a quick learner, loves her family, and wants to make Hitler and the Nazis pay. Her training was extremely interesting and if it really happened that way, I am amazed that she made it at all. The storyline set in Poland was difficult to read. I had not read anything from the viewpoint of a Jewish Police Officer. They are normally vilified, but The War Girls gives another perspective. I have read other books by V.S. Alexander and find the author to be an great storyteller, with a lot of detail and well developed characters. Many themes are touched upon such as courage, hatred, propaganda, friendship, family, grief, faith, hope, and sacrifice. As I said earlier, this is a longer book at almost 500 pages but this is a well told story that I do recommend.

<b>Note:</b> I received an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley.

It’s not just a thousand miles that separates Hanna Majewski from her younger sister, Stefa. There is another gulf—between the traditional Jewish ways that Hanna chose to leave behind in Warsaw, and her new, independent life in London. But as autumn of 1940 draws near, Germany begins a savage aerial bombing campaign in England, killing and displacing tens of thousands. Hanna, who narrowly escapes death, is recruited as a spy in an undercover operation that sends her back to her war-torn homeland.

In Hanna’s absence, her parents, sister, and brother have been driven from their comfortable apartment into the Warsaw Ghetto. Sealed off from the rest of the city, the Ghetto becomes a prison for nearly half a million Jews, struggling to survive amid starvation, disease, and the constant threat of deportation to Treblinka. Once a pretty and level-headed teenager, Stefa is now committed to the Jewish resistance. Together, she, Hanna, and Janka, a family friend living on the Aryan side of the city, form a trio called The War Girls. Against overwhelming odds and through heartbreak they will fight to rescue their loved ones, finding courage through sisterhood to keep hope alive . . .

The part about the Warsaw Ghetto and the horrific conditions of the Ghetto were interesting to read about. I thought the espionage aspect with Hanna was a little clumsy and overdone. There was not really a good flow for that part of the story, it was more forced.

I enjoyed reading this historical story. This is a new author for me which I look forward to seeing what is next for them. This is a story that is written during the WWII and is an inspiration to women during this time. I enjoyed how the author used their writing skills to bring the story to life. This is a fast paced story that had me coming back for more. The characters pulled me into their journey from the first word. I enjoyed watching their growth throughout that made the story easy and entertaining to read. This is such a great story that it made my rainy afternoon so much better. I highly recommend this book. You don't want to miss this one.

I want to start off by saying that I received a complimentary ebook. In return for my honest thoughts and review. I know I am late with my review. This beautiful book is out now. Which I highly recommend this book. I love when I find new authors to me. Definitely adding more of this author books to my TBR list. This was heart breaking book to read. I enjoy historical fiction, WW2 book. Hearing the things women and children and men and all the elders had to deal with during those times But I admire that Stefa starting writing everything that’s happening around her and her family. Hanna leaving her family to find herself. But fear for family after learning what was going on back home. I enjoy historical fiction, WW2 book. Hearing the things women and children and men and all the elders had to deal with during those times. I think the hardest part to read was when Stefa and Daniel mothers were taken by Nazi’s. My review will be posted Amazon, Goodreads, bookbub.
About Book:
Set during war WW2 Hanna the oldest sister who left her family to be more independent to London. Hen Hanna learns that she could help the war effort. Stefa who is watching her family fall apart during the war. Daniel who is trying to protect his family and Stefa. Again highly recommend this book.

Thank you to again to the author and Netgelly for the opportunity to read such amazing book with beautiful female characters/ War girls.

I devour all sorts of books with the war topic, especially WW2. While I expected this book to be hard hitting, emotional and raw, I did not expect to learn so much more about the war than I already knew. The side of the war from a Polish perspective is not one that is increasingly common and to see what the war was like for so many families, Jewish or not, opened my eyes. This is an important book as it highlights the atrocities committed, without downplaying any of it. History is brutal and yet the need for the world to know exactly how some suffered is paramount to their legacy. It even addresses this need, for people to know exactly how some people lived and died, in the story. A sometimes-hard read but if you have an interest in persuing knowledge about history from a different angle then I would definitely recommend.

I received a temporary copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley and the author.

I love war time books, they make for very good reading and so does this one. The need to survive the war and still have a decent life makes for a hard struggle but the people never gave up. Well worth 5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for this ARC

The War Girls by V.S. Alexander is told through three main viewpoints: Stefa, a Jewish young woman living in Warsaw when the Nazi occupation begins, her sister Hanna, who has left her family’s traditional lifestyle and moved to London to forge her own path, and Janka, a Polish Catholic who lives in the Aryan portion of Warsaw and becomes an ally to Stefa and her family.

I love historical fiction, especially stories set in World War II. The stories of Hanna (who ends up working for the Resistence) and Janka (who uses her freedom outside the Ghetto to undermine the Nazis) were well told. But what really stuck with me was the portions of the story told by Stefa as her family experienced the Nazi occupation, relocation to the ghetto, and the ever rising terror as mass deportations began. I don’t recall a lot of fiction being written from the perspective of inside the ghetto and it was wonderfully and heartbreakingly done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the opportunity to review this ARC.

Warsaw Resistance

A story of the resistance in Poland especially the resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto. One young girl named Hannah that becomes a resistance agent for the SOE and strives to help her Jewish family escape the persecution of the Nazi's.

Hannah left her home in Poland to escape the marriage rules of the Jewish faith. Now the Polish Jews are being persecuted, held imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto and murdered at will by the Nazi's. Hannah knows that she must do something to help save them.

Sometimes not everyone can be saved even through the most heroic methods. This is a sad story of one family and at the same time of every Jewish family in the clutches of the Nazi's in WWII. It is a story of the efforts of the Jewish in the Warsaw Ghetto to stay alive to keep from starving , freezing and being murdered by the Nazi's. How they lived and how they felt, their hopes and their despairs.
This was a book filled with those few courageous souls that were brave enough to resist the Nazi's
and some paid with their lives.

I would recommend this book.

Thanks to V.S. Alexander for writing another great WWII story, to Kensington Books for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me to read and review.