Book #1 in Shari J. Ryan's trilogy, this is the story of Amelia, imprisoned in Theresienstadt concentration camp and her struggle to survive the brutality of the Nazi regime. Written with dual timelines, the romances from 2 different women in 2 different times are superimposed expertly in this well written historical fiction.

This book was amazing. The writing was amazing and the story was amazing. Even though it was a heart breaking story there was happiness as well. I loved the romance that was tied in there as well. Broke up the heaviness in the story of the Holocaust. You can tell the author was well researched in the topic. Too 5 books so far of the year.

“The Girl with the Diary” is one woman’s determination to share her story with her granddaughter before it’s too late. What will her story reveal? What secrets has she held for so many years of the horrors she experienced?

This is a beautiful and heartbreaking book. Told from a grandmother (Amelia) to her granddaughter (Emma) through a diary she’s kept a secret. She wants Emma to have her memories and know of her time during the Holocaust and what it was like living through hell on earth.

If you read one historical fiction about WW2 this year, let it be this one. It is beautifully written and completely immersive. This book touched me deeply. 5/5 stars

oh my gosh what a heartbreaking novel The Girl with the Diary is. Based on a true story, learning about the horrors of a concentration camp during WWII and the life on one of the women who was forced to be there, and work. I have read many novels based during WWII, but never one based on the author's grandmother's life and I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to learn from a survivor. Thank you for telling us her story.

I'm going to need to sit with this one for a while to be able to accurately put my feelings into words, but until then I will say this book will most definitely be in my top 10 of the year. It's most definitely a 5 star book for me. This is a heartbreakingly beautiful story, full of sorrow, hope, & despair, it will captivate you, it will move you, it will make you feel things you might not expect. I will never understand how Hitler could have so much hate in his heart for human beings. This book is one of those that will stay with you far after the ending.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc of this book.

This follow nazi occupied Prague, where Amelia is hiding until flash lights blind her and she is captured by the SS. She is forced out into a cobblestone street onto a jam packed freight train until she gets to Theresienstadt concentration camp. she is took to her block by a soldier in whom risks it all by smuggling her some bread, her and the soldier Charlie are instantly drawn to each other and fall in love with each other. The dangers and the fears of getting caught. Years later a yellow paged worn diary which has been unopened for decades.. will this seal their fate…

5 stars totally recommend read within 24 hours

It was Prague in 1942 when Amelia and Jakob, plus their parents, were captured by the SS. Amelia became separated from her father and brother, while the crammed conditions in the train made it hard to breathe. A pregnant woman beside her, Leah, was the only friendly face in the nightmare they all faced as they journeyed to Theresienstadt concentration camp, where life would continue to worsen, death was a regular occurrence, and the Nazis were brutal and cruel. One soldier, as it turned out, a reluctant Nazi, befriended Amelia, giving her pieces of food as everyone around her became emaciated.

Current day and Emma was beside her ninety two year old grandmother when she had her stroke, calling the ambulance and getting her to hospital in time for her to have surgery. Grams continued to ask for Charlie and when she wanted Emma to find the book, and find Charlie, Emma did her best. The discovery under Grams’ bed of a box which held a diary, led to the uncovering of long held secrets, and as Emma read the diary, Grams’ past emerged…

The Girl with the Diary by Shari J. Ryan is the first in the Last Words series and I enjoyed it very much, especially the historical aspect in Prague. There were not many Jewish survivors of the Holocaust, and with each and every book I read on the subject, I can see why. I felt there was a little too much focus on the romance side of the current day with Emma, but the diary’s contents more than made up for it. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

💔Heartstrings tugged, romance for the ages: bittersweet😪

4.5🌟 stars
My initial impressions of The Girl With the Diary, especially the contemporary portion, were exceeded in the end by a lovely twist. The novel involves both a contemporary and a WWII timeline, with the two woven together through Amelia's secret diary, hidden away for over seventy years until serious health problems prompt her to share her story with her granddaughter Emma. Rather than tell her traumatic tale of survival in a Czech concentration camp and her love for German prison guard Charlie Crane, Amelia offers the diary as her confession and a window into the secrets she still conceals.

I was caught up in poor Amelia's WWII experiences, with so much privation, misery and loss of life, and the tender romance that grew in spite of the circumstances between teenage Amelia and the young man who aided her surreptitiously and made it his mission to save her. The present day story of Emma's life was not as engaging to start, but as she worked her way through the diary I was won over. Would she be able to carry out her grandmother's wishes before Amelia's 92 year-old body gave out? And the handsome cardiologist added some contemporary romance to the mix.

This book is a pageturner, easy to read stylistically but then again difficult due to the WWII Holocaust content. It's just descriptive enough to convey the horror and hopelessness of life in the camps but not too graphic. Alternating the two time periods worked for me. The romancing is done in the same style: descriptive enough but not graphic or explicit.

I am glad I reached out for this story and look forward to reading its companion, interlinked The Prison Child and The Soldier's Letters. This book is easily read as a standalone and has a truly life-affirming conclusion but I want to stay longer with these characters and the offshoot books will allow me to do that.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was utterly captivating! I loved every second of reading it and it’s probably the fastest I’ve ever read an historical fiction novel. While the plot wasn’t entirely original, it didn’t stop me from loving this book with all my heart. This is my second Shari Ryan book and, once again, it won’t be my last. The characters each had their own personalities and were thoroughly developed, even the side characters.

The dual timeline only added to the fundamental depth this novel possessed and allowed us to get a deeper look into the characters as they grew throughout the novel. Ryan kept me guessing at every twist and turn and just when I thought I had the twist solved, the rug was pulled out from under my feet.

I can truthfully say Shari Ryan will be the next huge historical fiction author. Now, I’ll be setting my sights on reading all of her other novels!

In a Nazi concentration camp, a soldier and a Jewish girl fall in love.

Let me start by saying this isn't usually the kind of novel I would go for, but I had requested from Netgalley and been granted The Soldier's Letters by the same author, and then I found out it was the third installment in a trilogy of which The Girl With The Diary is the first part.

The Girl With the Diary is a dual timeline, WWII historical fiction. In the present day we have Emma, stuck in a bad relationship and with little to no self-confidence, and her beloved Grandmother, Amelia, who is in hospital recovering from a stroke. Amelia asks Emma to find and read a diary she kept about her time in a Nazi concentration camp, and extracts from the dary make up the second timeline.

I did feel I had to suspend disbelief once or twice, but overall this was a moving novel with a lot of heart and plenty of humour mixed in. The love stories were cute, even though I generally prefer more of a slow burn, and I became very invested in the characters. The horrors of the concentration camp were not glossed over but there was also a lot of hope, which I appreciated. Definitely worth reading especially if you are a fan of WWII or dual timelines. I'm going to start book 2, The Prison Child, very soon.

Many thanks to the publishers, Bookouture, and Netgalley for kindly providing me with an advance release copy.

Emma is a girl in a dead-end relationship and a career that’s sucking up all her time and energy. She gets a call saying her grandmother is in the hospital and doing poorly. Upon arrival at the hospital, her grandmother, in and out of consciousness, calls for someone named Charlie and tells Emma to find the book that will tell her who Charlie is.

Emma finds the book and in doing so, she finds more than just a simple story. She learns her grandmother was a survivor of the concentration camps. She learns Charlie was the enemy and she learns that true love can be found amidst incredible hate.

Another tearjerker of a story by Shari Ryan. This is beautifully written, very descriptive and takes you on a journey of such raw emotion, you won’t be able to put this down.

Emma is a woman standing still in her life, moving neither forwards or backwards but growing stale in the life she’s leading. I think we’ve all been where Emma is at some point in our lives, in need of some miraculous but true story to reset our lives, give us new perspective and new meaning in life.

There wasn’t a character in this story I didn’t love. Even Mike. I loved to dislike him! LOL! The relationship between all the women in this story is so beautiful and so very real. Emma;s grandmother’s matchmaking brought back memories of my own Italian grandmother and how she always had a friend who had a son who needed a wife. My sisters and I grew up having carrots in the form of houses, money and such dangled before us if only we would marry these poor mama’s boys. The only thing we were ever sure of was there had to be something wrong with them if their mama’s wanted to get rid of them so much.

Emma is a completely different person by the end of the book, having been changed by the past only it wasn’t her past she was changed by; it was Amelia’s. Amelia’s story is told in such heartbreaking detail - I still cannot even imagine what these precious people went through or the courage it took to survive. These books have led me on a very introspective journey and my mind cannot even begin to comprehend living through such circumstances.

Yet, Amelia survives and while her secrets threaten her happiness, she did everything out for love. And she gives that gift of love to her daughters and the story of it to her granddaughter.

The end of this story is nothing short of the most beautiful triumph ever. Love wins all! And in the most shocking way.

I highly recommend this book and commend the author for this lovely, lovely story. I am hiding the message of this story deep in my heart of hearts.

Emma knows her grandmother is a survivor of the holocaust but that’s all she knows. Her grandmother, Amelia, keeps her secrets to herself but now facing death, she’s ready to share her secrets with her grandchild. As Emma learns more about her grandmother through the pages of her diary she comes face to face with the horrors of the war and how the light can shine in even the darkest of places.

5 beautiful ⭐️‘s for this book. This story may be about WWII but it’s truly a love story and what a story it is. Grab the tissues because you will cry and your heart will be so full.

Thank you for approving me for this book 🤍 Let us never forget

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Thank you ARC for the privilege of giving the review for an early copy.

Romance meets non fiction meets fiction coupled with exceptional writing and characters.
Beautiful, powerful and emotional.
An author I had never heard of but I am incredibly impressed with the writing. I was invested from page 1, I was hooked.
Highly recommend.

Have your tissues ready. The ending will have you crying. Ryan has two more books in a trilogy And this is the first. Emma reads her grandmother’s diary as she grapples with Declining health. She learns an almost 3/4 if a century old secret while embarking on a new direction in her own life. While rushed I think the relationship between Emma and Jackson is durable. The ending will tear your heart out.
Don’t miss this first book.

This was a well written book but I found I was more interested in the timeline set during the war then the modern one. I found it more absorbing and interesting.

A fast-paced historical fiction about two forbidden lovers and long kept secrets.
This book centers around Emma, a workaholic in a toxic relationship, and her grandmother, a holocaust survivor nearing the end of her life. Amelia, the grandmother, tells Emma about her book and a man named Charlie, but because of her recent health scares everyone just thinks she is confused. But then Emma finds the book in question and starts reading it. As she reads she learns things about her grandmother that she has never told anyone.
This story also follows two love stories. Emma’s, in the present, and Amelia’s, mostly in the past. While Emma’s was cute it felt a little robotic to me. I was still rooting for the couple, but their dialogue seemed forced. Amelia’s love story was very sweet and heartbreaking. You see this one unfold through the pages of her diary.
The writing itself wasn’t my favorite. I felt like it could use a little refining. The words needed a little sanding to smooth them down. For instance, literally no one refers to their grandma as ‘grandmother’ in conversation.
Overall though, I really liked the story! The romance interspersed with the horrors of the holocaust was a welcome reprieve and it felt well researched.

This is the first book of the Last Word series, the other two books, The Prison Child and The Soldier's Letters, the reviews will come up soon.

The story starts with Emma, who is close to her grandmother takes her to the hospital, when her grandmother suffers from the stroke. While at the hospital, the grandmother starts asking for a Charlie and then asks Emma to read her diary. Emma starts reading her grandmother's diary, with the diary starting in 1942, when Amelia, her grandmother, was taken as a prisoner to Terezin concentration camp, where she meets a Nazi soldier, Charlie, with whom she develops friendship and eventually a romantic relationship.

The story divides between Emma, the present day and Amelia starting from 1942, as excerpts from her diary. I actually did like the change in timelines which worked very well in the story and I was truly engaged into the story. The author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story and allowing the reader to follow on the journey with Amelia and Emma. I simply couldn't put this book as I wanted to know what was going to happen next? I do like how Emma and Jackson, the doctor who was looking after Amelia, how their relationship worked out. It was actually quite funny and engaging to read that relationship. However, reading about Amelia and her life in the concentration camp, which as we know how Holocaust affected so many Jewish lives was too brutal to read. Even the author's own family members were survivors of Holocaust so I can udnerstand how this story was personal to her as well. Though it's a work of fiction, nevertheless, it fell so realistic. I liked how Charlie, a Nazi helps Amelia to escape from the camp with a child. Those tense moments were actually scary to read. Overall, the ending was emotional and heartbreaking, with the twist that you did not expect. I truly enjoy reading this book.

If you like books, based on Holocaust, then I recommend reading this emotional and heartbreaking story of a girl and a boy who risked his own life and career to save the girl he loves. Truly worth five stars and will soon start reading the other two books of the series!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

This author is fast becoming a firm favourite with me. Another wonderfully written book, both heart wrenching and heart warming, such a beautiful story.

Amelia is 92, and suffering from a heart condition. She asks her granddaughter Emma to find an old book for her, which turns out to be one written by Amelia after her arrival in America. Between its pages is revealed a love affair that simply could not be shown at the time - Amelia was a Jewish prisoner of the Nazi's, and Charlie was a soldier, forced into the military by his family. The diary reveals to Emma how Amelia came to find herself in America, and the truth behind her family's past. Can Emma help her grandmother find out what happened to Charlie before it is too late?

I loved the dual timeline of this book, discovering Amelia and Charlie's love story back in the 1940s, at the same time as watching Emma's love story begin in the present day. I cannot wait to read the next in the series!

A new to me author that has the power to break my heart with how well she writes her Historical Fiction WW 2 stories, its a story of sadness, tragedy and hope as well as survival and love . As well as brings to live the darkest moments of history, of the lives that was lost , the horror that the survivors went though each day and night. And will leave you with tears running down your face.

This book was previously published as Last Words and is the first in a series of four books, it can be read as a standalone but I would highly recommend reading it before reading the rest in the series as it will give you the background story.
This is a contemporary romance book set during the second world war and present day. It is a well written, compelling and poignant tale of family, love, loss, strength and resilience and it is a book that will stay with me for a long time.
Highly recommended!