Absolutely amazing. I always love WW2 fiction but this was so so good, really well written and with a fascinating plot that included really strong sections set in the present day too. Definitely a book I’d recommend and an author I’ll be reading again

I love the way the author brings the characters to life in both timelines. The Boy in the Attic is a dual-timeline story set in 1944-1945 and in the present day. It is one full of emotions whilst bringing you the brutal stark truth of Nazi-occupied Holland. Ilse wants to be a doctor, but her dreams are in tatters as all the universities are closed by the Germans. She has to fight for food on a daily basis for herself and her parents. Tulip bulbs are what they have to eat.

But she receives an invitation to go and help out at the sanatorium. It’s got to be better than her current situation, so off she goes. While working there Ilse moves in with her best friend Connie and is shocked at the amount of food they have to eat. The freedom they have, even to go out dancing! However, they must dance with Nazi officers. Ilse isn’t so sure. But then she understands why Connie is doing this and discovers her secret – a little boy in the attic.

In the present day, Anna finds a sixpence in her father’s things after his sudden death, Along with a name and address in the Netherlands. She decides to find out what this is all about and go on her father’s journey.

It was a very enjoyable read. I preferred Ilse’s story to Anna’s but overall I would highly recommend giving this one a go especially if you are a historical fiction fan!

⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Thanks for Bookouture and Netgalley for my copy.

The boy in the attic is the third in the wartime Holland series. Although I haven't read the previous books this book worked quite well as a stand-alone.
However, I did read another of Imogen Matthews's books set in Holland during the war and bases on that book I had great expectations for this one as well. This book is another time, split protagonists setup, but neither of the two stories could really totally engage me. Ilse's story started well enough with the hardships experienced in the Netherlands during the "hongerwinter" and the graphic and well documented forages she took into the countryside to find food and fuel for herself and her ailing, elderly parents. Once she transferred to her friends' place to work in the hospital however I found the story ever more unlikely and the behaviour of her friend sometimes downright irresponsible and thoughtless, but also the way Ilse and Levi just went outside incomprehensible. Also I didn't really feel the great love affair between Ilse and Levi.
In the modern time-frame I just couldn't warm to Anna. I can relate to her wish to find her fathers real roots, but the way she she goes on and on about how much she misses her father and how much this influenced her in my mind created an image of a rather young and immature girl. So much so that at times I was really surprised when the book reminded me that Anna was a mature woman in her late forties. I think this is one of the reason's this story just didn't work for me.

Having said this, like the previous book, this one was also really well documented and the author certainly did her research. Story was good enough to read the whole book, but I think it could have been a lot better with some more depth of the characters.

Three stars for this one
I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Boy in the Attic by Imogen Matthews is the third book in this excellent Wartime Holland series. The brilliant book starts as Nazi-occupied Holland, 1944. As the soldiers patrol the streets, nursing student Ilse is only just surviving the terrible famine and increasingly violent German occupation. Though exhausted by her demanding work at a hospital far from home, she can’t help but notice strange noises coming from the attic above her bedroom late at night. Lise can not investigate there is a curfew on evening but when she finally investigates she discovers Levi, he is a terrified young Jewish man and begs her not to give him up to the Nazis, especially as he does not to make him follow his family’s awful fate…

But, protecting Levi will mean only one thing! she will be in great danger. Starvation is setting in, and the Nazi regime becoming ever more violent, Ilse must make the most difficult decision of her life.

Can she risk death herself, to save an innocent life?

This book then takes you to the present day in London. When Anna’s father dies, he leaves her a ticket to Amsterdam, a bent silver sixpence on a delicate silver chain, and a note begging her to complete the journey he was never able to. This is to the town where he was born, Anna has to find out once and for all who his parents were, and to discover their wartime fate.

WoW This book is So good and I highly it. I loved it.

This book can be read as a standalone as well which is great especially if you have not read the other two books However, I do recommend you go back and read the other two. They will not disappoint as they were 5 star read as well.

Wow, I really enjoyed this WWII Historical Fiction storyline which was different from most of what I usually read. The story starts out in January 1945 when Ilse, a young woman, is living with her parents and trying to find food for them as the war winds down and there is nothing left. Her mother sends her to a family friend to help in their TB Sanitorium. Fast forward to March of 2001 when Anna, a freelance writer living with her boyfriend Hugo, has to deal with going through her father's possessions after he dies suddenly. Anna and her mother are shocked to find out that their husband/father had been adopted and he was going to look up his real mother. The author did an excellent job weaving these two storylines and characters together.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this fascinating story that grabbed me from the very beginning.

This is the third book in the Wartime Holland series and is a standalone novel.

Told in modern day 2005 and 1944 the author seamlessly melds the two eras together. Partly based on true events, The Boy in the Attic is a very well written piece of historical fiction which is compelling, engrossing and very moving.

A thoroughly enjoyable read which I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to Bookouture for my tour spot.

Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Riverting from start to finish. The book goes back from future to the past throughout the book telling the story of Anna who before the war wanted to be a dr and Levi the young jewish man that was hiding in the attic. A lovely story where love tries to overcome what is in the way.
I really enjoyed this book.

Firstly, although part of a series, The Boy in the Attic definitely works when read as a standalone. The story is partly based on factual events that happened affecting Imogen’s family in 1944/45. The tale flips between main character, Ilse’s story in 1945 during the Nazi occupation, and Anna’s from 2001 who is trying to cope with the loss of a parent. Both Anna and Isle's stories were equally engrossing and they both brought different qualities to the page through the author's great writing. Quickly-paced, sad in parts, though thoroughly entertaining and educational.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

The Boy in the Attic is the second book I’ve read by Imogen Matthews and, once again, I was hooked from start to finish. This time, the story is based on events that happened to Imogen’s family, back in 1944 and as she states at the end of the book, if it weren’t for the courageousness of her mother, then she herself wouldn’t be here today.

The story skips back and forth between Ilse’s story in 1944 and Anna’s in 2005, and as we follow them both in their lives, we discover how their stories are linked. The author tells Ilsa’s story brilliantly and with her amazing descriptive writing, we can almost imagine how hungry and scared people must have been during the war. Despite the tragic circumstances, I loved how Anna began her investigations into her past, with a silver sixpence and a peacock blue scarf.

Fast-paced, entertaining and educational. If you enjoy a dual timeline story and you enjoy historical fiction, grab yourself a copy of The Boy in the Attic.

I am lucky enough to be a part of Books on Tour for this book, so thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Boy in the Attic by Imogen Matthews.

The Boy in the Attic is the third in the Wartime Holland series by Imogen Matthews. It most certainly can be read as a stand alone book as there are brand new characters and it moves away from focusing on the hidden village and its residents which featured heavily in the first two books. I’m glad this was the case as I feel the story following the hidden village had run its course. This new book is by far the best in the series so far, it was like I was reading a completely different author. There wasn’t any slow or long winded introduction to the story instead we are straight into the action and I felt for the most part everything that was mentioned was relevant to the story. I found the writing had much more depth and meaning and the plot was far tighter and there wasn’t as much waffling as I felt there had been before. I was far more engrossed in this story and I loved that this was a dual timeline read set between 2001 and 1945. I found with books one and two not much happened at the start and in fact for a very long time whereas here by the quarter mark there was a big connection revealed and this made me excited to keep reading. There was a very brief lull at the halfway point where the story slowed down and lost its way slightly before things picked up again and I found myself quickly reading to get to the last few chapters to see how everything resolved itself if at all?

The story effortlessly moves back and forth between Anna in 2001 and Ilse in 1945 and I loved how eventually the two strands came together and connected. I didn’t prefer one aspect over the other as is normally the case for me when reading dual timeline books as I found both Anna and Ilse to be interesting characters with different qualities that had me caught up in their lives. Anna lives in London and works as a freelance writer. She is in a relationship with Hugo but right from the outset the reader can see this is not a union that is going anywhere fast and it’s quite inevitable what will end up happening with them. It’s a bit clichéd what goes on to happen but it is necessary for a part of the story to work out. When Anna’s father, Paul, falls ill whilst away on a work trip and subsequently dies her world is torn apart. As she is helping her mother clear out his things she stumbles across a tin can in his study which contains a necklace with a silver sixpence on it. Immediately Anna jumps to the wrong conclusions and I hated that she acted that way but when she tells her mother what she has found it’s then the truth comes out.

In the weeks before his death her father had discovered that he had been adopted at birth. He had believed his birth mother could still be alive in Holland and had planned to visit her to find out the truth of his birth and adoption and also who is biological father was. But time ran out on Paul and Anna decides that she will continue this quest for her father. I think Anna was shocked by what she learnt about her father but was more than keen to delve back into the history of her family in Holland. It came at the right time for her because you could sense that she needed to get away from Paul as he was always away working and when he was at home he didn’t put the love and attention needed into their relationship. I enjoyed reading of how Anna visits Holland and meets up with a family who she used to meet when her family visited her grandparents when she was younger. I could see in what direction the plot was venturing in with regard to Anna discovering the truth and yes there were several twists and turns towards the end and I knew a lot of what was coming but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story. Although, I did think towards the end things happened too quickly for Anna. It all just seemed a little bit too convenient in order to get everything wrapped up by the end.

Ilse is a young woman who is brave, strong and courageous and who would do anything to ensure her parents make it through the war. She lives in the small town of Rijswijk and prior to the outbreak of the war she had been at university studying to be a doctor. Now, as the war enters its sixth year times are desperate with a famine gripping Holland. Due to the German blockades there is no food to be found in any of the shops and money has long lost its currency and anything that can be bartered for food if it is available has been used quite some time ago. Ilse spends her days venturing out foraging for food in fields and a new low is reached when all that is left to eat is tulip bulbs. It’s horrific to think that people were reduced to this and had to lead such a relentless life of misery praying that one day the war would reach its conclusion and that they would be on the winning side. Ilse had such love and respect for her parents and I admired everything she did for them so I was surprised when she takes up the offer to help out her friend Connie’s family at a sanitorium in Hilversum. I wanted her to stay at home and try and keep providing for her family as both her parents were so vulnerable but if she had the whole point of this book would never have taken place.

When Ilse settles into life with Connie and her family she sees a new side to the war as she discovers Connie has been keeping things from her. Creaks in the attic reveal themselves to be Levi, a Jewish jeweller, who has lost his family and is hiding from being captured and sent god knows where. Ilse develops a friendship with Liev which inevitably develops into something more. This all happened very quickly but I suppose it needed to in order to let further plot points develop. You do feel the love between the pair but as everything was so secretive and cloak and dagger they could never truly be themselves. With Germans sniffing around every corner Ilse and Connie too thread a very thin line. What will happen if Levi is discovered? Ilse had a difficult and hard road to journey but her actions were respectful and courageous and the more I read the more I wanted to know how the past and present would connect together.

I can’t fail to mention the blurb and although I hate saying this but it is an important point and it has niggled away at me since I read the book. The blurb needs to be rewritten as the description of the book is wrong in terms of the content of the book and how Ilse meets Levi and Anna’s father writing her a letter. I’m wondering does the blurb recount how they did meet but then the content of the book changed or was there some mix up when writing it. I wouldn’t usually go on about a blurb too much but seen as the facts are wrong I felt the need to mention it. That said I enjoyed reading The Boy in the Attic. It’s very well written and you come to care deeply for the characters both in the past and the present. There is a great element of mystery with lots of twists and turns and of course the romance element which highlights the difficult situations the characters find themselves in not of their making but how they choose to deal with them and move forward makes for interesting reading.

The Boy in the Attic is a very good read and the author has used strands of her own personal family history combined with fictional elements. I hadn’t known much about Holland during the war prior to discovering this author but she has done a very good job of highlighting the plight of so many innocent people left to suffer and starve once the Germans started to impose blockades. Not to mention shining a light on the extraordinary lengths ordinary people went to,to protect those they loved or even people that had never previously met especially as these people where needlessly persecuted because of their religion. When the worst of times befall us the good nature, kindness and strength of people comes to the fore and Ilse and Connie really show this. With this book, I feel Imogen Matthews has taken on board what reviewers may have said about the first two books and both the writing and plot development is definitely tighter. I’m glad I have persisted with this series and am interested to see will it continue or is there something different in store for the future?

Holland, 1944: Ilse is a nursing student in Nazi-occupied Holland. A horrible famine and violence fills the streets from the German occupation. Ilse meets Levi when his family is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. Levi needs Ilse’s help and she risks everything to help him survive. She hides him in a tiny room in her attic. He must remain hidden and if it is discovered that he is there, it would almost mean certain death not only for Levi but also for Ilse. Present day London, Anna’s father passes away and leaves her a ticket to Amsterdam. He wants Anna to return to the town he was born in and find out what happened to his parents after the war ended. Anna never expected her journey to reveal to her the history of her family.

I love time slip novels, especially ones that are historical fiction and based on true family events. This story of both old and new was an immediate attention grabber. This beautiful story of courage and love begins during World War II in Holland and takes you through to present day in London. The people that lived during the reign of the Nazi’s endured so much horror and so courageous. They risked their lives for each other and didn’t care what the outcome was, they took the risk anyway. The effects of that horrible time followed them their entire life and affected generations of families. This story was so inspirational, unbelievably heartbreaking, and unputdownable. I was completely captivated from cover to cover and I definitely recommend this book.

Thank you Imogen Matthews for such a wonderful time slip novel. I really enjoyed everything about this book and I highly recommend it.

Thoroughly enjoyed this captivating storyline that is written with a dual time in German occupied Holland & London 2001.
I must just mention, if you read the description for this one, it may throw you a little as it is different to the actual story that I read & a bit misleading.
Hopefully this will get picked up by the author before it’s published.
Having said that it does not take anything away from this well written engrossing story.
Isle’s story in the war years is heartbreaking as the need to scavenge for food becomes a daily grind.
She was training to become a doctor when the Germans closed the university’s.
It’s a daily struggle looking for food & firewood to keep her parents warm & fed.
They are reduced to eating tulip bulbs as a last resort to keep them from starving.
Anna’s story set in London 2001 is helping her mum pack up her fathers belongings after he died following a short illness.
Her mother suddenly tells her that they had kept a secret from her & that her father was adopted.
She comes across an old slightly bent sixpence on a chain wrapped in a beautiful blue scarf.
She also comes across a ferry ticket to the Netherlands that has a paper with a name & address inside.
It looks like he was trying to find his birth parents
& to honour her fathers memory she decides to do it for him.
After all she will also be searching for her true grandmother & grandfather.
An emotional compelling read with well developed characters that will keep you reading to the last page.

Brilliant writing was gripped from the start, what a poignant storyline really couldn't put it down, amazing book and a good cast of characters
My favourite kind of genre can't wait to read more

The Boy in the Attic is book 3 in the Wartime Holland series by Imogen Matthew's but it's the first I've read; I will be rectifying that as soon as possible! In the book, the story is told from Ilse's 1945 perspective and Anna's 2005 view. In 1945, Ilse struggled to get food for her family but heard that tulip bulbs could be used as food, so reluctantly found a field and got as many as she could in the hope of keeping her parents alive. When they got a letter inviting Ilse to help out at a sanitorium near their friends home, Ilse struggled with the decision to go : who would get the food for her parents? But if she stayed the tulip bulbs would be used up quicker. She went. 2005, Anna gets a phone call from her mother to say that her father is seriously poorly in the Far East worn a chest infection. He is flown home but gets taken to hospital with pneumonia and unfortunately dies. Anna helps her mother sorting out his personal effects after discovering that he had been adopted as a baby and it looks like he was searching for his birth mother. Anna comes across something... Her mother had never seen it but they both feel it must have something to do with his parents. What is it all about......

The characters are strong women determined to help their families and the people around them. I was so drawn in that I felt as though I was living these experiences with Ilse and Anna simultaneously.

This novel is closely linked to the author's mother's recollections of life during 1944/45. Reading The Boy in the Attic opened my eyes to how the Dutch were persecuted and forced into starvation.

I have so enjoyed this series by Imogen Matthews. She weaves her own personal family history into the larger picture of world history.
I liked the family detective work, the flashbacks to WWII, and the ramifications of people’s actions.
I grasp at finding words to describe the book. It’s solid writing and contains both joy and sorrow.
Sewing the separate threads of two families, the author deftly unites them.
It’s a great piece of historical fiction that is a pleasure to read.

Firstly, I must point out that the description I was provided with was not accurate to how the book played out - I'm not sure what happened there but regardless, it's still a really good story and although part of a series, it can most definitely be read as a standalone.

The Boy in the Attic is a story told from 2 timelines, 2 perspectives and 2 countries.

Ilse's story takes place in Holland during World War II. The Nazi's have put a halt to her studies to become a doctor and she is living with her parents. Food is scarce and it's a daily battle to find enough to keep them from starving to death. Ilse then receives a request to help out at a hospital and she moves to live with her friend and her parents but what she discovers and the choices she makes, puts all their lives in jeopardy.

Anna's story is based in the UK in the early 2000's. Her father has just past away and whilst sorting through his affairs, discovers he was adopted and his origins are in Holland. Anna sets out to find out more.

I found the dual timelines worked really well although I admit to being more emotionally attached to Ilse's story. Both characters are well developed and I found myself completely immersed in both their stories and desperate to find out how Ilse and Anna were connected.

I found Ilse's story captivating, Anna's not as much but they worked well together and I did feel connected and invested in both their stories to the end.

This is a story of heartbreak and tragedy but also one of discovery and survival and one I would recommend to those who enjoy historical fiction stories that are set in this period. This one uses the author's own family history to give a believable feel to this story.

Thanks go to Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read The Boy in the Attic and share my views.

★★★★ 4.5 stars

I am excited to be taking part in the #BooksOnTour #BlogTour for Imogen Matthew's breathtaking dual timeline tale THE BOY IN THE ATTIC.

I have read alot of tales centred around the Nazi occupation of various Eurpoean countries during the war and after a while they all become a little too "samey". So I was immediately drawn to THE BOY IN THE ATTIC for its dual timeline which would thus offer something different and break up the constant sorrow at the heartbreak, deprivation and tragedy suffered by those at the hands of the Nazis. I must add, that I have also read the two previous books in this series both of which connect each other but are wholly separate to this one. The fact that this is based on the author's own family history adds a touching sense of nostalgia and romance.

I must add, briefly, that the description given for this book is somewhat different to the actual story and therefore misleading. As I will outline in my review. I do hope it will be corrected because what it states in the description is not actually what happens.

Holland, January 1945: Despite the war nearing its end, for those under occupation that still seems to be a long way off. Before the war, Ilse had dreams of studying medicine to become a doctor. But then the Germans closed the universities and now every day she must forage for scraps of food in the fields to keep herself and her parents from starving. Ever since the Germans cut off the food supply as well as the electricity and gas, the Dutch people have had to struggle to keep themselves fed and warm...and not to mention, alive. Ilse's mother is bereft at what they have been reduced to the day Ilse returns laden with tulip bulbs, all that is left for food. Then she receives an invitation to help family friends at a sanatorium where they treat patients for a number of ailments and, namely, tuberculosis. It would certainly help when she can resume her studies when at last the war is over.

Ilse arrives at the home of her best friend Connie where she will be living and cannot believe the feast she is given more than once daily, and feels guilty that she is here to enjoy it when her parents are not. Added to this, is the freedom to go out dancing but is horrified to find their partners are Nazi officers. Connie shrugs off her concerns and encourages her to just enjoy herself, whilst sporting a knowing smile as if she were keeping a secret. But all too soon, Ilse also discovers that Connie hiding something more than just a secret. In their attic.

And it is a secret that has the power, and danger, to change their lives.

London, 2001: Packing up her father's belongings after his sudden death, Anna comes across a bent sixpence dated 1942 on a chain wrapped in a peacock blue scarf. What does this mean, she has no idea. But then her mother tells her a secret about her father's origins that turn everything she has ever known on its head. After further digging about, it seems her father had a ticket booked for a ferry crossing to the Netherlands alongside a name and an address. Something he never had to the opportunity to follow up before his death.

So in honour of her father's memory, Anna decides that she will make the crossing and meet up with old family friends who may be able to shed some light on her family origins. All she has is a name, an address and the sixpence pendant wrapped in the blue scarf. What they all mean, Anna was determined to find out, despite her own personal issues surrounding an absentee and strangely aloof boyfriend.

The moment she meets her old friends, she feels a sense of homecoming...but that could be that they bring back memories of her father and their holidays in the Netherlands as a child. Despite some setbacks and with Luuk's help, Anna is able to uncover the mystery of family's past. But after that, what will the future hold?

The third in the Wartime Holland series, THE BOY IN THE ATTIC is completely set apart from the first two, "The Hidden Village" and "Hidden in the Shadows" both which centre around a village built and hidden within a forest. This tale is a dual timeline one focusing on Ilse and Anna and how the past and present connect them. The transition from past to present is interwoven seamlessly as we discover what happened to Ilse and where Anna fits into that story. It was a time that was shrouded in heartache, tragedy and sadness but it is expertly written with such vivid descriptions and candour despite the tragic circumstances.

I love dual timelines and they are one of my favourite story formats as it keeps the pace moving and the story interesting, giving it that extra edge. I was immediately absorbed into the time and place which carried me throughout the entire experience. I didn't wholly connect with Anna but she was still a relatively likeable character. Ilse was completely different and her tale was haunting and tragic.

Overall, THE BOY IN THE ATTIC is an emotional and evocative dual timeline tale that brings to life a story that would otherwise be sadly forgotten. It is fortunate that the author had the temerity to use her own family's history to bring this one to life.

I would like to thank #ImogenMatthews, #NetGalley and #Bookouture#TheBoyInTheAttic in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

The story follows modern day Anna as she strives to learn the truth about her father's biological family and Ilsa as she living through the horrors of World War II in Holland. The dual narration worked well, but Anna's story did not capture me as much as Ilsa's experiences. The book provides a look into what life was like in Holland during the Nazi occupation.

I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The WWII timeline was definitely more interesting than the timeline set in nowadays times. Hence a 3*. Though based on the author 's family history, I was not fully immersed in the novel. The dual times were for me disturbing: I couldn't connect with the main characters, too much telling than showing resulting for me in a lack of depth as to the characters ' development. The present timeline follows the pattern so oft seen in 2 timelines novels: a death resulting in a search, romance. It was for me much too predictable.
I received a complimentary ARC of this novel from NetGalley and I am leaving voluntarily a review.

Secrets and sacrifices, all thanks to the Nazi occupation😟

3.5🌟 stars
I thought this novel started out really well, detailing the hunger and deprivation that fell on swaths of the Dutch people in the winter of 1944-45 under German occupation. I found the early part of the story really tragic but compelling.

I was not so caught up in the rest of their story, or in the modern day account of a young woman searching for the biological parents her father never knew. I expected to feel torn and heartbroken by the difficult choices Ilsa, her friend Connie, their families and others had to make in wartime to survive, resist and aid the Jews they were protecting from the Nazis, including the eponymous boy in the attic. The novel kept my interest to the end but did not inspire the emotional connection I anticipated. And I did not think the characters had much depth.

Historically, I was confused by a reference to the Nazis closing Jewish businesses in the Netherlands in 1938 when the Germans did not invade and occupy the country until the spring of 1940.

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