My favorite books are historical fiction set during WW11. The character of Hans and the entire book is so well written. I felt as though I was an outsider looking in. Set during 1933, in Germany Hans is a teenager. He has his eye on his classmate Rebecca a Jewish girl in his class. Through the perils of Hitler’s Germany, Hans witnesses Rebecca’s blight. Then, he uncovers a family secret. Hans joins Hitler’s youth army as a way to protect what he loves. Besides being a historical fiction it is also a coming of age story.

Thank you #NetGalley, #TheBookWhisperer, #B.V.Glants and #HalfNotesfromBerlin for the e-copy for my honest review.

Had a really hard time finishing this book. Found myself constantly disappointed with Hans, the main character.
He really didn’t have many redeeming qualities and every time he had an opportunity to redeem himself by helping his family, he chose not to. It was super frustrating.

WWII books are prolific--it's a topic written about by many authors. However, I feel that each time a WWII novel or text comes out, there's a story there: a story we haven't heard. This story is about a boy who realizes that his family converted from Judaism to Christianity years back, but even though he has grown up Christian, he is still considered Jewish due to Hilter's mandates. It's a story about identity, safety, and growing up.

In this coming-of-age novel set in 1933 Berlin, Hans finds his life slowly starting to change as Hitler comes to power. Things are complicated when he falls for a Jewish classmate, and he finds out that his grandparents were formerly Jewish and had converted, which could be dangerous for his family if revealed. As his friends join the Hitler Youth and conflict breaks out amongst his family members over how to navigate this changing world, Hans finds himself grappling with both his conscience and his fear.

This book was excellent. I felt like, the way the changes happened in Berlin, they seemed so ordinary and slow at first and I could see them happening in our ordinary life. Putting up a new flag, laughing at the extremist teacher. There are things happening to “other people” and everyone else can feel somewhat removed from it. Then, suddenly, those things start hitting much closer to home.
be a teenager during Hitler's time had to be very confusing to one especially whether to keep or tell a
secret about one's ancestry.

I think too much time passed and I am such a mood reader. The mood has yet to strike to read this one so I don’t have feedback.

Unusual novel that presents the period of time preceding the rise of the Nazis. A good way of showing the slow and powerful way they rose to power and began to gain their control.

Half notes from Berlin ~ a review

Firstly thanks to @netgalley B.V.Glants & Anchor Media for the chance to read this e-Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis ~
This book centres around a young boy living in Berlin during the rise of Nazi Germany as he attempts to navigate the issues of being a teenager, experiencing first love & the fact that he has Jewish ancestors in a time where having such ancestors is deadly.

Hans, the boy in question becomes besotted with Rachel, the only Jewish person he knows... Hans goes on to witness horrific acts against Jewish people & when all Jews are banned from school he's heartbroken.

Hans struggles to navigate the world he lives in whilst also trying to maintain his humanity... he is clearly suffering because of the time he lives in & distraught by the cruelty of other's actions & devastated that he can't protect those he loves all while having no choice but to fight in the service of Hitler.

On the whole this was an interesting read which really gets you thinking about the circumstances of your youth and thr power of choices and beyond.

Overall I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Most of the book was very engaging. I love historical fiction and this book about Germany during WWII was told from a unique perspective.

The only con I have is the ending. It was so abrupt. There wasn't really a conclusion to the main character's story.

My review, as posted to Goodreads:

Thank you to the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book.

World War II historical fiction is generally one of my favorite genres, so I was intrigued by the premise of this book. However, it unfortunately fell flat for me. I appreciated the viewpoint of a young man who is caught between his hidden family heritage, his love for a young Jewish woman, his family expectations, peer pressure to join the Hitler Youth, etc., but I just couldn’t rally behind any of the characters or get into the plot line. Maybe it was because it was written as if it was a memoir but it wasn’t really one? I’m not sure…

I am very picky about how I like historical fiction, especially with WWII. I feel that is a default time period. I did not feel that about this book and the story of Hans. This book was written with such feeling and sensitivity pertaining to Hans discovering he is both German and Jewish (surprise) during Hitler's regime.

The rest of the book is full of emotions, accepting who he is, fighting for survival and being a teen in Germany. This was well written and I enjoyed it even if the ending left me hanging. I enjoyed this a lot more than any Kristen Hannah book (exception: the Four Winds). I am very picky about historical fiction books and recommend this one!

Thanks to NetGalley, BV Glants and the Book Whisperer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available.

Hans thinks that he is safe from all the darkness that is happening all around him. He finds out a hidden family secret that might put his life in danger. He falls in love with a Jew and he fears the worst for her too. A coming to age story about family, love and resilience during the Nazi era. A beautifully written story, it has an eloquent plot and moving characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and The Book Whisperer for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a new author to me but I’m sure I will be reading more of his work. This book was so very interesting and I really enjoyed reading it! Thank you for writing such a interesting book!

…hm.

This book started out pretty promising, but crashed and burned toward the final 25%. I was left wanting a lot more than I got, and felt some of the side storylines were unnecessary and used only to fill space (father’s business acquisitions, mother’s former loves, etc).

WW2 books are already kind of iffy for me because they’re so played out and often times not very well done. I just feel like this one had so much potential to be great but really lost steam - I’m afraid it’ll be pretty forgettable, overall.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

History and the fiction are blended with a master’s skill.
Many thanks to The Book Whisperer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I appreciated the opportunity to receive an advance digital copy through NetGalley and the publishers.
The main character and set up for this novel seemed interesting. A young German Jew named Hans whose family considered themselves German and who was actually only half Jewish is caught up in the events of WWII. His father takes advantage of Jews who are losing their businesses. Hans' mother loses her formerly prestigious position and her health deteriorates. Hans falls in love with a Jewish girl and his situation becomes more precarious. I was disappointed in the ending of the story which to me seemed very rushed.

Thank you netgalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review. This story was one of the first I’ve read about Jewish people who converted to Christianity prior to the Nazi regime and how they were effected by it.

Hans has no idea he’s half Jewish, he’s the only child of his musician mother and aryan father.

He is staring to have feelings for 2 girls one is Rebecca the one Jew in his class and Marie the girl in the chorus he sings with after school.

He respects Rebecca with all she puts up with by their teacher and the other kids in the class. He begins to follow her home to be sure she is safe.

His mother is fired from her job for being Jewish which she and his father try to disguise as illness.

I don’t want to spoil the story but I enjoyed how this was different than other historical fiction I’ve read and I appreciated that.

I found this book quite enlightening and disturbing. A coming of age story where a boy in his early teenage years is confronted with the increasingly radical groupthink of Nazi Germany. As the Nazi thinking takes hold, he realizes that his “friend” is Jewish and he cannot be encouraged to be her friend, let alone boyfriend. I was saddened by the behavior of the other boys in his class as well as the teachers. The depiction of book burning made me shudder, it does make you wonder how one would act given those same circumstances.

Courtesy of Book Whisperer Publishing and Netgalley, I received the ARC of Half Notes from Berlin by B.V. Glants. This coming of age debut novel portrays the teens of 1933 Berlin in unexpected and extraordinary circumstances. Exploring the advent of Hitler youth groups, their significance among peers, the implications of Jewish ancestry, friendship, and the unknown future, the author captured an important glimpse into the past.

Hans at 15 in 1933 when Germany began to unravel, and Hans at 102 in 2020 needing to tell his story are two totally different people.
At 15 Hans believed he was fully Christian since that was how he had been raised. After overhearing his parents he realized that his grandparents had been born Jewish, but converted many years before. He had also began to have feelings for his classmate, Rebecca, who was Jewish.
With everything happening during these times though he had to figure out a way to keep his heritage a secret, while also trying to figure out how to try to avoid the Hitler Regime and Hitler Youth groups.
This coming of age story is one that will remind us all that we need to learn from history so it doesn’t repeat itself.

A different and interesting story about WWII. One that makes you think.
My favorite books right now are WWII historical fiction. Young Hans is a teenage boy growing up in Nazi Germany. He is not not Jewish, so he is not afraid of what seems to be coming. Hans notices a Jewish girl in school name Rebecca, the only one in his class. He admires the way she handles being bullied and seems to ignore the Nazi ways being taught.
This book tells the story of what it would have been like to be in Germany during that time. Hans finds out a secret about his grandparents, they were Jews who converted to Christianity. So Hans has decisions to make. If he keeps his mouth shut, perhaps no one will know.
So what make you Jewish? Is it based on your relatives or your religion?