A heartwarming and inspiring novel about the trials and hardships endured by two sisters in a concentration camp during WW2. The choices they had to make and the brutal treatment they received will capture your heart. This is a great read and one for all ages.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have mixed feelings about this one.
While I enjoyed the characters I felt the story line fell a little flat. I was expecting more meat to the narrative.

The girls plight was an important tale to tell so that we may never forget the atrocities that happened in the camps. I just think it would have left more of a lasting effect if the story would have continued on after they were liberated.

Thanks to Net Galley and Grand CentralPublishing for the advanced copy.

ARC received by NetGalley & the Publisher. Thank you!

2.7/5 stars

Not Without My Sister is a WWII novel focusing on the story of the Epstein sisters that are torn from their family and village and sent to a series of concentration camps together. Rachel, as the older sister, does everything possible to not be separated from her 4-year old little sister Mindel.

Though stories like this have saturated the historical fiction bookshelves as of late I still found it to be worth reading. Rachel and Mindel are likable characters and your heart will break for the journey they are forced to travel.

However, I found the writing to be too contemporary for a 1940s HF read. At one point Mindel is described as thinking "As If!" circa 1990s Clueless. The use of the word tummy got to the point of annoyance for overuse in my opinion as well. There are so many ways to describe hunger and an empty feeling in your stomach that the use of empty tummy time and time again took away from the narrative.

The book hits interesting and critical points of things that truly happened during WWII but lacked the heart-string pulling descriptions and depth that I expect to see from a great historical fiction read.

My thought may be that this book is more targeted towards a YA audience in which case the items I wrote above make a bit more sense and I would rate this book a solid 4. As an adult HF read it just didn't hit the mark and as the book is categorized as historical fiction I am reviewing from an adult HF critique.

This novel was moving, it touches at your heart strings. I enjoyed the character development and the emotions conveyed by the characters. The courage and endurance shown despite deplorable conditions is a testament to the will to live shown by Rachel & Mindel. The author did well in describing the surroundings and feelings. I couldn’t put this book down!

A character-driven story about two sisters who are separated by the Nazis while in the Bergen-Belson Concentration Camp. It is their hope that they will ulimtately reunite that drives the story, rather than too many major plot events. The grief and determination that both Rachel and Mindel possess is beautifully written.

Thank you to Forver publishing for my final copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever Grand Central Publishing!

I am in love with how the author has incorporated well known historical figures within this book and how even though this is fiction gave us a bit more of their story even though they were just side characters.

This story was beautiful, it was painful, and it was joyful. It forced you to feel all the emotions and all those emotions come spilling out involuntarily.

This is one where if you even slightly enjoy history, I know you would love this one.

A heartbreaking story of the courage of two sisters living in a concentration camp during WW11. Rachel and her little sister Mindel go from living peacefully on their family farm to being arrested for being Jewish, and being separated in Bergen-Belsen camp.
I liked the way the author showed the camp through Rachel's eyes who is 17 and through Mindel's eyes who is 4. It gave insight to the perspectives that they saw and understanding they had because of their different ages.
Both sisters worked so hard to find each other in the camp. They had hope that the other was still alive.
I loved this book and would highly recommend it. Will be reading more by this author.
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for providing me with an ARC copy of this book.

Pensive, heart-wrenching, and evocative!

Not Without My Sister is a beautifully written, moving tale set during WWII that takes you into the lives of the Epstein sisters, two young Jewish girls from Bavaria who, due to a long-held promise and exceptional perseverance, manage to survive hell on earth, Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, and remarkably find each other and reunite upon liberation.

The prose is haunting and gritty. The characters are vulnerable, strong, and brave. And the plot is a poignant tale of life, loss, love, family, survival, sacrifice, courage, selflessness, the unimaginable horrors of war, and the special bond between sisters.

Overall, Not Without My Sister is a thought-provoking, immersive, touching tale by Kummerow that does a remarkable job of reminding us of the incredible ability of humanity to love and still be kind, compassionate, and resilient even in the face of unimaginable evil.

I’m a big fan of Marion Kummerow and Not without my Sister, did not disappoint.

Set in Germany in the fall of 1943, the Epstein’s small farm is confiscated by the Nazis and the parents disappear. Sisters Rachel, age 17 and Mintel, 4, are soon arrested and sent to a camp. While they are continually moved from camp to camp, pthey are never separated until they are sent to Bergen Belsen. They are pushed apart. Both are desperate to find the other but barriers within the camp are impossible to breach. Rachel is ordered to various work camps which threaten her life on a daily basis.

Mindel wanders around the camp having to scrounge for food and a place to sleep. She meets other children and becomes attached to Laszlo, a street-wise 7 year old. He advises Mindel to “Watch me and learn.” Together, they feel all “grown up” and able to outsmart the SS Guards.

Kummerow’s character development is excellent. Rachel, Mintel, Laszlo, and Mrs. Brinkman come to life and we fall in love with them. Sometimes we even giggle – especially with the antics of young Laszlo and Mintel. The true extent of their pain, of course, is impossible to comprehend but Kummerow takes us deep into their thoughts, fear, hunger and pain.

Along with characterization, Kummerow takes us into the time and place of the camps and work sites. She points out the smells, temperatures, sounds, …even the awful tastes. We feel like we are there.

This book has it all – themes of loss, determination, and familial love along with life vs death suspense.. I highly recommend this historical fiction.

Thank you for providing me an advanced readers copy (ARC) of “Not Without My Sister” in exchange for an honest review. I am grateful to have had the opportunity and leave my review voluntarily.

I’ve read many books of historical fiction, a lot of them focusing on WWII and concentration camps. Deplorable times and events! Some might say that this genre makes less of the events or suffering. I don’t believe that to be the case. I think making these accounts readable through fiction makes them more broadly available and keeps them alive in our collective mind. Just so with Not Without My Sister.

For a part of Rachel’s and Mindel’s story it struck me as inaccurate to the point of trivializing. Then I remembered Mindel was only four years old when she was taken from her home and interred at Bergen Belsen. The way in which she saw and understood was at the level of a four year old. She was incapable of seeing things as Rachel or adults did.

Rachel’s was a completely different viewpoint. The things she witnessed, treatment and separation from her little sister reduced her to a walking shell. By the near end of the book she had lost her ability to recognize death (Chapter 33) or the toll on those that remained among the living.

A bit of realism was when Anne Frank arrived at the camp. True or not, it lent a short dose of realism for me. I like it when authors insert these touches.

A very worthwhile read. I hesitate to say I enjoyed it, because of the tough subject matter, but it is certainly readable.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to read and offer my thoughts.

Thank you NetGalley and Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story, especially Mindel's side, was unbelievable at times. I also think adding in the Franks was strange and possibly in bad taste.
The ending was a bit too abrupt.
The writing itself was really good and the emotions rang through.
A good historical fiction book about a disturbing time in history.
A quick and fast-paced read.
All in all, it's definitely worth the read.

Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings

An extremely hard read. A set of sisters are separated on their way to a Nazi concentration camp and they must hold onto the dream of reconciliation to get them through the hardest of the days. At four and seventeen years old they have very different experiences and the book switches between their points of view to show two different sides of survival in a concentration camp.

I have read a lot of World War II books and even some that take place in a concentration camp, but for some reason this one was harder to read than most. I think I can contribute the heaviness of the book due to the fact that it is through a child's eyes. Mindel who is four is experiencing things no one should and at such a young age without a family member nearby, that is beyond anyone's imagination. It was a bit easier to read Rachel's story, but to watch her bounce between handling it and almost losing it - I was thankful this one was short.

2.5 stars. Unfortunately, this one fell more flat for me. It felt like a young adult novel, and while I felt for those who actually endured situations the characters were in, I didn't feel much for the actual characters of the book.

The repetition of specific real life characters (one of the guards was referenced in full name several awkward times in a short space of story, Margot and Anne Frank being tossed in as characters) also pulled me out of the story line. Quite a number of times, details were repeated in the space of a single page or two.

I felt it could have been much better with some editing for overall smoothness of the story line.