This book started slowly but I’m glad I persevered. I became invested in the characters as we learned their backstory and the writing was descriptive. The subject matter was often heartbreaking and I felt the author did a good job in describing without over dramatising. However, the pace was off for me and some elements were glossed over while utters recounted in more detail than was needed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

Loved this book, so intriguing and you get right into the story. The characters are so special and I felt as if I was there. A must read

I went back and forth trying to give this book a solid chance. However, I dont feel as though I could relate to the main characters so I unfortunately DNF.

I must admit this was not one of my favorite books. which is rare for the author and time period of the novel. While looking for closure when her grandmother dies, the main character finds many things out about her grandmother, and then in turn herself.

This was a complex and character driven novel that examined the choices made during WWII and the traumatic consequences each person faced. This story is set in a German town right on the border with Poland. At the start of the book Mia comes to Journey from England because her grandmother, Ilse, is dying. Mia wants to unlock the secrets from the past before her grandmother dies. Mia, An extremely well researched and well written book, as we take the journey with Mia's journey to unlock the secrets of the past.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the dual timelines and multiple points of view. They really kept the story moving and unfolding at a great pace. Anyone who likes historical fiction, especially WWII, will definitely enjoy this book. I am excited to read more by this author! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

My husband's parents and family were WWII war refugees from Poland, and landed in Australia. Since so many of them died before I met him, and the past was not talked about in his household, I now can't get enough of stories set during WWII, especially when they have a Polish element.

This story is set in a German town right on the border with Poland, and before the war came, residents went freely from one place to the other via a bridge. Thus, does German IIse and her friend, Marlena, find themselves meeting Polish cousins Syzmon and Tadeusz. What follows is the stuff of every teenager who discovers the opposite sex for the first time, and feelings stir that can be mistaken for true love. Although this part of the story moved more slowly and with less drama, I felt the author did an admirable job of bringing to life those feelings of teenage crushes and the very strong emotions they evoke. (At least in the era I grew up in.)

Then the war reaches the little town and the book becomes darker and more action packed. Something happens back in time that will impact all four of the teenagers lives. At the start of the book, Mia, Iise's granddaughter, has come to Germany from England because her Grandmother is dying. Mia wants to unlock this secret from the past before her grandmother is gone.

I struggled at the beginning to get immersed in this book, but once I did and got past a certain point, I found it very interesting. I feel the author was able to set a real mood of the time, with the setting and the characters. They all felt very real. I would rate this 3.75, only because of a slow start. It could be argued that this more calm start was needed, to set the backdrop for the huge changes that came after the war, however. In that regard, there was a Before and an After.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookoutre, and the author for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a great read and a great insight into the life of Polish people during the Second World War. The author highlighted the brutality of the treatment of Poland citizens under the hands of Nazi Germany. I truly applauded the author for their honest depiction of this and for doing it in a sensitive way.

The only issue I had with this book was how confusing the framework was. The chapters flicked backwards and forwards with several characters telling their story before flipping back to tell it from another POV. It became very confusing and difficult to follow.

I cannot wait to read more by this author!

This is such a wonderful story, an historical novel that draws you in and takes you on a journey. Mi travels to Germany to be with her elderly grandmother when she is drawn into her grandmothers secrets from the past. Mia now wants to find out more and is drawn into a search for clues to her grandmothers past.

This is a book that will keep you enthralled from start to finish. I love the historical aspect of it as there are so many things that happened during past wars that we don't know about. The strength of the people (like Mia's grandmother), the courage and bravery is hard to comprehend.

This is at times a heart-breaking read but it is so well written and researched (based on a trye story) and is so emotional it will get right into your head and your heart. I loved it and found it a wonderful, emotional and interesting read.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi brutality, domestic abuse
Mia heads to the Poland-Germany border to visit her dying grandmother Ilse. Ilse cries out for Szymon and Mia finds a series of postcards between Szymon and Tadeusz at Ilse's home. Can she find Szymon and bring her grandmother solace in her final days?
The Postcard is a dual timeline historical novel set in 1999 and during the 1930s and 40s.
Mia's parents died years ago. Now she has escaped a violent relationship but her heart endures more heartache as her beloved grandmother lies dying in hospital. Ilse wants forgiveness for the past but also reassurance that Mia will be looked after in the future. Secrets from the past need to be exposed and atoned for but time is running out.
The book is written from multiple perspectives, both in the first and third person, in the 1930s/40s and 1999. I felt a little separated from the emotion of the book, possibly due to the varying viewpoints. The pace is quite slow at the beginning as we get to know Ilse in the past and present. The plot speeds up as the wartime secrets begin to be revealed to us and to Mia.
I thought that the angle of the book showing the Polish experience of the Nazi regime was quite fresh. The brutality is described almost objectively as the characters have become immune to the suffering in order to survive mentally and physically.
The Postcard is an interesting and well researched historical novel.

I was lucky enough to get both an ARC and an ALC of this book from NetGalley and Bookoutoure.

This is my second book by Carly and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Mia is such a relatable character. Her desire to uncover her grandmother’s secrets even though she starts with such little information sucked me in from the get go. Luckily she had her grandmother’s best friend and her neighbor to help her get the story straight.
The things that Ilse had to experience and live through is gut wrenching. No matter how many historical fictions I read based in WWII, I will never fully comprehend the pain and heartbreak of the time.

I’m a big fan of Carly Schabowski’s books. Her latest novel, The Postcard, is different from her other books, and one I thoroughly enjoyed.

The story revolves around Mia who is visiting her grandmother in the hospital. While there, her grandmother asks for a man unknown to Mia. However, while staying in her grandmother’s apartment, she uncovers a postcard with the mystery man’s name. At that point, Mia is filled with questions and vows to uncover the truth.

I love how this book is written from the different characters’ points of view. Not only does it make the story that much more interesting, it provides insights that may not otherwise be revealed.

One of the biggest reasons I’m a fan of the author’s books is because they are based on true stories. She thoroughly researches the subject at hand and makes it her own story that is not only entertaining, but heartbreaking as well. While I may never know what it was like for the victims and survivors of the Holocaust, reading her books brings me one step closer…

Schabowski’s latest novel The Postcard follows Mia’s search for closure for her dying grandmother, who had recently returned to her hometown in Germany and keeps mentioning a mysterious Szymon. Mia’s search brings her into contact with Marlena and Tadeusz, friends of her grandmother who have a contentious, almost angry, relationship with her grandmother Ilse, and forces Marlena, Ilse, and Tadeusz to confront the experiences of their young adulthood during World War II. Schabowski’s characters drive the plot forward, with perspective shifts between all of the main characters -- Mia, Ilse, Tadeusz, Szymon, and Marlena -- bringing the multiple perspectives to the forefront of the novel. The characters are dynamic and complex, and their relationships, having evolved over the fifty-plus years between events, add another level of tension and emotion to the novel. As for the setting, the locations of the novel are key to the characters’ developments and the events, though they do not receive significant amounts of detail or descriptions. The Postcard, with its dynamic characters, complex relationships, and multiple perspectives, is a fascinating and immersive historical fiction novel about the challenges of ethnicity, identity, and relationships in World War II Germany.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Bookouture and Carly Schabowski for the opportunity to read The Postcard! I love a good “family secret” novel and when that secret dates back to WWII…I’m hooked instantly.

When the grandmother who raised her suddenly takes ill, Mia drops everything to travel to Germany and sit by her bedside. When runs by her grandmothers home to pick up some items to take to the hospital, she discovers some old postcards hidden underneath the bed. And then her grandmother asks for someone she’s never even heard of before. Mia can’t help but wonder what her grandmother has been keeping from her all these years and she turns to her grandmothers oldest friends to fill in the gaps.

I loved this story for the simple fact that Mia is given an opportunity to learn about who her grandmother was during the war years. So many of the WWII generation never speak of the time and as they leave us…their secrets are revealed. Often times, in doing so…things are revealed about ourselves and we learn valuable life lessons. Though this story is pure fiction, you close the back cover with some serious insight and that’s always a win for me!

The Postcard is my first book by Carly Schabowski and won't be my last!
This is a dual timeline WWII story taking place in Görlitz, Germany, a town bordering Zgorzelec, Poland. It is an insightful and heartbreaking story of friendship, secrets, betrayal and sacrifice – an important lesson in facing up to mistakes, not leaving things unsaid, and not letting the past destroy future happiness.
Current day - Mia has travelled to Görlitz, Germany, to visit her ailing grandmother Ilse, who has little time left. Mia finds some old postcards in her grandmother's apartment dating back to WWII, from Szymon to Tadeusz. Mia confronts her grandmother and her grandmother's best friend, Marlena, needing to know who Tadeusz and Szymon are, and what they meant to her grandmother. Ilse realises she must tell Mia her secrets, to try to right some wrongs before it's too late, and Mia sets out to find the missing pieces. Her search uncovers heartbreaking truths about who her grandmother was and the events that changed her forever.
I enjoyed the characters in this story and found them all very relatable. The scenes featuring POW camps are sensitively written, but still give the reader insight into the treatment of prisoners, including the conditions for different nationalities, something I didn’t have a great understanding of prior to reading this book. While I found parts of the story to be slow moving, and would have liked more depth in some parts, I still enjoyed it immensely and have no hesitation in recommending it to lovers of WWII historical fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced digital copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

The Postcard is an emotional WWII novel that is based on a true story. This is the story of four childhood friends who are separated by circumstance. Isle is part of the German elite, but her friends, Marlena, Szymon and Tadeusz, are from Poland. They all live right on the border which is connected by a walking bridge. They all grow up on the river and become friends and crushes until Isle is forced to move to Berlin with her family.

When Isle returns, her friends' lives are forever changed. The boys have joined the Polish army and Marlena is just trying to survive. Isle has a very hard time understanding all the caution as the war has had little effect on her life. Her choices and somewhat selfish attitude eventually cost one of her dear friend's freedom, while deserting the other when she was needed most.

As with any book set during the war, the descriptions of those imprisoned by the Nazi soldiers cuts deep. It was heartbreaking to read many of those parts of this story.

This story is told in dual timelines with several POVs. Mia, Isle's granddaughter, is the one who puts all the mystery back together. What really happened to Isle all those years ago? Why did Mia never know the girl who was once so full of love in her youth? The grandmother she knew was loving, but never affectionate. As her grandmother is in her deathbed, she finds the postcards and begins asking all the right questions.

This is a tale of secrets and just how heavy the consequences of our actions and choices can really be. It tells just how important family and forgiveness can be. And it tells us it's never too late to build a relationship with family once lost.

As the author reveals in her letter to readers at the end of the book, The Postcard is inspired by a chance find in a Polish flea market and a true story of wartime sacrifice.

The standout parts of the book for me were the sections describing the experiences of cousins Szymon and Tadeusz during the Second World War. Chilling and often disturbing, these scenes had a real feeling of authenticity. I think we are probably all aware of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis, not just on Jewish people but on citizens of other occupied countries, but it doesn't make it any easier to read about. I couldn't help but think about the current situation in Ukraine as I was reading the scenes of the young cousins serving as soldiers on the front line.

I'll confess I found the young Ilse difficult to warm to because of her self-absorption and her inability to recognise - perhaps even blithe indifference to - the events unfolding around her. Of course, she wasn't alone in that. 'Everyone seemed happy with the Fuhrer and their new Germany, so if no one else seemed to care, it seemed pointless that she should worry about it too.' Even when she does realise what's going on - and the evidence is there under her nose - her motivation is partly the prospect of adventure. With the older Ilse it was a different matter. Her guilt and regret at the actions of her younger self was heartbreaking to witness, as was her determination to put things right.

My favourite character was Marlena who proves a steadfast friend to Ilse, a loyal confidante and a resolute individualist. I loved the way she supported Mia as she struggles to come to terms with the prospect of losing her grandmother, the woman who has brought her up since her parents' death. Attempting to discover the truth about her grandmother's early life provides a sort of distraction for Mia's from her own troubles. It's a journey the reader joins her on as the story moves back and forth in time until all the pieces of the jigsaw finally come together.

The Postcard is an emotional story about love, friendship and the choices that can change lives forever.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to like The Postcard, it was actually the character of Marlena that piqued my interest and made me want to keep going.

The book was emotion on 2 levels. The horrific reality of WW2 should tongue on anyone's heartstrings and the pain of losing a loved one.

Did I find some parts of the books a bit slow? Yes. Did the creativr story make the slow parts worth it? Yes

Twenty year old Mia was raised by her grandmother Ilse. Mia remembers the stories of happenings during World War Two as if it happened yesterday. So when Mia’s grandmother Ilse is hospitalized, Mia immediately returns to Germany to be by her side. Ilse briefly wakes up and asks for Szymon, a man she knew many years ago but Mia doesn’t know who he is. Why, after all this time, is Ilse so determined to see him? Mia returns to her grandmother’s apartment to see if she can find any information on who Szymon is. She discovers a stack of old, faded postcards inside an old suitcase. As she reads through the stack of postcards, she sees that they are all signed by Szymon. Mia must find Szymon and convince him that he needs to see Ilse one more time before it’s too late.

The Postcard written by author Carly Schabowski, is a wonderful time slip story. This emotional story is a heartbreaking and powerful story of past, present and future lives of people that survived the Great War and the stories that were kept secret for so many years. If you enjoy historical fiction with secrets revealed and the mystery of finding answers many years later, then this is the book for you.

The Postcard is an emotional and at times heartbreaking read that really tugged at my heart strings. Right from the prologue I was completely invested in this story and wanted desperately to find out what secrets were being hidden by these characters. The author has given us excellent characters in this story and I enjoyed reading from each of their different perspectives. I know this was mainly a book based on historical fiction but I did also like reading about Mia’s story and what she had to endure. The chapters based around the prisoners in the concentration camps were at times difficult to read and really brought tears to my eyes reading about how these poor people suffered during the worst of times. Overall for me this was an unputdownable and touching read that I highly recommend. 5⭐️