I absolutely adored Katherine Reay's newest novel, The Berlin Letters! This book was gripping, engaging, and so well written. Told in dual timelines, this is the story of a father and a daughter, and a family as a whole, whose lives are transformed by the Cold War. The author must have spent a ridiculous amount of time researching this novel - the level of details given to life in East Germany in the 1960s-1980s, as well as life in the States in 1989. it was heartbreaking reading about how families were torn apart thanks to the Berlin Wall...and with the wall coming down during my lifetime (I was 4!), it is amazing how much things have changed. I really liked Luisa as a character - she was so driven, so committed to her family, so smart. What a strong woman and you couldn't help but root for her. My only complaint (even though I LOVED this book) was that everything tied up so nicely and her career path just happened to put her in a place where she could engage in a dramatic conclusion. But what is a novel without some coincidences. :)

Highly recommend this book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

1989 and the Berlin Wall-we saw it fall on television but what was going on behind the scenes ? Spies and Secrets and Intrigue abound!
This story tells you about one family living in Berlin in 1961 and what happens to them when the wall goes up and their family is separated for decades. The protagonist is Luisa, who is now working for the CIA in the 1980s, but was thrown over the barbed wire fencing by her mother to her grandparents to keep her safe in 1961. Luisa finds a secret cache of letters between her father, who stayed in East Berlin, to her grandfather, who lived with the family in Washington, DC. Being trained her who life to solve puzzles and ciphers by her grandfather, she figures out the secret messages that were sent from her father. Her grandfather passed those secrets behind the Wall to a newspaper reporter in DC. The intrigue continues with a clandestine trip to East Berlin as Luisa desperately tries to find and save her father.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story as it unraveled the secrets of that tumultuous time in Berlin's history. Luisa was portrayed as a brave, bright young woman who had to deal with family secrets and I was rooting for her success. This book gives you some context and personal connection to the Berlin Wall and the history surrounding it. If you are looking for more recent historical fiction, I recommend this one!
Thank you Harper Muse and Net Galley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I loved this book. Growing up during the Cold War, so much of the content of this story unfolded in front of my eyes but this book gave me a whole new perspective. It was clearly well researched and just so well executed.

A riveting spy novel set during the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
There is much to glean from the pages of this fascinating book. The events took place during my teen and adult years, so I remember some of it but the story shed light on the circumstances behind what happened.
It is told through the eyes of Codebreaker, Luisa Voekler and her father Haris who is caught in East Germany. You can feel the tension when Haris tries to be careful as he navigates life behind the Iron Curtain. Who can he trust? What does he do when his political views change?
Luisa has assumed her father died many years ago but is shocked to discover letters written by him to her recently deceased grandfather. She has many things to sort out and relationships to question. Her journey takes her to East Berlin and unlikely allies.
The research was well done. It was interesting to find the origins of the Punk lifestyle was a protest movement against lies and oppression in East Germany.
An absorbing, intriguing, page turner. I loved learning more about the times and culture of the Cold War.
* A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Harper Muse via NetGalley. All opinions are mine alone.*

Thank you AustenprosePR and HarperMuse for my advance copy via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

MY REVIEW:
Luisa Voekler has always loved solving puzzles, and her dream was to one day become a field agent at the CIA. But ever since she was yanked from training for no discernable reason and assigned a desk job in budgeting, she has felt like a failure. Even being moved to a covert code-breaking team wasn't enough to make her feel worthy. But when, in 1989, she stumbles on a secret cache of letters written by the father she thought died when she was little, she starts to unravel a twisted skein of secrets and lies that takes her on her first international trip, and to the dangerous heart of East Berlin.

This dual-point-of-view historical spy thriller was immediately gripping and tragic. From the moment that Luisa is handed to her grandparents to the final heart-stopping finale, I was hooked. Seeing the entire length of the Cold War both from the experience of a journalist within the German Democratic Republic and then from the epiphanies of his daughter, a 1980's CIA codebreaker gave the story a broad perspective. I learned so much about the achievements of women working on deciphering Nazi and then Soviet codes (Verona I & 2), the groundbreaking and dissent of East German punk music, and the volatility of East Berlin throughout the 20th Century. The narrative had clear imagery, a sense of place, and vivid (often conflicting) emotions, including loss and hope. I can't help thinking that this would be a fantastic movie!

Triggers: child separation, the horrors that were World War II and the repression in East Germany (death, torture, kidnapping, rape, manipulation, etc.)

Book description: “Near the end of the Cold War, a CIA code-breaker discovers a symbol she recognizes from her childhood, which launches her across the world to the heart of Berlin just before the wall comes tumbling down.”

This is my first read by Katherine Reay, and my first historical fiction about the Berlin wall. I knew nothing about the Berlin Wall other than that famous quote from President Reagan, and I found it fascinating and very sad. I love how she put the story together and will look for more books by Reay.

The story alternates between Luisa, a CIA Cryptographer, and Harris, her German father living in East Berlin. Luisa grew up in the United States with her grandparents and was told that her parents had died in Germany when she was a baby. However, while working she finds letters that seem familiar to her, which leads her to hunt for more information. As she reads through the letters she unravels the truth about her family.

The rescue at the end seemed a little unrealistic, but I really enjoyed this book and finished it quickly!

My thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for this ARC.
#TheBerlinLetters #NetGalley

Another winning piece of historical fiction from Katherine Reay! Set during the cold war we meet Luisa Voekler who was raised by grandparents who immigrated from Germany and now works for the CIA. In the 1960s, we meet Luisa’s father Haris, living in East Germany behind the Berlin Wall. The tension and fear in Haris’s everyday life was palpable. I learned so much about that time period through Haris.

I can remember President Reagan’s “Mr Gorbachev, bring down the Wall” speech but I knew very little about what life was actually like in East Berlin. I loved seeing references to the attempted Reagan assassination and learned how it impacted Soviet aggression toward uprisings in Poland, Czechoslovakia and other countries behind the Iron Curtain.

Highly recommend this to historical fiction readers and anyone who loves world history.

I'm loving all of these Cold War historical fiction, especially the end of the Cold War, so I was immediately drawn to the synopsis of The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay.

In November 1989, Luisa, a CIA codebreaker discovers a symbol she recognizes from her childhood. She goes home and finds a series of coded letters spanning decades between her grandfather and a father in East Berlin she thought died when she was a baby. She heads to Berlin to try to help her father escape.

I loved the beginning of the book about life in Berlin when the border went up surrounding West Berlin in 1961 with Monika and the split-second decision she made to hand her daughter to her parents on the American side. This decision would change her family and lead to her parents moving to the US with her daughter Lusia as a baby. I also loved seeing Luisa decode the letters and learn more about her father and grandfather through their letters. Plus all the info about codebreaking I found fascinating.

I didn't love the Luisa in Berlin part as much though, but I did love that part was centered around November 9, 1989 the day the Berlin Wall fell.

I still loved this book and I highly recommend it

I really enjoyed this one! The Cold War is not an era of historical fiction that I have read much of, but I really enjoyed learning more about a part of history I’m not familiar with. I love historical fiction because I think it serves as a pathway into understanding a part of history unlike your own and an opportunity to feel the unique experiences of people in that time.

This book set as a DUAL timeline/POV - one side is from a man behind the Iron Curtain of East Berlin during the 60s-80s and the other is his adult daughter living in America in 1989.
The beginning seems to build slowly, but by the middle of the book I was hooked. I respect the amount of historical research that must’ve been required to write such a richly detailed story. The characters were well developed and full; I felt the turmoil and the confusion alongside the main character as she finds out the truth about her family.

As I mentioned earlier, there were sections of the story that felt a little bogged down in historical details. It’s also very heavily narrated with little dialogue. I would have liked to see the romance aspect either removed or developed a bit more.

😇: no faith mentioned, other than general references to Catholicism; Harper Muse publisher
😍: no sexual content
🤐: very occasional mild language (h*ll, d*mn)

Thank you to Harper Muse & Netgalley for the complimentary ebook in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

It’s weird to read about historical fiction events that you remember. I was a kid when the Berlin Wall came down and, at the time, I didn’t understand its significance. While I’ve read other Cold War novels, this is the first I’ve read that took place in East and West Germany. The dual narrative grabbed me from the beginning and didn’t let go. The characters and the plot were well-developed with just enough mystery to keep me reading. It was truly hard to put down! This may be my favorite Katherine Reay book.

Fascinating story! History buffs will enjoy this novel of secret codes and messages taken place during the Cold War. Told in first person, Luisa, a code breaker in DC notices something familiar about a set of letters her co-worker share with her. Kept in the dark about her father, secrets begin to emerge. Haris, living in East Berlin has not seen his daughter still the Berlin War was being built. Caught up in a world of behind the Iron Curtain, Harris fights for his life while Luisa fights to release her father. Recommended!

Reading <i>The Berlin Letters</i> was like reading a historical novel and a mystery/suspense novel all in one. Honestly, it kind of reminded me of <i>The DaVinci Code</i>! The story takes place over two timelines that ended up merging into one by the end of the book. It's a story of a young girl, Luisa, who was born in Berlin just before the wall went up. Through a series of events, she ends up escaping just in time and being raised by her grandparents in the United States. Now as an adult, her career and her grandfather's recent death play a role in opening a Pandora's box of secrets, codes, and mystery that ultimately lead to a wild adventure back in Berlin in 1989.

This historical fiction is an interesting look at a period and events in history and how those on both sides not only interpreted the events as they were happening, but also came to see how they impacted people on a grander scale and what they meant for society and the human race as a whole. A fascinating and exciting read!

Thank you to Harper Muse and NetGalley for the ARC.

Publish Date: March 4, 2024

This book is a history lesson masterfully encased in a top-notch spy thriller. The story is told in a dual timeline. Haris Voekler's story begins in 1961 Berlin with the construction of the Berlin Wall. Luisa Voekler's story begins in 1989 in Washington D.C. I was hooked from the first page. The secrets, lies, snitches, secret codes, and tension of living in East Berlin under the watchful of the Stasi kept me reading way past my bedtime.

Katherine Reay is a new author to me. While I am waiting for next book, I will definitely check out her backlist. Thank you, Harper Muse and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this book.

Excellent!!! I could not put it down. The Berlin Letters is a fantastic story of family, of separation, of secrets, a story of codebreakers and spies, of living in Berlin during the years when the Berlin Wall was up, a story of courage, hope, resourcefulness, with a dash of romance. I cannot recommend this story enough. It has everything I love reading about.

Side note-there is one real world event from 1981 that has a bombshell secret revealed about it that left me speechless. I was dumbfounded. I immediately googled it and sure enough, found the same facts that the author so flawlessly wrote about. I had not known! This is why I love historical fiction. Had I been able to learn history through story in high school, I would have learned so much more!

Thank you to Harper Muse and Net Galley for allowing me to read an early ecopy. All opinions are my own. I can't wait for my own copy to arrive for my keeper shelf.

The Berlin Letters
By: Katherine Reay
Review Score: 4 Stars

Boogie’s Bulletpoints
•Reay really takes you into the time when the Berlin Wall went up, and how families struggled with that sudden and unexpected separation.

•I love the multiple points of view as the time jumps occur over the span of the Cold War.

•This book was so intense, and I could not wait to find out what was going to happen to Luisa and Haris.

•There are a few really great plot twists in the story (which also add to the fear and uncertainty in East Berlin during the Cold War).

————————————————

The Berlin Letters was kindly provided as an ARC by Netgalley and Harper Muse. Thank you for allowing me to enjoy this wonderful book!

Release Date: 3/5/24

Y’all. The Berlin Letters was such an intriguing story. It was so engrossing, trying to figure out what Luisa knows about her Opa and his history in code breaking, as well as trying to learn more about her parents and what happened to them when the Berlin Wall went up.

The story is full of suspense, which adds to the fear and paranoia of the time (I love how well the Cold War period was represented by Reay).

This book was high on my list of “Want to Read”, and I am happy to say it lived up to the hype.

#bookstagram #books #readingnow #boogiereadsbooks #fivekeyfeels #audiobooks #audiobook #historicalfiction #arcreview #netgalley #boogiesbulletpoints #theberlinletters #katherinereay #harpermuse

The story of a family torn apart by the Soviet policies in East Berlin and the building of the wall between East and West Berlin. Luisa was smuggled out the day the wall went up, and was always told her parents were dead and raised by her grandparents. Her grandfather teaches her cryptology through games because he has his own secret life. Her journalist father is behind the wall, dealing with its oppressive policies, and longs to make contact with his daughter and the world.

What is not spoken between the members of this family becomes huge walls, separating them from truth and true contact. All the walls, both the mental and the physical are finally breached together.

The history of the wall, the culture of East Berlin behind the wall is detailed and really interesting. Great blend of history and story.

Katherine Reay whisks to life behind the wall. Compelling, heart wrenching, humbling, leaves you that much more thankful for freedom.

A special thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the honor of reading an ARC.

Terrific story based on real history! A page turner, especially towards the end as the tension escalates and lives are at stake. History buffs and fans of spy stories will want to grab this one.

Covering the Cold War era in Berlin from 1961, when the Berlin Wall was erected, to its demise in 1989, it brought back memories from news stories of the time, with names of political leaders and events that rocked the world. A good look at the effects of strict communism on the culture and lives of people under its control.
Well-written and researched, perfectly paced, with just a touch of clean romantic interest towards the end. Highly recommend!
5 stars!

Considering when Luisa’s part of the story takes place, I wondered if the author might utilize one of the most notable events in Berlin history. She did and did so quite effectively. I enjoyed the discussion of the secret codes and code breaking, especially the complexity of the codes and how multiple codes were utilized together. The story focuses on one family and how events in Berlin separated them and later brought them partially back together, as well as the uncovering of numerous family secrets. I liked how the author used secret codes/ciphers to link Luisa, her father (Haris) (whom she has been told is dead) and Walther (her grandfather/opa), and how Walther, through the cryptography games he played with Luisa as a child, was preparing her what she might learn in the future.

The story is very creative in terms of the family secrets, who knew what, and the information that one or more members thought they had kept secret from others but which the others knew or guessed. The author does a good job at portraying the paranoia and suspicion infused in East Germany through the Stasi and snitches, and how that sense of fear and mistrust becomes imbedded in people even when they are safely removed from the environment.

The discussion of Ostpunk and how the subversive nature of the punk scene was utilized to help undermine the East German government was interesting.

I read a lot of historical fiction but this period of time and set in East Berlin is new to me and I loved it. Katherine Reay managed to evoke the terror and confusion of Berliners the day the wall went up. It is extraordinary how the GDR managed to project manage that task so quietly! The image of the little boy trapped on the wrong side from his parents will stay with me for a long time.
I always love a dual timeline and thought she did a great job of giving them a distinct voice. The history felt part of the narrative rather than added information which can happen when an author needs to include all their research and lose the story.
And I really liked that this book wasn’t bogged down in romantic love. This was about the love a father has for his daughter, and family love that becomes distorted by the past. It shows the reality of how hard it is to move forward from such trauma and how that impacts the next generation.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.