The girl from the Resistance is book one in the Dutch Girls series that is written by Imogen Matthews. I am a huge fan of any historical story that deals with one of the wars, and I love that this was based in Holland. This is a country that I am not as familiar with. The story drew me in immediately and kept my attention the whole time. The author has painted such wonderful descriptions that you feel like you are right there watching the story unfold.

Trudi and her family have helped to hide a Jewish Family. However, one day the door is kicked in and the two parents of the family are taken away. Trudi is left hiding with the couple's two small children. She decides right then that she will get these children to safety. She quickly finds how dangerous her task will be. Once her mission is complete she makes a life changing decision.... to join the resistance. She is one of the only women who shows up at the meeting - and she finds herself working tirelessly to find out information.

I love the portrayal of how normal citizens did not agree with what was going around them. These citizens showed no fear and so much bravery to fight back. The characters are well developed, and the storyline is engaging.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read a copy of this book - all thoughts are my own.

The girl from the resistance is a fictional story about Trudi, an 18-year-old young woman who lives in Haarlem. When we get to know Trudi, she still lives at home with her parents in Haarlem and works as a domestic servant. Trudi has an older sister, Frida, who works as a nurse.
On Trudi's initiative, her family took in people in hiding, including two young children. When Trudi takes the two children out before dawn one day to feed the ducks, her parental home is soon raided. Trudi manages to save the two children by locking herself and the two girls in a hidden closet, but the girls' parents are arrested and eventually deported to Westerbork. That's the last we hear from the parents.

Ultimately, with the help of someone from the resistance, Trudi manages to get the girls to safety and place them with a family in the countryside outside Haarlem.

In a separate storyline we learn that shortly before or just after the start of the war, Trudi met a nice blond boy who comes from a fishing family and sells fish at the market. It turns out that Sem Schipper is also studying and when Sem returns to university after the holidays, their paths become increasingly separated. Ultimately, Sem will move further and further towards the NSB.

Through her activities in rescuing the two Jewish girls, Trudi gradually becomes involved in the resistance. Her sister also helps the resistance occasionally, but at a certain point in the book we actually hear nothing more about this sister. It seems like the author has forgotten this storyline a bit and left it hanging. In the meantime, Trudi undertakes increasingly dangerous assignments for the resistance and at one point has to save a group of 12 children by taking him by train to Dordrecht.

The book is certainly exciting and some of the events could be based on similar situations that actually happened. What seemed a bit unreal to me, however, is that Trudi is very naive and regularly talks her mouth off, even when she herself has sufficient reason to doubt the integrity of certain people. Several story-lines in the book are also left unfinished, for example what happens to Trudi's sister. It is often referred to that Trudi misses her sister, but this is not discussed anywhere else in the book. It is also strange that Trudi never visits her parents again throughout the book.
Another example of loose ends in the book is that it is never explained why “Oma” is talking to the German.

Finally, the trips that Trudi and her sister make by bike seem a bit unreal to me. The distances in the Netherlands are not that great, but sometimes distances of 60 km are covered one way. Knowing that the bicycles that were still available during WWII were not of great quality, this seems virtually impossible, especially since Trudi also has to cycle back and sometimes she goes to different places in one day.
The book itself is exciting and since it looks like this will be a series, I hope that some of the storylines will be picked up in the next part. More than 3 stars for the moment because the book is well written.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review

Another heartwrenching WWII story. It jumped around a little much for my taste but the story was enjoyable.

Powerful story about saving Jewish kids under Nazi occupation.

The Nazi took the Jewish couple who were hiding in Trudi’s attic. Luckily, two little girls were temporarily save behind the bookcase. Now Trudi was responsible for putting the girls into a safe place.

The story then followed by how Trudi moved the little girls to the countryside safely. Trudi did everything to protect these two girls.

Strong story plot with solid focus on the beautiful heart and braveness of Trudi. Enjoyable yet heart-wrenching story. The likable characters made the story into a page-turner. Love, sacrifice and resilience were quite the backbone of the story.

Look forward to the next installment of the series.

The Girl from the Resistance is the first book in the Dutch Girl series by Imogen Matthews. The setting is 1941 Nazi-occupied Holland. Nazis break down the front door of 18-year-old Trudi's home and seize the Jewish couple hiding in her attic. Their two little girls, Rosy and Louisa, are heartbroken. It is Trudi's mission to get them to a safe house under the guise of a German nurse escorting children to a hospital. It is a classic story of escape.

The Girl from the Resistance was just okay. I appreciate the history told in fiction. The slight suspense of getting Rosy and Louisa from the hiding place in the attic to safety was not nearly as nail-biting as it could have been though. Perhaps the series will develop better but I won't continue since the characters were not memorable after I turned the last page. ~LiteraryMarie

The Girl From The Resistance is the first instalment of the new ‘The Dutch Girls’ series from author Imogen Matthews. It is an inspiring story about the bravery of the Dutch resistance putting their lives at risk to help others escape Nazi persecution.
The narrative follows Trudi as she joins the resistance and starts to complete a range of different jobs for them. Some of the chapters were slower paced as Trudi takes on some of the more day-to-day resistance work such as messenger work but I enjoyed this aspect as it showcased how important even the more mundane and less risky tasks were to contributing to the resistance efforts. The second half of the novel is more fast-paced and action-packed and had me on the edge of my seat. The story flowed well overall and it was an easy read, easy to finish in just a single sitting.
I did struggle to warm to Trudi as a protagonist which was a shame. Her naivety and willingness to divulge the secrets of her resistance work to people she had only just met and didn’t know if she could trust was frustrating to say the least. We did see good character development from her however as she completed more work for the resistance and grew in confidence and maturity.
My overall feeling is that the story would have been stronger if everything had been explored in more depth. We’re introduced to many characters but find out very little about them. For example, Piet, who plays a large role in the plot, is introduced and it’s clear that Trudi has an initial attraction to him but we’re not given any context as to why as we learn very little about him.
Overall, The Girl From The Resistance is an enjoyable and easy to read historical fiction novel and the start of a potentially exciting new series. The Dutch resistance is a fascinating aspect of World War Two history and I look forward to seeing where Imogen Matthews takes the rest of her series.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I have posted an extended review on my blog www.yourschloe.co.uk and the post is linked.

TRIGGER WARNING: Nazi brutality and the Holocaust
Trudi's family are sheltering a Jewish family in their attic. The house is raided and Trudi is entrusted with keeping the two young girls safe. Trudi decides she wants to do more to fight against the occupation of her country and the persecution she witnesses on the streets. She joins the resistance...
The Girl from the Resistance is an historical novel set in the Netherlands during WW2. It is actually based on a true story which makes it even more poignant.
Trudi is a young woman in occupied Netherlands in 1941. She is revolted by the brutality she witnesses and vows to help defy the Nazis in any way she can. She is given sole charge of two young Jewish girls after their parents sacrificed themselves so that they could escape. Once hidden at a safe location, Trudi begins to look for other ways to resist and joins a local group, dropping off information and ammo before moving on to acts of sabotage.
The book is written in the third person to show Trudi's journey into danger. There are several big events that see Trudi risk her life and these are dramatic and tensely described. Friendship and hope are important themes in this book which also does not shy away from the negative choices people made in the face of the Nazi occupation. It would be easy to condemn collaborators but this book shows that individuals had genuine reasons for doing so.
I believe that this is the first book in a new series about three real life women. This makes me wonder if we will see more of Trudi's life in later books and I would love to know if little Rosy and Louisa are ever reunited with their parents or if they perished in a camp.
The Girl from the Resistance is an engaging and dramatic historical book about bravery in the face of constant danger.

A really good WWII novel. Loved the main character and her mission to keep 2 children safe. Really a hard book to put down because I cared for the characters so much and wanted to help protect them.

The first book in this inspiring fiction series was decent. At times the story felt unbelievable and far fetched, but it kept my attention. I do struggle with the accuracy of a resistance worker telling so many people what she was doing. I would read more.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read, The Girl From The Resistance, The Dutch Girls book 1 by Imogen Matthews. It was such a wonderful story about the strength of young children and young adults who went above and beyond to help save them during the Holocaust. The main character, Trudy, was such an amazingly strong woman and I was thrilled to see how she put the lives of other people's children above everything and everyone else. Her determination and unbelievable strength was palpable throughout this novel. The author, Imogen Matthews, did such a wonderful job of showing how dangerous it was for Trudy to help Jewish families and also how important it was for her to do so. Matthews also showed how difficult it was to trust anyone when she was involved in resisting the Nazis. I was on the edge of my seat throughout much of the book. I also liked how Matthews dealt with Trudy's reluctance in using a gun as protection. She did a wonderful job of showing how a gun should only be used if it's the last resort and it's being used to protect yourself or another human being. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about the Holocaust and the people who did everything they could to resist the Nazis.

Although this is a fictional story, the characters are based on real people.

I cannot begin to imagine what it was like for the people of Holland having to live in their country with a brutal occupier who don't even think twice about making lives even more difficult than they already are and that's for the Dutch; what it must have been like to be a Jew ... I cannot comprehend.

In this book we focus on Trudi and young and slightly naïve young woman who decided not to stand by and allow men, women and, particularly, children to be whisked away to unknown horrors and what a story it is. Full of tension and suspense, this is a compelling story that had me totally immersed.

I am pleased to see that this is the first in a series and am very much looking forward to reading more. Thanks go to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of The Girl from the Resistance.

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

I rather enjoyed reading about Trudi's bravery and joining the resistance. It is told at a good pace that kept me interested.

The only downside was that some of the conversations between Trudi and her family come across as robotic for some reason

This is a riveting book.
Set in Holland, Trudi’s family is already housing a Jewish family. When the Germans arrive, Trusi will do all she can to protect the two young daughters.
So many joined the Dutch resistance. Most with no formal training. And yet, they were willing to give their lives to fight against the Nazis.
The story has many twists and turns. You never knew who to trust and Dutch informants were common.
Read the tale of this brave women, set on moving Jewish children to safely under then Nazis noses.

Another story of heroism and resistance during the Second World War. Trudi starts by hiding a Jewish family, then becomes part of the Dutch Resistance.

The Girl from the Resistance is the first in a planned trilogy from Imogen Matthews. Each book will follow a young woman detailing their experiences in the Dutch resistance during World War Two. This was a dangerous and nerve wracking time time where very few women took part in Resistance activities. This first story is set in 1941 and follows a young woman named Trudi who lives in Harlem in the Netherlands. The war has curtailed her ambitions and after left school aged 18 she has had to take up work as a domestic help which she is certainly not enjoying. She has a sister named Frida who works as a nurse and her parents help out with the war effort hiding Jewish people who are trying to evade being rounded up by the Germans. Life is full of fear, apprehension and terror for her family and so many others as the minute they step outside of their home they are wary at encountering Germans. But a spark has been ignited in Trudi and soon we see her take bold and courageous steps as she wants to do more to help those whose lives are in peril.

The power the Nazi’s hold over the people is very strong and when they raid Trudi’s home and discover they have been hiding a couple in their attic this is when things really take off. Trudi hides with the couples young daughters Rosy and Louisa and whilst their parents are taken the two children remain safe but they can no longer stay in the attic. Trudi soon comes to realise that true power comes from helping those in need. This is a powerful statement whose sentiment will sustain her through some dark, challenging and troubling times.

Trudi promised the children’s parents that she would keep them safe and she is never one to break a promise. She is shouldering a huge responsibility, but she does so with great strength and tenacity. When she meets Sem, the son of a fisherman, at his stall there is a connection there and she soon learns that he is involved with the Resistance movement in which small groups have sprung up all over the Netherlands.These groups have ambitions to intercept German plots but they are also helping with the smuggling of Jewish adults and children to safety. Trudi is introduced to Frans, a man who has his fingers in many pies but yet is someone who is brave and resourceful. She manages to get Rosy and Louisa to a safe house where they can be hidden but she is not ready to rest on her laurels. In fact, being involved in something like this only makes her more determined to do her bit for the cause. She has strong nerves and she will need them especially if she is to handle arms. She feels strongly about helping people to understand the truth about what is really happening under German occupation.

I thought the book started off strong and then there was a lull. There are details of tasks Trudi is sent on by Frans and yes she is in danger but there was nothing earth shattering or really dramatic happening. I felt the chapters were just rolling by and I was making progress with the book but it wasn’t overly gripping. Yes, the details of her assignments working as a courier, transporting important information or delivering necessary equipment or gathering intelligence were interesting and they did highlight the danger involved in her work. It did show that she grew in strength and that she was courageous and willing to take on different assignments.But I just wanted something exciting to happen as I felt the middle section fell into a repetitive pattern that needed something really dramatic to shake things up a bit and have me glued to the pages.

Thankfully that came in the last quarter or so and I got everything I had hoped for. All the little bits that I had presumed were surplus to the storyline begin to join together and made for an exciting and thrilling last part of the story that certainly made up for what at times had been a sluggish middle section. Trudi really showed her true fortitude, stability and tenacity. She is tasked with her most dangerous mission of all which puts her directly in the line of fire. I felt the scenes here were brilliantly written and my heart was in my mouth. The love and care she has for the people involved in this assignment shine through at every opportunity and I loved how there were so many twists and turns as we raced to a very dramatic conclusion. This really did give a much needed boost to the story and it totally changed my opinion of the book.Characters who I thought didn’t have much of a role or were deserving of a place in the book came to the fore and in fact it was clever how Imogen Matthews had everything plotted out and in fact the development was much better over all towards the end than I thought it had been for the majority of the book.

The tension, element of surprise, revelations and angst that I had wanted in the story were there in spades as the booked raced to its conclusion. It was brilliantly executed and demonstrated what a remarkable character Trudi was. Her situation in the end has set us up nicely for the next book in the series as has several other strands which have left me with lots of questions. If the next book doesn’t solely focus on Trudi I do hope we get some more information as to what happens to her next as I have become firmly invested in her as a character but at the same time I am eager to discover more about the other two women who are to feature in the series. The Girl from the Resistance, despite a shaky middle, turned out to be a very good read which has left me wanting much more.

I really enjoyed this book inspired by real Dutch resistance women. I appreciate books that show strong female leads, especially if they are young. Girls need more books that show them that they too are strong. I did find some of the situations to not come across as believable, but that could just my take on the situation. This is they type of book that you can visualize the actions taking place and ponder on whether you think you would stand up and fight against evil forces if you were ever in similar circumstances. We all would like to imagine we would, but reading how terror filled the circumstances Trudi were, it's easy to see why so many people turned a blind eye or joined up with the Nazis. I thought the last chapter before the Epilogue ended too abruptly. I was shocked when I turned the page and there wasn't another chapter. There were characters I was invested in at the beginning of the book that were forgotten for the rest of the book so that felt like something was missing, hence the 4 stars. I appreciated the author's note at the end with reading recommendations and the real young women this book series is inspired by. I would definitely recommend this book.

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “The Girl from the Resistance”. This book showed me that in the midst of evil, there is still some good. This story resonates with me today, especially with what is going on in Israel. Once again, Jews are being persecuted for their religion.
Trudi lives in Holland and has to take care of two young girls when their parents are taken away. They face obstacles at every turn trying to find safety.
This book will have you flipping the pages so fast to see what happens. If you are looking for a book that is filled with action and hope, this story is for you. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#TheGirlfromtheResistance #ImogenMatthews#NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #BooksSetDuringWWII #BooksSetInHolland #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks

It’s 1941 and the Nazi’s have moved in on Holland. Trudi is helping her Jewish neighbors survive by hiding them in her home. Rosy and Louisa witness their parents being taken away by the horrible soldiers, they stay hidden behind a bookcase in order to survive. Trudi is only eighteen years old and living with her is their only hope, and Trudi’s only hope for survival is for her to join the resistance. Frans and his cousin Piet risk their lives to help the Jewish children that have been left behind, a way out. Trudi must find Frans and Piet and ask them to help Rosy and Louisa. When the girls are offered a safe place to live, Trudi knows she must do everything she possibly can to move them to the safe house. Her only option is to move them in the dead of night, and risk her life and the lives of Rosy and Louisa.

The Girl From the Resistance by author Imogen Matthews, is a heartbreaking true story that is sure to have you flying through the pages from cover to cover. This amazingly suspenseful story is unputdownable and will definitely stay with you long after you finish the book. My heart broke for the wonderful, believable characters. I held my breath as my heart pounded faster and faster with every footstep they took in the dark night. This is a definite must read for all historical fiction fans. So happy to discover that this is the first book in a new series, looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend it.

Thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for an early review copy.

The story is set in World War Two when Holland was taken over by the Nazis.

In order to help a Jewish family, Trudi and her family keep them hidden. But after their house is broken into and the elders are taken, it’s now up to Trudi to do whatever she can to keep Rosy and Louisa, the daughters of the Jewish couple, safe.

She joins the resistance and is taught how to use weapons and trust others.

The story was heartbreaking story that was well written and researched. The story kept me hooked,

I highly recommend this book.

The Girl From The Resistance by Imogen Matthews is a powerful historical novel. It is the first book in The Dutch Girls series which promises to be fabulous.
The reader enters Nazi-occupied Holland as we follow a brave young woman who refuses to sit back and do nothing. Her heart goes out to her Jewish neighbours as she is determined to make a difference.
When thrown in at the deep end we either sink or swim. The leading lady chooses to swim. She taps into a hidden strength and goes above and beyond what she felt she was capable of. She is determined to follow through on her promise to protect two young sisters after their parents were taken. She has a strong inner core.
We see extraordinary acts of bravery by ordinary people. The resistance draws many in, in order to help smuggle Jewish people or to sabotage the Nazis plans.
It is tense at times as action happens in the dead of night under the noses of the Nazis. My heart rate definitely rose.
There is love and loyalty with no thought to personal safety.
There is the theme of trust. It is best to keep silent as you never know who is listening or where their sympathies lie. I feared for the leading lady at times as I felt she was over-sharing. Her bravery was admirable though.
All the characters were well drawn, likable and realistic.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl From The Resistance and was completely caught up in the action. I was sad when the book ended. I am hoping for a continuation of the tale as I want to know what happens next.
I received a free copy from the publishers for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.