The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri is an incredible piece of literature following a young half-Jewish woman during the beginnings of the Holocaust. Allina was raised by her aunt and uncle after the passing of her parents, and upon a tragic event is forced to become part of Nazi Germany’s new Lebensborn program. This program is designed to produce German children with good genetics. Allina notices some terrible things happening in the facility and with the help of a sympathetic SS officer, she works to help the children.

The plot of this story is very compelling and emotional. I found myself not being able to put the book down, but also at time, feeling as if I had to just to process what happened. I am not one to overexaggerate my enjoyment of a book and typically rate lower rather than higher, but this story was so well done. There was an obviously large amount of research that went into this plot, and everything felt thought out. I learned things from this historical story, while also enjoying some of the characters.

The protagonist, Allina, is a very strong and determined female character who goes through a lot of tribulation and trauma and uses it as fuel. She is emotional, yet strong at the same time, which I love. I also appreciate how the romance in this story does not subtract or distract from the seriousness of the topics. It really only enhances the plot and made me feel more for the characters.

Overall, I would give this story 4.75/5 stars. The writing was very well done, the plot pulled me in, the characters were written well, and I learned a lot from this story. There was a lot of emotion in this story and I found myself holding back tears at some points. This is an incredible historical novel.

I am stingy when it comes to 5 star reviews but this book is absolutely incredible. The holocaust has always been an interesting subject for me so I was excited to get access to this book. The story telling was amazing to say the least. You can tell the author did research when writing this book. It is a nod to historical fiction with bits of love, heartache and suspense all in one. Although Allina and Karl’s story is fiction, I like to think there was a real-life version at some point. I will be thinking about this book for years to come.

A quality read. I very much enjoyed the characters and their struggles. Through all the sadness in the book, the author still gave the reader hope.

I loved the Sunflower House. It was an incredible read and very fascinating I did not want to put it down. It was a good story about learning to trust, and learning to always listen to the story's no matter how hard it is to hear. I really like that at the end of the book the author put a section in explaining the true parts of the story and giving links to where you can learn more about the truth. Incredible read 10/10

Where secrets bloom & destinies intertwine, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐧𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 meticulously sheds light on a lesser-known chapter of WWII, offering a riveting & unforgettable journey through a world of betrayal, uncertainty & fear. This is a gripping & compelling story that captured my heart & at times I caught myself holding my breath.

𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑪𝑹𝑰𝑷𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵
The year is 1939. As Adolf Hitler tightens his grip on power, Allina’s world is shattered by dark family secrets—her birth mother was Jewish, casting a dangerous shadow over her very existence.

The Sunflower House delves into the dark secrets of Nazi Germany’s Lebensborn Program to counteract falling birth rates in Germany & to promote Nazi eugenics (“the master race”) by birthing “pure bloodlines”. Allina is brutally forced into servitude where she grapples with her hidden identity & navigates the harrowing realities of life in the Home where she forms an unbreakable bond with the children.

The plot thickens when Allina crosses paths with Karl, a high-ranking SS officer, & a love story emerges leading them to navigate a delicate dance of trust & sacrifice. As their lives intertwine, they embark on a heart-wrenching journey filled with unexpected choices & revelations to protect & save as many children as they can.

𝑺𝑼𝑴𝑴𝑨𝑹𝒀
Through a weave of emotion & turmoil, this gripping narrative explores the tapestry of human connection, loss & love, & sacrifices we make for those we hold dear. Although I knew of the Lebensborn program, I wasn’t aware of the many intricacies brought forward which was very enlightening. This story will stay with me for a very long time.

𝑪𝑶𝑵𝑻𝑬𝑵𝑻 ⚠️
🛁 Needs scrubbing. Adult theme. Hard language. Intense scenes. Attempted rape, and rape. Fade to black. War-time violence.

FEEDBACK
My feedback to the publisher and author is I’d like to see the profanity removed. The novel can be just as impactful without the language. I’d also tone down the rape scene. I think you’ll get a larger audience of readers if you take those who like clean reads into consideration.

This was a beautifully written story about an event in history that I knew nothing about. As a social worker, I remember learning about experiments around a child's failure to thrive If just given the basic necessities without the love and care that goes with it. But I've never heard about it in the context of the Nazi regime. I appreciate that the author used the present day perspective to tell a story of the past affording the opportunity to add hope and light to tell a story that does not have either of those components and might otherwise have ended darkly. I'll remember this one for a while.

I’m a fan of dual timeline stories, especially ones that delve into historical fiction. The Sunflower House is a powerful, heartbreaking book that will keep you thinking long after the last page is turned. I felt like certain parts dragged a bit, but overall, I liked the glimpse into a less-explored version of WWII history.

These Nazi/Jewish themes pull me in and this one did not let me down. This story takes you into what is basically a Nazi baby making facility. This is not something I had ever read or known before and the fact that it is a fictional story is seriously eye-opening. Altogether, it was a nice, albeit emotional, read.

An inspired and tragic look at a time and circumstances that are beyond comprehension. I have grown to absolutely love historical fiction. It forces me to learn about things we would all rather turn away from. This is a beautiful story of bravery and sacrifice and I am so glad to have had the honor of reading it.

I read this book through NetGalley it is an advanced reader copy. The sunflower house was the most heart breaking and emotional read I’ve read this year . It is brilliant and beautifully written and one of the best books I’ve read this year .

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Set in WWII Germany the author gives the reader a wide reaching view of Nazi atrocities and the underground resistance to set her novel. However, she never tries to write a comprehensive historical fiction novel of everything that ever happened. Rather she sets the stage for Allina to find herself as a nurse in the Lebensborn center. I was familiar with the Lebensborn program, but not to the extent that Ms. Allegri (in a well researched work of fiction) writes about.

Allina was orphaned as a baby and taken in by her aunt and uncle. Unknown to her they are both working for the resistance. The Nazis learn of this betrayal and her aunt and uncle are murdered. Allina is brutalized by Nazi soldiers and left for dead. She finds herself naked, atop a pile of dead bodies and is discovered by a Nazi officer who has plans for her. He delivers her to the matron of a Lebensborn program who whole heartedly believes in Hitler’s plans, but gives Allina a job in the office and then in the nurseries which ultimately saves her life.

The book opens with an elderly Allina in the hospital after a fall. Her daughter Katrine has gone to her mother’s home to learn what caused her mother’s fall. Allina has been a wonderful mother, but she is stubborn and very secretive. They left Germany for Switzerland and ultimately the US when Katrine was a toddler. Katrine’s father was the love of Allina’s life. Life in America was very difficult for a German young widow and her child. The secrets must be kept.

This could be the worst review I ever wrote, but the book is very well done and I didn’t get though it without some tears. I found this site to be very helpful in learning even more about the Lebensborn Centers in Europe and Hitler and Himmler’s disgusting and inhumane plans and actions. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-quot-lebensborn-quot-program

A heartbreaking look at a lesser known evil called the Lebensborn program in Nazi Germany where babies were produced to support the Aryan race. It’s tough to believe that these horrifying institutions actually existed.
The dual timeline story begins with a woman finding a box in her mother’s room with a swastika on it. Her mother tells her story and finally shares the secrets she kept for years.
This story had it all for me, intrigue, romance, history and strong female characters. It was very well written and I highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Before “The Handsmaid Tale” there was the reality of the Nazi run baby factories and the Lebensborn program during World War 2. I had never heard of this program before I read this book. The heartbreaking history of the Germans trying to purify their lineage was horrifying. My heart broke for those children.
Allina shares her history at Hochland House with her adult daughter, as Allina hid a powerful secret during her years tending the babies. Along with Karl, she tries to save as many as possible
This very well written historical novel stays with you long after you put it down.

I had the pleasure of getting an ARC of The Sunflower House from NetGalley. Thank you for that!

The Sunflower House is a historical fiction book based on true events surrounding the Lebensborn program in Germany. This book has been so eye opening as well as heart breaking. It was full of the heroic account of the hell that Allina as well as others went through. I honestly was not aware of these homes existing. It was not something that they covered in history class but now I want to read more about it. I highly recommend this book!

TW: SA, Child Abuse

Let me start out by saying how fortunate I was to be selected by the publisher, author and NetGalley to read this uncorrected proof in exchange for my honest review. A well written book with compelling main characters. The topic of the Holocaust is always a heart wrenching read. The author set this book around the Lebensborn program, a factionalized account of a real life “handmaids tale” style eugenics program. The Lebensborn program gave away babies born to unwed mothers to “good German families.” This part of German history was new to me as I had never heard of it before. So it was a tough topic, but compelling read! I enjoyed 5e connection to a modern day family, uncovering everything as a family secret. Well written!

Well this book hit a lot of things for me. Historical fiction, WWII, light romance, strong female lead…so it got me! This story talks about something I really had no idea about. In all of my WWII readings I missed stories about these baby factories so to speak. This story follows a woman who is ripped from her family and home after a horribly violent situation and finds herself in a new journey of eye opening situations and a journey that will change her life. I enjoy seeing stories that tell of Germans fighting back against Hitler in the ways they could. Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this advanced copy. For sure book I will recommend highly!

Adriana Allegri's The Sunflower House takes on a subject very little is written about in the Historical Fiction genre, that of Himmler's eugenics programs and the Lebensborn homes located across Europe during that time. Women were offered large incentives to produce large broods of healthy children through these homes, often without husbands, yet pursuing their duty to their Fuhrer with SS officers who would visit the homes. The author provides great insight into not only the lives of the women living in these homes and their attitudes toward their work, but also into the lives of the nurses there as well as the children produced "for the Reich". An important part of history, not to be forgotten or overlooked. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this novel as well as to Ms. Allegri for penning such an important story. Well done.

Traditional format (digital). As a fan of Historical Fiction and having read a lot of books set during WW II, it is hard for books of this gendre to stand out when the themes repeat themselves.

This book was a true standout and told the little known story of the German Lebensborn program; Nazi baby factories run to purify the German bloodlines. WOW, just wow. The book also focused on the love story of Allina and Karl, two Germans with Jewish blood who are hiding their identities

This book was an amazing read. It is a fictional story based on fact and the characters and the plot were very well written and very emotional at times (I will admit I had some tears well up a few times).

For a WW II book while the events surrounding the Nazis and Jews are truly horrific the book was not overly graphic or violent like some books of this gendre.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. A 5/5 read for me.

Thank you to St.Martin’s press and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this book.

Wow, wow, wow- what a fantastic book!!

The Sunflower House is one of those books that you will not soon forget. It is set in Germany durning World War II and a story about the Lebensborn program. I had never heard of this program and became more and more intrigued as the story went on. I loved how the author was able to capture the feelings of what it must have been like to live through this. The story is full of sacrifice, determination, secrets, and unconditional love. I was on the edge of my seat many times while reading this and loved learning about a part of history I never knew existed.
If you love historical fiction, this book is a must!

St. Martin's Press and Netgalley thank you for giving me the chance to read and review this ARC of a great historical fiction book. I am happy to give feedback.
The Sunflower House made me aware of the eugenics program that the Nazi's implemented, another atrocity added to their never ending list. This book also highlights love found during a horrific time. This is the love story of Allina and Karl and the small part they played in helping the children escape. It is also a generational story of mother and child. Poignant and heartbreaking...I was sobbing uncontrollably reading the last pages of this book. Brava Adriana Allegri on writing this wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

The Sunflower House is historical fiction set in WWII Germany in the late 1930s. Allina, a young German woman who has been raised by her aunt and uncle after the death of her parents, discovers that her mother was a Jew. As the war progresses she finds herself working (not by choice) at the Hochland Home, a state-run facility that promotes the birth of pure-blood Aryan children and is a division of Himmler's eugenics program. The birth of these children are celebrated as they will be the newest soldiers in Hitler's army. Allina must be careful to keep her Jewish blood a secret as she cares for the children and mothers of Hochland Home. As time goes on Allina is presented with ways to help the children in her care, but at the risk of her own life.

This is an incredibly well-researched and eye-opening book that brings to light the little-known history of such homes. Heartbreaking yet hopeful, this book comes highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction. Four out of five stars.