I often enjoy historical fiction, but the WWII era can feel oversaturated. The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri, however, brings fresh perspective by uncovering the little-known, horrific Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. I was aware these facilities existed to breed “perfect” Aryan babies for the Reich, but the book deeply explores not only the purpose but also the fate of these children. It shines a haunting light on this aspect of Hitler's eugenics campaign while also capturing the struggles of hidden "mischlings" in Germany who, like Allina Strauss, lived in constant fear of exposure.

The story follows Allina, a young woman forced to keep her identity hidden while navigating life in a Nazi-run “baby factory” at Hochland Home. Her courage in trying to protect the neglected children in her care, despite overwhelming personal danger, makes for a powerful and emotional journey. Her relationship with Karl, an SS officer hiding secrets of his own, adds complexity as the two face impossible decisions, driven by the desire to save innocent lives.

I appreciated Allegri’s meticulous research, as the book reveals both the everyday and unspeakable realities within the Lebensborn program. The portrayal of Allina and Karl’s determination, even amidst secrecy and betrayal, makes this an unflinching and compelling read. Although some events stretched plausibility slightly, Allegri masterfully balances tension and heart, delivering a story that’s both heartrending and illuminating. The Sunflower House is a moving reminder of the buried histories of WWII, told with grit and compassion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy.

A new author that readers who enjoy history will want to check out. In this very well researched book, the Lebensborn Program carried out by the Nazis during World War II is the setting. Family secrets come out both past and present in this emotional read. The main characters are fictional but the story feels real. I look forward to reading more by this author. Highly recommended!

This is wonderful historical fiction about the Nazi-run baby factories in WWII, designed to ensure Hitler’s dream of a pure Aryan race. The story is told largely through the viewpoint of Alliana, a young Jewish German woman forcibly taken to one of these baby factory homes; we also see the story at times through the perspective of Karl, an SS officer who comes into contact with Alliana. The story occurs largely in the 1930s-1940s in Germany but the plot also unfolds in the 2010s.

Having read Cradles of the Reich, I was aware of the existence of these homes, and that babies with disabilities born in these homes were used in Hitler’s eugenics program. The author does an excellent job of transporting the reader to 1930s Nazi Germany and the brutality of its leaders. At the same time, we also see that pockets of kindness and humanity continued to exist. The novel explores issues around choices people make in challenging circumstances, sacrifice, and the impact of the past on subsequent generations.

The writing flows off the page and I was invested in this story throughout; I didn’t want to put it down.

Highly recommend this debut (!) novel.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press, and Netgalley for the ability and opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

This is an absolutely beautifully written novel that tells the story of Allina, a carefree spirit whom is thrown into a baby factory during WWII. Not only does this novel address the horrors of this war period, it also shows the emotions, and horrific conditions people endured. I loved this book and know that many many readers will also find this one to be so good. It would not surprise me if this novel is talked about for a long time.

Rating - 5/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - June 26, 2024
Publication Date - November 12, 2024

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @adrianaallegri, @stmartinspress and @netgalley!

Historical fiction is a genre that I have read in phases throughout my life but it was a goal of mine to read more of it this year and I have! I got so absorbed into the story that I lost track of time reading. I was emotional at different times throughout the book and felt so connected to the characters. Reading The Sunflower House was a great experience because I did not know much about baby factories in Germany during WW2 but I learned a lot and it prompted me to do my own research too. I really appreciate that at the end, the author explains which parts are fiction and which parts are facts or true places, events and people. This book also has dual timelines and multiple points of view but the headers show when it changes and I found it very easy to follow.

If you like historical fiction about WW2 with some romance, you should try The Sunflower House!

Get excited to read The Sunflower House, available November 12! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

It's 2006 and Katrine is at the New Jersey home of her 86-year-old mother Allina, a German immigrant who has kept her life before coming to America a secret. In her mother's room, Katrine finds a hidden box that contains shocking information about Allina's life in Germany. Allina decides it's time to reveal her story. The narrative shifts back to 1938 when tragedy forces Allina to hide out and work in Hochland House, the first of Heinrich Himmler’s Lebensborn "baby factories" where young women did their part to give birth to perfect Aryian children to grow the German master race. Undesirable children, however, met a tragic fate. Allina meets SS officer Karl von Strassberg, a man harboring secrets of his own.

Author Adriana Allegri began writing The Sunflower House more than twenty years ago. We're fortunate that she persisted. This is a well-done work of fiction centered around one of the many horrors of the Nazi regime, places where children were the primary victims. The author noted the challenge of piecing together information on the Lebensborn program as records were destroyed and people who participated had selective memories as the years went on. This well-researched book sheds light on valuable history. Allina is a remarkable and resilient character and Karl is a compassionate man fulfilling his duties in a uniform he despises. You will be moved.

Ohhh my heart. This book was absolutely beautiful, complicated, bittersweet, and heavy.

Obviously, any book set during the Holocaust is going to be heavy. This was definitely the case here, but I also think it’s important to say that Allina and Karl’s story provided some levity in moments where it would otherwise be hard to find. These two characters were so complicated, but their choices in the face of such difficulties made me love them. The depth of these characters and the decisions they made were multifaceted and incredibly well-written.

As for the historical aspect of this book, I had no idea about this specific history of WWII. I learned so much while reading, but it didn’t at all feel like I was reading a textbook or history book; the fictional story of Allina and Karl was woven so well with the historical facts that it felt seamless. I think aside from being a fantastic book, people learning this facet of history they may not know will be an added bonus of reading this story.

The fact that this is also a debut is astounding. Everyone should go read this.

The Sunflower House tells the story of a mother, relating her secret past as a unwilling nurse at one of the Nazi’s Lebensborn Programs hospitals leading up to World War II, to her daughter nearly 70 years later.

It was a quick read, and was obvious there was a lot of research put into the book. The main character, Allina, was written well and her trauma and fear were well written. For the most part she was a likeable person.
There were aspects of this book I did struggle with. Namely Karl. Did his good deeds out weight his bad? Did what happened to him in the end absolve what he did while undercover?
Read trigger warnings before picking this one up. And I recommend reading some nonfiction afterwards, so learn more about what happened, and what didn’t. The author includes quite a few nonfiction books to further your reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a free e-arc.

When Katrina discovered a Nazi Swastika in her elderly mother’s hidden belongings, she was shocked and quite upset. Allina has always been vague and secretive about her early life in Germany and about Katrina’s father. All is not what it seems and as the story unfolds, Allina finally reveals her secret past to her daughter.
This story was both emotional and suspenseful. The book focuses on the German people who lived in fear of Hitler in the pre WWII era and during his reign during the war. It is also about the Hebensborn Program that encouraged unmarried German Aryan women to produce children for the good of Germany and to promote Hitler’s idea of a “pure race”.
Although this is historical fiction the events depicted did occur. It was disturbing to read at times but it important that we never forget.

I loved this moving, beautiful and tragic read. Allegri put an incredible amount of research into this story and it shows. This is the type of book which will stay with the reader long after they turn the final page.

A strong debut from Adriana Allegri about the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany leading up to WWII. I had no prior knowledge of this program before reading this book so I liked learning about something new. This book started off really strong but I felt like the strength started to wane halfway through and then the end wrapped up quickly and was anti-climatic for me. I gave this a 4.25 rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. The Sunflower House publishes on November 12, 2024.

As someone who really struggles with historical fiction, this one was a bit too much for me to read right now. I plan on coming back to it later, but I've heard its beautiful and a touching story.

Historical Fiction set in 1938 Germany. As Hitler takes over Germany and establishes his vision of a glorious regime and restoration to Germany's powerful past. Allina, 17, finds herself a victim of a German officer and sent to Heinrich Himmler's eugenics program home in Steinhoring Germany as a worker in the nursery. The horror of this "Home for Unwed Mothers included special care of those women willing to father children by SS Officers to be the purebred future of Germany. That they were also Himmler's experimental subjects was a well kept secret.

Karl von Strasberg is an SS officer by choice. His goal is to work within the system to save Jewish children. He meets Allina and together they set out to rescue some of the damaged children as well as the Jewish children they can help.

The story of Allina and Karl was very compelling emotionally as they face danger together and apart.

I knew of the horrors of the pure race breeding program and the Himmler experiments on humans subjects. The depth of the depravity are well handled by the author.

Definitely a novel worth reading..

2.5 stars

This started off so strong! Part one had me on the edge of my seat and anxious to see where the things would go. Sadly, the rest of the book was a miss for me.

There was just too much going on and I wish the author had focused on one plot and seen it through.

Allina’s uncle and fiancée were involved in the resistance but we don’t learn anything about it. She uncovers a dark secret in the Lebensborn, devises a program to save the “slow” children, but doesn’t see it through. Karl is sneaking children out of the country but it’s not something we get much detail on.

Upon completing the story I feel underwhelmed and disappointed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-arc to read and review.

A Nazi-run baby factory?! I have read many WW2 novels and couldn't recall reading one that focused on a baby factory, a real-life Handmaid’s tale (as the description suggests)? It felt new to me, and I couldn't wait to read it! I wasn't familiar with the Lebensborn program prior, and I was looking forward to learning more about it...

This started off so strong for me! I was invested and engaged in Allina's history.... how it came to be that she grew up with her aunt and uncle, her family secrets and the tragic loss that lead her to the Hochland Home. The grit and rawness of Allina's situation surprised me, Allegri did not hold back in her description of disturbing circumstances (read with caution, check for TW).... I was hooked!

About halfway through it felt as though it was shifting gears and lost focus, the love story was too convenient for me and took the spotlight away from the Hochland Home. I wanted to learn more about what happened in those homes, what happened to those children….but what I got was a beautiful and convenient love story...which was good, just not what I was expecting....I just feel that this could have been so much more! A beautiful story - but it's focus wasn't where I thought it was going to be.

I am happy that Adriana Allegri included suggestions for further reading, I want to learn more about the Lebensborn program!

I have always enjoyed historical novels, especially those around the time frame of WWII. There are many untold stories just waiting to be told. The Sunflower House is one of those. The story starts in 2006 when Katrine discovers family secrets when she finds a box filled with old papers of her mother's. From there, we go to 1938 Germany when Katrine's mother Allina was forced to work in one of Nazi Germany's Lebensborn homes as a nurse. Although they are mentioned in other novels, this is the first novel I have read that centers on how these facilities operate. I enjoyed this book but it wasn't as suspenseful as I thought it would be. Thanks to the author Adriana Allegri, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley. I received a complimentary copy of this ebook. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Gripping, heartbreaking, moving, thought provoking and hard to put down! The Sunflower House is a tale of survival, courage, love, and strength. This was a wonderfully written and researched debut historical fiction book that shows the evil of Heinrich Himmler’s notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. These infamous 'baby factories' were meant to increase Germany's population with “racially valuable” children.

In the present day, Katrine, finds a box in her mother's belongings......


1939 - Allina Strauss has learned that her birth mother was Jewish and, after losing everyone she holds dear, finds herself working as a nurse in a 'baby factory' called Hochland Home. There what she witnesses is horrific and distressing. She has a lot to deal with including her Jewish identity and trying to do her best for the infants and toddlers in her care. There she will meet Karl, a high-ranking SS officer who has his own secrets. They are drawn to each other and are committed to saving all the children they can.

Whew! I had no idea when I started this book how much I would enjoy it. I found this book to be moving, thought provoking, heartbreaking, and brimming with history. It is so sad to think that these homes for children really existed. The horrors and evil which occurred during the holocaust are beyond devastating and horrific. I thought that Adriana Allegri did a fabulous job of not only showing the horrors but also showing the good in people, their desire to help even knowing what the consequences await if they are caught.

I also enjoyed the friendships in this book, the love in many forms, the drive, determination and courage that the characters showed. I often wonder while reading books like The Sunflower House, what would I have done? Would I have made the same choices? Could I be so brave?

This was an incredibly impressive debut book. I'm so happy that I took a chance on it and look forward to reading more of what Adriana Allegri writes in the future.

Unputdownable historical fiction!
Upon sorting through her mother’s belongings during a hospital stay, a woman finds a mysterious box that is marked with a swastika. When the mother is questioned, she opens up and reveals a story about Himmler’s Lebensborn Plan of WW2, and her involvement in it…

*I received a digital copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

4.5 stars total

This is an historical fiction standalone set in Germany in 1930s. We follow multiple POVs throughout this story, but we are following the story of Alliana. She gets everything taken from her one night as her town is raided by Nazis. An officer ends up taking her to Hochland House to work. Hochland House is one of the houses in the Lebensborn program, which was a place for unmarried mothers to give their children to Nazi Families. Sadly this was not the only reason for these places as they were trying to create a master race, so women and officers were encouraged to make as many children as possible. A lot of this story is heartbreaking with the conditions the children are in, ending up slow and not taken care of. Alliana while working here ends up helping the children and her story is filled with heartbreak, but also hope. I really couldn’t put this story down and it’s rather interesting that it mostly factual with the events happening but with some fictional characters. I think this is a really eye opening read. I would look up triggers/ warnings before reading.

Thank you to St. Martins Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri. The Sunflower House is the authors debut book but, you wouldn't know while reading this book. since there was a lot of research. I love the cover it feels springy. The Sunflower House is historical fiction and fiction it focuses on a piece of historical fiction that I knew little about, homes for pregnant woman was a new topic. I cant wait to read her next book.