After completely bawling my eyes out, I am now going to attempt to write this review. While at first I feared this was going to be a type of Nazi sympathizer book, I found myself mistaken. I’ve read many WWII historical fictions, which typically center around the Holocaust. This was in fact, not that. It was a different perspective of a German family, with Jewish heritage, trying to hide in plain sight and survive. While it’s easy to look at the eyes of this from 90 years later, living in that moment had to have been challenging. It made me wonder what I would do in a situation like that. I suppose I’ll find out in the next few years to see how the cards fall for America’s democracy…

I AM UNWELL. This broke me 😭 How can a book be so beautiful and painful at the same time. At times this made me very emotional as a mother and it was hard to read but it’s a story that needs to be known. Read it.

Allina Strauss has the idyllic German pre-WWII life, but it is not what it appears to be. As the country's antisemitism is getting worse, Allina learns that she is half Jewish - and then her life changes even more. Her small sleepy town is destroyed by Nazis and she is taken to work in a state-run baby factory. The women there are to submit to soldiers in order to increase the pure-blooded German population since birth rates were dropping as the war begins. While tending to the children Allina makes choices that can put her and those she loves at great risk.

I received this book months ago from but didn't read it until I received the audiobook accompaniment (so I am a few days past the pub date) - but OMG this book tore into me as fast as I tore into it! I am a bit over the whole WWII historical fiction genre but this one is absolutely worth reading! The storylines are engaging and the characters have wonderful dimension. This novel brings some of the horrors of Nazi Germany to light that don't get spoken of as much as well as ones we are all very (unfortunately) familiar with. I appreciated the perspective of the half Jewish woman hiding in plain sight which made her a bit more empathetic as a character. I ended up listening to about half of it and reading the other half; the narrators did a great job (there were 3). If you enjoy historical fiction then this is something that needs to go on your TBR!

4.5 stars

Thank you to netgalley and st martin’s press for the ARC to review

I blew through this book in a day! I quickly become invested in Allina's story. I was inspired by her bravery and resilience. This is a story about generational secrets. I loved the exploration of what it costs to tell those secrets and what it costs to keep them. It had multiple narrators and occasionally flipped between two timelines but thankfully the story stayed mostly in the past so I was able to get fully immersed in Allina's story. This was such an emotional read I couldn't put it down. I definitely recommend this book to fans of historical fiction and WWII. It was so fun to read about an aspect of WWII history that I was unfamiliar with.

Wow. This is one of those historical fiction novels that I knew would absolutely break my heart. And it did, but I couldn’t look away. The Sunflower House is about a woman, Allina, who is forcefully made to work by the Nazis in a Lebensborn house in WWII Germany after her entire town was massacred. To put it bluntly, the Lebensborn program was basically a eugenics-based baby factory devised by Heinrich Himmler. Women thought to have ideal genetics, ie seen as pure “Aryan,” were housed in homes to produce as many children as possible with the goal of repopulating Germany with the “racially pure” citizens. In the novel, Allina becomes involved in a mission to sneak as many of these children as possible out of Germany to the safety of England and other countries unoccupied by Nazi forces.

This book hit me on so many levels. It’s impossible not to get emotionally invested, and I definitely shed more than a few tears (especially knowing this novel is based on true events). Now, the novel isn’t completely sad! There is a beautiful romance that develops as well as beautiful friendships. There is a ton of suspense, so the novel is never remotely slow or dull. It was absolutely unputdownable!

I have nothing negative to say about this beautiful novel. It’s safe to say I will read absolutely anything Adriana Allegri writes from now on! This is a must read for everyone, not just historical fiction fans.

Big thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the gifted eARC!

Allina is exposed not only to her personal history, but also the Nazis just as she is coming of age. In quick succession, she loses her beloved uncle and aunt along with her innocence. Having lost everything, she is forced to become someone else in order to save her own life.

Unable to trust anyone, Allina had to learn to love and trust all over again. But can she do that with a senior SS officer? Can’t you trust him with her secret and her life?

The story is written and takes a different approach from many of the other World War II historical fiction books I’ve read. It’s not just about the survivors. It’s not just about those who resisted. It’s also about their children. Because history happens and it’s meant to be shared and handed down.

I absolutely loved this book. I am typically skeptical of debut novels…especially historical fiction novels of the WWII era. This one was superb! It was meticulously researched and very refined. Prior to reading this book, I was not aware of Himmler’s Lebensborn program. I have read so many historical fiction books from this time frame and yet I continue to learn new things with every book. I still find the events that occurred during this time so surreal. I just cannot wrap my brain around how humans can perform such atrocious acts against other humans.

Characters play such an important part in my review of a book. They tend to make or break a book for me no matter how good the plot is. These characters were just absolutely everything I could ever want in a character. They were so well written with tons of emotional depth and growth throughout the novel. I really liked seeing a different side of an SS officer. It brings to light the possibility that not all Nazi soldiers were without humanity. Many were stuck…forced into a situation that they weren’t sure how to get out of. So many were probably not more than children. Karl was the perfect example of this. He had a conscience, he had remorse, he tried to right wrongs but who was really capable of going against Hitler. I cannot imagine being put into that position. Allina, also barely more than a child, was such a strong female character. The life experiences that she had to face were enough to break anyone yet she found a way to persevere. She was so incredibly brave. Strong female characters are my absolute favorite.

I loved the plot and how the author tried to stay as close to fact as possible but taking liberties in the storyline to give the reader hope for a hopeless situation. I liked that she used some factual figures along with her fictional characters. It really gave the story an authentic feel. At times, I forgot that this was a fictional story based on factual events and not a historical account of actual events. The author states in her note that this was 20 years in the making and I believe it. She definitely took the time to do thorough research which I appreciate and respect. I look forward to future books from this author. I would definitely recommend this book to any reader who enjoys WWII historical fiction.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri
🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

This most surely will become a classic! This is a fictional story rich with accurate historical significance. It left me with tears, yet relief.

The author illustrates the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Allina's bucolic life is forever torn by one destructive night when the Nazis kill her family and force her into labor as a nurse at a baby-making factory for the Germans.

At first, she is timid due to horrific events that happen to her and what she is surrounded by. Her resiliency grows imperishable after she meets, falls in love with, and marries a high-ranking SS officer, Karl. Together and with many other allies, they work tirelessly to save as many Jewish children as possible.

Ultimately, Karl sacrifices himself so that Allina and their daughter, Katrine, are able to survive and thus, altering the course of their futures.

This story was well researched and made this reader feel the emotions and dilemmas of each character. The atrocities of this time and horrible experiments and treatment are so deep and incomprehensible. The author brought this to life in a profound way.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced reader's copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#TheSunflowerHouse #NetGalley #StMartinsPress #HistoricalFiction #WomensFiction
#AdrianaAllegri @netgalley @stmartinspress @adrianaallegri #TheHolocaust #LebensbornProgram #Romance

The Sunflower House is an incredible debut novel that brings to light the Nazi Lebensborn Program in which women are sent to homes to give birth and also to meet and mate with German soldiers in an effort to propagate pure-born German children.

Some children remained with the mothers, others were adopted out and any with defects were sent away to a likely unfortunate end. I had heard of these homes, but this is the first detailed account I have read about what went on in the homes.

The main character, Allina ends up being sent to one such home after her village was raided and many of her neighbors and family members were murdered by Nazi soldiers. She was lucky to be saved due to her youth and appearance.

While at the home, Allina recovers from the physical and emotional trauma from the raid and eventually meets a high-ranking officer. The two become drawn to each other and after a time build enough trust to reveal their secrets and their desire to work against the Nazi regime in order to save the children.

I loved reading about this strong German woman and her brave officer. While the beginning of the story was harrowing, the rest of the story was predominately set in the home with the children and finally a tension-filled ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to rad an advance copy. I am happy to recommend this to other readers. I really enjoyed the book.

This historical fiction set in WWII Germany was both heartbreaking and beautiful. It had tension and suspense but not at a stressful level, which I appreciated.

Allina Straus is living a happy, quiet life working in her uncle's bookstore in a small German village. What she doesn't know is that her aunt and uncle have kept secret the dangerous fact that she is a Mischling, a person with mixed Jewish heritage. After her village is attacked, Allina is forced into servitude at a government run baby factory called Hochland Home, where she becomes a witness to the horrors of Himmler's eugenics program.

At Hochland Home, Allina meets Karl, a handsome high-ranking SS officer with his own secrets. Together they attempt to save as many babies as they can, while slowly learning to love and trust each other.

I loved this book even though it was difficult to read. The slow-burn romance was heartwarming, and the history lessons were valuable.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's Press for this ARC to review!

I chose this book to request on NetGalley because the synopsis grabbed my attention. I have read many historical fiction books set during World War II, but I have never read anything about the topic discussed in this book. The Sunflower House explores the topic of the German lebensborn program in which German women of "pure" blood were encouraged to breed children for the Reich.

The main character, Allina, is a young German woman with Jewish blood in her ancestry, but this fact is well-hidden. Through a series of terrible events, Allina finds herself placed in Hochland Home, one of the German "baby factories." She serves as a nurse and teacher to the children there. Through her connection to a young German officer, she seeks to help the children under her care while protecting her identity.

I found this book to be both engaging and informative. It sent me down a rabbit hole of information. The character development is done well. I felt sympathy for the main characters and the children in the home, and I felt disgust for the Nazi regime and its ideas and practices. I even found myself a little teary-eyed toward the end.

Overall, this is a solid, well-written WWII historical fiction. I would recommend it to fans of the genre.

Thank you, Netgalley & SMP for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is outside my normal genre. I don't "often" read historical fiction, but I occasionally pick one up for something a little different than my typical fantasy/romance. This was an excellent, eye-opening, and emotional read, especially in today's times. For that reason, it wasn't easy to read for me in some parts. But, this was a beautifully written story.

An emotional story.
This is a book dealing with lesser-known facts happening during World War II. Not only in Germany but also in other occupied countries but you need to read other books for those stories.
Allina accidentally lands herself in a Lebensborn program and luckily managed to prove herself as a nurse. Helping the mothers and babies.
Wives whose husbands were away at the front and found this a safe place to have their baby till they could return home. Other woman where solemnly there to get pregnant and produce pure race children to be future members of Hitler’s army.
Allina is not only shocked to see what is going on but must be extreme careful her Jewish parentage is not brought to light.
There is so much more to the story but for that you must read it yourself because I do not want to give away what happens. Expect to feel anxious while reading. Have a handkerchief ready and feel completely absorbed by the story till the last page.

How to begin this review. This was a perfect first novel. A debut to be so proud of. One that will take your breathe away. Make you shed tears and even give you a bit of hope in places. It also made me feel fear. Sadness. Some happiness. And possibly hope. Hope that if enough people read this and other historical WW2 books they will not let it ever happen again.

This book starts out in 2006 with us meeting Katrine. She got a call in the middle of the night that her mother was in the hospital due to a fall. She goes and gets her then takes her home. From there she learns so much about her mother's life. Allina is Katrine's mother. She's 86 years old and a fiesty woman. She's kept some secrets from her daughter. Some very deep secrets.

You meet Allina when she was young and find out what happened in her young life. What was done to the people in the small town where she had always felt so safe. What the Germans did to innocent people. Just because they could. Because they were quick to take. What happened when she was left and a high ranking officers made her feel safe. What he did before he took her to Hochland Home. A place where women were mated. It was a place where children were made and then sold to German families. There was no love given in this place. The children were trained from birth to be docile. To not be fussy. To just exists until they were placed in a home with parents who may or may not love them. Germany wanted lots of babies. Hopefully lots of male babies.

Allina's story is a love story. A sad story in so many ways. But also happy. She found love. She did a lot of good. What her and Karl do is so important. What they go through is both sad and happy. You get to know each of them and how things happened the way it did. It made me weep in so many places. A part of history that should be told and never forgotten.

This book is well researched. Read the Author's Note at the end. It's a must. This author did such a good job of making this story real. Making those feelings come out. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you #NetGalley, #StMartinsPress, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

A must read.

Five big stars.

This is a good historical fiction from interesting perspectives. I enjoyed the way it made me think at points. The book does have a good amount of contact that is hard to read or imagine, as a warning. Hard to imagine the choices people made & the consequences of choices in that time period.

This was a hard book for me. It is exceptionally well researched and written. It is the subject matter that made it hard. This historical fiction was about Hitler's SS Lebensborn program in which unwed mother's gave their babies to Nazi parents--some of the women possibly raped over and over. The babies were denied any form of affection, only fed and changed on a strict schedule. Many were seen as "slow" and experimented on.

The fictional part of the story is about the life of a now elderly woman in America who discovered she was part Jewish at the time that Hitler was in power in her home country of Germany. Her daughter wants answers when she discovers a box in her mother's belongings with a swastika on it, and her mother's hidden past slowly comes to light.

I alternated between the e-book and the audio version narrated by Barrie Kreinik, Dallin Bradford, and Saskia Maarleveld. The narrations were absolutely perfect. This was an amazing book that wouldn't let me put it down. Between both versions of the book, I finished this in one day.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the copies. All thoughts are my own.

I've read my share of historical fiction and I was expecting more of the same with this novel -- espionage, undercover work, some romance. However, The Sunflower House delivered more that that. It just blew me away. Sure, it has the requisite suspense, military occupation, some romance. But The Sunflower House contained unforgettable characters -- heros and villains. And the atmosphere as well as the plot were memorable. It was a story that has everything a reader would want. A heartwrenching love story set in the backdrop of WWII in Germany that projects courage under the most adverse conditions. It is a story that I will not forget. An amazing debut from author, Adriana Allegri. Five outstanding stars.

I was invited to read a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. This review is completely my own and reflects my honest thoughts and opinions.

Th.is debut novel just might end up on my list of favorite books of the year. The author has researched history and presented it in a story that is interesting and enjoyable. I encourage you to pick up this book and learn more about WWII history.

This book is so good that I read it in one sitting. Riveting and horrifying but with hope that goodness can prevail. This a story about secrets that rule one's life and the consequences from it. A story told by a mother to her daughter of her life, born in Nazi Germany, and what she needed to do to survive. A story of sacrifices made, choices made that become complicated, and the horrors of war. Allina, raised by her aunt and uncle in a very small rural town in Germany discovers that she is half-Jewish, a secret made to protect her during a time of hatred. When wickedness comes calling, Allina experiences untold tragedy. She ends up in a home where unmarried women live to breed babies for the Reich, under the protection of a high ranking German officer, where she becomes a nurse. Scarred but resilient, Allina heals only after meeting another SS officer, Karl, whom she forms an alliance. Horrified at the realities of the babies at this Lesenborn home, together they work to try to save them. But Allina's life becomes in danger as does Karl's. Conflicted in his position as a Nazi officer, and yet harboring a secret of his own, there is so much tension. It brings to light what people needed to do to survive during this time, how life choices were taken away, and accepting that one's destiny can't be changed. I found the Germany's belief and practice of creating and perpetuating a superior race with the propaganda of forcing and degrading women to have multiple babies and for the men to spread their seed extensively repulsive. But even scarier was the notion that the people bought into Hitler's ideals. A story well researched, my heart breaks for what Allina, other women, and the children endured during this time and for their loss. The Lesenborn program is not wilding known but is a story that will have you thinking long after the last page. I highly recommend this book. many thanks to #netgalley #stmartinspress #thesunflowerhouse #adrianaallegri for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own.

An interesting subject to focus on for a WW2 novel and I liked it. Some of the the other tromps are getting old, but this story got me investing the minute the box came out of the floorboard