I have read a lot of books about the Holocaust - mostly from the viewpoint of the Jewish people who were hiding or in concentration camp, but this book took the horrors of that time into a totally different and compelling direction. Ava Muller is a loyal German. Daughter of a high-ranking SS Officer and engaged to another SS Officer. She works as a secretary to Joseph Goebbels transcribing his daily notes and reports. So imagine her shock when she goes to the Muller country home and finds that her family has been hiding a Jewish family, the Goldmans, in their attic. She is at first torn on whether to be a good German and turn her family in or listen to what they have to tell her. Her sister Hannah is a nurse and while she is tending to the injured Germans, she is also smuggling Jewish children to the resistance and to a new life. Ava finds that everything she has been led to believe has been turned on it's ear and she becomes loyal to the resistance - putting her life in danger to help save her childhood friend Iliana Goldman, her brother David and their parents. I stayed up much to late to read this book as I needed to know how it would resolve and now that it's done, I already miss Ava, David, Liliana, Hanna and the Mullers. It was a powerful story about how the Holocaust affected not on the Jews but also the Germans who realized that all life was sacred. Loved it. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

Soraya Lane Goes *There*. Particularly in the current era of American politics, with "both" sides (rightfully, in certain aspects) comparing each other to the Third Reich, I don't think you're going to find an American author with the balls to take a high ranking Nazi official's family - in Joseph Goebbel's inner circle, no less! - and make them a sympathetic and even heroic unit.

Enter New Zealander Soraya M. Lane.

Lane, whose last WWII historical novel - The Secret Midwife - tackled the horrors of Auschwitz directly, now takes an entirely different tack and places us in the political intrigue of 1944 Berlin, when the only Jews left in the city were in hiding and SS officials - along with their Fuhrer - were becoming ever more suspicious of everyone. When the White Rose was openly defying the Reich and Sophie Scholl and others paid the ultimate price for this defiance - an event that is discussed among our characters here. When other resisters inside Germany were actively looking for - and ultimately attempting an ill-fated attempt at - a way to assassinate the very Fuhrer in question and attempt to restore some degree of sanity to their government. An event that plays directly into the story here.

The story here, with the real world knowledge of what was going on and what was to come, is so tense you would need a space laser to cut through it - and Lane manages to ratchet the tension up so high that you're going to be afraid of giving yourself a heart attack reading this tale.

Yet ultimately this *is* a tale of hope and survival. That even in the darkest, most desperate times, when survival for anyone is in doubt and the smallest misstep could get you and everyone you know or who knows of you at all killed, there are still those willing to take those risks to do what is right. That no matter how evil a group may be, this does not mean that every single member of that group is equally evil. That no matter how vile you think someone is because of some aspect you've been taught to believe about what you think they believe, there are still those within that out group that are truly *noble* and truly trying to do the right thing, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

Indeed, with all of the fighting in America today noted at the top of this review, this may be one of the more interesting and essential fictional tales for Americans to read leading into the 2024 Presidential election that will be in a period of less activity when this book releases in mid May.

Truly one of Lane's strongest works to date, and very much recommended.

This is the story of a family living in Berlin during WWII. The choices they have to make, the risks they take and the love they share. If you like historical fiction you will like this book. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

An endearing story of two sisters and a good friend at the edges of the Valkyrie Plot. I would have liked the characters to be closer to the plotters, but I know that’s hard since most of the people involved and their families are known to history. I found Ava’s change from Nazi fan to resistance fighter a little two quick. One minute she’s a Nazi, and the next she turns against everything because of an old friend?

if you love historical fiction, this book is for you!!!!!! excellent writing. i finished this book in one single sitting!!!!

Another Lane book that had me on the verge of tears! I love all of Lane’s books, and this one is no exception. Her writing had me hooked from the very first chapter. She has a way of writing characters and humanising them, even if their actions aren’t always agreeable. I adored reading about the sister relationship between Hanna and Ava, and the found sisterhood in Eliana.

As with all of Lane’s books, I was shocked by the sacrifices and emotional struggles the characters faced. While I’m no stranger to WWII novels, Lane’s have a special place in my heart. She writes in a way that’s so accessible and poignant. I was desperately waiting for a new book from her, and this didn’t disappoint! She could write 50 more books and it still wouldn’t be enough for me. The Berlin Sisters is another automatic 5 stars, full of hope and bravery and light.

I think this started off so strong for me. It’s a new perspective on WWII and the Holocaust than the typical narrative told from a Jewish fugitive or someone in a concentration camp. I was completely shocked by the end and devastated by the outcome. Ava certainly had the strongest character development, but there were other like able figures too.

That being said, I think the pacing was off. It was a lot of build up with Hitler’s planned assassination clearly being the climax. BUT I thought everything felt rushed. The way Ava switches up on her fiancé after one evening with him. Her one night stand with Nate. How abruptly Hanna and Frau Muller decide to stay at the house after and await the SS. I wished it would’ve paused for a second to really capture the scenes.

Overall I awarded this 3 stars. I learned a lot of new information about the Holocaust and Hitler

As an avid romance reader, I was surprised not only by my intrigue in this book but by how this story sucked me in and stole a piece of my heart.

It was impossible to not fall in love with each character — their stories, their lives, their everything. My heart ached as Ava tried to sort through the horrors she once praised and accepted through blind obedience. My heart ached as the Goldman family’s safety was always one accidental creak, whisper, or dinner roll away from being compromised. My heart ached with every minute victory, every close-call, every friendship, every relationship.

It’s hard to face a reality that we never lived; a reality that seems so far away yet wasn’t even a century ago. Yet these are stories that need to be written, characters whose voices need to be heard. Though this is a historical fiction, with tragic, true events woven into its tapestry, we know there are so many who would be able to relate to the Müller’s and Goldman’s alike.

No matter your preferred genre, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this book when it is finally published. I know I will so I can lose myself again amongst the wretched streets of Berlin, 1943.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing (@amazonpublishing), @netgalley, and @sorayalaneauthor for the ARC. All opinions are my own and honest.

Received ARC through netgalley. It was a good read for WWII. It did go by really quick, and I wish the plot was more show less tell. It made the book feel rushed at times

This was a great historical fiction book. It was very well researched and was very unique. I could not put this book down.

So I read alot of WWII books but this one was different which I loved. I was captivated from the beginning and I went through many emotions reading this. I completely recommend this book

Thanks Lake Union publishing and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

This book was incredible. Just incredible. Very realistic. So sad, but a bit of happiness too. An easy read too.

Couldn’t put this book down. Told from a German perspective which usually I’m not keen on. However this was a different class. Loved A Ba and her family. My heart was racing so much during it. Highly recommend this book
And I need some time before the next one!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Ava is in a unique position as a secretary in Goebbel’s office within Nazi Germany in 1943. Her entire family is a good German family who follow Hilter as he causes destruction and starts to round up Jews and Gypsies. Ava is proud to be a good German girl, as she awaits her fiancée to return from fighting at the front. Until she finds out that her family is secretly hiding a local Jewish family in the attic of their country estate. Ava quickly discovers that her family is rebelling in their own unique ways - her sister as an a nurse, her father directly under Hilter’s nose, and her mother by keeping the secret family safe. But how far will she go to attempt to bring Hilter down and what’s the price she’s willing to pay to ensure her family is safe?

This is Soraya’s best book to date. The entire book is so well written that you feel like you’re standing in the corner watching all this play out. More than half the book my stomach was in my throat as I eagerly turned the pages to find out what would happen. Many tears were shed while reading this but the bravery this family did as they had direct eyes of the Nazis on them was truly remarkable. The small resistance each of the family members attempted was no small feat and directly played a part towards the end of the war. The growth Ava had during the book was amazing and it was great to see her beliefs and thoughts change as she was clued in to what was going on. Highly recommend this book!

I read a lot of historical fiction in this time period and felt this was a different take told from the German perspective which shows the main character questioning her beliefs. It was a good and different read .

I love reading fiction set in world war two and sometimes the books can be a bit samey but not this one !! Absolutely loved it from start to finish ,a great read .

I really liked this book, its historical fiction but from a perspective of someone on the German side of WW2 which you dont see alot of . It also has AVA questiong her beliefs and thigngs are going on for her . Her transformationwas absolutly beautiful

If you only ever read one World War Two Historical Fiction novel, make it this one. If you’re already a fan of the genre, & particularly Soraya Lane, you will be captivated by this story. This book is a faithful, insightful telling of a lesser told part of Germany’s Berlin in WWII, 1943 - 1944.
It’s a very moving account of that time in history. Very realistic, tragic & sad, but there’s also hope for the future. We know what they did to the Jews….and there could be no opposition to Hitler & his regime. There were those who tried, sadly many failed. The beginning is so riveting & suspenseful…such a different angle. Ava’s story & her transformation journey is so compelling. Her relationships & how they change, especially with the men in her life was a very interesting factor in the book. Highly recommend. Soraya at her very best

This book is a insightful telling of a lesser told part of Germany’s Berlin in WWII.
It’s a very moving account of that time in history. Very realistic, tragic & sad, but there’s also hope for the future. It's always interesting reading about a time which we are familiar with what happened, whereas history is being played out for the characters.
Highly recommend for lovers of historical fiction.

The Berlin Sisters was a very quick read. I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what happened to Ava Müller and the rest of her family. I liked that it was from the perspective of a German family higher up in the Nazi party, secretly fighting back from within. There are not a lot of WWII novels that show normal German families willing to risk their safety. Ava was a secretary for Joseph Goebbels, the minister of propaganda under Adolf Hitler. When she found out that her father, a high-ranking Nazi official, was working for the resistance alongside her mother and sister and she realized what was really happening, she chose to join them. The story of their great bravery and risk in stealing information, hiding their Jewish neighbors, and helping as many Jewish children escape as possible was both inspiring and heartbreaking. I only wish that it were longer and included more details about the relationship between the sisters and the relationships between the couples that formed so that I had time to feel emotionally connected to them before I finished the book. Overall, I think The Berlin Sisters is a good novel about WWII and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction from that period.