I always learn from reading WWII stories. The characters in this story were very different and it shows a little of what life was like for these characters during this time of war. I didn’t realize it was the first in a series so now I need to read the next one. Thanks for the advance copy.

I'm not usually a historical fiction reader, but this one sounded really interesting and I'm so glad that I decided to request the ARC. This is a story of resilience and the power of friendships set in a very disturbing and scary time. This was a really interesting perspective of the rise of the Nazis and I really liked the story that went along with it. I thought this was really well executed and made me want to read more in the genre. I really look forward to the next one in this series because this one ended on quite the cliffhanger. All of the characters were really well developed and I really liked all of them except Dagna, who was meant to be unlikable. She was the perfect character to be an antagonist. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy and exchange for an honest review.

I am not a huge fan of Audio books because narration can always present an issue. This narrator, however, was outstanding! This book is the story of a childhood pact at the outset of a time of war that would divide people and friends. The story is rich and beautiful. The characters are relatable, and some are hateable at times. This is something I highly recommend.

Honest review given in exchange for an ARC

Loved the writing! I'm not usually a fan of the flashback writing, but I really liked this one. Audio narrators did a fantastic job! Such an emotional story, but the author was well researched and it really shone through the details in her writing. I am exited to read the subsequent books in this series. 4.5 stars

Absolutely phenomenal book. Started off from the jump by grabbing the reader and pulling you in and never letting go. And the ending, even better than the start. I found myself making auditory remarks whenever something would happen to the characters and rooting for them the whole time. The character development and descriptions were truly amazing and I felt like I was perfectly in the head of each character. There wasn’t much scene description, but for me that’s not a negative since that leaves my imagination to fill in the blanks which I enjoy (but for some that could be a negative). The character descriptions however were amazing and each one is able to be pictured. I can’t wait to continue reading this series and then reread this book. Truly amazing.

I liked this book a lot!! I didn't know that this was the first book in a series when I started it, but realized toward the end I'd have more to read! I'll definitely be reading the next one!

However, there were some things that I didn't love about this book. One of the girls, Dagna, was AWFUL and her anti-Semitism seemed a bit overdone when she was younger, but it fit more when she was older. I think that in the audiobook version of this book it was harder to tell when the "narration" of the story and the inner thoughts of the character's inner monologue was going. I'm assuming this would be easier to differentiate these things if I was reading the physical book. Eventually I got the hang of it, but at first it proved to be fairly challenging.

I think the story here was really good!! It's not super often that there is an entire historical fiction book dedicated to the time leading up to the Holocaust, but this one was written well and kept me engaged the whole time. Part of me was ready for us to finally get there, to where Anna and her family was taken by the Germans. The cliffhanger it left us on is THE WORST and I neeeeeeed to know what happens!!!! Hahahaha ugh! I'm excited to read the next one and hope that I like it as much as I did this one!

I wish I would have known that The Pact by Roberta Kagan was the first of a two-series book. It wasn't until the end when the book ended in a cliff-hanger did I realize that I need to read ANOTHER book to complete the story. Normally, I wouldn't mind but The Pact had its challenges and I'm not sure I'm up for another book. On a positive note, the book's topic, the Holocaust, is very important (particularly in today's climate). I really appreciated the perspective of non-Jews leading up to Hitler's Final Solution and how easy it was for most of Europe to be brainwashed. However, the writing wasn't great and the book was in need of a good editor (lots of repetition). I'll eventually read the second book to put closure on the story. But I'm not in a rush.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. Please be advised that this review may contain spoilers.

Historical Fiction books about WWII will always be favorites of mine. I read The Pact as an audiobook.

The blood pact that is made at the beginning of the book sets up the trajectory of the friendship of these girls, as the world moves into one of the most catastrophic wars to ever exist.

The group of four girls go to Berlin (from Vienna, Austria where they live) to work over the summer, disguising Anna as a “gentile” since Jews were starting to be banned from a lot of places in Germany. They started to see swastika flags everywhere and propaganda in the papers, which gave misinformation about Jews and how they were “dirty.”

There is a lot of character development throughout this book. I kept some notes below to keep track:

Dagna - SO mean and rude. Anti-jew. Was against doing a blood pact with a jew and threatened to tell the other’s parents, unless they included her, which they did eventually to keep from getting in trouble. It seems that nobody likes her, including the boys. They all realize that she is mean and anti-semetic. She is a bad influence and tries to blame all of the things that she does that are bad, on Anna, who is Jewish. She thinks that Jews are hoarding wealth and she eventually turns Anna in, in Berlin for being Jewish.

Elitza- Promiscuous. Sleeps with Daniel and falls in love with him but his parents do not approve since she is not Jewish. She ends up finding out she was pregnant while she was working in Berlin, out of wedlock which was highly frowned upon during this time period. This led to even more hardships, as the government started to gather up Jews, because her son was half-Jewish.

Bernie- Closeted lesbian. In love with Elitza. The only one of the other girls that does not abandon Anna when the propaganda against Jews becomes more pressurizing.

Anna- Jewish. Used to date Daniel, but he broke up with her because she denied him when he placed sexual advances on her. She then starts to fall for a man named Wolfgang, who is related to her employer and is already engaged to a woman named Matilda. He broke off the engagement and immediately started dating Anna, and she started to fall fast for him.

Daniel - “Communist” - has great views on earning a living wage in a factory; however, turns out to be a jerk, when he ditched two of the girls once he either was denied what he wanted or GOT what he wanted. He does eventually do the right thing by Elitza and her son once he finds out about them from Anna, once they are all back in Vienna.

The plot jumps around a little bit throughout the 1930’s and 1940’s, as there are flashbacks throughout. This made it a little hard to follow at times. The audio on this was great, including the accents. It was nice to have different “voices” throughout the book with the differing characters.

I also did not realize when I started this, that it is a series and this does end on a cliffhanger. I will definitely need to read the rest of the series as well!

"The Pact" by Roberta Kagan, narrated by Imogen Church, is a powerful and emotional story that explores the complexities of friendship and loyalty during a tumultuous time in history.
The story follows four girls, Anna, Elica, Bernie, and Dagna, who make a pact to be blood sisters for life. As they grow older, their social differences become more apparent, and their relationships are tested by the rising tide of anti-Semitism and nationalism in Austria.
I loved Anna and Bernie, who were both kind and loyal to each other. They were the heart of the story, and their friendship was the foundation of the novel. Elica, on the other hand, was a more complex character. She was beautiful and promiscuous, but she also had a darker side. Dagna was a complete trainwreck, and I found her behaviour to be disgusting and reprehensible.
The writing was excellent, and I was hooked from the start. The story was well-paced, and I found myself wondering what would happen next. The author did a great job of capturing the atmosphere of the period, and I could almost feel the tension and anxiety building as the story progressed.
Imogen Church's narration was superb as always. She brought the characters to life with her voice, and her use of a slight German accent added to the authenticity of the story. I appreciated how she differentiated between characters without turning them into caricatures.
The ending was a cliffhanger, and I'm eager to get into the next book in the series. Overall, "The Pact" is for anyone who loves historical fiction or stories about friendship and loyalty. It's a powerful and emotional read that will leave you thinking long after you finish the book.

I was excited at the opportunity to read this book. I have read several books by the author and her historical fiction WWII stories are typically informative and ones I enjoy. However, this one just fell flat for me. The characters, while well developed, are irritating at best. One issue is the dialogue and how stilted it was. The characters spoke to each other in such a formal way that it did not feel natural. The book starts off with a bang which has you anxiously ready to get lost in the pages. However, until the end when you are left with a huge cliffhanger. Unfortunately, that’s not enough to get me to read the second book in the series. However, there are plenty of 4- and 5-star reviews. I would encourage you to decide if this book is one you would enjoy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roberta Kagan Publishing for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

This is the first in a planned three book series. Three young girls, with very different backgrounds, make a pact to be blood sisters for life. But life and circumstances will challenge their pact. The book ended with a major cliffhanger and had me wanting more, so I am anxiously awaiting book 2.




Thank you to Netgalley and Dreamscape Select and Storm Publishing

"The Pact" by Roberta Kagan is the first of her books in the Blood Sisters trilogy. The other two books are out now, so have no fear of reading this and being left hanging for long. I listened to the audiobook, excellently narrated by Imogen Church.

This book is historical fiction set in Vienna, Austria, in the 1930s. This is about four young girls who make a blood pact to be sisters. One of them, Dagna, blackmails the others to be included, and she is quite a troublemaker. Anna is a Jewish girl from a wealthy family. The other three are Christian, but from low income families. The mother of Elica is the maid for Anna's family. Bernie is a tomboy, and she is very close with Elica.

This story covers the coming of age time of the girls in the dawning of the Nazi regime. There are class struggles, race issues, boy trouble, betrayal, and love.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 5/5
Pacing - 5/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 5/5

I really enjoyed this book. It was my first read of Roberta Kagan's books. I highly recommend this one to people who like historical fiction.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing, and author Roberta Kagan for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoy novels that take place during or around the time of World War I and II, so I was hoping to like this book more than I did. The plot sounded interesting and I was excited to read it but struggled to keep the characters in order. Aside from the major characteristics you learn from the blurb of the book, there wasn’t anything unique that differentiated them from one another. Their voices all sounded the same. *Advance copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Thank You, NetGalley for letting me listen to The Pact by Roberta Kagan.

This is the story of Ana and her friends. Set in the late 1930s and early 1940s, this is about the friendship of a Jewish girl with 2 non-Jewish girls.

I found Ana so naive and unreasonable. But she was very young and often failed to see the situations she put herself into because of her friendship. An emotional coming-of-age story is what this is and definitely one that will get you engrossed and even make you nervous at times.

I think this is supposed to be a series and I'm intrigued to see what happens next.

Definitely worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book a ton. It had intense conflicts, characters that you either loved or hated and an incredibly captivating storyline . I can’t wait to read the next in the series

An emotional story that follows the lives of four girls, Anna, Elica, Bernie, and Dagna. When Anna, Eliza, and Bernie decide to become blood sisters for life, they believe that nothing will come between them. Anna is from a well of Jewish family that lives in Austria, meanwhile, Elica and Bernie come from poor Austrian families that can barely make ends meet. Eventually, as the girls grow older, their social differences become all too real for all of them.

I enjoyed this story. it set just on the brink of Nazi Germany spreading into Austria. It was interesting to see how things influenced the girl's relationships as they got older. I liked Anna and Bernie, who seemed to be the shining beacon of this story. Anna was nice, and understanding, and despite her class differences, she loved Elica as a sister. Bernie was also a loyal and wonderful friend, especially to Anna. Bernie did not care that Anna came from a Jewish family and was perhaps the most faithful friend and ally that Anna had.

Elica and Dagna were hard to like. Dagna was a disgusting character who wouldn't stop being downright nasty to Anna and it was a shame to see that Elica continued to allow that kind of behavior, despite Anna's continued loyalty. Elica ends up being nothing but a giant hypocrite as the story continues to unfold and it made me angry that Anna continued to be so understanding despite everything that Elica did and allowed to happen.

The writing was good. The story kept me hooked and interested, despite my frustration with some of the girls. It ended on a slight cliffhanger that takes us into book 2, which I hope to get into soon.

The Pact AUDIO by Roberta Kagan starts as a pleasant story of childhood friendships and follows the growth of these four girls from little girls to their teenage years. Elica was the daughter of Anna’s family’s maid and so when they were small they were natural playmates. As they grew they became closer, even after a not-nice girl named Dagna forced her way into their sisterhood. As they grew, things became different. Anna was Jewish and Dagna hated Jews, which was the political line these days. At first, Elica and Bernie didn’t care, but Elica proved to be a follower and echoed Dagna when it was expedient. Elica grew to be beautiful and a little promiscuous but none of that mattered to their friendship. Anna befriended a nice Jewish boy named Daniel, whom she had met at the library. Their relationship grew until Daniel touted his Socialist beliefs when meeting Anna’s parents so they forced her to end the relationship. It all came to a head when the three girls headed off to Berlin to work for the summer where Hitler was firmly enscounced. Dagna’s hatred raised its head and changes happened that could never be forgotten.

This were well-written and powerful characters, much like girls you may know. The biggest difference was Anna’s wealth and Jewishness and the poverty of the other girls. It could have remained in the background except for one girl who had never learned to contain her jealousy. The girls were distinct personalities and Anna, despite her privilege, remained the one with the best heart. They grew and things became more difficult in Austria, for all of them. Berlin held its challenges but it was a growing experience for them. Kagan writes about this period in history with such insight and empathy. This must weigh on her heart. It was a good listen. Thanks, Roberta Kagan.

Imogene Church is the narrator and does a fine rendition, using a slight German accent, but remains totally listenable. She differentiates between characters using her voice but not turning them into caricatures. It was very well done.

I was invited to listen to The Pact by Dreamscape Select. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #DreamscapeSelect #RobertKagan #InogeneChurch #ThePact

This book was really slow and hard to get into. About the time it picked up, it ended abruptly in a cliffhanger. iPad no idea this is a series. The other books are out, and I may read them, but not a story I feel the need to rush to finish.
Thanks NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.

This is a story about three friends, Elisa, Anna, and Bertie and a follower Gunta. Elisa, Anna, and Bertie become blood sisters. Gunta won't because Anna is Jewish.

The story really surrounds the story of Anna, but it is also a coming of age book of all the girls. From age 8 through high school we see how these girls grow, how they interact with with each other, how their feelings and thoughts of the rise of the Nazi's, and how feelings are hurt. One summer all the girls go to Berlin, which is high with Nazi propoganda, talkings, and the praises of A.H. They all find jobs, but Anna has to disguise as an Arian. Everyone is happy, except Gunta. Who is also one to cause problems. Through life we see their friendships come and go, new romances begin and go, and in the end they do find they are good friends who would do anything for each other.

I am anxious to read the next book now as the ending was a pretty high end.

Thank you to Netgalley, Roberta Kagan, and Storm Publishing for this advanced reader.

I wasn't able to finish this audio since it was granted to me only 2 days before it archived. However, what I was able to hear it was a beautiful narration. I can’t wait to buy a copy of it!