Thank you Netgalley and Penguin for this arc.

The title and cover of this book caught my attention. Who is this sophisticated couple and why were they lucky? They appear to be pre-war, maybe European but the misty background looked ominous. “A novel” is on the cover but the description tells me it’s “based on a true story.” Frankly I wasn’t sure what to expect and was actually a little nervous after reading the blurb.

Beginning in the days just before war is declared, we see most of the Kurc family gathered in their hometown of Radom, Poland. An educated, polished family of professionals, they are well respected in their circles of friends and acquaintances. Grown children are marrying and business is flourishing. One son is in France working as an engineer but his true passion is composing music. They’ve been slightly worried by the news from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia but surely that won’t ever spill over into Poland. With frightening speed, events prove otherwise.

Within weeks, their lives are upended and the family begins to be separated. It’s hard enough for those in Poland to know what has happened to the others there but for middle son Addy, who is unable to get permission to travel across what are now war zones from France, it’s agony to have no word of his family. Soon their lives have no future – there is only surviving today, staying one step ahead in the shifting political alliances and armies that tear the country apart.

Asides between chapters act to provide a backdrop of important world historical events. Characters know only what they would have known at the time so I was on pins and needles as I continued to read. The Kurc family will undergo the trials faced by their countrymen and fellow Jews – confinement in the ghettos, loss of their homes and belongings, midnight arrests by the NKVD, exile under harsh conditions to even worse ones, hunger, desperation, near escapes, and miraculous twists of fate.

After VE Day, the survivors begin to pick up the pieces and search for their loved ones. In some cases years have passed since they’ve had word of the missing ones. The loss among in-laws, cousins, aunts, and uncles is staggering and almost beyond comprehension. The chaotic circumstances would seem to defy answers. Return to old lives is impossible both by choice and the realities of bombed cities and still hostile countrymen. Since the story is told chapter by chapter from the varying points of view, I knew who had survived but the ultimate reunions across the globe are astounding.

It was only as I was reading the afterward that I realized that this is no fictionalized rendition of mass accounts of wartime survival. It was then that it becomes evident that yes, the Kurcs were – for the most part – the lucky ones to emerge from the destruction and to have found each other. B

The inspiring story of the survival of the Kurc family during World War II Poland. I love to read about 2 or 3 books on World War II. Reading to many at one time takes away the humanity of their story. It easy to become desensitized when we are faced with the same story time after time. We miss the horror, the crime, and the cruelty of it all. The Kurc's family was unique because it shared each family member's perspective and at times ended the chapter with what was going on in the war from what we know of it today.

I am not going to do a run down on each family member because I would be writing my own book and not very well if I did so I will only say that the courage and the love that this family had in not giving up was incredible. I did learn more about the Jewish people in general which I gravitate towards, the Polish history - the total destruction of Poland and how they have come back to the world tells the grit of the people. In one particular sibling Addy- his story was different since he left France before the war took hold. He was able to escape to South America which took almost a year from start to finish.

With the author's words and passion for this family, you know it is personal. I just did not know which one of the siblings she was related to of if she was even related. I had hoped she was because it means more. I was happy to hear about how the author came to this story and what it did mean to her and what it should mean to the rest of the world. It is truly a story that should be made into a movie. I hope you will be encouraged if you have not to read this one. So worth it.

A special thank you to Penquin Group and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

We Were the Lucky Ones is a historical fiction novel based on the true story of a Jewish family, the Kurcs, who live in Radom, Poland during World War II. The story follows the parents and their five adult children over several years, starting in 1939, as they flee to various places in the world to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. It is a very moving story of survival. When I first started reading the novel, I was overwhelmed by the number of characters, It was difficult to keep track of who was who - especially since it was written in alternating chapters from the different characters' points of view.

Overall, I liked the book and highly recommend it to readers who are interested in historical fiction set during World War II.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy of the book.

This book follows a few people as they go through World War 2 in Poland. Love and hope gets them through. This was an exciting book from start to finish. I recommend it to anyone who wnjoys books about WW2.

I was one of the lucky ones, as Netgalley agreed to my request for this book. Based on a true story of the author's family, it is a wonderful and hopeful novel set in one of the darkest times in human history. An absolute miracle is how I would describe this book, and it is so well written that anyone who reads this will never be the same.

Interesting that for a fiction book, the part I found most interesting was the truthful part behind it. Although I listened to the audio, I did find myself referring to the print/eBook version to help keep names straight, to see spellings, and the family tree. I also referred to maps frequently. At times I felt there were more details than necessary.

This book is absolutely wonderful I’m every way. Georgia Hunter brings to life the sad story in history during WWII in a beautiful way. Depicted as a love story, family hardship and strife, perseverance, friendship and so many other ways. I love that there are so many stories within, woven to bring about the story of the Kurc family. New babies, new romances and relationships, and adventures abroad. 5 stars for We Were the Lucky Ones!! Review to come on Goodreads.

This is an compelling read. Some of the descriptions get in the way of the action, but still the reader cares about the characters for they are well drawn. Some people will find the book hard to read for its realism.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

The Kurc family's lives are upended when Germany invades Poland to start World War II. Sol and Nechuma, the heads of the family, are moved to the ghetto in their hometown of Radom. The younger men of the family are initially called up to join the Polish army, but that leads to a quick surrender. Selim, husband of Mila, disappears during the Polish Army's brief battle. Mila and their 1-year-old daughter, Felicia, stay with Mila's parents in the ghetto. Adam, fiancé of the youngest Kurc daughter, Halina, works in the underground resistance in Lvov. Halina joins him there, and they use the documents Adam forges to live as non-Jews. Gelek and Herta are sent to an internment camp in Siberia, where their son Jozef is born. Bella sneaks into Lvov to join Jakob and her sister just as the Germans take over the city. Addy is living in France at the outbreak of the war and is assigned to a Polish unit of the French army. All will have to use their wits and everything available to them to try to survive the war.

I was astonished to learn at the end of the book that this was a novel based on the true experience of the author's family. <spoiler>I thought it was unrealistic that the entire immediate family survived until I saw in the author's note at the end that it really happened. </spoiler> I would have liked to know more details of each person's story throughout the war; several months could pass between updates on a particular person. I understand that she had to work with the information she could piece together, though. I enjoyed the story but never got fully immersed in it.

This was a wonderful book. Very moving! I loved the dynamic between all the family members. The thing I enjoyed the most was how each family members journey intertwined. A wonderful read!

This is a non-stop read, I couldn’t put it down! Georgia Hunter gives an inspirational story of perseverance, courage, love and family devotion that’s based on real life events during history’s most horrific and heartbreaking events of WWII.

I always enjoy historical novels and stories that are based on actual people or events are the best! Georgia Hunter has written a thrilling story about her family and the many different story archs that follow each person through WWII during some of the worst situations anyone had to bear. This was a book that captured me early and held my attention throughout. The perspective of these young adults and their parents was one that was unique in most writing about this period and refreshing to hear about.

A gripping true story of an extended family's survival through the holocaust. I really appreciated the details in events and locations, as a close knit family is forced to scatter around the globe, with the evil force of WWII, never losing hope. A well researched historical fiction. Thank you NetGalley for the reader's copy, all opinions are my own.

Phenomenal historical fiction about a Jewish family who struggles to survive WWII and stay together through the horrors of the Nazi and Stalin’s regime. The large cast of characters was a bit overwhelming to keep track of at first but the author develops their voices in a distinct way so by about page 50 I was accustomed to the people and their stories all over Europe and the world. It’s amazing that the book is based on the author’s family members who all survived the war and the camps.

I’m sorry. I just could not get into this one and didn’t finish it. Maybe I can go back to it over time. It was depressing at the time and I needed something more uplifting. Good history though. Sad time.

Received via #NetGalley for my honest opinion/review.

This was a really great read. I enjoyed the family in this novel quite a bit, though there were many, many characters and sometimes I forgot who was who. If you're into WW1 WW2 Historical Fiction then I really recommend this book. The story was just incredible and followed such a vast time frame that it was a longer novel but well worth the time investment.

Awesome book! I’d love to read more by this author.

Thank you for the chance to review this book, however, unfortunately, I was unable to read and review this title before it was archived.

This was an amazing book. The author did a wonderful job of painting the picture of what her family went through in World War II Poland. This historical fiction book is filled with bits of information on the Jewish population of Poland. The trials and the long road that her family travel during this time is riveting. The emotions and the strength of will that was shown was breathe taking. Georgia Hunter did an awesome job of writing her families history with the information she had.. For anyone interested in the Jewish population in Poland this is a wonderful book to read .

This is a story of the author’s Polish Jewish family who against odds all survived WWII and the Holocaust. The author has carried out research of the era but nevertheless it is a fictionalised version of the events and liberties have been taken with the story. For example, in the middle of a pogrom with terrible shortages they managed to get flashlights.

There is too much tedious detail , I really don’t want to know what someone eats for breakfast, it doesn’t add to the story. Despite the minutiae it is hard to develop any empathy with the family members. Take away the events of the Holocaust from the story and what is left is a family saga of uninspiring people.