This book is set in wartimes. It speaks about the horror in the camps. It is heartbreaking and emotional. This book isn’t the best about this subject

This is a historian fiction boos. If you have never read one of these books that Sahara Ryan has written then you are missing out. I don't think there is a genre she can't write at this point. This is the story of Nora and Adina who are abut to make a journey with their parents. It's 1944 and the journey will be made by train. They thought they would be safe but suddenly all the Jews from
Poland are headed to Aschwitz not knowing what their future is gong to hold. Upon arrival , all the twins are called forward and this is the beginning of horrors and they have not a clue Heather the other is safe or even still alive. I don't want to tel you anymore. I feel like this is a book that you need to unfold yourself. It's so well written you fee like your inside this book with all the character's going through every moment with them. Don't hesitate to read this book. It is absolutely amazing.

A beautifully powerful and emotional story of resilience and strength. Twins taken by the Nazis. It broke my heart and I still struggle to imagine how humans can be so cruel. Although I know they can and are.

I have been meaning to get to this book for awhile now. Better late than never, I guess. It was quite the emotional ride! I can’t say that I was surprised by the plot points, but they were executed nicely so no complaints here. I’m happy that I read it and would be willing to read another by this author.

I feel like I was crying by the second chapter- WOW, this book was so heartbreaking and moving. Such an incredible story that is sure to make you feel all emotions.

Based on a true story in 1944 Germany. Arina and Nora are identical twins. born 15 minutes apart. Their family is taken to Auschwitz. A man in a SS uniform walks by looking for twins Their mother says that her daughters are twins . They are taken away. Nora was born with a stutter. A SS doctor, Mengele, does brain surgery on Nora which leaves her with a worse stutter and damages one of her legs. Near the end of the war , another prisoner, Helena Blum , hides Nora underground. Soviet soldiers arrive in Germany and liberate the prisoners. Nora is sent to an orphanage.in France and Arina to an orphanage in Chicago Illinois. Nora falls in love with Elek who had an arm cut off in Auschwitz. They are separated when Nora is sent to Chicago after being told that a blood relative was found. Helena meets Nora at the train and told her she was taking her to " where you need to be ". Nora and Arina are reunited. Arina had fallen in love with Dale whom she believes to be the groundskeeper but who , along with his dad Mitchell, owns several properties including the orphanage. When they turn 18 , Helena invites Arina and Nora to live with her so they can still be together. Nora and Elek are reunited and a doctor who helps Nora is found. Nora had a hematoma. from the brain surgery experiment in Auschwitz.. The story has a happy ending.

I absolutely love historical fiction books but unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. I found the plot weak and couldn’t engage with any of the characters

Ariana was a young girl when the Germans took over the country. After her families whole life was upended, she experienced unimaginable hatred because she is Jewish. After many years, she was liberated but could she ever have a normal life? Would she ever see her family again?

This was a great heart warming WW2 book that brought tears to my eyes. Just the kind of book I was in the mood for. Love a great emotionally tolling story about family and love in time of hardship.

This book was fantastic!!! I really appreciated that Shari wrote the story in such a way that you felt like you were there but didn't give too many graphic details that made it hard to read! You knew the hardships all the twins had to endure but I never once felt like I had to put it down because I couldn't handle the content.

I loved all the character development and relationships! This book hit close to home for me having a sister, I know that her and I both would done have anything for the other, just as the twins in this book did. There were so many heartwarming and uplifting elements that I found myself wanting to keep reading to see how it ends. I HIGHLY recommend this book! I went straight to the kindle store and bought more of her books because I loved this one and Shari's writing style so much!

This is a harrowing story of teenage identical twins Arina and Nora, who were sent to Auschwitz during the second world war.

The book is fictional and reads in places like a  thriller, but it is uncomfortable reading as we know that many children endured horrific procedures and experiments at the hands of the elusive Doctor Mengele.

When it is discovered that  Nora has a stutter,  differentiating her from her sister, she is taken away and brutally operated on. When she is not reunited with her twin Arina fears the worst. Will either of them survive?

This book is beautifully written, but some of the detail is quite disturbing. Definitely not one I should have stayed up late reading!  Tissues are a must!

It isn't often that I read a book that moves me to tears but this was one of them. You so want the ending of the sisters story to be a good one. This is yet another book that tells the story of what others had to go through during the war and is a book which I won't forget reading..

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was utterly phenomenal and I can definitely say it is a new favourite of mine from Shari J Ryan. This book follows a dual timeline of during and after the Second World War. While many authors do not tend to focus on Mengele in historical fiction novels due to the complexity of dealing with the horrifying nature of his experiments, Ryan dealt with this issue in an understanding and educational way which I truly applaud her for. The book focused highly on the aftermath of the twin experiments of Mengele and how much his experiments made the lives of those who survived a misery.

Ryan has a true talent for making an emotional read through the reader connecting heavily with the characters. The reader feels as though they are in the book, living the journey with the characters at every stage. This is what makes Ryan’s books so touching and heart-wrenching. This book is one for fans of historical fiction, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and Ellie Midwood’s books.

I cannot wait to see what Ryan writes next! You can bet I’ll be the first one to sign up to read it.

Unfortunately my kindle bit the dust before I had a chance to read this, and I am unable to send it again since its now archived. But it sounds excellent and I will get a physical copy to read.

Arina and Nora, twins at Auschwitz. Heartbreaking, but yet hopeful in some ways. The power of love, in the face of pure evil. This was a hard emotional story to get through and stayed with me for many days after the story ended.

There were moments through the heartbreak that I forgot this was a work of historical fiction. I’ve read many true accounts and works of fiction around WWII and the horrific events in the Holocaust. The details and main characters in this work were captivating and disturbing. Emotionally heavy, and yet written with the most touching resilience.

This was my first Shari J. Ryan novel. I would absolutely read more of her catalog. While I have read similar type of novels, this particular story is memorable and worthy of a solid 4-star rating.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced read in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my personal opinion.

#sharijryan #thestolentwins #bookouture #netgalley #arc #bookstagram #bookreviews #booksbooksbooks #goodreads

A WWII historical novel featuring twins, Arina and Nora, who were subjected to the horrific medical experiments conducted at the hands of Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele. The story is told from the perspective of both Nora and Arina in both the past and the present time frame (their present). Historical fiction of this time period is one of my favorite things to read about and there are so many stories out there that I have not yet heard. I am aware of Dr. Josef Mengele and of his medical experimentation on Jews, treating them even worse than the average lab rat. However, I have read few books that focus on his role in the Holocaust.

My thoughts on the book: I loved the premise of the story. Like I said, this is a topic I am not as familiar with so I loved having the opportunity to learn more about it. This story focuses a lot on the relationship between the sisters and how their time in Auschwitz impacts that relationship. I would have liked a little more focus on the events that occurred in these medical laboratories...just a personal preference. The author does a good job of writing with emotion. She captures those feelings that likely accompany the horrors these girls were put through. I could feel their love for one another, their hope, their loss, their grief, and their anger. I do feel that there was something missing with the characters. I can’t quite put my finger on what was missing but I didn’t feel the connection to these characters like I normally do when reading this genre. I wasn’t crazy about how the story’s dual time frame was laid out. Each chapter was told from the point of view of either Arina or Nora but each chapter held content from the present and the past. It made the story feel choppy to me. It didn't flow as easy as some other dual time frame historical fictions I have read. This format lessens as the story progresses which makes it a little more tolerable.

Overall, it was a solid historical fiction novel based on true events. It definitely hits ya right in the feels and will result in some tears. I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book.

*Review already posted to Goodreads

I read this book in one sitting, it was incredible. The book is so well written with a compelling and utterly heartbreaking storyline and well developed characters somethat I loved and some that I hated. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I finished it

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley after playing Netgalley Request Roulette for historical fiction. This is my honest review.

I was super excited to get approved for this book as I've been fascinated by WWII era fiction for pretty much as long as I can remember. This book provided a new perspective for me, featuring twins that were victims of Mengele's experiments (I refuse to refer to him as doctor). Additionally, most of the WWII era books I've read don't explore the aftereffects of life during the Holocaust to the extent that this book did. This book really felt more focused on the girls' lives after the war, with glimpses back to show how they got to where they are now. I didn't feel like those scenes in the camp shied away from the horrors that took place there, but showed them in a way that I'd have no problem encouraging my children (13 and 11) to read this book. Granted I think it's important that kids learn how truly horrible humans can be to each other to hopefully prevent something like the Holocaust from happening again.

This story was told in alternating POVs between Nora and Arina, with the beginning chapters also showing their present and then their past until the past caught up with their present (boy I hope that makes sense). This gave us a broader view of events both during and after the war, and two budding romances. I think longer scenes from the camp would have helped to explain Arina's post-war behavior a little bit better, especially for any readers that may be less familiar with the Holocaust than I am. I also thought Ms. Blum really dropped the ball with helping Arina handle Mrs. Vallentine, considering her background. But I didn't get to see inside Ms. Blum's head, so I don't know what ghosts she was battling or how they were really affecting her either.

I will definitely be checking out some of Ms. Ryan's other Holocaust fiction in the future. Overall I give this book 4.83 out of 5 stars.

Selected on the ramp at Auschwitz by Dr. Mengele, twins Arina and Nora suffer horrendous experimentation. Separated at the end of WWII, they hope and search for each other in this sensitively written Holocaust novel.