Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, while I found the blurb interesting, I was unable to get into the story.

I enjoyed this read. It was captivating yet heartbreaking in equal measure. From very early on was was drawn in and so eager to learn what happened to Ada and Max's mother. This story is set towards the end of the last century but jumps back and forth between then and the Nazi assault on Europe. Max and Ada were friends in Nazi occupied Paris. Ada was Jewish and Max was a foster child, abandoned by his mother, and his father, who raped his mother, is unknown to him. Max is pining for the lost women of his life so he encourages his grandson Mark to return to Paris with him so he can investigate these women. Mark agrees although he too is pining for a woman. This story in similar to others I've read in recent times, but was well told and I enjoyed it. I sympathised with Max and Mark and looked forward to seeing how the story would unfold. I give this book 3.5 stars.

When I saw this book on NetGalley, I was really intrigued and thought it would be an interesting read. I actually ended up DNFing (not finishing) the book at 40%.

It just wasn’t the book for me and felt that the writing was a little disjointed and the female characters were oversexualised. In one part of the story there is mention of the grandfather feeling uncomfortable looking back and thinking about Ada’s body as an 11 year old girl. This made me feel deeply uncomfortable and I didn’t feel as though it was necessary to include this in the story at all, the parts where the grandson describes a female on the train made me feel uncomfortable too. The whole description of Karen was derogatory and I didn’t feel as though talking about “the swell of her breasts” was in any way necessary.

While the parts that were focusing on how the Holocaust and the Nazi occupation of France affected the people living there were īnsightful, the story as a whole didn’t draw me in as a reader. The novel was completely different to how I thought it would be and therefore I couldn’t read the entirety of it. While this may have not been the book for me, you may enjoy it.

I loved the connection between past and present. Max, now an old man. is telling his grandson about his youth with Ada, his childhood friend, in their tree house. However, Nazis come to Paris and Ada is Jewish.... However, this book doesn't focus on that tragedy, but the tragedy in Max's life. It has love, friendship, magic, and a journey that I was excited to go on.

Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found the premise of the story interesting but I never was truly able to get into the story. It took me months to finish. It just wasn't for me. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this book.

Despite this story covering my favourite period in history I really didn’t get much enjoyment from reading it. There was no ‘nitty gritty’, for want of a better word, no romance, so I didn’t get engrossed in it. Possibly I’m better suited to female writers for relationship themes. Thank you, though, NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly was expecting a lot more from this book. I really love WWII books and the synopsis and reviews seemed amazing for it. I found this novel to be a little overrated. The grandfather was obsessed over a very short friendship/relationship with a Jewish girl who had died in the war and he had earlier had a falling out with. Over which he held an enormous amount of guilt over and truly never invested into the rest of his life. His grandson whom he was telling his story to had a anxiety issue that didn't get explained too much just expressed ALOT. He also was grieving over an ended relationship that he still seemed obsessed over. At times this book took a sexual turn that I was not really expecting nor really liked with the theme of the book. This book had such potential and I just didn't enjoy it as I hoped.

This story was good, but felt incredibly rushed. It focuses on a young man listening to his grandfather talk about his childhood in Nazi-occupied France and the loss of his one true love. Despite his crippling anxiety and panic attacks, the man agrees to go on a trip with his grandfather to visit his old home in France. The first half of the story would have worked better as a dramatic monologue, as it's just an old man rambling about the past. The second half, which features the trip to France, started to really bring the story to life, but then abruptly ended. The foundation of this story has so much potential; it just needs to be fleshed out way more.

Wonderful read, well written with a great plot and characters. This story begins with a grandfather telling his grandson the story of his youth, and his best friend Ada. Inseparable Ada and Max spent many nights in her tree house during blackout night raids in World War II Paris. Max was the result of a rape and he is being raised by foster parents, he found comfort with Ada. They created a book of spells, developed to help them deal with the horrors of living during such a horrible time. Max lost touch with Ada, he asks his grandson to help by going back and looking for his mom and his best friend.

My Tree House is a beautifully written novel that evokes a myriad of emotions for the reader. You cannot help but feel for Max and his grandson Mark as they go on their pilgrimage and relive times in their lives through their memories
This is a story that will stay with me for a long time and is certainly one I would highly recommend.
Thankyou to Netgalley, the publisher and Glenn Haybittle for being able to read such a beautiful story

It took a bit to get into this book, but it was worth the journey! I am a big fan of Holocaust books, and this one had a bit of a twist to it, because it was set in the future, many years after WWII. I really enjoyed the plot, and I was very sad when the Grandfather died, but at least he was finally with his one true love. I like the way the author built the characters up, and even the grandson became a better person by the end of the book. I am glad I took the time to read this book. Thank you for writing this, Mr. Haybittle!

I am sad to say that I couldn't really get into this story... I love these types of books, I even write in this genre myself, but I couldn't bring myself to finish this title because the writing just didn't grasp my attention. Maybe this book will work for another person's particular reading taste. Sorry.

Excerpt from Review: "...So, to sum things up, The Tree House is a beautiful story of one damaged individual seeking to help another heal in ways that he never could by embarking on a mission into his past. Sure, he hopes to find some closure, but in reality, he is looking for redemption through his grandson, a way to heal his own guilt for a past wrong. In the end, there is healing for both parties and a warming in our hearts. What a terrific read!"

While this genre and subject are usually my favorite; this story misses because the author doesn't seem to want to describe the characters or interest the reader enough.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book however I will not be finishing the book. I liked the inclusion of the magic spells and the grandfather's story however I did not like the modern day story of the grandson. I found the pace very slow moving and rather than giving this a low rating I would like to decline reading it further

This book was interesting but really not my cup of tea

This is the story of Max who desperately wants his grandson to tell his story, one of love for Ada, but also to find out who his mother really was. Born to a dancer, an alleged rape, Max was sent to live with a couple in Paris and became friends with Ada, the next door neighbor girl. His friendship with Ada is one of fun, discovery, and torment. Ada is Jewish, Max wants to be one of the guys, and Paris is being occupied by the Germans. But when Max's joy of finally being accepted by the boys who play football, beings sadness to Ada at the same time for which Max never really forgives himself. Their hideout was the treehouse, and there they made their book of "spells", which is what Max really is in search of. His love for Ada dictated how he lived life from then on, not really loving his wife, and passing that lifestyle on to his own child.

Max's grandson is also tormented by his own love, that of Katie a dancer. Of how she chose dancing, over him. But also how similar his life and his grandfather's love for Ada are so similar. So through his own fears, and the determination of his grandfather, he embarks on a trip to Paris and Italy to find what happened to the book of spells, to see Katie dance, and who Max's parents really were.

This book was not what I was expecting. It was a bit slow, a bit all over the place which made it difficult for me to follow sometimes, and was not expecting all the sexual content (which was sometimes graphic) -- especially between Max and Ada at such young ages. I wasn't fully grabbed into the story, some parts I was which were few, but overall it just was not my kind of read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Glenn Haybittle for this advanced read and therefore giving my honest review.

It is a great book that touches upon the influences of war on the everyday lives of the citizens and deals with mental illness in a very respectful way.
The book begins with Max wanting his grandson, Mark to take care of his things after he dies. In order for Mark to understand the importance of the things that he is to be left in charge of, Max decides to tell him the history behind them. The stories of Max’s childhood were, by themselves, very interesting. They are told simultaneously from a child’s point of view while being analysed from an adult point of view. I loved how the author seamlessly switched between scenarios without confusing the reader. The book concentrates on Max and Ada’s friendship and shows how intimacy is developed innocently among children. Their interactions and imaginations remind us of our own childhood with make-believe games and the staunch belief that everything will work out as we plan them. It is only the later that small cracks begin to appear in their relationship, spurred on by the hatred that is brought in by the Nazis. While the children do not understand the hate that is directed towards the Jews in the beginning, they are quickly made aware of the situation. In their own childish ways, they try to remedy the situation but the adults have a very different plan in mind.
The book also deals with mental illness in the form of claustrophobia, social anxiety and avoidant personality disorder. It shows how difficult it is for people suffering from these conditions to make others aware of their conditions and to get them to understand their situation. It brings to focus the difficulty that they face in dealing with everyday situations that most of us take for granted. Mark and Max try their best to appear normal so as to not alarm the people around them but find it extremely draining and prefer to be their real selves. However, they are riddled with guilt about the problems that they cause to the people that are closest to them. I wish there were many more books written about mental illness in such a realistic tone.
The end, although was a little predictable was still gut wrenching and you can’t help but root for Mark and hope that he manages to find some semblance to structure in his life. I absolutely loved every part of the book except the few predictable instances at the very end which cost the book the last star.

Cheyne Walk and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Tree House. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Tree House begins with a grandfather telling his grandson the story of his youth, with regards to his best friend Ada and his less than auspicious beginnings. Inseparable from the ages of 8 until 11, Ada and Max spent many a night in her tree house during blackout night raids in World War II Paris. A child of rape who was raised by foster parents, Max found comfort with Ada. They created a book of spells, developed to help them cope with the horrors of living during such a tumultuous time. Because Max lost touch with Ada, who was Jewish, he enlists the help of his grandson to go back and look for his mother and his best friend.

I chose The Tree House to read based on the strength of its reviews, but I feel as though I was given a different book. The writing is very rough and could use some final editing for both grammatical and typographical errors. I was not sure as to the point of the story, since the author spent too much time on the grandson's escapades instead of the central plot. Considering the compelling nature of the premise, I expected to find myself running through a range of emotions while reading. I was disappointed with the stilted dialogue and felt no connection to Max or his story. I would not recommend this historical fiction to other readers, as The Tree House represents a missed opportunity by the author to tell a clear and concise story.

This book was short but so much emotion was packed in to it. The story was sad but sweet as the narrator's (Mark) grandfather called him to come and hear the grandfather's (Max) childhood memories which really affected how he had lived his life. He spoke of his dear childhood friend Ada whom he had cherished for many years, how they had been so close and spent so much time together before she was taken by the Nazis. He also spoke of how he grew up with people who weren't his parents, but a friend of his mothers and that he was a child of rape. Mark saw many parallels between his grandfather's life and his own. It was so very sad. However, the ending was wonderful. Great writing, fantastic descriptions and quite a moving story. Definitely worth reading!