Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a heartbreaking story of a young woman during WW2. Her fight for survival in Auschwitz and the hope that she will find her husband there. After the war she travels back home to look for any surviving family. 
Lily Graham did a fantastic job of creating very real characters that felt true to life. It felt more like reading a memoir than a historical fiction. Her storytelling doesn't come across as dark as some other books I have read regarding this time period but has an air of hope embedded in the pages.
This is a great book that should be read by everyone.

This was a great book. Would recommend it to anyone that wants  a good read.              I want to thank NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

Very powerful book to read. So many books similar to this on the market today. How do you make one better than the last person? While the story is sad and no one should have been allowed to treat people in such a manor I do feel there becoming all the same

The Child of Auschwitz is a gripping, graphic and well written novel about the absolute horrors of Auschwitz.  This is one of those novels that I wish i could place in the hands of Holocaust deniers and force them to read-  because it so vividly describes the horrors of Auschwitz, one of the Nazi death camps.  Lily Graham is an extremely talented writer, and really gets the reader to identify with Eva and Sophie and their daily nightmare of their time in Auschwitz.  
It would be difficult to say I "enjoyed" this book, as its' impossible to enjoy a story about the Holocaust. However, It is an IMPORTANT book to read as it so vividly details the treacherous daily life for a prisoner in a concentration camp.  I felt like i was right there with Eva as she persevered against the hatred directed at her, and the injuries she experienced in the camp while trying to find her precious husband Michal.  And my heart hurt for Sophie who was forced to become a mistress to one of the  Nazi's while helping Eva.  And for Sophie's heartache wondering if she would ever see her beloved son after the war. 
I highly recommend "The Child of Auschwitz" to readers looking to add a Holocaust based novel to their library.

The Child of Auschwitz: Absolutely heartbreaking World War 2 historical fiction by [Graham, Lily]This is an interesting book. I read this kind of book to get some insight to a world I cannot comprehend. The Child of Auschwitz is very well written. Eva is one of the many women who are in Auschwitz. This is her story. 

The story line shifts from Eva's time with Michael, including the time of the persecution of the Jews during the war. The other time line tells about her time at Auschwitz, looking for Michael and the birth of their own child.

It is easy to see how endurance would be needed to survive this camp, but this book deals with so much more.

The author did a great deal of research to capture the feeling of the time and relate it in this book. She isn't afraid to tell about the horrors of the camp but she builds in a sense of empathy too.

I saw this work as a way to remember that happiness can be found even in the most horrid of places. The happiness may just last a moment but it give something to hold onto.

I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy historical fiction. 

I was given this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

What a heart-stopping opening sentence!              
This story is so much more personal, being written in the ‘first person’.      
 A very moving book, sharing glimpses of ‘normal’ life before the horrors began; & with a bittersweet ending. The same circumstances could bring out the worst in some people, yet the best in others.  Whilst we have the benefit of hindsight, being aware of what was going on in the larger picture, not everybody at that time had that knowledge. There is an innocence of behaviour, which will never be recaptured by any survivors.      
Although it can be difficult to read about the Holocaust, we have a duty to inform ourselves about it, to remember these people – the few who survived, & the many who did not - & the lives they were robbed of living. We have all been cheated of their being a part of our world : who knows what they may have achieved for the general good, if given the chance to fulfil their potential.

Such tragic story about life, loss and survival. I am glad I was able to read this book, but it is definitely an easy book to read. It definitely made me think about how lucky I am to live in this era and how much my ancestors have suffered.

This is such a heart- breaking story of survival, it’s haunting but at the same time uplifting to know that there can be hope against all odds.
Could you imagine a Jewish baby being born in Auschwitz and surviving?  This is an amazing story of the miracle of life.  The strength and hope that the women in this story held onto to survive despite the atrocities they encountered was incredible.
The story begins in Prague, Year 1938 where families were sceptical about the rumours of the Nazis invading Czechoslovakia.  They felt the invasion wouldn’t reach Prague and by the time they realised how wrong they were it was too late to escape the country.
This is a very character driven story about friendships, survival and courage amongst the horrific conditions in the concentration camps the Jewish were taken to and had to endure.  Most of their survival was dependent on luck and timing. The story is centred around Eva Adami a young Jewish girl who is newly married to Michal a Jewish symphony violin player and Sofie Weis a young mother who becomes best friends with Eva at the concentration camp.
 
This book was inspired by the true story of Vera Bein who gave birth to her daughter in the top bunk of camp C at Auschwitz-Birkenau in December 1944. The baby weighed just 1kg and was too weak to cry.  Records show that at least 700 children were born in Auschwitz-Birkenau and to date only a handful of them are known to have survived.
A beautiful story, one of my favourite holocaust stories read this year, spellbinding reading! 4.5 Stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy

This book is about its title. I enjoyed the writing and the story kept me engaged. Thank you to netgalley for the arc.

I enjoyed it. I have read many WWII historical books and this probably falls in the middle. Parts of it seemed unbelievable. I loved the friendship between Eva and Sofie. I didn't care for the flashbacks, which I usually love in books. I felt like it brought me out of the story. The ending was predictable, but still liked the story, characters and writing style. I always feel the same way after reading books about concentration camps. I can't imagine the struggles people endured or how they were able to survive. The better question is - How could people be so cruel to each other???

I do recommend the book, especially if you are a fan of historical fiction. I look forward to reading more books by the author, especially since I loved The Paris Secret

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookouture through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
There have been many novels set around the atrocities of Auschwitz - some have been fantastic and others not so good. This one for me seemed to fall in the middle. 
At times I loved it and felt swept away in the story. At other times I felt it was dragging. 
I enjoyed the way the friendship between Eva and Sofia was told. It was good enough to read to the end of the book.
But on the negative side, I didn’t really get the title as it did to seem to apply for ages! I expected to be more emotionally moved and wanted more descriptive narrative regarding the awful times this was set in.
Overall 3 stars from me.

This book is definitely not my usual type of read. It took me a few chapters to get into it but when I did, wow!

Poor Eva had only been married a short time to Michal and was ecstactically happy but their happiness would be dramatically ripped apart by the Nazis. 

I read late into the night , during the night and again when I woke up. My heart  broke for Eva and her friend Sophie. The worst thing of all is that you know all those horrors happened.  How on earth anyone survived is beyond my comprehension.   The bravery of everyone in those places was unbelievable.  I do not think I could have endured those conditions. 

Although all my emotions were tested to the limits, I still thoroughly recommend this book with a warning to be prepared!

I shall look for more of Lily Graham.

This book was on the story of Eva who was put in a train carriage destined for the camp at Auschwitz.  Her husband was sent there 6 months previously, and she is desperate to see him again.  She makes friends with another woman in the camp, Sofie and together they try to discover if Eva’s husband and Sofie’s son are still alive, however dangerous that may be.  

Strange as it may sound, I do enjoy a good wartime book.  There are a lot of books around at the minute based on the subject of the Holocaust, and particularly Auschwitz.  These stories are gripping as whilst they are works of fiction, they are based on events that actually happened and events that cannot and should not ever be forgotten.  Told from Eva’s point of view, the story was a heart-breaking and emotional one.  I loved Eva’s character, just liked I loved all the characters of all the other Jewish people held in this camp.  Full of courage and bravery, despite facing what could only be described as hell on earth.  All Eva wanted was to be reunited with her husband, Michal and amongst all the horrors this story has to tell, this book also became a beautiful love story.

The author has done an amazing amount of research into this book and at times it’s really difficult to work out where reality ends and the story begins.  The story is described beautifully and very sensitively written and whilst you can’t bear to read some parts, others draw you in until you can’t put the book down!  This is a love story which tugs at the heart-strings yet fills you with hope that amongst all the darkness and horror there may have been real life stories such as this.  Would definitely recommend.

This was an amazing read. The insight into the war and following the story of the lives of women in camps was captivating. It also broke my heart to read about the sadness and struggles these women faced. 
The author did an amazing job writing this story to make us feel like we were there; part of the troubles, trials and tribulations between the Jewish, Germans and Austrians. 
I would thoroughly recommend this book for anyone to read.

I've read a few of these Auschwitz fiction books that hit the shelves every couple of months and despite repeatedly saying that I don't like historical fiction I have thoroughly enjoyed every single one of them, including The Child of Auschwitz.
I have to hold my hands up and admit that I didn't really read the synopsis of the book (and by didn't really read I mean not at all) and so my expectations of what the story would be about were completely about. Just from the title I assumed it would be the story of a child growing up/spending time in Auschwitz and was a little miffed that this apparent child didn't seem to be making an appearance. However, once I realised what the story line was aiming for, which was the story of how this child came about, I was happy again. 
I also don't do romance yet there is a beautiful love story carried throughout the book and still I enjoyed it!
Personally I feel that if an author can overcome all your objections and preconceptions so much that you end up loving the book and become emotionally invested in the characters then they must be an incredible writer.
This story was beautiful, harrowing and heart breaking, and I actually sat reading with tears streaming down my face at times. 
I was very grateful for the fact that the ending gave proper closure of the story and the characters. It felt like I could be satisfied and finish the book without being left with the feeling of wanting to know what happened next in the characters' lives. 
I'd happily recommend this book to.... well, everybody. This is history brought to life and everyone should experience that!

I am a big fan of historical fiction and I really enjoyed this book. The storyline was well balanced and the characters were very likeable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC,

I’m a sucker for WW2 books and this was no different. A daughter is born in the thick of the holocaust at Auschwitz to a Jewish mother. A tale of survival and grit to endure an unimaginable life.

3,5 stars

The book is about Eva and Sofie who first meet at the Theresienstadt concentration camp. They end up on the same train to Auschwitz, each with her own agenda. Eva wants to find her husband and Sofie wants to find her cousin who hid her son.

When Eva realizes that she is pregnant, everything changes. It’s not safe to be pregnant in a place like Auschwitz. Not the best start to life and I guess it’s down to a certain amount of luck too.
The friendship between Eva and Sofie was a great thing to see in a place like that.

The book has two timelines: the present which is 1942 and the past in 1938. The past chapters weren’t necessary in my opinion and skipped those a bit but otherwise, I really enjoyed the book and it’s well written.

I spent nearly all of this book rating it as 4 stars, but then changed it to 5 in the last few chapters. I had already read 'the tattoist of Auschwitz' a year or so ago, and I admit I compared the 2 books for a long time. I was frustrated why the book was about a child being born there but it took so long to be introduced in the story. However, on full reflection, I see why the background story was given- to fully appreciate the horrors that happened and how remarkable it was for a child to survive there.
A life affirming story that shows the strength of love and the human spirit.

Just like any book which contains the topic of Auschwitz, Lily Graham’s new novel is a story that attempts to put you in the mindset of those who were involved in such a historically devastating event, whilst also keeping the readers entertained due to the fictional elements.

I love the way that Lily Graham’s writing style has taken more of a historical turn, and I am in awe of the fact that the author has chosen such an iconic topic to write about.

The dynamics between the women in this book, namely Eva and Sofie, were both heartwarming and emotive. Their relationship was incredibly iconic in terms of creating memories, and I feel that the author did an incredible job at allowing her readers to have a voice.

The historical elements of the book, in my opinion, were highly captivating and kept me hooked. As someone who is incredibly interested in the topic of Auschwitz, I thought that the author delivered in all aspects of the story and more.

A thoroughly enjoyable, if somewhat emotional, historically insightful and poignant read.