I really enjoyed this book and the character development of both Eva and Sofie. One of the best WW2 books I have read in a while.

I am emotionally drained! I just finished The Child of Auschwitz. I read a lot of WWII fiction and Lily Graham’s book really got to me. The story traveled from Prague in 1938 through the war years at Auschwitz and after the war as the main character makes her way back to Prague and a journey to fulfill  the promise she made to Sophie. In all the sadness, Graham is still able to show how Hope is found in her characters. I think I will be thinking about Eva, Sophie and the others in this amazing story for a long time. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about life in a concentration camp and The Holocaust. It follows the struggles of Eva and Sophie while they were prisoners in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. We learn of the events that brought them together and we witness the struggle to survive.

The narrative is told in a duel timeline. One is told in the present which is 1942 and the other is told in the past which is 1938. The book is set between a terrible atrocity. This is a beautifully written story. There are some genuine lovely characters  ut there is also some nasty spiteful blighters as well. The conditions in the concentration camps are described vividly. A story of death, despair, survival and hope. You will need your tissues beside you as this story will pull at your heartstrings. 

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Lily Graham for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always been interested in stories about Auschwitz and this one was great because it showed the strength of a group of women, against all the odds. 
This is a story of friendship and love in a hideous place. 
Eva is separated from her husband so tries to find him at Auschwitz but soon starts to lose hope due to the huge amount of men and women there. 
There’s details in the book that will shock you if you’ve not read about Auschwitz before, but this was necessary to show the real battle for survival that Eva and the other women faced. 
As with other books about the Holocaust there’s a sense of relief when the war ends but for the survivors this experience will never be forgotten. 
A great read which has the strength of a group of women shining through. 
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I cried. This book was so heartbreaking.  You felt like you lived in that time.  This book was a good read and highly recommended.

Overall I enjoyed this book but not quite as much as the other books about Auschwitz that I’ve read previously. It was emotive and had a good story line.

An excellently written and moving novel - with characters you desperately rooted for. I would define re-read this, and found the central love story believable and heart breaking. A wonderful novel.

Holocaust Fiction in the last few years has really come out of the woodworks.  Almost every historical fiction book is based around one of the internment camps.  This is bad for the genre as the market is flooded with them most being below par.


This book was not one of those books and was great to read.  It made the camps looks like what they were Hell. It didn't sugarcoat items and it made you realize how bad it really was.


Often these books romanticize the period and it frustrates me.  I found this book I just couldn't get enough of. It had action but the main focus was on survival.


The character of Eva was amazing as even though she was living a nightmare she still kept her hope of being free and of reuniting with her husband whom shebloged dearly.


Sophie seemed to be the irritant to the Nazi regime but she had such presence that you were drawn into her plight.


It was a story that sticks with you.  It shows the driving desire to survive under any circumstances but to maintain your humanity.


This is a meeting author to me and now will have to read more of her historical works.

The holocaust is a time in history I’ve always felt drawn to and I’ve read many books, both fact and fiction, about it. You know a book about this subject will always be emotional and this is no exception. Compelling, tender and poignant, this book swallowed me whole. I devoured it quickly, unable to put it down once I’d started reading. It is a story of strength and hope. Of finding light in the darkest times and the kindness that can be found in humanity even amongst the wretchedness and evil. 

I hadn’t expected this to be a story mostly about the friendships between women in a death camp but it became my favourite aspect of the story. Seeing how they would help each other survive, offer comfort and words of encouragement was uplifting. Eva and Sofie had a true and loyal friendship and literally put their lives on the line for each other again and again. They were both someone I’d have wanted by my side in that situation and all the women in this book were strong, brave and inspirational. The author uses a past narrative to show us Eva and Sofie’s lives before the camp and show that they were just normal women living their lives until they were caught up in something unimaginable. The love story between Eva and Michal and the pain of Sofie’s separation from her son were vividly described in the flashbacks and made me root for them both to survive and be reunited with their loved ones. As I read I could never be completely sure which of the two women would become pregnant or how and when it would happen. I wondered how a child could possibly survive pregnancy inside a starving mother’s body, let alone the dangers of the camp, and was filled with dread even though we know from the opening pages that the child survives.

This is the first time I’ve read anything by this author but it won’t be the last as her writing was exquisite. I felt like I was transported to hell along with the characters via the author’s visceral and immersive prose that told the unvarnished truth of the holocaust. And though it made for difficult reading at times, it is told with sensitivity, with strands of hope woven through every page as we witness the endurance and resilience of the human spirit and how the miracle of a new life illuminates the darkness and despair.

All the characters in the book are well written and soon got under my skin. The author has a talent for evoking strong emotions towards the characters - be it love, sympathy, joy, despair, heartbreak or hatred. There were some formidable male characters, especially in Auschwitz, and the guards were the essence of the darkness, brutality and evil that lurks in the shadowy corners of humanity.

The Child of Auschwitz is a beautifully written, harrowing but hopeful story that I would highly recommend, especially if you’re someone who enjoys historical fiction.

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

Thank you NetGalley for my copy of The Child of Auschwitz.  Any book you read about the Holocaust, you know that it is going to be an emotional one.  It breaks my heart what these people went through and this book brings to light the horrors of the Holocaust as told by two female protagonists, Eva and Sophie. The historical fiction books I've read regarding the Holocaust have been told by male protagonists.  In Lily Grahan's book, you get to read about two strong women and their will to survive. I loved how both characters, Eva and Sophie were so loving and selfless.  Even through the horrors they went through, they were always watching out for each other and holding on to that will to survive, I recommend this to anyone that likes historical fiction.

I love World War II Historical Fiction and this book did not disappoint.  This is the story of Eva Adami, her best friend Sofie Weis, Helga and Vanda who are all imprisoned in Auschwitz trying to survive the horrors of the concentration camp during World War II.   It is told in a then and now format with then detailing Eva being a 21-year-old artist falling in love and eventually marrying Michal Adami, a concert violinist.  This is a heartbreaking story that is a real page turner.  Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this fantastic book in exchange for an honest review.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWII Historical Fiction as it will not disappoint you.

Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own 


I’ve read several books about the Second World War and Auschwitz that I loved but this didn’t make me feel anything. Since it a quick read there isn’t much time to actually get involved in the story. I felt detached from the story, which is kinda sad cause the story is a good one if it would only have more emotion in it. I didn’t feel drawn into the story. It doesn’t go deep into the living situation of the camp or very deep into the characters. It’s almost like it’s a superficial story, it barely scratched the surface. I was in no hurry to finish the story cause it didn’t captivate me. And I found the time line confusing, suddenly she was 4 months pregnant. Where has the time gone? I have no idea how long she has been at camp. Only bright point is that it wasn’t that long so I finished it in a few hours.

As with any story about the Holocaust, it's a story of life and loss. This one also features love and new life in one the darkest places during one of the darkest times of more modern history. This is the third book this year that I've read that has taken place fully or partially in Auschwitz and has followed someone living through that horror. Obviously, I don't "like" the Holocaust and that fact that it happened, but I am drawn to these types of books. Maybe because I know these stories could have or actually did happen just the book describes, it draws you into the story. You feel the emotion of it and that's what I felt reading The Child of Auschwitz. You get stories from several different perspectives of various characters who each experienced different tragedies and horrors in Auschwitz. I came across this book as a potential read as a reviewer and it was recommended for those who liked The Tattooist of Auschwitz. If you're interested in historic fiction, I would recommend this book. It feels hard to say you'll "enjoy" it when referencing a Holocaust book, but when I say enjoy I mean you will feel connected to the story thanks to Lily Graham's writing style and story telling. Also, there was a nice heart warming ending which feels so necessary after such a heavy read. 

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this heartrending account of the war years in auschwitz

prepare to be bombarded with all your emotions being tugged, this is a fictional account but has to be based on aspects of truth of what life was like in the prison camp auschwitz

i have to admit to being in tears at the end of this emotional rollercoaster of a book..they go through so much and suffer

but this is the story of a child being born in auschwitz and how through grit and determination how they survived...

gripping stuff ...it will make your blood boil and also make you cry

another author to keep an eye out for...

It’s hard to say how great this book as the topic is so harrowing.
This book was compelling and so beautifully written. 
This was a complete page turner and I just couldn’t put it down at all. 
There are two different time lines in this book which could be confusing at times 
A great book

Omg! What a heartbreaking story I ever read! Very sad indeed....I absolutely loved it!

Looking forward to read more book from this author soon....

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy...

I received this book from a Netgalley request for an honest review.

This summer, I read many books about war fiction. However, I never thought I would read a book about World War II terrors. It is not a theme that is easy to read about. I did watch a few documentaries on Auschwitz prisoners and the stories were hearbreaking. The Child of Auschwitz by Lily Graham is a heartbreakingly beautiful story beacause of its plot, its themes and its characters.

The plot is set in a labor camp of Auschwitz, where the two protagonists Sophie and Eva have been transported to. I particularly liked how the author writes about Sophie and Eva's never ending and strong friendship. A story about friends in a labor camp is not what I expected, but the warmth of these friends' story is what emanates the horrors of the camp. The story is about hope and that is consistently and beautifully depicted in this story of friendship. However, I did not like the pace of the plot. I felt that every event in the plot was happening too fast. The fast pace did not efficiently convey the horrors covered in the story. Nonetheless, the plot was still amazing as the protagonists' tale of friendship outshone everything else.

The themes that I particularly liked from this book were of friendship, love and family. The theme of friendship is brought up in Sophie and Eva's relationship and through this theme, Graham shows how people come together in times of hardship and how they stick together no matter what. The theme of love was beautifully highlighted in Eva and her husband's relationship. I love how the author put in some flashbacks of how Eva first met her husband and she fell in love with him. Eva's determination to find her husband and to survive is what really resonates to the reader. These elements of the plot show that love can be a very powerful and beautiful emotion, and these messages appealed to me. The book mostly focuses on theme of family and that goes hand in hand with the setting of the Auschwitz camp. I felt this way because the speration and loneliness that the Jews had gone through by being sent to the camp conveyed the significance of family. All the characters missed their families and wanted to find their loved ones. Through focusing on this theme, Graham efficiently highlights the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II. Overall, the themes of friendship, love and family are beautifully addressed in this book.

I loved the characters of this book- the heroes evoked all the love in me while the villains provoked all the hate in me. I loved both Eva and Sophie becaue both of them were so loving and selfless. They are two strong women who do their best for survival and for each other and that is what I loved about them the most. There were a good amount of villains in the book as well and Graham has made them very vicious which emphasizes how cruel war can be. The characters of this book were amazing and they were well-developed throughout the plot.

Lily Graham's The Child of Auschwitz is an amazing story about suffering and friendship especially for its plot, its themes and its characters. It brings to light the horrors of the Holocaust and what many Jews suffered in the prison camps. I specifically liked this book because it highlights the Holocaust from the female point of view and it has strong female characters in  it. The Child of Auschwitz is a beautiful story and I recommend it to anyone who loves to read historical fiction.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookoture and Lily Graham for providing me with an early release copy of this book.

WWII Historical Fiction is a genre I love to read. I am very familiar with the time line of events and look for stories that can me offer something different / unique about this period that I haven't read before and this book hit the spot for me.

Told in 3rd person from the POV of both Eva and her best friend Sophie, it tells the story of how these women came to be Auschwitz, what they endured and how under the most horrific conditions, the miracle of pregnancy and birth happened. Reading this book was heartbreaking but I also felt the strong will to survive and never give up. It was very moving.

In all honesty I had no idea which 2 of these ladies were going to fall pregnant much less under what circumstances and that kept me intrigued.

Their daily struggle for survival in the camp and flash backs to life prior the anschluss whilst brilliantly delivered made up most of the book. Personally I felt the last few chapters were rushed and I was left wanting more. I would have enjoyed a few more chapters on their life after the war and the present day because I felt there was more to tell.

Lily Graham is a new to me author, and she is one I will read again.

Highly recommended to fans of this genre

I would rate this novel a solid  4-1/4 stars!  As much as any story about the Holocaust is hard to read, this novel kept my attention and I finished this book in two settings!  After reading this novel, my one thought through out this book was ...these people survived on pure luck and chance!  There wasn't much added to this story that I haven't read in other books.... except a child born in Auschwitz and survived!  I did enjoy this author  ...her book is well researched and her style of writing kept me memorized from the first to last pages!  I enjoyed her so much that I will look into more of her books in the future

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel in return for an honest and unbiased review

An engrossing description of the terrors of Auschwitz and the daily trials endured. We got a first hand account of Sofie and Eva, their loves, their hopes and dreams. My tissues were on the ready. This was by far one of the most in depth sorties I’ve read. Certainly worth reading.