This isn’t my usual sort of genre of book, but I thought I would give it a read. I’m glad I did, beautifully written and lovely story. 

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Hetty seems the perfect example of a young Nazi woman. Dedicated to her family and Hitler, she believes in the Reich unflinchingly. But whispers reach her that make her begin to question her family sudden rise. And then there is Walter. Handsome Walter who looks like the Aryan dream but is in fact Jewish. They fall in love, but in their town it's not easy to keep a secret.

Lockdown has definitely affected my reading mojo and for that reason only I struggled at first with this. But then something just clicked and I found myself reading into the wee small hours. And then waking the house with properly ugly crying. 

A sweet love story told against a disturbing backdrop. 4 stars.

What a great piece of writing for Louise Fein's dedut novel. Set in pre war Germany the story is told by a young girl Hetty who falls in love with Walter a Jew and tells of the hardships and struggles they faced in their lives. It's a hard read at time's as the terrible events that happened to families who lost everything and suffered at the hands of the Natzi's just for being Jews. A powerful story that will stay with me for a long time. A work of fiction and a romantic tale that flows beautifully between the characters but the historical significance is very important and needs to be remembered

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review. 

I am trying to get through my Netgalley TBR (to be read) list and am randomly downloading and reading books.  This novel just happened to come after I finished two other novels about World Wars, and the second in a row about the WW2 and set in Germany.

Hetty and her brother Karl live in Leipzig in the 1930s.  And the rise of Nazism is told through Hettie’s eyes as she grows up from child to teenager.  Hetty dreams of being a Doctor but Nazism requires her to have pure blooded Aryan children.  When Hetty falls in love with Walter, a Jewish boy and friend of the family, her life, and the lives of all those she loves are threatened.

What unfolds is a beautiful love story set against the rise of Nazism.  Hetty is a good girl who believes Hitler and the teachings the Jews are inferior and threat to the Third Reich.  But Walter is not like other Jews and through her love for him she finds herself questioning Hitler. 

Unfortunately for Hetty she is only 17 and not allowed to make her choices being a woman and minor.
What unfolds is a wonderful novel of Hetty’s fight for her own and Walters life.  
Recommend for historical fiction lovers.

This was a great read, enjoyed it thoroughly, was hooked from the first page, loads of twists and turns, would recommend it x

I was completely hooked from the very  beginning of this book.  It is heart wrenching and a story that will live with me for a long time.  A brilliant debut novel.

What’s it About? The daughter of a high ranking Nazi official and the Jewish boy she loves.

What I liked: Ok, so we all know I am a sucker for a good bit of WWII historical fiction and this was that. I loved this book. It was so good. I loved it. I loved the way it all unfolded, how it showed Hetty grow from dutiful Nazi who speaks to Hitler in her head to this girl who'll risk everything to help the people she's always thought she should hate. I loved watching her eyes being opened, I love how cleverly this book showed what was the most terrifying about Hitler's regime - the way they turned everything upside down and played on just a little bit of discontent, a little bit of fear to bring about their own, terrifying, end game. I loved all the stories - mostly of women - that this book showcased. It's entirely my kind of book and I'm so glad I read it.

What I liked Less: I just liked it. This is SUCH a good read. Perhaps the romance element let it down a little bit, I liked the romance, and I loved what it brought to the story but it was maybe a little bit OTT. Maybe.

What a beautiful yet heartwrenching story, Wonderfully written, powerful not many books bring a tear to my eyes, but this one did. I cannot recommend this book enough.

I have read many books based during WWII People Like Us has a huge point of difference which intrigued me.

Hetty is in love with Walter. Hetty's dad is very high in the SS and a "true german". Walter is a Jew.

In the book you follow Hetty from a young child to a young adult and see how she has been swayed and manipulated by Hitler and his followers to distrust and dislike Jews. Its rare to see the story develop in this way. Her teaching in school change, prayers to Hitler and not God, textbooks every year are the same- Mein Kampf, Teachers scared to teach for fear of a pupil reporting them.

Then Hetty and Walter, childhood friends reconnect and she begins to question everything. Has the "filthy Jew" corrupted her mind? Or is he helping her to see the light?

This book was interesting from the start - a total different view point which I have never come across in a bok from this genre. The characters are likeable, and really help to build up your empathy towards each and every situation. IT also really helps you understand how and why people turned on each other by placing you in their mindset.

This book is very powerful and a must read if all things WWII interest you.

I kept putting off reading this book thinking it would be too heavy and not really summer holiday reading but to my surprise I thoroughly enjoyed it despite its serious themes.  In fact I found myself discussing with my husband the things I’d learned about 1930s Germany and German politics at that time while finding similarities in today’s world.  This is essentially a love story written during the build up to the Second World War in Nazi Germany between a daughter of a well connected SS collaborator and a Jewish boy. A very interesting book and I’ve promised my husband that I will buy the real book so he can read it too.

It’s not very often I sob uncontrollably in the garden on a sunny afternoon – but my goodness, I haven’t read a book that had such a powerful emotional impact in quite some time. And there was nothing remotely manipulative about it, just a totally heartbreaking love story set against an exceptionally drawn period of history.

Set in Leipzig, the book begins with the innocence of a child – Hetty’s attachment to Walter, the boy who saved her life, her brother’s friend. Through her child’s eye view, we witness the rise of Nazism, the growing enmity towards the Jewish population, the appropriation of property, the regimentation of the population, the deification of Hitler – as Hetty’s father rises through the ranks of the SS, she follows the path of unquestioning duty. The insights into the daily lives of ordinary German people are extraordinary, the domestic detail, the day-to-day lives, all set against a vivid portrayal of the growing threat, the constant indoctrination and the rising tide of hatred.

And then, Hetty finds out that Walter is Jewish – and it turns her firmly held beliefs and her comfortable life entirely upside down. He’s blonde and blue-eyed, and doesn’t conform to the “type” they had described – with living examples – at their school assembly (one of so many stunning set pieces in the book that will long stay in the memory). And when they meet again, totally against the odds, their relationship only grows – despite the massive risks, including the possibility of betrayal by others, their love becomes all-consuming. It’s a love that makes you ache because its sheer impossibility, the risks they take every time they meet… and as their love story develops, it plays itself out against the horrifying backdrop of the approach of the Second World War.

Hetty and Walter’s story is, of course, fiction, albeit inspired by the author’s family history (do read the author’s note at the book’s end) – but fiction set against an only-too-real background, with an exceptional depth of accurate detail. I’ve never read a story told from quite this perspective before, and it’s what makes it all so much more powerful – Hetty’s early unquestioning belief that her way is the right way is exceptionally disturbing, but entirely understandable, and so superbly conveyed. The whole book has the intimacy of a memoir – told in the first person, everything is seen through Hetty’s eyes, as we travel with her along her journey from blind allegiance, through uncertainty and questioning, to anger and opposition as the cruelty and dehumanisation escalates.

This is a deeply affecting love story – one that will strengthen your belief in the power of love, and its ability to overcome every obstacle. The book’s ending – that so broke me – is almost unbearably uplifting, perfectly pitched, a glorious triumph of hope and endurance. But what will particularly remain with me from this book is that horrifying backdrop, the way an ideology took over a people, that blind belief, the ease with which hatred and brutality became the norm. This is such an important book, and one I doubt I’ll ever forget – and to forget its lessons would be unforgivable.

Such a sad story showing the realities of life for those living in Germany during the Second World War. I’ve ready many books on this topic, but this is the first from this perspective and it was enlightening. The characters drew me in and I couldn’t put this story down, needing to know what happened to them. I would recommend this read to family and friends and am very much looking forwards to exploring more from the author.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for an ARC version of this book in exchange for an honest review.  I absolutely loved this book and found it hard to put down though I had to for a little bit because the subject is so sad.

I thought that it was incredibly well written and when I read the afterward I could see exactly why. I would definitely read another book by Louise Fein. Although I'm fascinated by the holocaust because I'm interested in how and why people can treat others so dreadfully, this was based at the start when things were starting to become very difficult for Jewish people and how they had to leave or face imprisonment in concentration camps or worse, death.  I thought that the characters were well developed and I was interested in each person's story and it was realistic though horrific in parts to the point that I read about things that I didn't realise before even though I've read a lot on this subject.

One thing that I would like to read about in future is even earlier than this, what was it that made Adolf Hitler turn so nasty though the book does give some indication of why people followed him.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this one. I found it a little slow going, more of a slow burn story about children than a page turning story and I found myself flicking quite a bit to get to something plot driven. But I know I’m in the minority.

I lost my reading mojo at the start of lockdown and this is the first book that had me gripped for ages and I couldn't put it down.   I read it with a tense knot in my stomach most of the time, wanting to read on but scared to find out what will happen to Hetty and Walter who have fallen in love.  

Hetty is the daughter of a high ranking Nazi and Walter a Jew and their relationship is forbidden. 

Aa a daughter of a holocaust survivor, so much of this moving and powerful book resonated with me.  It was devastating to see the decline of German society/culture.  From when the Jewish people were once their friends and colleagues to becoming the scapegoat

It was beautifully heartbreaking story based on true events. These stories are so important and need to be shared.  We need to learn from yesterday for a better tomorrow.

"Whatever our religion, race, where we are from; whatever our hair or eye colour, our nose shape or the size of our feet, we're all just people.  People who feel pain, joy, love, anguish.  Who have hopes and dreams, families , friends and loved ones"

This is a powerful and moving love story, set against the back drop of the rise of the Third Reich. Hetty’s the daughter of a high ranking German officer and wants to do her duty as a good German citizen. However, this comes into huge conflict with her innermost feelings, when it comes to her friend Walter. Walter is Jewish and they’ve been childhood friends, but Hetty’s feelings start to change just as the rise of anti-semitism starts to take hold. She’s scared by her own desires, doesn’t know who to trust or talk to. Despite the huge risk, and even knowing that someone has been following her, they start a secret love affair. 

I loved the way that Hetty has a double awakening as the novel begins. Up until now she has heard the propaganda put forward by the regime and she sees the benefits of belonging to the party as the family get a new home and food. They are promised they are part of a new race, the perfection of what Darwin envisaged ‘the fittest, bravest, cleverest and most robust’. Walter begins to tell her how different it is from his side of the divide, being shunned, cornered into smaller areas and cut off from food sources. As Hetty begins to fall in love for the first time, she also begins to see that there is another side to this ideal world her father is working for in the party. It must feel so confusing for her, as everything she thought she knew becomes overturned and she starts to have feelings she’s never felt before. It is such a vivid portrayal of what can happen if we don’t question or look behind the message we hear. 

I found it very sinister how a whole country can be whipped up into believing an outright lie. It’s interesting how this comes from the German perspective and frightening to see what ordinary people thought was normal and necessary. Hetty is so brave because she doesn’t want the future her father sees for her, as the brood mare for the birth of the Aryan race. She doesn’t just want Walter either, she wants to carry on learning and dreams of becoming a doctor. I found myself rooting for this couple as they fight to stay together against the evil of Hitler. I kept willing them to find the strength to keep going. So brilliantly adapted from family experiences and an incredibly intelligent piece of historical fiction.

To be totally honest, I’m not quite sure why I wanted to read this book. I think I was lured in by all the wonderful reviews that it has received to date. And those reviews are probably justified if you’re a fan of historical fiction and romance novels, as this is a decent story with a solid plot. But for me personally, and while reading this book, I couldn’t help but feel that it’s a story that’s been told a thousand times before. And at the risk of upsetting people, the truth is that I was bored and I actually DNF’d this one at 70%. The whole story just didn’t resonate with me, and I found it to be fairly one dimensional and flat.

This is a story about Nazi Germany, about the threat of war, about Hitler, about the people who had their minds and hearts twisted by him, about the persecution of the Jews and ultimately about a forbidden love. Is this an important story to tell? Absolutely. Was it the perfect story for me? No, reason being that I’ve read so many books just like this one that I think I’m pretty much over the concept of forbidden relationships between Nazi’s and Jews that seem to be the subject matter of numerous books set in and around this time period. I’ve genuinely been over-exposed to the topic.

But, if you’re someone who loves reading historical fiction, and WWII era Nazi Germany stories then I think this one will be for you, especially if you like the concept of forbidden relationships. I thought that the quality of the writing was good, but unfortunately this story plodded along and didn’t really come alive for me. It was perhaps a little bit longer than it needed to be, and not quite as gripping as I hoped for, but I think that was a “me” problem and not a book problem. Many others have loved this story and so, if you haven’t yet drowned yourself in stories such as this one, you’ll more than likely enjoy this story. As for me, it was too much of the same.

Oh my goodness, if you have ever asked yourself how the man in the street, the shopkeeper, the businessman, the housewife and the school child all 'fell for' the grandiosity and pomp of Herr Hitler, read this book. It's a stunning reveal of the power of propaganda and mass suggestion. Hitler rode a wave of his own making, igniting a nation's anger and fear and bringing the entire world to a state of war. 
Seen through the eyes of a young girl, the changes that take place in Germany during the 1930's all seem perfectly acceptable - everything she is told and she sees make perfect sense. Doubts begin to creep in, however, and the scales fall from her eyes when what she's told to believe and what she knows to be true clash in dramatic fashion.
There are very few villains in this tale, with that badge of dishonour awarded only to those who personally profit from the misery and destruction of others. Even then, these people aren't ignoring any personal moral code, but only acting in accordance with a set of beliefs instilled over generations and given permission to rise to the fore by the rise of the Nazi party and Hitler himself. The majority of people simply follow the new rules - aware of what might happen if they don't, or blindly in agreement with what they're told.
The tension starts early, and rises, and rises, and rises until you are almost screaming at the book - run, hide, don't do that! Knowing what we know about the fate of the Jews of Nazi Germany, we beg our heroes to leave, to not act on their impulses, to be sensible, for goodness' sake! Of course, as teenagers they can't do any of these things - but they can be brave, strong and heroic, and we can love them for it.
Buy it, read it, love it, pass it on. And learn - are things so different now in the years of Trump, when the right wing is gaining traction again, when old hatreds are given voice and bitter feuds re-ignite?

At first I found this book difficult to rrad as Herta's family were Nazi's, but it soon became apparent that Herta was totally against everything her father believed, so from that point, I was hooked on the story. It was so sad, as most books based on that era were, but you had to admire Herta for standing up for herself. Her life didn't turn out as she hoped, but thankfully, was still a good life, and I liked the way the story ended

This is beautifully written, meticulously researched and incredibly topical and timely for our modern era, even as a historical novel. Louise Fein is a debut novelist, but People Like Us reads with the skill and confidence of a writer of great experience. Highly recommended.