Oh my- this is not my usual genre of book but having read The Tattooist of Auschwitz and visited Auschwitz a couple of years ago, I thought I would give it a try. I have to say that this is the best book I have read this year so far - I enjoyed the different perspective of 1930s Germany from the Nazi side and the dawning realisation of Hetty to what was really going on. The ending actually made me cry - which is very unusual for me. Highly recommended - I loved it.

I was completely captivated by this powerful novel and still find myself thinking about the characters.

I've read many WW2 novels but this is different in that it is told from the perspective of a teenage girl growing up in Germany in the 1930's.

The novel begins in 1933 with Hetty Heinrich's life being saved by her older brother's best friend Walter. The story then quickly moves to 1937 where you discover how attitudes and life in Germany have changed with the rise of Nazism. The Heinrich family are the epitome of the perfect German family living under Nazi rule. Hetty's father is an SS officer, her brother joins the Luftwaffe and Hetty is a member of the BDM. Walter is from a Jewish family and no longer a frequent visitor to the Heinrich home.

As anti-semitism grows, Hetty and Walter fall in love. Hetty then finds herself torn between Walter and her family and starts to question the way things are in her country and begins to form her own opinions. Their forbidden love story is very well-written and I loved the epilogue. Without giving away any spoilers I think it finished the story in a very emotional way that was just right.

This was a well timed read in the current climate.

A perfect historical love story that reminds you love will always find away, regardless of how dark things seem.

Uplifting read.

This is set in Germany in the 1930's.
Hetty is a German through and through. Her father is in the SS and her brother destined for the Luftwaffe and her mother involved in all good causes.
Through her childhood she has had friends but one, Walter is special. Walter saved her from drowning and her life. But Walter is a Jewish boy.
With friends and neighbours turning against themselves Hetty falls in love with Walter and in doing so risks everything she has held dear. But she realises that her feelings and beliefs of the Nazi Regime are changing.
Will she find happiness and will she survive?

I was wary of this book set in the late 1930's because I tend to get upset about how humans were so cruel to their peers. However, this story shows determination, young love and anti semetitsm and is told in a truthful way. Hetty and Walter are such beautiful characters that you can picture in your mind because of the feeling in this book. People like us, is a wonderful read, it doesn't hide the pain and suffering and yet is a compelling. It did make me cry but it is an amazing read. 10/10

Hetty Heinrich is the daughter of a high ranking SS officer, her mother and older brother Karl have just moved from a flat to a three story house with a garden. She is loyal to her family and to Hitler, as she has been bought up to be a good German girl.

When Hetty was 7 she nearly drowned, Karl’s best friend Walter rescued her but he is a Jew and is considered a second class citizen who they should not mix with.

Hetty meets up with Walter years later and is instantly attracted to him, but their relationship is one that has to be kept secret. Hetty starts to doubt all that she had been bought up to believe. How can her love for Walter be a sin just because he is a Jew? With the Jews being rounded up and sent to concentration camps she knows she will have to save Walter.

This is such an emotional book, the story comes to life and I actually felt the fear every time Hetty and Walter met up, scared that they would be punished for their actions!!

A must read book that will capture you’re heart!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

The story of Hetty growing up in a household who are being heavily influenced by the rising of fascism in Germany .a few years before the start of world war 2
She has her life saved and then falls for a Jewish boy called Walter.
I found the first few chapters a bit slow and containing quite a few German words I had to look up.Then i was gripped and couldn't put it down.
The story was so realistic and thought provoking with life like characters and historical events.
I really enjoyed this book and will recommend to library customers who like historical novels with some romance or just like a good fiction novel.

This beautifully crafted book takes the reader on an emotional journey into 1930's Germany..
This tale is more than a love story. It is about coming of age in impossible circumstances, it is about being female in a patriarchal society, it is about patriotism and treachery, it is about realising the imperfections in those we believed to be perfect, it is about, resentment, hatred, and man's inhumanity to man, it is about hope and faith and selflessness, and it is about love.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I absolutely adored this book!

At times it's difficult because you want to shake Hettie and say "why can't you see that all this Nazi stuff is awful and Hitler should not be your hero!", but of course you have to understand the context. She's a child and she lives in a family with a father who's in the SS and a mother who supports everything he does and believes in it. And then there's Walter, her brother's friend, the boy who saved her life, beautiful, blond hair, blue eyes, the model of Aryan beauty. Except. He's Jewish.

Hettie has always been a little in love with him and after some years of not seeing each other, they bump into each other and against her "better" judgement she wants to keep seeing him as they fall fully in love against a dangerous backdrop. If they are found out he will go to a concentration camp. If they are found out she will go to a concentration camp too.

That's all the plot I'm giving away because no spoilers! This book is beautifully written, Hettie and Walter are characters to fall a little in love with and there are other good people too, not least Hettie's friend Erna. I really felt something of what it must be like to live in 1930s Germany. Always having to toe the line even if you knew it was all vile and abhorrent because to be seen to be against Hitler was deadly dangerous.

No book is for absolutely everyone, but I think this comes close to being such a book. I shall definitely be recommending it to many of my friends.

How was it possible for Hitler to lure masses of people to follow his extreme views? After WWI, the Treaty of Versailles forced Germans to pay war reparations, which had crushing effects on economy and humiliating effects on patriotic Germans. Hitler, a mesmerizing public speaker, blamed all bad things on Jews and communist minorities, claiming they were trying to take over the world. With worldwide economic depression and high unemployment, he put blame on the ineffectiveness of democratic government, thus calling for a New Order, promising to restore prosperity for all with no class divisions.
Most of this story is set within the two years preceding WWII, giving a glimpse into how humans in dire situation can be manipulated and pushed into doing atrocities.

The story is set in Leipzig and begins in 1933, quickly moving to 1937, giving a glimpse at what is happening in Germany during those years. Hetty’s family has just moved to a new big house, where previous tenants left their furniture and artwork. She is almost twelve years old. Her father is a high-ranking SS officer and she doesn’t understand what is happening. She just knows that they don’t go to church any longer as Herr Himmler wouldn’t like it. She dreams of being a doctor and now to her surprise she finds out that as a woman she can’t be a doctor, rather she needs to learn obedience and concentrate on home things. As Hitler promises “a brilliant future with no more poverty; no more class divisions. Just one, great, unified nation which will be the envy of all the world.”

Those who refuse to join SA recruitment go hungry, because they lose current jobs and can’t get another one. Those who are unwanted get charged with false crimes and are being convicted.

At schools, talks of population projections take big part. “A population of the best: the fittest, bravest, most beautiful, cleverest, and robust. The epitome of Darwin’s theory. A people who will be superior in every way and who must spread their influence throughout the world.”

“A newspaper, (…) is a powerful weapon. (…) it is our duty to shape the opinion of the masses and ensure the Fatherland’s values and best interests are always in the forefront of people’s minds.”

Hetty almost at the age of sixteen still struggles to make sense of this all. Her brother’s best friend, Walter, got shunned and she secretly is in love with him. He paints a touching picture for her what it means to be a German. He paints a straightforward picture for her how differently Jews are being treated, pretty much cornered and left without provisions for livelihood. When she still struggles, he challenges her and her beliefs. He encourages her to be whatever she wants to be and not to follow others directions who limit her position in society and not expect to use her mind. He tells her of other countries where she can study medicine as a woman. She slowly starts realizing that there is another side to this story, to the world that has surrounded her. It takes Hetty time to mature, but giving the circumstances she is a believable character.

This story brings a vivid portrayal of distraction of lives, of feeding lies – one thing being said when in reality opposite is being done; of feeding hatred that pushes one man to commit horrible atrocities against another man that is even unbearable to think about.

Engagingly written. It is a heartbreaking story with a very poignant message.

“How could a people, a deeply civilized, democratic nation, become so unbelievably cruel; to de-humanise one another, and commit atrocities on such an unimaginable scale?” Don’t take your freedom and rights for granted and don’t let it slip away from you. Learn the lessons of the past.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I really enjoy stories about the time around world war 2. Unfortunately this book just didn’t give me what I wanted. When the end came I was like what the??!!! I’m sad to say the best part of this book was the epilogue. That was good!!!! I cried and cried over that. The bulk of the book for me kinda just went on and on and on and nothing too exciting happened. So I’m a bit disappointed that I had to wait the WHOLE ENTIRE BOOK just to get some emotion out of me!!! ! (Instagram review will be posted And added to this review closer to pub date)

People like us - Louise Fein

An emotional story told from Hetty a brave, bold woman’s viewpoint. I found this to be a real tear jerker for me and a really wonderful love story. It was a very well researched book which you couldn’t fail to be drawn into. If you have read the tattooist of aushcwitz and enjoyed it you won’t be disappointed with this book, reading things from a different perspective.
I would most definitely recommend this book to family and friends.
Many thanks to both net galley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Hetty is the German daughter of an SS officer. Who is going up the ranks. During the Second World War.

She lives in Germany with her brother Karl and parents.

Walter is Karl's best friend and he just happened to save Hetty from drowning one day.
But one day Walter is kicked out of school and Karl drops him like hot cakes. Why? Because unbeknown to Hetty, Walter was a Jew.

Years later Hetty bumps into Walter and the two strike up a friendship that turns into romance.

The only problem is that Hetty as a German girl, is not allowed to talk and hang out with Jews.

But as they meet in secret. Hetty begins to question everything she was taught to believe 2.

Will Hetty and Walter's romance last? Can they leave Germany before it is too late?

A brill8, emotional, moving story about the Second World War. The story is told by Hetty's point of view. Which is interesting to see what the German thought around that time.

I really enjoyed the story and it even made me cry a little. (I was told this was the sign of a fabulous story and brilliant author)

Highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book. Set in Nazi Germany in the years leading up to the war, it is a beautiful, heart breaking love story. Hetty is the daughter of an SS officer and has had the Nazi propaganda drilled in to her. So when she falls in love with Walter, a Jewish boy, they both know their love story is doomed. I liked that the story was told from Hetty's point of view - it was interesting to see what it was like to live in a Nazi family. However, as you would expect, some of it is hard to read, and you'll definitely need a tissue. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

An interesting read about Hitler's rise to power and subsequently the Second World War. Written from the view of a young teenage German girl who was mesmerised by Hitler's rallying speeches. Growing up in an ardent Nazi family with an ambitious father and brother. Despite all she falls in love with a young Jewish boy who had been a friend of her brother when they were very young and starts to question her ideals and life for her becomes very complicated. Well researched and thought provoking book.

People like Us, a love story between Hetty and Walter set in Germany as Hilter is on the precipice of war, this story had everything. Considering Nazi and Jewish view points, the author highlights troubling issues which are sadly so prevalent still today.
The characters are believable and rounded, even the smaller part, and as the story winds through a narrative of right and wrong, love and manipulation you love and hate certain characters passionately. An absolute recommended read, I was sobbing through the last chapter. Outstanding.

This book follows the story of Hetty and Walter. They fall in love at a time when Hitler was just starting to spread his word and widespread plan to clean Germany of Jews.
Hetty is a young German girl and Walter who has known and been friends with her family was Jewish.
There friendship grows into a secret love and resulted in Hetty getting pregnant.
The author draws the reader in to the life of the pair and I became very emotional while reading it as I can imagine how this must have happened to many many young people..
The novel flips to current day at the end with Hetty getting closure and answers to what she had to do to survive.

A very well researched book about WW2 and the build up to it. A heartbreaking read which kept me hooked for a long time. It was viewed more from the German side of things which made it more interesting as most I have read have been from the Jewish side.

Hetty is a teenager who’s father is an SS Officer. She is in the Hitler youth organisation and believes everything she is taught by her teachers.
Hetty is also in love with Walter who saved her from drowning when she was a child but they are forbidden to be together because Walter is a Jew.
This is a sad story set in the 1930’s in Germany told by a young girl with conflicted loyalties.
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.