I am NOT a fan of history being told in the third person.and history/biographies written this way are hard for me to read. That said, it was CLEARLY well researched and on a subject I am incredibly interested in, and the writing was fluid and easy to follow. Overall? Excellent!

As a former history major and lover of badass women, I adored this book. This is the kind of historical book that the masses can read and enjoy. The facts and lessons aren’t hidden in between boring words... how can they be with this subject? This is without a doubt one of the most fascinating subjects I’ve ever read about. The writing was in depth in that I felt like I knew everything about the girls’ lives. The bravery of these girls is legendary and they deserve to be lauded in our histories. This was a delight to read.

This story is written in third person, which limits the ability to truly relate and get to know the characters. In fact, sometimes this almost felt more like a documentary or history book than a novel. Yes, the book gives out an enormous number of facts, names, places, happenings and makes you feel as if you are watching the resistance groups placing the bombs or riding their bikes.
The research put into this story was excellent, the writing is good but I wish it would have been written with Hannie, Truus and Freddie telling their own story. All of these girls were heroes, courageous, fearless and their accomplishments helped save so many lives. I felt like I learned so much and yes, it is an emotional ride. Well done.
Once again, after adding this excellent book to my many WWII reads, I am still in awe at how so many people during this time stepped up and tried to defeat the enemy, sacrificing their lives for their devotion and dedication.
I was given the opportunity to read an ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley for my honest unbiased review. This one comes in with 5 stars.

Three ordinary girls captivated by communism, Hannie Schaft and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, took part in violent resistance against Germans and Dutch collaborators in the Netherlands during World War II.
Their courage is undeniable. Not only did they have to avoid capture, they had to deal with privation in a country stripped of everything, including food and fuel. When they had to work with another group sanctioned by the government–in-exile, they (as women) were treated frivolously by the men, sent on dangerous treks to deliver jewelry to wives/girlfriends.
Hannie Schaft dreamed of working for world peace, yet she specialized in assassinations. Sometimes their targets didn’t deserve to be murdered.
This is a captivating account. The Netherlands was under a cruel, vicious occupier, but at times, the resistance’s actions weren’t any better.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Three Ordinary Girls is an ARC I received from Netgalley. This is a true story of 3 'ordinary' girls during World War II in the Netherlands. The story weaves a story of resistance, bravery, and the want for a better life.

A different take on the resistance fighters, this time they’re Dutch teenagers, Truus, Freddie and Hanni. Three girls, so brave and courageous, right in the thick of it all and usually being the ones to offer themselves up for any mission. I’ve read a lot of WWII resistance related books and it was a nice change being Dutch girls. #NetGalley #ThreeOrdinaryGirls

Holy moly! WW2 and three amazing girls in the Dutch Resistance unknown to me prior to reading this compelling, thoroughly researched and fast-paced book. Reading it, I felt as if I was watching a suspense movie as the author, Tim Brady, described the missions these girls led and it was as if I could see the scenes unfold before me. After finishing this book, I immediately jumped headfirst into an online deep dive of these girls and their lives after the war - craving more detail than the Epilogue provided - as well as researching maps and photos to better understand their movements throughout the war.

I would have liked maps and photos as part of the book. The names of the places were tricky for me to keep in my mind as I wasn’t sure how to pronounce these tricky “foreign” words - a map would have helped me better understand and picture their missions and routes. Additionally, at times the writing came across a bit clumsy and awkward - at one point the author comments about the naughty behavior of some children sarcastically and that type of sudden change of voice threw me out of the story momentarily.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this electronic ARC!

There were many in Europe that thought the Nazi's would never make it north to the Netherlands.
They were wrong.
In this amazingly intense story, author Tim Brady pens the stories of three young women who spied for the allies during Germany's occupation during WWII.
Tense and heartbreaking, Hannie, Truus, and Freddie do everything from sabotaging transportation lines, hiding and protecting children, and transporting weapons all to decrease the chances of Hitler's successes in their beloved country.
For those who wish to learn of a very different set of resistance fighters during WWII, you won't be disappointed.

What an amazing piece of history. Tim Brady has gathered so much information about the Dutch resistance during WWII, and in particular the stories of sisters, Truus and Freddie Oversteegen and their partner Hannie Schaft. These 3 girls took an active role in sabotaging nazi efforts in Harlaam, The Netherlands, throughout the war. They took their efforts to the next level, assassinating quite a few supporters of the nazi cause. In the end, so many of the people they were trying to protect were executed in retaliation for the enemies they killed. So it’s not always an easy read. It is a story of bravery and fortitude in the face of a formidable enemy. An astonishing piece of history that should not be forgotten. Thank you to Netgalley and publisher, Kensington Books, for this ARC.

Three Ordinary Girls, written by Tim Brady, really makes you think about how you would react in the face of adversity. This book shows you how people reacted to the invasion of their country and the threat to their citizens. This book details how three Dutch teenagers became spies, saboteurs and though at first felt shooting someone in cold blood was unthinkable, in the end they became Nazi assassins. What would you do if faced with similar circumstances? This book shows the bravery and fearlessness of these girls and others, could we be as courageous?

This is a recounting of three Dutch teenagers who stepped up and joined the resistance movement in Holland, as the Germans invaded their country. Two sisters, Truus and Freddie Oversteegen grew up in a socialist home with a mother whose passion was politics and progressive thought. Hannie Schaft, was at college studying when she decided to take action to help her Jewish friends avoid capture.

By the end of WWII, these three girls would be notorious for having taken direct action against the Nazis from their homes in the city of Haarlem. This is a fascinating look at the how these ordinary Dutch girls performed extraordinary acts of selfless courage to slow the Nazi’s Final Solution.

It is again interesting to see what was happening in another country during the war. How the Dutch people in the Netherlands responded to the invasion from Germany. This country did not have an issue with their Jewish neighbors and so were more than willing to assist and hide them.

This story of Truus, Freddie and Hannie is taking place as Anne Frank and her family are first in hiding and then discovered in Amsterdam. I think if they had known Anne and her family they would have tried to help them. These young women risked their lives to protect people in their country from the Nazis.

Based on a true story of what three young women did when Germany invaded Amsterdam. Not far from them were Anne Frank and her family in hiding. Although their paths did not cross, these women were fighting for Ann Frank’s freedom. They were brutal in their fight against the German invasion. They were part of the resistance and were fighting for freedom.
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I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys World War Ii nonfiction, especially when there are strong women as a vital component of the story.

These three young women, Hannie Schaft along with sisters Truus and Freddy Oversteegen, turn out to be not so ordinary as they work for the Dutch resistance during WWII. Their work included spying, hiding Jewish people in their homes, transporting Jewish children and adults to safe houses, sabotage and occasionally assignation of Nazis and collaborators among other things.

This book was very well researched and was a very interesting read. Thank you NetGalley and Kensington/Citadel Press for the ARC of this page-turner in exchange for an honest review.

I live in Haarlem and I'm familiar with the story of Hannie Schaft and the Oversteegen-sisters. I was surprised by reading the book Three Ordinary Girls because I recognized a lot of the same passages of the book Hannie Schaft (1976) by Ton Kors and the book Not Then, Not Now, Not Ever (1998) by Truus Oversteegen.
Brady's book is furthermore supplemented with some general historical knowledge and some general WWII knowledge. There is no new information at all and only a few sources are consulted. How can there be stated that it is an untold story/first-time told story? There's already a more extended book about this subject on the US-market, Seducing and Killing Nazis,(2019) by Sophie Poldermans, the Dutch expert on the Hannie Schaft and Oversteegen sisters resistance subject. She personally knew the Oversteegen sisters for 20 years and included interviews with them and other first-hand witnesses in her book. I wonder why the author doesn't refer at all to Seducing and Killing Nazis?

What is the purpose/added value of Brady's book? In my opinion: there is none, so one star.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 stars

This true story follows three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen. They lived in Amsterdam during WW2. They joined the resistance to fight the Nazis in The Netherlands. The story tells of how they were able to foil the Nazi plans and kill many German soldiers.

While I enjoyed the history part of it, I felt like I could never connect with the girls. It all seemed to detached. I felt at times it was more of a text book than a novel. That being said, it gave me a very different perspective of the war.

Extraordinary account of the women of dutch resistance. Notably sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen, and Hannie Schaft. Many books written about resistance figures tend to focus on the men of the cause. This was a refreshing look at the women. All three were dedicated, brave and held communist beliefs. Sometimes these political beliefs hindered their resistance work, but all three firmly believed. As it turns out, it was better to be a woman in the resistance, everyone overlooked you, including the supposed leaders of the movement. Regardless, these three women carried out every task assigned to them and were the heart and soul of their cell in Harlaam. Without them the Harlaam RVV probably would not have been as effective against the Nazi occupiers. Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC for review. Highly recommend to any history lover and WWII aficionado.

Anything but ordinary, three young girls in the Netherlands during WWII joined the resistance movement against the Nazis when they marched in to occupy their country and enforce horrors. I've read many, many WWII books recently and this is the first which takes place in the Netherlands so many details were new to me. Yes, war's devastating effects were similar all over but it is always fascinating to learn different perspectives and cultures.

Hannie, Truus and Freddie grew up very quickly. Freddie, the youngest and sister of Truus, joined the resistance at the age of 14! The three ate when they could find food and lived between home and wherever they could find safety, always on the run, willing to go to great lengths to assassinate occupying Nazis. When asked how they could physically kill, this chilling response reverberates throughout the book, "One does not shoot a human being. A soldier shoots the enemy." As young females they looked innocent and used their wiles to flirt with the SS, spied on them and then killed. They learned about explosives, shadowing and carrying weapons while navigating strikes and raids (near the Frank and Ten Boom families). The girls became notorious for dangerous rescuing and smuggling of Jews as well. Some residents were on their side but others didn't agree with the killing as the repercussions were severe and far reaching. People lived in fear and suspicion on both sides. The author goes on to describe the deaths of all three women and some of those around them.

WWII, History and Nonfiction readers will find this a fascinating true story told from a different vantage point than most. But the thing is, it's not just a story...it's history. It really happened.

My sincere thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this enthralling book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

“Three Ordinary Girls” is a nonfiction book about the Dutch Resistance during WWII, and specifically the actions of a trio of teenaged girls who were instrumental to the cause. Their activities included spying, sabotage, transportation of Jewish refugees, and, on occasion, assassination of Nazis and collaborators. One of the girls, Hannie, is a university student, and a bit older when the Nazi’s invade The Netherlands. The other two girls are sisters, and just 16 and 14 as the story opens. They worked with their mother distributing leaflets for socialist/communist causes, and joined the resistance, working in Haarlem and Amsterdam.

With the German philosophy of “Kinder, Küche, Kirche,” the girls were considered harmless by the patrols and ever-present Nazis. They were far from harmless, often carrying large bags of munitions. They would assassinate Nazis while pedaling their bicycles, and crawled across fields of mud to place home-made bombs at strategic sites.

It’s hard to imagine the lives these girls led. Their friends were captured, tortured, and killed; their family members hauled off to concentration camps. None of this deterred them. Even a brief change in leadership that forced them to become little more than errand girls only steeled their resolve to be useful and to force the Germans out of their country.

The book is well-researched, and the author was fortunate enough to be able to speak with several of the original members of the resistance movement. He was also able to draw on memoirs and other documents, so there is a wealth of detail. The writing style is engaging, and I highly recommend this book.

I received a free copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It was great to find out that this was a TRUE story...an account of the real lives of three heroes of the resistance that I have never heard of before. It was much more than a fictional novel could have been..These “girls” became involved in the underground and how their fervent dedication evolved into dangerous, life-threatening missions regardless of the consequences.
Hannie, Truus and Frannie were changed by the war and their participation in the resistance, but also didn’t regret their involvement.
Thank you....for allowing me to review thos book! Well done!

After visiting Amsterdam and the Dutch Resistance Museum there, I was excited to read this nonfiction book about three teen girls who were part of the Dutch Resistance during World War II. It’s an informative deep dive into a world of intrigue and danger with young women turning from blushing schoolgirls to hard-nosed assassins. The hardships that all of the Resistance fighters and the regular Dutch people had to deal with in the five long years of Nazi occupation is tragic. The author does a good job at explaining all of the events and relating them to more well-known stories about Anne Frank and Corrie Ten Boom to give the reader context. It can sometimes be hard to keep the names straight, with the Dutch spellings and pronunciations a bit confusing, but overall, I was fascinated by the determination of these fighters to do whatever it takes to resist Nazi rule. Even though the story doesn’t end happily for all, it’s important for us all to learn about these hidden women from history and remember their brave and courageous actions. Thank you to the author for highlighting their stories and thank you to the publisher for sending me the Advanced Review Copy.

Absolutely amazing story .A tribute to these brave young women who did their best to help save and protect doing WW2.. Full of intrigue heroisim a group of young women you will not forget. So well written, you won’t soon forget it.

Book provided to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.