I love reading about this time in history although it always breaks my heart. If you, too, enjoy WWII, do yourself a favor and read this!

I read a lot of WWII historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. Reit opened my eyes to transit camps which I knew little about. It’s over arching theme is about the perseverance of friendship and family. I truly enjoyed the authors notes and exploring more into the lives of the real people behind the historical fiction. A must read for historical fiction lovers!

A good story that talks about that I enjoyed reading. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

Long a historical fiction fan, this is an outstanding WWII book telling about Jacob Kagan , and how he finds himself in the refugee work camp of Westerbork in the Netherlands. The struggle to stay alive is compounded by trying to not ending up on a transport to a concentration camp further east. Well written with memorable characters.

i really enjoyed reading this, the author was able to take a hard topic and create a respectable fictional book. I really enjoyed reading this.

Beyond The Tracks follows the story of Jacob and his family as they flee Germany for the Dutch immigrant camp- Westerbork. When the Germans invade the Netherlands, the camp becomes a transit camp and this is where the majority of the story takes place. 

I’ve read a lot of historical fiction books about the Holocaust but this one was told from a new perspective for me. 

I enjoyed the book although I did find the writing just a little bit stiff at times but it didn’t put me off. I was impressed that this was the Authors debut novel, It was clear a lot of time and research was put in to this story. 

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.

An incredible tale, especially important as only by remembering festivities of the past can we move forward in our views and prevent similar occurrences in the present or future.

Jacobs tale is an extremely emotional abolishment one. Forced to flee their lives through what is essentially extreme prejudice that has been allowed to rise to toxic levels, they suffer repeatedly as they struggle to find accolade where all they wish forbid to be able to live their lives peacefully.

A very important and interesting story, it really makes you think about all the atrocities that happened disingenuous period of time, and the importance of remembering and not simply striving to forget.

This is a brilliant story about life as a Jew during the Second World War. 
Jacob lives with his family and helps his father run his own pharmacy until the Germans decide the Jews are not allowed to run their own businesses.
Jacob and his family decide it’s time to flee Germany and after a very stressful time, they eventually board a train to the Netherlands. 
They live in a camp which at first has a village atmosphere but soon the Germans take over and it’s a work camp used as a point of transit to get Jews to the concentration camps. 
I loved the way Jacob never gave up and always found a way to help others and make the best of the situation. 
Whilst this isn’t a true story the author did a lot of research and some characters were real. 
I really enjoyed this book and would like to thank NetGalley Connect for the opportunity to read this book.

What happen to the Jewish communities in WWII must never be allowed be to forgotten.  This was a story told from a new perspective for a me. A man.  This tells of how harrowing life was . It also reminds us that family and friendships are everything. 
A must read. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the arc in return for an honest review

This book was a really interesting read. Beyond the Tracks gives insight to the Holocaust in a different way than I expected. The family ties and bonds of friendship show just how much pain and suffering individuals went through during the Holocaust.

This book shows tremendous research from the author and I'm looking forward to reading future books.

I received this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Germany is a terrifying place in 1938 and when people start disappearing in nightly raids, a young Jacob Kagan flees the country alongside his parents and finds himself in the Dutch refugee camp Westerbork. But he can only avoid the Nazis for so long and this book asks the question how far is he willing to go to save himself, his parents and best friend? 

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys books about the Holocaust or WWII stories. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Reit for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

#BeyondtheTracks #NetGalley

Thank You Netgalley and the publisher for this book--this review is based purely on my honest opinion. 

The story is set during the Nazi era. Jacob Kagan is a German Jew living in Berlin and he and his father are running their family pharmacy in Berlin. On the night of Kristallnacht, their pharmacy was nearly destroyed and realizing that they are no longer safe in Berlin, moves to Amsterdam to start a new life. Jacob and his best friend, Ethan also a German Jew move to Westbrook, a Dutch labor camp for Jews. When the camp was taken over by the Nazis, both Jacob and Ethan were appointed in the Jewish police. Jacob would do anything to save his parents and his best friend at any cost.

I am always a fan of Holocaust fiction or anything that is based on WWII era books. This book, is based on true events--the Polish Home Front, some of the characters like Zofia, Marian and Antoni are real, though Jacob is a fictional character, as the author says. As usual, reading Holocaust books would make me emotional and sad, at how many Jewish people and others who opposed Nazis lost their lives during the war.  I really like the character of Jacob--despite being a part of Jewish police, he was opposed to brutality and would do work hard to save the loved ones. I admire those types of brave and courageous character and I am sure, that at that time, there were Jewish men, just like Jacob. The appalling conditions and descriptions of the train ride to Auschwitz was too real, cramped in a cattle car with people having no idea that they are being taken to the death. I also admire how Zofia and Marian, two Polish people would risk their own lives to save some of the Jews from the Auschwitz--I admire their bravery. The writing was flowing, making the reader transport back to those terrible times. 

I would say, since this is the debut book of this author, he did a good job writing this book. He had done tremendous research, making the fiction into a reality thus transporting the reader back to those times. The horrendous conditions at the camp, particularly at Auschwitz, the harsh treatments imposed on the prisoners, both by the Jewish kapos or police and the Nazis were sometimes a bit too emotional to read and disturbing but one has to remember, this really happened in real life. Overall, this book brought me an emotional roller coaster ride. A very touching story about friendship at hard times, about true real friendship, that a friend would do anything, even if it means risking their own life.

EMOTIONAL HOLOCAUST FICTION ABOUT FRIENDSHIP AND FAMILY

I read a lot of historical fiction about the Holocaust and WWII so I feel like I have pretty much seen it all. But here Reit gave me something new - he showed me new places, new fates and new themes. For a debut novel this was very strong and I am looking forward to reading more from Reit in the future.

👍 WHAT I LIKED 👍

Atypical: Like I said, I read a lot of historical fiction about the Holocaust and by far most of them have some sort of romantic angle or romance at the centre of the story. Sure, there was a bit of romance here, but it was only a drop in the bucket. The central themes here are friendship and family which really spoke to me. Another atypical thing about this story was the places it took place. Most of the book takes place in the transit camp Westerbork, a place I had actually never heard of before. It was really great to get to explore a new, unknown part of the tragedy of the Holocaust.

Real life: I was really excited to read the Author's note and find out, that several of the people in this book were actually real, historical people. That is always a really great touch and it made me want to learn more about them.

Emotions: I cried while reading this book. I cry a lot at many different things, but a book that can make me cry is always a hit. It means that the characters, the plot and the circumstances are getting to me and have affected me in some way. That is the beauty of reading if you ask me.

I cannot devour these types of books fast enough lately. I didn’t use to be a historical fan, but all books dealing with WW2 and the deplorable treatment of innocent men, women, and children strike at my heart. I will always be grateful for the true stories that these people find it in their hearts to tell. The past will live on but only by educating those who learn from it.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley.

A compelling story of two young men named Jacob and Ethan during WWII.  The book starts off with Jacob and his parents along with Ethan and his family escaping Berlin in 1938 after the events of Kristallnacht.  They end up in an immigrant camp in the Netherlands called Westerbork.  When the Germans invaded the Netherlands, Westerbork became a transit camp, which is where the majority of the book takes place.

I thought it was a very interesting take on events of WWII. Not often do you read about lesser known German camps.  The book differed from others in this genre by describing life in the transit camp even though in the end, it does take you to Auschwitz. Having had been to Poland before, I was truly able to visualise the story and the events that Jacob and Ethan went through throughout the book.  I thought it was really well written. It kept me intrigued and by the end I finished it in one sitting.  It is definitely a book I will be recommending.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Reit for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Beyond the Tracks by Michael Reit is based on true events in the Dutch refugee camp that later became a transit camp in Westerbork and the resistance effort. I have read many books about Holocaust, but never any about this refugee camp. Reit educates in a thought-provoking manner and take you on an emotional rollercoaster. 
This is an important read of one a camp that people don’t really know about – we need to read and educate ourselves so We Can Tell 

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story "Beyond the Tracks" tells is compelling, but unfortunately the storytelling isn't. The characters are flat and interchangeable, and they never seem really affected by all that experience. The sorrow, loss, fear, desperation, hunger, pain—none of that is palpable. Half the time I wasn't even aware of what season it was, and given how shabby and sparse I assume the prisoners' clothing was, I'd imagine they would have really felt the cold and wind of winter, for instance, and appreciated the warmth of spring. All of which is a shame, as the book does seem to be well researched, and I'd love to read a good novel about the Polish resistance group featured in the third section of this book. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Michael Reit, for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Outstanding novel. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Holocaust / WWII stories. 
I felt myself really connecting with the characters that the author creates, and really enjoyed following the main character, Jacob, through his experiences. This author does a great job of evoking emotions from readers, and although so instances felt rushed, the story itself progressed nicely. 

This novel is an ARC provided to me from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review!

The events of the Second World War are harrowing and something I think should continually be learnt about and discussed. I try to read fiction based on the events to try and learn more about the time period, and Beyond The Tracks was really educational. Based on true events, as discussed in the author's note at the end of the novel, and yet, I had never heard of the Dutch camp or the resistance effort. Just goes to show how much we have to learn, I think.

Beyond The Tracks tells the story of Jacob, a German-Jewish young man, who escapes Berlin in November 1938 with his parents. Also escaping are Jacob's best friend Ethan and his parents. Jacob and Ethan promise each other that no matter what, they will survive whatever they face and they will do so together. Cue a nail-biting scene at the train station that literally had me on the edge of my seat. Those sorts of moments happened regularly throughout the novel - what an emotional rollercoaster. 

The book jumps to different times in Jacob's life, including his time at Camp Westerbork (which I had never heard of). Life at the camp started off somewhat comfortably, but soon deteriorates as the Nazis take greater control. Soon the camp becomes a transit camp, with the prisoners passing through Westerbork on their way to the other, more notorious concentration camps. Due to their role in camp, Jacob and Ethan manage to avoid being placed on the transportation lists for much longer than some. Eventually, however, the young men find themselves on the train to Auschwitz, but in separate train cars. With the two men separated, how can they ensure that they survive together, especially when one manages to escape and has to leave the other behind. Then enter Zofia and Marian, members of the resistance who make it their mission to help some of the imprisoned Jews escape from their fates at Auschwitz. I had no idea that the resistance was a thing, or that anyone would ever have been able to escape from the concentration camp, so this really engaged me. Could the resistance fighters be the answer to reuniting the two friends?

This novel was an emotional rollercoaster, rich in  historical events and places. I was so invested in the fates of the characters, and often couldn't put the book down, all while learning things about this period of history. As the novel jumps to different times throughout WWII, I did occasionally find myself slightly confused about what had happened in the unwritten times, at the beginning of the new part. I soon filled in the blanks myself and it didn't affect how absorbed in the story I was.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and would recommend picking it up. I guarantee you'll learn something!

Friends for Life

This is a story of the Jewish in the Netherlands during WWII. It is about a camp named Westerbork and two Jewish young men, Jacob and Ethan. It is about their families, friends and all the people that passed through Westerbork to other camps such as Auschwitz, Sobibor, and  Dachau. 

The book starts with the escape from Berlin. Running to catch the last train to leave amidst gunshots from the SS shooting the unfortunate Jewish that did not get on the train. They made it to the Netherlands where they were put into a camp for immigrants called Westerbork.  They stayed there in peace until the German's invaded the Netherlands. After that the camp became a pass through camp for those going to other camps. Jacob and Ethan were some of the last to be transported because they had been there a long time and had useful jobs running the camp.  

One day they were sent on the transport train to Auschwitz.  They were put in different cars.  Jacob escaped out the window of the train in Poland before they got to the camp. Ethan did not escape. Jacob joined up with the resistance Marion and Zofia were two of the leaders. They came up with a plan to help Ethan escape from Auschwitz. 

This book kept me reading way into the early hours of the morning as I could not put it down. I have read much about the German occupation in Germany and France, but not so much about the Netherland and had never heard about the camp named Westerbrok. 

Even though some of the characters are fiction and this is a work of fiction many of the characters are either based on real people or they are actually about real people that existed during this time. The events mentioned really happened as well as the Escapes. Westerbrok existed as did the Dutch resistance group. 

This was an emotional book rich in historical places and events. It was realistic as were the characters. It was sad and tragic at times and the ending was bittersweet, not all could be saved. So many brave Jewish people perished in these camps that never should have been under the hands of the evil SS German's in charge. 

I would recommend this book.

Thanks to MIchael Reit, NetGalley Connect, and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.