A fascinating historical read that taught me something I never knew. Author, Amy Lynn Green, creatively weaves a captivating story through letters giving readers the unique perspective of spying on a piece of American history. I think the best part of this story is learning about the role Nazi POW's had in our nation's history as well as what was happening on the Pacific front with Japanese sentiment after Pearl Harbor. The author does a great job creating page-turning tension with strong characters and her unique plot. I'll say that her main character, Jo, was an enigma to me in that I enjoyed her wit very much but also found myself struggling to empathize with her completely in her abrasive tact towards others. It wasn't enough that I wouldn't give this story the stars it deserves or keep me highly recommending this book to others.

I am not sure what I expected when I picked up this book, but a literary collection of letters in the tradition of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" was unexpected. A book written in this manner can either fall flat or be wildly successful, and I believe this one to be the latter.
The story, woven in letters, of a strong heroine without romantic interests, but longing for an education, to stand for what she believes in, come across very well. the German POW's along with the Japanese unrest, is told in a new way when I thought it could not be done. My only wish would be that we had just a bit more to the story. Well done.

Johanna, a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota, finds herself employed (against her better wishes!) at a German POW camp in her hometown. As she becomes involved in her new job, she also becomes involved in the lives of those in the camp. Her loyalties are questioned, her dreams and ideals are challenged, and Johanna has to learn who she can trust. This book will keep the reader intrigues from beginning to end in this unique perspective of POW camps and those employed at the camps.

"If I were an expert in criminal law, I'd be sick to death of outraged clients claiming to be falsely accused, and especially of weepy female clients wringing their hands and saying things like, 'How could it have come to this?' (location 68). This book go off to a great start! It immediately had me wondering what Jo was falsely accused of and gave a great glimpse into her personality.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn't know there were POW camps in the midwest much less a Military Intelligence Service Language School at Fort Snelling, just a few miles from my home. It was fascinating to see how the local communities reacted to the presence of German captives in their midst. Even though this took place many years ago, it felt relevant to today as we continue to struggle with prejudices and learning to trust one another and seeing past stereotypes to who people really are.

This book is written entirely in letters. It's not been my favorite style in the past but I found that I didn't notice it much. It really felt like there were back and forth conversations between people. The language was vivid and the characters sprang to life through the letters. Johanna, in particular, was very witty and sarcastic and funny at times. She's quite a character with very real human flaws and virtues. I loved her. I concur with her sentiment as she writes, "Real life is dreadfully tedious, the way it interrupts reading" (location 245). HA!

This is a thought provoking book. It deals with stereotypes, war, grief, love, betrayal, forgiveness, grace, and more. It was well written and a delight to read. I'd highly recommend it.

Thank you to Bethany House for providing me with a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The synopsis for this book sounded so amazing, as it is on a subject you don’t hear much about: the German prisoners of war in USA camps. And I learned so much about it, reading this book and I loved that! However, I have to admit that I didn’t like the style. This book is made entirely out of letters, and that really put me off, I couldn’t connect to the characters even though Johanna’s letters are amazing and witty with fun facts thrown in. But for me, it didn’t work and with every letter from a different person I became distracted to the point where it was a chore to finish this book, and it dragged a bit sometimes. However, this is a personal preference, and I think many people will love this book as it sure has potential and the writing skills are definitely there and I have to admit the letter idea is very original. It just wasn’t for me, I think the message would’ve been better in a normal format, where we can experience Johanna’s emotions. I did like the end and would recommend it because the topic is so intruiging. I think it might be better if you know beforehand it’s all letters so you can decide if it might be something you’d be interested in.

It’s not often that a debut novel really blows me away, but Things We Didn’t Say was absolutely amazing. I grabbed a digital copy of this book on a whim. It’s not my typical genre, but I’m always looking to try new authors. I was completely captivated by the writing style and characters. The story itself was completely engrossing and I was totally sucked in by the plot. This book has so many layers to it that I feel like it’s one I will be pondering for days. One thing that I was surprised by is that although the subject matter is serious, and the time period is during a war, this book flowed effortlessly without being heavy. Amy Green was able to capture the heart and emotions of a strenuous and controversial time in history, but offer it in a way that was diplomatic and showed various perspectives. The live story in this novel was subtle, however it was perfectly crafted and naturally occurring and I wouldn’t have changed a bit of it! I have a serious book hangover from this fabulous read and cannot wait to see more from this Author!!!!

I loved reading all the sarcasm and unedited edited thoughts of Johanna. It was so refreshing to get a character with a strong personality shine on the page. I also appreciated how Johanna didn't mince words; she was very blunt and honest.
I have not read a book in letters before but I'm glad I gave this one the chance. One of my concerns with reading letters is that I would not get to know the characters as well. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I came to know the characters to the extent that I did. I was invested in Peter and Johanna. I was really rooting for both the characters as they experienced similarities and differences while across the country teaching English. I found it super interesting to see the relations between the POWs and the citizens of the town. There was so much that made and shaped them and it was neat to see how they overcame prejudices.
Also, it was really cool that Johanna included German idioms. Many of them were ones that I had not heard before in school. I found it very fun to see if I could guess the idiom based upon the German. (I got some of them!)

Rating: 4/5
Language: n/a
Romance: basically n/a
Spiritual: Johanna struggles with believing that God listens
Violence: n/a

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own and a positive review was not required.

I absolutely cannot say enough about "Things We Didn't Say," by Amy Lynn Green. Masterfully written and beautifully planned, the story details Johanna Berglund and her growth and struggles as a translator in a WWII POW camp for Germans in her hometown. The material was researched to the utmost and presented in the form of letters, which creates a distinct sense of realism and builds a personal connection between the reader and the characters. That this is a debut novel is completely mind blowing. I cannot wait to read what Amy Lynn Green offers next.


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary e-copy of this book through NetGalley and was not required to write a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

This was the first book I'd ever read that was written in the epistolary style. It was very different, but also very enlightening because the reader is allowed to get inside the characters' heads.

I confess I knew next to nothing about the German POW camps in the United States during World War II. I knew they were there and that's about it. My own uncle was a POW for thirteen months in Stalag 17 during the same war and was treated very horribly. Our own family never received any word from or about him until after his liberation. So it was good to know that the German prisoners in the United States were treated kindly and allowed to communicate with their families. This book has spurred me to research this situation for myself. I love to learn and Amy Lynn Green's writing has mademe very much interested in learning more.

Well written and flowing nicely, this is a debut novel that you'll want to add to your TBR pile. Recommended.

*My thanks to Bethany House Publishing for a copy of this book via Net Galley. The opinion is my own.

#ThingsWeDidn'tSay #NetGalley

A book of letters, collected by a translator, who worked at a POW camp, for captured German prisoners. When she is accused of siding with the enemy, who will defend her? Joanna, finds out who her real friends are, who will stand by her in her time of need. A little bit slow at times, but still a good novel.

Johanna Berglund has goals. Fluent in multiple languages, the Minnesota college student dreams of doing her graduate work at Oxford someday. But in 1944, everything is uncertain. When Johanna is suddenly recruited to be a translator for a German prisoner of war camp being built near her hometown, she resists. Persuaded to take the position, Johanna confides her thoughts, wishes and true feelings in letters to her friend, fellow language expert Peter Ito.

Through a series of interactions with the prisoners and as a result of censoring their letters, Johanna gets to know the prisoners as people, not just the enemy. Will her sympathies get her into trouble? Whom can she trust when her world is turned upside down?

Comprised of collections of letters and written transcripts exchanged between various characters, this work of historical fiction offers a unique perspective on the realities of war and the society in which a person is raised. The characters are multi-dimensional, imperfect beings who struggle with prejudice and the pressure to do what is expected. This would be an excellent addition to any historical fiction collection.

I read about stateside Japanese internment camps during WWIi in school (“Farewell to Manzanar” comes to mind), but I’ll admit even the thought of a German POW camp stateside had entered my mind until I picked up this book.

it’s thought-provoking, painstakingly researched, and convicting on many levels. Wow.

I’m not usually one for books written in letter form, but this one may just convince me to give them another try (along with Katherine Reay’s “Dear Mr. Knightley”).

This isn’t a quick or light read, which I sometimes struggled with, but on the same token, the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to either.

Very well-done book, particularly for a debut novel.

I recieved a copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Amy Lynn Green, you have a new fan. I hadn’t read anything of yours before this, and after searching for other books, I had a hard time believing this could be a debut novel. Things We Didn’t Say is truly an excellent, well written story. While I am no author, I would imagine that writing an entire novel as an amalgamation of letters would be challenging. But the level of creativity here exceeds most books I’ve read lately. The characters are well thought out, and the plot carefully planned. The conclusion was perfection. I’m sure a great deal of research went into this book. There was also thoughtful consideration of POW treatment in the United States and a proper balance was achieved here. I can’t wait to read your next book!

For Amy Lynn Green's first offering, this is not a bad debut.

Johanna Bergland is a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota, who is also given the opportunity to be a translator/censor for the POW/labor camp that is being located in Ironside Lake, her hometown. When she is reluctant to take the position, her funding is cut off giving her no choice but to take the job.

The story is told through letters, newspaper articles, and government memos. There are quite a few compelling characters, including Peter Ito--a linguistic specialist for the Army, teaching Japanese to the soldiers who are to be deployed to the Asian Theater of World War II.

Her job entails translating and censoring letters from the POWs to their homes and the ones that come to the POWs. Two of the POW officers begin to gain Johanna's trust, but when those two POWs escape, the blame comes down on Johanna's head with charges of conspiracy and treason.

It's a story that reminds me of one of Aesop's fables: The Farmer and the Snake.
A Farmer walked through his field one cold winter morning. On the ground lay a Snake, stiff and frozen with the cold. The Farmer knew how deadly the Snake could be, and yet he picked it up and put it in his bosom to warm it back to life.

The Snake soon revived, and when it had enough strength, bit the man who had been so kind to it. The bite was deadly and the Farmer felt that he must die. As he drew his last breath, he said to those standing around:

Learn from my fate not to take pity on a scoundrel.

For me the use of the letters to move the plot seemed to make it a bit slow, but the characters were in fact very real, and understandable. Four Stars.

Bethany House and NetGalley.com provided the copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

By far, Things We Didn’t Say has been my favorite read of 2020. Amy Lynn Green offers a fresh look on a time period that has been the setting for many literary stories. The entire novel is played out in letter form, which goes back and forth mainly between Joanna and Peter. As an Army wife who was written many letters back and forth with my soldier, I more than appreciated the literary romance. While many World War II novels have been written, this is the first I have read with soldiers at the home front and German POWs. I highly recommend and am looking forward to any other novels Green writes!

Things We Didn't Say by debut author, Amy Lynn Green, is an epistolary novel that places in Minnesota during World War II. I adore World War II novels, so I gravitated toward this novel because of the time period. In college, I read a couple of novels written completely in novels. One of my favorite epistolary novels is the novel of Dracula by Bram Stroker. While that story is completely written from Jonathon Harker's journal, it is pretty much the same idea, but in only one viewpoint, not in many different writers. While I know Green wanted the story to be told as a story, I think it missed the part on this. Because the story is completely in letter format, readers don't really get to understand the character's emotions and personalities except what they allow to shine all the pages of their personal writings or from the lenses of other characters. As the letters moved along, readers do encounter a passage of time through the letters and see what is occurring to the characters, but there has to be some conflict or it would not be a story. There were hints of something awful that was going to happen, but I wanted more. I wanted more emotions. I wanted more conflict. It didn't seem that important to the characters either until something awful happen. I don't think writing the story was best delivered in a letter format. It might have been better written as part journal, part story so that way the readers could experience what was happening. The story didn't really capture my attention the way it should. Not that Green is not a fabulous writer. She had the viewpoint down. She had the descriptions down, but I felt like we were missing something in the story. Maybe that is the point hence the title Things We Didn't Say. If that was the purpose, then I guess I caught on pretty quickly. Overall, Things We Didn't Say by Amy Green should have been delivered as an actual novel. Being delivered in letter format is a disservice to the actual importance of the plot line.

I received a complimentary copy of Things We Didn't Say by Amy Green from Bethany House Publishers, but the opinions stated is all my own.

Here's my uncensored review: I loved this book!

My thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy. I only requested it because the subject matter included a German POW camp in a small midwest town. While not the one featured in this story, my hometown boasts the same distinction, but I know very little about it. It was fascinating to read the particulars through the eyes of Johanna and her contemporaries.

That was not the only fascinating aspect to this book. Written entirely in epistolary form, at first I was hesitant of getting the full scope of story/character development/emotion. I needn't have worried. I'm amazed that this is Green's debut novel. It is rich in depth, layered with so many different facets: from Japanese-American Internment camps, systemic racism (a hot button issue in today's world), and the role of the media/press is shaping people's views (again, hauntingly relevant) to prayer and the sovereignty of God, forgiveness, grace, and understanding one's enemy.

Add to that a hearty dose of suspense, unexpected love, and surprising humor, Things We Didn't Say will go down as one of my favorites for 2020 - which is saying something considering the number of books I've read during this unprecedented year of quarantine and sheltering at home.

Written through letters, newspaper articles, and memos, this novel takes us on a journey through one of the lesser-known events in American history. Though only shown through their written words, each character has his or her own voice...it also helps that there are different fonts used. When we think of WW2 homefront, most people overlook the Japanese internment camps, German POW camps, and the way that minorities were treated. As we follow Johanna through her unwanted journey back home and translating adventures behind POW lines, we get an inside glimpse into this era of history...