I tried to read this story but struggled with the letter format in which it was in written. The summary of the book sounded very interesting and is a genre I typically enjoy. Unfortunately I had to DNF the book due to the format and how it was written.

I realize how late I am in reviewing this book, but wow. How iconic. I shouldn’t give away too much but I was not expecting the last few pages at all. The format being in mostly letters back and forth was a change, but a very welcome one for a nosy person like me. Safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to seeking it out at my local bookstore.

I could not put this book down. This book offers the type of reading where you neglect the sink full of dishes and go to bed past your bedtime. The type of reading where you have to put your hand over the page so you don't spoil it for yourself. The BEST kind of reading. Midwest America during WW2 our heroine, Johanna serves in a POW camp censoring letters. Her dearest friend, Peter is miles and miles away facing his own battles. How will this small town adjust to new visitors? Have tissues at the ready and stock up on stamps. I guarantee you will want to send out some snail mail after reading this epistolary novel.

Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green is a mesmerizing novel, told entirely with letters. It is a fascinating look at World War II in a place not often examined: in the United States POW camps. This work is brilliant on many levels. The storytelling through letters is successful, which is a feat on it own. But the topic of POWs and the issues around treating people a certain way only because of their race-- this is an important topic and a time in history we cannot afford to forget. This novel is amazing and will be devoured by readers of historical fiction. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

What I Loved:
Things We Didn’t Say is of my favorites of the year and already on my reread list. I thought telling it as an epistolary was absolutely brilliant!
Being an epistolary means it’s not a classic narration, but that the entire story is told through letters. I personally love epistolaries, but it’s not always easy for everyone to read. I’ll confess that I did struggle to find my footing in the first few letters. There are just so many characters you’re introduced to so quickly. But once I felt grounded in the story, I didn’t have any more problems. So if you’re new to epistolaries and you find yourself lost at first, just keep reading. Things will level out soon, and you wouldn’t want to miss this wonderful novel.
I was smitten with the characters right away and was in no hurry for this story to end. And I was blown away by some of the twists that Green managed to tuck away in this plot that seemed rather straightforward at first. I was certainly on the edge of my seat toward the end.
I can’t praise this one enough, and I’m looking forward to whatever Green has for us next!


Rating and Recommendations: I’m giving Things We Didn’t Say 5 stars. I highly recommend it to those looking for Christian historical, WWII fiction, or Christian epistolary.

~ I received a copy from NetGalley. All thoughts are my own. I was not compensated for this review or required to give a favorable one.

When I read the description of Things We Didn't Say, I knew I wanted to read this debut novel. I haven't seen any books before about the camps of German POWs. I was amazed at how well this author pulled together those camps, the Japanese who were interned in camps, and the attitudes of American citizens. It is written in epistolary style, with the story told entirely through letters and newspaper accounts.
Johanna was perfectly happy studying languages and literature at the University of Minnesota. Then, she received an unexpected letter: A POW camp is being set up at her hometown of Ironside Lake, Minnesota. They need a translator to help with communication with the German prisoners and to censor their letters. No way is she going to quit her beloved studies and have to interact with people, especially in her hometown! Then, she is informed that the anonymous person who is financing her scholarship has added a new requirement, which effectively forces Johanna into taking the job of translator.
As the summer wears on, Johanna keeps pouring out her frustrations to her friend Peter, a Japanese language teacher whose family, as Japanese Americans, are interned in a camp. Johanna works hard to try to get her fellow townspeople to see the German POWs as fellow humans, but she gains more and more enemies. Eventually, she finds herself accused of treason! What can she do?
I really enjoyed Things We Didn't Say. It is quite well-done. The letters are an effective way to naturally tell a story. It was quite interesting to see how public opinion changed, and was influenced by the local newspaper. I liked the glimpses of life in the Japanese camps, too. I also liked that this book wasn't focused on romance! There was a gentle romance, but it was not a main thrust of the book.
I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
WARNING: Golly appears twice in the book, and heck once.

Though I have read and enjoy other epistolary novels in the past, I didn't connect with the characters in this one. Through their letters, it was harder to feel their emotions. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley. This is my honest and voluntarily given review.

Written as a series of letters and newspaper articles, "The Things We Didn't Say" by Amy Lynn Green tells the story of an American girl Johanna Berglund who has a Japanese American friend and pen pal Peter that is training American soldiers during WWII to learn Japanese in preparation of going to the war in the Pacific. She is also hired to serve as a German translator to German POW's in rural Minnesota.

The book at the beginning starts out slow and the letter format is hard to get used to but after the first few chapters the story picks up and is much easier to follow. The ending is excellent and there are twists and turns along the way that lead to an excellent end to the story. I liked the perspective from the townsfolk from Minnesota, the German POW's and a Japanese American who joins up with the American army to fight in the Pacific. It is unique in that it is set in the United States whereas most WWII novels published are set in Europe. I recommend this novel to readers of the WWII novel genre.

Interesting and thought provoking read! The cover is also very nicely done. Quick read but still enjoyable.

The story line was great but I could not relate with the characters. I felt there was something missing. I enjoyed it to some extent but I don't think this book was for me...

The format of the story is in letters from one person to another. Our main characters are Peter, a Japanese heritage, American-born soldier who is working at a language and culture school during the war plus Johanna Berglund who serves as a German translator at a POW camp in her hometown in Minnesota. Through the letters the reader encounters the xenophobia, the war angst, the US-based camps for POWs and the detention centers where Japanese Americans were herded.
It takes a bit to get used to the letter format and there is a little jumping around of the letter dates. Once you settle in, though, you get a fantastic look at the era.

I’ll admit that I was a little nervous to read this book because I’ve never read an expository novel before, but I was surprised after a few chapters to find myself getting into a rhythm that allowed the story to flow quite naturally. I really liked Johanna and her tender yet fiercely strong heart as she tackled a task of compassion despite resistance from her townspeople. I think the style of writing allowed me to get closest to Johanna. I did really like learning about the history and thought the novel was well researched. I also liked the spiritual themes artfully woven into the story without being preachy. Overall, this was an interesting and enjoyable novel and I look forward to what the author will pen next!

I received a complimentary ecopy of this book from Netgalley and Bethany House Publishers. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Things We Didn't Say, by Amy Lynn Grant was a captivating story told in a somewhat unique way. The entire novel is a series of letters, newspaper articles and speech transcripts that were collected as evidence for a treason trial. It also examines the tensions between various groups of nationalities living in the US during WWII.

Even writing in the epistolary style, Ms. Green was able to bring the characters to life and to take you to all the locations mentioned in the writings. This was an enjoyable debut novel and I hope to read more from Amy Lynn Green in the future.

Amy Lynn Green has managed to pen such emotion, history, and character into this epistolary novel, which is not easy for a seasoned author, let alone a debut author. Through letters, newspaper articles/commentaries, and legal documents I was easily able to picture the story and characters in my mind. Their trials, tragedies, triumphs, and everything in between. I am simply amazed at the way Green was able to do that!

Things We Didn't Say covers such a dark time in history, and yet somehow Green was able to shed a little light. To remind us that even the "bad guys" are just people. People trying to defend their country, protect their family, or do what they are told. People that cry out to the Lord, have fun, and converse with you. She put so much thought and effort into every part of this book, and through our heroine Johanna, made me see the "bad guys" in a different light. It caught me by surprise, and quite frankly took the wind out of me.

This poignant historical novel is one that will stay with me for years to come. I highly recommend reading it. Be prepared for all the emotions to come at you, and even a few surprises! I can't wait to see what Green brings us next! I received a complimentary copy of this book. I was not required to write a favorable review. All opinions are my own.

This is another WWII novel but it is much different from any of the others that I've read in that it occurs in Minnesota in a German POW camp. The story is told through a series of letters, newspaper articles, letters to the editor and narration by the main character, Johanna.

The characters are wonderful and interesting. Johanna is the outspoken daughter of the Mayor of her small town, and a U of MN student who is fluent in German and studying to be an interpreter when she is "selected" to give up her dreams of an overseas position in order to work at a POW camp in her hometown.

Her friend, Peter, is a first generation Japanese student from the U of MN who becomes a language instructor at a school for US military intelligence officers. His parents have been interned in a Japanese camp, although they lived and worked in California prior to the war.
We find out early in the book that Johanna is accused of treason and the story develops the events that lead up to this accusation.

I am not usually a fan of WWII Christian historical fiction, but this story and the characters have definitely changed my mind. Although I was born in the Midwest after the war, I never knew that there were POW camps there. I was interested to read that the prisoners worked on planting an harvesting crops (while the native sons of the town were off fighting the war). The book describes the treatment of the prisoners, their meals, opportunities to learn and go to church, and the entertainment provided for them.
While the townsfolk were not too accepting of the POWs, they mostly recognized the good that they did in the situation by helping with the harvest. It does beg the question, though - do we allow our fears and biases to color our behavior or do we choose to accept one another and make the best of the situation.
The book brings up the strain of losing someone to war and being separated from friends and family and everything familiar, but it also looks at patriotism, duty, prejudice and discusses these issues in letters to the editor.

The thing we didn't say were expressed in the letters that Johanna censored between the prisoners and their homeland (and vice versa). Every letter had 2 messages - the one written out in the letter and the ones between the lines. I liked that the author described the POWs as young men and made each of the individuals with unique talents and dreams, rather than just describing them as the "bad guys" who were rough and resentful of their situation.

I usually love this style of story as told through written letters. However, I was disappointed in the pacing and character building and decided to stop reading after about 25% of the way through. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Things We Didn't Say should have been a book that I loved. Historical fiction based on true events surrounding WW2. Unfortunately, I will say this is a perfect example of not all books are for all people.

I found myself extremely bored with this storyline. The story is told in epistolary form. Epistolary is when the narrative is told in the form of documents and those documents are often letters. I have read several books with this format. I just found it so boring and was waiting for something to happen.

Again, not that this is a bad book or poor writing. This book was just not for me.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley for an honest opinion. All thoughts are my own.

Things We Didn’t Say is an impressive debut. The well conceived story positions Green as a promising historical romance author.

Brilliant language student Johanna Berglund is forced home from university to work as a translator in a German PoW camp in Minnesota. The facility’s commander hoped she could mollify the unhappy townspeople as she’s also the mayor’s daughter. However, Johanna chafes at the disruption to her education.

The book is an epistolary novel, which means told only through written communication. The vast majority of the correspondence is between Johanna and her friend Peter Ito. Peter is a Japanese American working as an instructor at a military intelligence school. There’s also a series of letters to the editor of the local newspaper, written by a variety of town residents. Then there’s a collection of columns written by the inmates and translated by Johanna.

Most of the way through the book, I thought I saw the end coming. About three quarters of the way through, things take a very interesting turn. Peter is accused of being a defector and Johanna defends him, but is put at risk herself.

There’s a particular skillset involved in writing such a novel as Things We Didn’t Say. Green has handled the discipline extremely well. For lovers of the World War II era, this is a great book, written in an interesting manner, showing a side of the war that few others have tackled.

To read an excerpt or buy a copy, click here…

Connect with Amy Lynn Green’s website here…

Author Amy Green writes a story that is solely letters written from Johanna to others, and back again. Such a unique way of writing a story, we learn about the places and the people completely from their letters. No traditional descriptions are necessary.

Green takes on real issues including war and racism, yet does it with such grace that you are willing to face the truth. Sprinkle in humor, faith, and hope and you have a great read. If you enjoy historical fiction I recommend Things We Didn’t Say.

I received a complimentary copy of this book but was not required to leave a review.

What would your correspondence reveal about you? Could someone piece together the essence of your day-to-day life, thoughts, and motives from the things you sent by letter? And what might the things you left out also reveal about you?

Johanna has plans for her life and dreams of traveling overseas. Nowhere in those dreams was the prospect of returning to her Minnesota hometown. But with some external pressure, she finds herself taking the position of translator at a POW camp. Her job of censoring letters is far from glamorous and her outspoken views get her into trouble on more than one occasion. Part of the mystery of the book for the reader is constructing her life and relationships with prisoners, family, and childhood friends from her letters alone.

The book offers a fascinating view of the war from the perspective of German prisoners as well as through journalistic eyes when Johanna tangles with the local editor a time or two. Johanna has spunk and determination and manages to raise morale by helping to advocate for the prisoners at the camp.

Kindness can sometimes be misinterpreted and Johanna finds herself in a situation where her own words may be used against her. The backdrop of war adds to the angst of a young woman trying to figure out where she belongs in the world and what dreams are worth fighting for.

Disclaimer: I received a free digital copy of Things We Didn't Say from NetGalley for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.