This is loosely based on a true story of a group of Jews who hid for 2 years in sewer tunnels in Lvov, Poland to escape the Nazis. In this book, 18 year old Sadie and her family along with other Jews hide in the sewer tunnels in Poland to escape the Nazis. In the dark and stench of the tunnels, they face hunger, flooding, and possible discovery. One day she looks up through a grate a sees Ella, a woman about her age. Though from the outside Ella looks to be well off, she has lost most of her family and her boyfriend and lives with her stepmother who is a Nazi sympathizer. Their friendship gives each other something to live for. The prologue about a woman in her 70's looking for a woman 20 years older than herself kept me guessing through the book as to their identity.

A well to do Catholic girl spies a Jewish girl hiding under a sewer grate and risks her life to help her and the others hiding there. Each young woman has a love interest, as you’d expect with 18 year olds. This survival story takes place in Krakow, Poland and focuses on just that one group hiding in the sewer which makes it unlike so many WWII novels. This book is filled with tension, loss, love, heartache, and hope. Two strong young women work together and fight to survive, a five star recommendation.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book addresses the horrors of the treatment of Jewish people during World War II without getting too graphic. It is a heartfelt story of two women, one Jewish, one Polish who bond during the German occupation of their town in Poland, and the lengths they will go to in order to keep each other safe. It's a story of loss, hope, heartbreak, and intrigue.

I absolutely loved The Lost Girls of Paris, but I wouldn’t compare these two. Can’t explain why this one didn’t grab me as much as Lost Girls, I just didn’t feel it had as much depth in the characters.
The story goes between Ella and Sadie, two young ladies caught in the cross hairs of the war in Poland in the 1940’s. One is a Jew that goes into hiding in the sewers with her family, the other has been left with her evil step mother after her father was killed in the war. Being an historical fiction, it is much dependent upon the authors imagination.
It may be that I have read so many WWII novels that in order to keep my interest and to meet the 5-star review, they need to be unique with deep character development and a storyline that has a new and different topic. Definitely not a bad read, just not a stellar memorable one. I will say the ending was well done, it was the best part of the book.
I do want to thank Harlequin – Trade Publishing along with NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC. Coming in with 4 stars.

Historical fiction. Even though two girls grow up in the same Poland, Sadie and Ella meet unexpectedly and with a sewer gate between them during World War II. One girl is Jewish; the other is Catholic. Neither expects to meet; none expect them to become friends. And who could have ever imagined that after decades, their story would continue to be told? Overall, an engaging story that inspires readers.

Unfortunately, this book didn't really work for me. The writing felt juvenile and there was nothing that set it apart from the thousands of other historical fiction books I've read that are set during WW2. I did love that it was centered in Krakow as I visited the city years ago and found it to be enchanting.

Thank you to NetGalley for an e-ARC of The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff.
This book is a historical account of Jewish people living in Krakow's sewer system after the ghetto has been emptied. The story is a fictionalized account that portrays a historical situation. An unlikely, dangerous friendship combined with death, food shortages, and the horrors of war make this story hard to put down. At times I found some situations to be unrealistic such as when Sadie goes to Ella's house. There seemed to be too many risky behaviors that would not have gone unnoticed to Nazi soldiers. The parallel love stories also detracted from the book and created a romanticized view of Poland during World War II. Overall I liked the concept of this book but felt the writing fell flat.

Over the course of my life, I must have read literally hundreds of novels that tell stories of survival during the Holocaust. Some told stories of camp survival. Others told of those who fought back or of people who hid Jews at the risk of their own lives. All were heartbreaking.

Pam Jenoff managed to tell a story that dealt with an entirely new take on the subject. She hit a home run with the story of a group of people who hid in the sewers of Krakow, Poland. This is basically a story of love though. Love for family, for friends, and for those who are thrust into our lives during trying times and whom we depend upon for survival.

This was a wonderful story and should not be missed.

While running an errand for her stepmother, Ella Stepanek makes eye contact with a girl staring up through the grates of the sewers. Sadie Gault and her parents had escaped the Krakow ghetto through the sewers, only to realize that the sewers are not the escape route they thought. As Ella tries to help Sadie, they become co-conspirators and friends, endangering their own lives as well as their families’ lives to thwart the Nazis.
Based on actual true stories of Jewish families trying to survive by living in the labyrinth of sewers below the city, Jenoff weaves a story of desperation, friendship, and exceptional bravery.

Wow! This is an incredible book about love, friendship, and perseverance.

This is the story of Sadie and her family escaping into the underground of Krakow during the war. In all of her sadness and loneliness, Sadie is able to find love and friendship in an unusual place. A definite must read! Pam Jenoff has done it again!

In 1942, Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents in the Kraków Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis liquidate the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the perilous sewers beneath the city. One day Sadie looks up through a grate and sees a girl about her own age buying flowers. Ella Stepanek is an affluent Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who is a collaborator with the occupying Germans. While on an errand in the market, she catches a glimpse of something moving beneath a grate in the street. Upon closer inspection, she realizes it’s a girl hiding. Ella begins to aid Sadie and the two become close, but as the dangers of the war worsen,, and their lives are set on a course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds.

I am a big fan of Pam Jenoff and her amazing stories based on true stories. The Woman with the Blue Star is such a story showing the power of friendship and the amazing will to survive. This story describes the characters and has some unexpected twists and turns that left me reading far into the night to see how it ends.

Even before I started reading, I was intrigued by the title. I’m familiar with, and have been lucky enough to see one, the yellow stars the Nazis forced the Jewish people over mot of Europe to wear. The blue star was new to me. A Google search didn’t yield a quick explantion, but after a little digging, I found a Jewish Heritage website (Sorry, I forgot to note its name and cannot find it again) that educated me:

In September 1939, following the German invasion of Poland, individual German military and civilian authorities imposed the Jewish badge in certain Polish towns and villages, the first being decreed in the town of Wloclawek on October 29, 1939. In the General Government, that part of Poland directly occupied by Germany, Governor General Hans Frank ordered on November 23, 1939, that all Jews over the age of ten wear a "Jewish Star": a white armband affixed with a blue six-sided star, worn over the right upper sleeve of one's outer garments. There were heavy penalties for those caught not wearing it.

With that knowledge, I set off to read Pam Jenoff’s latest historical fiction novel. In this tale, Sadie and her parents had been forced into Poland’s Krakow Ghetto. Eighteen-year-old Sadie ws forced to hide in the attic of their apartment building. She has snuck out and is downstairs in the kitchen when the Nazis raid the building. Unable to get back upstairs, she hides in a trunk, one of the first places her mother showed her to hide when she was much younger.

Escaping the Nazis this time meant that they were sure to not be missed next time. One afternoon, Sadie finds her papa has removed the toilet and is trying to make the hole bigger…this was their escape plan: into the sewers. Papa’s friend, Pawel, has agreed, for a price, to help them and an Orthodox Jewish family make their way to a modicum of safety. The Germans would never think of searching such a gross and disgusting place, but they must go if they are to live. It’s harder for Mama to fit through the pipes as she is pregnant. Pawel leads them deep under Krakow and finds them an alcove where they can live about the rise and fall of the water.

Three month later, in June 1942, while shopping for cherries for her stepmother, Ella sees eyes through one of the sewer grates. At first, Ella isn’t sure of what to think, but she and the girl, who is about her own age, make acquanticies.

Ella has her own tale of woes but nothing like what Sadie and her family and the others are enduring. She is an atristocrate and is protected from the Nazis by her stepmother who is a collaborator. Ella comes every Sunday to bring Sadie what food she can steal with her stepmother discovering that she is aiding Jews.

As time goes by and the Nazis begin to realize that they are losign the war, things get more and mor desparate, both below and above Karkow’s streets. To give anything more away would be to spoil it for others, but I’ll tell you the adventure, the terror, the romance, the secrets and the friendship that Jenoff writes about will have you staying up past your bedtime to find out what happens next. I read this fast-paced novel in three nights.

Author Jodi Picoult was lying when she said this about The Woman With the Blue Star: “…and will leave you gasping at the end.” I sure was!

The Woman With the Blue Star receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

This is an incredible historical fiction story of hope, despair, will-power and love at a time in history when life was abhorrent to the Jewish population.
World War II was underway, and Sadie and her family are actually hiding underground in the sewers and trying so desperately to survive each day or each hour at times.
It is not an easy journey to read, but truly I was glued to this book and finished it in a day.
The descriptions of the areas, smells and the feelings of these characters, truly had me there struggling with them as well.
I cannot stress this enough- this is an amazing book! Read it!

I really enjoyed this book. The story was well plotted, and the characters were compelling and very realistic--which made them a bit aggravating at times, but it worked, because 19 year olds are often aggravating! On the whole, the story is a beautiful telling of how hope and caring can triumph even in the worst of situations. My one complaint was with the ending--I won't spoil it here, but I didn't really feel like the ending fit with the rest of the book. Overall, though, a great read and well worth reading!

This is one of those books that will rob you of your respect for tomorrow morning as you stay up, riveted, to see what happens next. Ella and Krys are aboveground; Sadie and Saul are below...and they all have their struggles as they try to help each other and find their way through German-occupied Poland. The supporting characters seem to be based in evil at first, until you stop and ask yourself, 'What would you do in the same situation?' and 'How far would you go to try and help those around you survive?' The ending seems to be disheveled, until you get to the epilogue -- and be still my heart; I cried like a baby at the epilogue. (No peeking!)

Pam Jenoff is one of my favorite authors! She excels at writing historical fiction novels, particularly those that take place during World War II. Her books are always well researched and so well written. So when I got the opportunity to get my hands on an advanced readers copy of this book, I jumped at the chance. Once again, she proved herself to be the queen of WWII historical fiction with her latest upcoming release! Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic advanced readers copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The story takes place in Krakow, Poland and begins with the introduction of Sadie Gault and her family. Sadie is Jewish and her family has recently been relocated to the ghetto by the Nazis. One night during a Nazi raid, the Gault family is forced to flee their cramped apartment and escape to the sewers under the city. Along with another family, they are forced to live in the sewer in order to survive. I can’t even begin to imagine how horrible that must have been (the smell alone!!) but through her incredibly detailed and descriptive writing, the author manages to paint a realistic picture of the horrors the families faced on a daily basis.

As the story progresses, we also are introduced to Ella, a 19 year old Polish Catholic girl who, while on an errand one day, sees Sadie looking up at her through a sewer grate. Ella has suffered through many hardships herself but is determined to help Sadie and her family. The ensuing friendship that develops between the two girls allows them to lean on each other for support and survive (albeit barely) the daily horrors of the war.

This novel hooked me right from the beginning and I devoured it in a few days. There is a twist at the end which I partially saw coming but was still surprised at the ultimate conclusion. This book would make an excellent choice for a book club pick and I highly recommend it!

Another winner from Pam Jenoff! WWII books were becoming a bit repetitive with their storylines (and for some reason, always women walking away on the cover), but not this one. I could visualize everything she wrote, and gasped aloud several times. It was beautifully written and alive. I'm so glad that I got to read this one early.

I cherished "The Woman with the Blue Star" a book about two friends. One is a Jewish girl hiding in the sewers in 1942, the other a Polish girl who saw her through the grates to the sewer. At times, the story was so emotional and tense, I had to put the book down. Other nights, however, I woke up and read it in the middle of the night. Reading in the middle of the night does not happen often! Another thing that doesn't happen much to me is tears in my eyes; that I had when I finished the book.
Highly recommended, even though your heartstrings will be pulled every which way.
I also enjoyed reading Jenoff's Author's Notes and Acknowledgments at the end. She compares the theme of living in Krakow, Poland during World War II with living during today's pandemic: "coping with isolation and an uncertain future."

The Woman With the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff

Thank you to @netgalley and @harelquin for my gifted copy in return for an honest review

Sadie and her family are forced to flee to the sewers when the ghetto they live in is targeted for “liquidation“. On a trip to the black market Ella is shocked to see 2 wide eyes gazing up at her from a grate in the street. What follows is a friendship built on tenuous trust and a desperate need to connect on a social level even amidst a war for survival.

Jenoff created a sense of palpable yearning- a desire for more. To struggle against the crushing loss of hope and find the mental courage to live. I am consistently awestruck by the strength and endurance of the human spirit. Our internal motivation to survive knows no bounds, at our core, love pushes us forward in all things.

I applaud all authors that tackle the hard stories, most especially the ones that are the voices of our past. I imagine historical fiction is not an easy genre to write, to share the memories and experiences of others is no small feat.

I have loved all Pam Jenoff’s books and this one is no exception. I always enjoy historical fiction and this one did not disappoint. Came from an unusual perspective. Highly recommend