This was the first book that I read by @PamJenoff, and it won't be the last. I absolutely loved this ARC that I received from @ParkRowBooks. It was amazing. I know historical fiction about World War II is not a new genre, but this plot about Jewish people hiding in the sewers in Poland during the War is something I had never encountered before. I loved how the author hooked me from the very beginning and how the novel was told from alternating viewpoints-Sadie, a Jewish girl, and Ella, a Catholic girl. This book immersed me in the story from the very beginning and kept me wanting more, as well as surprising me with its ending. I cannot wait to read more by @PamJenoff. I will definitely be recommending this book to others who love historical fiction and who love a new story set in World War II. #TheWomanwiththeBlueStar

Pam Jenoff, in “The Woman With The Blue Star,” explores the inspiring fortitude of two families who escaped a Krakow ghetto during World War Two and the sacrifices of those who risked everything to make sure the families survived.

“Kinder, raus!” the SS, Gestapo and Jewish ghetto police yelled. “Children, out!” Krakow has been a city of occupation for nearly 3 years when they came looking for children that fateful day in 1942. While her parents were at work, 18-year-old Sadie Gault had sneaked out of her attic hiding spot for a morsel to eat. Thankfully, she was able to manoeuvre herself quickly into an empty trunk in the living room and evade capture. Then in the middle of the night, it happened – an ‘aktion’- the sudden unannounced arrest of large groups of Jews to be taken from the ghetto to camps. Thankfully, Mr. Gault had a plan. He carefully pried the toilet from the floor in the bathroom and they sneaked through the hole into the sewers below!

On the other side of the river, in the affluent district of the city, a 19-year-old Catholic Polish girl, Ella Stepanek, is sent on an errand. Not in a part of the city she’d normally find herself in, she makes her purchase of black-market cherries and starts to head home. Sampling one and stooping to throw the pit in the sewer, her eyes meet Sadie’s.

You’ll read the emotional-filled testament of Sadie and Ella and the power of their unlikely friendship as the two rely on each other for the strength to survive. Jenoff admits to scrapping most of this book and rewriting it. Who would have thought that such a riveting read started out as barebones from a previous attempt? The power of second chances! I loved this WW2 era book that focussed on unlikely relationships and unfathomable sacrifice. At a time when our social interactions are restricted, I can appreciate to some small degree how Sadie must have felt hiding out for months with a handful of people to talk to. It sure makes one appreciate our relationships and forces us to put a higher value on them. I loved reading about people who offer to help others because it's the right thing to do, despite religion and race. The prologue and the epilogue set the tone and tied up the loose ends perfectly. This is a historical fiction novel that will stay with me for a long, long time and one that I’ll read again many times.

Thank you to Pam Jenoff, Harlequin/ParkRow, and NetGalley for this spectacular advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Publishes May 4, 2021.

This is a sad, tragic story that is based on true events that happened during World War II in the Krakow Ghetto of Poland. Sadie Gault, her father and her pregnant mother, along with two other families seek safety in the sewer system of Krakow and are being aided by a sewer worker named Pawel. One day, Sadie is exploring the sewer system when she comes to a sewer grate above her, looks up and sees a young woman around her age. Her name is Ella Stepanek, a wealthy young woman whose father died and she is living with her very unpleasant step-mother, Ana Lucia who is collaborating with the Germans and entertains them on an almost daily basis. They talk and a friendship begins. There are a lot of things going on in this book that kept me riveted to it.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC of this spellbinding read. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to read WWII Historical Fiction books.

Once again Pam Jenoff brings together two main characters who forge an unlikely friendship during war. Jenoff brings to life characters who face impossible life and death choices and even in times of war manage to hold on to and find love and purpose in times of indescribable hardship and loss.

As I have now finished this book, words escape me. It was a heartbreaking story. Very well done by Pam Jenoff. I applaud you for bringing this characters to life and what a twist at the end! I really enjoyed this book even though I am left with a heart ache at the end, but when all great books end it leaves you with that feeling right? I highly recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC e-book of this title.

The sewers of Krakow, Poland during WWII is the setting for Jenoff’s latest heartbreaking and poignant work of historical fiction. Sadie and her family escape from the ghetto as it’s being liquidated by Nazis through a hole under the toilet into the filthy sewers underneath the city. Though this story is fictional, it is inspired but actual WWII Jewish survivors who lived in the sewers. The fact that Sadie’s family’s only option is to escape to the disgusting sewers filled with rats and feces says a lot about their desperation and the atrocities faced by the Jews in the ghetto. The indignities that they suffered by living in filth with very little food or contact with the outside world is so vividly described by Jenoff. I felt like I could feel the wetness of their clothes, smell the waste and see the darkness. With all of the horror, the positive is that true heroes emerge. Pawel, the sewer worker, leads them to a safe cavern and brings them food, risking his own life and safety. And Sadie forms a very deep if unlikely bond with Ella, a girl her own age from the outside who happens to spot Sadie through the sewer grate and does everything in her power to help her and her family, though food is scarce and the Nazis are constantly looming.

I felt like this past year has been tough with the covid situation and dealing with the death of my father, but that is absolutely nothing compared to what these poor people faced solely because they happened to be Jewish. It is truly profound and makes me realize how much I have for which to be thankful. I predict that this will be a 2021 book club favorite and recommend it to fans of the Nightingale and the Book of Lost Names.

I went into this book without reading any synopsis, I expected to love it, as I loved the Orphan Train and if it is poisoned I loved this more. A historical fiction book with bravery and friendship at it core !

When I read The Orphan's Tale a few years ago, I didn't think Pam Jenoff would be able to top such an incredible Holocaust-era novel. However, she has with her upcoming novel, The Woman with the Blue Star.

Even though no one was in the concentration camps in this novel, it was still a harrowing and heartbreaking story. I can't even imagine what living in a sewer would be like, nor would I want to. Pam detailed it out enough that I didn't need to rely on imagination to understand the horrors of the situation. I cared so much about both Sadie and Ella, and I just had to know what would happen with them. I liked seeing both their perspectives and the contrasts in their lives, as well as their budding friendship. I also liked the level of Judaism incorporated into the novel, due to the more observant family living in the sewer.

This was an amazing story of strength and survival, and it will stay with me for a long time.

Movie casting suggestions:
Sadie: Lily Mo Sheen
Ella: Odessa Young
Saul: Eli Brown
Danuta (Sadie's mom): Shiri Appleby
Ana Lucia: MyAnna Buring
Krys: Paul Mescal

Thank you #NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Woman with the Blue Star offers a different perspective on the story of bravery and escape from Nazi occupation in WWII. Set in Poland, Sadie and her family escape the liquidation of the Jewish quarter by taking to the sewers. Meanwhile, Ella struggles with living with a Nazi collaborating step-mother, and no other family to turn to as her city slowly becomes unrecognizable. The two meet and create an unexpected friendship.

Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. Occasionally I felt like events happened rather abruptly (a few times I turned back a page or re-read to make sure I didn't miss anything), and I struggled with the a few of the character choices. That being said, I'd still definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy reading WWII fiction, especially if interested in a setting in Poland.

The intensity of the suspense in The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff made me want to continue to read and yet not read the novel--afraid to discover what the outcome would be for the Jews hidden in the sewer and their good Samaritan friends trying to help keep them alive. You must read this book until the very surprising climax.

Jenoff returns to her usual territory of Holocaust fiction. This time, it’s the harrowing story of two young women and a friendship that brings each woman to the brink. Ella is a privileged non-Jew living in an opulent neighborhood in Krakow. Sadie and her family , are forced to live literally underground in the filthy sewers below the city streets. After Ella sees Sophie through the sewer grate, Ella resolves to help Sadie, first passively, just by talking to her, and then actively, by bringing food, and, ultimately trying to rescue Sadie and the other sewer inhabitants and bring them to safety.
Even having read a fair amount of WWII fiction, I was unaware that people actually hid in the sewers for months, getting by, and perhaps even giving birth. It’s unimaginable, and yet... There is predictably, much loss and anguish in this book. But, there are also glimmers of hope. It’s a tough read, but well paced and eye-opening

Once again, Pam Jenoff doesn’t disappoint. She is one of my favorite WWII-era historical fiction writer, The Woman with the Blue star is a suspenseful, fast paced story that kept you intrigued from start to finish. Made it hard to put down.

I am a big WWII reader and have been thanking my lucky stars never since I first stumbled upon Pam Jenoff's books. You can't go wrong with her stories. They're heartwrenching yet hopeful and beautifully demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit in the face of absolute evil. The Woman With the Blue Star is probably my favorite of her books that I have read, which is saying something. What I loved most was the fresh perspective of the story. Like I mentioned I read a ton of WWII books but have never encountered any where the Jews were hidden in the sewers of a city. It's fascinating and infuriating that the story is based in truth.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. Wow! What a book! I could not put down this novel and stayed up to the wee morning hours to read this historical fiction set in Poland in WWII. I am in awe of the resilience of all the characters of this book, Ella, Krys, Sadie, and Saul. This book will pull at your heart again and again. Well done on this excellent read about the perserervance of all those opposed by the Nazis but particularly Jews. The details about the sewers and how people survived in such horrible condition was amazing. 5 stars!!!!!!

Ella now lives with her step-mother. Her father was dead as well as her mother. Her brother was in Paris. She lives in Krakow. Her step-mother is a German collaborator. Even though she is Polish she has parties and dates German men. Ella hates it, but there is nothing she can do. She at least has a warm house and plenty of food.
Sadie and her pregnant mother and her father are Jews. They and another family are trying to find a place in the sewers to hide from the Germans.
These two young women have nothing in common. Their lives will soon clash together and they will become the very best of friends. They will help each other no matter what.
A historical fiction written with emotion and conviction. I was given this book to read and review by the publisher. I greatly appreciate being able to read it. It was outstanding! Greatly recommended!

The author has written a beautiful story of the enduring power of love and friendship under the most dangerous and dire of circumstances.

Sadie Gault, her family and another Jewish family hide from the Nazis in the sewers of Krakow. The story alternates between Sadie's and Ella Stepanek's point of view. Ella is a young Catholic girl living with her stepmother after her father's death. One day, Ella discovers Sadie living under the streets in the sewers.

What follows is a story of great courage and friendship as Sadie struggles to survive underground and Ella does everything in her power to aid and assist her friend and her companions in hardship to endure against all odds. This story will touch your heart and surprise you in the end.

Thanks to Harlequin and NetGalley for the opportunity to provide a review of this highly recommended book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for the ARC of The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff. I could not possibly imagine what it would be like to literally hide in the sewers, afraid for my life because of my religion and culture. Pam Jenoff has a knack for giving a voice to the victims of the Holocaust. I’m glad I was able to read this one.

1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of the Kraków Ghetto during World War II. When the Nazis clear the ghetto, Sadie and her pregnant mother are forced to seek refuge in the sewers beneath the city. Wet, dirty, no food, and sharing living quarters with another family is hauntingly brought to life by Jenoff.

Ella Stepanek is a rich Polish girl living a life of relative ease with her stepmother, who entertains the occupying Germans. Lonely and scorned by her friends because of her stepmother's activities, Ella walks the streets longing for her fiancé, who has gone off to war.

The two girls become aware of each other when Ella catches a glimpse of Sadie beneath the sewer grate in the street. Aware of the danger for each of them, a friendship forms between the two girls who grow to depend on each other for survival. One misstep and all of them will be shot.

Unlike other World War II fiction books, Jenoff wrote this book during the Pandemic lockdown and captured the feeling of isolation and an uncertain future in her writing. If you have taken a break from Holocaust books, you will want to read this one. Jenoff states that the book was inspired by the true story of a small group of Jews who survived WWII in the sewers of Lviv, Poland. While her book is fictitious, it reads true. I was in the sewer feeling the fear, despair, and horror. I asked myself several times, would I have survived? This book is mesmerizing and engrossing, once started I couldn't stop reading even though I was fearful of how it would end. I recommend it as a Book Club choice with many discussion and research points.

I loved this book even though it broke my heart to think that Jews had to hide in the sewers. I cried so many times but in the end my tears were of joy.

Get ready for a World War II historical adventure as protagonists risk their lives to save others. Featuring a dual-linear timeline, the story commences in Krakow 2016. From the first chapter, readers are on the case, trailing the truth and venturing back in time to uncover the mystery.

Flashback to the Krakow 1942 where Sadie Gault is living with her family in the Jewish Ghetto. Forced to retreat underground after the ghetto is liquidated, Sadie musters up the courage to survive in squalor. Seeking the stars, Sadie finds herself peering through the grate into Ella Stepanek's concerned eyes.

An unlikely friendship emerges between Sadie and Ella that provides support to get through the war. At first appearance, Ella seems to have everything but behind the façade, she's living with a cruel stepmother who is consorting with the enemy. Finding herself adrift, protecting Sadie provides Ella a sense of purpose and the ability to break free of society's chains.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read in exchange for an honest review. I love historical fiction especially Pam Jenoff's novels. Besides being drawn into the story, I appreciated the behind-the-scenes account of Jenoff's writing process. Looking back, she didn't intend to write a book reflecting the pandemic, but I can understand why isolation and an uncertain future influenced the story.

To close, I'm including Jenoff's quote regarding the writing process and how the pandemic impacted the #TheWomanwiththeBlueStar.

"I did not set out to write a book that was relevant to the pandemic. Yet I found in the process of writing this book that themes emerged of coping with isolation and an uncertain future, which were more relevant to our current world situation than I ever could have imagined.

As I sit here writing this to you in August 2020, we are still under lockdown, with so many things we took for granted still gone. Though writing is solitary, I am a person who thrives on community…Yet even with all of the hardships we've all experienced, so many bright lights endure like the stars in the sky Sadie dreamed of seeing from her confinement in the sewer. " (Pam Jenoff)