The latest offering by Pam Jenoff, is a compelling story of the atrocities inflicted on Polish Jews during WWII. It follows two families that are hidden in a sewer for months, after a Polish sewer worker attempts to save them from certain deaths. She describes the incredible bravery and strength of a young girl, to keep her pregnant mother safe, after her father is taken from the family.
As with every Pam Jenoff novel, her research into the era, is just incredible, framing an emotional and disturbing work of fiction. If you like historical fiction, don’t pass this one up.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and Harlequin Books for the ARC. All comments are my own and deserving of every star it was given.

Happy Book Birthday to 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒲ℴ𝓂𝒶𝓃 𝓌𝒾𝓉𝒽 𝓉𝒽ℯ ℬ𝓁𝓊ℯ 𝒮𝓉𝒶𝓇!

The sheer breadth of stories of heroism from WWII never ceases to amaze me. In this latest novel by Pam Jenoff, we learn about yet another way that Jews survived the hell that was brought upon them during the German occupation. When all of their options are exhausted, Sadie Gault and her family have no choice but to escape to the sewers of Poland to survive. With countless harrowing experiences, the odds of survival are miniscule, but along the way, serendipity offers the aid of an unlikely ally, Ella. The question then becomes whether or not they can survive together.

Ms. Jenoff wrote a story that kept me on the edge of my seat, needing to know what happened to Sadie and Ella, who truly became like dear friends to me. The story was incredibly heartbreaking, but somehow redemptive despite the tragedy the characters faced. Jenoff didn't pull any punches with regard to the dire circumstances faced by each individual.

The story was fully engrossing and the writing was authentic. I was most astonished to read the process that the author went through to write this book, having to, at one point, completely scrap her original draft. Talk about determination! We thank you for not giving up, Ms. Jenoff. Your tireless work certainly paid off!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Books for gifting me with this advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review!

Pam Jenoff always delivers books that pull at your heart and make you want to turn page after page all the way to end.
In The Woman with the Blue Star we are taken to Poland where we meet Sadie. One of many Jews forced into the deplorable Kraków Ghetto. As bad as the Ghetto is, things take a turn for the worse when the Nazis begin to liquidate the Ghetto. Sadie and her pregnant mother escape and hide in the many tunnels beneath the city.
While there she is befriended by Ella, who is living a life of relative ease as they have close ties to the Germans.
Ella can not believe that Sadie and her mother are actually living beneath the streets and she begins to aid them. However as the war situation begins to deteriorate in Karkow, both or theirs lives are in jeopardy.
This historical fiction novel inspired by true stories, will move you while revealing what the human spirit is capable of and what friendship can overcome.

I've read a lot of historical fiction books about WWII and how the Jewish people survived. This is one that I never would have imagined. Never! It's beyond belief what one race is capable of doing to another. It's amazing what a person can endure to survive. This book gives us a look at one of the worst I have read about yet. The conditions are horrendous. How they endured it is beyond belief. Yet it was based on an actual account. This happened. Though this book is a work of fiction.

This story is told from Ella and Sadie's POVs. Each has a story to share. How they intersect is quite a touching and sad story indeed. But it's a story of a strong friendship found in a short period of time. These two girls barely knew each other yet would do anything for the other. Including put their own life in jeopardy for the other. Give up their life for the other. A deep and true friendship of the most unlikely kind.

It amazes me how the German's were so filled with hate. How they thought that a person who was different was not worth anything. How anyone that is Jewish did not deserve to live. How they were less valued than anything or anyone. Or as Ella noticed, The paintings were being rescued, yet we were being left behind to face whatever fate awaited us under the Germans. How can a human life be less value than any painting? Who does this? What makes a person so cold and cruel?

This book starts out in 2016 with one woman watching for another. Planning to meet her. Then it goes back to 1943 and tells the story of what happened back then. At the end all comes together in a way that will make you hold your breath. Make you take a shaky breath for sure. I was shocked. I was not prepared for who the woman was meeting. But it's a great ending to a well written and much researched story. A story of such sadness. Such heartache. Such loss.

This book will pull you in from the very beginning and it won't let go. Knowing what is happening to these people and what happened to so many who were not even this fortunate. Not even fortunate enough to have a sewer to survive in. The characters are so likable, most of them. The setting is so sad. The conditions so horrible. You will feel the filth and stench of the sewer. The pain that these families go through. The loss they feel. The sadness at losing family. Giving up the only life they had ever known. The kindness of the girl that helped as much as she could.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #PamJenoff, #Harlequin for the ARC.. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and the highest recommendation. Grab this one.

A story about survival, resilience, friendship and love. Intense, fun, sad, this novel will take you through all the emotions and back again. The characters are well developed through emotion and rich details. I recommend The Woman with the Blue Star.

**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

Sadie's life has been forever changed now that the Germans have a hold on Poland.

Her family was forced to move from their cozy apartment to the ghetto and her father's firm had to let him go because he was a Jew. But when the Germans start emptying the ghetto, Sadie and her family manage to escape to Krakow's sewers.

Their new life is miserable—limited food brought in by the one person they can trust to help them, everything dank and wet, and the smell is awful. But it is life!

And then Sadie makes a friend from the streets above.

Ella lives comfortably enough. There is always food on the table, even if it comes from her stepmother's new friends. But Ella has no one she can trust or rely on. Now that her father is missing, presumed dead, Ella only lives in the house by the grace of her stepmother. And she hates it.

But when Ella sees Sadie, through a grate in the street, she knows she has to do something to help. Something to make a difference.

I've never read In the Sewers of Lvov by Robert Marshall. It is the true story of the account that inspired Jenoff's latest. But I have actually seen In Darkness, the film based on that book. The Woman With the Blue Star is not that story, but again, it is inspired by it.

Sadie once had dreams of attending medical school. She and her family led a happy and comfortable life—her father was an accountant and Sadie was the couple's only child. But then the Germans came.

Sadie is eighteen when we meet her in 1942. She barely escapes being hauled off by German soldiers during a daytime raid of the ghetto, and her parents know things have gone from bad to worse. A few months later, her mother now pregnant with a much wanted second child, the family goes into hiding below the city streets.

Ella, meanwhile, lives alongside the Germans in Krakow. But like many, she doesn't support the war or the Germans. Her existence is precarious, she knows. Her father enlisted and has been reported missing. Her boyfriend has gone off to fight, breaking their relationship and her heart before setting off, certain he won't return. Left alone with her stepmother, who she's never gotten along with, she fills her days painting and waiting for the end of the war. All the while hiding out from her stepmother's endless parties with German soldiers.

So when Ella meets and decides to help Sadie, she's taking a huge risk.

And that's the draw to a story like this: average people fighting, even in small ways, against evil.

Jenoff's author's note at the end draws comparison to writing about Sadie's experienced isolation and the events of the past year. And it's virtually impossible not to feel the suffocation and claustrophobia of Sadie's existence. It's also completely impossible not to have your heart torn to pieces reading her story, knowing that even though this particular story is fiction, the events the story are based on happened not so very long ago.

Jenoff herself is a fascinating person. She's a bestselling author who lived in Krakow once upon a time, working at the US Consulate there. Her expertise in WWII history and her deft hand at building rounded and fully developed characters are both things that make her books so adored by readers.

The Woman With the Blue Star is an emotional read that will remind you that there are indeed heroes amongst everyday people and that even in the worst circumstances, hope, hard as it may be to hold on to, can be all the difference in the world.

Welcome to my stop on the Pam Jenoff Blog Tour for #TheWomanWithTheBlueStar. Thanks to #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks @HarperCollins @ParkRowBooks for my complimentary eARC upon my request. All opinions are my own.

In 1942, eighteen-year-old Sadie and her parents are forced to flee the Krakow Ghetto to avoid being sent to a concentration camp. They seek refuge in the sewer system beneath the city. One day, Sadie looks up through the grate and makes eye contact with a young Polish woman, Ella. Putting her fears aside, Ella begins to aid Sadie by bringing her a bit of food. The story follows their friendship as Ella helps Sadie in any way that she can.

Overall, I found The Woman With the Blue Star an especially heartbreaking and tragic story of the will to survive. It’s almost beyond comprehension to know that this story is inspired by people who actually used the sewers as a desperate and last-resort means of escape and refuge.

Jenoff introduces and concludes the story in a present timeline, but the story itself is told in a past timeline. Once we are in the past, we stay there (no hopping back and forth between timelines). I know many of us appreciate a chronological timeline!

I love that I can depend upon Jenoff for a well-told, well-written, memorable, and engaging story. It was unputdownable as I feared for Sadie’s and Ella’s wellbeing and safety throughout. Vivid details and descriptions bring me right into the flight for safety, the atrocious conditions in the sewer, and the details help me appreciate the danger involved with helping others. The story has a somewhat satisfying (and realistic) ending, but I can’t say more because of spoilers.

I love the strong themes of friendship, sacrifice, hope, loyalty, adversity, kindness, endurance, and survival.

I’m recommending The Woman With the Blue Star for fans of WW11 historical fiction and for those who love stories about inspirational, brave women. Books clubs whose members are OK with some tragedy might appreciate this survival story.

Content Consideration: war atrocities, starvation, death, grief

Wow. Just wow. I love Pam Jenoff’s books. This one is astonishing. I don’t know how a book about Jews hiding in Krakow can feel like a thriller, but this one does. Hard to put down. Heartbreaking yet extremely satisfying page turner.

What was the last book you read that you couldn’t put down? For me, it was this book!!

I have read many historical fiction books taking place during WWII, and Pam Jenoff is one of the best writers in this category! I am always looking to learn something new and her books are always well researched and deliver every time. I think this is one of her best yet!!

The book is based on true events and shares the stories of the Jewish families that lived in the sewers of Krakow Poland during WWII (1942-1943) to escape the Nazi concentration camps. It truly breaks my heart to think that people had to live in these unsanitary conditions just to live another day in the sewer. How they kept going is beyond me! This story shows the strength, resilience and kindness of people in an otherwise bleak and sad time in our history.

Jenoff develops such amazingly strong characters that you feel a connection with both Sadie and Ella instantly. Sadie, a Jewish girl, living in the sewers, trying to survive with her family and Ella, a polish girl, doing everything she can to help Sadie and the others survive even though it might put everyone in more danger. It was the only way they knew of to try to make it, losing some people despite their efforts. Sadie and Ella are two characters I won’t soon forget. These strong girls were shining examples that even if you come from two extreme different backgrounds, love and trust can overcome any obstacle. Something that we could all learn from even today!

I can’t say enough good things about The Women with the Blue Star!!! Again, it goes on sale today!! What are you waiting for?

3.5 STARS - I love WWII Historical Fiction - a genre with gripping characters and stories that often educate me about lesser-known aspects of the war. In her latest book, author Pam Jenoff takes her readers deep into the sewers of Krakow, Poland as a group of Jewish citizens suffer horrible living conditions to stay out of the Nazis' reach. Based loosely on real events, this is a haunting story about kindness, family, bravery, friendship and sacrifice in one of the darkest periods of history.

Naturally, the unique sewer setting intrigued me, but I also loved that the story is set in Poland, not England, France or Italy - popular WWII settings. The story is told using dual narration of 18-year-old Sadie who is a Jew and 19-year-old Ella, an upper-class Christian woman living with her Nazi sympathizing evil stepmother. Through these POVs, Jenoff shows several aspects of Nazi rule -- collaborators and others who risk their lives to help complete strangers. Readers often learn about these aspects (emptying of the Krakow Jewish ghetto, concentration camps ...) as second-hand news which keeps the reader just outside the harsher elements of war.

This story's strength is in its premise and setting, but I struggled to connect with Sadie, whose extreme naiveté felt distracting and occasional bits of redundant dialogue that slowed things down. I also questioned the plausibility that Sadie and Ella could regularly converse through the sewer grate on popular street during Nazi occupation. But once you get past that idea, this is an interesting story with a unique setting that will appeal to many fans of this popular genre. The Women With The Blue Star touches on aspects of the war but still retains a lighter Historical Fiction feel with its focus on perseverance, friendship and extraordinary bravery. Look for this book in stores May 4, 2021!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Park Row Books for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.

The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff was another excellent historical fiction novel based on true events by her. I absolutely loved The Lost Girls of Paris and this book was equally as good.

The Woman with the Blue Star follows the story of two women in Warsaw, Poland during WWII. Sadie, a Jew, and Ella, a Pole form an unlikely friendship after Ella discovers Sadie and her family hiding in the sewer to escape the Nazis.

This story was an excellent testament to the power of friendship and doing the right thing even when faced with possiblity of punishment and death. The hardships that Sadie endured during her time in the sewer would have been enough to break the strongest of people but her endurance is something legends are made of. Ella also showed perseverance and bravery when she didn't have to. She saw the plight of her fellow man and did what needed to be done. I could only hope that I am the same sort of friend in the face of adversity.

Well, now that I finished the book, I can breathe. I felt like I was holding my breath the whole time. First, a quick synopsis...Sadie and her family are in the middle of World War II and the Germans have invaded Poland. There is no choice for Sadie and her family but to hide underground...in the sewers of Kraków. One day, a young woman named Ella sees Sadie through one of the grates in the sewer. Ella is facing her own troubles during the war what with her family and her boyfriend Krys, who is away at war. Both young women have seen heartbreak and face a very uncertain future. What follows is a tale of friendship, compassion and unbelievable courage.

I can't rave about this book enough. First of all, this type of thing really did happen in the Holocaust. While I may have known that Jewish families hid, I had no idea that people took to the sewers beneath the street. That is absolutely unfathomable to me. We're not talking for a night or two either. The author notes at the end of the book that there is a non-fiction book about families who lived in the sewers for months, and sometimes even a year or two. Can you even begin to imagine this? Honestly, I don't think I would make it.

I rarely give a book 5 stars on Goodreads, but if there were more to give for this book, I would have. I felt shock, horror, disbelief, love, hope, gratefulness...ALL the feelings. This book took me on such an emotional roller coaster. I can't even begin to describe it. The characters were wonderful and the story is a bittersweet all encompassing experience. The way the author wrote this story made me feel like I was WITH Sadie. And, no spoilers, but the way the author wrapped things up? Well, there are no words. This is what books are supposed to be in my opinion. I felt so vested in the story and the characters that when I was finished the book, I was sad to leave them.

Linda Zagon (Lindas Book Obsession) Reviews “The Woman With The Blue Star” by Pam Jenoff, Park Row Books, May 4, 2021

WOW! Kudos to Pam Jenoff, the author of “The Woman With The Blue Star” for such a memorable, heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking novel. This is one of the best Historical Fiction books, certainly in 2021 that captures the tragedies, horrors, life, and death of World War Two in the Krakow Ghetto. I have read many of Pam Jenoff’s books, and she is a master writer and storyteller that vividly describes the characters, events, and landscape of the time period. I appreciate the hours of dedicated and detailed research that the author has to do. The time period in this novel is set in 1942 and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters and events. The author describes the complex and complicated characters and contrasts the good vs. the evil.

Can you imagine the only chance to survive during the hell of war, is by living and hiding in the sewers of the city? Think of the raw sewage, the rats, the flooding, the smells that you have to ignore. Sadie Gault is 18 years old, and with her family is forced to hide in the sewers. Her mother is pregnant, and food is scarce. If the Germans discover them, they will be killed. One of the Polish men has risked his life to save theirs.

Sadie has tremendous anxiety and energy. She gazes through the grates and sees a girl, Ella Stepanek buying flowers. Ella notices Sadie. Ella is a very wealthy Polish girl living with her stepmother, who has alliances with the Germans. Will Sadie find a friend that can help her?

I highly recommend this captivating, intriguing, poignant, and memorable book for all readers. This is based on true events! It is a testament and reminder that we can never forget! Pam Jenoff has written such a thought-provoking book!

The Woman With the Blue Star is a masterpiece of WWII historical fiction that was based on the true events of a group of Jewish people in Lvov who lived in the sewers in order to survive (check out behind the scenes facts and pictures on Jenoff’s website and Instagram page). From the moment I picked this story up, I was whisked away to Kraków, Poland and into the extraordinary lives of Sadie and Ella. Their story was one that I could not tear myself away from and finished in less than 24 hours.

Right now I find myself at a loss for words as I attempt to write this review. I loved this book so much, and I want to write a review that truly captures the depth in this beautiful and tragic story. How, oh how, do I capture the true dynamics and wonder of Pam Jenoff’s story telling? How do I write a review for an author I admire and respect so much, and then have it draw you in and emotionally move you as much as this book did for me? The simple answer (after staring at the blank screen on my laptop for ages while mumbling to myself) is that I cannot possibly do this, so please note that there is so much more depth to this story than I can possibly relate in my review.

The Woman With the Blue Star was truly was an inspiring story about two women willing to sacrifice and take risks in order to help others survive during a time of unspeakable atrocities. This story was more than just about survival. It was about the unlikely friendship between Sadie and Ella and the strength they drew from each other during the German occupation. I really felt like I actually knew these strong women, and I was right there with them. When their heart broke, my heart broke. What they felt, I felt.

As I said before, this novel really drew me in emotionally, and the twists and turns kept me on edge of my seat as I found myself and my heart clutched into the arms of the Germans during World War II. This book provoked such emotion, making me really feel the desperation, attachments and loss and hope in 1940s war time Poland. This story was not neatly tied up to make the reader satisfied. Any discomfort or sadness I felt was necessary and right. I don't want to feel my emotions smoothed over for a more comfortable experience, I want to vicariously feel the experiences of these characters cast from real history....and I did.

Overall, this is a story about fear, love, courage, miracles and secrets -- people like us living a life pushed by circumstances; a life they didn't chose. It was a moving narrative guaranteed with an ending not to leave your eyes dry.

Wow!!!! Pam Jenoff has written an incredible story about Polish Jews in Krakow. The year is 1942 and Sadie and her family are living in Krakow when the Germans start arresting people. Sadie and her parents go to the underground sewer with another family and try to figure out his to survive. Sadies mother is pregnant and she is worried about what it will be like when the baby comes.

One day, Sadie is looking out onto the street from one the the grates and Ella sees her. Ella knows that she must help Ella. The girls will become friends but what will happen with these families who are hiding.

This book is written so well that I felt like I was in that sewer and I had to turn the pages quickly so I knew what would come next!! This is a book about survival, friendship, love and how people can rise to the occasion to help others.

I highly recommend this great book by Pam Jenoff!!

I received an early digital copy of this book.

I forgot what it's like to be in love with and heartbroken by a story until i read this one.
A heartbreaking and lovely story about a beautiful old town whose history is overrun and hi-jacked by the nazis. But love and friendship can blossom in even the darkest of days.

***I received an advance copy of this book***

I’m a huge historical fiction fan. I’m even more of a WWII Historical Fiction fan. I love reading stories of survival or strength that came from those on the side of good during WWII. I knew I had to read The Woman with the Blue Star by Pam Jenoff as soon as I read the description.

The story follows Sadie, a jewish girl hiding in the sewers with her family and others as German soldiers take away all the Jews from their homes and burn their part of the city to the ground. Then we have Ella, a polish girl who has some clearance to wander the city thanks to her aunt’s relationship with the German soldiers. But Ella doesn’t feel that way and soon finds herself helping Sadie.

This story is so heartbreaking. While the strength of the characters is beyond comprehension, what they are forced to do and handle is more than most people could do. I absolutely love the characters that Jenoff wrote. They are strong, but also have moments where they just can’t be strong and show this level of vulnerability that makes your heart shatter into a million pieces. Ella is meek at times, but silently fierce at others. She is doing things to help that she doesn’t even realize she is doing. Sadie is my superhero at this point. She survives because it is all she knows to do and knows that she doesn’t have a choice otherwise. I felt so many different things while reading this book. I felt hope, angst, stress, worry, love, and pure and utter sadness. The fact that Jenoff could make me feel so much in 400 pages just shows the kind of writer she is. Absolutely flawless. Not only that, but the story was well thought out and flowed seamlessly, even as we jumped between Ella and Sadie.

The story never had a boring moment. I was intrigued and flipping pages from the very first moment. I wanted to know what was happening and how it would end. I also was not expecting the ending at all. I thought I knew what most historical fiction novels in this time ended like. One of two things happen. Either they survive and we see what happened to them after the war, or they die. That’s it. This one has a bit of a twist I didn’t see coming and I really appreciated. It was a really sad, happy ending, if that makes sense.

Will I read Pam Jenoff again? Absolutely! Without a doubt. The Women with the Blue Star was hauntingly beautiful and soul crushingly sad all wrapped into one. I already have her next book ready to start and I cannot wait to read them off. She is definitely a new favorite of mine.

Disclaimer: I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Woman with the Blue Star

Author: Pam Jenoff

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: Polish main character and Jewish main character and side characters

Recommended For...: historical fiction fans, WWII readers

Publication Date: May 4, 2021

Genre: Historical Fiction

Recommended Age: 18+ (drowning, Nazis, violence, gore, side character romancing SS officers)

Publisher: Park Row

Pages: 336

Synopsis: 1942. Sadie Gault is eighteen and living with her parents amid the horrors of 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 has developed close alliances with the occupying Germans. Scorned by her friends and longing for her fiancé, who has gone off to war, Ella wanders Kraków restlessly. 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, their lives are set on a collision course that will test them in the face of overwhelming odds. Inspired by harrowing true stories, The Woman with the Blue Star is an emotional testament to the power of friendship and the extraordinary strength of the human will to survive.

Review: I really liked this read. The book was well written and it conveyed the horrors of WWII and it shows the reader the terror of having your ghetto raided as a Jewish family during that time. The horror almost immediately starts, so please be advised of the TWs before you read the book. The book had well done character development and world building. The plot is also well done and will keep you going throughout the read.

The only issue I really had with the book is that the pacing was a bit fast in places. It really feels like running a marathon reading this book in certain places.

Verdict: Highly recommend.

In 1942, Sadie is 18 and living with her parents in the Kraków Ghetto. When the Nazis come to take away everyone from the Ghetto, Sadie and her parents escape through the sewers. Unfortunately the Nazis have their escape route blocked so Sadie's family and the other Jewish family have to live in the sewers to avoid the Nazis.. Ella lives with her stepmother in a wealthy part of town, Her stepmother sends her to the market for cherries and Ella sees Sadie living in the sewer. The 2 become fast friends with Ella promising to bring food to Sadie and the others. As the war continues, things get quite scary of Sadie and the others. Ella and a few of her friends are determined to help Sadie and the other family. This is a heartbreaking story of family, friendship, and enduring the absolute worst conditions war has to offer. This story and its amazing characters will live in my heart forever. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read The Woman With The Blue Star

When Sadie and her family decide to escape the Kraków ghetto , they end up living underneath the city, in the sewers with another family. Sadie forms an unlike relationship with Ella, a Polish girl with ties to the Nazis, so tries to help Sadie and her family.


Overall, this book didn’t like up to my expectations. The underlying story of the families living in the Kraków sewers to survive was not something I was familiar with, and I found that aspect educational and informative. I did not like Sadie’s character - she quite often acted way younger than her years, and behaved more like a petulant child than a young woman ( especially in those times) ... the love stories seemed forced and didn’t really add much to the story, and overall, I wanted to know what happened, but I wasn’t that invested in the story at all.