Now this is what a historical fiction book is all about! McMorris leads you on a decades long journey that’s thrilling and fun but also heartbreaking and difficult. I enjoyed the characters and found the romance element of the book exciting - who doesn’t love a “will they, won’t they” plot.

The author notes highlighted the historical elements of the book, which I enjoyed learning about but wonder how realistic the story would be in real life.

Overall, it’s a great WWII historical fiction book that has touches of a spy novel, a romance novel, and a mystery novel.

This story was equal parts heartbreaking and inspiring while set in one of my favorite historical periods to read about. Fenna was a capable and intelligent FMC while still showing vulnerabilities that made her so relatable.
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Even though there were a lot of tearful moments when reading this book, the epilogue was full of hope and I will be thinking about this one for a long time. There is also a fantastic author’s note which I always love when reading historical fiction.
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If you enjoy WWII historical fiction with a strong female lead, you’ll love this book! Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Ways We Hide had a story line that I was unsure if I would be interested in. I was surprised to find the story was enjoyable and I was learning about the happenings around that time frame. It is a dual time frame story but the past and present come together well. Well done Kristina McMorris.

A fascinating story about a seemingly ordinary young woman who grows up as an illusionist and then hired to help with the war effort. That this is based on a true story, blows the mind. Courageous and unexpected!

This was my first book by Kristina McMorris and now I'm going to be looking for more by her! The Ways We Hide captured my interest and tugged on my heartstrings. It felt a little slow going at first but I ended up really loving this story of Fenna who got her start in Copper Country in Upper Michigan. She went through many obstacles and hardships during World War II. If you're anything like me, you'll be rooting for her and Arie the whole way through!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 6 September 2022.

This was so good, I couldn't put the book down. We follow the main character Fenna Vos a poor, Dutch immigrant child in the Upper Midwest to the streets of London during WWII, This is a love story between Fenna and Arie, who we first meet as childhood neighbors. They develop an interest in magic and Fenna is obsessed with Houdini. She becomes a magician and is recruited into the British M19 sector, as she uses her magic skills to help defeat the Germans. She's almost like a female James Bond, A very different war story that is intriguing and once again shows how individuals will help one another. I highly recommend this historical fiction book.

This was an interesting historical fiction. Yes, WWII, but a slightly different story weaving magicians/illusionists into their role. The other interesting draw for me was the inclusion of Harry Houdini (who grew up in my hometown) and the tragedy in the mines in the Upper Penisula.

Would recommend this to others who like historical fiction.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Great introduction to a new author for me, and a wonderful addition to our collection for our patrons. I look forward to more! THANK you!

This is outstanding historical fiction. I’ve read a lot of books in the genre and this is one of my favorites.
The writing is beautiful and the characters are so interesting. I was fascinated to read about the ways magic was used to deceive the Nazis. This is a facet of WWII I hadn’t read much about.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Who better to be a spy than a master illusionist?

In some ways The Ways We Hide is similar to The Circus Train. It starts with a young girl and her father in a mining town. In many ways it is a coming-of-age story as the story follows Fenna Vos from childhood to adulthood. And even though it also spans a period of time that starts in the 1929 and goes past the end of WWII, I felt like this novel is a WWII fiction.

It was a little slow at the beginning when we are introduced to the characters. But I once I connected with the character, I was fully invested in the story. And it become difficult to put the book down.

I like WWII stories that tell about a piece of history tha I haven't read much about. Fenna is recruited by MI-9 to invent gadgets for soldiers and spies. She had been the mastermid behind an illusionist show. Her friened Ari was the star of the show but she is the one that figured out the tricks.

When Ari is accused of being a traitor, Fenna must take her bag of tricks to the field in order to prove his innocence. From the moment she lands on French soil, she must rely on every slight of hand and mode of misdirection she has ever conjured.

The story was intense at times. And while I didn't get the ending that I was hoping for it was still a satisfactory ending. I really liked the characters and it was hard to say goodbye to them when I closed the book.

Be sure to read the author note at the end and McMorris provides more information about the true events she based her story on and where she took creative license with the history.

My review will be published on Thursday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2023/05/3-historical-fiction-stories-you-may.html

Another World War Two fictional setting. This was interesting from the magicians’ perspective. This type of story is not one I typically read, and as such, I lost interest in it half way through. I am sure that there will those out there who will love it..

From the New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday comes a sweeping World War II tale of an illusionist whose recruitment by British Intelligence sets her on a perilous, heartrending path.

I loved Kristina McMorris' Sold on a Monday so I was very drawn into reading Ways We Hide. And it did not disappoint! Fenn Vos, growing up in rural Copper Country, Michigan, is a magician's assistant but she's the real brains behind the act. She is then called upon by British Intelligence to create escape tools to thwart the Germans. Where does her loyalty lie?

This was such an engrossing novel, I would think about it whenever I wasn't reading it!

McMorris writes amazingly researched historical fiction. While the MC is not a real person, she shares the story of things that really happened in our history through this character and I loved every page.

An intriguing story. Not quite as captivating as Sold on a Monday, but certainly an author I will continue to follow.

Not sure how I didn't write a review for this one back in October. What an amazing story based on true accounts during WWII. I loved Sold on a Monday and loved the story of Fenna and her skills as an illusionist. Another great story by Kristina McMorris.

I am a big fan of McMorris. This book, however, seemed to drag on a bit too long for my tastes. Great cover, great premise of the book. I just wish it were a bit more succinct. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read it.

I absolutely love historical fiction books but unfortunately I really did not enjoy this book. I found the plot weak and couldn’t engage with any of the characters.

Thank you to netgalley for this ARC.

I really loved this book. It was a new and different take on WWII fiction focusing on the departments that made specialized equipment for troops to use. I loved how it incorporated magic tricks into the planning of spy equipment too.

Fenna's character was well developed and I liked her relationships with the other characters.

Well done book and excellent story.

Set during WWII, the story dips into the SOE (Special Operations Executive) branch of the Allied Forces, based out of London. The group works diligently to provide tools to operatives for espionage. These special forces worked at headquarters and around Europe to uncover plans of the enemy. Orphaned in her teens, Fenna Vos copes with the loss by learning illusion and misdirection skills. She is a great fan of Henry Houdini. As a young adult, she has a stage show with a partner. At one show, a mystery man watches and later approaches her about a unique opportunity to help with the war effort.
Once on the job, she has an opportunity to reconnect with an old friend. The connection, though, may jeopardize her new career and her life.

I loved the premise of this novel: bold, female illusionist called upon by British Intelligence to create escape tools to thwart the Germans during WWII.

The story might have resonated more with me if it had remained along this vein, but the magic took second stage after the first section. Then the novel seemed to take on a love-story vibe, and then veered into spy-espionage territory for more than ¾ of the book. Neither is my preferred genre – and especially the constant tension that, in this particular novel, doesn’t quite put the characters in enough peril. Inevitably, they escape/survive time and again; it became a bit predictable and a little exhausting.

And, as many of my reader friends know, it is the rare first-person story that knocks my socks off. I’m really wondering (my POV biases aside) if this book would have been better served by a third-person telling, as there is so much internalization, all starting with “I” “I” “I”… (And, interestingly, this book has more uses of the word ‘thus’ than I have ever come upon before). Overall, this one was a bit more commercial than my traditional fare – but compelling, yes, and I see the reader appeal.

There is lots to appreciate. So much historic research went into this book, that it’s hard even for me to fathom (so much of it fascinating, and shared in the author’s note at the end). I think Kristina McMorris fans will enjoy this one as well – even though it is a long book, at 536 pages. That said, the book truly could have benefitted by serious trimming - to the tune of at least 200 pages (as so much of it seemed to drag).

There was a great surprise at the end, however: a recipe for invisible ink. I’m feeling compelled to try it!