I was anxious to read Ways We Hide as I loved Ms. McMorris' other book Sold on a Monday. She did not disappoint. I was hooked in the first chapter. Magic and magicians generally do not interest me but how the premise was applied to supporting M19 during WWII definitely did. The primary characters were fully developed including their flaws. I have shared this with my book club which also enjoyed Sold on a Monday. Please support this author who draws inspiration from her found objects and pictures.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I've been on a WWII kick lately. I love reading about the every day people who went above and beyond to help their to become unsung war heroes. It gives me hope for humanity.

The Ways We Hide is a historical fiction story based around true events. Fenna had a good, but hard life. She went through many hardships and overcame them to do great things. Her story is one of love and loss and courage to endure. I enjoyed her story, her tenacity, and her unwillingness to give up on those she loves.

This was my second book by this author, and I've come to enjoy the writing style and storytelling.

Ⓑⓞⓞⓚ Ⓡⓔⓥⓘⓔⓦ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝕎𝕒𝕪𝕤 𝕎𝕖 ℍ𝕚𝕕𝕖
𝙺𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚊 𝙼𝚌𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚜
World War ll Historical Fiction
496 Pages
Pub date: September 6, 2022

Sʜᴏᴿᴛ Sʏɴᴏᴘsɪs

Fenna had a tough childhood going from poor but loved to becoming an orphan. Her two saving graces are magic and her friend Arie. Magic leads her to work with an escape artist. Although she is the brains behind the tricks, she doesn’t get the credit she deserves. So, when the British Military Intelligence wants her to work for them designing aids to help their men escape from the Germans, she accepts.

Adding escape methods to many everyday items keeps her busy and away from her past until she sees Arie again. Shortly after, she is grilled about what she told him. Learning that he is in danger, she puts herself in the same position as she is determined to keep him safe.

Mʸ Tᴴᴼᵁᴳᴴᵀs

The Ways We Hide is yet another look into a war that reached far and wide. The focus is on a young girl named Fenna who grows up to use her illusionist skills to help soldiers, including escape aids to prisoners of war working for British Intelligence. This was kept classified, helping thirty-five thousand men return to friendly ground. I had no idea of this Official Secrets Act. Amazing!

Another piece of history I have never heard about is the Italian Hall Disaster that occurred in Calumet, Michigan, in 1913, and I live in Michigan. Seventy-three people died from a stampede in a stairwell after someone yelled fire. There was no fire. In this story, Fenna was part of this.

Make sure to read the Author’s Note at the end. Kristina describes her research which is fascinating. I found this quote by the author incredibly accurate, “I often liken historical fiction to ‘literary Advil,’ in that, ideally, readers enjoy the sugarcoating of a story while benefiting from the ‘good stuff’ along the way.”

The story itself is a heartfelt look at a woman who suffered through many hardships while continuing to love and care for others. She worked tirelessly and put herself in danger to help soldiers and other people in her life. I’d say this book is sad yet informative, dealing with love and loss at a fundamental level. I certainly learned from it. .

A WWll novel about a female magician/illusionist who is recruited by British Intelligence to help the Allies by using common items to hide maps, rations, money and safe houses. Fenna finds herself in the Nazi occupied Denmark trying to save her childhood sweetheart. Historical fiction at its best.

What a unique story!! I thought I'd read every POV about WW2, but this was so interesting and different. Also, I am from the area near Calumet fires and knew NOTHING. This is why books are so important!!

I really enjoyed how these two unique events were woven together. The author notes go into this idea more and how it came about. Don't skip author notes, people!!

This is a tale of a little Dutch American girl, Fenna Vos. Her life is shaped by a childhood tragedy. Magic becomes a refuge for her. Her specialty is escapes. She appears as the assistant in the acts, hiding her mastery behind the scenes. But a clever spy gadget master sees through this and recruits her for a branch of the WWII British Intelligence Service. The story proceeds like a complex magic trick.
This is a review of an eGalley provided by NetGalley.

Some of the descriptors I imagined would pop up if I scrolled on this title for a show on a streaming service would say, "strong female lead, WWII drama, suspense, and based on true events.” The story is told from the perspective of Fenna Vos, a Dutch-American woman living during WWII, a time known as “the Greatest Generation,” and is set up in three different time periods. The story opens in 1942 when she and her partner Charles are performing escape acts in front of mostly WWII service members. Fenna doesn't realize it at the time, but she's sharing her special skills and abilities in creating illusions to someone from British intelligence. She masterminded the act and had helped to mold Charles into the showman and performer he is today. But he had started to veer from their plans. He went rogue during one act, and Fenna had a PTSD moment that hinted at past trauma.
McMorris gave enough clues to make me want to know what happened to Fenna that caused the panic inside. With her relationship with Charles fraying at the seams, she considered a new opportunity when approached by the British intelligence agent, Christopher Clayton Hutton, to work for MI9 in London. Her upset with Charles also caused her return in her mind to the past to someone else she wronged, Arie Jansen, a childhood friend. Fenna contacted Arie, an engineer and U.S. service member now, to tell him about the opportunity with MI9. Arie seemed distant and angry; he misunderstood her during that phone conversation. Conflict between two men in her life then appeared to push Fenna into the direction of accepting the position where she would invent gadget that hide things like maps, compasses, tools, and other items service members would need in combat.
The second part began in 1928 when Fenna experienced a horrific event as a child living in a copper mining town in Eden Springs, Michigan. She had attended a party on Christmas Eve party for striking miners and their children. This is when Fenna met Arie and explained the incredible bond they had, as well as their individual coping mechanisms. I won’t give anything away, but the pace picked up here and set my heart racing with Fenna’s through several chapters. I told my husband what I had just read one night when I couldn't block out the scenes, and he thought I had read a news article. I said, “No, but it might as well be! It's based on real events.” Searching online, I found the story about the Italian Hall and the tragic event on Christmas Eve 1913 that became the backstory for the traumatic event. I had some sleepless nights. I started reading this book in the daytime. Yes, it’s that intense.
One of Fenna’s ways of coping came from reading and acting out magic tricks from a book Arie gave her by Harry Houdini. I got the sense that she escaped often when faced with a breaking point in her life to avoid processing the pain.
And the hits in this novel just kept coming for Fenna. But then, she rose time and time again, doing the best she could to survive each new challenge.
Fenna’s coping mechanisms played into her skills in the field as an agent. She didn’t sleep often at night to avoid the nightmares caused by the traumatic childhood event. She could stay awake and alert. Her love of magic and Houdini led to her ability to escape life-threatening situations. She could hide inner turmoil, trauma, and fear behind a semblance of control. She could keep moving after seeing things that would leave anyone immobilized and terrified.
I had great respect and admiration for Fenna and felt this novel should be a "must-read" for fall. She showed:
1. Self-control. Whether thinking through possible scenarios or reading a situation or person, she let herself only briefly go toward the negative, and then stop herself and reign in her thoughts.
2. Strong loyalty. She didn’t jump to conclusions about the people in her life, at least not right away. Her ability to read people well developed over the years, so she trusted her own judgment.
3. Confidence. She collected information before she went with her instincts. She didn’t let fear take over and stop her in her tracks for long, even at the possibility of not making it out of a situation alive and well.
4. Character. She may not have overtly talked about a faith in God, but she held herself and others to a strong sense of morals and ethics. As a young child and later as a young woman, she often put others’ needs before her own. She also tried to protect others from harm at the possible expense of her own happiness, well-being, or safety.
Thank you, Sourcebooks, and Netgalley for this opportunity to read and review Kristina McMorris’ “The Ways We Hide” before its release.

I loved the characters in this book! They were real people with real emotions that I could feel coming across through the pages of the book. Their struggles are real and the storyline is one that not only captivated me, but gave me information regarding the actions taken by the English to enable their soldiers and officers to escape if captured during World War II. It was information that I had never known and I felt connected to the characters and their trauma, struggles and love. War is never pretty, and love amidst war can make a person do things they never thought possible. That’s what this story is about. Enduring love in the midst of struggles and war. New to Kristina McMorris writing, but this won’t be the last of her books that I’ll read. I felt privileged to get an advance copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The first book I read of Kristina McMorris was "The Edge of Lost" and I loved it! "Sold on a Monday" is also on my TBR and I'm looking forward to it. That said however, I did not enjoy this story as much as I had hoped.
The topic was intriguing and there was so much material to work with that it was disappointing to read the final assemblage.

The focus of the story is Fenna who should be a fascinating character and would be if we could see more of her skill building and application as an illusionist but instead we are simple told she learned from a carpenter and a locksmith and occasionally makes a few gadgets to assist the Allies in WWII. The majority of the book of the book is dealing with her childhood trauma of a deadly party hall stampede and her feelings for her childhood mate Arie. I wish the author had cut out unnecessary part such as her stay at an orphanage in favor of seeing her grow as magician.

Even her time undercover in The Netherlands seemed pointless and rushed. Very little of her skill set was put to use and even Arie's story at this juncture was shallow. Remember his sister? No? Ok, well let's have Fenna do a quick flashback to try to make it relevant.

By the end, it didn't matter to me what happened to any of the characters. Just glad it was over. It almost seemed as if the book itself was Fenna telling her story from the outside instead of living it. Don't just tell me all she knows and has done, SHOW ME HER JOURNEY.

The positive I will say is that the Author's Note at the end explained several historical events where she got her ideas like "How Monopoly Helped Win the War" and it peaked my interest to look into those.

Kristina McMorris' book The Ways We Hide is a touching work of historical fiction. Set during World War II, the book follows the story of Fenna, an illusionist who joins the British army intelligence. She uses her specialized expertise as an inventor designing escape aids for the military. Fenna embarks on the most dangerous mission of her life as she is forced to come face-to-face with her past.

The Way We Hide takes a few chapters to get into, but quickly becomes a page-turner. For those that enjoy magic and illustration, the premise is extremely interesting. Additionally, the story is an emotional retelling of WWII events. For a captivating side note, there are elements of romance sprinkled throughout. Be sure to read the author's notes regarding the history behind the novel. It is a fascinating source of information.

Kristina McMorris is the author of six books, two of which are bestsellers. This is my second book by this author. I also enjoyed Sold on Monday which is McMorris' New York Times best-selling book published in 2018.

Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris is available on September 6th.
(4.25 ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫)

Thank you, NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark, for sharing this very interesting look back in history. Your kindness is appreciated!

Thanks to Netgalley for the preview of this book.

This book got me at the very beginning- an illusionist's assistant, a survivor of the Children's Christmas tragedy in Copper County MI (well, based on that tragedy) and WWII spy. I was caught right away, and kept the pages turning.

The book has intelligent science, interesting ins and outs, spy curiosities (I wanted pictures!) and heart pounding excitement. At times it got a little long and wordy, but I found myself wanting to get back and pick it up. Finally I had a chunk of time and read about the last 40% in one day. The book held my attention, a different perspective to WWII. I wanted to know more about the Dutch soldiers that got recruited against their will, and those working underground for the resistance. I liked the characters and their stoic back stories. Great authors notes at the end, much of the book is based on real people and real occurrences.

Definitely will be recommending this book, and I can see it being a good discussion for book club.

The Ways We Hide is a very well done book that primarily takes place in Holland (the Netherlands) during World War II, but starts its journey in the United States with Fenna Vos and her father in a small Dutch mining community. McMorris does a fantastic job integrating both historical events and people into this story, and tying little known real events into the path of her protagonist. Fenna discovers a love for magic as a child and after being caught up in a riot that leaves her with a paralyzing fear of enclosed spaces and the subsequent loss of her father, it is the one small thing that she can hold tight to in her life. She eventually makes her way to her best friend Arie, and his parents take her in - but the love for magic stays. Fenna eventually follows Arie into military intelligence, which lands her with MI9 coming up with secrets and tricks to help save and guide soldiers behind enemy lines. But when Arie goes behind enemy lines himself with a secret mission, Fenna decides to follow to get him out, and prove that he isn't a traitor. Not surprisingly, things don't go smoothly, and Arie's reason for being there means Fenna has to put together a daring and risky plan to try and get everyone out. Can her love of Houdini and her magic and illusionist skills save the day? The magic elements help this stand out from the WWII crowd some, and it was interesting to learn that one of the characters Fenna works with in MI9 is based on a real person that was an inspiration for Q in Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. There's a part of me that the magic and illusion element could have been a larger part of the book, because despite the book taking place partly in Holland (instead of the very popular France and Germany) it's still a woman that's going on a dangerous mission in the middle of Nazi occupied Europe, and my capacity for these stories being spun a slightly different way over and over again is starting to get exhausted. The book is well done, but because I've read many books in this very specific genre, I did find myself tuning out to the details in the story. I fully acknowledge that this is likely just me, as the reviews for the book are excellent. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are expressly my own.

What a wonderful book! I was captivated by Fenna's story - her sorrows were many but her joy, perseverance, and determination truly changed her life. This book was a keeper from beginning to end. I really enjoyed the supplemental characters along the way, especially all the folks she worked with in London during the war. Fenna's love story with Arie over the years definitely took a backseat to her work as a magician and espionage during WWII. But it definitely was an important part of the story and one I enjoyed. I thought this book was an excellent read all around!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

Arriving on bookshelves in September 2022, The Ways We Hide is an incredibly researched and compelling WWII historical fiction novel. Following Fenna Voss's journey from a stage magician to designing hidden safety tools for the war effort, it's a lesson in resiliency because this woman DID. NOT. QUIT. As a Wisconsin girl, I loved all of the scattered mentions of towns in the Fox Valley and imagined that Fenna would be tickled to know about Appleton's Houdini Museum.

For me, this novel kicked off strong and I was hooked immediately...but I lost steam when the author took a long detour into Fenna's backstory. It was necessary information, but all of the action and momentum is in the current story. Hang in there if you feel the same way! The current timeline comes back strong.

Thank you to NetGalley for early access to this novel.

What an intriguing read! Fenna has experienced a lot in her lifetime, but her strength is inspiring. In the author’s note, she explains which parts were based on true stories. This was very well written historical fiction, where the author really did her research. I was immersed into this read from the start to end! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC for my honest feedback.

When I first received access to The Ways We Hide, I had no idea what to expect. I had never read anything by this author (although that is definitely about to change) but my love for historical fiction certainly drew me in. Once I started reading, I was unable to put this book down. Kristina McMorris’ ability to create relatable characters had this reader crying with them, feeling their anxiety, and experiencing emotions that these fictional characters surely would have been feeling. While I often complain about a lack of character development in the work of some authors, Ms. McMorris has thoroughly done her research and spent time creating characters with depth and a detailed backstory to make the reader care about each and every one of them.

The Ways We Hide introduces us to the character of Fenna Vos who, is one half of a team entertaining people with illusions and miraculous escapes. In fact, she is the mastermind behind the team’s productions while acting as the assistant to the escape artist. Fenna grew up in Michigan’s Copper Country where her father worked in the mines. A life of financial hardship during the 1920’s, has taught her how to look out for herself and shaped her as a person. Upon her father’s death, Ven’s life is set upon a trajectory where she will have multiple opportunities to hone her skills and become an expert in escape and evasion. This expertise is what sets her apart and leads to her being called upon to join British intelligence to help with the war effort. Her ability to dissect illusions and gadgets will place her in danger as she embarks on a journey to help a childhood friend on the mission of a lifetime. The story hooked me from the start and kept pulling me along. I can’t wait for everyone to have access to this book!

Expected release date: September 6, 2022. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this ARC.

"Ways We Hide" is a creative change to the typical WWII novels of the last few years. It is the story of a young woman who grew up during the hardships of The Great Depression and develops a skill for illusion and magic. As the story continues she becomes an orphan and finds a family and a lover. World War II intervenes and she is recruited by her country to use her skills to develop ways to hide tools that can assist POWs and others in the war. All this is intertwined with the love of her life and her own creative skills for survival. I found it an intriguing story, albeit, a long one. The plot is creative, and the characters for the most part likable and interesting. There are layers upon layers in the story and I found myself having to reread its part to keep up. It is a story with many phases and lots of history interwoven in its pages. If you enjoy history, magic, and illusion you will love this book. Thanks to #NetGalley#WaysWeHide for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Fans of McMorris' Sold On A Monday will LOVE The Ways We Hide. Protagonist Fenna is haunted by her past, including the early loss of her parents. She finds comfort in a book about Houdini and hones her skills in the art of illusion, eventually attracting the attention of a recruiter from MI9 - a branch of British intelligence that provides escape and evasion support. Her harrowing journey into Nazi-occupied territory will keep readers up late!

I'll start by saying that the "Ways We Hide" is one of the best books that I have read in a long time. The story of Fenna Vos an illusionist/magician who is recruited by Christopher Hutton to join his team in London's War Office in creating escape-and-evasion gadgets for airmen, POWs and others who are fighting for the war. Without giving too much away, the first part of the book focuses on Fenna's tragic upbringing in the US as well as her fear of committing to the one man she truly loves Arie Jansen. The rest of the novel portrays Fenna's plight to clear Arie's name and help him rescue his young niece Evelien. This story is riveting and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. Kristina McMorris has managed to take real life events with a bit of narrative license and weave a fictional story that is utterly captivating.

“The Ways We Hide” felt like a 2-part story to me. The first half covers Fenna’s early years in America. It sets up the story but moves slowly. The second half drops Fenna into the middle of WW2 and takes off for quite a ride. I liked Fenna more in the second half and had trouble putting the book down once she arrived in Holland.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.