I keep telling myself I won't read any more WWII historical fiction because how many new stories can there possibly be to tell? Then I read the blurb and got sucked in by "something new" (to me), a story based on true lives of two female teenage members of the Dutch Resistance. This was a great addition to the genre, well-written and full of suspense and emotion, while also teaching me some new historical facets to WWII.

Loosely based on the true story of two sisters from the Netherlands Freddie and Truus Oversteegen who were part of the Dutch Resistance during WWII. This book describes the story of Lien and her sister Elif as Germany invades the Netherlands and their experiences as part of that Resistance. The author does a beautiful job of telling this story. It is the perfect amount of history, danger and a bit of romance.

Lastly, I absolutely loved how the author wrote about Lien’s life and the impact the experiences had on her after WWII.

Wow, you know those books that when you finish reading you just stare of into space taking it all in because it was that good? Yup, that’s this book. It had everything….history, suspense, love, family and most importantly, it was unputdownable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this early read.

“Angels of the Resistance” by Noelle Salazar is a historical fiction WWII book. It is based loosely on two Dutch sisters, Freddie and Truus Oversteegen, who, while teenagers, joined the Dutch Resistance movement. In this book, two sisters Elif and Lien, join the Dutch Resistance. Lien is more keen to join, but at the age of 14 her mother, who also works for the Resistance, is reluctant to give her approval. The girls start helping the movement with small duties such as being couriers and eventually becoming full members of the movement, such as blowing up railroads and killing German soldiers. There are some rather frightening moments, some happy moments, and some moments that will affect them for the rest of their lives.

While the overall story was a good one, the story was extremely slow for the first quarter of the book. Things were hinted at (a person’s death) but not explained, and when the big reveal came later in the book, for me it rather lay there. While I realize that the first quarter of the book was set up for the rest of the book, I wish that it had been a bit more interestingly written. There were a few other moments that, thanks to foreshadowing in the beginning, also didn’t quite work for me, but it was more of a lack of emotional pull although the writing was suggesting otherwise. At times this book really worked and at others, sadly, it lay there. I do think for those who don’t know the story about the Oversteegens or their friend, Hannie Schaft (upon whom a character in this book is fictionally based upon), this book is a great tribute telling their story. However, I think because the first quarter was slow for me that as a whole it didn’t always work for me. A 3.5 star rating, rounded up to 4.

No matter how many books I read about World War II, it is never the same. This book is centered around two young girls living in the Netherlands living with their widowed mother. When the Natzis Invade, the girls join the resistance and learn lessons no one their age should have to face. My thanks to NetGallery for an advanced copy of this novel.