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What I Would Tell You

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April 1941 Salonika, Greece — “I must continue to write, whatever the cost may be.”

Mathilda publishes a Jewish newspaper and feels she must warn the people about what is coming. What she cannot write in the paper, she writes in her diary. Everything is hidden all the time, lest the German army finds it. Is she prepared for the cost if she continues even after being warned?

May 2019 Pittsburgh, PA
Tessa Payton, a college student, sends in her DNA to receive a profile - just for fun. One has to wonder if she was ready for what it showed. Traveling to Greece to find out more, a whole new world is opened to her. Will she find answers?

This story that will tear at your heartstrings was received through Barbour Publishing and NetGalley. These thoughts are just the tip of the iceberg requiring a great deal of introspection. The rating and review were in no way solicited.

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How do you write a review for a book that blew you away so much that you’re afraid you’ll do the book a disservice? Gah!

“What I Would Tell You” by Liz Tolsma is probably the best book I read in 2022. Historical fiction taking readers back to the Nazi era of WWII, particularly in Greece. Being from Hawaii, we were not taught much about where the Jews might have lived or how they were forced to relocate throughout the centuries. In fact, it was rare to know a Jew here in the Aloha State when I was growing up.

Anywho, I thoroughly enjoyed the perspective of a young woman in the middle of Nazi tyranny and how she defied the norm by printing a paper to share her views and encouraging her people to rise up and take a stand over the Nazi bullying. While her printing is not well received by the Germans, her husband supports her efforts. Mathilda Nissim made good friends with not only another Jewish woman, but a Christian one as well.

It’s when Mathilda is eye witness to the old butcher’s beating and death by the German’s that she realizes no one will come out to help in fear of going through the same brutality. Little do the Jews in Salonika, Greece realize is that they’ll be tricked into boarding trains for a “work camp.” Mathilda’s own husband was taken to such a place, luckily to return to her just before she gives birth to their first child. He isn’t the same man he was prior to the work camp nor would he talk about what he experienced, in order to save her from the images.

Fast forward to modern day, an American college student does a DNA test along with her cousin. Except their results are drastically different and Tessa wants to know why. Her mother refuses to discuss it. Tessa takes the next flight to Greece to find out more about her people, Sephardic Jews. Tessa finds herself being educated at a museum by a handsome man who shares with her a journal, written by none other than Mathilda Nissim herself. The journal was found in the flat he was renovating in a building he and his family own. He had it translated from Greek in order to share it with more people, like at the museum extension that’s being built.

It’s fascinating to see how Mathilda and Tessa’s stories come together. I was so enthralled that I couldn’t get any sleep, so I finished the book quicker than I usually do! I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras. I’ve already recommended it to my fellow reader friends to read in 2023. I especially love when Mathilda’s Christian friend shares the Gospel with her. It’s the most detailed I’ve ever seen in a fiction book. It’s one reason I believe. It’s the best book I read in 2022. Thank you for this, Liz Tolsma, NetGalley, and Barbour Fiction!

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This novel is a haunting story of the Holocaust. It tells about a less known group of Jews who lost their lives due to the German occupation of Salonica. There is a dual timeline with Mathilde, a Sephardic Jew and Tessa, a college student today. As the author weaves the two stories together, the reader learns about the depth of Mathilde’s love for her child as well as the troubles Tessa has with her own mother. Family relationships are explored and the sacrifices mothers often make for their children are honored.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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I have read many books that are fictional or factual accounts of the Holocaust during World War Two. This is the first time that I have read anything about the devastation the Nazi regime perpetrated upon the Jewish population in Greece. This is a dual timeline story, one of my least favorite kinds but I have to say the back and forth between the 1940's and 2019 gave me moments to 'catch my breath' from the painful war time plot.
To me the beloved character of the book is Sephardic Jew, Mathilda Nissim. The young wife is passionate about her heritage and faith. She can see trouble brewing as she stays alert to reports of the Nazi invasion of countries. Writer and publisher of her own newspaper, she tries to warn others in Salonika, Greece that they must be prepared to fight against these invaders. As time passes this becomes a dangerous yet driven mission on her part.
Tessa Payton is a young college student who feels her life turn upside down in 2019 when she learns that she is descended of Greek Sephardic Jews through DNA testing. She goes against her family to travel to Greece to learn more. This journey is beyond what she could imagine.

I'm going to tell you that this story hit me hard. I've read intense and heartbreaking accounts over fifty years, trying to understand the evil that humans are capable of. I have also seen the amazing fighting spirit that a human can rise to in trying to survive. This story made me cry. I fight tears just trying to review it.

Liz Tolsma has created imperfect, normal humans who are trying to live their lives. She took a dark period in the history of humankind and brought a people to life in this story. My words aren't sufficient to sum this book up. I was allowed to have the advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my own personal opinion about it. She shows how life could have been for the persecuted Greek Jews without being overly graphic while being quite frank about how intense and horrible daily life was. She also draws a line to the generations who comes later after a huge fight for survival. I'm not going to get over this book for a long time.

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Another gift from Author Liz Tolsma, a story that tugs at your heartstrings. Mothers from each generation that try to protect their innocent children.

The story starts with the present day with a DNA results, definitely not what Tessa Payton was expecting, but because of it her life is changed, and a whole new world opens up.

This story is a dual time read, and does deal with a period of time when evil spread across Europe! This story deals with the people living in Greece at this time, and although we now know what happened to most of these people, we put faces on these poor folks, who want to trust the enemy, but what choice did they have?

In the end we are offered some sweet romance, along with a family mystery solved, and found family, along with a lot of forgiveness!

Keep reading, I loved the author's note, learned some history I was unfamiliar with!

I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Barbour, and was not required to give a positive review.

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1941 & 2019 Salonika, Greece

Lovely time slip novel! At the core, it's about bravery and love. In both timelines, motherhood is an integral theme.

Pages were turning in both threads. Beginning each chapter with a journal entry was an engaging way to introduce what was ahead. Journal entries were written by the novel's two young heroines: Tessa in the current day thread and Mathilda in 1941. After Tessa's DNA results reveal she has Jewish heritage, she is eager to learn more about her ancestors in Greece.

Well written novel and full of historical details about Jews in WWII Greece as well as details about the city of Salonika.

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A very emotional read. A DNA test for Tessa leads her to uncover secrets from her past. The road leads her to travel to Thessaloniki where she uncovers many secrets and much of the history of the Holocaust the treatment of Jews in Greece. Will she make a family connection also?

I can’t say I enjoyed this book as there is do much sadness and absolute horror associated with the Holocaust. It is a moving story that follows the lives of several families. The book also blends the past with the present in a touching way that resolves hurts and misunderstandings among Tessa’s family. The writing is excellent and I highly recommend this book. I give it 5 of 5 stars.

I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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What I Would Tell You
by Liz Tolsma
Pub Date: Jan 1, 2023
Barbour
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley! There isn't a book written by Tolsma that hasn't touched my soul deeply. Excellent Book!
Based in part on true accounts of Jews in Salonika, Greece, What I Would Tell You traces two women’s journeys, delving into what faith looks like and where it leads us as they navigate difficult circumstances and impossible choices that have ripple effects across the years.
Split time fiction: WWII and 2019
Stand-alone novel
Don't forget to read the author's notes.
5 stars

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Thanks netgalley and Liz Tolsma for this wonderful story about Mathilda and Asher and the courage they had. Mathilda was strong and determined to tell the people of Thessaloniki the truth about what the Nazis were doing to the people in their town and how they had to fight.
Not everyone felt the same way and thought she was putting everyone in danger, but Mathilda was determined to fight until her darling husband was taken away and she was pregnant.

Her courage never died and she was strong to the very end, by saving her daughter.
This is a story everyone should read about the people in Greece what ever religion you are.

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This is a dual time line story, switching between Mathilda during WWII and Tessa in the present time. There’s bound to be a connection between the two, and they’re both reckless.
I had a hard time liking Mathilda. After the Germans occupied Greece, she was determined to continue writing her newsletter to the Jewish community, despite the danger. She believed she was the voice of warning for her people. God couldn’t be trusted; he hadn’t kept her father alive. Her bull-headedness had a sad result.
A college student, Tessa learns from a DNA test that she’s not who she thought she was. A lot of family secrets give her a skewed view of her late father and her stepfather. She rushes off to Greece to find herself.
The best part of this story is the look at Greece during World War II. It’s limited to the Sephardic Jews. Like the Jews elsewhere in Nazi-occupied Europe, they had a horrific, deadly experience.

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The hard part of reading a novel set during WWII, especially one featuring European Jews, is knowing how bad things are going to get. Here, Mathilda has a community newspaper she uses to denounce the Nazis. Her defiance is inspiring and heartbreaking since the reader knows what she doesn't- how it all will end.

This is a dual timeline book, and the modern day heroine discovers she is part Jewish and decides to research her story. Part of her journey includes questioning her faith since she was raised as a Christian.

Note - this is Christian fiction so don't be surprised with discussions of faith and Christian beliefs.

I enjoyed this story overall. I haven't heard much about Greek Jews so this was educational as well. The two stories dovetail nicely, and the present day storyline subtly hints at the damage family secrets can cause.

Family friendly though the WWII subject matter may be too disturbing for some.

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I was incredibly intrigued by the idea of this story. I think most of us only think of countries that touch Germany in regards to WWII. With it being set in Greece and learning about Sephardic Jews blew my mind! I didn't realize, until this story, that Greece had been so affected by the war. I also learned about Sephardic Jews.

We get to know Tessa, in our current time who, through a DNA test, learns her genealogy isn't what her family thought it was. I liked her because she has tenacity to learn about her past and do something about it! Her familial relationships left a lot to be desired. I think I was as happy as she was for her to go to Greece.

We also meet Mathilda. She is smack dab in the occupation of her city, Salonika. She and her husband are trying to stay out of the way of the Germans while still trying to get their fellow Jews to fight back. You can feel, through their storyline, the push and pull of wanting to fight back while wanting to live. Their lives had me on an emotional roller coaster ride.

Watching the connection between their timelines begin to come together was incredibly powerful. I felt like I was as invested in finding the answers as Tessa was. I wish the world knew more about Sephardic Jews. I'm glad a story like this exists now!

I'm a huge fan of time split stories and I enjoyed both timelines equally. I need more like this!

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Having reading many historical novels about WWII I'm always pleased to find another aspect that is new to me. This dual time story will capture the attention of many readers who enjoy history. The story of the German occupation of Greece and their treatment of the Sephardic Jews is based on facts and real people which in heartbreaking. I liked the present day story of using DNA to help Tessa find her roots but the war time story was much more realistic in my opinion. The connection between Tessa and Mathilda was a given. Loved the diaries. Recommended!

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I didn't really love this book, unfortunately, and didn't make it far into the story before I simply couldn't finish it. Not because it's not well-written or well-researched, but because it's so realistic and heavy. I think readers of Sarah Sundin will love this WWII drama but it is not for the faint of heart.

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“Do we no longer depend on Dio to be our ever-present help? Is that the reason we refuse to fight those who would dispose of us?”

Liz Tolsma is to be commended for highlighting a little-known part of history - the persecution of the Greek Jews - and exploring a setting, Thessalonica, not often used in historical fiction.

This compelling read enlightened readers on the difference between Sephardic and Ashkenazi Hews and what they faced during the 1940s in Greece. Tolsma’s main character in the 1940s timeline harnesses her bravery and uses her typewriter to openly defy Nazis.

In the complementary timeline, 2019 Pittsburg, a DNA test prompts a woman to journey to Greece in search of answers.

Both timelines come together nicely, highlighting family bonds, the search for truth and the beauty of new beginnings yet don’t overshadow the magnitude of the Holocaust. The characters are well-crafted, allowing readers to become more engaged in the story and the spiritual thread woven throughout was thoughtfully written. You’ll notice that Tolsma has a taut grip on her plot and her characters, in facing life and death situations, question their faith resulting in it growing deeper; it’s a wonderfully paced narrative.

I was generously gifted this by Barbour Publishing and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

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What I Would Tell You
By: Liz Tolsma
Publisher: Barbour Fiction
Series: None
Rated: 3-4
Obtain: Borrow
Back of the Book: “DNA Test Unlocks a Family Mystery
Sephardic Jew Mathilda Nissim watches in horror as the Germans invade her beloved city of Salonika, Greece. What angers her most is the lack of resistance her people put up to their captors. In secret and at great risk to her life, she continues to publish her newspaper, calling her people to action. She doesn’t trust God to help them. When she and her husband find out they are expecting a child, Mathilda may have to resort to desperate measures to ensure her daughter’s survival.
Three generations later, college student Riley Payson and her cousin take a popular DNA test only to discover they don’t share any common ancestors. In fact, the test shows Riley is a Sephardic Jew from Greece. This revelation shakes Riley’s tenuous faith and sends her on a journey to discover what happened to her great-grandmother and how all this relates to her faith and her life today.”

Impressions: Hmmm… This was interesting but also frustrating read. I can’t imagine a college student having the amount of cash to travel abroad for an unknown time nor go to a country without knowing any part of the language or culture. I also think that the contemporary story was too perfectly packaged in how everything worked out. Mathilda’s story, however, was more interesting and engaging. She certainly chose to go against the ebb of safety in her choices. Her conviction and boldness were inspirational but at times felt a bit reckless. When we follow God’s calling in our gifts however life can feel a bit reckless. When things like taking a stand for our beliefs frightens us, we can also have peace knowing that Jesus himself went before us and is leading us in his care. This book was well balanced with the two timelines, and I enjoyed stories despite questioning the validity of Riley’s choices.

Quotes: “As Israel of old had stood firm against the Philistines, David defeating the giant, so they would stand against this giant who once more taunted the people of God.” -What boldness Mathilda had in her faith! I pray for boldness like this in my faith.

“Do we no longer depend of Dio to be our ever present help? Is that the reason we refuse to fight those who would dispose of us?” –I love the bold and courageous faith in this question.

“‘God’s timing is perfect. There is a reason He has chosen to give you a child right now.’” – You can fill in the second sentence with what ever you have going on in your life. The first sentence speaks truth over the rest.

“‘We pick each other up. That’s what true friendship is.’”

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews go to: https://simplyannehere.wordpress.com

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I love historical fiction that teaches me about that past! Over the years I have come to count on Liz Tolsma's novels to do just that.

In What I Would Tell You, Tolsma combines the fascinating history of Jews in Greece with the the ancestry/ DNA fascination of today that is sure to thrill readers!

This is her second split-time novel and I for one look forward to many more!

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What I Would Tell you is a story that dives deep into one of the darkest times in history—the persecution and annihilation of so many Jews during WW2. This story isn’t a bow-tied ribbon; it’s an honest look at what it would be like for a Jew defying Nazi’s through the power of words and what that act of bravery costs. With deep themes of sacrifice, mending family relationships, and bravery, this book is a compelling read.

The only reason I’ve knocked off a star in this review is just because some chapters I felt were a bit too slow paced or scenes had the potential to emotionally connect me with the characters more but fell flat. As I said, just personal preferences 😉

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC of What I Would Tell You. A positive review was not required, only my honest opinion. All thoughts are expressly my own.

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After a surprising DNA test, a young woman flies to Greece to uncover the secret of her Jewish ancestry, despite her mother's objections. In a dual time line, a Jewish woman in Greece and her husband try to fight for their future amid the Nazi occupation. I found both stories to be compelling, although the ending seemed a little forced.

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A poignant dual timeline story full of human drama, WW2 history, and family connections, especially mother-daughter relationships.
The author shines a light on a lesser known group who suffered during the Holocaust--the Sephardic Jews in Greece--and brings their tragic history to life through well-developed characters. I learned a lot through the reading and appreciate her careful research; the notes at the end add interesting facts to the fiction of the tale. The present day story connects perfectly with the past, making for a satisfying read overall. I liked the use of diaries to add an extra personal layer to what the characters were experiencing. Their spiritual journey was brought to light this way, as well as in conversations and prayers.
Recommend to readers who like WW2 era stories based on real history. 4.5 stars

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