I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you St. Martin’s Press for this advanced digital copy. I paired the audio with the digital copy, and the audio was very well done!

Set in Germany during World War II, The Sunflower House is the story of one woman’s determination to resist and survive her secrets — it is also her love story. There was always so much at stake every step along the way.

This debut historical novel uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. I am ashamed to say that I was unaware of these Nazi-run baby factories, so I learned A LOT!

This story is a real-life Handmaid's Tale, so take care of content warnings that you would expect to read in a story of this nature. If you enjoy reading and learning about this time period, you’ll enjoy this book!

I absolutely loved The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri—it’s one of those hauntingly beautiful stories that grabs your heart, shakes it a little, and lingers in your thoughts long after the last page.

I had to sit with this story for a few days after finishing it. I had put this one aside for a while as it is not in my normal wheelhouse but I wish I hadn't.

I was immediately drawn in. I loved the idea of a mother trying to protect her daughter from the family secrets and grief. The idea of the daughter finding these memories and the mother finally telling her story - it was heart wrenching.

I couldn't help but become fully entrenched in the story. I was unable to put the book down. It's beautifully written, haunting, thought provoking with a touch of a heart warming relationship. A reminder of the good that can exist in the horrific.

I commend the author for taking on such a challenging topic, sharing the realities, placing some good and hope in the story. While fictional, this story felt so real, so hard. I don't think I have the right words but this book will linger with me and looks to be at the top of my list for this year.

Unbelievable but based on truth. This book will assist the reader to find the inspiration for the book The Handmaids Tale in my opinion. So many things that would be appalling happened during the reign of Hitler and that continues to push the boundaries. This was a very well-written and engaging story. It centers around a young woman named Allina and Heinrich Himmler’s appalling Lebensborn Program. After a traumatizing experience in her small home town Allina is forced into service as a nurse at Hochland Home where young Aryan women are encouraged to procreate with the SS soldiers in order to populate Germany with children with blood lines. The book is well researched, engaging and well written. Definitely recommend. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and St. Martin's Press

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri is a moving WWII novel about a woman forced to work in a Nazi maternity home. Powerful and emotional, it reveals a dark part of history with courage and compassion.

I love finding new WWII stories. I feel like there are so many different angles we don't know about and The Sunflower House is a whole new angle. I enjoyed that this story was told by the main character when she's older and finally telling her daughter the story of both of her parents. The love story between the two main characters was beautiful. It was very heartbreaking but a top notch story.

A pleasantly surprising wonderful story. There was a time where I felt every story of WW2 had been translated into a historical fiction story. I have not heard of this story before, which I think was one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much!

The story of a house where single (or widowed) young women could go during their pregnancy and what exactly took place in that house are both saddening, heartbreaking and yet exhilarating. You can decide which parts of the story of which.

I have already suggested it to a few people and believe they, too, will enjoy the story.

I am absolutely speechless! My favorite genre is historical fiction and I've read many WWII books and those focused on the Holocaust and the concentration camps. I am always amazed by how most authors bring new truth and new information to such a widely covered time in our history; however, I was NOT ready for this book and its focus which was something that I never even knew existed: baby factories. Everyone knows about Hitler and his outlandish ideas about having a "perfect race." Nothing perfect exists! Allina is the woman this story is based on and her time in one of those "homes" called Hochland Home. Most of us know group homes aren't the best and the way the babies at these places were treated (basically fed, diapered, and laid to sleep) was not conducive to good growth and mental development.

Due to Hitler's insane ideas, women (married and single) were encouraged to have sex with either their husbands or single women with soldiers. Infidelity was encouraged in this case since many (or most) of the soldiers were married but they were encouraged to have sex with as many women as they could so the women would get pregnant. Some of the babies were born "perfect" but as mother nature would have it, some weren't. Those who weren't were sent away...where to? The so-called perfect ones were adopted out.

I don't want to give anymore spoilers so I'll just say it's heartbreaking, well-researched and beautifully written, informative, and it is so far one of my very best reads of the year (if not THE best).

I always have to prepare myself when I sit down to read a historical fiction from this era, knowing what I’m about to consume is not going to be easy to digest. So many horrors occurred during this time in history, and it never ceases to amaze me that no matter how much I learn, I am still shocked by the atrocities.

This is a side of the war that I have not done too much study on, yet I found myself more and more appalled and fascinated the deeper I dove into the narrative. The imagery is incredibly intoxicating, pulling me into this world, allowing my mind’s eye to see everything in technicolor. I felt every swirl of doubt, every slice of fear, and the immense love and passion for not only each other but for the children as well.

Though tastefully told, I could’ve done without the cursing and sexual parts, especially the assault, which was very triggering for me. I understand the desire to convey emotions, but I found the language unnecessary and detracting from the story. However, I must admit that the power of the story itself helped me overlook these flaws.

The epilogue, while bittersweet, was satisfying in its own way. The peace that comes when all secrets have seen the light should not be underestimated. This is a story I believe everyone should hear.

I really liked The Sunflower House. I had no idea the Nazi's forced young German girls to have babies in order to create a perfect Aryan race. It made me sad that once the babies were born they were neglected and deprived until they were adopted out.

The Sunflower House is a story of Allina Straus in the 1930s Germany. After her village is raided by Nazis, and everyone around her killed, she is taken into a state-run home, the main purpose which is to breed as many "pure-blood" babies for the Fuhrer as possible.
There, she meets an SS officer, who is not what he appears and similarly to Allina keeps a dangerous secret about his true heritage.
The book was really captivating and well written. I really enjoyed Allina's story and the budding romance between her and Carl. I'm looking forward to more books by this author.

Very engaging story of a Jewish woman, living under a non-Jewish identity, saved from the WWII detention camps by luck or misfortune. As a young woman, Allina, of "Aryan" appearance, was assaulted and taken to a maternity home. This was part of the Lebensborn program where women were expected to bear children to continue to the race. With the passage of time, she finds she is not pregnant from the assault, but she is expected to get to know the visiting soldiers. Her PTSD is a problem for her social skills. She works as a nurse in the program and finds protection under the guise of belonging to a ranking officer of the Secret Service, Karl. With his own backstory, Karl lives dangerously as he tries to right the wrongs.

am absolutely heartbroken.

This book is going to be my book of the year - I’m calling it. Reading about the horrors of what actually happened during WWII was absolutely maddening and awful. Following the story of Allina, from living a carefree life to being thrown into a baby factory and everything that happens in between and after, was so heartbreaking.

This is an absolutely beautifully written telling of a woman finding love and trying to

While I have always enjoyed reading historical fiction set in and around WW2 this is the first book I've read that allows insider perspective to the going-ons of Himmler's atrocious studies-eugenics program at Hochland Home. This is a one of a kind story told with heart and integrity, I recommend it to all people!

I’m still thinking of this book months after finishing it (in December). Allina is captured and taken to work as a nurse at a Nazi baby-making home during WWII. Many of the women there are willing participants serving the Reich by getting pregnant with Nazi officers’ babies. Allina’s secret is that she’s of Jewish descent. While trying to hide her true bloodlines, she also is determined to uncover the truth of what is happening to the children born at these houses. Many suffer from neglect and do not meet their developmental milestones.

This is a heartbreaking historical story that will keep you invested from beginning to end.

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri is a haunting and meticulously researched historical novel that sheds light on the Nazi Lebensborn Program—something I hadn’t previously considered in depth. The concept of state-run baby factories designed to breed the "perfect" Aryan children is horrifying, and this book does not shy away from the brutality and moral corruption behind it.

Allina’s journey from an idyllic small-town life to being trapped in Hochland Home is heartbreaking, and her struggle to survive while secretly defying the system is gripping. One of the most chilling moments is when she meets Hitler at a dinner party—imagining the sheer terror of being in his presence was unsettling. But the scenes involving the babies and toddlers struck me the most; the idea of children being treated as commodities, their lives dictated by eugenics, is gut-wrenching.

The romance with Karl added another layer of complexity, showing that not everyone within the Nazi ranks was truly loyal to the regime. It reinforced the idea that some people were simply trying to survive while working against Hitler in whatever way they could.

Overall, this is a powerful and necessary read that brings attention to a dark and lesser-known piece of history. Allegri handles the subject with care, making for a deeply moving story of survival, resistance, and the cost of secrets.

I loved this book so much even though I knew it wasn't going to end the way that I hoped it would!! Big round of applause to Adriana Allegri on this debut novel!

It was great historical fiction - I learned so much that I did not know. The characters were so well done, and the descriptions of the locations were so real - in some cases making it difficult to read!!

The use of the two timelines was well done - sometimes it can be disconcerting but, in this case, - very helpful.

Can't wait to see what the author writes next!!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for this ARC

*** BOOK REVIEW*** Book available now!

I generally don’t gravitate towards a ton of historical fiction books in which World War 2 is the time frame. However, I have a great appreciation for authors who show us a side that isn’t over done and stereotypical and is unique.

This story has no shortage of bravery and courage as those who outwardly align with the Nazi party in WW2 Germany go undercover to be helpers aiding travel of refugees and advocates for the lost children of the Eugenics program who never got adopted out and were left for neglect and non-thriving environments. This introduced a lessor known fact for me and WW2 in that I was ignorant to the “breeding” practices that were permitted and accepted as a way to support this program. This book, while fiction, showed us the helpers in ugly times, and bravery at any cost. It was very well written, and felt perfectly paced. I do wish we got to see a little bit more of the Sunflower house and their work there. I felt with that being the title, it would have had more of a presence in the story.



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This is an historical fiction book set in one of the homes of the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. This structured program systemically took in women of birthing age and created a baby factory to increase the population of Hitler's idea of the perfect race. It's not an easy subject to read; the babies and young children are treated horribly, and the women are treated like cattle. The author creates a main character who secretly fights the system, and risks everything, including her life and her husband's safety, to improve the lives of some of the children. I found this book easy to read, entertaining, and eye-opening.
Thanks so much to St. Martin's Press for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. The publishing date is November 12, 2025.

This book was a gut wrenching story about what happened to the German women and children during the Holocaust. It was beautifully written and very emotionally provoking.