Thank you publishers and Netgalley for the Arc. This book was nothing short of spectacular. I really enjoyed this take on the Lebensborn Homes. I went into this book basically blind, I only knew that it was about a young woman in WW2 that was somehow involved with the Lebensborn homes. This book is in my top 10 for historical fiction. It was beautifully written with the dual timelines of mother/daughter. I was captivated throughout this book with its fast pace and riveting tale. 5/5.

I loved this book! Beautifully written, educational, and deeply human. A story I'll be thinking about for a very long time and one I'll be able to suggest to many different types of readers. 4 Stars,

If you’re someone that adores WWII Historical Fiction, it’s easy to find new stories regularly— it’s a pretty saturated market, and I read them EVERY SINGLE TIME.

So when I tell you that this debut novel by Adriana Allegri was unique, heartfelt, fascinating, and incredibly well written, I speak as a frequent reader.

We meet Allina Strauss in summer 1938, and Nazi ideology is quickly taking hold over her small German village. When she expresses her anger over this to her aunt, she learns just how dangerous these circumstances are for her— she is a mischling whose Jewish heritage was hidden away.

Before she can fully wrestle with what this means, her village is brutally attacked, leaving her a battered survivor. In her vulnerable position, she’s then assaulted by an SS Soldier that pretends to want to help her. After, he drops her off at Hochland Home, the first Lebensborn home created by the SS as a baby factory for increasing the “racially pure” population.

Allina works as a nurse at Hochland home caring for the pregnant women, mothers and babies living there. Realizing the babies are emotionally neglected, she tries to help as many as possible by partnering with Karl, a young SS Soldier with secrets of his own…all the while, worrying that her days are numbered before her heritage is revealed.

This was not a program I was very knowledgeable about before reading this book. While many of the facts about the real Lebensborn program were destroyed, Allegri does a phenomenal job weaving the facts into a heart-wrenching, engaging narrative that pulls you into the story.

This is the author’s debut novel and I can’t wait to see what she does next!

Magnificent. Powerful read. And I read many WWII historical books! Prior to the being of WWII Allina a young girl learns from her adopted Aunt and uncle that her mother was Jewish. As a Mischling she is in acute danger. One of her fiancée’s contacts issues her false papers just in case. Which comes too soon as the Nazi’s invade her town looking for a traitor. Many in the town are murdered while she is dragged away to Hochland Home, the first home in Himmlers Lebensborn program. A program to breed perfect Ayran children for the 1000 year Reich. Traumatized Allina begins work in the nursery with newborns. There she befriends a Nazi office with secrets of his own. What follows is engaging and at times terrifying. Well researched. I am thankful that this book was published by St Martin Press.

This was a first time read by this author. Well written and a very good book. Book moved along and kept my interest all along the way. I would recommend.

I just finished this book and although I have read many books concerning the holocaust I can honestly say that this was something different.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an honest review.
The story begins when Alina Straus, an elderly woman has a fall. Her daughter Katrina goes to her home and finds a loose floorboard. She finds a wooden box with a swastika on the cover. She confronts her mother and the story is told. The story takes place in Germany in 1939 and tells of Alina experience during the war. Alina lived in a small village with her Aunt and Uncle - Her village is attacked, the only family she knows is killed and she is brutally assaulted. She has just learned that she has a Jewish grandparent. She is sent to a Hochland Home where There is a Lebensborn program where babies are borne to good German woman. She meets Karl who is a high ranking officer. They eventually fall in love and she learns that he also has Jewish ancestors. Karl is a "good" nazi and has managed to arrange for many Jewish children to be saved by enlisting his aunt's help. The author has done a fabulous job making you care about the characters in the book.

4.5/5 stars for an impressive debut novel that covers a little-known aspect of WWII history.

"The Sunflower House" opens in present day New Jersey, when Katrine Strauss returns to her mother Alina's home and stumbles across a box of her belongings; inside are a myriad of photographs, letters, and documents that detail a history that her mother never shared with her. Seeing the confusion and pain in her daughter, Alina finally opens up about her past taking her and readers to Badensburg, a quiet village in Germany, where she grows up peacefully and is prepared to marry her childhood sweetheart. Alina's life is forcefully changed though when her town is raided, her loved ones killed, and she is taken hostage by the Schutzstaffel and brought to Hochland Home, one of the institutions part of the Lebensborn Program.

It's here that Allina learns of the true intention of the program, which sought to further Hitler's goals for making the Aryan population supreme, and housed women and expecting mothers who would give birth to children that fell under this ideology. In order to survive, she's forced to work at Hochland Home, all-the-while hiding a devastating family secret that could cost her life. When Allina meets Karl von Strassberg, a high ranking officer in the SS, she sees him as just one cog in the large machine, but little by little, begins to realize he's an ally in her goals and her determination to save a number of the neglected and mistreated children at Hochland Home. Their partnership blooms into one of love, even in the midst of the looming war and the unspeakable violence and destruction that follows.

Despite the fact that I've read a number of historical fiction novels that cover a similar time period, this novel introduced me to the Lebensborn Program and yet another group of women and children who were taken advantage of and had their lives destroyed by the goals of the Third Reich. It's clear that Adriana Allegri did an extension amount of research for this novel, and she includes a number of notes and clarifications in her afterword, which I found helpful. I found the storyline to be well-constructed, with steady pacing and complex and compelling characters; while romance isn't a genre I typically enjoy, I enjoyed the evolution of Karl and Allina's relationship and their growth as individuals.

Very much a recommended read when "The Sunflower House" is published in November 2024!

I received a complimentary ARC of The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri in exchange for my honest review.
This is a masterfully written novel with prose that puts you right with the characters you are reading about. The characters are well developed and the descriptive text draws you in. I could picture everything clearly, and I easily got lost in this novel for hours.
I laughed, cried, felt fear, anger and compassion wash over me. I can not say enough good things about this amazing work.
This book tells the story of a Jewish woman, Allina, who is forced to work in the Hochland House, a Nazi baby factory, during the German Invasion.
Alliana must work to try and save herself, those she cares about, and the children who are being used in Heinrich Himmler's horrific eugenics program..
The woman of pure blood are called upon to perpetuate the blood line of Aryan children by sleeping with SS officers and bearing their children, who are then adopted out to select families.
During her time at the Hochland House, Allina meets and falls in love with a high ranking SS officer, Karl Von Strassburg, who is different from the others.
Karl is harboring secrets too, secrets that could get them both killed
This book will leave you wanting more!
#NetGalley
#Goodreads

This is a book that will stay with me for a long time. It is a novel that tells the story of Hochland House, the first of the houses which was part of Heinrich Himmler's Lebensborn Program. I have read other books about this program, but none have been as detailed or well researched as this one. It is a heartbreaking story (in more ways than one) and for those who lived through being a part of this program, there were no doubt long term consequences.

The story is told in dual timeline. in 2006, Katrine's mother has been ill and in the emergency department. When Katrine takes her home and goes to her bedroom, she discovers that her mother has been searching for something and finds a hidden box under the floorboards of her cupboard.

In 1938 Badensberg, Germany, the story begins with Allina, her fiance and two friends spending time together before the war has begun. It was a time when minds were already being geared towards hatred and blaming of the Jews. Allina's friend is marrying a man who has fallen prey to these beliefs, and though they all have a mutual friend who is Jewish, he now believes they should cut her off from their lives. Allina has a tendency to be outspoken and has to be careful where and to whom she speaks and what she dares to say. Unbeknownst to her, her family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling - a target for hatred and persecution should anyone find out. Once she learns the truth, it is imperative that she not let anyone know.

When her community is attacked and her parents are killed, Allina is captured and brutally sexually assaulted by a German officer who then places her into the Lebensborn Program at the Sunflower House. Deeply traumatized by her experiences, her arrival is not an easy one and she dreads the possibility that this officer will come to use her again to make her pregnant. Fortunately, another German Officer, Karl, who is higher in the chain of command, takes Allina under his wing. Their story is a gripping and heartbreaking one and should be read to experience it in its fullness.

One of the issues discussed in the book was the regimentation of care for the women who lived in these houses, and the children who were born in them. Very few women were able to keep their child and woe betide the child who was less than perfect. These babies were not given much in the way of love and affection, and there were some who simply failed to thrive putting them at risk of being sent to a eugenics hospital where they would be killed. In the novel, Allina, Karl and some friends of theirs work to give these children a second chance. It is a bright moment in a very dark place.

One might wonder about the title of the Sunflower house. It refers to Karl's home which is a bright cheery place, filled with sunflowers. Readers will learn more about this home.

This is a debut novel for Adriana Allegri and is impressive indeed. I highly recommend it if you enjoy historical fiction that features WW2 era.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review. All view are my own unbiased ones.

This novel opens in New Jersey in 2006 with Katrine finding a hidden box beneath the floorboards of her mother’s house and then hops back to 1938 Badensburg, Germany to give us background on Allina Strauss.

Allina has been hiding a secret for most of her life. Keeping it hidden when everything is taken from her becomes a necessity. Allina is forced into nursing at Hochland home where she uncovers the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s eugenics program and the atrocities committed in perpetuating the ‘master race’. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she risks it all to ally with an SS officer, Karl von Strassberg, who she discovers, has secrets of his own.

This debut novel is more than 20 years in the making and highlights the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Although I’ve read a few books centered around this program, I appreciated Adriana Allegri’s dedication to research. Her teacher’s heart came through as she uncovered the atrocities the children lived in daily and the bleak outlook many in the home faced. Allina’s courageous decision adds to the tension and I found myself rooting for her as she walked with her heart behind every step.

Why historical fiction readers will want to read this one:
✔️it shows that something beautiful can grow in the absence of light
✔️it shows the importance of nurturing our sunflower souls so that no matter how dark it gets, we will always chase the light.

I was a little shocked at the language.

I was gifted this copy by St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and St.Martin’s Press for an honest review. This is an outstanding historical fiction novel covering Germany from 1939 to 2009.. The chapters alternate between Alina in the 1940’s and her daughter, Katrina as an adult . The story follows Alina Straus (Gottlieb, Von Strasberg) living a good life until Hitler came to power when she was in her twenties . Alina and her SS husband , Karl, discover that they are both “michlings”, having Jewish grandparents. They must hide this information if they want to survive in Nazi Germany. Alina is forced to work in Hochland Home where Heinrich Himmler’s Eugenics. Program is in full swing . The book also delves into the SS Lebensborn program where young single girls try to have babies with pure Aryan soldiers to populate Germany for Hitler . The book was very interesting and I learned a lot about these Nazi programs. Most of the story is based on real situations and events, but, many of the characters are made up.

This is a wonderfully written novel by a new author. With so many books set during the WWII era, it’s nice to see one that covers a different topic, the Lebensborn program. Pregnant women sent to Lebensborn homes to have their “Aryan” babies so they could be adopted to.good Nazi families. Many of the women/girls were expected to have multiple children to further the Fuhrer’s program.
After Allina’s family is killed, she is taken to Hochman House by a Nazi soldier who sponsors her and expects her to bear his child. Alina has a secret that no one can find out if she is stay alive. She begins to take care with the children at the Home and discovers a sinister secret of the Lebensborn program. After meeting a sympathetic Nazi officer, Karl, Alina and Karl begin a dangerous quest to save unwanted children from their horrible fate. Along the way, we learn that Karl has a secret too, one that if it is uncovered could mean death for him and Allina.
I really enjoyed this book and look forward to more from this author.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG what a read! Thoroughly enjoyed every moment, even the heart breaking one's. While it is fiction, it makes you pause and realize the history of that time.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of The Sunflower House. My heart is still pounding and my eyes are still filled with tears. This novel grabbed me from beginning to end and wouldn’t let go. Adriana Allegri discovered yet another atrocity practiced in Nazi Germany that is little known. A program was developed in order to insure the continuation of the Aryan race. German women and men were rewarded for producing ideal genetic children. The characters in this novel were so well developed. Allegri gives depth to the conflicts they face, the secrets they must maintain and the decisions they are forced to make. I felt tension throughout my reading experience. As much as I wanted to get to the end, I savored my time learning about everyone’s motivation. I learned so much about another piece of history with which I was unfamiliar. I look forward to public a day when this story becomes available to others.

4.25. A very engaging WWII novel in so many ways. The story focuses on Allina Strauss, a teenage orphan living with her aunt and uncle in a small town in Germany. Her town is annihilated by the Germans, and is taken to work at Hochland, a Lebensborn facility with the goal to increase the racially pure and healthy Aryan population based on Heinrich Himmlers Nazi eugenics theory. A tale of secrets, cruelty, survival, and love. An interesting look at the Lebensborn program. The story also focuses on Mischlings and to what extent people went to hide their identities but also to save those subject to the cruelty of the Nazi regime. The story also touches on those serving in the Nazi regime, some in high positions, but do not agree with what is happening, and their attempts to try to make things better. Well done and great read Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an advance copy in exchange for a candid and unbiased review.

Having read a few books that discussed the Lebensborn program, I had an idea of what I was in for. This novel was beautifully heartbreaking as it told the love story between Karl and Alina. Told in multiple POVS. this story was as much informative as it was enjoyable.

As we celebrate the 80th anniversary of DDay, the Battle of the Bulge and move toward the end of World War II, there are a plethora of WW2 releases, both fact and fiction. While a work of historical fiction, “The Sunflower House” is an interesting tale of a side of WW2 not often remembered. It is well worth the read.

Allina is a young German woman who is looking forward to marrying and raising a family of her own. Under Hitler’s reign, her life is upended when Nazis raid the village seeking a traitor. A nightmare ensues when she is taken “under the protection” of a Nazi official. She eventually ends up in a Lebensborn Program home, where “pure” Aryan women are expected to bear as many children as humanly possibly in order to further the Aryan bloodline and Hitler’s dream of worldwide dominance. (The Lebensborn Program was established by Himmler under the SS. Lebensborn translates to “fount of life.”)

The author does a masterful job of weaving fact into fiction, not skirting from the horrors and war nor the terror of the Nazi regime. However, there is a human side to war that is oft forgotten. Love can still bloom even in wartime, and this is no doubt a love story. It is a traditional love story between a man and a woman, but also between friends. “The Sunflower House” uncovers the best of humanity even in the worst of times. It finds hope when all seems lost. It is about digging deep and making a difference even when it could mean the ultimate sacrifice.
There are heroes in every war, on every side. Adriana Allegri has authored a beautiful story that reminds us of the horrors of history while providing hope and faith in humanity overall.

There are secrets wound throughout the book that I won’t spoil. Take time to read “The Sunflower House.”

A WWII novel set in Germany against the backdrop of the little-known Lebensborn, aka Nazi baby-factory, program.

But really, it's a story of love, resilience, survival, hope, secrecy, and shame. Beautifully written, with well-developed characters, this book makes me eager to read more from the author.

This is a poignant story that stayed with me long after the last page was turned. The story has many well-developed, unforgettable characters – some lovely and good, and some horrid. It begins in the present time as Allina begins to tell her story that takes us to Badensburg, Germany in 1938, when Adolph Hitler is Chancellor. The Reich is methodically ridding the country of the Jewish population.
Upon experiencing the absolute worst horror and brutality imaginable, as well as losing her entire family, Allina ends up in a Lebesborn home, one of the Reich’s most horrendous secrets. It is a baby factory where young women lived and gave birth to many babies that were adopted in order to populate the racial classifications of the Nazi Party. Allina is delegated to help the head nurse, in caring for the babies. She discovers a group of toddler aged children, kept hidden, that are not developing normally because of neglect and lack of proper nutrition. She is determined to save those children, as well as herself.
When a high-ranking SS officer, Karl, visits the Lebesborn, and becomes acquainted with feisty Allina, he makes a promise to her that he’ll protect her. His family home, The Sunflower House, becomes their refuge, when she can get away.
This story is very well written as a result of the author’s extensive research of this time in history. Although this is fiction there are difficult historical truths woven in this captivating, sometimes disheartening story.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. All comments and opinions are my own.

I read a very good book last year all about Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. I had never heard about the program that was basically established by Hitler in an effort to get as many German babies out to families. Young girls were chosen by their bloodline, features, and beauty to procreate with German soldiers and give birth to superior babies and then adopted by families to raise as their own. Essentially a baby making factory. The whole concept is sad and the stories of women who were used and some who wanted to keep their babies but couldn't will pull at your heartstrings. Author Adriana Allegri wrote a beautiful love story amidst a time of turmoil.I loved the main character Allina and her strength and determination.
Allina lives a happy life with her family and has dreams of her future as a wife to her beloved Albert. Allinas family has been hiding the fact that her mother was Jewish and with Hitler on the lookout no Mischling is safe. Allina is sent away to work as a nurse at the baby hospital and her eyes are opened to what is going on in the world that she couldn't see from her tiny German village. Babies being born and adopted out, women being available for breeding to German soldiers, and older babies/children who are being left to perish all because they aren't perfect. Allina must be very careful who she questions as she must hide her real identity, but she can't help but want to give these babies the love they need to thrive.
As Allina learns more about Heinrich Himmler’s eugenics program she knows she needs to help, but how? Allina meets a soldier who seems to be different then the others and with him her true meaning at the home starts to change. She slowly falls in love and learns her place is helping these babies get the chance they need to find families. It won't be easy but Allina will finally feel alive and truly what it means to be loved.