The Sunflower House is a story of family secrets, love, compassion, and healing. The story is a dual timeline about a mother and daughter relationship. Katrine is "learning how to mother my own mother" Allina who is keeping secrets of her past. The secret comes out after Allina has an accident and Katrine makes a discovery hidden in the closet. After this discovery Katrine learns about her mother's life in Germany which opens her eyes and brings healing to their relationship.
Many details of this story are based on events and details from WWII. A time period where secrets were kept, identities hidden, and blending in could decide life or death. This story is realistic, emotional, and keeps you reading. I have read many stories about WWII but this one tells more on a topic I haven't read much on, the Lebensborn Project. The book kept my interest and had some twists I didn't expect. A good book on a difficult topic.
I received an advanced copy of this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book was an awesome read!! The character and scene development was great you literally can see everything as it was happening in the book.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about a part of this dark history that I had never heard of before. This put everything in perspective and really opened my eyes to even more damage done during the Hitler reign. Himmler was such an awful person for doing what he did with children and this is just one more awful thing I learned about this time in history.

I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this advanced reader copy and this is my honest review.

The Sunflower House was a stunning piece of historical fiction. After the death of her parents, Allina Strauss was raised by her aunt and uncle in Germany. This was during the horrendous reign of Adolf Hitler. Her uncle died of cancer and her aunt died a violent death when German troopers raided her town in search of her uncle. Her mother was Jewish but it was a well kept secret. She learned this secret from her uncle on his deathbed. In the midst of the raid, a high ranking officer found her and dragged her away. He beat her and raped her and took her to Hochland House, a home for unwed mothers. The women there agreed to give birth to Aryian babies to be adopted into what was considered good German households.

Allina served as a nurse in the house. German soldiers attended regular social events held by the house and the women were encouraged to attend. Allina never wanted to go for fear she would see her rapist, but the head nurse required that she attend. It was there that she met Karl von Stressburg. At first she was afraid of him, as she was of all men. But over a short period of time she came to trust him.

On the third floor of the house there were children that were deemed unfit to adopt. A doctor was taking these children and experimenting on them and eventually killing them. Allina became aware of this and wanted to save these children. Karl became aware of it too. It seems he was smuggling Jewish children out of Germany into England. Together they devised a plan to save as many of the damaged children as they could.

Karl won Allina's heart and she became pregnant. They were in love and decided to marry. She gave birth to a little girl and named her Katrine after Karl's mother. As it turns out, Carl was part Jewish as well. Karl's goal was always to protect Allina. When he got his marching orders to go to Berlin, he put together a plan whereby Allina would go to his aunt's house away from Hochland House. While he was in Berlin, he continued to smuggle Jewish children away. He got caught and was executed. When his aunt got word, she sent Allina and Katrine to America to escape.

I thought the author did a marvelous job of weaving this incredible story. It was tragic yet poignant. The author took me through Allina's, eventful and valiant life, I felt as though I was there. Along with Allina, I experienced her ups and downs, her successes and pains. Although she was devastated by her husband's death, she was comforted by the many children they saved.

This story was told by both Allina and Katrine. I was taken by this tale and gave it five stars.

The Sunflower House was an interesting historical novel and one that touches on a subject not often written about.
Searching for family these days will take you into places you might not really want to be and the Sunflower House is one of them.
Germany during the war was sending all their "Perfect Men" into battle, many of them never to return. How can a race that sees themselves as "Superior" not have a new generation of Aryian Men to continue the Master Race?
This is a story of German women who were tasked into making babies! It was a mandate of the German Reich that Women of Pure Blood would be kept for the sole purpose of giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to "Good" Nazi Families. Part of the Lebensborn Program, Allina (our heroine) stumbles into nursing these babies. She uncovers Heinrich Himmeler's ruthless eugenics program. Horrified by what she sees, but has no chance to change, Allina must remain strong in order to survive. Should they find out that she is part "Jewish" will be the end of her!
This story had me totally engrossed. I had heard about the horrors of the Nazis, but this was an off shoot that I was not expecting.
Very well written, it is a page turner for those who like Historical Novels.

An interesting novel about the Lebensborn program, which fostered Himmler’s eugenics activities. The main character tells the story of her upbringing in pre- war Germany and the horrors that befell her as Hitler obtains more and more power. Told from the point of view of an Aryan German who hides her real upbringing, and who marries a sympathetic Hitler officer (who has his own secrets), this novel does not go into descriptive atrocities of the holocaust. Instead, it seeks to teach the reader, through a fictional route, what the Lebensborn program was and how it ran. I enjoyed learning more about this.
Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

The Sunflower House is really good WWII historical fiction, and that's saying a lot considering how many books on WWII are out there. The book is very well researched and the plot is fast moving and interesting. While I knew a bit about the Lebensborn Program, I didn't realize how truly horrific it was until I read The Sunflower House. Allina is a great character very well-developed. and complex. It did leave some unanswered questions at the end of the book, but I still recommend it.

Adriana Allegri’s The Sunflower House is a powerful debut novel set during World War II that uncovers the horrors of the Nazi-run Lebensborn Program. It follows Allina Strauss, a young woman with Jewish heritage forced into service at a Nazi baby factory where she must hide her identity and fight to save the children in her care. The narrative is richly detailed and emotionally resonant, weaving a story of love, loss, and resilience. While the pacing can be slow at times, Allegri’s empathetic storytelling and well-developed characters make this a compelling and important read that highlights the often-overlooked atrocities of wartime Germany. This heart-wrenching tale will stay with readers long after they’ve turned the last page.

I can’t say enough good things about The Sunflower House. I’m so glad I got to read this book. I truly enjoy historical fiction books and this one did not disappoint. This was an account of Nazi baby factories. It was both captivating and disturbing. This was a fabulous book.

What a beautifully written story about the Lebensborn program in Germany during WWII. It was very well researched, and the historical facts were presented yet the heartful emotion of the story still came through. The loyalty, strength, dedication, and love that is portrayed by Allina and Karl is so strong that the reader feels a personal connection to them. This book was a perfect blending of fiction and non-fiction to create a memorable story.

Thank you Negalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.

Such a good book! I am now into historical fiction because of this book. The author did a great job of portraying “true events” in a book setting. The book had me at the edge waiting for someone dreadful to happy but hoping for the best.

Thank you to the publisher for providing this eARC for my honest review. I'd give this 3.75 stars, rounded up to 4. I really enjoyed this novel. Like many historical fiction fans, I have read many a WWII novel, but I hadn't heard of/read about the baby factories covered in this story. I really enjoyed Allina as a character. The scene where she wakes up in the middle of the night and her world changes is one of the most memorable scenes in the book (the barn scene? Horrifying). I also loved seeing the progression of her friendship with Rilla while at Hochland Home.

I felt like the start of her relationship with Karl moved a bit too quickly. From the jump he acted overly familiar/intimate with her in ways that didn't make sense to me. Overall, their relationship was fine, but not the best part of the book for me. I much preferred Allina's interactions with the other ladies and children.

One other slight critique I have is that there were a few chapters in Karl's POV, and even a couple in Ziegler's POV. I don't think these were necessary, especially Ziegler's. I feel like if those chapters were cut we wouldn't lose anything. With Karl, besides from one chapter toward the end, I also am not sure his perspective added anything CRUCIAL.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this book and would read more from the author in the future.

The Sunflower House is a historical fiction story of survival during WWII. Allina Strauss is living with her aunt and uncle after her parents die when she was very young but she knew very little about her parents. This story starts in Germany before WWII begins. When the village where Allina is living is wiped out by the Nazis she is taken to Hochland Home when she finds refuge working there. Hochland Home is part of the Lebensborn program the Nazis have devised to come up with children that will be part of the master race. While there Allina falls in love with a man fairly high up in the nazi regime. But not all is what it seems to be.
This is a fabulous story of survival and love in difficult times. The story does go back and forth between the 1940s and 2006 but its not every chapter. I couldn’t put the book down. It is very well written and easily read.

What a gutting & stunningly written story about a haunting and horrific time period. This story was at the top of my list of releases this year and I’m so grateful to have been given the opportunity to read it early.

Being the second novel I have read about the Lebensborn program, I had an idea of what I was getting into with this. But still, it never fails that this type of story just guts you but seems leaves you with enough hope in humanity to keep going. It was beautifully written, and I found myself incredibly attached to this fictional main characters. I adored the romance and felt the story was heartfelt and beautifully told albeit intertwined with fiction and non-fiction throughout. Overall, a beautifully heartbreaking story.

It is astounding to me that with all the historical fiction written about the events in Germany during WW2, there is still so much to learn through the skillful storytelling of historical fiction authors. This is one such story that focuses on the Lebensborn Program where unwed mothers along with young women of childbearing age would live in institutional homes that served as “breeding homes” to perpetuate the Aryan race through eugenics.

After tragedy stuck the life of Allina Strauss, she was brought to Hochland Home by a high ranking Nazi officer to serve as a nurse caring for the babies and toddlers who would either be adopted or turned over to authorities for experimentation. Told in alternating timelines of wartime and present and in the voices of Allina and her daughter Katrine, we are taken on an emotional journey through the hardships, joys and secrets that Allina never shared. Be sure to read the Author’s Notes as they are as intriguing as the novel itself. In the words of Ms. Allegri, “The Sunflower House is a work of fiction, but based on historical facts that need little embellishment. I used any creative license sparingly, when necessary.”

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Adriana Allegri for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genere. Especially those about WW2. I had never heard about lesbenborn project. I learn so much about it by reading his book and connected to all the characters. I really enjoyed this one

I have read a lot of WWII books, but have never read or actually heard about the Lebensborn homes where young women gave birth to babies sired by German officers. It was fascinating and horrifying to think these things really happened. I will be thinking about this book for a long time. Thankfully there were some breaks with the love story of Alina and Karl.

This novel was well researched and the characters well drawn. Highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I was invited to read this book via NetGalley. I had read the Porcelain Maker and enjoyed it. This books is set in a similar time frame but it looks at the German regime from a different perspective. Both book featured young women who were trying to find out about their heritage and the revelations that their Mothers provided. The books differ in the situations their mothers find themselves. I really appreciated the way Adriana Allegri explored some of the moral choices that were part of living in Germany. There are some scenes that can be triggering but are pertinent to the story. At the end of the story, I admired how strong Allina was. I did not know anything about the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. This was fascinating and the book lead me to dig into learning about that program. I would recommend this as an adult book. As I said there are scenes of wartime like that can trigger people. I have already recommended this book to some friends and my adult daughter. I couldn't stop talking about the book.

This author did an amazing job telling a story about a difficult subject and showing the humanity in all the characters. There was a good balance of heavy moments with light and happy moments to balance it out. I cried several times, and loved the complicated characters and storytelling of the author.

This is a beautiful debut by Adriana Allegri. I like historical fiction and this did not disappoint. I was afraid the topic matter would be too raw and horrible, but that is not the case. Ms. Allegri finds writes with beauty and raw emotions. I would encourage anyone interested in women's historical fiction, particularly around WW2, to read this book. I look forward to reading her in the future.

Okay. This was not what I was expecting in the best way possible.

I've fallen into a historical fiction rabbit hole recently, and this one was right up my alley. Even though it dealt with WW2 (and I've gotten a bit meh about WW2 stories because most feel similar to me?) BUT. This one was a breath of fresh air. Something about the setting and the plot (I mean, we're dealing with a baby factory--which I had no clue even existed at the time) and it was such a wild ride. Provoking and heart clenching in all of the best ways. With that being said, if you're a WW2 person--or new to historical in general--PLEASE give this one a shot. You won't regret it.