I read this book through NetGalley it is an advanced reader copy. The sunflower house was the most heart breaking and emotional read I’ve read this year . It is brilliant and beautifully written and one of the best books I’ve read this year .

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Set in WWII Germany the author gives the reader a wide reaching view of Nazi atrocities and the underground resistance to set her novel. However, she never tries to write a comprehensive historical fiction novel of everything that ever happened. Rather she sets the stage for Allina to find herself as a nurse in the Lebensborn center. I was familiar with the Lebensborn program, but not to the extent that Ms. Allegri (in a well researched work of fiction) writes about.

Allina was orphaned as a baby and taken in by her aunt and uncle. Unknown to her they are both working for the resistance. The Nazis learn of this betrayal and her aunt and uncle are murdered. Allina is brutalized by Nazi soldiers and left for dead. She finds herself naked, atop a pile of dead bodies and is discovered by a Nazi officer who has plans for her. He delivers her to the matron of a Lebensborn program who whole heartedly believes in Hitler’s plans, but gives Allina a job in the office and then in the nurseries which ultimately saves her life.

The book opens with an elderly Allina in the hospital after a fall. Her daughter Katrine has gone to her mother’s home to learn what caused her mother’s fall. Allina has been a wonderful mother, but she is stubborn and very secretive. They left Germany for Switzerland and ultimately the US when Katrine was a toddler. Katrine’s father was the love of Allina’s life. Life in America was very difficult for a German young widow and her child. The secrets must be kept.

This could be the worst review I ever wrote, but the book is very well done and I didn’t get though it without some tears. I found this site to be very helpful in learning even more about the Lebensborn Centers in Europe and Hitler and Himmler’s disgusting and inhumane plans and actions. https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/the-quot-lebensborn-quot-program

A heartbreaking look at a lesser known evil called the Lebensborn program in Nazi Germany where babies were produced to support the Aryan race. It’s tough to believe that these horrifying institutions actually existed.
The dual timeline story begins with a woman finding a box in her mother’s room with a swastika on it. Her mother tells her story and finally shares the secrets she kept for years.
This story had it all for me, intrigue, romance, history and strong female characters. It was very well written and I highly recommend it.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to review this ARC.
Before “The Handsmaid Tale” there was the reality of the Nazi run baby factories and the Lebensborn program during World War 2. I had never heard of this program before I read this book. The heartbreaking history of the Germans trying to purify their lineage was horrifying. My heart broke for those children.
Allina shares her history at Hochland House with her adult daughter, as Allina hid a powerful secret during her years tending the babies. Along with Karl, she tries to save as many as possible
This very well written historical novel stays with you long after you put it down.

I had the pleasure of getting an ARC of The Sunflower House from NetGalley. Thank you for that!

The Sunflower House is a historical fiction book based on true events surrounding the Lebensborn program in Germany. This book has been so eye opening as well as heart breaking. It was full of the heroic account of the hell that Allina as well as others went through. I honestly was not aware of these homes existing. It was not something that they covered in history class but now I want to read more about it. I highly recommend this book!

TW: SA, Child Abuse

Let me start out by saying how fortunate I was to be selected by the publisher, author and NetGalley to read this uncorrected proof in exchange for my honest review. A well written book with compelling main characters. The topic of the Holocaust is always a heart wrenching read. The author set this book around the Lebensborn program, a factionalized account of a real life “handmaids tale” style eugenics program. The Lebensborn program gave away babies born to unwed mothers to “good German families.” This part of German history was new to me as I had never heard of it before. So it was a tough topic, but compelling read! I enjoyed 5e connection to a modern day family, uncovering everything as a family secret. Well written!

Well this book hit a lot of things for me. Historical fiction, WWII, light romance, strong female lead…so it got me! This story talks about something I really had no idea about. In all of my WWII readings I missed stories about these baby factories so to speak. This story follows a woman who is ripped from her family and home after a horribly violent situation and finds herself in a new journey of eye opening situations and a journey that will change her life. I enjoy seeing stories that tell of Germans fighting back against Hitler in the ways they could. Thank you to the author, publisher, and netgalley for this advanced copy. For sure book I will recommend highly!

Adriana Allegri's The Sunflower House takes on a subject very little is written about in the Historical Fiction genre, that of Himmler's eugenics programs and the Lebensborn homes located across Europe during that time. Women were offered large incentives to produce large broods of healthy children through these homes, often without husbands, yet pursuing their duty to their Fuhrer with SS officers who would visit the homes. The author provides great insight into not only the lives of the women living in these homes and their attitudes toward their work, but also into the lives of the nurses there as well as the children produced "for the Reich". An important part of history, not to be forgotten or overlooked. Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this novel as well as to Ms. Allegri for penning such an important story. Well done.

Traditional format (digital). As a fan of Historical Fiction and having read a lot of books set during WW II, it is hard for books of this gendre to stand out when the themes repeat themselves.

This book was a true standout and told the little known story of the German Lebensborn program; Nazi baby factories run to purify the German bloodlines. WOW, just wow. The book also focused on the love story of Allina and Karl, two Germans with Jewish blood who are hiding their identities

This book was an amazing read. It is a fictional story based on fact and the characters and the plot were very well written and very emotional at times (I will admit I had some tears well up a few times).

For a WW II book while the events surrounding the Nazis and Jews are truly horrific the book was not overly graphic or violent like some books of this gendre.

I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys historical fiction. A 5/5 read for me.

Thank you to St.Martin’s press and Net Galley for a digital ARC of this book.

Wow, wow, wow- what a fantastic book!!

The Sunflower House is one of those books that you will not soon forget. It is set in Germany durning World War II and a story about the Lebensborn program. I had never heard of this program and became more and more intrigued as the story went on. I loved how the author was able to capture the feelings of what it must have been like to live through this. The story is full of sacrifice, determination, secrets, and unconditional love. I was on the edge of my seat many times while reading this and loved learning about a part of history I never knew existed.
If you love historical fiction, this book is a must!

St. Martin's Press and Netgalley thank you for giving me the chance to read and review this ARC of a great historical fiction book. I am happy to give feedback.
The Sunflower House made me aware of the eugenics program that the Nazi's implemented, another atrocity added to their never ending list. This book also highlights love found during a horrific time. This is the love story of Allina and Karl and the small part they played in helping the children escape. It is also a generational story of mother and child. Poignant and heartbreaking...I was sobbing uncontrollably reading the last pages of this book. Brava Adriana Allegri on writing this wonderful book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

The Sunflower House is historical fiction set in WWII Germany in the late 1930s. Allina, a young German woman who has been raised by her aunt and uncle after the death of her parents, discovers that her mother was a Jew. As the war progresses she finds herself working (not by choice) at the Hochland Home, a state-run facility that promotes the birth of pure-blood Aryan children and is a division of Himmler's eugenics program. The birth of these children are celebrated as they will be the newest soldiers in Hitler's army. Allina must be careful to keep her Jewish blood a secret as she cares for the children and mothers of Hochland Home. As time goes on Allina is presented with ways to help the children in her care, but at the risk of her own life.

This is an incredibly well-researched and eye-opening book that brings to light the little-known history of such homes. Heartbreaking yet hopeful, this book comes highly recommended to lovers of historical fiction. Four out of five stars.

This is a fast paced and fascinating novel of another aspect of the Lebensborn program and some of the things that went on in Hochland Home…the first Lebensborn home and also a showplace for the Lebensborn program. . It is told thru the eyes of Allina, the main character, who suffered at the hands of the Germans, but who was determined to save as many children as she could. It is not only a story of perseverance and grit, but how relationships with future generations were impacted. This book deserves five stars. No matter how many holocaust books you have read, this book is a must.

What a wonderfully heart breaking story about the human spirit and overcoming catastrophic events. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction but this story pulled me in from start to finish. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated the authors due diligence when doing her research and even cited her references at the end of the book. I was not overly aware of the Lebensborn program and this made me go on the deepest of dives. Not only did this book make me feel ALL THE FEELS but it also shed light on even more tragic events that took place during WW2. I would recommend this book to anyone! Especially those who were obsessed with this period of time like I was. It was beautifully written and I felt like I was transported into Germany circa late 1930s early 40s. Thank you so much to the author for taking the time to tell this story in such a captivating way.

This book here had me in a chokehold. Its equally upsetting, heartbreaking even, yet i couldn’t put it down. The only reason i’ve given jt 4 and not 5 stars was I wish there were more for the characters. I didn’t even know the Lebensborn program existed or was even a thing, its so sad. They deserved more.

A remarkable and traumatic story. I have no words for how well written this novel was. It felt historically accurate, yet captivating and not at all like a history book. Alina’s story first begins in America when her daughter discovers something in her home. The reader is quickly transported to Allina in WW2, Nazi Germany as she lives her life in Hochland home. Allina’s story is full of grief and hate, with a smidge of happiness in the end. 10/10.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy of this wonderful book!

The sunflower house follows the story of a very "handmaid's tale" type of camps in WW2. This story line follows a young woman who becomes a nurse at this house and fights her way through the war in her own way. The book ebs and flows with some major slow downs but the overall story and history drives the reader through til the end.

"The Sunflower House" offers a unique perspective into WWW2 Germany and the Lebensborn project. Allina's daughter stumbles upon a wooden box harboring secrets from her mother's past. Allina tells her the story of her and Karl. Delving into the intricacies of WW2 Germany, the narrative unveils the hidden truths of Allina's involvement in the Lebensborn project, juxtaposed with Karl's clandestine efforts to aid Jewish families. Both characters, grappling with their own identities as part-Jewish individuals, navigate a landscape fraught with danger and deception. As their stories intertwine, the reader is transported into a world where loyalty and survival collide amidst the turmoil of war. The author's meticulous research shines through, lending authenticity to the narrative and ensuring that the characters resonate deeply with the reader. It is an emotionally resonant tale that lingers long after the final page is turned. Special thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

When Katrine took her mother home from the hospital after a fall, she discovered a wooden box with a swastika. Katrina and her mother arrived in America when she was three and she never knew those early years. Her mother, Allina, lived with her aunt and uncle in Germany after her parents were killed. When her uncle was also killed, she was taken by a German soldier to Hockland Home, a home for pregnant women, and young children. She was appalled by the lack of attention to these children and with the help of another German soldier who cared for her, they tried to save as many children as possible. This is well researched with resources at the end of the story. It is heart breaking to realize how children were treated to make the best children for the Nazis. It is a great love story, full of compassion and desire to help those in need.

This was an excellent historical fiction novel! I didn’t know anything about the Lebensborn project, I had heard about the Nazi party trying to create more Aryan children during this time period, but the facts about how they went about it are horrifying. Both heart wrenching and tender, the story unfolds with great pacing and meticulously researched details. This story told from Allina’s POV and Karl’s involvement in their attempt to help Jewish children leave Germany in the 1930s was both gripping and horrifying. I also appreciated that the author doesn’t try to excuse the characters, and notes that most German soldiers were not double agents and that these fictional people were here to tell the story of Allina and Karl, and that they had extreme motivation to help due to their both being classified as "Mischlings" under the Third Reich. Both heart wrenching and tender, the story unfolds with great pacing and meticulously researched details.