Equally heartbreaking and fascinating, the Sunflower House is a heavily researched historical fiction about one of Germany’s Lebensborn houses during WWII. I’ve somehow lived decades without learning about these horrifying baby farms. The atrocities penetrated my thoughts daily and had me returning to the book often in search of morsels of joy. Alina and Karl’s story was poignant, demanding, and at times, endearing. I wanted nothing more than for their love to transcend in the face of war and terror.

“Secrets can’t exist in the light of truth, and while the truth can be painful to hear, its lasting gift is peace.”

I reduced my rating by one ⭐️ because there were a few lulls in the story. I was simultaneously left with questions and wanting so much more for Alina, Karl, and Katrine. The dual/multiple POV was fantastic and helped me invest in most characters.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Adriana Allegri, for this advanced e-copy!

Such an amazing historical fiction novel.
“A must-read* Get the tissues for this one.
This story follows the life of Allina, a woman during WWll who hides her Jewish ancestry to save herself. She ends up working at the Hochland Home, a nazi baby making facility.
This explores many of the cruel and deplorable things that occurred under Hitler’s reign in Germany. This book also has a beautiful love story weaved in the pages as well. This novel brings out all the feels!
Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan publishing for a copy for my honest review.

I am always up for a good WWII historical fiction. This is did not disappoint and gave us a different look at lives impacted by the war.

I really enjoyed reading this. I felt like certain parts dragged a bit, but overall, I liked the glimpse into a less-explored version of WWII history. The notion of a covert SS officer who worked to kill Hitler seemed a little outlandish, but it worked in the context of the story. Altogether, it was a nice, albeit emotional, read.

The majority of my historical fiction reading is in the time period of WWII. This particular story focused on Lebensborn homes. I was equally horrified and fascinated to read about this aspect of the war for the first time. The author executed a fast paced, informative, entertaining novel with undertones beyond the scope of the war. I am grateful for the love stories in the midst of all the grief to prove good things can happen in the midst of terror. It is no wonder this book took twenty years to create.

I found this to be an utterly captivating read. I was very gripped by the story, and super absorbed in its characters. It has such a great depth and arc for the characters with the beautiful prose. I couldn’t put it down till was done with it.

I can’t even tell you how much I loved, The sunflower house. This book was gorgeous and heart wrenching at the same time. It made me breathless and want to cry in the very same breath. I love how the characters are really nicely sketched and appear human rather than perfect, something that is usually the case with most of the romance books. I will read this many more times.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read The Sunflower House. First of all, WOW! This book was amazing! It hooked me from the first chapter. I couldn't put it down. The story of Allina & Karl is beautiful and heartbreaking. The work that they did in the darkness of Nazi Germany is incredible. The work that people did to resist Hitler is beyond incredible. This is an absolute must read in my opinion.