
Member Reviews

The Sunflower House is a wonderful story about Germans who helped save children during World War II. The Nazi decision to facilitate increased baby production and raise them in residences like Hochland Home with strict schedules was crazy!!! Alina and Karl acted in ways everyone would hope they would act but who knows what we are capable of when under duress. As usual, Allegi writes a story that makes me want to learn more.

Amazing! I cannot put into words how good this book was! This was one I could not put down. I loved the way this story was told. I loved all of the different perspectives. This topic has always been interesting to me and learning about other things that happened during this time through this story was amazing.

THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE
BY: ADRIANA ALLEGRI
"Every war is a letting of the best blood. For the people, many a military victory has, at the same
time, been a shattering defeat of their blood and vital power. The death of the best men--which,
deplorable though it may be, is an unfortunate necessity--is not the worst consequence. Much
worse is the lack of children.
A man can die peacefully if he knows his family and everything he and his ancestors have worked for
will continue through his children. The best gift for a widow is the children of the man she loved.
Beyond the boundaries of civil laws and customs, there is also the high task, outside marriage, for
German women and girls of good blood to become, not through frivolity but from a deep moral
sense, mothers of children by soldiers going to war. Only fate can tell if those soldiers will come
home or fall for Germany.
Also, the holy duty for men and women, whose place is at home by State command, is to continue to
reproduce themselves. We cannot forget that victory and the shed blood of our soldiers would be
meaningless if not followed by the colonization of the new soil.
In the last war, many a soldier decided to produce no more children during military conflict because
of concern for his wife's welfare in the event of his death.
This factor need not be considered by you SS men, for any such anxieties are obviated, by the
following provisions.
(1) For all legitimate and illegitimate children of good blood whose fathers have been killed in the
war, special trustees personally chosen in the name of the Reichsfuhrer SS will guardianship. We
will stand by the mothers of these children and will make ourselves materially responsible for the
education and upbringing of the children themselves.
(2) In cases of disease and distress, the SS will care for all children, illegitimate or not, and for all
pregnant mothers. After the war, if the fathers return, the SS will give generous economical help
if an individually proved application is made.
SS men and mothers of these children, prove that in your readiness to fight and die for Germany
you are also prepared to pass on life for it!"
[Signed] H. Himmler
The Reichsfuhrer SS
Allina's daughter, Katrine, gets a call from early in the A.M. morning hours while she was sleeping with her husband to hear that her mother has had a bad fall. When Allina's daughter gets her mother settled in her home, and comfortable, knowing her mother is sleeping peacefully, she sees that it's her opportunity to check if her mother fell off a stepping stool in her mother's bedroom. She discovers a box hidden underneath one of the loose floor boards by accident. A hidden box underneath a lifted piece of flooring, piques her curiosity, but nothing could have prepared her for what she discovered. She opens the hidden box, and discovers a Swastika. Allina is standing in the doorway and her explanation, starts to pour out of her what it means. Allina, has kept this part of her life to herself for the past sixty years.
This is not a spoiler since it starts out in the very beginning. As Allina's story pours out of her to her daughter we are taken back in time to 1939 in Germany to a small village.
It begins with Allina being out on a picnic with her fiancee, and her best friend Karin, and her fiancee named Fritz. Fritz says some very disturbing things about some friends of theirs that have disappeared in the middle of the night, and no one has heard from them since six months ago. Allina has grown up with her Aunt and Uncle and is a very spirited young woman, who lives a quiet life helping her Uncle run his bookshop. Her Uncle gets sick and when he finally sees a doctor he is told that he has cancer. With not very long to live, he gives Allina a box with some letters from her father, saying that he has met Allina's mother Irene, who is Jewish, and they are expecting a child. Her parent's were killed in an omnibus accident, and it was decided that since Allina is half Jewish, that the truth be kept from her, since they wanted to keep her safe and were afraid she wouldn't keep it to herself.
Two days after her Uncle dies after giving Allina the box of letters from her father telling her to read them as they are her inheritance, she wakes up to shots fired and she trips over her Aunt Claudia, and discovers she has been shot in the head and is dead. The barn is burning and she runs into the woods to hide under some leaves. That night the Germans invaded their town and right before her Uncle died he gave her some forged papers with a new identity that her fiancee, who hadn't written to her had made for her. Allina Strauss becomes Allina Gotlieb, and her former life as she knew it was over.
After an unspoken amount of cruelty done to Allina, and after she is discovered hiding in the woods underneath a pile of leaves, She is brought to Hochland Home by a high ranking SS officer, not far from Munich. It is a Lebensborn home, one of the Reich's most heinous secrets. A Lebensborn was a baby factory. The high ranking German officer brought her there to recuperate, but when he decided to help her she asked him why, and he tells her it's because she reminds him of his granddaughter. But when he brings a beaten and traumatized Allina, she hears him telling the head nurse there that he thinks that she might be pregnant with his child. Allina is given a job there and she really has no choice, but to keep up with the ruse that she is Allina Gotlieb now. She can tell what is going on very quickly, and will Allina survive or will she be discovered?
I wrote that quote in the beginning, to show how horrific, and disturbed Heinrich Himmler's Eugenics program truly was, and to highlight how these homes were truly in existence to produce pure Aryan blood for Germany to increase the population. The young women who stayed there were encouraged to mix with the Nazi officers who frequented them regularly. I was particularly horrified how little the babies in the nurseries were handled. They only got minimal stimulation from when they needed to be fed or a diaper change. I know that babies can die more frequently from not getting their needs met, and their need to be picked up and cuddled, is more powerful than their need for eating or drinking regularly. More babies die from lack of touch, or being ignored when they cry than they do from lack of food. That's right. A baby can die from not being cuddled or touched more often, than their need for being fed. A baby can give up on living easier when they cry, and are ignored, more frequently than their need for being fed regularly.
I'm so grateful that before my first son was born at my baby shower my best friend gave me a snugly as one of her gifts to me. I used that snugly so often, it turned out to be an invaluable gift that I had no idea how much use I would get out of it, until after I gave birth. For those of you that don't know what a snugly is, I will do my best to explain. Think of a backpack, but a snugly is worn in the front by the mother or father, and is used to carry your infant around with you so your baby can hear your heartbeat, and look up at you. While you're carrying your infant around the house, or to go on errands, it frees up your hands so you can get things done, while smiling and talking to your baby. The young infant faces inward towards the person wearing it, letting the baby get cuddled at the same time as you are getting things done. This snugly I wore constantly for both infants and they loved it since they got to be close to me for most of the day, and I remember both babies loving it. It's designed with enough cushion for the baby's comfort, while being sturdy to hold the baby, and for the baby to have two cushioned holes for their legs to fit through and hang down. I think there are cushioned two holes for the arms for the baby, but that detail I can't remember. Usually it's worn from the newborn stage until the baby starts to walk. So probably a good ten months the baby is getting to be close to Mom, or Dad and getting plenty of closeness with their parents. By the time the baby starts to walk they don't want to be in it anymore. I just remember how both of my babies loved being in it so that they could feel close and loved. I used it with both of them, and they were very happy babies and children and so easy to raise.
It is hard to believe this was a debut novel. It took this Author two decades to research, and write such an excellent historical novel. Don't skip the Author's Note, since it's just as enlightening, as the novel. I have told myself that I have read all of World War II, historical novels that I feel that I have satiated that desire to read anymore. I'm so grateful that I took a chance on this one, since I LOVED IT. Yes, it's difficult to have read this, but it also was handled with as much compassion, and sensitivity to the subject matter as possible. I will read anything that Adriana Allegri writes in the future, and I am left wishing that she had written a couple of other novels, before this one, since she writes so well, that I wish I could read more of her work other than this. I highly, highly recommend this to everybody. I can tell that this author has a ton of compassion as a characteristic of her personality by how she employed it within this novel as much as possible. This book deserves to reach as wide of an audience as possible. FIVE SPARKING STARS FROM ME AND THE MOON THAT FOLLOWS ALL OF US AROUND!
Publication Date: November 12, 2024! AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE NOW! YOU WON'T REGRET IT!
Thank you to Net Galley, Adriana Allegri, and St. Martin's Press for generously providing me with my unforgettable ARC, in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
#TheSunflowerHouse #AdrianaAllegri #StMartinsPress #NetGalley

The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri was moving, heartbreaking and an overall an incredible work of Historical Fiction. I've read several books about the baby factories in Nazi Germany but this one superseded all the the others. Impeccably researched with characters filled with heart and goodness makes this a fabulous read!
Review Link coming soon!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Adriana Allegri for an ARC of this book!**
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it." - Helen Keller
Allina Strauss doesn't have a cruel bone in her body...but unfortunately for her, a kind spirit and an inquisitive mind is no match for the horrors she is set to witness. It's 1939, and in her tiny German town, her friends are Jews and Catholics alike. She's quick to defend and protect the liberty of those around her, and spends most of her time with her friends and family, living a fairly quiet and simple life. But one night everything changes, and a flurry of soldiers take everyone she loves from her in one fell swoop. Amidst the chaos, Allina also discovers a closely guarded family secret: her mother was Jewish, and that makes Allina a "mischling", or a person of mixed Aryan and Jewish heritage...and Allina must now guard this secret with every ounce of her being, lest she end up losing everything she has left.
After the horrific invasion of her home, Allina wakes up to find herself part of a very different House of Horrors that she never imagined: she is stationed at Hochland House, one of many Lebensborn homes. The Lebensborn (which translates to "Font of Life") homes quite literally function as secret baby factories, where Aryan women are forced to mate with SS soldiers...and produce the next generation of Hitler youth. Although Allina is a nurse rather than a mother, she is aghast at what she sees. Rather than loving and nurturing care, babies are given the bare minimum to survive, and their pained cries are ignored for hours at a time, even if all they long for is a quick cuddle or a clean diaper. When she sees what happens on the upper levels, however, the infant room looks rosier: the toddlers who should be walking and talking are incredibly delayed in both physical and mental development, due in large part to the levels of neglect. Worse still, since so many of the children aren't 'up to snuff' they are removed and essentially marked for eventual execution.
Determined to try to help the children at all costs, Allina is at a loss, and despite her best efforts to remain solitary, she makes a couple of friends along the way. Her most unlikely ally, however, comes in the form of handsome SS solider, Karl. Although Allina bristles at the mere thought of being close to someone who could work as part of the Third Reich, she comes to learn that Karl isn't like the other soldiers...and they might have far more in common than she thought....including a shared interest in protecting the children from the horrific future that awaits. But once emotional bonds are formed and a romance begins to blossom, Allina and Karl's bevvy of secrets prove to be more than a mere liability...and could mean the difference between life and death. Will Karl and Allina's plan for escape and liberation for themselves and the children they care so deeply about come to fruition? Will they be able to also protect their OWN daughter, Katrine? Or will the terrors of the Third Reich dim their light...permanently?
It's been quite a while since I've delved into WWII historical fiction, and there are several good reasons behind that choice. For one, this type of historical fiction is practically GUARANTEED to be painfully heavy. From Lowry's Number the Stars to Hannah's Nightingale, each WWII HF book feels like a gut punch in many ways; after all, these books are essentially exploring genocide and the systematic destruction of an entire race and religion of people, with little motivation for such destruction other than a desire for power and a heavy dose of xenophobia. Being a pretty huge pacifist myself, I often struggle even reading about these atrocities at all. There's also the fact that this type of HF has practically become a genre in an of itself, due mostly to the LARGE proliferation of these types of stories. Although some are driven by tragic romance of one kind or another, others focus on the destruction of torn families, etc....but unfortunately, the fact that SO MANY of these stories have been told can make this type of book feel a bit 'been there, read that.'
But when it comes to this powerful and emotionally charged debut from newcomer Adriana Allegri, the focus of this particular tale on a completely new angle of WWII that so many have never heard of before was enough to make this painful and tragic tale stand out like the North Star in a crowded midnight sky.
For a debut, this is a book quickly grounds itself and once it sets focus, never loses sight of its endgame. Meticulously researched, Allegri takes a concept that seems particularly abhorrent but also completely unfamiliar and gets the reading audience up to speed entirely by about 20% in. Although Hochland House itself isn't real, it rings with such truth that you feel you are there...and as a mom especially, my stomach was in knots hearing about the neglect these children faced, not to mention their IMMEDIATE 'brainwashing from birth'. Although this story could have easily dipped into the sort of tired trope of "SS officer falls in love with someone diametrically opposed to his ideology", the extra layer and the common goal of extricating the innocent children sort of removed this one from predictability. There are several layers at play here, and the author also gives Allina AND Karl a voice throughout, keeping this book from falling into tired, too-often trodden tropes with surprises, twists, and turns throughout.
This is also technically a dual timeline story, but in many respects, you'll sort of forget this by the time Allina arrives at Hochland House. The second timeline (present day) only truly matters at the beginning and end of the book. (Think Rose Dewitt-Bukater from Titanic, but with a far less important tie to present day...and no big fancy necklaces.) It basically functions as a sort of metaphorical bookend, giving us just enough of a setup to have daughter Katrine questioning why and how her mother would have a box with a Nazi medal in it in her closet. Perhaps my only criticism of this is that the book's blurb seems to hint at more of a balanced timeline, and there truly isn't one: it's 90% Allina's recollections of her past. Which is not necessarily problematic, but if you go in expecting a Picoult-like tie in to present-day, it will feel a bit lacking. However, the author's note is everything you WOULD expect from a writer like Picoult, in that she has ALL of the research in hand, provides a very detailed description of what is drawn from reality vs. fictionalized aspects, and provides bountiful examples for further reading, should you feel so inclined...or have the fortitude to read more!
This moving story stands as a solemn reminder that although powerful, seemingly limitless forces may try to silence those who value intelligence, integrity, curiosity, and acceptance, it is only the house that stands united that has the capability to weather any storm.
And who knows...after enough rain, maybe a sunflower will still find a way to bloom.
4 stars
#TheSunflowerHouse #AdrianaAllegri #StMartinsPress #partner #smpearlyreader

Such a beautiful, emotional, and just all around awe-inspiring read. Such an incredible debut from this author, and I am more than just a bit excited to see what she writes in the future!
This book is the perfect example of an emotional WWll story with an incredible strong female lead. Allina is beautiful and just incredible - her strength is mesmerizing and the fact that she was a nurse and truly just rallied to take care of others while she, too faced insurmountable grief and tragedy was just beautiful.
The atrocities that occured at the time were well documented, and you could see the incredible amount of research that went into this story. This story was very hard to read at times, but it's a book that I will be thinking of for a very long time to come.
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

The Sunflower House
I have previously read books about the Lebensborn program in Germany before and during WWII , whereby unmarried women were encouraged to bear children of German officers. These women’s background was meticulously searched and only pure Aryan women were selected. These women then lived in homes specially created for them during their pregnancy. Once their babies were born, they were put up for adoption by German families. Hochland Home, where most of this novel takes place was such a home. Alina is a nurse there after she loses most of her family in a pogrom style killing spree. This novel approaches the Lebensborn program slightly differently, concentrating of the “slow” unadoptable children. While in Hochland House, Alina meets Karl, a German officer. Without giving away the plot,the two share secrets of their past. I found most of the novel contrived and unbelievable and sorry to say boring. I did finish it, so I can write this review. For me, this was just a three star book.
I received a complimentary copy, opinions are my own.

Beautifully written book and a heartbreaking story!!
This book will stay with you for a long while after reading it. It showcases the human spirit and how it survives with love and hope despite horrific actions.
If you want to expand your reading, the types of books y0u read and learn about the ugly truth of human beings right along side the beauty of humankind, pick this one up!

Wow. This was a heart-wrenching book, and truly brutal in its subject matter.
Drawn from the horrifying history of the Handmaid's Tale-esque Lebensborn eugenics program, this fictional story takes us on Allina Strauss' journey from idyllic German life to the shocking revelation of her true identity and the ensuing battle to save her own life -- and others while working in secret as a nurse at a Nazi-run baby factory.
Even though this is a work of fiction, you can tell it's deeply researched, and it's these historical foundations of truth that are so haunting and heartbreaking.
There are many content warnings for this book -- including brutal sexual assault and murder -- so I urge you to familiarize yourself with the subject matter before reading; it's brutal and haunting and truly difficult to stomach at times.
This story of horrors is hard to read, but also manages to infuse moments of love, hope, resilience, and light. It's a deeply resonant story with a powerful execution. It's a story -- and a history -- you'll be thinking about long after you finish.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest, unbiased review. THE SUNFLOWER HOUSE is out now.

Adriana Allegra’s debut novel, The Sunflower House, is a must-read dual-timeline novel about the Lebensborn Program, which rose from the Notorious Henrich Himmler’s pogrom to encourage a proliferation of births among pure German SS officers and young German women of ‘good Aryan stock.’ As a debut novel, this story is a must-read for any WWII historical fiction enthusiast.
I have read several books, both fiction and non-fiction, about the Lebensborn program and the push for young Aryan German girls to reproduce, regardless of marriage, for the benefit of the Reich. But this story blends romance with the horrors of Hitler’s secret programs surrounding his horrific plans to use women and children to further his 1000-year Reich.
Rich in imagery, peppered with characters that jump off the page and into your heart, this very well-researched tale kept me entranced from the first page to the last. I felt as if I was living alongside Allina as she discovered she is half-Jewish when her uncle revealed the story about her deceased parents and how her aunt and uncle came to raise her to protect her as Hitler’s madness spread across. Europe. Creating a new identity for her, they kept the secret of her parentage from her. Then, one day, a cruel German officer and his company of German soldiers raided their tiny town, killing her aunt several days after her uncle had died. A madman forced Allina into a sadistic, impossible situation. Throughout the tale, Allina’s experiences reveal the brutality of the Reich pogroms, as an officer forces her to work at one of Hitler’s baby factories, which are brothels disguised as homes for unwed mothers and officer’s wives.
A beautifully written romance develops between an SS officer named Karl and a traumatized Allina at Hochman House. As he falls for her, he secretly shields her from officers who seek to ruin her. But Allina is not the only one holding secrets. Karl is hiding a few of his own, and so is the Director of the baby factory.
This is a tale of strength despite adversity, with characters so rich and realistic you want to jump inside the book and offer them your help and support. As Allina avoids the obligation of producing a Lebensborn child or children by working for the Director of the House, Karl and she creates an elaborate plan to help Jewish children and other children born at Hochman House.
Adriana Allegra brings this often ignored historical travesty to light as the timeline shifts to a grandmother in New Jersey decades after the war, telling her granddaughter the secrets of her family, the tale of the bravery of her SS officer grandfather, bringing the horrors of the Nazi Reich to light, echoing how easily it is to indoctrinate a population through fear and intimidation to participate in the evils of one man's vision for his country and people.
I can honestly say this is one of the best stories I have read in years. I am absolutely in awe of this writer’s debut novel. It not only educates readers but also shows the human side of a horrific period in history, the battles many German officers fought in opposition to the Hitler regime, and the price they paid for their courage.
Five stars, hands down. I want to thank Net Galley, the publisher, and Adriana Allegra for the opportunity to read this as a free ARC. My review is voluntary and mine alone.

An absolute powerhouse of a debut novel - a beautifully written heartbreak.
I was very impressed with the research obviously put into this - though not at all an easy read, the story is well written and engaging, showcasing hope and love amidst true horrors. The imagery of the story feels particularly timely right now and will give readers much to think about.
The author did a stellar job and I look forward to reading whatever Ms Allegri writes next.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the DRC

Courtesy of Netgalley and St. Martin's Press, I received the ARC of The Sunflower House, a debut novel by Adriana Allegri. This well researched historical fiction highlights the Lebensborn Program of WWII in Nazi Germany. While the characters epitomized strength through the worst circumstances, the situations were heartbreaking. I especially loved the friendship through adversity, in spite of all the secrets. Highly recommend this book!

I’m a big fan of historical fiction and find myself reading a lot of WWII books. And every time I think the horrors of that war can’t be any worse, I stumble across something new. The Lebensborn program saw healthy women basically used to breed the new Aryan race, and the children who were not deemed worthy were often ignored and mistreated. Allina is hiding her Jewish roots while working in a Lebensborn home, fighting for the children under her care at the height of the war, when she meets Karl, an SS officer sympathetic to her plight. Definitely worth a read.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for an advance copy.

A big standing ovation and applause for the first-time author of The Sunflower House, Adriana Allegri.
This is a well-researched and well-written book.
I have read many books on The Holocaust, but not from this perspective.
It flowed well and kept my interest from start to finish.
The topic of this debut novel is about the Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany.
Where the women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the purpose of being a baby factory and increasing the Aryan population
Another very sad story of this horrific time in history, but one that needs to be told.
Thank you to NetGalley, The Author and
St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy to read and review.

I knew that the Nazis had encouraged German women to bear many children, but I didn’t appreciate how far they pushed that agenda. The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri, is a gripping new page-turner about the Lebensborn program, which was intended to help repopulate Germany with good Aryans to replace the men lost in wars. The shortage of men due to all the deaths in the First World War, combined with tough economic times post-war, led to a declining population in Germany during the inter-war period. One way that eugenicist Heinrich Himmler devised to encourage the birth of more high-quality stock was to encourage even unmarried Ayran women to breed. The regime set up a network of birthing houses in Germany and in conquered territories (including Norway, Austria, Denmark and even France). This novel, based heavily on documented fact, explores how these houses worked, through the eyes of an orphaned woman who ends up in one after having learned a startling secret about her own lineage.
Most of the babies born to unwed mothers in these Lebensborn facilities were turned over to well-connected Nazi families. Because the birth mothers were well fed and cared for during their pregnancies, some married women with connections, such as officers’ wives, would also go to them for their final weeks of pregnancy and first few weeks postpartum.
I was startled to learn that some of the facilities became essentially whorehouses for Nazi officers, who were encouraged to spread their seed at parties held at the homes. Pretty young German women who weren’t pregnant would be invited to come and help produce babies for the nation’s glory. As Adriana Allegri writes in her author’s note, “Sexual relations became sport, sport with a sacred purpose.” There were even dinner parties where, in true Handmaid’s Tale fashion, the wife would sit on one side of the officer and his breeder du jour on the other.
Another shameful secret explored in the book was that a huge proportion of the babies born in these houses failed to thrive, despite their “pure” lineage. The suggestion in the novel is that this was because the care of the newborns was overly regimented, not giving the babies the stimulation they needed to learn to speak and move properly. As a result, a huge number of the babies were sent off for the Nazi’s horrendous medical “experiments”.
Although the book is a bit heavy on the romance angle for my taste (though that would doubtless be a pro rather than a con for many readers), it was a well-told and informative story that kept me reading eagerly. The main character, Allina, is complex. She struggles with her quick temper and reluctance to play the games required to survive. The book also explores secrets, and the impact they can have on relationships and future generations. Overall, a moving and thought-provoking read. This would be great book club material!

I haven't been reading enough Historical Fiction, mainly because I am very picky. I am not a huge fan of historical fiction romance, fantasy, or magical realism, so its a challenge to find a solid novel with none of the elements I mentioned.
The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri was terrific. I am so glad I read it. World War II fiction can be draining and intense, so I don’t read a ton of it. But this one is a must-read if you are in the mood for a well-written novel about one of the worst times in history.
Synopsis:
In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it’s 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret — her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.
One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.
The Sunflower House is a meticulously-researched debut historical novel from Adriana Allegri that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of “pure” blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to “good” Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she’s determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care.
A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, The Sunflower House is also a love story. When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other — and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and the secrets we bury in order to save ourselves.

Just when I think I couldn't possibly read another book about Hitler's shameful actions leading to World War II, I discover another one that features an aspect I knew very little about. Even though the characters are fictional, the story is based on true events. The author did years of research and poured her heart and soul into this debut novel. The Sunflower House by Adriana Allegri is one that I will definitely be recommending to my fellow readers. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author for a copy to read and review.

Well-written and moving story of a young German woman caught up in the horrors of Nazi Germany. Passionate about serving others, she finds herself working in the Lebensborn Program, where the Nazi’s centered their Aryan repopulation efforts. The power of this book is in showing how every corner of life in Nazi Germany was tainted by evil and hatred, while those who disagreed were forced into the shadows and cracks as they sought to serve their souls. I really respected how well the author balanced the frustrations and horror of some Germans through main characters of Allina and Karl with the emotional torture they faced as they played the loyal Nazis in order to survive and maintain access to areas where they could resist. Heartbreaking at times, this book consumed my thoughts and emotions. (I only gave it four stars because of the final chapter, which took me from the honest tensions into an overly contrived, oft-heard philosophical proclamation.)
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this moving book.

Title: The Sunflower House
Author: Adriana Allegri
Length: 336 pages
Format: ebook arc
Pub Date: Nov 12 2024
Genre:Historical Fiction | Romance | Women's Fiction
Rating Out of 5: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Summary:
Allina Strauss, hiding her Jewish heritage, is forced to work at Hochland Home, part of Heinrich Himmler’s eugenics program. Witnessing horrific neglect, she risks everything to save the children under her care. Amid danger, Allina forms a bond with Karl, an SS officer with secrets of his own, as they strive to resist and protect innocent lives. This meticulously-researched debut is a gripping tale of love, loss, and courage in the face of unimaginable evil.
Thoughts:
I just finished this book, and I don’t know what to do now! I’m wrecked. My mind is mush. I’ve finished crying. This story was wonderful and awful in so many ways, as is all WWII historical fiction novels. I’ll be honest, I almost put this book right back down after I started reading because the beginning has a horrific rape scene. I’m glad I didn’t put it down because I would’ve missed a really great story. I had no idea the Lebensborn e.V. was a thing. At all. I’m finding I know so little about history as I read more and more historical fiction novels. It was very fascinating and unnerving to read about this, however, the author made it as digestible as it could be. Lebensborn aside, the story of Allina reconnecting with her mother through her mother finally telling her about her past was beautifully done. And the love story between Allina and Karl was so beautiful that it made me weep for the happily ever after they didn’t get. I’m so thankful to books like this one for giving me an inspiring story while also teaching me a little about the past. The author does note at the end that her main characters and their mission were fictional, but everything else was based on true events. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this book!
Special thanks to the @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

Sometimes it feels like the WWII trope is over done. I have gotten pretty picky about what I read. This is a 10/10 and a book that I will keep on my shelves. I read this as an epub and ordered it as soon as it was available in print. Do not miss this.