This had potential but then fell flat for me and I couldn't get the energy to pick it up. Sad because the plot sounded interesting and the cover is gorgeous but it was not engaging my historical fiction heart. Sorry = thank you for the advanced read.

This was an interesting story of historical fiction that focuses on the effects of a hidden family history and generational trauma. While the storylines were interesting, I feel that at times, the story was stretched too long and at other times, it seemed rushed. Overall, a good book. Thanks #NetGalley

"The Baker of Lost Memories" is enjoyable but loses steam around the halfway mark. Lena's constant indifference and annoyance of her parents coupled with Luke's narcissistic abuse and manipulation got to be tiresome. The ending was rushed and I had hoped for more of a storyline with Kenny.

**Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

The Baker of Lost Memories is nothing short of an emotional roller coaster, it will tug at your heart strings even more so if you are a parent. This novel is told in dual timelines past and present. We begin in the old country of Poland in the 1940's during the Nazi occupation, we meet the Lodz family, Anya and Josef. Anya was raised in a bakery, upon her father's passing the bakery is given to Anya and Josef, Anya has always desired to have a child and really wanted a daughter especially. Anya gives birth to her first child Ruby, and is head over heels, the little girl wants for nothing. Ruby is very much like her mother, loves baking, very curious and steadfast little girl. Ruby is however born with a deformity which makes her parents even more conscious about the attention that is drawn to Ruby. After being placed into a ghetto and the loss of their beloved Ruby, Anya and Josef surviving Auschwitz, they find a family member in America that is willing to sponsor them. Upon, leaving the old country Anya finds out some changes along the way.

Then our book arrives in 1960's and fast forward to New York City. Lena had never felt loved, accepted or wanted by her mother Anya. Lena's greatest joy in life is her best friend, Pearl. But when a horrific accident happens, and Pearl vanishes without a trace Lena tries to be the best daughter that she can and win over her mother. This book continues on into Lena's adult life, where she goes to college, meet her future husband gets married and opens her own bakery. (Thinking this is her real dream). Lena finds herself miserable as this is not her dream life.

By alternating between Lena's current hardships and her parents' horrific recollections, the novel's intergenerational viewpoint gives it depth. As she starts to comprehend the nuances of her ancestry, Lena discovers tidbits of her parents' background in both eerie and hopeful situations. The contrasting warmth and weight of familial bonds are masterfully captured in Wachtel's writing, particularly in the tender moments between Lena and her mother Anya.

I felt as the reader you experience every emotion, action and adventure, trial and tribulation that the characters go through. I find the characters very relatable and likable aside from Luke. Luke I personally found selfish and egotistical. The moment a man told me I wouldn't have something if it wasn't for him. He would have been on the curb. Anya, I resonated with greatly, the hurt and gut wrecking heart ache that she experienced as a mother. Losing a child is never easy and I feel like Anya in her fear to lose another let that affect her parenting, as a parent of lose you want to love your child and get close to them but at the same time, you're so scared to lose another.

Overall, I really loved this book and would love to read another by this author. Thanks to Net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this masterpiece. I will be recommending it to all of my historical fiction- nonfiction friends and readers.

It’s 1960, and Lena is living in Brooklyn with her parents and hoping to be a baker like her mother. Her parents owned a bakery in Poland, before they ended up in under Nazi control. While she doesn’t always feel loved by her parents, she is always loved by her best friend Pearl. As they grow up, the families traumas become more pronounced, and Lena pulls away.

So while reading I felt like the synopsis of this book was not really an accurate representation of the book. However, When I went to write my own, I realized that you can’t say too much without giving things away. I really struggled with the mother/daughter relationship in this one. I understood why Anya would have a hard time with motherhood after everything she had been through, but at the same time I felt so much for Lena and the shoes she felt she needed to fill in order to make her parents love her. This was a slow burn for sure, and I wish we got a bit more in the ending as it felt a bit abrupt, but I really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to @otrpr for my gifted copy of this book!

The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel is a recommended family drama/historical fiction.
Anya and Josef lost their first daughter, Ruby, but they survived the Holocaust before moving from Poland to America. There they had another daughter, Lena. While growing up, Lena always felt her parents distance from her but she had a best friend, Pearl, who tragically disappears from Lena’s life. The narrative goes on to follow Lena growing up, marrying, and owning a bakery in 1960's Brooklyn.

The quality of the writing is good and has a lot of potential as it deals with trauma and the effects of it on a family. The plot is interesting, mainly follows Lena's struggles with her marriage and her work at the bakery, but the pacing is uneven, verging on glacially slow at times. The narrative alternates between the point-of-view of Anya and Lena and provides insight into the distance between mother and daughter and the struggles in continuing their relationship. Most of the interpersonal problems, both with Lena's marriage and with her mother, could have been resolved with an open, honest discussion.

Honestly, I never felt emotionally invested in the characters or the novel, likely due to the uneven pacing. Introducing Pearl suddenly coming back into Lena's life was an unbelievable aspect to the plot. I deduced what was up right away, could not suspend disbelief, and rejected the premise. Perhaps people who relish all historical fiction novels will enjoy this more than I did.
Thanks to Little A for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
This is the story of Lena and her relationship with her parents. Her parents have suffered a great tragedy right before WWII in Poland. Now they live in Brooklyn with their grown daughter Lena, who has tried all of her life to please and understand her parents (especially her mother). Through loss, understanding and a lot of love, their relationship starts to mend. I liked this book and especially enjoyed reading about the bakery. Overall, this is a good book that deals with the tragedies of war, and the effects it can have on a family for many years.

Definitely a little confused at this book at the revelation about Pearl and put off by the relationship between Lena and her parents. Almost to the point of being uncomfortable as the reader and not sure if I wanted to finish.

Not sure this book was a favorite. It started out strong…I was really invested in Anya’ and Josef’s life and story… I was loving the bakery element as well. But as it continued I felt the story became a bit disjointed and went in directions that didn’t seem to flow well.
Overall just ok for me

A very good premise and plot, but pacing was a major issue and many important parts felt massively underdeveloped and wrapped up too neatly to be plausible.

I had hoped for more from this.



Thank you to Little A and NetGalley for the DRC

Lena’s parents are holocaust survivors who lost their first child, Ruby. Lena wants to bake with her mother (Anya), but the memories are too strong and Anya shuts her out. Lena struggles to find a space in her life where she doesn’t fear disappointing someone.

I really liked the premise of this story and the first chapter had me hooked, but with a 2024-perspective, I really wanted her to find a counselor or just be honest with her mom (and vice versa). Their insecurities made it really hard to stay focused on the book.

Interesting novel about daughter of Holocaust survivors. Relationship between scarred mother and bulnerable daughter is the strongest part of the book. Depicts historical,periods with interesting details.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Baker of Lost Memories. It was a great read about a young woman who has hopes and dreams and somehow gets drawn into baking, a tradition in her family. She’s good at it too, but never seems to measure up to her lost sister.
Her parents, immigrated to the USA after the war and loss of their first child. Navigating their lives and new child couldn’t have been easy as we follow the story of Lena, the daughter as she navigates her own losses and yearning to be successful.
For me, there were lulls in the story and it started off must faster, but I was able to finish it with tears in my eyes. Really allowing me to put myself in a similar situation.

A definite pick up if you’re a fan of fictional history.

The story’s momentum failed to keep me hooked and my emotional journey with Lena and Pearl became lackadaisical and eventually disinterest caused it to peter out.

I appreciated the scenes where Wachtel gave me room for reflection and time to understand her characters’ world, but those were overshadowed by time spent waiting for something (dare I say it considering the setting) meaningful. The continuous use of flashbacks and florid descriptions caused me to lose focus and my connection to the characters.

For example, at the beginning, the girls are on a camp-out in the backyard. From the time they climb into the sleeping bags until the next mention of the camp-out, there are 640 words. Most of these words are descriptive flashbacks. After pages and pages of backstory, I had lost interest in what would happen at the camp-out.

I’m a big historical fiction reader and noted that Wachtel was skilled in imparting the heartbreaking nature of this catastrophic history and in showing how it transformed her characters and generations following. There’s no doubt this is due to her parent’s legacy. I appreciated a well-researched novel, the ease with which I slipped into the setting, the focus on the importance of family, and the resilience of her well-crafted characters.

Unfortunately, I wanted more. Faster.

I was gifted this copy by Little A and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I did not particularly enjoy this book; Pearl's character, in particular, was too abstract for me. Others might find greater meaning in the role Pearl played in the overall story, but for me it was a constant distraction and return to the thought of "what is happening with that".

“The Baker of Lost Memories” is a book about family, tradition, and the struggles that go along with it. This book follows Lena and her parents, Anya and Josef.

Anya and Josef owned a bakery in Poland during the Nazi occupation. The book discusses the Holocaust through Anya and Josef’s eyes.

After all of this, the couple moved to America and Lena was born. She grows up loving to bake like her mother but also trying to figure out what she really wants in life. When Lena is older, she learns of her parents struggles all the while trying to figure out her own.

I thought the subjects in this book were well handled. I also like the character growth the is seen throughout the book, especially with Lena and Anya. There were some threads in the story that I thought were just left dangling in the end.

The book does deal with the Holocaust and its horrors. There are some mentions of domestic abuse as well.

he Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel is an evocative dive into family, trauma, and healing set against the backdrop of 1960s Brooklyn. The story centers on Lena, a young woman inspired to follow in her mother’s footsteps as a baker. Her family’s past—rooted in wartime Poland—casts a lingering shadow over their lives, especially with the mystery surrounding a sister Lena never knew about. This historical fiction offers a layered look at how generational trauma impacts each family member and follows Lena's journey to uncover truths her parents have long buried.

The novel’s intergenerational perspective adds depth, moving between Lena’s present struggles and her parents’ harrowing memories. The scenes in which Lena uncovers fragments of her parents’ past are both haunting and hopeful, as she begins to understand the complexities of her heritage. Wachtel’s writing beautifully captures the contrasting warmth and weight of family ties, especially in the delicate moments between Lena and her mother, Anya.

However, the novel suffers from uneven pacing. The beginning is slow, with long, quiet stretches that delay the unfolding of the core family mystery. Additionally, the subplot involving Lena’s best friend, Pearl, is intriguing but doesn’t get the attention it deserves; its resolution feels rushed, leaving more questions than answers. At times, the story feels overly sentimental, and some plot points are handled a bit predictably, taking away from the otherwise immersive and rich storytelling.

Despite these issues, The Baker of Lost Memories succeeds in conveying the pain of unspoken histories and the possibility of healing. For readers who enjoy slow-burn family dramas and historical fiction with an emotional core, this novel delivers a heartfelt, if slightly imperfect, exploration of resilience and forgiveness across generations. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I liked this book overall and found it was good but felt that there were long stretches where not much happens but I did like the time period and setting
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher

Though short, this novel is completely absorbing. It is about a Jewish family in the 1960s and 1970s in Brooklyn. There are Anya and Josef who have lived through a world of pain and suffering before their move from Poland to America. Then there is their daughter Lena, who is the main character of the novel as she grows up, gets married, and pursues baking. The POV is third person and shifts back and forth between Anya and Lena.
I love the depth of the characters of Lena and Anya, and I cried during their heartbreaks. I did not expect the layers of World War II that would be involved in this story. Without giving too much away, Wachtel does an amazing job of weaving the trauma of the war in the daily lives of Anya and Josef. Lena was an interesting character, trying to juggle her husband, a career she does not like, and a contentious relationship with her parents. At times the parent-child relationship is frustrating, but this makes it far more realistic, adding layers to the story.
The description of the book made it seem like the central plot is a conflict surrounding her best friend Pearl, but when reading the novel, most of the pages are spent around Lena's marriage. This is not to say the mystery of Pearl does not lead to a plot twist, but it was a bit different than I expected. There are moments that are confusing for a few moments, which are likely a result of slight pacing issues. It is also a little unclear at times whether scenes are dreams or not, and while this could contribute to the twist, it didn't feel like that. However, the story was still interesting throughout and only docked one star from the novel.
This is the first novel I have read by Wachtel, but I will definitely be tracking down some of her other novels!
Thank you to Net Galley for providing me an ARC!

This was a great read! It was very interesting and well researched. I enjoyed the writing style a lot and highly recommended this book!