The German Next Door written by Gosia Nealon. This is an amazing well written book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and it was a pleasure to be able to review it. This heart gripping story in war torn Poland brings you face to face with evil. What would a mother do to protect her child and her family. Aneta has been thrown into a horrible situation where she must become a bold unwavering shield between the Nazi invaders and everyone she holds dear. One wrong move and she will lose everything.

3.5 stars
This one was a real page-turner, very difficult to put down.
Set in Poland after the Nazi occupation of WW2, this historical fiction novel has an overriding theme about courage. Courage of Gentiles, who risked much to aid Jews who faced oppression from the Nazis. Courage of mothers, who had too often face the unimaginable decision of letting their children go to homes of strangers, so they could survive. Bravery and courage of the partisans, who covertly did all they could to outwit and outsource the Nazis. The prisoners of the concentration camps had only courage, and hope, to get them through each day of hell on earth and live to see another one, praying that someday they would be free…

*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

What an amazing story. Heartbreaking, heart-felt, and hopeful all in one. This is the story of Aneta, a Polish young widow who lives in a secluded village. She lives with her mother-in-law and son, and Germans come to her village, taking over everything. Aneta is hiding a Jewish doctor and his wife, helps save children of mothers who are taken to German camps, and reunites with the lover of her life - who happens to be a German soldier.
This was a beautiful book in that it makes you feel the pain and sorrow of the time, while living in hope for what is to come and finding kindness in dark times.
Gosia Nealon is an expert story-teller!
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to this eARC.

An interesting story about love and redemption in WWII Poland. And the terrors that the Nazis inflicted on the people. I’m glad the author used another concentration camp other than Auschwitz.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read this incredible book! I think I have a new favourite author. Wonderfully rich and well-written characters, a great storyline with a neat little twist, and I loved the Polish village setting!

The burning and massacre of Bronka’s village was horrific but so important to read about because though this book was itself fiction, the fact is that such horrors really happened. In the past I tended to prefer more autobiographical WWII tales as fiction sometimes seemed a bit too trite and fanciful, but turns out I just needed to find the right authors. Nothing here is sugar coated and though there are moments where one has to suspend their disbelief, it never comes across as unrealistic. (Although I will say that the hidden Steins felt a bit forgotten at times - it feels impossible that they were able to survive with the Nazis next door for all those months!)

A WWII story with twists and turns that will keep you reading late into the night. An author you will want to follow. I was given an ARC of this book. This review is my own.

This book was amazing, I absolutely broke my heart over it. Still trying to process it! Great read! Highly recommend

This book literally gave me goosebumps all over my body, it was absolutely fantastic both emotive and full of resilience. The book is full of vivid descriptions and imagery that will stay with me forever

Thanks netgalley for this story about two best friends and how they survived I. Poland in 1943.
Anika lives on a farm with her mother in law and her son Janek from a romance she had with a German who is now a soldier. And a family of Jews who she is hiding from the Germans . If they are found they will all be shot
Her best friend Bronka lives in the next village where the Germans have crime they have burned everything down and killed her nysnand.
Bronka has just had a baby and knowing that the Germans will find her she has given the baby to Aneta to loo, after.
Which saved her babies life as she was then taken to a concentration camp.
This was a very well written and also very descripted about the concentration camp.
All I can say is
WE SHOULD NEVER FORGET

when you think of the title, really think about it in the time of war it can give you the chills you need for reading this book. i cannot get over how every time i read something of that time i am both horrified and in awe anew. the times in Poland seem often overlooked. i know ive not learnt alot about it in more mainstream coverage or learnings. and wow does it seem something we should be knowing more of. for the brunt they took seemed often particularly cruel. the harshness of Nazis regime truly came in to play for those under his control.
this book shows us once again the bravery of families at that time and yes of many many woman at that time. trying to keep themselves safe, but also trying and then putting themselves at more risk by keeping other safe. just wow. i cannot comprehend being that sacrificing or brave. it terrifies me to even read about it. be it fiction or not you truly get the feeling that this is exactly what they indeed went through. though of course words of fiction could probably never cover the half of it.
Gosia has a way of building the worlds around her books so its almost like we are peering into them through her words. like we are looking on this community and families and just what is happening to them. she helps you cry for them, worry for them and be angered for them. her books tike time to read because you sometimes need a little break to breathe or weep...or both. but each book is as fantastic as the previous. how she does it i dont know but shes in her own league at her storytelling. when authors get it right like this there truly is nothing better to get stuck in to.
i loved how this book took us right into the farming region which i had previously seen much of. Aneta is just stunning in her determination to keep those she loves and cares for safe. she was so full of force yet vulnerable at the same time. i was breathless for her and her son. i was tense and sat motionless at some parts waiting to see what would come next or if they would be discovered. add to the mix just who her sons father was, or what he was now was just added brilliance to the mix.
Gosia brought her characters story to full life. i could hear the fears, i could feel their heavy hearts and scared silences. i could feel anxiousness that fell like a cloud when they are taken over by the worst of humans.
this book took my breathe away. and this author is quickly becoming a cherished fave.

The book had a lot going for it, it was very emotional. Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion

THE GERMAN NEXT DOOR by GOSIA NEALON is a beautifully written WW11 novel that takes place in Poland from 1943 to 1944. We see the incredible courage and strength shown by prople who are not only trying to stay alive themselves, but are also saving others who are in danger of annihilation by the Nazis…..
When a group of Nazi soldiers move into the cottage next to the one she lives in with her mother-in-law and four year old son Janek, Aneta is horrified for more than one reason. First of all their leader is Johann, the man she gave herself to in 1938 and who is Janek’s father. She also fears for all their lives if the Jewish doctor and his wife are found hiding in their attic…….
We see Bronka and Aneta’s courage in saving children, and Bronka and Wladek’s courage in the horrific conditions in the brutal Majdanek prisoner of war camp. All this happens against the horrors perpetrated by the Nazis, particularly against the Jews. The Nazis also hate the Polish people……..
This is a book about heartache and strength of character, as opposed to brutality and man’s inhumanity towards his fellow man.
I highly recommend this heart wrenching but also hopeful story to anyone who enjoys this genre.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Wow! Excellent book — it’s easy to read and catches your attention from the very beginning with fully developed characters. The author beautifully combines history with romance. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because it reminded me a little too much of “The Nightingale”. Otherwise, I highly recommend reading it!

The German Next Door, after starting this and finding it hard to get into I ended up staying up and finishing it as I couldn’t put it down, and it been one of the best books I’ve read in a while. A story of love, heartbreak and utter despair at times, trying to imagine that what was written was actually true. A very poignant time that it’s actually 80 years since the end of the war and reading this. A book not to be missed and definitely worth 5 ⭐️ if not more.

Wow this book was fantastic, Gosia Nealon knows how to write a story that pulls at the heart strings. The German Next Door was emotional, heartbreaking, full of courage, suffering, love and hope.

The story is based in Poland in WW2, the Germans have occupied the region and have moved into the cottage next door. The main characters Aneta and Bronka are best friends and go through the war in different ways. Aneta spends the war hiding Polish Jews and raising orphan children, and Bronka has to survive a Nazi death camp, she is also saving babies and getting them out of the camp for Aneta to find a home for the duration of the war. Will they survive the war and reunite with their loved ones?

I loved this book, it was so well written I really felt the emotion of the situation and got quite teary at points. The book felt real, my heart breaks for the innocent people that suffered through this terrible war. This book was so hard to put down, highly recommended and totally worth five stars.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this advance copy in return for an honest review.

Before I began reading Gosia Nealon's newest book, I cleared my schedule so I could read without any interruptions. Her books grab me and won't let go until the final page. The German Next Door is another stellar book, addressing conditions in Poland during World War II that are often overlooked. This story is set in the Zamosc farming region, which fell victim to Hitler's Lebensraum policy, carried out with ruthless efficiency.

As with all of this author's books, her characters make this tale special. Aneka and Bronka, best friends and young mothers, struggling to survive the Nazi nightmare that has engulfed their lives. Each of them was determined to survive for the sake of their children. I was astounded by Aneka's endless compassion and willingness to save those whom the Germans reviled, knowing that discovery would be a death sentence for her family. Bronka's experience in the Majdanek concentration camp as she faced sadistic brutality and disease, highlighted the compassion of the women who shared her barracks. They shared their meager portions of food and protected the weakest among them. When the plot became too intense to bear, I took the dogs for a walk until my anxiety disappeared. I cried that after all Poland had suffered under the Nazi occupation, instead of freedom they fell under Stalin's control. Gosia Nealon's gifted writing made me feel Poland's pain but it also made me proud of my gender! I loved this one and I highly recommend it.

I read The German Next Door in a few days!!
It made me very emotional.

Aneta—a mother desperately trying to protect her son, Janek, and also hiding a Jewish family in her home- the danger is literally at every turn, keeping these secrets. The tension throughout the book made it extra turnworthy.

Add Johann, the blue-eyed German lieutenant who is also Janek’s father, to the mix, and I was something else.

When he suddenly appears with his platoon, everything Aneta is protecting is at risk.

She had to keep her son a secret, which could not have been easy, especially with the obvious tension between them.

I loved how strong and determined Aneta was. She was brave and just got on with it. Her motherly love shone through every time.

This was a stunning read- very emotional and will undoubtedly stay with me for a while.
Gosia wrote another beautiful story.

The German Next Door by Gosia Nealon is a hauntingly beautiful and unforgettable story that gripped my heart from the very start. I cried for Bronka, her pain, her quiet strength, the way she carried her grief with such grace—it was utterly devastating and achingly human. And Aneta… her courage left me breathless. The choices she faced, the risks she took, the love that guided her—she felt like someone I knew, someone I admired deeply. The author’s descriptions of wartime Poland were so vivid, I could almost hear the whispers in the shadows and feel the tension in the air. More than once, I was holding my breath, praying for these characters like they were real. And the ending was bittersweet, soul-healing, and full of quiet hope. Every character was alive on the page, crafted with such care and depth. This isn’t just a story—it’s an experience. One I’ll never forget.

Gripping, emotional, and beautifully written.

The German Next Door is a powerful story of love, sacrifice, and impossible choices in the darkest of times. Aneta’s bravery and the emotional tension of hiding a Jewish family during the Nazi occupation is both heart-wrenching and inspiring.

Every chapter was filled with tension and heartbreak. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. If you love stories about quiet acts of courage during WWII, this one is for you.

I look forward to every book Nealon releases. Her plots are always emotional and give me all the feels which FEEDS my historical fiction soul.

We follow a Polish mother and a German solider, in a time when any kind of relationship is difficult. The struggles they each endure and trust they have creates a unique bond.

The characters are vivid and ones I was 100% invested in. The journey will have you turning the pages while the story unfolds. I loved the blend of the past and present. A MUST READ for historical fiction lovers.

Thank you Bookouture for the e-ARC.