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thepagelady's review
5.0
I absolutely loved The School for German Brides! I was up well past my bedtime turning the pages! It takes place in Berlin during WWII and tells the story of two young women, one looking to escape the marriage to an SS officer and the other is in hiding and just trying to survive. It's told from both Hanna and Mathilde point of view. The characters and the setting really comes to life. I found it eas0y to connect with both women and wanted them to succeed and find their happy ending! The writing is wonderful! If you've read any of Aimie K. Runyan other books then you know she is a wonderful writer and this book is no different!
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Aimie K. Runyan for sharing this beautiful story with me!
Thank you Suzy Approved Book Tours and Aimie K. Runyan for sharing this beautiful story with me!
pam2375's review against another edition
4.0
This was a wonderful story that kept me on edge throughout. It is the story of Hanna and Tilde. It is the story of heartbreak, human suffering, war, death and above all resilience!
Many thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House, William Morrow Paperbacks for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release on April 26, 2022.
Many thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow and Custom House, William Morrow Paperbacks for this advanced readers copy. This book is scheduled to release on April 26, 2022.
susanshaw's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Three women whose lives cross during Ww2 in Berlin.
jbeen21's review
dark
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
3.0
history_girl's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
I loved this book from the second I started reading it, however I just wish that the bride school had at least one more chapter, but other than that it was tense, fast-paced and left me wanting to know what happened to each of the characters.
carlybryce's review
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
smcompton13's review
5.0
8th favorite Book of 2023.This story takes place in Germany, 1939, making this a Historical Fiction Story based in the timeline of the Second World War. This story follows two young women, Hanna and Mathilde, who have lived completely different lives. Hanna was raised by a strong thinking woman on the countryside in Germany. Unfortunately, she loses her mom in a pivotal time of her life as well as history. Her father while grieving, makes the decision to sent her to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle in the city. There she is loving fostered in high society. A society that is intertwined with the First Reich. She is quickly matched up with an older SS officer who is anything, but kind. Because she is the free-spirited woman her mother raised, she is sent off to finishing school to make her the ideal bride. None of this future is what her mother had wished for her, is there anything she can do to escape it?
Mathilde is a Jewish woman who has experienced the firsthand destruction to her family and community. Her father leaves his family in ruins as he does not want to be brough down by their Jewish heritage. While times were tough, she worked hard in her mother’s dress shop sewing clothing for the German women in town while desperately hiding her heritage to keep the business and her mother safe. One day, a handsome young man walks in on his mother’s errand to purchase a dress for his soon-to-be 13-year-old sister. Sparks fly and these two fall in love while Matilda’s mother is sent to safety to the USA. After an underground marriage, they head home only to have their world torn apart overnight. Her new husband’s family is stolen away by the SS and he is never the same. Matilde works hard to be the sole breadwinner in Nazi Germany while her husband is stuck at home thinking of his family he lost. When she discovers she is pregnant, her husband disappears while searching for his lost family. She is now on her own trying to keep her unborn baby safe. Both Hanna and Mathilde’s lives come crashing together when Mathilde is found hiding near the school. They must take drastic measures to save Mathilde and her baby’s life.
This book does a great job intertwining the two girls’ stories highlighting how to they are both affected by Nazi Germany, albeit in two very different ways. Seeing the cause and effect of history hits home while these young women are pushed to make life saving decisions that put all their lives at risk. This is a gripping story that has you heart hurting for all the characters involved. If you would like to see how Nazi Germany effected the everyday person, this is a great book for you.
Trigger warning: Sexual Assault
Mathilde is a Jewish woman who has experienced the firsthand destruction to her family and community. Her father leaves his family in ruins as he does not want to be brough down by their Jewish heritage. While times were tough, she worked hard in her mother’s dress shop sewing clothing for the German women in town while desperately hiding her heritage to keep the business and her mother safe. One day, a handsome young man walks in on his mother’s errand to purchase a dress for his soon-to-be 13-year-old sister. Sparks fly and these two fall in love while Matilda’s mother is sent to safety to the USA. After an underground marriage, they head home only to have their world torn apart overnight. Her new husband’s family is stolen away by the SS and he is never the same. Matilde works hard to be the sole breadwinner in Nazi Germany while her husband is stuck at home thinking of his family he lost. When she discovers she is pregnant, her husband disappears while searching for his lost family. She is now on her own trying to keep her unborn baby safe. Both Hanna and Mathilde’s lives come crashing together when Mathilde is found hiding near the school. They must take drastic measures to save Mathilde and her baby’s life.
This book does a great job intertwining the two girls’ stories highlighting how to they are both affected by Nazi Germany, albeit in two very different ways. Seeing the cause and effect of history hits home while these young women are pushed to make life saving decisions that put all their lives at risk. This is a gripping story that has you heart hurting for all the characters involved. If you would like to see how Nazi Germany effected the everyday person, this is a great book for you.
Trigger warning: Sexual Assault
kpeck283's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5