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cabeswaeter's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't really expect to like this as much as I did. (probably because of the cover)
Anyways, the whole alternate universe is relaly interesting, and it's really interesting to see ho Jessikas opinion on her nation changes. She's 100% Nazi and being fed propaganda all the time, but slowly we see that Clementine manages to turn her mindset a bit and then Jess can figure it out on her own.
This book is very honest. We don't get a happy ending. We get something in between. It's not tragic, she's fine and well there's a lot of stuff in her life that she coul've had if she was born in our world, but she doesn't because she isn't. I think it makes such an impact that the ending isn't fixing everything, because it can't judt be fixed like /that/. Snap. Done. Everything is alright. That's not how it works and this book really shows that. (It's not that I'm against happy endings,but there's never really a revolution in this book so it seems weird to put one into the epilogue and pretend that's how easy it is to overthrow a controlling government. And the author did not do that.)
I also really liked how we have several queer characters. Good representation, and also good for showing how someone feels when they're trying to hide a part of who they are, which people today are forced to.
This is a different WW2 story, but it's not just a picture of how the world would have looked if Germany won the war, it's a picture of how the world looks. Not the same places or the same people, but the same kind of issues.
Anyways, the whole alternate universe is relaly interesting, and it's really interesting to see ho Jessikas opinion on her nation changes. She's 100% Nazi and being fed propaganda all the time, but slowly we see that Clementine manages to turn her mindset a bit and then Jess can figure it out on her own.
This book is very honest. We don't get a happy ending. We get something in between. It's not tragic, she's fine and well there's a lot of stuff in her life that she coul've had if she was born in our world, but she doesn't because she isn't. I think it makes such an impact that the ending isn't fixing everything, because it can't judt be fixed like /that/. Snap. Done. Everything is alright. That's not how it works and this book really shows that. (It's not that I'm against happy endings,but there's never really a revolution in this book so it seems weird to put one into the epilogue and pretend that's how easy it is to overthrow a controlling government. And the author did not do that.)
I also really liked how we have several queer characters. Good representation, and also good for showing how someone feels when they're trying to hide a part of who they are, which people today are forced to.
This is a different WW2 story, but it's not just a picture of how the world would have looked if Germany won the war, it's a picture of how the world looks. Not the same places or the same people, but the same kind of issues.
mororke's review against another edition
4.0
We learn a lot about Hitler and the Nazi Party by reading history books, or watching a couple hours on the History Channel, but it isn’t often that we’re asked to think about what would have happened if Germany won the war, and the Greater German Reich was able to not only expand, but continue teaching its principles. For Jessika, and her friends and family, the party is everything.
Jessika is from an influential family. Her father is a high ranking officer, she’s in the Hitler Youth, and a world class ice skater. She’s preparing to head to Skate Camp where she’ll train to compete in the National Championships. By all qualifications, she’s a really good girl, and does what she’s told, most of the time.
Jessika’s best friend and first love, Clementine is the opposite. She’s a boundary pusher. She’s quit the Hitler Youth program, and is supposed to be going to a Music Camp. Clementine has been quietly planting seeds of doubt throughout her group, but things move a bit more quickly when she receives her sterilization order.
Outside of their community, the Greater German Reich is getting ready to welcome the first American to their soil since the Great War. A concert of all things, is to be held to welcome the American-German to the homeland. This concert is the pivotal moment that changes every one’s lives.
The characters of the book, mainly Jessika are intriguing and well developed. While Jessika seems a bit naive at first, I tried to put myself in her shoes, and realized that I probably wouldn’t be quick to push the boundaries if I could walk past people hung on lamp posts or publicly executed. She did her best to be a good student and daughter, but once the idea of revolution was in her mind, it was like an earworm and difficult to move away from.
There are only brief glimpses of Clementine throughout the book, but her tenacity made me like her even when it was obvious she was causing trouble for Jessika. While I feel like she wasn’t the best friend she could be for Jessika, she worked well as catalyst to push the book towards it’s climax and resolution.
Overall the book did something that a lot of books don’t. It made me think about what life would be like if in 2014 we had Nazi England. It made me think about what I would do in a no-win situation, and made me glad to live in a world where we don’t have to worry about the walls having ears like some other countries do. Overall, a solid 4.5 moose tracks, highly recommended to any one interested in alt-history.
Jessika is from an influential family. Her father is a high ranking officer, she’s in the Hitler Youth, and a world class ice skater. She’s preparing to head to Skate Camp where she’ll train to compete in the National Championships. By all qualifications, she’s a really good girl, and does what she’s told, most of the time.
Jessika’s best friend and first love, Clementine is the opposite. She’s a boundary pusher. She’s quit the Hitler Youth program, and is supposed to be going to a Music Camp. Clementine has been quietly planting seeds of doubt throughout her group, but things move a bit more quickly when she receives her sterilization order.
Outside of their community, the Greater German Reich is getting ready to welcome the first American to their soil since the Great War. A concert of all things, is to be held to welcome the American-German to the homeland. This concert is the pivotal moment that changes every one’s lives.
The characters of the book, mainly Jessika are intriguing and well developed. While Jessika seems a bit naive at first, I tried to put myself in her shoes, and realized that I probably wouldn’t be quick to push the boundaries if I could walk past people hung on lamp posts or publicly executed. She did her best to be a good student and daughter, but once the idea of revolution was in her mind, it was like an earworm and difficult to move away from.
There are only brief glimpses of Clementine throughout the book, but her tenacity made me like her even when it was obvious she was causing trouble for Jessika. While I feel like she wasn’t the best friend she could be for Jessika, she worked well as catalyst to push the book towards it’s climax and resolution.
Overall the book did something that a lot of books don’t. It made me think about what life would be like if in 2014 we had Nazi England. It made me think about what I would do in a no-win situation, and made me glad to live in a world where we don’t have to worry about the walls having ears like some other countries do. Overall, a solid 4.5 moose tracks, highly recommended to any one interested in alt-history.
thekatreturns's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
I read this a while ago, but I remember it well. In my opinion, this book is excellent, particularly the stomach-churning worldbuilding of the alternate history. It is a very difficult read emotionally speaking, but for me it was worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Antisemitism, Genocide, and Lesbophobia
whatdoreadss's review against another edition
4.0
First of all I thought .. What is this about? But when I started reading I could not stop. I think this novel is well written and unique.
m3l89's review against another edition
1.0
I was really excited by the concept, it reminded me of Dominion but aimed at a younger audience. Personally I was disappointed. I found the plot difficult to follow and didn't think it flowed very well. I found Jess two faced and a bit irritating. I would have liked a bit more lesbianism to see how those relationships would have developed in such a situation.
meloches's review
4.0
I find myself drawn to the same books continuously. When it isn’t thrillers or suspense titles, you can find me stuck in a good romance or some historical fiction. Preferably, fiction set around the Second World War, tales of human resiliency and the rebellion fascinate me. Ironically, with all my changing genres, I don’t read a lot of novels in the YA genre, but when I do, I often find myself drawn to the dystopian sort. I love getting lost in this sort of “what if” world that feel too real, too close for comfort. Needless to say, when I stumbled across The Big Lie, the upcoming novel by Julie Mayhew, a dystopian, coming of age, YA novel set in modern day Nazi occupied England, I threw this one at the top of my TBR pile and dove in.
The novel surrounds a young girl, Jessika, who is a model citizen living in Nazi run England. She obeys her father, she tries to impress her elders and she is loyal to her country. However, her neighbour and best friend Clementine is not the same. Clem is loud and outspoken, much to Jess’ dismay. The louder Clem gets, the more nervous Jess becomes until she finds herself wrapped up so tightly in Clem’s world that things start to feel confusing. Jess has always thought she was doing the right thing, but what happens when the right things starts to feel wrong?
First, I thought the concept of this book worked brilliantly. The fall of the Nazi empire is a well known and discussed part of history; thinking about what it would be like if the Nazi’s had not fallen makes an incredible dystopian backdrop. The Nazi propaganda and thought process littered throughout the text made it all feel eerily realistic.
Another exciting surprise was the LGBTQ aspect that was worked and weaved throughout the character arcs; I was not expecting that! I will stop at that since I do not want to give away any spoilers but I loved this inclusion into the story.
One of my only complaints was that I did find the novel dragged a bit by the end and I began to lose interest. I felt like the last quarter of the book was starting to feel redundant and I also was not 100% pleased in the end, without giving away any spoilers (of course!) I felt like the character switched directions a little bit and moved a few steps backward which really disappointed me, especially since the rest of the text felt so progressive.
However, overall, I felt like this was a stellar read! Reminiscent of books like The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984, I felt like this book held my interest and made me think.
3.5/5 stars
The novel surrounds a young girl, Jessika, who is a model citizen living in Nazi run England. She obeys her father, she tries to impress her elders and she is loyal to her country. However, her neighbour and best friend Clementine is not the same. Clem is loud and outspoken, much to Jess’ dismay. The louder Clem gets, the more nervous Jess becomes until she finds herself wrapped up so tightly in Clem’s world that things start to feel confusing. Jess has always thought she was doing the right thing, but what happens when the right things starts to feel wrong?
First, I thought the concept of this book worked brilliantly. The fall of the Nazi empire is a well known and discussed part of history; thinking about what it would be like if the Nazi’s had not fallen makes an incredible dystopian backdrop. The Nazi propaganda and thought process littered throughout the text made it all feel eerily realistic.
Another exciting surprise was the LGBTQ aspect that was worked and weaved throughout the character arcs; I was not expecting that! I will stop at that since I do not want to give away any spoilers but I loved this inclusion into the story.
One of my only complaints was that I did find the novel dragged a bit by the end and I began to lose interest. I felt like the last quarter of the book was starting to feel redundant and I also was not 100% pleased in the end, without giving away any spoilers (of course!) I felt like the character switched directions a little bit and moved a few steps backward which really disappointed me, especially since the rest of the text felt so progressive.
However, overall, I felt like this was a stellar read! Reminiscent of books like The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984, I felt like this book held my interest and made me think.
3.5/5 stars
eloiseug's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
rainbowbookthief's review
2.0
The concept of this was really intriguing, and I thought it had a lot of potential as a story. It just wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be and I was not a fan of the direction the plot took. The ending in particular left a bad taste in my mouth. Like, I get why it ended that way, but it was a bit bleak and left a bad taste in my mouth.