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jennitarheelreader's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed The Girl They Left Behind when it was published three years ago, and I’ve been awaiting When the Summer Was Ours. Roxanne Veletzos’ storytelling just gets better and better.
Set in Hungary during World War II, Eva is the daughter of aristocrats, and she’s set to spend her last summer single in Sopron on their estate. She’s marrying a Red Cross doctor and is looking forward to her wedding day.
Things change, though, when Eva meets Aleandro, an easygoing artist of a different class, and they fall in love. Will the couple stay together?
I especially loved Aleandro. He was such a good person and easy to love. I also enjoyed the Hungary setting during and after the war. This book warmed my heart and broke it a few times, too. A sweeping love story on the backdrop of war and tragedy.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Set in Hungary during World War II, Eva is the daughter of aristocrats, and she’s set to spend her last summer single in Sopron on their estate. She’s marrying a Red Cross doctor and is looking forward to her wedding day.
Things change, though, when Eva meets Aleandro, an easygoing artist of a different class, and they fall in love. Will the couple stay together?
I especially loved Aleandro. He was such a good person and easy to love. I also enjoyed the Hungary setting during and after the war. This book warmed my heart and broke it a few times, too. A sweeping love story on the backdrop of war and tragedy.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
michelereader's review against another edition
4.0
It’s 1943 and twenty-year old Eva is preparing to marry Eduard, a kind young doctor who is working for the Red Cross as Germany expands its occupation across Europe. Eva has lived a sheltered, charmed life in Bucharest, Hungary. With her wedding approaching, Eva travels to her family’s country estate in Sopron for the summer. There she meets Aleandro, a young, charming Romani (“gypsy”) who is a fiddler and an artist. While they are from two different social classes, they form a close bond and fall in love. Yet their time together is short-lived and they are separated. The Germans soon overtake Hungary and the Nazis deport all people deemed undesirable, including the Romani.
Eva has no choice but to try and rebuild her life and vows to help others. Aleandro and his family cannot escape Nazi persecution but his memory of Eva gives him the will to survive. This beautiful story takes the reader from the horrors of the war, to post-war Hungary and the struggles the country continued to face.
When the Summer Was Ours is a heartbreaking story of two people torn apart by circumstance. It is rare for a book centered around World War Two to reflect the experiences in Hungary and tell of the Romani people, which makes this book especially interesting. Author Roxanne Veletzos, through extensive research and family history, does an excellent job creating a sense of what people were experiencing during and after the war. And keeps us wondering if the two people who loved so deeply will ever see each other again.
Pack some Kleenex and enjoy.
Many thanks to Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this incredibly moving book in advance of its August 24, 2021 publication.
Rated 4.25 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Eva has no choice but to try and rebuild her life and vows to help others. Aleandro and his family cannot escape Nazi persecution but his memory of Eva gives him the will to survive. This beautiful story takes the reader from the horrors of the war, to post-war Hungary and the struggles the country continued to face.
When the Summer Was Ours is a heartbreaking story of two people torn apart by circumstance. It is rare for a book centered around World War Two to reflect the experiences in Hungary and tell of the Romani people, which makes this book especially interesting. Author Roxanne Veletzos, through extensive research and family history, does an excellent job creating a sense of what people were experiencing during and after the war. And keeps us wondering if the two people who loved so deeply will ever see each other again.
Pack some Kleenex and enjoy.
Many thanks to Atria Books/Simon & Schuster, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this incredibly moving book in advance of its August 24, 2021 publication.
Rated 4.25 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
loriluo's review against another edition
4.0
I have to admit: I've read a lot of WWII novels in the past few months, so I wasn't sure this one would strike a chord in me. But kudos to Roxanne Veletzos for adding her voice and yet another perspective of this global event - this has become yet another one of my favorite novels from this time period.
When the Summer Was Ours follows the life of Eva Cesar; she arrives in Hungary to bide her time on her family's wealthy estate until she marries her betrothed. Her life changes when she meets Aleandro, and despite the differences in their backgrounds and families, the two fall in love until they're forcibly separated due to the incoming war. We get to see how each survives the war, the Hungarian Uprising, and how their lives continue into the present. The writing is beautiful and heart-wrenching, the characters are so realistic and well developed, and the extensive research that the author has done during these time periods is clear throughout.
When the Summer Was Ours follows the life of Eva Cesar; she arrives in Hungary to bide her time on her family's wealthy estate until she marries her betrothed. Her life changes when she meets Aleandro, and despite the differences in their backgrounds and families, the two fall in love until they're forcibly separated due to the incoming war. We get to see how each survives the war, the Hungarian Uprising, and how their lives continue into the present. The writing is beautiful and heart-wrenching, the characters are so realistic and well developed, and the extensive research that the author has done during these time periods is clear throughout.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favourite genres is WWII historical fiction and the bar has been set really high this year with great books by Kristin Harmel, Jennifer Robson, Kate Quinn, Kelly Rimmer, Natasha Lester, Pam Jenoff and Genevieve Graham (among others).
This was my first book by Roxanne Veletzos and I really enjoyed it! The story features headstrong Eva who has big dreams that get derailed when war comes to Hungary. Engaged to Edward, a Red Cross doctor she falls in love with Aleandro, a Romani fiddler and street artist when her fiancé is away during one idyllic summer.
But when her father drives Aleandro and his people away the two are torn apart - each set on very different paths for the duration of the war. Aleandro endures life in a concentration camp and Eva helps as a nurse.
I liked that this story was set in a country I wasn’t familiar with, featured the unique hardships faced by the Romani people and that the story didn’t end with the war but that we get to see what happens behind the Iron Curtain in Hungary as the country and its people try to recover and tensions escalate into an uprising in 1956.
Highly recommended for fans of Kelly Rimmer’s The Warsaw orphan and anyone who enjoys EPIC star-crossed love stories set against the backdrop of WWII. Much thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy! This was also EXCELLENT on audio with two very talented narrated who really brought Eva and Aleandro’s voices to life!!
This was my first book by Roxanne Veletzos and I really enjoyed it! The story features headstrong Eva who has big dreams that get derailed when war comes to Hungary. Engaged to Edward, a Red Cross doctor she falls in love with Aleandro, a Romani fiddler and street artist when her fiancé is away during one idyllic summer.
But when her father drives Aleandro and his people away the two are torn apart - each set on very different paths for the duration of the war. Aleandro endures life in a concentration camp and Eva helps as a nurse.
I liked that this story was set in a country I wasn’t familiar with, featured the unique hardships faced by the Romani people and that the story didn’t end with the war but that we get to see what happens behind the Iron Curtain in Hungary as the country and its people try to recover and tensions escalate into an uprising in 1956.
Highly recommended for fans of Kelly Rimmer’s The Warsaw orphan and anyone who enjoys EPIC star-crossed love stories set against the backdrop of WWII. Much thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy! This was also EXCELLENT on audio with two very talented narrated who really brought Eva and Aleandro’s voices to life!!
kdurham2's review against another edition
4.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings
Another World War II book, but set in a country that I haven't read a ton about and really felt war adjacent then full on Nazi Germany war book. Eva Cesar comes from a great family and while she had last her mother, she wants for little and is waiting for her betrothed to come home, but a chance meeting with an artist will send her life down an unlikely path.
While this book took place a lot during this time period, there were parts that took it to a post war place and while Hungary had post war occupation and some other things that were interesting to learn while reading this book, it didn't feel like the typical war book only in that separated characters at times for different reasons.
Another World War II book, but set in a country that I haven't read a ton about and really felt war adjacent then full on Nazi Germany war book. Eva Cesar comes from a great family and while she had last her mother, she wants for little and is waiting for her betrothed to come home, but a chance meeting with an artist will send her life down an unlikely path.
While this book took place a lot during this time period, there were parts that took it to a post war place and while Hungary had post war occupation and some other things that were interesting to learn while reading this book, it didn't feel like the typical war book only in that separated characters at times for different reasons.
haidokos's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this book, but it was a little slow moving. 3.5 stars (why can’t you give half stars?? I need more options)
dolcezzina21's review against another edition
5.0
This book gripped my heart! The characters were so well developed and likeable that I prayed for a turn of events and their good fortune throughout the entire book. The town of Sopron and the other places in Hungary were like characters themselves in how well I was able to visualize them. Roxanne Veletzos really knows how to awaken your senses with her words to bring you right into the setting with her characters to see, hear, taste, smell and touch everything they experience. By the end, I was sobbing uncontrollably and filled with so many emotions. That is a sign of a well done book, a book that makes you live and breathe the characters' journeys so much so that you feel what they feel. This story was very fast paced and I was so wrapped up in the book that I finished it in less than 36 hours. I devoured it and long for more from this author!
I also appreciate that Roxanne uses true events in Hungarian history and from her family background to weave her beautiful tales.
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
I also appreciate that Roxanne uses true events in Hungarian history and from her family background to weave her beautiful tales.
This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!