Hi, everyone!
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for THE GIRL WITH THE RED HAIR (The Dutch Girls Book #2) by Imogen Matthews on this Bookouture Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
1942, Amsterdam. The Nazi occupation has shattered the lives of inseparable best friends Hannie and Sonja. The canals and rainy cobbled streets they once strolled down are now patrolled by soldiers day and night, who arrest people at will and beat those who resist.
Hannie can’t stand by and watch the lives of the innocent be destroyed by the evil occupiers. At great danger to herself, she joins the underground resistance, where she meets the charming and mysterious Jan. She covers her bright red hair to avoid detection by the Nazis while distributing fake IDs. And she makes a promise to Sonja and her little sister Maya, who are Jewish – she will hide them and keep them safe, no matter the cost.
But as the German grip on the country tightens with each passing day, Sonja’s worst fears come true when members of her family are taken prisoner. With Jan by her side, Hannie goes undercover as a nurse to try to free them. But she’s devastated when she discovers they’ve been taken to a concentration camp in the isolated far east of the country. Is she too late to save them?
And when Sonja goes missing, Hannie is terrified the worst has happened – has someone betrayed her best friend? Hannie knows her most dangerous task is now ahead of her. Can Hannie save Sonja, and will she have to make the biggest sacrifice of all to bring her home?
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
THE GIRL WITH THE RED HAIR (The Dutch Girls Book #2) by Imogen Matthews is a heart-wrenching historical fiction novel set in Nazi occupied Amsterdam in 1942 featuring two best friends, one a law student who joins the Dutch resistance and the other a Dutch Jew. Even though this is the second book in the Dutch Girl series, it is easy to read as a standalone.
Hanni and Sonja are inseparable best friends who find their lives slowly changed as the Germans invade and begin to impose their laws against the Jews as they did in Germany. Hanni witnesses many injustices imposed on Sonja for being a Jew and refuses to just stand by. She joins the Dutch resistance and vows to help her friend. When Sonja goes missing, Hanni is willing to sacrifice anything to bring her home.
This story is well written and researched with interesting information about the counterfeiting of documents and the sacrifices made by Dutch resistance fighters. The story demonstrates the heroism and selflessness of people during the worst of times vs. the depravity and cruelty of others. This is an emotional story, and while I enjoyed it, it did not have for me the depth of fear, believable emotional reactions, or pull me in as other historical fiction books I have read. I do believe this would be an excellent story for YA readers of this genre though.
Overall, an intriguing historical fiction story.
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About the Author
Imogen Matthews writes novels based on true stories about the Netherlands during the German occupation in World War 2. Some stories she discovered by chance, others are based on her Dutch mother’s own experiences of hardship and survival during the Hunger Winter of 1944-45.
Her first novel, The Hidden Village, is set in the Veluwe woods, a beautiful part of Holland that Imogen has visited frequently over the past 30 years. It was in these woods that she discovered the story of the real hidden village which provided shelter in underground huts for Jews during WW2. Imogen retells the story of the hidden village with characters drawn from real life and from her imagination.
Within weeks of publication in 2017, The Hidden Village became an international bestseller, ranking at the top of a number Amazon’s most-read book lists.
Following on from The Hidden Village comes Hidden in the Shadows, which has the pace of a thriller yet is also a love story. It tells the story about two young people who are brutally torn apart and must find a way to be together against all odds.
The Girl Across the Wire Fence, is set in Amersfoort, Netherlands, and is based on the unforgettable tale of two young lovers who risked everything to keep hope alive in the very depths of hell – the little known Dutch concentration camp called Kamp Amersfoort.
The Boy in the Attic is a dual timeline novel in which Anna discovers a bent sixpenny coin on a silver chain amongst her father’s possessions that leads her on a journey to discover the grandmother and grandfather she didn’t know she had in wartime Holland.
The Dutch Girls is a new series based on the true story of three female activists who worked in the Dutch resistance. The Girl from the Resistance is the first to be published in October 2023.
Imogen’s WW2 novels are published by Bookouture, a digital imprint of Hachette.
Social Media Links
Website: www.imogenmatthewsbooks.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImogenMatthewsBooks
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ImogenMatthews3
Author email sign up: https://www.bookouture.com/imogen-matthews
Learn more about Imogen’s story in this video: https://youtu.be/2YO0IWJSjj0
