The Girl I Left Behind by Andie Newton
Publication Date: October 3, 2019
Aria Fiction
eBook & Paperback; 368 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
As a young girl, Ella never considered that those around her weren’t as they appeared. But when her childhood best-friend shows Ella that you can’t always believe what you see, Ella finds herself thrown into the world of the German Resistance.
On a dark night in 1941, Claudia is taken by the Gestapo, likely never to be seen again, unless Ella can save her. With the help of the man she loves, Ella must undertake her most dangerous mission yet and infiltrate the Nazi Party.
Selling secrets isn’t an easy job. In order to find Claudia, Ella must risk not only her life, but the lives of those she cares about.
Will Ella be able to leave behind the girl of her youth and step into the shoes of another?
Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The German Midwife and Kate Furnivall.
Available on Amazon | Barnes and Noble |
Apple iBooks | Kobo
Praise for The Girl I Left Behind.
‘A gripping historical page-turner about an audacious eighteen-year-old girl in Nazi Germany, who finds herself at the heart of the Reich. It’s a thrilling tale of female friendship, young love, and extraordinary courage, laced with chilling reminders of the fate Ella will face if her treachery is discovered. A powerful debut!’ Gill Paul, USA Today bestselling author of The Secret Wife.
‘A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout,’ Glynis Peters, USA Today bestselling author of The Secret Orphan.
‘A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world,’ Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker’s Secret.
‘The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I’ve finished reading,’ Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us.
‘A captivating story with a twist of romance threaded throughout,’ Glynis Peters, USA Today bestselling author of The Secret Orphan.
‘A compelling tale of friendship, courage and espionage in a frightening and uncertain world,’ Charlotte Betts, author of The Dressmaker’s Secret.
‘The Girl I Left Behind made me cry and left me wanting more, which to me are signs of a truly wonderful book, one that will stay with me long after I’ve finished reading,’ Lana Kortchik, author of The Story of Us.
MY REVIEW:
My Rating: 4.5 Stars
Ella and her very dear friend Claudia are part of a unique group of youths during the terrors of World War II. They have joined the German Resistance and do their best to help those chased by Hitler and his people to escape imprisonment, cruelty and death.
They experience some hair-raising experiences and Claudia disappears after being captured by the Gestapo. Ella will do anything she can to find Claudia and to save her life. This includes defying her aunt and uncle, who she has lived with since the death of her parents.
Ella must do the unthinkable, she must infiltrate the Nazi Party, and work at selling secrets. In so doing, she hopes to draw closer and closer to whatever information that will help her to locate Claudia.
These World War II stories are so hard to read. Yet they are utterly compelling and impossible to put down. Usually when I read one of these, it is from the viewpoint of the Jews, the largest group of people targeted by Hitler. This is the first time I read a story that contained German sympathizers. Despite the tragedies I read about in this book, it was enlightening to learn that such groups existed during that despicable time in history. I applaud Andie Newton for her impeccable research.
Many thanks to Aria and to HFV Book Tours for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
About the Author
Andie is an American writer living in Washington State with her husband and two boys. She writes female-driven WWII historical fiction. Her debut novel, THE GIRL I LEFT BEHIND, was published by Aria Fiction in October 2019. THE GIRL FROM VICHY, her second novel with Aria Fiction, will be released in July 2020 with a third untitled novel due to release in 2021. She has a Bachelor’s degree in History from Washington State University and a Master in Teaching. She would love to say she spends her free time gardening and cooking, but she’s killed everything she’s ever planted and set off more fire alarms than she cares to admit. Andie does, however, love spending time with her family, trail running, traveling the world, and drinking copious amounts of coffee. Andie would love to be a guest at your next book club! You can find discussion questions for her novels on her website www.andienewton.com. You can also find Andie on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, BookBub, and Goodreads.
Blog Tour Schedule
Thursday, December 5 Review at Passages to the Past
Sunday, December 8 Review at Robin Loves Reading
Monday, December 9 Review at Bookish Bellee
Wednesday, December 11 Interview at Passages to the Past
Thursday, December 12 Review at Books In Their Natural Habitat
Monday, December 16 Review at Lost_in_a_book_reviewer
Wednesday, December 18 Review at The Lit Bitch
Friday, December 20 Review at Gwendalyn's Books
Giveaway
During the Blog Tour, we are giving away a paperback back copy of The Girl I Left Behind! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
– Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on December 20th. You must be 18 or older to enter.– Paperback giveaway is open to the US only. – Only one entry per household.
– All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud will be decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
– The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen. The Girl I Left Behind
