DESCRIPTION:
Poland, 1943. I inhale the rich caramel scent as I carefully tuck a folded slip of paper under the delicate chocolates. My heart races as the door opens, and I lock eyes with my childhood sweetheart. If he found one of the secret messages hidden in every box of my creations, my life and my family would be in terrible danger…
Working in her father’s chocolate factory, Kasia risks her life every day hiding notes vital to the Polish resistance in the carefully packaged boxes. The information tucked beneath the truffles is crucial to freeing her country and her family from the Nazis. But each of her recipes is sent out under the watchful eyes of her boss, Sebastian—the man who broke her heart.
She has never been able to reconcile the kind, sweet boy she once adored with the man now allied with the Germans. Yet the more time she spends around him, the more he seems to hint at sympathizing with the resistance. And the risk of revealing everything to him seems to shrink day by day.
Until one coded message hidden among the rich chocolate makes her fear for her mother and brother’s lives. And though she’s on the factory floor with a group of fellow resistance women, she can’t let on what she knows. Because her network has been betrayed.
As she searches the faces of those closest to her for any sign of guilt, her eyes meet Sebastian’s, full of care and concern. With time running out, Kasia wonders if she can trust him with this deadly secret? Or are the soldiers already on their way to arrest her?
This sweeping World War 2 historical novel will have you utterly gripped and on the edge of your seat. Fans of The Nightingale, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, and Kelly Rimmer will love this completely addictive and emotional read.
MY THOUGHTS:
Title: The Wartime Chocolate MakerAuthor: Gosia Nealon
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Historical Fiction
Date of Publication: March 21, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
It has been quite some time since I read a WWII historical fiction novel, due to the devastating feelings I experienced while watching the movie Schindler‘s List, but The Wartime Chocolate Maker was the perfect book to bring me back to the genre. This sensitive read highlights the well-known fact that during World War II, Jews were taken to camps either for imprisonment or extermination. So reading this latest book by Gosia Nealon had an impact on me from the very beginning.
Kasia was from two worlds, born to both Polish and Jewish parents. For her protection, she was sent to live with her aunt. But now, Kasia is forced to work at her own father‘s chocolate factory ostensibly to portray her support for the Third Reich. As difficult as this is for Kasia, being in her father‘s factory, with him now deceased, has her torn when it comes to how she felt about him.
Kasia is not just going along with her forced employment, she is also involved with the Polish Resistance and is helping as many Jews as possible. One strong feeling that came from reading this book was how many dealt with the difficulties of having the will to live due to the brutal treatment they endured. All the while, Kasia struggles to protect her younger brother and her mother, even though it seems that someone is using her brother to get information to her. Walking on a tight rope has become Kasia’s life. She continues to struggle for optimism and deals with confusing emotional feelings. This touching story was a very good read and will be with me for a long time.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
While Gosia Nealon is a proud New Yorker, she was born and raised in Poland. Her journey to the Big Apple revealed a wealth of cultural differences, but also the values that connect us all. Like the fierce desire to protect family, find love, and ultimately, discover who we are and why we’re here.
Gosia’s award-winning short stories have always delved into life’s biggest questions, but it was the drama, sacrifice, and tragedy of WWII that led her to pen her debut novel, which won a gold medal in the 2022 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY).
Growing up in Poland, Gosia heard many firsthand accounts of the war, told from a perspective rarely captured in mainstream literature. She was compelled to breathe life into two young people falling in love in the midst of the most terrifying conflict of our time.
When Gosia isn’t tapping away at her laptop, she’s often walking the streets of New York. With her husband and two young sons in tow, they search for the most succulent pierogi, transporting them back to the cobbled streets of her childhood.
Author social media
Website: https://www.gosianealon.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/GosiaNealon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GosiaNealonHistoricalFiction
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