Set during World War II, ‘Ashes’ tells the story of Belgian, Simone Lyon, (daughter of a World War I hero, General Joseph Lyon), and her Polish friend Hava Daniels, daughter of a devout Jewish family. Simone is of the Catholic Faith, but despite their religious differences, they are completely inseparable.

The girls, both 18 years of age, have rather innocent perceptions of life, they dream of meeting Clark Gable after reading Gone with the Wind, draw lines on the backs of their legs to make it appear that they’re wearing stockings, take picnics to the park - they enjoy life, but with war very much on the horizon, this will bring their rather privileged lifestyle, which until now, has been completely unaffected by the cruelties of life, very much to an end.

When France and Britain declared war on Germany in September 1939, Belgium remained strictly neutral while mobilising its reserves. Simone listened to radio reports of the Germans invading other countries, but to her it all seemed so far away, she preferred to ignore the growing threat, and besides, Belgium was a neutral country so the Germans wouldn’t be bothering them!

How wrong she was - without warning, the Germans invaded Belgium on the 10th May 1940, and Simone and Hava found themselves fleeing without their families, from the death and utter devastation that had been wrought on their beloved city by the invading enemy. It’s easy to feel the terror of the people as they try to flee the bombs, the invading army, the horror, the chaos - but where do they flee to? With other countries being invaded, where do they go?

Their long and eventful journey, trying to keep one step ahead of the Germans, is told from Simone’s perspective, and it’s a journey fraught with danger, illustrating as it does, how war can bring out the very best in people, but also the very worst, with acts of unimaginable cruelty in pursuit of world power. Their journey together comes to end when they are separated in a most brutal and frightening way, but Simone vows that she will find her friend when all this madness is over.

There were parts of this novel that I really enjoyed - felt emotionally invested in, but then other parts felt rushed and impersonal, particularly towards the end - things happened without explanation, in an effort (it seems) to bring about a swift conclusion, but it did rather spoil my overall enjoyment of it, and that is reflected in my rating.

Different from my usual genre but I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from start to end. Would love to read more by Christopher

An amazing book about true friendship in such terrible times.
The atmosphere of the book and times grabs you from the very first page..
The attributed epigraphs just add to the intensity of the read. 
Two teenage girls on the brink of adulthood who should be looking forward to their lives are dragged into the horrors of the Nazi war machine and all its consequences.
A very moving book which I will not forget

wow. What to say a hard read but good a story of friendship and love. In the most traumatic times. The cover was good as was the story . 5 stars. Thank you Christopher de Vinck and Net Galley.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC. 

I found I struggled with reading this book - for me it was an average read, and one that didn’t wow or really engage me.    I thought it slow going, often hard to follow and quite jumpy going from one event to another and I skimmed over some of the factual references included.    I couldn’t really take to either of the main characters ....... and just don’t think this book was for me.

The author Christopher de Vinck has written a lovely  and touching novel and is based around 2 women during the Nazi occupation of Belgium  and France. in 1939
Simone and Have are best friends and are inseparable.  Once the bombing of Brussels arrives in 1940 they are forced to flee. The friendship of a jewish girl and the daughter of a belgium war hero is tested to the limit. Will the terrible circumstances break the bond of friendship? 
i found the book made me have lots of conflicting emotions. ranging from tears, hope, sadness all mixed up within the story. 
Its a brilliant book and one i would definitely recommend for teenagers and adults alike 

thanks to net galley for an opportunity to read an advance copy in return for an honest review
#Ashes #NetGalley

Bit slow to start, or maybe I just struggled to settle into reading for a while.

The story about a general's daughter and her Jewish friend set in the second world war. Tells the story of them escaping Brussels and of their memories together. 

About a promise made and all the lives lost. About friendship and being a young woman alone during the war.

** Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

It is hard to say this about a book with this subject, but I am afraid it failed for me.

It is set in the run-up to and during WW2. It moves from belief in the safety of Belgium to the German occupation of Belgium and France. It is told from the perspective of Simone, daughter of a WW1 hero, and the other central character is her Jewish friend Hava.

Interspersed are paragraphs summarising events of the time. These were, in my view, unnecessary: the author should have trusted the reader more.

I found the writing unengaging, and, despite the subject, did not feel engaged in the story.

There was the odd minor factual error. For instance the opera Salome is set not after Christ's death but in his lifetime. But this is a minor criticism.

A pity. The book could have been so much better.

A harrowing coming of age for two young women under the spectre of war. Based around real events and highlighting Belgium’s and then France’s occupation by German forces in May & June of 1940.

In Brussels Simone basks in the fame of her war hero father, Major General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend Hava is from a religious Jewish family. They obsess over Gone with The Wind and share a dreamy crush on Clark Gable. They deny caution about the pending war by picnicking and having fun.

The 10th May changes everything with German forces entering their city and the inevitable chaos ensuing. When Hava cannot find her family the girls are forced to consider the seriousness of Jews plight and so their journey begins.

From Belgium through France their battle to stay away from and ahead of the Germans consumes them. When Hava is confronted with declaring her identity, the story shifts again. 

Does Simone ever stop chasing shadows...
Why no happy endings and why does this war have to be so predictable in all its horror. 
Christopher de Vinck weaves a simple, but sorrowful tale of love and loss. I enjoyed this story thanks to #netgalley

This is a story primarily about friendship, an unlikely friendship between a Polish/Belgian and a Jewish young woman during WW2. What a deep and extraordinary relationship.
However it was a difficult book to read due to the style of writing and I also found it very slow going. I think it was just the way it was written and the fact that we were seeing events through the naive eyes of the girls, whereas we with our knowledge of looking back over history, know more about what was happening around them than they could see. All in all it was interesting but not necessarily enjoyable to read.

Maybe I shouldn't have but I started reading this after finishing The Tattooust of Audchwitz. This book is set during WWII as well but in Belgium. I don't think the style of writing made it easy to read. It had obviously been meticulously well researched but then adding all that into the story distracted me. I found it hard going and quite sad. I can't say that I enjoyed this book but it was interesting.

Ashes is a story of friendship and resilience. Simone and Hava, two friends from different backgrounds are caught up in the Nazi invasion of Belgium. Together they try to flee to safety.

The story jumps from one moment to another and is interspersed with excerpts and facts. This is not an easy book to read, the horror of bombings and Nazi brutality is well described. The characters are well developed and the relationship between the two girls, their support for each other and the description of other human-kindnesses is heart-warming.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest I found this book difficult to read at the start because I didn’t like the format. I struggled with the factual information that was added, however, once I got used to those bits, ie ignored them, the story was great.
It flowed well and although it’s a horrific subject the book didn’t dwell on the bad things.  I feel that the author picked on how scared Simone was even though she was in fact incredibly brave.
I have been talking non stop about this book because it highlights atrocities that should never be forgotten. I will definitely recommend it to friends and family.

Devastating, moving and gripping all the same time.

Inspired by true events, Ashes tells the story of two friends -one Jew one not and the effects the war had on the friendship.

The prologue had me in tears. I felt guilt for finding her experience hard to read yet grateful for not living through it. It takes a good author to move me in a prologue before I even know the characters.

If you like WWII books with a different take you'll enjoy this.

Simone Lyon is the daughter of a well-respected general and feels confident as German forces move closer to Belgium that war will never touch her home. However, it soon does and Simone is forced to flee Brussels with her best friend Hava, who is Jewish and therefore in terrible danger if enemy soldiers find them.

This book is well-written and seems well-researched. You can tell that the author really wanted to pay tribute to those who had fought, died and survived the war in how he wrote his story, and the story he really wanted to tell to readers. The friendship between the girls was really wonderful, and I never doubted the love and camaraderie they felt for each other. They were true sisters of the heart.

Unfortunately though, the story felt really lack-luster to me. I think it almost felt overdone in a way and everything the writer wanted us to feel and understand from the story was written plainly on the page and a lot of nuance was lost. There's absolutely nothing really wrong with the story - it just failed to light something inside of me that as a reader, I want to feel when reading a story. The start - particularly Simone's life in Brussels before the German invasion and the start of her friendship with Hava - was really dragged out, and then their fleeing from the Germans seemed to all be a blur.

The characters felt slightly wooden as well and lacked real personality that made them feel real - Simone was very much a Mary-Sue character and everything seemed to come very easily to her, while Hava was a manic pixie dream girl of some sort. The only real thing I felt from the girls was their teenage obsession with Hollywood actors and singers.

I just felt a bit bored of this book and I feel like there are ways the story may have been better. Just not one for me I think!

This is a powerful book. At times I wished for more in depth insights into Simone’s character and life, sometimes it felt a bit rushed from one event to the next. However the book as a whole is a triumph. It shows the absolute horror of World War Two. It shows the absurdity of two girls on the same bus, one who is allowed to pass and the other carried off, simply for a difference of religion. 

The final part is the most powerful, showing how Simone carries on with life, as you must, showing how even atrocities can be temporarily forgotten. It shows the power of remembrance and to belief that life must go on.

Beautifully written and heartbreaking. This is a compelling read. Simone and Hava’s story is memorable. I was close to tears on numerous occasions.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Inspired by true events of Nazi invasion of France and Belgium this is the story of 2 young women who met during this time. Well worth reading

Fantastic read. This book grabbed my attention right from the off. It was great. Great to see how two normal everyday friends relationships change . It was gripping book. Had me on the edge of my seat from the off. It pulled at all your emotions. Very well written.

A difficult topic to cover but very well written and as the author's note explained, a significant truth as well.