This was a well timed read in the current climate.

A perfect historical love story that reminds you love will always find away, regardless of how dark things seem.

Uplifting read.

This is set in Germany in the 1930's.
Hetty is a German through and through. Her father is in the SS and her brother destined for the Luftwaffe and her mother involved in all good causes.
Through her childhood she has had friends but one, Walter is special. Walter saved her from drowning and her life. But Walter is a Jewish boy.
With friends and neighbours turning against themselves Hetty falls in love with Walter and in doing so risks everything she has held dear. But she realises that her feelings and beliefs of the Nazi Regime are changing.
Will she find happiness and will she survive?

I was wary of this book set in the late 1930's because I tend to get upset about how humans were so cruel to their peers. However, this story shows determination, young love and anti semetitsm and is told in a truthful way. Hetty and Walter are such beautiful characters that you can picture in your mind because of the feeling in this book. People like us, is a wonderful read, it doesn't hide the pain and suffering and yet is a compelling. It did make me cry but it is an amazing read. 10/10

Hetty Heinrich is the daughter of a high ranking SS officer, her mother and older brother Karl have just moved from a flat to a three story house with a garden. She is loyal to her family and to Hitler, as she has been bought up to be a good German girl.

When Hetty was 7 she nearly drowned, Karl’s best friend Walter rescued her but he is a Jew and is considered a second class citizen who they should not mix with.

Hetty meets up with Walter years later and is instantly attracted to him, but their relationship is one that has to be kept secret. Hetty starts to doubt all that she had been bought up to believe. How can her love for Walter be a sin just because he is a Jew? With the Jews being rounded up and sent to concentration camps she knows she will have to save Walter.

This is such an emotional book, the story comes to life and I actually felt the fear every time Hetty and Walter met up, scared that they would be punished for their actions!!

A must read book that will capture you’re heart!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

The story of Hetty growing up in a household who are being heavily influenced by the rising of fascism in Germany .a few years before the start of world war 2
She has her life saved and then falls for a Jewish boy called Walter.
I found the first few chapters a bit slow and containing quite a few German words I had to look up.Then i was gripped and couldn't put it down.
The story was so realistic and thought provoking with life like characters and historical events.
I really enjoyed this book and will recommend to library customers who like historical novels with some romance or just like a good fiction novel.

This beautifully crafted book takes the reader on an emotional journey into 1930's Germany..
This tale is more than a love story. It is about coming of age in impossible circumstances, it is about being female in a patriarchal society, it is about patriotism and treachery, it is about realising the imperfections in those we believed to be perfect, it is about, resentment, hatred, and man's inhumanity to man, it is about hope and faith and selflessness, and it is about love.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. This is not my usual genre, I’m more of a crime/thriller reader therefore am extremely pleased and grateful for opening up my mind to something totally different. 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟

How was it possible for Hitler to lure masses of people to follow his extreme views? After WWI, the Treaty of Versailles forced Germans to pay war reparations, which had crushing effects on economy and humiliating effects on patriotic Germans. Hitler, a mesmerizing public speaker, blamed all bad things on Jews and communist minorities, claiming they were trying to take over the world. With worldwide economic depression and high unemployment, he put blame on the ineffectiveness of democratic government, thus calling for a New Order, promising to restore prosperity for all with no class divisions.
Most of this story is set within the two years preceding WWII, giving a glimpse into how humans in dire situation can be manipulated and pushed into doing atrocities.

The story is set in Leipzig and begins in 1933, quickly moving to 1937, giving a glimpse at what is happening in Germany during those years. Hetty’s family has just moved to a new big house, where previous tenants left their furniture and artwork. She is almost twelve years old. Her father is a high-ranking SS officer and she doesn’t understand what is happening. She just knows that they don’t go to church any longer as Herr Himmler wouldn’t like it. She dreams of being a doctor and now to her surprise she finds out that as a woman she can’t be a doctor, rather she needs to learn obedience and concentrate on home things. As Hitler promises “a brilliant future with no more poverty; no more class divisions. Just one, great, unified nation which will be the envy of all the world.”

Those who refuse to join SA recruitment go hungry, because they lose current jobs and can’t get another one. Those who are unwanted get charged with false crimes and are being convicted.

At schools, talks of population projections take big part. “A population of the best: the fittest, bravest, most beautiful, cleverest, and robust. The epitome of Darwin’s theory. A people who will be superior in every way and who must spread their influence throughout the world.”

“A newspaper, (…) is a powerful weapon. (…) it is our duty to shape the opinion of the masses and ensure the Fatherland’s values and best interests are always in the forefront of people’s minds.”

Hetty almost at the age of sixteen still struggles to make sense of this all. Her brother’s best friend, Walter, got shunned and she secretly is in love with him. He paints a touching picture for her what it means to be a German. He paints a straightforward picture for her how differently Jews are being treated, pretty much cornered and left without provisions for livelihood. When she still struggles, he challenges her and her beliefs. He encourages her to be whatever she wants to be and not to follow others directions who limit her position in society and not expect to use her mind. He tells her of other countries where she can study medicine as a woman. She slowly starts realizing that there is another side to this story, to the world that has surrounded her. It takes Hetty time to mature, but giving the circumstances she is a believable character.

This story brings a vivid portrayal of distraction of lives, of feeding lies – one thing being said when in reality opposite is being done; of feeding hatred that pushes one man to commit horrible atrocities against another man that is even unbearable to think about.

Engagingly written. It is a heartbreaking story with a very poignant message.

“How could a people, a deeply civilized, democratic nation, become so unbelievably cruel; to de-humanise one another, and commit atrocities on such an unimaginable scale?” Don’t take your freedom and rights for granted and don’t let it slip away from you. Learn the lessons of the past.

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I really enjoy stories about the time around world war 2. Unfortunately this book just didn’t give me what I wanted. When the end came I was like what the??!!! I’m sad to say the best part of this book was the epilogue. That was good!!!! I cried and cried over that. The bulk of the book for me kinda just went on and on and on and nothing too exciting happened. So I’m a bit disappointed that I had to wait the WHOLE ENTIRE BOOK just to get some emotion out of me!!! ! (Instagram review will be posted And added to this review closer to pub date)

People like us - Louise Fein

An emotional story told from Hetty a brave, bold woman’s viewpoint. I found this to be a real tear jerker for me and a really wonderful love story. It was a very well researched book which you couldn’t fail to be drawn into. If you have read the tattooist of aushcwitz and enjoyed it you won’t be disappointed with this book, reading things from a different perspective.
I would most definitely recommend this book to family and friends.
Many thanks to both net galley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Hetty is the German daughter of an SS officer. Who is going up the ranks. During the Second World War.

She lives in Germany with her brother Karl and parents.

Walter is Karl's best friend and he just happened to save Hetty from drowning one day.
But one day Walter is kicked out of school and Karl drops him like hot cakes. Why? Because unbeknown to Hetty, Walter was a Jew.

Years later Hetty bumps into Walter and the two strike up a friendship that turns into romance.

The only problem is that Hetty as a German girl, is not allowed to talk and hang out with Jews.

But as they meet in secret. Hetty begins to question everything she was taught to believe 2.

Will Hetty and Walter's romance last? Can they leave Germany before it is too late?

A brill8, emotional, moving story about the Second World War. The story is told by Hetty's point of view. Which is interesting to see what the German thought around that time.

I really enjoyed the story and it even made me cry a little. (I was told this was the sign of a fabulous story and brilliant author)

Highly recommend this book!

I really enjoyed this book. Set in Nazi Germany in the years leading up to the war, it is a beautiful, heart breaking love story. Hetty is the daughter of an SS officer and has had the Nazi propaganda drilled in to her. So when she falls in love with Walter, a Jewish boy, they both know their love story is doomed. I liked that the story was told from Hetty's point of view - it was interesting to see what it was like to live in a Nazi family. However, as you would expect, some of it is hard to read, and you'll definitely need a tissue. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

An interesting read about Hitler's rise to power and subsequently the Second World War. Written from the view of a young teenage German girl who was mesmerised by Hitler's rallying speeches. Growing up in an ardent Nazi family with an ambitious father and brother. Despite all she falls in love with a young Jewish boy who had been a friend of her brother when they were very young and starts to question her ideals and life for her becomes very complicated. Well researched and thought provoking book.

People like Us, a love story between Hetty and Walter set in Germany as Hilter is on the precipice of war, this story had everything. Considering Nazi and Jewish view points, the author highlights troubling issues which are sadly so prevalent still today.
The characters are believable and rounded, even the smaller part, and as the story winds through a narrative of right and wrong, love and manipulation you love and hate certain characters passionately. An absolute recommended read, I was sobbing through the last chapter. Outstanding.

This book follows the story of Hetty and Walter. They fall in love at a time when Hitler was just starting to spread his word and widespread plan to clean Germany of Jews.
Hetty is a young German girl and Walter who has known and been friends with her family was Jewish.
There friendship grows into a secret love and resulted in Hetty getting pregnant.
The author draws the reader in to the life of the pair and I became very emotional while reading it as I can imagine how this must have happened to many many young people..
The novel flips to current day at the end with Hetty getting closure and answers to what she had to do to survive.

A very well researched book about WW2 and the build up to it. A heartbreaking read which kept me hooked for a long time. It was viewed more from the German side of things which made it more interesting as most I have read have been from the Jewish side.

Hetty is a teenager who’s father is an SS Officer. She is in the Hitler youth organisation and believes everything she is taught by her teachers.
Hetty is also in love with Walter who saved her from drowning when she was a child but they are forbidden to be together because Walter is a Jew.
This is a sad story set in the 1930’s in Germany told by a young girl with conflicted loyalties.
Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

75 years ago, the concentration camp Auschwitz was liberated.
74 years, 5 months and 22 days ago WWII ended.
Yet we still struggle to comprehend the horror of the Holocaust, and the extent of the terror and mass murder committed by the Nazis and their fellow Fascists, during the Second World War.

In recent years books based on the real-life accounts and experiences of victims during WWII have increased in popularity. Along with this, works of fiction set during this time have also become more prevalent on bookshelves, but Fein’s novel stands apart from these for one simple reason… it is written from the perspective of a Nazi SS Officer’s daughter.

‘I nearly drowned and Walter rescued me. That changes everything.’
Leipzig, 1930’s Germany. Hetty Heinrich is a perfect German child. Her father is an SS officer, her brother in the Luftwaffe, herself a member of the BDM. She believes resolutely in her country, and the man who runs it.
Until Walter changes everything. Blond-haired, blue-eyed, perfect in every way Walter. The boy who saved her life. A Jew. Anti-Semitism is growing by the day, and neighbours, friends and family members are turning on one another. As Hetty falls deeper in love with a man who is against all she has been taught, she begins to fight against her country, her family and herself. Hetty will have to risk everything to save Walter, even if it means sacrificing herself…

I read this book in one day, and while I did like it, I found certain aspects hard to read, mainly because of the Nazi perspective that is shown, and the adoration of Hitler *shudder*. The main character in the book, Hetty Heinrich, is from a family with strong Nazi ties, and she herself is a member of the Bund Deutscher Mädel, which was the female branch of the Hitler Youth. Hetty idolises Hitler at the beginning, as this is how she was brought up. But that changes, all thanks to Walter. A young boy cast out from society and even education, all because he is of Jewish descent. As the novel unfolds, we see Hetty fight with herself against her beliefs and that of Nazi Germany, trying to decide what is right or wrong.

During WWII, no one wanted to believe that the fascist rule and the horrors of Hitler’s “final solution” (the Holocaust), were true, and the German denial that is evident throughout this novel is hard to comprehend in some ways, especially as we all know the harrowing truth of the concentration and labour camps during the war.

If you enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz and other novels of the same vein, you will probably enjoy this read as well.

***stars from me!

This is a moving and well-researched novel set in Germany in the run-up to WW2. What sets it apart for me is the use of a young girl with (initially at least) loyalty to the Nazis as its narrator. Her change of heart is gradual and we understand that she might not have changed allegiances if she hadn't met and fallen in love with Walter, who is Jewish. It's a credit to the author that Hetty remains a sympathetic narrator. Through Hetty we understand that German people were fed lies and that it was dangerous to question the stream of Nazi propaganda. It answered some of my long-held questions about the experience of being German in this period of history.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. Thanks to Head of Zeus and Netgalley for the Advance Reader Copy.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

Set in Leipzig, in 1930' Germany People like us told the heartbreaking and intense story of Hetty and Walter.
Hetty is the perfect German daughter. Her father is an SS officer, her brother is in the Luftwaffe and she firmly believes in Hitler and what he represents for her country. Meeting, and being saved by Walter, a Jewish boy, changes everything.

When I read this book was perfect for fans of The book thief, I requested a copy right away and I'm so happy the publisher and Netgalley granted me one. People like us throws the reader in an awful and hard to read historic time, seeing everything from a German's POV. Through Hetty's eyes the reader can see the antisemitism, the fanaticism, how people can be brainwashed, pushed to believe in something, to follow others without thinking. It was original reading a story set during that time period, but told by a German's voice. It was intense seeing how Hetty finds herself in a difficult position and how she learns to question herself, her family and her beliefs, thanks to Walter and what he is and their love. It's a book about a bold and brave woman, ready to fight for the right to love and for the freedom.

This book is intense, full of interesting and captivating characters and the setting is impressive and chilling, above all if one realizes how many parallels are between that time and things that still happen today in the world, how racism and nationalism are dangerous threats.
It was interesting reading that Louise Fein was inspired by her own family's history, since her father's family escaped from the Nazis in 30', becoming refugees in England. Her author's note, her talking about her father and his family and what happened to them, was really enlightening and hard to read at the same time.
People like us is a story about love, freedom, hate, injustice, history and the importance of remembering it.