A heart-wrenching story, told from the perspective of an SS officer’s daughter. The story begins with Hetty being rescued from drowning by Walter, her brother’s best friend. The three of them used to spend a lot of time together, until one day Walter stopped going to her house, because Karl, her brother, didn’t want to be friends with him anymore. Hetty was only a child, and she didn’t understand why her brother wanted to stay away from his best friend.

The truth came suddenly when they were at school, and the new literature teacher asked a girl and Walter to go to the front of the students. He started explaining how to recognize a Jew, telling the rest of the students that sometimes they could get deceived by their appearance, as was the case of Walter. After humiliating them, the teacher expelled them. Hetty couldn’t believe that Walter, so kind, so honest, was a Jew, but she knew, deep inside, that what she felt for him would never go away.

The rest of the story is mainly focused after Hetty and Walter meet again. She’s almost 16 and he’s 18, and the feeling they had for each other turned into love.
I think it’s quite interesting and original to read such a story from another perspective. Hetty was raised to be a perfect German citizen, from the Nazi point of view. To hate the Jews, see herself as a member of a superior human race, and to follow all the atrocious Nazi’s ideals. Therefore, when she meets Walter again, all this world starts to fall down.

I really liked this book, although it’s been hard to read, because it’s such a sad story, and worst of all, it was real. All those people, hated because of their blood, mistreated and condemned to the most barbarous and unforgivable acts. How heinous can people be!

Finally, I’d like to highlight the author’s words about how “the lessons of the past must never be forgotten” and how mass media can be a way of propaganda, how the word is widely spread and its consequences. It shouldn’t be this way. Mass media is supposed to inform in a neutral way, but we all know that’s not how it works. Therefore, we must be critics.

I just hope we have truly learned the lessons. It’s quite disturbing to see how the thoughts of the extreme and radical right are flourishing again. Please, don’t forget all these people running away from wars, trying to find a better place to live and raise their children, and what do they find? Walls.
We must not forget. We are all the same, it doesn't matter where we come from. It's our behaviour, our acts that differenciate us. There's good and bad in all of us, but we can always do the right thing.

Thanks to Aria / Head of Zeus Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book is written from the point of view of Hetty, a young teenager in pre World War II Germany. She is in a pro nazi family, and, like most young people, accepts the popular propaganda of the day. Until she falls in love with Walter, a Jew. I enjoyed this book, enjoyed the different characters, both bad and good, and appreciated the insight into human nature. This is a good book for those that enjoy historical fiction, and is pertinent to today as well.

Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to review this book. I have posted this review to goodreads

I absolutely adored this book. The characters were so real that it sucked you in and made you feel a part of the story. You didn't want it to end!

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 Aria for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

YA book, a bit simplistic in that level but gets the point across

People Like Us by Louise Fein is an excellent historical fiction that takes place mostly during the years 1937-1939 Germany.

This novel is unique in that it focuses more on the early years of WWII and from the thought process and inner workings of how indoctrination occurred in German communities. It was fascinating and terrifying to see all of the pieces fall into place to create the atmosphere of terror, blind following, fear, conspiracies, superstition, and anger. Seeing the nuts and bolts of the rising of the Third Reich from Hetty Heinrich’s point of view, a teen that has a father moving up the ranks of the newly formed SS, and a family steep into the blind faith that the newly formed government is their long-desired savior, is so unique that it drew me in from the very beginning. To see how things fell into place, how one fear layered onto another, how propaganda and news outlets were angled and limited, and how schools and families focused on indoctrination, was stunning. We always wonder how the German citizens could have “let it all happen”. While nothing can ever excuse what horror was done to so many people, I can see how brainwashing from a young age, fear of causing trouble if one doesn’t do what is instructed, and full immersion can do to warp young minds, and a culture in general. Having family that perished and were affected by concentration camps, I obviously have a hard time sympathizing, however in Hetty’s case, I think I can.

Yes, Hetty was spoiled, self-centered, and slightly bratty at the beginning of the novel, but she was a teenager and as the novel continues and she finds all of the dark undercurrents, lies, truths, who she can truly trust, and who truly loves her, she is able to mature, grow, and change for the better. It is heartbreaking to see what happens to Hetty, Walter, Erna and her family throughout the book. It is so upsetting to see what happens to the German Jewish citizens through no fault of their own, especially knowing what is to come. Hetty, Walter, and Erna grew so much and were all so brave and selfless in the end.
Without giving anything away, the Epilogue was stunning, and I found myself crying as I finished. Some of the tears were happy tears, but most were for all that was lost and all that were hurt. For my family, and for millions of others’ lives that were permanently changed.

I also enjoyed the author’s note and her family story as well. It gave me another connection to the haunting and beautiful story.

We must learn from the past, not doom ourselves to repeating events, and we must never, ever forget.

An unbelievably stunning novel. I am sure this will be one of my favorites this year.

5/5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Head of Zeus for this ARC and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon and B&N accounts upon publication.

The GR link is added below

I was invited to read this by Net Galley and it not the type of book I would normally read so I thought I would try it. Hetty Heinrich is a German, 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. The story develops with her relationship with Walter who is a Jew. they fall deeply in love and meet in secret despite anti-semitism where her family and friends turn on each other in a bit to remain true to their beliefs.

The story is well written and you feel for Hetty and Walter and their conflicting backgrounds - it is brought to a conclusion nicely and quite sad in parts.

I enjoyed reading this book

I had really been looking forward to reading this book. I just love anything Nazi . But I could not get into this. It almost felt like it was a book for children because it was told from a child’s perspective. A lot of how it was written and the speech was very child like and it sadly took all the enjoyment out of it for me

This sweeping novel of love and family will keep you reading until the end. It is a forbidden love story set in Germany. The writing was captivating and enthralling. Beautifully written. This will appeal to fans of the Book Thief.