An extremely hard read. A set of sisters are separated on their way to a Nazi concentration camp and they must hold onto the dream of reconciliation to get them through the hardest of the days. At four and seventeen years old they have very different experiences and the book switches between their points of view to show two different sides of survival in a concentration camp.

I have read a lot of World War II books and even some that take place in a concentration camp, but for some reason this one was harder to read than most. I think I can contribute the heaviness of the book due to the fact that it is through a child's eyes. Mindel who is four is experiencing things no one should and at such a young age without a family member nearby, that is beyond anyone's imagination. It was a bit easier to read Rachel's story, but to watch her bounce between handling it and almost losing it - I was thankful this one was short.

I would add this to your reading list if you feel as though you have read all the books in the World War II genre and are ready for this one, but this is worth the read if you can handle it.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning about the main characters and their resolve to find one another within the Bergen Belsen camps. I thought this book did a good job of showing that not all kids were immediately gassed, but many were kept alive and many were orphans, and how kids can stick together and try to be one another's family

I don't know why I keep torturing myself with these heart -wrenching stories of WWII, but I do! I just find it so hard to imagine what these people were made to endure at the hands of their fellow human beings! The thing that keeps bringing me back I think is the reaffirmation of the human spirit that is found in each of these stories, there is good out there, and in reading these stories we see it, over and over, despite the horrors there is still hope and resilience of the human spirit.
Rachael and Mindel's story is heart-breaking, when the family farm is lost to the Nazis and their parents taken away by the gestapo, Rachel tries to flee to a convent 20 miles away with her two small brothers and baby sister. Caught unaware by an approaching car, and too burdened down to run carrying Mindel, Rachel is caught, she can only pray her brothers who were walking ahead of her and Mindel escape the same fate.
Shuffled from camp to camp, Rachel and Mindel end up getting separated, leaving four year old Mindel to face the horrors of a Nazi concentration camp alone, with no one to care for her except her rag doll named Paula, given to her by Rachel on her last birthday.
Feeling a great burden of guilt for allowing Mindel to be separated from her, Rachel finds it harder and harder to hold on to the will to live as she is shuffled from one work camp to another, each one worse than the one before. Every ime she thinks she is close to finding Mindel she is sent away to some other torture.. Will the two sisters survive till the Allies arrive and liberate the camps? Or will it be too late for little Mindel on her own for so long without her big sister's care?
This book brought tears to my eyes, I cannot imagine the children in these camps, I can't imagine them being able to survive what even seasoned adults found they could not endure. But some of them did, and that is the amazing part, that is the part that makes the tears shed when reading a novel like this worth it.
I recommend this one to all historical fiction fans, if you like Pam Jenoff or Karen Robards then you will love this one. 5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Bookouture for the free ARC copy of the e-book version of this novel, I am leaving my honest review in return.

Any book related to Holocaust or WWII I would most certainly jump at the opportunity to read that book. And this is such book. Though the characters are fictional, the events that happened in this book is real.

It's 1944, in a small village in Bavaria, Germany, Rachel Epstein and her family are living in a farmhouse, thanks to Old Hans, hiding away from the Nazis. They were Jews. But when Old Hans died, the family were separated--Rachel never saw her brothers, her parents were taken away and she and her sister, Mindel were taken to Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp, where the two sisters were separated. Rachel would do anything, including working excruciating hours at the ammunition factory or working in salt mines to be reunited with her younger sister Mindel. Mindel too wants to be reunited with her sisters and she was taken care in the children concentration camp, looked after by a kind couple.

The story is so emotional, heartbreaking and at times, you couldn't really fathom the fact that these atrocities and brutality did happen in real life. And at time, though the characters are fictional, one couldn't help but notice how courageous and brave Rachel really was. I couldn't even put this book down and I got so engrossed into the book that I didn't even realize until I came to the end! The writing was really good and the author did a good job drawing the reader to the story.

Grab your tissues because this book will make you cry. An emotional, heartbreaking story that will make you want to read this book and unputdownable historical fiction! Worth five stars!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. This book review is based on my honest opinion.

A poignant novel of family bonds, survival and courage.
Not Without My Sister follows 4 year old Mindel and her 17 year old sister Rachel as they try to flee Nazi capture in their German homeland, then as they are transported around before finally ending up in Bergan Belson concentration camp.
Whilst all stories set in the concentration camps are harrowing, this one is especially so. Marion Kummerow has done an amazing job of writing just what a 4 year old would have thought and felt going through something so horrendous.
Despite the horror of the camp, you see that the children find their own way to be children, to survive against all odds and to never give up hope.
I loved the strength of both sisters, their desperation to be reunited with each other and was pleased that the Frank sisters are remembered in the novel too.

Great book which i thoroughly enjoyed and read in a few day. Great gift for Mothers Day or for Chridtmas

Not Without My Sister is a novel of loss, survival, loyalty, sisters and resilience. This novel is an emotional page turner and by the end of the story I was crying. The author was inspired by stories of children from the Nazi camps and the atrocities that these children had to go through and watch is just heart breaking. Rachel and Mindel survive the camps just with a hope to see each other again and this a gripping novel because you just keep hoping that the sisters do meet each other, survive and you want to turn to the last page just to know if they do. A must read!

Not Without My Sister is a wonderful book full of hope and survival during one of the darkest times in modern history.

Rachel (17) and Mindel (4) are sisters captured by the Gestapo and sent to Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, but upon arrival, they are separated. Throughout their imprisonment, they struggle to be reunited but are met with one obstacle after another along the way.

This is both a heartbreaking and uplifting story of sisters who cling to hope that they will one day see each other again. Their courage and perseverance were inspiring, especially considering what they were subjected to while at Bergen-Belsen. At times, it was truly heart-wrenching, but definitely worth the read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3858407335

This story is a page turner, but not in the usual sense, I wanted to know if they survived the terror that they ended up in.
Of a family of five, we follow two of them as they journey to survive the evil that is taking place in Germany during WWII. Two sister’s one seventeen and one four at the time they are placed in the Concentration Camp, and they are there because of a religion.
The author makes this read so very real, and the horrors of what happened during this time, linger.
Books like this one make me realize how fortunate we are, and we should not forget, and all the while you keep wondering if these girls will survive, most don’t.
Keep reading as there is an epilogue at the end, and I loved the updates!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Bookoutour, and was not required to give a positive review.

Thank you to Bookouture for the arc of Not Without My Sister by Marion Kummerow.

5 star read- The author ended up getting inspired for this book as she took a trip to the concentration camp in Germany called Bergen Belson. When she was there she viewed this temporary exhibition on the children in these camps. She then saw a photograph of a little girl cuddling her teddy bear, which was very emotional so this inspired her to write Not Without My Sister which follows a young Jewish girl named Rachel whom is 17 years of age and her baby sister Mindel ages 4 years, who ended up getting deported to Bergen Belson. The girls are part of a much larger family whom live on a farm together. This is their story of survival in the horrid conditions in Bergen Belson Concentration camp..

Such a heartwarming, emotional read! So well written.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
5 STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not Without My Sister is about two sisters, Rachel (15 yrs old) and Mindel (4 years old) who are captured by the Nazis and sent to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. In the midst of the confusion and orders from the guards, the sisters get separated but Rachel yells to Mindel “I promise to find you.” The whole story centers around this promise. The sisters go through different challenges and atrocities trying to survive in the concentration camps. Rachel works in different places all with horrible and inhumane conditions and gets sent to different camps, while little Mindel is alone, with no one to take care of her, until she meets a 7 yr old boy who vows to protect her.

I don’t want to offer too much as to not ruin the story for you, but as you can imagine, this story is full of heart-breaks, loss, death, and the most dangerous of all feelings: hope. I was sitting at the edge of my seat, waiting to see if the sisters would reunite and getting deflated every time they encountered challenges that made their reunion impossible.

The author, Marion Kummerow, was inspired to write Not Without My Sister when she visited the concentration camp in Bergen-Belsen and saw the “Children in Concentration Camps” exhibition. There was a photograph of a little girl holding a teddy bear that captured Marion’s attention and inspired her to write a story about the suffering and nameless children that were victims of the Nazis. You can see this picture and read more about Marion’s visit here.

I loved that there were so many true facts & real characters in this story, For example, the author introduced the famous Anne Frank as one of Rachel’s friends and some of the SS guards in this story were also real people. Like most war stories, what is so beautiful and confusing is the contrast between the cruelty of the SS officers and the kindness and perseverance of the imprisoned Jews. I kept asking myself while reading this book, whether I would have had the will to continue. I don’t think I would. Also, I have a 4-yr old daughter at home and when I was reading about all that little Mindel was going through, I couldn’t help but feel pain at the thought that she’s a little child, innocent and pure, like my own.

I’m giving this book a 4-star rating. The only reason I didn’t assign it a full 5-star rating is because I felt that the author often repeated herself. The memories that the girls were remembering were often the same, the appearance of the women in the camp was often described using the same adjectives, Mindel always felt the same feelings when thinking of her brothers, etc. I also thought the book ended rather abruptly. I think I would have liked it better if it had ended a little earlier or a little later with a bit more detail of the post-war life.

All in all, I did enjoy reading Not Without My Sister and will certainly read other books by Marion Kummerow.

A heartbreaking read that brought tears to my eyes. Two sisters together until they got separated by the Nazis. Whilst being held captive at the Bergen-Belsen camp they have no choice but to follow the Nazi commands. Rachel, a teenager, is sent to work whilst her sister, Mindel, who is only four years of age struggles to make sense of it all and is left to fend for herself. Each make friends along the way and each are searching for the other.
An emotional read. On one hand the strength and determination of the sisters had me willing for them to find each other whilst on the other it had me reaching for a box of tissues as the horrors of the camp and the brutality, loss of friends and dignity is exposed.
The strength of this book will stay with you when you have read it. Both beautiful and harrowing, well written with good attention to detail. This is the first book I have read by this author and her style of writing has got me wanting more. If you enjoy historical fiction I would highly recommend this book.

This was a sad story about two sisters who arrive at Bergen-Belsen camp together but immediately become separated. In order to stay alive, each must strictly obey the Nazi commands which means they are unable to attempt to locate the other. Short of asking everyone they meet if they have seen her sister, the girls have no option other than to survive alone. Mindel, only 4 years old, becomes attached to Laszlo, an older boy of the age 7, who vows to protect her.

The novel is sad, tragic and at times horrific. However, even as a fiction novel, the atrocities it unveils truly happened to those incarcerated in Nazi prison camps. Do not look away because it turns your stomach. Soak up the history that we pray will never be repeated in a captivating fictional read.

The characters will break your heart and also make it soar. The setbacks make you cry. The tiny successes of a piece of bread, a kind word or a piece of information about the whereabouts of a sister will make you cry harder. I highly recommend this book. You will yearn to read it all in one sitting.


I received an ARC from Bookouture through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Mandel and her older sister Rachel have been captured and have moved from cap to camp. This is 1944 and now they arrive at Bergen-Belsen. As they go in they get separated. Mandel is only four and is lost without her sister. Their crime is that they are from a half jewish family and Hitler is still on the warpath. They have done well to evade capture up to this point but now it’s the bleakness of camplife and both are alone. Each tells their own stories- Rachel working in an ammunitions factory and Mandel doing her best to stay alive. A tale of determination against all odds. Of being strong and hanging in there whatever is thrown at you. Of being beaten and starving and having SS guards making lives hell and living off scraps and potato peelings whilst being forced to do hard labour.
A book to inspire, and one although fiction is based on true facts- there is a small section at the end explaining which events and characters were real. A memorable read.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

I wanted to like this book, it touched on many of the horrors of the camps, which many books don't. However, it is too simply written, I finished it in under 3 hours. However, the bigger issue is the continuity problems. In the first few pages it states that the Jewish farmers were raising pigs, there was a chase that stated took place at night but the description is a day time chase, and it describes the women in the ammunition factories placing explosives in the bullet shells. I do appreciate the attempt that the author made in trying to describe how horrible the camps were. I realize it is a fine line of telling us what it was like without making it so horrific that people won't read the books. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to give my voluntary and honest review on #NotWithoutMySister.

Set in Germany in 1944 we are introduced to Rachel, a teenager and Mindel who is 4 and their family. They are Jews that have been hidden away in rural Bavaria until 1943, having sold their farm to a sympathiser in exchange for being able to live on it.
They are captured and taken to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. They are separated on arrival. Rachel is sent to work in a factory and Mindel is sent to the “star” camp for Jewish prisoners. The sisters never give up hope that they will find each other, even though the odds are stacked against them. This book is about the courage, determination and the bond between two sisters that can never be broken.
This is a fiction book but the appalling conditions and the cruelties of the guards are well written and the vivid descriptions are an awful reminder of the atrocities that took place for millions of Jews. Marion Kummerow has written this respectfully and doesn’t over dramatize these events.
This is an emotional read, as you feel every emotion, despair, pain, hunger and fear. You wish for a happy ending but you know that this may not be the reality as they face hunger, disease and death. Even in their darkest times the sisters carry the hope in their hearts that they will see each other again and there will be a better world waiting for them if they can survive the horrors that they are surviving through.
It is a poignant story that will pull at even the most hardened of heart strings, with the beautifully described characters and full of raw emotion, this is a book that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

All they had left was each other. Until the Nazis tore them apart.

Marion Kummerow’s, “Not Without My Sister” is an utterly gripping tale of courage, loss and survival during one of history’s darkest times.

The four Epstein children are out foraging mushrooms in the Bavarian forest when an old woman warns them not to go home as the Nazis have taken over their Jewish family farm and captured their parents. Separated from their brothers when running from the Gestapo a few days later, 17-year-old Rachel and 4-year-old Mindel, are caught and sent to the concentration camp at Bergen-Belsen. Upon arrival the two become separated in a throng; Rachel is sent to a munitions factory within the camp and Mindel is left to fend for herself. While Rachel’s days are spent filling munitions casings with chemicals that burn her fingers, make her eyes sting, and turn her hair and skin yellowish-orange, her nights are spent in anxious worry over her little sister. Mindel is sent to a ‘star’ camp for Jewish prisoners and befriends a 7-year-old, Laszlo. While under the supervision of another prisoner, the orphaned children resort to gang life to survive. They ‘organize’ food scraps and watch out for each other. Mindel’s naivety protects her and her doll, Paula, given to her on her last birthday by Rachel, provides comfort in the monotony of passing days.

With so many novels covering the horrible experiences endured in concentration camps, Marion Kummerow has offered something so uniquely different – a child’s perspective. Inspired by a photo seen on a visit to the memorial site, Kummerow thoroughly researched this horrific period in history and masterfully presented us with a fresh and thought provoking story about the sibling bond and its strengthening stay during the darkest days of one’s life. This character driven story is heartbreaking, yet Kummerow has chosen to focus on courage and overcoming impossible odds. Refusing to play down the reality of the camps, Kummerow is able to show how naivety and determination play a lifesaving role in the Epstein sisters. You’ll love the cameo appearance of two real life siblings and you’ll wish you could give Laszlo a hug for his protection and care for a scared little 4 year old. This will tug your heart strings. Hug your loved ones a little tighter. You never know if a day will come when saying ‘goodbye’ isn’t an option.

Historical fiction lovers, this is a must read when published March 25, 2021.

Thank you Marion Kummerow, Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Have your tissues handy! This is the story of the Epstein family who were living in Bavaria during WWII when the parents were sent away while the children were out gathering berries. A neighbor tipped them off and helped get them to someone who would hide them temporarily. The Epstein children, Rachel 17, Israel 10, Aron 7 and Mindel 4 were heading to an convent/orphanage when they were separated with Rachel and Mindel being captured and sent to Bergen-Belsen. Once there, they were separated and Mindel was left to more or less fend for herself while Rachel was sent to work. This is the story of their plight to try and survive and to find each other. This was a quick, easy read and I really liked it but I felt that Mindel was a little too precocious.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very very interesting book that kept me on the edge of my seat in exchange for an honest review.

A story of loss, sadness, and the strength of a sibling bond.

Rachel and Mindel are sisters with an age gap. Little Mindel is 4 and elder sister Rachel is a teen. One day while out foraging for food in the forest with their two brother's they are warned not to go home as their Jewish family farm has been taken over by the Nazis and their parents taken captive.

They become separated from their brothers and end up taken captive and sent to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. On arrival, they are separated. Here begins the story of the siblings doing everything they possibly can to be reunited together again. They are tough girls that go through hell, but never give up hope of seeing each other again.

Not Without My Sister gives us a realistic account of life inside concentration camps, and what these poor girls went through. It was very interesting how the author included Anne Frank in the story. It will set you off on an emotional journey for sure.

Highly recommended

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC to exchange with honest feedback.

Not Without My Sister is about two sisters who were send to one of Nazi's concentration camp, Bergen-Belsen. However, Rachel Epstein & Mindel Epstein were separated. Since they were separated, they promised to live for each other and in the end they will meet again. Throughout the journey getting back together, they met and made friends with a lot of people include notable inmates Anne & Margot Frank.

First of all, the courage and determination to live for each other made the story works. Based on survivor's experience, reader will learnt experience of had to live in the one of the Nazi's camp. In fact, Auschwitz was the worst one instead of Bergen-Belsen.

Second, the characters were build pretty good like Rachel, strong and determined to live for the sake of her sister while Mindel, more likely a smart little one since she managed to survive even she was just a child. Without her sister, she still managed to live.

Overall, it is easy to understand and quite moderate to me. Nothing that is so freaking harsh or too sad to handle.


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