I had a bit of a hard time with this read. It was well written but a few of the scenes were so sad and disturbing. It could have been more my frame of mind… but I couldn’t seem to connect with this book

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This was an enjoyable book and I quite liked it for a personal library scenario.. Thanks for the chance to try it.

A heartbreaking story of two German sisters one who falls in love with a Jew and the other a Nazi. Kara has the heartbreak of losing Abram but also having to disguise the fact that her son is half Jewish and where better than in her sisters Nazi household. Great storyline and full of twists and turns but ending on a cliffhanger so looking forward to the next book

Kara loves reading book. When she travels to the Jewish part of town, she meets, and finds herself falling for Abram. When she discovers that she is pregnant, she runs away from home and into Abram's arms. Unable to be married, the two live as husband and wife in Abram's mother's home. When Abram is arrested, Kara takes her son and moves in with her sister, weaving a story of lies to keep her son's half Jewish heritage a secret.

Kara and Abram were dynamic characters, and their interplay was fun to read. However, I did think that the book was a bit predictable in places, and some of the interactions with the baby were not believable. I don't want to give anything away, but the book does ends with a cliff hanger. I doubt I will read the next book, it just did not captivate my interest enough to keep going. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

It was a decent book and did enjoy it but didn't captivate me or hold my interest as much as I hoped.

Heart poundingly good,. A sweet family story for just a bit then they are plunged in the agony and terror that invaded their lives. Roberta Kagan did a masterful job with this story: and there arent enough words to convey how much every person in the world should read this. I think its a good read for any reader but would also make a great required reading book for classes on History of the Holocaust. Speechless...stunned. Excellent.

My Son’s Secret by Roberta Kagan

I love the way Roberta Kagan writes; you get to identify and grow to love the characters and I love how she researches the historical side of the story. I have always loved reading and learning about history and hate it when authors get the historical facts wrong.
This book tells the story of two (Arian) sisters in Germany from an abusive home life. The story starts in the 1930’s before WWII began. One sister, Kara, falls in love with a Jewish man (which was forbidden by Nazi law). The other, Anka marries a German man. Their lives go in a very different direction and it is interesting to note the contrast in their life.
I enjoyed this book very much and was overjoyed to know that it is only book 1 in Roberta Kagan’s new saga “Jews, The Third Reich and a web of secrets”. I can’t wait to read the next book to find out what comes next.
I would like to thank Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me all in. I felt as if I could feel the characters emotions, very few storys are told this well. I love a good story where I can immerse myself into it and just get lost between the pages. I thank Roberta Kagan for creating such an important, heart warming story.

Many of you all know--I love historical fiction but MUST be based on Holocaust or WWII!! And this book is no exception.

Basically, this story is between two sisters--Kara and Anka. The two sisters come from a dysfunctional family--their father is always drunk and abuses their mother and also towards the sisters, particularly towards Kara. Kara, being the responsible older sister tells Anka stories. One day, Kara goes to the Jewish part of time and meets a Jewish man named Abram, who owns a bookstore and shares Kara some of the books that are forbidden in Nazi Germany. The two eventually fall in love--which is forbidden in the Nazi law and Kara becomes pregnant and secretly lives with Abram and his mother, giving birth to a son Karl. Anka meanwhile marries a Nazi and starts sharing Nazi ideologies with her husband. So when Kristallnacht happens, Kara must hide her son's identity as a half Jew.

I only have one word to say this book--WOW. This book is simply amazing. Tear jerking and a bit emotional at times to read too, but the romance between Kara a German girl and Abram a Jewish boy was captured beautifully in the book. Despite the fact that the story is a fiction, the situation was realistic that I was drawn to the book and got so engaged into the story that I simply couldn't put it down! The author has made this book as realistic as possible, probably would have done tons of research about Jews during the Nazi period and Kristallnacht. The ending...ok at first, I thought I have missed a page or something that I thought the ending was abrupt with so many questions hanging in the air--but then I realize that this book was actually a sequel and so the author did a good job leaving the cliff hanger in the end, making the reader thirst and want to know what is going to happen next in the book!!! It was really good!!!

Characters wise, I simply liked both Kara and Abram though I sympathize with Anka--many Germans, particularly the younger ones were brainwashed into believing the Nazi ideologies and the fact that Jews were the problem of everything. It was sad and heartbreaking when you realize that despite the story being fiction, these things did happen in real life.

Overall, I cannot wait for the next book to come out and cannot wait to read more books from this author--worth four and a half stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Roberta Kagan for the book. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

A story about Nazi Germany during the start of the war. The main character is Kara who is German and falls in love with a Jewish man, Abram.
I have to say I had a hard time with the authors writing style. For me, there seemed to be quite a bit of repetitive sentences going on.
The ending? I’m still confused about the abruptness of the ending. I’m sure there is a second book coming soon.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. All opinions expressed are my own.

My Son's Secret is a riveting historical read. This Roberta Kagan tale is full of fascinating twists and turns and will keep you turning the pages quickly.

This tale takes place during WWII. It follows two sisters who are on opposites sides of the controversy. One marries into a high ranking Nazi family. The other falls in love with a Jew.

My only complaint is that it ends in a cliffhanger. I wish I had waited to read it, as I will forget a lot before reading the next one.

Fored to run for their lives when German soldiers infiltrate their city and destroy homes, raping and killing the innocent, Kara, Abram, their small son, and Abram's mother cower for days in a dirty staircase while fires rage and screams warn of the danger.
Abram leaves to search for food and disappears, leaving Kara to make the impossible choice of seeking her Nazi sister's help.
War is hard, made tougher when you sit on opposing sides of the battle. When Kara fell in love with her Jewish husband, it created a rift in her already troubled family. One that could endanger her half-Jewish son as they hide in the home of their enemy.
This is a well-written story of sacrifice and provides insights into the horrors of war- things we can barely comprehend.

Secrets and lies, Kara will do anything to save her. Child during WWII. another wonderful and well written book by this author. None of her books disappoint! I know it’s fiction but I’m sure these events have taken place in one way or another during this horrible time in history. Can’t wait for book 2!

My Son's Secret by Roberta Kagan is an emotionally moving, remarkable story set during WW2. It clearly portrays the events that happened during the war and within the Jewish communities. At times, I had a hard time reading the events that happened but the story also had an underlying theme of hope, love and perseverance. It is a remarkable book and I couldn't put it down,

The ending took me by complete surprise and now I can't wait to read the second book in this series that is soon to be available!

I received this book for free. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are my own. Thank you to Ms. Kagan for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is one of my favourite genres. This novel is full of emotion, love and turmoil and follows the love story between Kara and Abram.
It took me a while to get into the writing style but I enjoyed this novel.
Thanks to#NetGalley for the advance copy in return for an honest review

This was intense, emotional, and heartbreaking. There is talk of abuse, which may need a content warning for some. I loved the characters. I felt like I knew them. I rooted for them. I loved the sisterly bond in the beginning, but it really shows how war can rip families apart.

World War II historical fiction is my favorite sub-genre of historical fiction. I may have too high expectations of the books I read but I found this one somewhat lacking.
The storyline is very good. A poor girl, a gentile from a dysfunctional abusive family meets a Jewish boy from the other side of town. The girl loves to read, the boy's family owns a Jewish book store and he is in possession of several books that have been banned by Hitler's regime. He loans one forbidden book to the girl, thus starting a relationship that is doomed from the beginning. Kara and Abram fall in love, she gets pregnant, but they cannot marry, for it is against the law for gentiles and Jews to wed.
When Abram is arrested for fighting, Kara, who was living with him and his mother after giving birth to their son Karl, must go to live with her sister, who is married to a high ranking Nazi. She must conceal the fact her son is half Jewish from them or the repercussions would be dangerous not only for Kara and Karl but her sister as well.
As I said, great storyline, good characters, easy to identify with and care about, but its the writing style I did not care for at all. I am not sure how to put what I mean into words. The style of writing to me seemed very sophomoric, distant, stilted, and repetitive at times. I felt points were repeated over and over, even the same exact sentences seemed to be repeated over and over, it all seemed very elementary and childlike to me. The dialogue was not believable, I don't feel people really talk in that manner, not then and not now. It lacks warmth and depth I guess is what I mean.
And finally, the ending was horrible. I am sorry but it was. I thought something was wrong with my download and I was missing pages. Truly I was looking to see if anyone else had missing pages or something was wrong. I mean it just ended, practically mid-sentence, surely mid-thought. Just bam, and that was it, not one more word to be had. I couldn't believe it.
For these reasons I am sorry I can only give 2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3 stars because the subject and storyline is really good.
Thank you to the publishers at Net Galley Connect and Net Galley for the free ARC e-book version of this novel. I am leaving my honest review in return.

If Romeo and Juliet played out in World War 2, this would be their tragic tale! Kara comes from an abusive home and troubled youth; she has grown up believing Nazi propaganda about Jews, but one day she finds herself on the Jewish side of town, where she meets Abram. Abram is a bit of a vagabond and rapscallion, but he falls hard and fast for Kara. Together they create a forbidden family, until one day everything comes crashing down. Kara is forced to protect herself, and their son, by taking on a new identity..... In spite of this being an amazing story, I am removing one entire star for the ending of the book -- there was no inclination that there would be a sequel, and it literally just cuts off...so unsatisfying to the reader.

World War 2 books are my favorite sub genre of historical fiction, I was very excited to read this. I’ll start with the good. The characters are quite wonderful. I really love the relationship between Kara and her sister, especially in the beginning when they lean on each other for strength. The relationship between Kara and Abram was so sweet. Reading about them falling and love and bonding over books was lovely. Now for the mot so good. I’m not a fan of the writing style. I feel like there was a lot of telling especially in the dialogue and not a lot of showing. It was a bit difficult to fully immerse myself in the setting and to connect with the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC