A wonderful and unforgettable story/book that brings together the past and present, from Berlin in 1937 to New York in the present day. I love Maddie and her discovery a diary in amongst her grandpas belongings. Upon reading it she finds some things quite shocking and decides to search for answers about Freya, a person who changed peoples lives in an unforgiving time.

And so the story winds its way from past to present to bring an utterly amazing story and one I couldn't put down. So well written and with such wonderful and believable characters. This book is emotional, thought-provoking and absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Overall, I found this book heartwarming and thoroughly enjoyable. I appreciated the author’s thoughtful exploration of modern-day internet bullying and its emotional impact.
I especially liked how the story showed that even the smallest act of defiance or standing up for yourself can make a difference. The book’s discussion of burning books was also powerful and timely, reflecting the relevance of current conversations around book banning and censorship.

Readers can always rely on Daisy for an engaging and enlightening tale. The Banned Books of Berlin is another that can be added. This book is another dual timeline with Freya in 1930 Berlin struggling to survive in a society taken over by Hitler. Then there is Maddie in current day who is the great granddaughter of Freya. After she returns home to Los Angeles after an incident at work, she finds a diary amongst her grandfathers things written by Freya.

The Banned Books of Berlin is sadly a timely reminder about the importance of fighting against censorship and protecting the written word.

I had read and very much enjoyed Daisy Wood's previous books so was excited to read The Banned books of Berlin. I thought this one had a very interesting and original plot that was definitely somewhat different from typical WW2 historical fiction books. However I felt that it was too much of a slow burner; the build up to the actual "banned books" section took far too long and there were too many unnecessary characters in the 1930s chapters. Bizarrely I found myself preferring the chapters set in 2024 rather than in the 1930s. That said, it was beautifully written with some lovely descriptive sections.

The Banned Books of Berlin is set in two timelines: 1930s Berlin and present day Los Angeles. Freya is living in Berlin as the Nazis take power and is horrified when they start burning 'unGerman' literature and decides to do something to save them. In LA Maddie is helping her grandfather clear his attic. They come across a diary written by Freya, her great grandmother, which details what she did to survive and so reveals family secrets.
What makes this novel stand out among other historical novels of the period is the focus on the burning of books and the current prevailing decisions taken by powerful people to restrict books that don't ally with their preconceived ideas.
This novel has been very well researched while not making heavy weather of the facts. I also liked that the main character in 1930s Berlin was an ordinary young German woman who was faced with either kowtowing to the Nazis or being brave enough to move against them in her own way.
An excellent read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This book had a captivating story set WW2-era Berlin. The writing captures your attention quickly while the story keeps you wanting more.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for offering this ARC. What a great read! Just when I thought I’d read my last WW II historical fiction, along comes this beautiful book. Filled with strong, bold characters and a plot based in historical fact it was a read well worth my time.

This new novel by Daisy wood is a unputtable novel .I couldn't stop thinking about it when I finished reading .
Dual timeline done brilliantly.

This is the tale of how through the era of Hitlers rise to power, a young girl, Freya, goes from being the daughter who cares for her sick mother and doing all that is asked of her, to a confident woman with a strong mind of her own. Abandoned by her father and brother who are staunch Nazi followers, Freya finds her true family in the dressing rooms of the cabaret club zaubergarten where she makes costumes.

A captivating story, this book is engaging and inspiring. The reader is led to the streets of books piled high ready to be collected and burned, but there is Freya, shoving as many as she can into her coat. This book is less about books however but rather revolves around them – very clever.

I highly recommend The Banned Books of Berlin by Daisy Wood.

Beautifully told stories of WWII and present day. The comparisons are eye opening. The power of censorship. The characters were very intriguing and I liked their stories.

Yet another winning book from this author. It goes from past to present set during wartime to the present day .For anyone who likes to read wartime stories this is the one.
Great book from beginning to the end.

The atmosphere in this story comes across in waves. How frightening those times just prior to the war must have been. The not knowing who you could trust, with danger lurking everywhere, around the corner or even under your own roof - and that you may ultimately, find yourself fleeing all you’d ever known to find safety in an unknown country.
The characters in the story, fighting for their freedom, in what small way they could, faced losing that freedom - and it started with the public burning of literature.
I enjoyed the time jumps in the story from war time Berlin to present day America. They brought the past and present characters of the story together and revealed the story’s surprise conclusion.
As well as the fear of approaching war, there is also warmth, friendship and love to be found in this story and it’s certainly one to add to your reading list.

A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book is a very slow read. You will be thinking yourself that you should maybe DNF it right up until the 200 page mark.
The story didn’t feel unique at all and the characters weren’t very likeable. They felt like caricatures of the people from the time period. Only without the spark that makes them individual, the story falls flat.
Unfortunately this book was not for me; although it may certainly resonate with some readers.
I received an ARC of this title; all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars - One of my favorite books of 2025 so far!

I love dual timeline stories, as well as those of this genre, so I was very excited to check out this book. It didn't disappoint!

Freya's storyline takes place in Berlin, 1933, and Maddie's is in NY, 2024. Each storyline is well-developed and engaging, and I love seeing how Wood pulled everything together. A lot of important topics are handled in a delicate manner while still getting their importance across to the reader. There is minor violence and foul language in Freya's story, but it's relevant in the historical context. Based on the title, I was expecting there to be a bit more about book banning than there was, but this is a well-researched novel about historical events that are important to remember. This book is a testament to how important books, and history, are.

Wood's writing style easily pulls the reader in. Characters are relatable and realistic, and the author makes the reader feel a part of history.

I haven't read anything by this author before, but I certainly look forward to reading future books.

A wonderful story which really impressed me as to the research Daisy must have looked into to write this compelling story. I enjoyed this so much and am now sad as I've finished it. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Wow what a book. This book was everything. Fast Paced, atmospheric and I loved the characters. Thanks for chance to read it

Maybe I was in the wrong mood when I read this book but I found that it really dragged. The time period of history is very interesting but I just didn’t warm to any of the characters in either timeline but especially the modern one. I confess that I skimmed the modern time line and focused more on the prewar one, but even that was very slow and took ages before it got interesting.

1930’s, Berlin. Freya’s mother Ingrid dies and she’s expected to give up her dreams of further study to look after her ungrateful father and brother. The economy in Germany is terrible, she takes in a border and gets a job working as a seamstress at nightclub to make ends meet.

The atmosphere in Germany is changing, with the rise of fascism and Adolf Hitler, Freya can't live with her family as they believe in the cause and leaves home. Action is taken against people with an un-German spirit and things are starting to be restricted and banned and including books and she hates the thought of them being destroyed.

2024, New York. Maddie works as a journalist, after a nasty social media attack about an article she wrote, she decides to visit her mum, brother Ben and grandfather in Los Angeles. Maddie’s grandpa's obsessed with Swedish death cleaning and sorting out his affairs and they hold conferences about what to do. While Maddie is helping him and she finds an old diary and becomes invested in discovering more about her great-grandmothers life and has no idea what she's going to uncover.

I received a copy of The Banned Books of Berlin from NetGalley and Avon Books UK in exchange for an honest review. In her latest dual timeline narrative Daisy Wood explores what it was like to live in Berlin in the 1930’s, here you couldn’t think or believe differently to Hitler and his supporters, Jewish people and businesses were starting to be targeted and it was dangerous to retaliate or break the rules and did the main character Freya do this and if so what happened to her?

A well written and at times a heartbreaking story where the past and future are perfectly woven together and easy to follow and it explores topics such family and ties, the importance of classic books and wanting to save them, secrets and mystery, cyberbullying, plagiarism and theft.

Five stars from me and I highly recommend The Banned Books of Berlin and Daisy Wood's previous novels The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris and The Royal Librarian.

I love Daisy Wood's writing. I've read all of her books except for one (The Royal Librarian..but I do want to read that one as well.) All her books are so well researched. I was very excited when the publisher granted me an early copy. I was not disappointed!

It's a dual time line story. Freya's life is changing in 1930's Berlin. Her beloved mother has just died and she must take over her sewing business. It's not something she really enjoys. She loves the arts and writing in particular. She gets a job in a prestigious Berlin theatre and begins to sew the costumes and makes new friends. She's frustrated with her father and brother and leaves to live in the theatre. Times are changing in Germany and Hitler's regime is causing havoc for many people. Freya finds herself resisting the regime and doing things she never thought she'd have to do. In the present timeline Maddie is visiting her Grandfather in California. She's helping to cleanup his apartment and they find her Great-Grandmother's diary written in German. This puts Maddie on a quest to find out about her and her heritage. She will discover many things. I liked the twist at the end!

This book was a welcome change for me as it focused on pre WW II and Germany and when Hitler was fear mongering his own people. He was imposing curfews and trying to control freedom of speech through the banning and burning of books. Stories like this are still important today. This is a reminder to us all to never make these same mistakes again.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and Avon Books UK for granting me access to this Advance Reader's Copy.

Published in the UK April 10, 2025