Thank you to NetGalley and Walrus Publishing for this eARC. I'm rating it 1.5*.

Review summary:
I am so disappointed by this book. Amazing concept, but dull writing style, poor character development, zero atmosphere, and not great handling of queer and trans characters. Plus, it's full of anachronisms and didn't feel at all like 1920s/1930s Germany — even the character names are often not German. As a European reader, the whole book felt incredibly American.

Detailed review:
This is a historical novel set in two time periods: the US in the 1990s, and Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. The main story is in the '20s-'30s, and the main character is a cis woman with Nazi parents, a secret Jewish girlfriend who likes to wear suits, and a circle of friends made up of gay men and trans women. She has two jobs: one, as a secretary for the Nazis. Two, in the Institute for Sexual Science, which focuses on research and support for LGBTQ+ people.

As I said, great concept. But then we get onto the issues with the book. In no particular order:

The beginning is really dull. It feels like the author is relying on the combination of the time period and emotionally painful things to hook you instead of the characters. In fact, even when I reached the 50% mark of the book, I still couldn't have told you any of the main characters' personality traits or defining characteristics beyond their sexuality and their jobs. Especially in the sections set in the 1990s, I need more than "my grandmother needs to go to a nursing home" to be invested in a POV character or a storyline — I need a personality. I need to know who this character is.

Not all of the time, but a significant amount of the time, it also feels like the book is writing about queer people instead of being for queer people. The author is LGBTQ+, but even so, a lot of it felt like how my straight relatives view us LGBTQ+ people. On the one hand, I think that can be partly explained by the 2D characters — characters remain queer archetypes rather than developed characters. But on the other hand, I was shocked by the fact that that when someone's gender isn't obvious, the book uses the pronoun "it" instead of "them". How did such a transphobic, dehumanising phrase end up in a book marketed as LGBTQ+? (I'm aware that ARCs aren't always the final version and I will be messaging the publisher about this, so I really hope it gets edited out of the book before publication.)

Even these archetypes don't always make sense. Early on in the book, the main POV character is sexually assaulted by Nazis. Her and her girlfriend pretended to have boyfriends to try to escape them, but it wasn't enough. The next day, at work, not only is the character seemingly unaffected by the assault but she asks her trans colleagues and friends, who are unable to pass, why they feel unsafe travelling alone. It makes no sense. This same character is also on multiple occasions shown as being embarrassed or made uncomfortable by discussions about her trans colleagues' transitions and pasts as sex workers. While transphobia is present within queer communities, these interactions feel inauthentic within the context of the story.

Going back to the topic of the main POV character being assaulted, she is frequently harassed and sexually assaulted and made to need rescuing despite being the most privileged and able to pass of all the main characters. It's a weird position for the novel to take. As a reader, I'm far more concerned about her friends who can't pass, but the book sidelines them; most of the time, their harassment is referred to only in throwaway remarks. And this is even more frustrating because the main POV character is one of the most complicit in what's going on — she works for Nazis. She attends Nazi business meetings and house parties, she organises Nazi parades, she files information about concentration camps and doesn't even accidentally-on-purpose lose important documents. (In fact, the characters tell the doctor who advocated for and operated on trans women —an actual historical character — that he should be ashamed of not being able to arrange for trans women to safely leave Germany, while also telling the Nazi employee protagonist that she shouldn't feel bad about working to help the Nazi party come to power.)

When atrocities happen in the book, I personally felt the way the author handled it robbed dignity from victims, especially ones that were real historical figures. This is subjective, of course; other readers may diagree.

At the same time, some of the sexual assaults in the book felt gratuitous.

The writing is also dull. Occasionally the writer has a wonderful paragraph, but in general, the sentences aren't engaging, information is awkwardly given, and although this might sound strange, there's too much of the basic mechanics of body movement included — I don't need to know that a character stood up and walked over and poured coffee and sat back down again. The explain-every-step approach slows things down a lot.

On top of that, there are a lot of punctuation and dialogue tag mistakes. It's often unclear who's speaking because of this — on a grammatical level, it should be person A, but based on the content of the dialogue, it should be person B. German titles are at times misspelt, e g. "Krieslieter" instead of "Kreislieter" (District Leader).

Nothing really felt German, let alone 1920s Berlin, beyond the Nazis, the Institute for Sexual Science, and the occasional German title. In fact, many of the names aren't German at all, even among the blond Nazis. Characters in 1920s Germany say things like "Hiya!", "Hey you guys!", "I know, buddy" and "Okay, well,...".
And there are multiple references to "make/made Germany great again".

Characters fiddle with the zippers on their sweaters in the 1920s, despite that not being a thing in Germany in the 20s. Politically aware caracters talk about how they didn't bother to vote in elections even though the actual voter turnout was over 75%. German lovers write to each other in English in the 1930s and '40s. Oh, and the Wall Street Crash apparently happened in Dec 1929 in this book, even though in real life it occurred in October 1929.

Having recently learned of Dr. Hirschfeld and the wonderful queer jewish history behind him I am obsessed with this fictionalisation. This is ultimately a safe haven for all the LGBTQ+ it also features the icon Dora Richter and a wonderful found family that forms around her.

Intertwining to generations we follow Thea trying to find her families histories, and her grandmas younger adult years among the rise of the Nazis surrounded by queer unity and found family. This does a wonderful job of minority representation, even within such a harrowing fiction that reflects real life people in history.

I almost sobbed reading this, it does a wonderful job of commemorating such a tragic history into a phenomenal fiction. Despite how dark it can be we see so many beautiful and passionate relationships survive and flourish through the struggles. Grief is distinct through both disabling health issues and loss but is handled amazingly as well as what can be triggering content.

Overall, this is a new historical fiction fave for me, and one id direct anyone wanting LGBTQ+ and Jewish representation to.

5 ⭐️ Thank you to Amphorae Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book right here is why I read. I have not felt this moved by a book in years and it came in and knocked me off my feet. Mark my words this book will be on a best sellers list.

Book Summary: this is a historical novel set in two time periods: the US in the 1990s and Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. Berlin was well known as the gay capital of the world due to new research and medical advances offered by Dr. Hirschfeld. The story touches on topics regarding, love, war-time, nazi reign, religion, and the impact on the queer population.

Katherine Bryant’s goal with this book was to express gratitude to all queer humans who came before her, who laid the path, not just in her liberation, but the liberation of us all. She is 100% right in that our queer ancestors deserve their stories told and she did just that.

I look forward to what this author has in store for the future!

Katherine Bryant’s Give My Love to Berlin is a stunning debut. While the opening chapters take their time setting the scene, I became completely hooked once I reached the 20% mark. The novel beautifully illuminates a lesser-known piece of queer history: the Institute of Sexual Science in Berlin. I had no idea about its significance, and Bryant brings it to life with such care and depth.

What struck me most was the way the characters love fiercely in ways that feel both deeply personal and profoundly universal. There is a tenderness in their connections, a reminder that queer people have always existed, always found each other, and always loved in our own beautiful, unique ways.

Book Review: Give My Love to Berlin
Rating: 4/5

Give My Love to Berlin is a compelling historical fiction novel that brings the city’s past to life with rich storytelling and well-researched detail. The book does an excellent job of immersing readers in Berlin’s history, capturing both its beauty and its struggles through the eyes of its characters.

One of the novel’s strongest aspects is its representation. The characters feel authentic, and their diverse perspectives add depth to the historical narrative. The author weaves personal stories with larger historical events in a way that feels natural and engaging, making the book both informative and emotionally resonant.

The cover, premise, and writing style are neat. They drew me in and kept me curious, but I am realizing I am not a fan of historical fiction. It is also really difficult for me to read about Hitler currently. This is an important book and I will definitely purchase it once I have the funds and save it for a day when i am in the mood for a read like this, but this is just not for me.

Thank you for the opportunity to provide honest feedback voluntarily. I received an eARC.

A sapphic love story set in Hitler-era Germany—this book had all the elements to pull me in as a historical fiction fan. The premise is compelling, the writing is well done, and I can see why many readers would love it.

But if I’m being honest? It was hard for me to get into. Not because it isn’t a good book, but because it just wasn’t for me. Sometimes, a book can be beautifully written and still not connect in the way you hope.

If you love historical fiction with a poignant, forbidden love story at its core, this might be exactly what you’re looking for. It just didn’t quite land for me.

Oh my God, this is one of the best book I will ever read in my entire life! I didn’t obsess with a book since Evelyn Hugo. This novel is so intense (the romances, the friendships, the mystery, the perils of nazism, the History…). I love it. Really, I just love it.
I don’t have an heart anymore or tears anymore, but I cannot stop thinking about this wonderful, wonderful book!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.