My first read by this author and it was a very enjoyable one! I'll definitely be on the lookout for other works. A Vivid story detailing the lives of 3 Dutch women in the resistance during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, Winter's End is such a page turner - especially once you hit the 50% mark! You can tell that the author spent time researching and the timeline, characters and settings were all appropriate and well described. I really loved all 3 of the FMCs - they were bold and brave but individual in their personalities outside of those similarities. My only wish was the the ending was more drawn out, it felt very rushed as we hit the final few pages.

A very enjoyable read overall.

I have read a lot of books that are set during World War 2 but I have never read one set in the Netherlands so I found this to be really r=fresh and interesting. I was completely hooked from the first sentence and couldn't put it down. I loved it

A fantastic novel set in the Netherlands towards the end of World War 2. Brilliant characters and a immersive story on so many levels that fit together and compliment each other. Really gripping and very evocative.

This book tells the story of 3 friends, Evi, Mila and Zoe set during the war who all help the Dutch resistance. It shows the hardships and courage they are faced with on a daily basis.
Very good book that will keep you wanting to read on.

wow. this book provoked so many feelings, many horrific ones. i cant imagine being in this time of history. and for those who were at the receiving end of the worst repercussions it makes my heart ache for them.even when i see behaviours happening in today's world you can feel the unease of certain view points are ways in which people are treated. and you think people in this book, victims of the war could never of saw what they faced coming to some extent. and what could they have done if they did? but for those in it, and for those who took even more risks to fight back then wow. just wow to all of them.
this book and the emotional depth to it was just stunning. the feeling of tension and suspense was palpable throughout.
the book is based on three extremely courageous woman. one woman is taking Nazi officers,reeling them in but each time she does brings extreme risks.
another is leading strangers who need safety.
and the last is betrayed all she knows in order to do the right thing. she tried to bring down awful powers by sharing whispers from inside their own walls.
ive since read on for more about the Dutch Resistance during the war and oh my word these woman were some of the bravest ive ever come across! i was flawed. the risk was one i cant fathom even thinking you could do. but i guess they never would've either. but they did. they did. and what they did was essential. i read this book with tears and what i read later of these true life woman led me to tears too.
this book was beautiful, courageous, a force, powerful and oh so raw.
but i was left raw in the best of ways when reading important and brilliant books like this.
we should never stop reading this stories. we should never forget. but aside from all that Barbara herself has stolen the show with how good her writing was for me and how it drew me in.
this book will be placing itself firmly among my wow books.

Book Review: Winter’s End is a historical fiction book set in the Netherlands in the 1940s.

This was based on three strong and brave women working for the resistance.

Young Evi lured Nazi officers into the dark, never knowing if she’d make it back and sometimes nearly not.

Brave Zoe risked everything to lead strangers through the darkness and fear to their safety.

And Mila, born into a rich family, betrayed them instead of acting like a good, dutiful daughter. She told secrets to the people her father wanted gone.

The book had a lot of emotional scenes, a few tears where shed.
An equal mix of action, suspense/angst and emotion.

I found the plot gripping and read it in a few days. The girls were so brave, and I loved their individual stories.

Captivating. I finished this in a single afternoon after not having picked up a book in a couple of months. Winter's End does an amazing job highlighting the women of the Dutch resistance during World War II. This is a book about the courage of character, rather than the struggle of the human condition. You have women in various stages of their life, various backgrounds, and various circumstances finding ways to aid the Resistance in the way that they can. It truly embodies the idea that we must all do what we can, where we can, with what we have. Though there were limited physical descriptions, Pronin is able to allow the reader to truly imagine who these characters are. Evi, the beautiful young girl who longs to fight in her own way, having watched her mother Lotte find ways to help others in a variety of ways. Mila, the young woman who must walk between two worlds - the one where her family are collaborators and the Resistance, where her own loyalties lie. And Zoe, the mature veterinarian who is able to convince her cousin to live a life of brave consequence. There are secondary characters, of course, but these women and their stories are the strength behind this book. Captivating, suspenseful, and never mundane.

The abrupt ending left me wanting to know more about the characters' next chapters. I didn't love the epilogue because it lacked the depth that the rest of the book carried. It felt like it was tacked on because an editor said we need to wrap this up with a bow versus letting the book end.

A great WWII story that will grab your attention right away. Well researched with deep characters. It tells of the Dutch Resistance. Highly recommend reading this.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

We think of D-Day as the beginning of the end of WWII. But it wasn’t the end. Yet. Barbara Pronin’s new historical novel, Winter’s End, takes readers into the lives of Resistance fighters in the Netherlands in the waning days of the war. Nazis are ramping up their cruelty and destruction in a desperate attempt to stave off defeat. Over the devastating winter of 1944-45, peace was still too far off.

The novel follows three women in Haarlem, where the Nazi presence was strong. Evi, a sixteen-year-old patriot, wanting to do more for her country, accepts the assignment of luring lecherous, drunken German officers into the forest to be killed. Zoe, a young veterinarian, repeatedly finds ways to hide (and feed) several Jewish families, Jewish physicians, and a German enemy of the Reich. Mila, the beautiful daughter of a collaborator, uses her position in the father’s home to learn information from high-ranking German officers to pass on to critical members of the Resistance, and, when necessary, perform dangerous missions herself. Along the way, all three women find love in unexpected places.

This is a gripping, inspiring novel of bravery and endurance in the face of fascism.

Grit, heartbreak, and quiet heroism—Winter’s End is a stirring tale of resistance, survival, and the women who dared to fight back.

Set in Nazi-occupied Holland, Winter’s End follows three remarkable young women—Evi, Zoe, and Mila—as they risk everything in the Dutch Resistance. From luring enemy officers to their deaths, to forging escape routes for persecuted Jews, to smuggling secrets right out of a collaborator’s mansion, each story crackles with tension and quiet courage.

Barbara Pronin brings their world to life with vivid detail and emotional depth, crafting a narrative that feels both intimate and epic.

For fans of historical fiction rooted in bravery and resilience, this is a powerful and poignant read.

A well-written story of brave young women during WW2. Taking place in Holland, I appreciated the pace and characters.
Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher, for access to this eARC.