Book: The Girl with the Diary; The Prison Child and The Soldier's Letters
Author: Shari J. Ryan
Pub Day: May 24th 2022
About the Books: The Girl with the Diary:
The worn leather-bound diary, tied with a red ribbon, has hidden the truth for seventy years. The spine crackles as she opens it,reading the long-forgotten words of her grandmother. “What if you never come back? What if you die trying?” Nazi-occupied Prague,1942: Amelia is hiding in her closet when flashlights blind her and she’s captured by the SS. Out on the cobblestone street, her heart shatters as her mother is shot before her eyes. She is shoved onto a freight train with hundreds of others—hours pass as they travel in darkness. Arriving in a concentration camp, Amelia fears for her life when she is led to a block by a soldier. He is her enemy, yet he secretly passes her a piece of bread; an act that saves her. They are meant to despise one another, but Amelia and Charlie are powerfully drawn to each other. Amelia sees how Charlie risks everything to save prisoners from deportation—and she sees the kindness in his eyes. Amongst so much tragedy, falling in love is a miracle. Yet, one day, Charlie utters those miraculous words. “I’m in love with you. To everyone else, we’re wrong, but what does that matter when nothing in this world is right?” But under the all-seeing gaze of the guards and endless watchtowers, there is only so long they can keep their secret—and the very act of loving each other endangers their lives. Will they remain loyal to each other in the face of death? And when they finally say goodbye, will it be by choice or by force? Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice, and Orphan Train will be totally swept away by this World War Two heartbreaker which shows that, even in hell, love can bloom. This book was previously published as Last Words.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'The Girl With The Diary ' by Shari J Ryan.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Shari J Ryan, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 24th May 2022.
This is the first book I have read by this author. It is also the first book in the 'Last Words' series and was previously titled 'Last Words'.
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching unique cover and intriguing sounding synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Orphan Train will be totally swept away by this World War Two heartbreaker which shows that, even in hell, love can bloom.' I am a huge fan of 'The Tattooist Of Aushcwitz' so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue, 26 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in the Theresienstadt Ghetto Nazi concentration camp, Czech Republic 🇨🇿 and the USA 🇺🇸.
This book is written in first person perspective and the main protagonist is Amelia and Emma. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. The fact there are multiple protagonists is even better as it increases the readers knowledge of what more characters are doing and feeling.
'The Girl With The Diary' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Shari discusses/includes violence, persecution of the Jews, murder and death.
Well, what can I say but wow!!! This story is definitely not going to leave my head anytime soon. Firstly I must congratulate Shari J Ryan for an absolutely extraordinary novel that seriously needs to be made into a movie which I assure would be best selling!!!
This book is extremely powerful and extremely well written. It is devastatingly heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. The storyline of this book is based on what Shari has learned about the Holocaust from personal experiences andwhich is another thing that drew me to read it. It is absolutely rammed with emotions that will make you smile, cry and laugh on the roller-coaster ride to hell that is the Holocaust. Nothing is left out and the author has done an immense amount of research and brings Amelia and Charlie's story to life. .
This book did not disappoint. Some people believe that these stories should not be written but I am a strong believer that these victims earned the right for their stories to be told and to not be forgotten and this book does just that. I loved discovering not just Amelia and Charlie's stories but also Emma's. I absolutely LOVED how this book was composed of two stories perfectly intertwined together to make one of the most emotional reads I have ever read!!! The fact that Shari has written a story about a diary filled with loss, death, hate and love being read during a lifetime of sadness, family, romance just takes the reader on an absolute rollercoaster rider of emotions. It is great when you come along an absolute gem like this as normally you would expect a book about a holocaust story to be dark and horrific throughout but Shari manages to show the horrors while lightening up the reading tone during every other chapter. This book was very hard to read during Amelia's story but there were certain parts that will stay with me for a very long time and that were soul destroying which is why Emma's story mixed in is so important. It helps give the reader light hearted breaks between. What the Nazi's did to these innocent people makes me absolutely sick to my soul. The poor children and parents watching each other suffering especially. However, one of the most important points of this story is thay they weren't all bad, some did it as they were brought up to know only to follow orders but hated every second while sadly others enjoyed what they were doing. My heart screamed out to Leah for what she went through along with Amelia and Charlie. I absolutely loved how this book ended and it was exactly what was needed. I was also shocked by the unexpected twist. A huge congratulations Shari, it is getting harder and harder to surprise me but you managed to catch me completely unawares twice!! Amelia and Emma are such amazingly strong women who I absolutely loved and Charlie and Jackson are absolutely amazing gentlemen that are such a rare breed. I was completely invested in all their stories and lives. I am sad to say goodbye to them and they will live in my mind for a very long time!!!
It is set over/includes multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture. I loved the modern day chapters as well as the historical ones and felt like I was being told the story over a cup of tea.
Clear your schedules and grab your tissues as you will not be able to put this book down or stop the tears from streaming!!!
Again congratulations Shari on an absolutely stunning emotional rollercoaster ride of a book!! I would say this book is on par with the likes of 'The' diary of Anne Frank' which left me with the same feelings your novel has of not even more emotional. I cannot wait to read the best of your books and I would like to welcome you to my favourite 3 historical author list!!!
Overall a heart wrenching, absolutely beautifully devastating story filled with love, loss, hope and so, so much more!!!
Genres covered in this book include Historical Fiction, Women's Saga, Women's Historical Fiction, Women's Literary Fiction and War Story amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Tattooist of Auschwitz', 'Orphan Train',Ellie Midwood, The Tattooist of Aushcwitz, The Librarian of Aushcwitz and anyone interested in the Holocaust and its history.
331 pages.
This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@ShariJRyan @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
The Prison Child
How will we get by the guards? It seems impossible. Yet we will be dead by the end of the week if we don’t—my precious girl and I have nothing to lose by trying.
Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia, 1943: In Theresienstadt concentration camp, a brown-eyed baby girl is born in darkness, surrounded by barbed wire. The innocent new-born has no hope of surviving—unless, by some kind of miracle, she is able to escape…
In New York, over a decade later, Annie listens to her mother and father’s urgent whispers on her twelfth birthday. “They’re going to find out that she doesn’t belong to us. She’ll be taken away.”
The little girl’s world crumbles. That day, her search for answers begins…
Everything in Annie’s life is a lie. As she grows older, she pieces together the fragments of her past. With a broken heart, she uncovers a story of bravery in the face of evil, hope amongst darkness, and forbidden love—the kind of love that takes immense courage.
Will the secret of who she really is come to light? And can she ever be reunited with her birth family—if they’re even alive?
Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice, and Orphan Train will be utterly glued to this unforgettable tale. It may break your heart, but it will piece it back together…
This book was previously published as The Other Blue Sky.
The Soldier’s Letters
“Survive for as long as you can, fight until you can’t fight any longer, and if this war ever ends, I want you to run as far from here as you can and never look back…” Nazi-occupied Prague, 1941: On a foggy winter’s day, a solider called Charlie is ordered to murder an elderly Jewish woman. He refuses, but that doesn’t stop another Nazi shooting her. As the woman’s daughter cries out, “Mama, no, please don’t leave me!” Charlie knows that he is not a killer. He vows to save as many lives as he can. In Theresienstadt concentration camp, he sees the same sapphire-eyed girl with beautiful auburn hair. Her name is Amelia. He escorts her to Block B and memorizes her prison number. They are meant to be enemies yet, in that instant, he falls in love. Yet in such hell, love isn’t meant to exist and they are destined to be torn apart. Despite this, Charlie never stops looking for Amelia, writing letters to her and keeping them safe. But what are the chances of her surviving the war? Will the soldier’s letters remain unread forever? Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice, and Orphan Train will be absolutely gripped by this heart-wrenching World War Two page-turner––a story of forbidden love, and its power to survive the impossible. This book was previously published as Unspoken Words.
Author Bio
Shari J. Ryan is a USA Today Bestselling Author of Women’s Fiction, WWII Fiction, and 20th Century Historical Fiction with a focus on the Holocaust and Pearl Harbor. Shortly after graduation from Johnson & Wales with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, Shari began her career as a graphic artist and freelance writer. She then found her passion for writing books in 2012 after her second son was born. Shari has been slaying words ever since. With two Rone Awards and over 125k books sold, Shari has hit the USA Today Bestseller List, the Amazon's Top 100, Barnes & Noble's Top Ten, and iBooks at number one. Some of Shari’s bestselling books include Last Words, The Other Blue Sky, Unspoken Words and A Heart of Time. Shari, a lifelong Boston girl, is happily married to her personal hero and US Marine and they have two wonderful little boys. For more details about her books, visit: www.sharijryan.com Social Media
Website: https://www.sharijryan.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sharijryan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorsharijryan/
Buy Links:
The Girl with the Diary (1): https://geni.us/B09VL9DZ44social
The Prison Child (2): https://geni.us/B09VL3G3VNsocial
The Soldier’s Letters (3): https://geni.us/B09VL5JWLSsocial
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