Gosh what a profoundly sad, moving and emotionally powerful book. It is 1939 and Europe is on the brink of World War II. Two eighteen year old girls living in Brussels, Simone Lyon, and Jewish Hava Daniels, meet and quickly become best friends. Their lives are soon turned upside down when Germany invades Belgium. Heartbreaking and beautifully written.

“Ashes” is the heartwarming tale based on true events by author Christopher De Vinck. Set in Belgium 1939, eighteen year old Simone Lyon is the Catholic daughter of a Belgium national hero, General Joseph Lyon. Her best friend Hava Daniels, is the daughter of a devout Jewish family. Despite growing up in different worlds, they are inseparable. Spring 1940 brings Nazi planes and tanks bombing Brussels where they live and their resilience and strength are tested. Hava and Simone find themselves caught in the advancing onslaught and are forced to flee but even the most harrowing horrors cannot break the bonds of love and friendship of a relationship that never should have been. The story starts quite powerfully and straight away the reader is subjected to the horror of war. We are then taken back to how Simone and Hava became friends and as the Germans invade Belgium shortly after, we follow their resilience and perseverance to protect each other and stay alive. The girls really did capture my heart and their innocence was a joy to read. To say the book wasn’t riveting would be doing the story (and the authors writing) a disservice because just the nature of the story based on true events deserves high praise. However it was slow at times and the ending seemed a bit rushed. I did find the final closing chapter very emotional when we learned what finally happened and I admit to feeling quite sad when reading. Simone’s and Hava’s friendship was remarkably poignant and the relationship between them was truly incredible and lovely to read. Highlighting the horrors of the Nazi invasion of a country thought to be neutral and the perils of being a Jew made this book a harrowing but heartwarming read. The author hopes to remind readers what it if feels like to be filled with compassion, dignity and love and I believe he achieved this. The historical facts/quotations at the start of each chapter were a nice addition and often were very informative. If you enjoy character based stories with a backdrop of war then you’ll find this book is for you and apart from being a tad slow at times, I did enjoy and would read more by this author again. 4 stars

This is ostensibly a story about the invasion of Belgium in May 1940, told from the point of view of teenager Simone Lyon. Simone is 18 in August 1939 when she meets Hava Daniels, whilst the two are volunteering for the Red Cross, and the pair quickly become inseparable. Simone is the only child of General Joseph Lyon, a Belgian national hero and Hava is the eldest child of a devout Jewish family. As Hitler’s men move across Europe and ever closer to her home, Simone is warned that her association with Hava is not safe and that she should distance herself - Simone doesn’t listen, her friend means too much to her. On 10th May 1940 German troops invade Belgium, bombing everywhere and heading their troops towards Brussels, so the girls are forced to flee. We follow their attempts to escape and the prejudices that they encounter. As you read you know that it isn’t going to end well…but the girls are both such likeable characters that you will this book to be able to somehow change the outcome. At the start of every chapter there are timescale setting epigraphs - some from famous figures at the time - Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler being amongst them, which give the story extra gravitas. However, there are also some epigraphs which are extracts from the war journal of Christopher De Vinck’s grandfather. This is a nice personal touch to have words written by someone who was a serving Belgian soldier during the Second World War. The story is so beautifully and vividly written that I could envision the girls’ world, the devastating changes happening to it and their journey. It felt like I was with them every step of the way. A recommended read.

Simone is the daughter of a Belgian hero of WW1, Hava belongs to a family of Polish Jews. In 1939 in Brussels they become close friends, united by their love of literature, music and theatre. At 18 years old they are both gloriously naïve, delighting in their happy and gentle adventures in a gilded and beautiful time, but around them Europe is succumbing to war as Hitler builds up his power, sends his armies into eastern Europe and threatens the west. When war begins and Belgium is invaded the two friends attempt to escape. The reader is swept up in the bombing of Brussels, attempts to escape by train, by bus, by foot. The girls enter Dunkirk in the company of British Tommies, dine in a seafood restaurant as the evacuation takes place, sleep in an hotel room given to them by a fugitive Jew. Again and again the power of Simone’s name, daughter of the general, allows them safety and passage, but a story like this must also have its share of tragedy. The writer’s style is simple and unadorned, but there is real power in the description of the girls’ attempts to escape together, much emotional involvement in their relationship, sorrow in aspects of the eventual outcome.

Starting in Belgium in 1939, this book is based on true events. Simone Lyon and Hava Daniels are best friends, and the stories about their life and adventures growing up together before 1939 are so beautiful; but the entire time you are reading, you know this story is not going to have a happy ending, because while Simone's father is a WW1 hero and goes on to do remarkable and brave deeds in WW2, Simone is Christian. Hava is Jewish. 'Ashes' tells the tale of two young girls fleeing Belgium and the invading Nazi army. Their friendship is told in such a touching way, most women remember a friendship they had while they were young, that they thought would last forever, while playing daft games and make-believe. I also really loved the ending, which made me absolutely sob my heart out. Unfortunately, where this book lost for me, was the lack of terror the characters felt when they were running from overhead gunfire and bombs were dropping around them, or even when faced with the SS. Perhaps the girls had simply become numb in the face of fear, but this was not really shown well either. Additionally, how quickly Simone forgets her promise, and how long she takes to remember just does not wash with me. Considering the close bond between Simone and Hava, this promise should have been an obsession that she worked tirelessly at. The fact that she doesn't do this makes me feel like Simone values that relationship rather cheaply, and that makes me hate her a little. 'Ashes' is full of ordinary people with a focus on acts of kindness in the face of brutality and evil. I would happily recommend this book to teens and young adults who are looking to get into this sort of content. However, for people that have already read a lot of true stories based during this time or even non-fiction books about WW2, I would be more likely to recommend 'Night' by Elie Wiesel. I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.