This novel is set during world war II and tells the story of Simone who is Belgian and the daughter of a hero of world war I and her friend Hava who is Polish and a Jew. Now I love history based novels and this one really hit the spot - we all know what happened to the Jews during the war but to read about one girl and what herself and her family had to endure puts this book in a different light to others I have read. It makes it more of a personal read. Both ladies are just 18 years old , they have dreams of finding the right man to marry, about having children and living the perfect life. Simone is distraught when Hava is taken away but promises to find her when the war is over. The relationship between the two women is beautifully written and between bouts of tears you know this is a book you will remember always

This book has an interesting plot and was great to read. Historical fiction is a favourite book genre of mine, so I was intrigued to read this one. I found it to be emotional and touching, and it offered a unique point of view. A particular aspect of this book that I enjoyed was the focus on the friendship of Simone and Hava. I thought that it was interesting to read about the two girls and their friendship through such a terrifying event. Their friendship was touching and I loved learning more about the two characters. I enjoyed the first person narrative as it meant that there was more focus on their emotions and thoughts. The writing was easy to read and understand, and was fast paced. There’s a mixture of short and longer paragraphs, so it was easy to read through.

I don't even know where to start with this novel, it was amazing and one of my fave reads of this year. It tells the story of Hava Daniels and Simone Lyon, a Jew and the daughter of a Belgian national war hero. Their friendship at this time should never have been according to society's dictates and prejudices. During the occupation of Belgium in 1940 they are both forced to flee together to try and survive. This was an incredibly harrowing account of their attempt to escape the atrocities of war and the stigma attached to being Jewish. Loosely based on actual true events of the author's family I found it very moving and nearly reduced me to tears as this subject matter is worse than any horror novel as these terrible things did happen during wartime. This for me outshone other novels of this genre, I really engaged with the characters and cared about them and what happened to them to the point I was googling the author, the history of the book and it's inspiration. If a book can move you even after its finished to make you bother to research the events and story then the author has done a wonderful job. Simone says in the novel "People remember Anne Frank, perhaps they will also remember Hava Daniels." The book resonated with me so much, the kindness of the character Hava and her empathy for others even during a disgusting period of our history, she showed such caring towards people that it will live long with me. It also shows the prejudice, racism and bias of people towards others and that behaviour is learnt and the message that comes across strongly throughout that though from different backgrounds and religions Hava and Simone's friendship endured in the hardest of circumstances. I feel this would also be a wonderful and powerful candidate for a movie adaptation. A beautiful story of love and friendship set against the cruel backdrop of war.

This was a beautifully written book and well researched. It is about a friendship of two 18-year-old girls, Simone Lyon and Hava Daniels, during the Second World War. One is a daughter of a Belgium General and the other a Polish Jew. The story follows the girls at the start of the war and their separation from their families and them trying to escape the Nazi invasion across Europe. Their bond of friendship and love cannot be broken no matter what ordeals they go through, truly a sole mate friendship "It was the fault of destiny" I loved this book, the writing style is easy to follow and the chapters were a nice length. I liked at the start of each chapter you got a note as to what was going on in world at the time. I loved the analogy of just letting go of the ropes during storm. I do not think any review could do this book justice. Definitely a 5 stars from me!

I don't even know where to start with this novel, it was amazing and one of my fave reads of this year. It tells the story of Hava Daniels and Simone Lyon, a Jew and the daughter of a Belgian national war hero. Their friendship at this time should never have been according to society's dictates and prejudices. During the occupation of Belgium in 1940 they are both forced to flee together to try and survive. This was an incredibly harrowing account of their attempt to escape the atrocities of war and the stigma attached to being Jewish. Loosely based on actual true events of the author's family I found it very moving and nearly reduced me to tears as this subject matter is worse than any horror novel as these terrible things did happen during wartime. This for me outshone other novels of this genre, I really engaged with the characters and cared about them and what happened to them to the point I was googling the author, the history of the book and it's inspiration. If a book can move you even after its finished to make you bother to research the events and story then the author has done a wonderful job. Simone says in the novel "People remember Anne Frank, perhaps they will also remember Hava Daniels." The book resonated with me so much, the kindness of the character Hava and her empathy for others even during a disgusting period of our history, she showed such caring towards people that it will live long with me. It also shows the prejudice, racism and bias of people towards others and that behaviour is learnt and the message that comes across strongly throughout that though from different backgrounds and religions Hava and Simone's friendship endured in the hardest of circumstances. I feel this would also be a wonderful and powerful candidate for a movie adaptation. A beautiful story of love and friendship set against the cruel backdrop of war.