Maybe I shouldn't have but I started reading this after finishing The Tattooust of Audchwitz. This book is set during WWII as well but in Belgium. I don't think the style of writing made it easy to read. It had obviously been meticulously well researched but then adding all that into the story distracted me. I found it hard going and quite sad. I can't say that I enjoyed this book but it was interesting.

Ashes is a story of friendship and resilience. Simone and Hava, two friends from different backgrounds are caught up in the Nazi invasion of Belgium. Together they try to flee to safety.

The story jumps from one moment to another and is interspersed with excerpts and facts. This is not an easy book to read, the horror of bombings and Nazi brutality is well described. The characters are well developed and the relationship between the two girls, their support for each other and the description of other human-kindnesses is heart-warming.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

To be honest I found this book difficult to read at the start because I didn’t like the format. I struggled with the factual information that was added, however, once I got used to those bits, ie ignored them, the story was great.
It flowed well and although it’s a horrific subject the book didn’t dwell on the bad things. I feel that the author picked on how scared Simone was even though she was in fact incredibly brave.
I have been talking non stop about this book because it highlights atrocities that should never be forgotten. I will definitely recommend it to friends and family.

Devastating, moving and gripping all the same time.

Inspired by true events, Ashes tells the story of two friends -one Jew one not and the effects the war had on the friendship.

The prologue had me in tears. I felt guilt for finding her experience hard to read yet grateful for not living through it. It takes a good author to move me in a prologue before I even know the characters.

If you like WWII books with a different take you'll enjoy this.

Simone Lyon is the daughter of a well-respected general and feels confident as German forces move closer to Belgium that war will never touch her home. However, it soon does and Simone is forced to flee Brussels with her best friend Hava, who is Jewish and therefore in terrible danger if enemy soldiers find them.

This book is well-written and seems well-researched. You can tell that the author really wanted to pay tribute to those who had fought, died and survived the war in how he wrote his story, and the story he really wanted to tell to readers. The friendship between the girls was really wonderful, and I never doubted the love and camaraderie they felt for each other. They were true sisters of the heart.

Unfortunately though, the story felt really lack-luster to me. I think it almost felt overdone in a way and everything the writer wanted us to feel and understand from the story was written plainly on the page and a lot of nuance was lost. There's absolutely nothing really wrong with the story - it just failed to light something inside of me that as a reader, I want to feel when reading a story. The start - particularly Simone's life in Brussels before the German invasion and the start of her friendship with Hava - was really dragged out, and then their fleeing from the Germans seemed to all be a blur.

The characters felt slightly wooden as well and lacked real personality that made them feel real - Simone was very much a Mary-Sue character and everything seemed to come very easily to her, while Hava was a manic pixie dream girl of some sort. The only real thing I felt from the girls was their teenage obsession with Hollywood actors and singers.

I just felt a bit bored of this book and I feel like there are ways the story may have been better. Just not one for me I think!

This is a powerful book. At times I wished for more in depth insights into Simone’s character and life, sometimes it felt a bit rushed from one event to the next. However the book as a whole is a triumph. It shows the absolute horror of World War Two. It shows the absurdity of two girls on the same bus, one who is allowed to pass and the other carried off, simply for a difference of religion.

The final part is the most powerful, showing how Simone carries on with life, as you must, showing how even atrocities can be temporarily forgotten. It shows the power of remembrance and to belief that life must go on.

Beautifully written and heartbreaking. This is a compelling read. Simone and Hava’s story is memorable. I was close to tears on numerous occasions.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Inspired by true events of Nazi invasion of France and Belgium this is the story of 2 young women who met during this time. Well worth reading

Fantastic read. This book grabbed my attention right from the off. It was great. Great to see how two normal everyday friends relationships change . It was gripping book. Had me on the edge of my seat from the off. It pulled at all your emotions. Very well written.

A difficult topic to cover but very well written and as the author's note explained, a significant truth as well.

This is a beautifully written story of two young women predominantly at the start of the Second World War in Belgium . I have read quite a few books on this subject recently and this was one of the best - I always read them with a heavy heart, for good reason obviously, but this was a difficult read at times - however it was deeply moving and I highly recommend it.

What a wonderful book this was, I felt I could actually see Hava and Simone two young girls from Belgian who were the closest of friends like sisters, one was Jewish and other was not.
When the Germans invaded Belgian they fled, but Hava could not find her parents.
They travelled together until Hava was taken away by the Nazis and Simone carried on to safety on her own.
It took a long time for Simone to forget about her friend, but she did until one day on the radio she heard Havas favourite music, and was then determined to find out what had happened to her best friend.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publishers for asking me to read and review.
This story was a wonderful and powerful read.

Beautiful, heart wrenching tale of friendship, family and war. The worst and best of humans. Left me feeling incredibly touched.

Simone is a daughter of a general who lost her mother during her birth. She finds a best friend who helps her grow into herself, but who is cruelly lost during the war, just because she is Jewish.

I am going to miss reading about the characters in this book. It was a delight to imagine them and see them develop.

A must read if you enjoy WWII fiction.

What an enjoyable book for me personally. I had the good fortune to live and work in Belgium for ten years so could relate to Brussels and the hinterland mentioned in the book. This snapshot of the story of two young women caught in the German invasion of Belgium and contact with the cruelty and horror of the Holocaust carries with it the very personal relationships that can develop and be carried through one’s life. Throughout this very believable story the summation by the author at the end confirmed my opinion that there was an element of truth to the characters and the important message to the world that these events that happened within living memory are never forgotten.

A story set in Belgium during the Nazi occupation about two friends, Simone the daughter of a Belgian war hero, and Hava her Jewish friend. It follows their journey to escape the Nazis and their separation when Hava is taken away by the Germans for being a Jew. It is a tale of a close friendship and harsh separation, and one which is quite emotional at times. I enjoyed the story and would like to thank Harper Inspire and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Simone is the daughter of Major General Joseph Lyon a war hero much respected. Her best friend is Hava who is Jewish. When the war breaks out and the Germans invade Belgium, the friends find themselves separated from their families, with only each other for support.

When Hana is taken away for being a Jew, Simone declares that she will find her after the war.

This story had me on an emotional rollercoaster, laughing one minute and crying the next. The beautiful friendship between the girls will capture you’re heart and keep you gripped to see what happened to Hana.

This will stay in my thoughts long after reading it. Every time I see a daffodil I will think about this book!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

The story follows the friendship of Simone and Have during WW2. Even though this is my favourite period to read about, I found the story hard to follow at times. It did not flow quite so easily and sometimes you were left wondering why a certain event even happened. I did enjoy the book overall but I feel it could have been so much better.

A Heart-felt story of a Belgian woman, Simone, who is the daughter of a Belgian general, her best friend, Hava, who is a Jew, at the time of the Nazi occupation. The girls try to escape Belgium, but the bus they are travelling on is stopped by an SS patrol, and Hava is taken off. Simone gets to southern France, after spending some time there she returns to Brussels for the rest of the war. Simone tries to trace Hava and her family but is unable to until the war is over.
This is a story of friendship amongst war and persecution.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Harper Inspire and Author Christopher de Vinck for allowing me to review pre-publication.

Set in WW2 in Belgium, Ashes is a story of the friendship between two girls. A friendship that is tested as the are torn apart through the ravages of war, the division of religions and ethnicities.

I loved the characters and the bond between Hava and Simmone but failed to connect properly with the book. Its jumpy and not the easiest to follow.