Ann Donovan's debut novel is inspiring and uplifting despite recording events during the darkest days of WW2 in the Netherlands. The story focuses on two members of the same family, Hetty and Jozef, both of them Jews struggling to stay alive during the brutal Nazi occupation of their country. The novel is based upon real events.
The writing is sincere and moving. The bravery of the Jewish community, and those Nederlanders who risked their own lives to shelter them, is matched only by the courage of the Dutch Resistance. This is an extraordinary and redemptive story of selflessness.
I highly recommend this powerful testament to the triumph of the human spirit.

Fascinating. Incredible story of people who gave so much to help others during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during WWII. The story follows Hetty, a trainee nurse, and her young cousin, Jozef, beginning with the arrival of the occupying Nazis and ending with the liberation in 1945. The cousins' lives cross at several points during the book and alternate chapters are told from their points of view. There are also occasional paragraphs outside of the story, providing context that the characters may not be aware of at that time.

I couldn't say I really enjoyed reading some parts of the book, for the harrowing nature of so many events at this time, are difficult to read and comprehend, however I did enjoy the characters and their different and brilliantly written personalities. As with so many books of this nature, there is an overwhelming feeling of awe that people can be subjected to such horror and still hold onto such dignity and respect for others.

I am never sure whether to mention grammar/spelling/continuity issues in these reviews, as they are proofs, not finished books, but there are several errors throughout, with missing words, new characters appearing without explanation and wrong names being used but I am sure that this will be sorted out and, aside from making good use of the search and bookmark functions, this has not affected my opinion on the book or my admiration for those involved in this story.

Don’t Look for Me is fast paced and hard to put down. It’s based on true accounts of life in the Netherlands during the WW2 German occupation. Hetty is the author’s mother-in-law. Very well done.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

Don’t Look For Me by Ann Donovan
Book 56 of 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️/5

Don’t Look for Me follows a Jewish family during the German occupation of the Netherlands during WWII. The story specifically follows Jozef “Joop,” and Hetty. I read an abundance of WWII books and you don’t find many books centering around the Netherlands. So, I enjoyed learning about a different parent of Europe and how the occupation the Jewish population there.

The characters were well-rounded and the story was not romanticized, as many historical fiction books can be, which made it read as an authentic story affecting a family during WWII.