This is the sequel to The Hidden Village, although both can be read as standalone novels I would recommend reading both to get the gist and entirety of the story. This book gives readers a conclusion to the story of Wouter and Laura. Young blossoming love is torn apart by German soldiers accidentally stumbling across the hidden village. Panic rears its head and survival becomes more important to some than the pre-arranged plan to help everyone get to safety. This is historical fiction based on the factual story of a tiny village hidden in the dense forest of Vierhouten in the Netherlands during World War 2. A place where Jews and other fugitives were hidden from the Germans by the Dutch. There is this moment towards the end between Laura and Sofie - one that implies the need for guilt. It's so easy to judge when one of them is scarred for life and the other assumes to know better. The stigma of association, which to the majority equalled collaboration regardless of whether consent was involved, became a reason to punish publicly. With that in mind, and the trauma, the choice is quite understandable. Simultaneously it's also quite interesting how Wouter is quick to forget his own sins and point a judgy finger at others. How fast we forget our own mistakes and cast stones in the directions of others. I think the author shows us how fickle and fleeting life can be, and how our reactions to certain situations depend on the position we find ourselves in. Safety breeds complacency and often contempt, whereas survival mode can bring us tighter together or drive us to extreme choices. The topic of the Second World War and the Holocaust is never an easy one to read about or write about for that matter. I believe it's important to note that there were moments of great courage, endurance and selflessness. In times when it was safer to look away many chose to help, and they deserve to be noted and remembered alongside the many victims both dead and living.

Anyone who follows my blog and reviews will know how much of a passion I have regarding historical fiction, the blurb for this book really caught my attention and I loved that it was inspired by real and true events. I thought that the story was very well written, I loved the pace and the author really brought the pages to life for me. I have read a lot of non-fiction books on the same period and the author has clearly done her research to write this book and I loved the accuracy with the descriptions. It is 5 stars from me for this one, it was a delight to read and that fact that it was inspired by true accounts made it an even more special read to be read in the 75th anniversary year of the ending of the Second World War – this is definitely a book I will be recommending.

Hidden in the Shadows World War II historical fiction that grabs you and pleads with you and sticks in your mind. I highly recommend this book. I wish it were totally fiction and not based on actual history, as the story is hauntingly sad and painful. At the end of this profound book, the author writes (as many authors do) “If you have enjoyed Hidden in the Shadows, please do leave a review on the major review sites.” I am glad to leave a review, but this is not an “enjoyable” story in the sense of reading a rom com or sweet cozy mystery. Inspiring, unbelievable, a book that make you cry, a book that brings history to life- yes, it is all that. This book is a follow-up to the bestselling book The Hidden Village. The hidden village was built purposefully by the Dutch in the Veluwe woods to hide Jews and others who need to hide from the Germans. I did not read The Hidden Village, but the author explains in her prologue that the book ends with the Germans discovering and destroying the village. Many readers wanted to know what happened to the characters that survived, and it is these characters who fled the Germans that we read about in book 2. Laura and Wouter are two characters who ran for their lives, from the hail of bullets and pursuit of the German soldiers. They are both young, Laura is still a teenager, and they were just beginning to explore their love for each other. They are separated and spend the next year looking for each other. If Laura and Wouter had thought it was hard to live in a hidden village, life in Holland in the last year of the war is hell. Laura is snuck from home to home, barn or shed, with little notice at all hours of the day or night. She is hungry, thirsty, cold in the harsh winter weather, and she is never able to relax or feel cared for. Wouter becomes more involved with the resistance. Death is always a present fear. The next person who passes them on the street could be a German soldier or collaborator. Beautifully written, with many marvelous characters, this book reveals much about Holland during the war and the brave citizens who did their best. I couldn’t put it down. I am going to read the first book, The Hidden Village and I encourage readers to them both.

A group of Jews and other Dutch citizens develop a “safe” hiding place from the Germans in deep woods. With their discovery and a raid by the Germans, the group suffers many casualties and others scatter to the winds. A young couple (one a Jew, the other a Dutch patriot) are separated during the confusion of escape. Each feels responsible for the separation and while the young Jewish girl jumps around from one safe house to another, the young man tries to find her and starts working for the underground while he is at it. The deprivation of the refugees and the courage of the Dutch citizens who help them offer up some poignant moments and an interesting read.