Hidden Yellow Stars
By: Rebecca Connolly
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 304
Published: March 5, 2024
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Dates Read: May 5, 2024 - May 9, 2024
Format: ARC / eBook

Based on the true story of two World War II heroines, Andrée and Ida, who risked everything to save Jewish children from the Gestapo by hiding them throughout Belgium using coded notebooks.

I haven’t read anything by Rebecca Connolly before but I did like her writing in this novel – though some of it had more internal monologue than I thought was necessary, the imagery written was amazing and I can still picture some scenes in my head, even days after reading it. Connolly really puts you on the streets of Brussels with the tension of doing everything one can to save children.

Each chapter began with real Nazi propaganda and it really got to me a bit for how many of them were aimed at children. This book is about saving children, and to have such nasty propaganda aimed at the same age group these women are trying to save just goes to show how much hatred is taught.

This is all based on a true story(ies) of the CDJ in Belgium – which, as stated in the Afterword of the novel, is estimated to have hidden nearly three thousand children successfully during WWII!

My only thing about the novel is I wasn’t always 100% sure where in the timeline of the war the chapters were happening. Sometimes I could gauge based on what they would talk about – like clearly towards the end, but other times I kind of wished I knew what year it was.

Overall though, I absolutely loved this book and I already know a few people I will be recommending it to. If you love historical fiction about WWII, especially those based on true events, this book will capture your attention and never let it go – even long after you’ve finished.

*Thank you Shadow Mountain an NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review