Don't try to read this before bed
920350
...you'll never be able to sleep. Thrilling, amazing, the book moves like a freight train, with your heart as cargo. This story is more than a snapshot of one young man in one European country during WWII, it is a testament to the resilience of humans who know and cherish the value of human life, and the complications of protecting it. Don't wait for the movie - read it now!
268246
You must be very quiet while reading this story or you might wake up the bear from his winter napping. Shhh!
49073
I usually read for a little while at bedtime until I get sleepy. But this book I read straight through.  This is generally not my genre- I tend to horror and science fiction. But this book is totally not to be missed!
974883
Really tired of reading books that categorized historical and are really modern. Time I won't get back,stop reading this author.
2093469
As someone who would not die if the internet and all cell phones disappeared tomorrow, I thought I'd really get into this book.  But that did not happen.  The more I read, the less I wanted to keep reading.  When I got to the chapter on "Hooking Up", I stopped reading.  I have remained awake to what came before the internet, but could not remain awake to the end of this book.
1515584
I am one of those people who reads in bed right before going to sleep. I'll read about ten pages or so, then turn off the light, sailing off to sleep with the ongoing plot, characters, and images in my mind. Sometimes I'll dream about them! But with this book, I cannot do that. The chapters deal with different people, at different times, and they don't immediately seem to have much connection to each other, not enough to do much processing of the material during the night. The book's disjointed style would be effective if reading more of the book in a sustained sitting, or if it were made into a movie that keeps the viewer wondering how the disparate scenes are related, but for a short-burst reader like myself, it's too hard to stick with. I've been working on it for almost a month now, am only half way through it, and the only thing that's stuck with me from one reading to the next is Claire's pink dress(es).

I'm not saying this is an "okay" book; I'm saying it's just "okay" for me.
953683
I agree with some of the readers that this book was not the typical Squeaky Clean book. This was dark and scary! When I was reading a few chapters into this book, I had to stop becaus it was freaking me out a bit. And my dreams proved it----they were were troubling me that I couldn't get a good night's sleep. I wish I had read the reviews to this one before I bought it. I even got the set (books 4-6) thinking I would enjoy all of them. Although, book 4 was ok, but I read from the reviews that the plot line of seriel killer goes into book 6. So, readers beware! I love Christy Barritt's books but this one was a thumbs down. I didn't even finish reading it. I'm hoping the other books in this series are nothing like this.
422332
I enjoyed reading this book but I'm glad I didn't pay for it. It's great for reading before going to sleep.
841798
If you want twists and turns in your plots, don't read this book.  If you want great literature, don't read this book.  If you enjoy feel good books with some sexy scenes, you'll have a great time reading this lovely story with good characters and an interesting story line.
1945483
Beware! If you read this book you will get sucked in and shirk your responsibilities for nights on end. You may possibly consider calling in sick to work so you can either stay up and finish the book, or finish before you can get out of bed for the day because somehow you fell asleep and didn't finish during that late night reading session.

This is a young adult novel and fiction, so if you don't care for one of those genres, don't waste your time, but if you like either, you should invest your time in reading this book. It is well written with an expansive vocabulary--yet not overbearing or pretentious. The strong female lead is fitting and natural although written by a male author--presumably--and will be easy to connect with no matter the reader.

Honestly, the only real downside to this book is that it ties up most of the loose ends, with a little twist or two, but leaves too much open for a much needed sequel.

I would compare this to series such as The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Peculiar Children, although I would hope that it can keep the momentum and finish strong unlike the aforementioned.
4613261
Well I should have learned my lesson and not read this book before bed because I got about halfway through before I fell asleep, and ended up with chilling nightmares! But that only tells me that this book is great because it infiltrated my mind, my heart, and now my dreams. This book is dark. Like super dark. Every character in this book is dislikable, on purpose. There is no good guy, no angel, no protagonist. Just a whole bunch of messed up people running amuck and wrecking each other's lives. It's a book about lies, deceit, and false personas. It's a book about real life. The darkest parts of real life, but real none the less. That's probably one of the reasons I liked it so much, because there was no sugar coated, ideal character. Everyone was wrong, and in the wrong, and acted wrong, only some were at worse degrees than others. But you still walk away from this book unsure of which character you can defend, which one you can feel happy for, because you really can't. They are all terrible, terrible people who do terrible things and suffer terrible consequences for it.

And yet, isn't that what life is?

Overall, a great read by Ms. Hawkins, and I can't wait to read more from her in the future. Fabulous job. Just fabulous.
3961637
I am not an avid book reader. I mostly read for educational purposes only and because sleep always comes first. But, I have been completed sucked in and it's only chapter 1. I don't want to ruin it for any for anyone. Just pick it up and get ready to miss work and cut back on your sleep.
3177537
I do not write book reviews.  This is my first. Let me start by saying, I read alot of books.  Its part of my daily nutrition intake. I finish at least a book a week.  Anything from the classics or fantasy to romance.... I ate up Kate Morton's other works like rare gold filled chocolate... but this.  This I cannot finish.  I thought it was just me... why did I keep falling asleep with book in hand?  I came to see what others had to say... why this book is getting 5 star reviews baffles me.  You must have great resilience to sit through long drawn out page length descriptions of a simple dress or painting...  I understand using big words and lots of colorful adjectives, but lets not go too far. This is just over done none-sense.  I could cut out dozens of pages of pointless descriptions and it wouldn't effect the plot one bit.  The characters and story is intriguing.... but its over shadowed by too many words. Maybe I will be able to finish this book... if not, at least I'm getting a full nights sleep.
1612689
This is a necessary read but, be forewarned, it is by no means an enjoyable read.  I've read his book, One Second After, and I read many other like books and this is the first time that I had to actually put a book down and take a break from it for a bit because it truly disturbed and upset me to my core (and I consider myself fairly hardened with these things and not naive).  There are far too many people in this country that need a very serious wake up call and this book provides that service.  Unfortunately, those that are asleep at the wheel won't be the ones who take a few hours to read this chilling and not far fetched possibility presented by the author.  It was heart wrenching to read and I can't imagine how difficult it was to write but I thank you, Mr. Forstchen, for doing so.
1483077
I just finished reading this last night and while it was a page turner, I would not have selected this book had I known the content. By the time the plot unfolded, I had to know what happened and kept reading. Being a mother of a daughter, however, I found this book disturbing. I am not naive to the non-fictional similarities of this book and the depravity of the world, I'd just have preferred to know what I was getting myself into prior to selecting it. While I would recommend the book, I would not recommend it to someone with a young daughter unless you enjoy sleepless nights.
1376694
Quit reading due to content, not typical content that I enjoy reading
3341615
The book was great.  But a word to the wise, don't read it at night, before bedtime or when your alone.  The book will play with your imagination.