By My Side by Sue Reid

My Love Story

by Sue Reid

By My Side is a gripping romance set in The Netherlands during the Second World War. Set in The Netherlands during the Second World War, Katrien meets Jan when she sees him standing up to a group of German soldiers. As she gets to know him she discovers that he is a Jew and that he must keep his identity secret if he is to survive the Occupation. But how much longer can he evade the Germans and how much longer can they continue to meet in secret? The world can be ending around you, but if you're in love nothing else matters...

Paperback

First published February 6, 2014

Reviews

[‘•.¸♡ Villo ♡¸.•’ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is cute - a teenage love story. Nothing wrong with the book, except the writing style: no variation in sentence structure. An easy read for beginners.

Though, why couldn't they kiss at the end?😭

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely enjoyed reading Sue Reid's novel By My Side. This novel is told entirely through diary entries; it is set in the Netherlands during World War II during Nazi Occupation. The heroine of By My Side, Katrien, falls in love with a Jewish boy, Jan. Katrien, unlike some of her friends, is not boy crazy. She wasn't looking for a boyfriend; she wasn't planning on falling in love. But there was something different about Jan, setting him apart from other boys she knew. He was slightly older, true, but that wasn't really it. One thing she does learn early on, however, is the fact that he's Jewish. That is why he stopped attending school. That is why he's sometimes a bit hesitant to do the things she wants. At the very, very beginning, she does seem a bit oblivious and insensitive. Her intentions were always good, mind you, but she didn't stop to think about how his being Jewish could effect WHAT they do together: going to the park, going to the movies, etc. She'd never had reason really to stop and think about how many restrictions are placed on the Jews and the seriousness of the situation. Of course, after seeing him a few weeks, she's grown up quite a bit. That doesn't mean Katrien is mature and wise, mind you. She decides to keep Jan a complete secret from her parents; he wants her to be honest, he wants to come to her house as her boyfriend. She is reluctant.

I definitely enjoyed this romance. It was a quick read. By the end, it had gotten quite intense as well.

[Aman · Rating 3 out of 5]

"By my side" is a love story of second world war plotted in Netherlands. The book revolves around Jan, a Jewish boy and Katrien a non jewish girl. They desperately fell in love with each other. The conditions for Jewish peoples to live under German regime were getting harsher. Katrien always stood with Jan, even risking his family. Her family allowed Jan to hide in their house.Finally, Jan escaped successfully.
The book justified so well that if you are in love nothing else matters. No matter how harsh condition is.
If one wants to feel pain and misery Jewish people were going through, must give it a read.

[मीनू बैमाड़ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me it's an average. It's good in story. Filled with suspense. That is a must in a book. It gives an insight about the condition of Jew people at the time of world war. It was a little boring at some places, but still it's a good one.

[Anindita Gupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful love story

[Ria · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is 1942 in Amsterdam and Katrien meets Jan when he is trying to protect a local Jewish shopkeeper from an unruly mob.
They quickly fall in love but at this time it was wrong for a gentile girl and a Jewish boy to love one another.
Their faith and love stays strong throughout the coming days and as things intensify under the Nazi occupation they are tested to the extreme when Katrien and her family have to hide Jan.
This was such a good story, very sad and so true and representative of the time the characters were living.
A great read.

[Shah Kulsum · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's beautiful when you read books as diary entries, I was never a fan of the idea of ​​reading love stories but I think this book with its subtle depth changed my mind.