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Give My Love to Berlin
In 1927, the beautiful city of Berlin is the gay capitol of the world. Ruth, a performer at one of the nightclubs in the city, and her girlfriend, Tillie, are living their lives and enjoying the freedom of the Weimer Republic. They are surrounded by a chosen family that includes drag performers, transgender women, and the prominent physician, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. Ruth, Tillie, and their best friends, James and Ernesto spend much of their time at the Institute for Sexual Science, the hub of the queer community in the twenties and early thirties.
As the ' 20s come to a close, Tillie watches her father, a prominent lawyer, as he becomes more entrenched with the Nazi Party. Working in his law office as his secretary, she meets prominent figures in the Nazi Party, including Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring, and becomes increasingly concerned as time passes that there is much more at stake than just her relationship with Ruth, who is also Jewish.
Tillie becomes privy to the planning of rallies, the plans the Nazi party is making in order to ensure Nazi victories in major elections, and how the Nazis are taking over Germany one neighborhood at a time. The novel jumps between the twenties and thirties and the early nineties and a young woman named Thea. Thea is dealing with the onset of her grandmother's dementia, and discovers secrets hidden away that her grandmother never intended for her to uncover.
Alternating between Tillie' s perspective during the '20s and '30s as the Weimar Republic slowly gives way to a dictatorship and Thea' s perspective in the '90s as the secrets of her grandmother's history come to light, Give My Love to Berlin follows the lives of two gay couples—Tillie and Ruth, and their best friends, James and Ernesto—trying to navigate falling in love, thriving in their community, and coming to terms with the danger they are in just by being who they are.
The author wrote this book for several reasons, mainly because she had never heard of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, or his work and she did not know that Berlin had been such a huge part of gay culture. After the 2016 election, the author could see parallels between the vitriol for the queer community in many parts of the United States and the way queer people were being treated as the Nazis gained power, particularly in Berlin. Now, with all the anti-drag and anti-transgender legislation, it is more important than ever to tell these stories so we can keep them from repeating in the future.
As the ' 20s come to a close, Tillie watches her father, a prominent lawyer, as he becomes more entrenched with the Nazi Party. Working in his law office as his secretary, she meets prominent figures in the Nazi Party, including Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring, and becomes increasingly concerned as time passes that there is much more at stake than just her relationship with Ruth, who is also Jewish.
Tillie becomes privy to the planning of rallies, the plans the Nazi party is making in order to ensure Nazi victories in major elections, and how the Nazis are taking over Germany one neighborhood at a time. The novel jumps between the twenties and thirties and the early nineties and a young woman named Thea. Thea is dealing with the onset of her grandmother's dementia, and discovers secrets hidden away that her grandmother never intended for her to uncover.
Alternating between Tillie' s perspective during the '20s and '30s as the Weimar Republic slowly gives way to a dictatorship and Thea' s perspective in the '90s as the secrets of her grandmother's history come to light, Give My Love to Berlin follows the lives of two gay couples—Tillie and Ruth, and their best friends, James and Ernesto—trying to navigate falling in love, thriving in their community, and coming to terms with the danger they are in just by being who they are.
The author wrote this book for several reasons, mainly because she had never heard of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, or his work and she did not know that Berlin had been such a huge part of gay culture. After the 2016 election, the author could see parallels between the vitriol for the queer community in many parts of the United States and the way queer people were being treated as the Nazis gained power, particularly in Berlin. Now, with all the anti-drag and anti-transgender legislation, it is more important than ever to tell these stories so we can keep them from repeating in the future.
378 pages, Paperback
Published May 20, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
October 2, 2025
4.5 Stars
What makes Give My Love to Berlin an edge from all the other WWII sapphic historical fiction is its rare point of view. Having the story progress from a nobody’s perspective in the grand scheme of things but was privy to very sensitive information was genius.
The author played her cards perfectly when it came to capitalising on tension and growing fear. The author did not need to resort to explicit gore, the setting was ripe for the taking and she used this to her advantage. Telling the story from the angle of pre-Nazi Germany was such a novel perspective that it kept me captivated yet anxious despite knowing how it all played out in history.
Give My Love to Berlin was worth the anxiety and highly recommended for sapphic historical fiction fans.
What makes Give My Love to Berlin an edge from all the other WWII sapphic historical fiction is its rare point of view. Having the story progress from a nobody’s perspective in the grand scheme of things but was privy to very sensitive information was genius.
The author played her cards perfectly when it came to capitalising on tension and growing fear. The author did not need to resort to explicit gore, the setting was ripe for the taking and she used this to her advantage. Telling the story from the angle of pre-Nazi Germany was such a novel perspective that it kept me captivated yet anxious despite knowing how it all played out in history.
Give My Love to Berlin was worth the anxiety and highly recommended for sapphic historical fiction fans.
April 16, 2025
I really liked the overall premise of this book: a love story of two women right before world war 2 and then in the 90s, of a granddaughter trying to figure out her grandmother’s story. The ending was soo beautiful and tear-wrenching. It was really heartbreaking to hear the stories of trans women in 1930s Germany and how Berlin went from such a gay/trans centre to crumbling.
Throughout the story however there was a bit that threw me.
- the main character is cis, white, German, and works for the Nazis, and tells her Nazi dad that she’s queer and stands up to these terrifying Nazi leaders - which would have been really unlikely imo
- the book said that Nazi’s hate queers more than they hate Jews which…?? I don’t think so. Also why was everyone not more worried for Ruth ??
- zippers?
- modern phrases and talking - sooo much of this. I’m not sure if the American/modern talking was to draw more parallels between 1930s Germany and America ? If so, I get that. It just felt really out of place and pulled me out of the story a lot.
Throughout the story however there was a bit that threw me.
- the main character is cis, white, German, and works for the Nazis, and tells her Nazi dad that she’s queer and stands up to these terrifying Nazi leaders - which would have been really unlikely imo
- the book said that Nazi’s hate queers more than they hate Jews which…?? I don’t think so. Also why was everyone not more worried for Ruth ??
- zippers?
- modern phrases and talking - sooo much of this. I’m not sure if the American/modern talking was to draw more parallels between 1930s Germany and America ? If so, I get that. It just felt really out of place and pulled me out of the story a lot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 17, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Amphorea Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Give my Love to Berlin is a testament to a less-discussed victim group of the Holocaust: queer people. This book not only brings the story of these people to light in a way that will hopefully be more digestible than the sometimes dense history books written on the same subject, but the additional storyline follow Thea in the 1990s as she uncovers her grandmother's past show why, even after surviving the Nazis, the history has remained buried due to the continued hostility against queer people.
I really enjoyed this book. As a queer person with an MA in Holocaust Studies, this history is familiar to me. I know of Hirschfield and the Institute and Paragraph 175. That background is what initially drew me to the book and then I stayed to follow the tense journeys of Tillie, Ruth, James, and Ernesto, and Thea's investigation of her family past. The addition of Thea's storyline since in the 1990s, as mentioned above, was a really great addition to the story. Putting the story of survival and escape parallel to the story of uncovering and remembering really encapsulates a holistic experience of the Holocaust, dealing with both the lived reality and then the knowledge keeping.
I was occasionally a little uncomfortable with the way the characters posed the threat to queer people vs the threat to Jewish people. Lines like "they hate the Jews, but they hate you more" had me cringing a bit. I think this was to capture the sort of staged approach the Nazis took towards who these escalated violence against at any given time. It was a staggered approach, with political dissidents (Communists especially) were targeted first followed by queer people and then disabled people and so on and so forth down their list of 'enemies'. Of course, these often overlapped and as a new victim group was targeted, the previous weren't ignored. However, Jewish people remained a target of the Nazis throughout their time, with the violence escalating overtime. So I'm pretty sure Bryant was trying to capture the shifting tides of focused hatred, but it made me a little uncomfortable. I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS ANTISEMITISM. DO NOT REVIEW BOMB THIS BOOK BECAUSE OF THAT.
This was also an incredibly timely read, given the situation in the US and the targeting of trans and queer individuals. This book was very evidentially written to evoke Trump and Trump's America which made the book hard to read just from an emotional standpoint. The parallels are often subtle, but the repeated invocation of "Make Germany Great Again" drives it home.
Over all, this was a good book that I would recommend, especially to those looking to explore this history for the first time. I feel like this can serve as a good jumping off point towards people learning more about queer people during the Holocaust.
Give my Love to Berlin is a testament to a less-discussed victim group of the Holocaust: queer people. This book not only brings the story of these people to light in a way that will hopefully be more digestible than the sometimes dense history books written on the same subject, but the additional storyline follow Thea in the 1990s as she uncovers her grandmother's past show why, even after surviving the Nazis, the history has remained buried due to the continued hostility against queer people.
I really enjoyed this book. As a queer person with an MA in Holocaust Studies, this history is familiar to me. I know of Hirschfield and the Institute and Paragraph 175. That background is what initially drew me to the book and then I stayed to follow the tense journeys of Tillie, Ruth, James, and Ernesto, and Thea's investigation of her family past. The addition of Thea's storyline since in the 1990s, as mentioned above, was a really great addition to the story. Putting the story of survival and escape parallel to the story of uncovering and remembering really encapsulates a holistic experience of the Holocaust, dealing with both the lived reality and then the knowledge keeping.
I was occasionally a little uncomfortable with the way the characters posed the threat to queer people vs the threat to Jewish people. Lines like "they hate the Jews, but they hate you more" had me cringing a bit. I think this was to capture the sort of staged approach the Nazis took towards who these escalated violence against at any given time. It was a staggered approach, with political dissidents (Communists especially) were targeted first followed by queer people and then disabled people and so on and so forth down their list of 'enemies'. Of course, these often overlapped and as a new victim group was targeted, the previous weren't ignored. However, Jewish people remained a target of the Nazis throughout their time, with the violence escalating overtime. So I'm pretty sure Bryant was trying to capture the shifting tides of focused hatred, but it made me a little uncomfortable. I AM NOT SAYING THIS IS ANTISEMITISM. DO NOT REVIEW BOMB THIS BOOK BECAUSE OF THAT.
This was also an incredibly timely read, given the situation in the US and the targeting of trans and queer individuals. This book was very evidentially written to evoke Trump and Trump's America which made the book hard to read just from an emotional standpoint. The parallels are often subtle, but the repeated invocation of "Make Germany Great Again" drives it home.
Over all, this was a good book that I would recommend, especially to those looking to explore this history for the first time. I feel like this can serve as a good jumping off point towards people learning more about queer people during the Holocaust.
April 2, 2025
5 ⭐️ Thank you to Amphorae Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book right here is why I read. I have not felt this moved by a book in years and it came in and knocked me off my feet. Mark my words this book will be on a best sellers list.
Book Summary: this is a historical novel set in two time periods: the US in the 1990s and Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. Berlin was well known as the gay capital of the world due to new research and medical advances offered by Dr. Hirschfeld. The story touches on topics regarding, love, war-time, nazi reign, religion, and the impact on the queer population.
Katherine Bryant’s goal with this book was to express gratitude to all queer humans who came before her, who laid the path, not just in her liberation, but the liberation of us all. She is 100% right in that our queer ancestors deserve their stories told and she did just that.
I look forward to what this author has in store for the future!
This book right here is why I read. I have not felt this moved by a book in years and it came in and knocked me off my feet. Mark my words this book will be on a best sellers list.
Book Summary: this is a historical novel set in two time periods: the US in the 1990s and Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. Berlin was well known as the gay capital of the world due to new research and medical advances offered by Dr. Hirschfeld. The story touches on topics regarding, love, war-time, nazi reign, religion, and the impact on the queer population.
Katherine Bryant’s goal with this book was to express gratitude to all queer humans who came before her, who laid the path, not just in her liberation, but the liberation of us all. She is 100% right in that our queer ancestors deserve their stories told and she did just that.
I look forward to what this author has in store for the future!
Read
May 28, 2025DNF'ed at 34%; between the mediocre writing and the off-putting handling of Jewish and queer history, I couldn't bring myself to continue. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I will not be giving this book a star rating because I did not finish it.
This book did not get off to a strong start. The world and characters felt incredibly flat. I could not tell you the difference between James and Ernesto with a gun to my head. It's all just lists of names, except for Tillie, but that's cheating because it's her point of view. The places these characters. This is a book about a woman who works in the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft and her girlfriend works in a nightclub! These settings seem so easy to make visceral and real, but there's no description of these places, and we never seem to go to the damn night club. These problems are heightened by the massive time jumps every chapter. The 100-odd pages I read covered 1927-1930, and that's a lot of time! It takes skill to skip around that much and still have the readers feel like they know the characters. The prose feels very modern for a novel set mostly in the late 1920s and 1930s.
The modern day stuff is fine? I thought Thea was a bit dim, but I also had the knowledge that her grandmother had a girlfriend. Again, I cannot track how any of the 90s characters are related to each other either because they have no personality. The alternating structure of these chapters does give you a bit of a break from reading about the 20s and 30s and the accompanying mounting dread, but the jumps also kills any tension that the text manages to get going.
Of the bit that I read, most of the explorations of social issues were a bit artless. They weren't inherently objectionable (at first), but they were just so obvious. Dora's conversation with Tillie about her unwillingness to travel due to the increased scrutiny that she would experience as a visibly trans woman vs Tillie as a lesbian was just so nothing to me. I guess if you've never thought about this kind of thing before it might hit, but my god it did not for me. It all felt like a book that I might give to middle students to help them learn about the period because of how on-the-nose the entire book felt.
My opinions on this rapidly shifted once the threat from the Nazis became more real, and characters began to say things that contradicted earlier points that they made and would be absolutely ridiculous for them to say at all. There are two big examples of this naivete, though I found Tillie's naivete throughout low-level frustrating. While discussing the threat that brownshirts pose to the Institute, Dora says: "I just don't really understand how this can be allowed. All this fighting. Where are the police? Where is the government to keep us safe?" (p. 89, page numbers from the ARC that I was given). I simply don't buy that a trans woman who had been arrested multiple times for being trans, faced street harassment for being trans, and told the POV character this (highlighting to the reader that these things had happened to her) would be this trusting of the government in general and police in particular to help her and people like her. Magnusfield even looks directly at her when he explains that police aren't going to help them. Before this point, the book had been mediocre, but this was when it stopped being believable.
My last straw was a moment that appeared in a conversation between Tille and Ruth. Ruth, as the text occasionally reminds us, is Jewish. It is unclear to what extent, at least in what I read. It's more of a thing where Ruth occasionally mentions that she's Jewish, instead of there being any mention of her practicing Judaism. Tille and Ruth are discussing the dangers that Nazi street violence could pose, when Tillie attempts to assuage Ruth's concerns about Nazi antisemitic violence with: "But how would they make people afraid of the Jews? I just don't think the German people would fall for that" (p. 91). I am not an expert on the Jewish experience in any country or time, let alone Germany in the late 20s/early 30s. However, this is a patently ridiculous thing for Tillie to say. Antisemitism was a constant feature of Europe since... forever? I'm going to go with forever. While the late 1800s and early 1900s were ok times to be Jewish in Germany in terms of rights that the government gave Jewish people, it was by no means perfect, and that does not account for literal centuries of Jewish people being treated as second-class citizens and facing state and mob violence (I'm getting this information from the History of the Jews in Germany Wikipedia page and my own recollections from reading about Judaism). It is unlikely to the point of impossibility that Tillie's father, who was a Nazi seemingly from the early days, would have not said something antisemitic around Tille at the very least. The German people would certainly fall for that, because they, like every other country in Europe had fallen for it countless times in their history. It is ahistorical and dangerous to suggest that virulent hatred of Jewish people was a unique feature to Nazism. They built on what was already there.
The icing on the cake was when I looked at the afterward. The author notes that Dora's (who was a real trans woman) whereabouts after the destruction of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft are unknown. That's fine, except that there has been been some research done that can track her until her death in 1966. I found this on her Wikipedia page, and this research was done in 2023. This book was published in 2025. I am underwhelmed to say the least.
I think it is touching that Bryant wants to make more people aware of this feature of queer history, particularly the fact that trans people existed at this time. However, the book itself is simply not very good. I wish her all the best in her future writing endeavors, but I will likely not read any more of her writing.
This book did not get off to a strong start. The world and characters felt incredibly flat. I could not tell you the difference between James and Ernesto with a gun to my head. It's all just lists of names, except for Tillie, but that's cheating because it's her point of view. The places these characters. This is a book about a woman who works in the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft and her girlfriend works in a nightclub! These settings seem so easy to make visceral and real, but there's no description of these places, and we never seem to go to the damn night club. These problems are heightened by the massive time jumps every chapter. The 100-odd pages I read covered 1927-1930, and that's a lot of time! It takes skill to skip around that much and still have the readers feel like they know the characters. The prose feels very modern for a novel set mostly in the late 1920s and 1930s.
The modern day stuff is fine? I thought Thea was a bit dim, but I also had the knowledge that her grandmother had a girlfriend. Again, I cannot track how any of the 90s characters are related to each other either because they have no personality. The alternating structure of these chapters does give you a bit of a break from reading about the 20s and 30s and the accompanying mounting dread, but the jumps also kills any tension that the text manages to get going.
Of the bit that I read, most of the explorations of social issues were a bit artless. They weren't inherently objectionable (at first), but they were just so obvious. Dora's conversation with Tillie about her unwillingness to travel due to the increased scrutiny that she would experience as a visibly trans woman vs Tillie as a lesbian was just so nothing to me. I guess if you've never thought about this kind of thing before it might hit, but my god it did not for me. It all felt like a book that I might give to middle students to help them learn about the period because of how on-the-nose the entire book felt.
My opinions on this rapidly shifted once the threat from the Nazis became more real, and characters began to say things that contradicted earlier points that they made and would be absolutely ridiculous for them to say at all. There are two big examples of this naivete, though I found Tillie's naivete throughout low-level frustrating. While discussing the threat that brownshirts pose to the Institute, Dora says: "I just don't really understand how this can be allowed. All this fighting. Where are the police? Where is the government to keep us safe?" (p. 89, page numbers from the ARC that I was given). I simply don't buy that a trans woman who had been arrested multiple times for being trans, faced street harassment for being trans, and told the POV character this (highlighting to the reader that these things had happened to her) would be this trusting of the government in general and police in particular to help her and people like her. Magnusfield even looks directly at her when he explains that police aren't going to help them. Before this point, the book had been mediocre, but this was when it stopped being believable.
My last straw was a moment that appeared in a conversation between Tille and Ruth. Ruth, as the text occasionally reminds us, is Jewish. It is unclear to what extent, at least in what I read. It's more of a thing where Ruth occasionally mentions that she's Jewish, instead of there being any mention of her practicing Judaism. Tille and Ruth are discussing the dangers that Nazi street violence could pose, when Tillie attempts to assuage Ruth's concerns about Nazi antisemitic violence with: "But how would they make people afraid of the Jews? I just don't think the German people would fall for that" (p. 91). I am not an expert on the Jewish experience in any country or time, let alone Germany in the late 20s/early 30s. However, this is a patently ridiculous thing for Tillie to say. Antisemitism was a constant feature of Europe since... forever? I'm going to go with forever. While the late 1800s and early 1900s were ok times to be Jewish in Germany in terms of rights that the government gave Jewish people, it was by no means perfect, and that does not account for literal centuries of Jewish people being treated as second-class citizens and facing state and mob violence (I'm getting this information from the History of the Jews in Germany Wikipedia page and my own recollections from reading about Judaism). It is unlikely to the point of impossibility that Tillie's father, who was a Nazi seemingly from the early days, would have not said something antisemitic around Tille at the very least. The German people would certainly fall for that, because they, like every other country in Europe had fallen for it countless times in their history. It is ahistorical and dangerous to suggest that virulent hatred of Jewish people was a unique feature to Nazism. They built on what was already there.
The icing on the cake was when I looked at the afterward. The author notes that Dora's (who was a real trans woman) whereabouts after the destruction of the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft are unknown. That's fine, except that there has been been some research done that can track her until her death in 1966. I found this on her Wikipedia page, and this research was done in 2023. This book was published in 2025. I am underwhelmed to say the least.
I think it is touching that Bryant wants to make more people aware of this feature of queer history, particularly the fact that trans people existed at this time. However, the book itself is simply not very good. I wish her all the best in her future writing endeavors, but I will likely not read any more of her writing.
April 2, 2025
I could not put this book down. I’ll be honest I’m usually an audiobook listener. It’s easier for me to digest and find the time to read. The fact that once I started it, it only took me maybe 3 days to read really says something. It just went so effortlessly to read. It can sometimes be difficult to follow when an author jumps back and forth with time periods, but this was not the case. I love that the story unravels piece by piece. We find out what happens to Tilly, Ruth, James, and Ernesto in the past and present like slowly putting together a puzzle to see the whole picture.
It would be remiss of me if I didn’t point out the parallels of the 1930’s Germany and today’s political climate in the United States. I was very well aware of them before opening this book but reading it was like seeing more bright signs of DANGER ahead, like attacking democratic institutions and the “othering” and prosecution of those in marginalized communities. The burning of books in this story is the same song and dance of today’s book bans and who’s history is allowed to be taught and which words are acceptable to be used. Limiting what speech can be told is a tool of the oppressor. When we lose our sense of empathy and humanity we create atrocities. Reading this makes me want to dive into research on more queer history because I was 100% clueless of Berlin’s history in the 1920’s. If you love historical fiction and queer stories you should give this book a read.
It would be remiss of me if I didn’t point out the parallels of the 1930’s Germany and today’s political climate in the United States. I was very well aware of them before opening this book but reading it was like seeing more bright signs of DANGER ahead, like attacking democratic institutions and the “othering” and prosecution of those in marginalized communities. The burning of books in this story is the same song and dance of today’s book bans and who’s history is allowed to be taught and which words are acceptable to be used. Limiting what speech can be told is a tool of the oppressor. When we lose our sense of empathy and humanity we create atrocities. Reading this makes me want to dive into research on more queer history because I was 100% clueless of Berlin’s history in the 1920’s. If you love historical fiction and queer stories you should give this book a read.
June 20, 2025
I was very impressed with this debut historical novel and think it will resonate with readers who enjoyed The Nightingale and The Alice Network.
The story begins in late 1920s Berlin. Tillie works as an assistant in her father’s law firm while her girlfriend, Ruth, performs in a drag cabaret. Through their eyes, we witness the rise of fascism and the unraveling of a once-vibrant city. There’s also a second timeline set in 1990... but I won’t spoil anything. That storyline adds emotional depth and helps the historical material feel even more immediate.
What really stood out was how vividly the book portrayed queer life in Weimar Berlin: not just as tragedy, but as joy, as community, and as freedom. I was surprised by how rich and open that world was. The inclusion of real institutions like the Institute for Sexual Research and historical figures like Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld made the story feel grounded. I found myself Googling details throughout, learning things in the story that sent me down several fascinating rabbit holes. To me, that’s always a sign of strong historical fiction.
The writing is confident and well-paced, especially for a debut. While I might have liked a bit more character development in places, the story never dragged. And that’s no small feat.
Highly enjoyable and eye-opening. I'm glad I read it.
The story begins in late 1920s Berlin. Tillie works as an assistant in her father’s law firm while her girlfriend, Ruth, performs in a drag cabaret. Through their eyes, we witness the rise of fascism and the unraveling of a once-vibrant city. There’s also a second timeline set in 1990... but I won’t spoil anything. That storyline adds emotional depth and helps the historical material feel even more immediate.
What really stood out was how vividly the book portrayed queer life in Weimar Berlin: not just as tragedy, but as joy, as community, and as freedom. I was surprised by how rich and open that world was. The inclusion of real institutions like the Institute for Sexual Research and historical figures like Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld made the story feel grounded. I found myself Googling details throughout, learning things in the story that sent me down several fascinating rabbit holes. To me, that’s always a sign of strong historical fiction.
The writing is confident and well-paced, especially for a debut. While I might have liked a bit more character development in places, the story never dragged. And that’s no small feat.
Highly enjoyable and eye-opening. I'm glad I read it.
May 5, 2025
writing a historical novel about nazi germany as an american and then making it your debut is a very ambitious thing to do. kudos to the author for trying, but this idea could’ve been executed better...
i’ll start off with the good things:
- focus on queer people and the (well-researched) sexual science institute
- the beginning is a bit rough but once the story pulls you in, you keep reading
- decent set of characters, not too many but not too few either.
now for the bad things:
- as other reviewers have pointed out, literally no one talked like this during the interbellum. these people speak like they’re modern day american citizens (the father especially sounds like a total trumpie)
- the characters were so fucking naive they genuinely pissed me off. you’d expect a group of sexual minorities to be wary of authority but these people barely gave a fuck. they’re like, oh nazis are on the rise? surely nothing bad will happen! like they were just not doing anything half of the book, then all of a sudden hello?
- weak second timeline. for some reason there was a whole detective type thing going on to spice things up. the incredibly unlikeable mc keeps doing things she shouldn't and for some magical reason it still works out in her favour. she also complains about not being able to understand german despite the fact that she was raised by an actual german immigrant. the least you could do to thank her is take a german 101 class, but maybe that’s just me. consider going to a library and looking for a dictionary if you’re so curious to know the translation of a letter?
- the time jumps. i’m going to need a bit more than, three weeks passed, it’d been months, a year ago this happened and now blah blah.
overall not bad, there’s just so many things that annoyed me that i couldn’t like the book anymore. wasn't sure how to rate this, it's more of a 2.5/5 but not enough for 3/5.
i’ll start off with the good things:
- focus on queer people and the (well-researched) sexual science institute
- the beginning is a bit rough but once the story pulls you in, you keep reading
- decent set of characters, not too many but not too few either.
now for the bad things:
- as other reviewers have pointed out, literally no one talked like this during the interbellum. these people speak like they’re modern day american citizens (the father especially sounds like a total trumpie)
- the characters were so fucking naive they genuinely pissed me off. you’d expect a group of sexual minorities to be wary of authority but these people barely gave a fuck. they’re like, oh nazis are on the rise? surely nothing bad will happen! like they were just not doing anything half of the book, then all of a sudden hello?
- weak second timeline. for some reason there was a whole detective type thing going on to spice things up. the incredibly unlikeable mc keeps doing things she shouldn't and for some magical reason it still works out in her favour. she also complains about not being able to understand german despite the fact that she was raised by an actual german immigrant. the least you could do to thank her is take a german 101 class, but maybe that’s just me. consider going to a library and looking for a dictionary if you’re so curious to know the translation of a letter?
- the time jumps. i’m going to need a bit more than, three weeks passed, it’d been months, a year ago this happened and now blah blah.
overall not bad, there’s just so many things that annoyed me that i couldn’t like the book anymore. wasn't sure how to rate this, it's more of a 2.5/5 but not enough for 3/5.
July 12, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Walrus Publishing for this eARC.
Review summary:
I am so disappointed by this book. Amazing concept, but dull writing style, poor character development, zero atmosphere, and not great handling of queer and trans characters. Plus, it's full of anachronisms and didn't feel at all like 1920s/1930s Germany — even the character names often aren't German. As a European reader, the whole book felt incredibly American.
Detailed review:
This is a historical novel set in two time periods: the US in the 1990s, and Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. The main story is in the '20s-'30s, and the main character is a cis woman with Nazi parents, a secret Jewish girlfriend who likes to wear suits, and a circle of friends made up of gay men and trans women. She has two jobs: one, as a secretary for the Nazis. Two, in the Institute for Sexual Science, which focuses on research and support for LGBTQ+ people.
As I said, great concept. But then we get onto the issues with the book. In no particular order:
The beginning is really dull. It feels like the author is relying on the combination of the time period and emotionally painful things to hook you instead of the characters. In fact, even when I reached the 50% mark of the book, I still couldn't have told you any of the main characters' personality traits or defining characteristics beyond their sexuality and their jobs. Especially in the sections set in the 1990s, I need more than "my grandmother needs to go to a nursing home" to be invested in a POV character or a storyline — I need a personality. I need to know who this character is.
Not all of the time, but a significant amount of the time, it also feels like the book is writing about queer people instead of being for queer people. On the one hand, I think that can be partly explained by the 2D characters — characters remain queer archetypes rather than developed characters. But on the other hand, I was shocked by the fact that that when someone's gender isn't obvious, the book uses the pronoun "it" instead of "them". How did such a transphobic, dehumanising phrase end up in a book marketed as LGBTQ+? (I'm aware that ARCs aren't always the final version and I will be messaging the publisher about this, so I really hope it gets edited out of the book before publication.)
Even these archetypes don't always make sense. Early on in the book, the main POV character is sexually assaulted by Nazis. Her and her girlfriend pretended to have boyfriends to try to escape them, but it wasn't enough. The next day, at work, not only is the character seemingly unaffected by the assault but she asks her trans colleagues and friends, who are unable to pass, why they feel unsafe travelling alone. It makes no sense. This same character is also on multiple occasions shown as being embarrassed or made uncomfortable by discussions about her trans colleagues' transitions and pasts as sex workers. While transphobia is present within queer communities, these interactions feel inauthentic within the context of the story.
Going back to the topic of the main POV character being assaulted, she is frequently harassed and sexually assaulted and made to need rescuing despite being the most privileged and able to pass of all the main characters. It's a weird position for the novel to take. As a reader, I'm far more concerned about her friends who can't pass, but the book sidelines them; their harassment is referred to only in throwaway remarks. And this is even more frustrating because the main POV character is one of the most complicit in what's going on — she works for Nazis. She attends Nazi business meetings and house parties, she organises Nazi parades, she files information about concentration camps and doesn't even accidentally-on-purpose lose important documents. (In fact, the characters tell the doctor who advocated for and operated on trans women —an actual historical character — that he should be ashamed of not being able to arrange for trans women to safely leave Germany, while also telling the Nazi employee protagonist that she shouldn't feel bad about working to help the Nazi party come to power.)
When atrocities happen in the book, I personally felt the way the author handled it robbed dignity from victims, especially ones that were real historical figures. This is subjective, of course; other readers may diagree.
At the same time, some of the sexual assaults in the book felt gratuitous.
The writing is also dull. Occasionally the writer has a wonderful paragraph, but in general, the sentences aren't engaging, information is awkwardly given, and although this might sound strange, there's too much of the basic mechanics of body movement included — I don't need to know that a character stood up and walked over and poured coffee and sat back down again. The explain-every-step approach slows things down a lot.
On top of that, there are a lot of punctuation and dialogue tag mistakes. It's often unclear who's speaking because of this — on a grammatical level, it should be person A, but based on the content of the dialogue, it should be person B. German titles are at times misspelt, e g. "Krieslieter" instead of "Kreislieter" (District Leader).
Nothing really felt German, let alone 1920s Berlin, beyond the Nazis, the Institute for Sexual Science, and the occasional German title. In fact, many of the names aren't German at all, even among the blonde Nazis. Characters in 1920s Germany say things like "Hiya!", "Hey you guys!", "I know, buddy" and "Okay, well,...". And there are multiple references to "make/made Germany great again".
Characters also fiddle with the zippers on their sweaters in the 1920s, despite that not being a thing in Germany in the 20s. Politically aware caracters talk about how they didn't bother to vote in elections even though the actual voter turnout was over 75%. German lovers write to each other in English in the 1930s and '40s. Oh, and the Wall Street Crash apparently happened in Dec 1929 in this book, even though in real life it occurred in October 1929.
Review summary:
I am so disappointed by this book. Amazing concept, but dull writing style, poor character development, zero atmosphere, and not great handling of queer and trans characters. Plus, it's full of anachronisms and didn't feel at all like 1920s/1930s Germany — even the character names often aren't German. As a European reader, the whole book felt incredibly American.
Detailed review:
This is a historical novel set in two time periods: the US in the 1990s, and Berlin in the 1920s and 1930s. The main story is in the '20s-'30s, and the main character is a cis woman with Nazi parents, a secret Jewish girlfriend who likes to wear suits, and a circle of friends made up of gay men and trans women. She has two jobs: one, as a secretary for the Nazis. Two, in the Institute for Sexual Science, which focuses on research and support for LGBTQ+ people.
As I said, great concept. But then we get onto the issues with the book. In no particular order:
The beginning is really dull. It feels like the author is relying on the combination of the time period and emotionally painful things to hook you instead of the characters. In fact, even when I reached the 50% mark of the book, I still couldn't have told you any of the main characters' personality traits or defining characteristics beyond their sexuality and their jobs. Especially in the sections set in the 1990s, I need more than "my grandmother needs to go to a nursing home" to be invested in a POV character or a storyline — I need a personality. I need to know who this character is.
Not all of the time, but a significant amount of the time, it also feels like the book is writing about queer people instead of being for queer people. On the one hand, I think that can be partly explained by the 2D characters — characters remain queer archetypes rather than developed characters. But on the other hand, I was shocked by the fact that that when someone's gender isn't obvious, the book uses the pronoun "it" instead of "them". How did such a transphobic, dehumanising phrase end up in a book marketed as LGBTQ+? (I'm aware that ARCs aren't always the final version and I will be messaging the publisher about this, so I really hope it gets edited out of the book before publication.)
Even these archetypes don't always make sense. Early on in the book, the main POV character is sexually assaulted by Nazis. Her and her girlfriend pretended to have boyfriends to try to escape them, but it wasn't enough. The next day, at work, not only is the character seemingly unaffected by the assault but she asks her trans colleagues and friends, who are unable to pass, why they feel unsafe travelling alone. It makes no sense. This same character is also on multiple occasions shown as being embarrassed or made uncomfortable by discussions about her trans colleagues' transitions and pasts as sex workers. While transphobia is present within queer communities, these interactions feel inauthentic within the context of the story.
Going back to the topic of the main POV character being assaulted, she is frequently harassed and sexually assaulted and made to need rescuing despite being the most privileged and able to pass of all the main characters. It's a weird position for the novel to take. As a reader, I'm far more concerned about her friends who can't pass, but the book sidelines them; their harassment is referred to only in throwaway remarks. And this is even more frustrating because the main POV character is one of the most complicit in what's going on — she works for Nazis. She attends Nazi business meetings and house parties, she organises Nazi parades, she files information about concentration camps and doesn't even accidentally-on-purpose lose important documents. (In fact, the characters tell the doctor who advocated for and operated on trans women —an actual historical character — that he should be ashamed of not being able to arrange for trans women to safely leave Germany, while also telling the Nazi employee protagonist that she shouldn't feel bad about working to help the Nazi party come to power.)
When atrocities happen in the book, I personally felt the way the author handled it robbed dignity from victims, especially ones that were real historical figures. This is subjective, of course; other readers may diagree.
At the same time, some of the sexual assaults in the book felt gratuitous.
The writing is also dull. Occasionally the writer has a wonderful paragraph, but in general, the sentences aren't engaging, information is awkwardly given, and although this might sound strange, there's too much of the basic mechanics of body movement included — I don't need to know that a character stood up and walked over and poured coffee and sat back down again. The explain-every-step approach slows things down a lot.
On top of that, there are a lot of punctuation and dialogue tag mistakes. It's often unclear who's speaking because of this — on a grammatical level, it should be person A, but based on the content of the dialogue, it should be person B. German titles are at times misspelt, e g. "Krieslieter" instead of "Kreislieter" (District Leader).
Nothing really felt German, let alone 1920s Berlin, beyond the Nazis, the Institute for Sexual Science, and the occasional German title. In fact, many of the names aren't German at all, even among the blonde Nazis. Characters in 1920s Germany say things like "Hiya!", "Hey you guys!", "I know, buddy" and "Okay, well,...". And there are multiple references to "make/made Germany great again".
Characters also fiddle with the zippers on their sweaters in the 1920s, despite that not being a thing in Germany in the 20s. Politically aware caracters talk about how they didn't bother to vote in elections even though the actual voter turnout was over 75%. German lovers write to each other in English in the 1930s and '40s. Oh, and the Wall Street Crash apparently happened in Dec 1929 in this book, even though in real life it occurred in October 1929.
April 21, 2025
A very strong queer historical fiction debut dealing with the rise of fascism in the 30s in Germany.
The novel is a dual timeline alternating between a young lesbian named Tillie and her group of friends living in Germany in 1928. On the weekend she works for Dr. Hirschfeld in an institute safe for queer people. Her girlfriend works in a queer club and so do a bunch of her friends.
The second timeline takes less room in the story and is about Thea, Tillie's granddaughter, trying to uncover her grandmother's past.
This book was a tough read. The writing was easy to read and I felt like the author doesn't think readers are stupid and I liked how some things were just implied. But on the story side oof was it hard. Seeing how fascism slowly works over time, how it gets into people mind, how tough it is to make a decision whether to stay or leave. I thought it was beautifully done but it echoes what's happening right now in some countries so much, it was frightening.
I think it is a must read if you're queer honestly because of how it weaves historical events and people with fiction making you care about characters.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book
The novel is a dual timeline alternating between a young lesbian named Tillie and her group of friends living in Germany in 1928. On the weekend she works for Dr. Hirschfeld in an institute safe for queer people. Her girlfriend works in a queer club and so do a bunch of her friends.
The second timeline takes less room in the story and is about Thea, Tillie's granddaughter, trying to uncover her grandmother's past.
This book was a tough read. The writing was easy to read and I felt like the author doesn't think readers are stupid and I liked how some things were just implied. But on the story side oof was it hard. Seeing how fascism slowly works over time, how it gets into people mind, how tough it is to make a decision whether to stay or leave. I thought it was beautifully done but it echoes what's happening right now in some countries so much, it was frightening.
I think it is a must read if you're queer honestly because of how it weaves historical events and people with fiction making you care about characters.
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this book
June 21, 2025
This was a tough book to rate. On one hand, I cried at the end. On the other hand, I couldn't get past one obvious plot hole in the book.
The concept of the book was great and I was really excited to start reading it as it was about a certain part of history that I was not familiar with - Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld's work. The book is told between two time periods, which I loved. I liked reading from Tillie's and Thea's perspectives as we had more of Tillie's secret past revealed. I did like Tillie as a character, but I wish the characters of Ruth, James and Ernesto were more fleshed out! I wanted to follow them to the clubs and see more of their lives! Also learning more about the transgender women at the institute, as other than Dora you couldn't really distinguish the other ladies from each other.
One plot point that really bothered me was when Thea discovered Tillie's letter to Ruth. How did she and Michael read it?? Thea can't read German, but I can only assume Tillie would be writing in German to Ruth in 1941. Were they translating things? Or was it actually written in English, of which that wouldn't make sense. I also wish the dialogue during the Berlin portions of the book were more accurate, as at times the characters were speaking a bit modern.
Thank you to Walrus Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!
The concept of the book was great and I was really excited to start reading it as it was about a certain part of history that I was not familiar with - Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld's work. The book is told between two time periods, which I loved. I liked reading from Tillie's and Thea's perspectives as we had more of Tillie's secret past revealed. I did like Tillie as a character, but I wish the characters of Ruth, James and Ernesto were more fleshed out! I wanted to follow them to the clubs and see more of their lives! Also learning more about the transgender women at the institute, as other than Dora you couldn't really distinguish the other ladies from each other.
One plot point that really bothered me was when Thea discovered Tillie's letter to Ruth. How did she and Michael read it?? Thea can't read German, but I can only assume Tillie would be writing in German to Ruth in 1941. Were they translating things? Or was it actually written in English, of which that wouldn't make sense. I also wish the dialogue during the Berlin portions of the book were more accurate, as at times the characters were speaking a bit modern.
Thank you to Walrus Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for a review!
April 9, 2025
Overall, I could not put this book down. It's a heartbreaking story about two gay couples and their vibrant lifestyle in 1920s Berlin as Hitler is coming to power. Based on true events and people, it gives light and depth to a community that was thriving before it was destroyed.
I found many of the transitions to be confusing - some paragraphs took place over days with little notice to the reader while others were clearly marked. Going back and forth from the 1920s and 1990s and remembering all the different characters took a minute too, but also created many vibrant scenes.
I found many of the transitions to be confusing - some paragraphs took place over days with little notice to the reader while others were clearly marked. Going back and forth from the 1920s and 1990s and remembering all the different characters took a minute too, but also created many vibrant scenes.
January 8, 2026
a historical lesbian book that had a good ending? wow. i love learning about queer history
May 20, 2025
I have read quite a bit of WWII historical fiction throughout my reading journey. I felt like Give My Love to Berlin offered fresh perspective on a group that I had not previously considered during this period: LGBTQ+.
I greatly appreciated the authors willingness to highlight this group as I feel they deserved to have their stories told. The Institute for Sexual Science was not something I was previously familiar with, but I am now going to research more about the activities of Dr. Hirschfield and others at the institute.
This book truly took the reader on a journey through the rise of fascism in Germany in the 1920’s and 30’s. I would be lying if I didn’t say, there were elements that felt eerily similar to present day America.
The story woven throughout the book really highlights what I think ALL people want for their own lives: safety, happiness, authenticity and love.
Thank you to Amphorae publishing and Katherine Bryant for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I greatly appreciated the authors willingness to highlight this group as I feel they deserved to have their stories told. The Institute for Sexual Science was not something I was previously familiar with, but I am now going to research more about the activities of Dr. Hirschfield and others at the institute.
This book truly took the reader on a journey through the rise of fascism in Germany in the 1920’s and 30’s. I would be lying if I didn’t say, there were elements that felt eerily similar to present day America.
The story woven throughout the book really highlights what I think ALL people want for their own lives: safety, happiness, authenticity and love.
Thank you to Amphorae publishing and Katherine Bryant for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 14, 2025
Rating: 3* of five
The Publisher Says: In 1927, the beautiful city of Berlin is the gay capitol of the world. Ruth, a performer at one of the nightclubs in the city, and her girlfriend, Tillie, are living their lives and enjoying the freedom of the Weimar Republic. They are surrounded by a chosen family that includes drag performers, transgender women, and the prominent physician, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. Ruth, Tillie, and their best friends, James and Ernesto spend much of their time at the Institute for Sexual Science, the hub of the queer community in the twenties and early thirties.
As the '20s come to a close, Tillie watches her father, a prominent lawyer, as he becomes more entrenched with the Nazi Party. Working in his law office as his secretary, she meets prominent figures in the Nazi Party, including Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring, and becomes increasingly concerned as time passes that there is much more at stake than just her relationship with Ruth, who is also Jewish.
Tillie becomes privy to the planning of rallies, the plans the Nazi party is making in order to ensure Nazi victories in major elections, and how the Nazis are taking over Germany one neighborhood at a time. The novel jumps between the twenties and thirties and the early nineties and a young woman named Thea. Thea is dealing with the onset of her grandmother's dementia, and discovers secrets hidden away that her grandmother never intended for her to uncover.
Alternating between Tillie's perspective during the '20s and '30s as the Weimar Republic slowly gives way to a dictatorship and Thea's perspective in the '90s as the secrets of her grandmother's history come to light, Give My Love to Berlin follows the lives of two gay couples—Tillie and Ruth, and their best friends, James and Ernesto—trying to navigate falling in love, thriving in their community, and coming to terms with the danger they are in just by being who they are.
The author wrote this book for several reasons, mainly because she had never heard of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, or his work and she did not know that Berlin had been such a huge part of gay culture. After the 2016 election, the author could see parallels between the vitriol for the queer community in many parts of the United States and the way queer people were being treated as the Nazis gained power, particularly in Berlin. Now, with all the anti-drag and anti-transgender legislation, it is more important than ever to tell these stories so we can keep them from repeating in the future.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: The reviews of this book on Goodreads are very divided. Many apparently Jewish reviewers seem to take exception to the author's inclusion of queer people as victims of the Holocaust. Many others seem to dislike the wooden prose. I'm in the latter camp. (Pardon the wordplay.)
It's a great idea for a book, one that would've come across better had it felt less like research notes made to fit...poorly...around fictional standards. It's not clear to me that all the plot points were thought through...why would a woman working for literal Nazis ever question a trans person feeling threatened anywhere at all?...so I was left with the idea that this story seized the author's imagination but didn't get the mulling time, or followed editorial guidance, to smooth some of the burrs on its edge.
I was utterly repelled by the amount of sexual violence, as I know I was expected to be; the response to it from every character seemed...off. One does not just seamlessly drop the horror of sexual violence. It's ordinary to mask the trauma as a survival mechanism, but this felt more like just being okay with it. Again, I think this is more about the author not taking enough time to think these issues through, or not having (or heeding) editorial feedback.
If the author ever revisits the story with a strong editorial eye, this could be a good, interesting, involving novel. As it is, this is not a great read. I'm disappointed and saddened to say it.
The Publisher Says: In 1927, the beautiful city of Berlin is the gay capitol of the world. Ruth, a performer at one of the nightclubs in the city, and her girlfriend, Tillie, are living their lives and enjoying the freedom of the Weimar Republic. They are surrounded by a chosen family that includes drag performers, transgender women, and the prominent physician, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. Ruth, Tillie, and their best friends, James and Ernesto spend much of their time at the Institute for Sexual Science, the hub of the queer community in the twenties and early thirties.
As the '20s come to a close, Tillie watches her father, a prominent lawyer, as he becomes more entrenched with the Nazi Party. Working in his law office as his secretary, she meets prominent figures in the Nazi Party, including Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Göring, and becomes increasingly concerned as time passes that there is much more at stake than just her relationship with Ruth, who is also Jewish.
Tillie becomes privy to the planning of rallies, the plans the Nazi party is making in order to ensure Nazi victories in major elections, and how the Nazis are taking over Germany one neighborhood at a time. The novel jumps between the twenties and thirties and the early nineties and a young woman named Thea. Thea is dealing with the onset of her grandmother's dementia, and discovers secrets hidden away that her grandmother never intended for her to uncover.
Alternating between Tillie's perspective during the '20s and '30s as the Weimar Republic slowly gives way to a dictatorship and Thea's perspective in the '90s as the secrets of her grandmother's history come to light, Give My Love to Berlin follows the lives of two gay couples—Tillie and Ruth, and their best friends, James and Ernesto—trying to navigate falling in love, thriving in their community, and coming to terms with the danger they are in just by being who they are.
The author wrote this book for several reasons, mainly because she had never heard of Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, or his work and she did not know that Berlin had been such a huge part of gay culture. After the 2016 election, the author could see parallels between the vitriol for the queer community in many parts of the United States and the way queer people were being treated as the Nazis gained power, particularly in Berlin. Now, with all the anti-drag and anti-transgender legislation, it is more important than ever to tell these stories so we can keep them from repeating in the future.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: The reviews of this book on Goodreads are very divided. Many apparently Jewish reviewers seem to take exception to the author's inclusion of queer people as victims of the Holocaust. Many others seem to dislike the wooden prose. I'm in the latter camp. (Pardon the wordplay.)
It's a great idea for a book, one that would've come across better had it felt less like research notes made to fit...poorly...around fictional standards. It's not clear to me that all the plot points were thought through...why would a woman working for literal Nazis ever question a trans person feeling threatened anywhere at all?...so I was left with the idea that this story seized the author's imagination but didn't get the mulling time, or followed editorial guidance, to smooth some of the burrs on its edge.
I was utterly repelled by the amount of sexual violence, as I know I was expected to be; the response to it from every character seemed...off. One does not just seamlessly drop the horror of sexual violence. It's ordinary to mask the trauma as a survival mechanism, but this felt more like just being okay with it. Again, I think this is more about the author not taking enough time to think these issues through, or not having (or heeding) editorial feedback.
If the author ever revisits the story with a strong editorial eye, this could be a good, interesting, involving novel. As it is, this is not a great read. I'm disappointed and saddened to say it.
May 20, 2025
An increasingly tense dual-timeline story split between a young woman in 1920s and 30s Berlin, and her American granddaughter many years later, piecing together this hidden portion of her family's history.
The earlier timeline, following Tillie (Matilda), occurs when Berlin is the gay capital of the world. Homosexual, lesbian, and trans people are making strides in public acceptability and becoming stage sensations in Berlin's vibrant club scene...only for the rise of Hitler and his young extremists to push them underground again with increasing ferocity.
These are the very early years of the National Socialist Party, when it is plotting strategy in the homes and offices of respectable lawyers and businessmen, aiming to make further seat gains fort the next election. Tillie's working in her father's law office when she first becomes aware of the political maneuvering, but at first she's unable to believe it could be a risk to her or anyone she knows. Not even when Ernesto, her best male friend, is spurned by his father, one of her father's main clients, over his homosexuality. But it begins to hit harder for Tillie's lover, Ruth, who is not only a cross-dressing nightclub entertainer and a lesbian; she's also Jewish.
In the modern timeline, the young Tillie is a grandmother now suffering from increasing dementia, which we see through the eyes of her granddaughter Thea, who is uncovering the old woman’s past even as the owner is losing it. The names of the two women, Tilly and Thea, take a bit of getting used to of separating mentally.
As is often the case with dual timeline books, the modern narrative is less compelling than the one set in the past. We learn little about Thea except that she is poking around in her grandmother‘s stuff, trying to find out what the reader already knows from the past timeline. The author readily conveys Thea's struggle to accommodate her grandmother's increasing dementia while coming to terms with the void underlying the official family history she thought she knew.
Give My Love to Berlin is an Aimée & Jaguar tale for the current generation, but where the book by Austrian author Erica Fischer was based on a true story, Tillie and Ruth's doomed love story is fiction. Tillie is the daughter of a mid-level Party official, where the very real Lilly Wust was the wife of a high-ranking one. The resonances to struggles that current 20-somethings in the LGBTQ+ community face in many countries, both in the 1990s when the book came out and now, in the 2120s when Russia, much of the USA, and parts of Canada are actively dangerous for openly queer people once again.
We have recent history to reflect on as well. France narrowly escaped rule by a far-right party through arcane constitutional shenanigans. Australia booted its harder-right government. Canada has a centre-left government after a hard-fought election dogged by propaganda as disturbing as that of the 1920s. Yet Germany’s AfD party has seat gains in their recent election, not quite 100 years after the events of this book, and of Aimée & Jaguar.
Ultimately, a good novel entertains you - takes you to a different time and space, into another person's story - even while it pushes you to reflect on your own world and time. This novel gives much food for thought.
With thanks to #Netgally and #AmphoraePublishingGroup
The earlier timeline, following Tillie (Matilda), occurs when Berlin is the gay capital of the world. Homosexual, lesbian, and trans people are making strides in public acceptability and becoming stage sensations in Berlin's vibrant club scene...only for the rise of Hitler and his young extremists to push them underground again with increasing ferocity.
These are the very early years of the National Socialist Party, when it is plotting strategy in the homes and offices of respectable lawyers and businessmen, aiming to make further seat gains fort the next election. Tillie's working in her father's law office when she first becomes aware of the political maneuvering, but at first she's unable to believe it could be a risk to her or anyone she knows. Not even when Ernesto, her best male friend, is spurned by his father, one of her father's main clients, over his homosexuality. But it begins to hit harder for Tillie's lover, Ruth, who is not only a cross-dressing nightclub entertainer and a lesbian; she's also Jewish.
In the modern timeline, the young Tillie is a grandmother now suffering from increasing dementia, which we see through the eyes of her granddaughter Thea, who is uncovering the old woman’s past even as the owner is losing it. The names of the two women, Tilly and Thea, take a bit of getting used to of separating mentally.
As is often the case with dual timeline books, the modern narrative is less compelling than the one set in the past. We learn little about Thea except that she is poking around in her grandmother‘s stuff, trying to find out what the reader already knows from the past timeline. The author readily conveys Thea's struggle to accommodate her grandmother's increasing dementia while coming to terms with the void underlying the official family history she thought she knew.
Give My Love to Berlin is an Aimée & Jaguar tale for the current generation, but where the book by Austrian author Erica Fischer was based on a true story, Tillie and Ruth's doomed love story is fiction. Tillie is the daughter of a mid-level Party official, where the very real Lilly Wust was the wife of a high-ranking one. The resonances to struggles that current 20-somethings in the LGBTQ+ community face in many countries, both in the 1990s when the book came out and now, in the 2120s when Russia, much of the USA, and parts of Canada are actively dangerous for openly queer people once again.
We have recent history to reflect on as well. France narrowly escaped rule by a far-right party through arcane constitutional shenanigans. Australia booted its harder-right government. Canada has a centre-left government after a hard-fought election dogged by propaganda as disturbing as that of the 1920s. Yet Germany’s AfD party has seat gains in their recent election, not quite 100 years after the events of this book, and of Aimée & Jaguar.
Ultimately, a good novel entertains you - takes you to a different time and space, into another person's story - even while it pushes you to reflect on your own world and time. This novel gives much food for thought.
With thanks to #Netgally and #AmphoraePublishingGroup
April 17, 2025
The tragic story of two young lesbians and their circle of queer friends in 1930s Berlin during the rise of Nazi powers, GMLTB is a heartbreaking but timely book that mirrors many of the frightening things that are once again happening in the world today.
I found this book to give me a lot of dread, especially when I could clearly see the comparisons between now and then in terms of what's happening to queer community around the world. There were genuinely several moments where I had to pause and put the book down for a moment, just to catch my breath over the sheer fear of Tillie and Ruth’s world closing in around them.
It’s a beautiful concept, and since I’m very interested in 20th century historical fiction, I thought it would be an interesting read. However, there were bits and pieces which did make my experience with this book less enjoyable.
Firstly, there were a lot of American slangs, names, and anachronisms, which seemed a bit out of place for 30s Germany. The characterization of the main cast I found to be particularly flat, and could’ve been interchangeable to me even if everyone had swapped names. I think the only characters who slightly were differentiated were, of course, Tillie and Ruth.
Speaking of Tillie, several of her choices left me quite confused. Although she works as a secretary for the Nazis and has all the information there at her disposal, she doesn’t actively seek out resistance, or manages to do much with this information. I just feel like she could’ve searched for them somehow at first.
I often felt like the rest of the characters, especially Tillie’s circle of friends, felt like props rather than fleshed out characters.
Finally, we come to the formatting and prose. The formatting for the dialogue is a little out of place, and it was quite hard to figure out who was talking to who since sometimes Character A would be speaking but the dialogue tag would point to what Character B was doing instead. The dialogue itself felt stilted and too wordy, with the run-on sentences being slightly too long.
Despite that, there were several moments that stood out for me: the little callbacks to the fate of certain characters due in 90s sections, the bait-and-switch concerning several characters, which all were a pleasant surprise.
All in all, GMLTB shines a light on a lesser-explored path of queer history in fiction, which I think is an interesting take.
Thank you to Amphorae and Netgalley for providing this ARC for an honest review!
I found this book to give me a lot of dread, especially when I could clearly see the comparisons between now and then in terms of what's happening to queer community around the world. There were genuinely several moments where I had to pause and put the book down for a moment, just to catch my breath over the sheer fear of Tillie and Ruth’s world closing in around them.
It’s a beautiful concept, and since I’m very interested in 20th century historical fiction, I thought it would be an interesting read. However, there were bits and pieces which did make my experience with this book less enjoyable.
Firstly, there were a lot of American slangs, names, and anachronisms, which seemed a bit out of place for 30s Germany. The characterization of the main cast I found to be particularly flat, and could’ve been interchangeable to me even if everyone had swapped names. I think the only characters who slightly were differentiated were, of course, Tillie and Ruth.
Speaking of Tillie, several of her choices left me quite confused. Although she works as a secretary for the Nazis and has all the information there at her disposal, she doesn’t actively seek out resistance, or manages to do much with this information. I just feel like she could’ve searched for them somehow at first.
I often felt like the rest of the characters, especially Tillie’s circle of friends, felt like props rather than fleshed out characters.
Finally, we come to the formatting and prose. The formatting for the dialogue is a little out of place, and it was quite hard to figure out who was talking to who since sometimes Character A would be speaking but the dialogue tag would point to what Character B was doing instead. The dialogue itself felt stilted and too wordy, with the run-on sentences being slightly too long.
Despite that, there were several moments that stood out for me: the little callbacks to the fate of certain characters due in 90s sections, the bait-and-switch concerning several characters, which all were a pleasant surprise.
All in all, GMLTB shines a light on a lesser-explored path of queer history in fiction, which I think is an interesting take.
Thank you to Amphorae and Netgalley for providing this ARC for an honest review!
April 10, 2025
I enjoyed this book and I hope other folks will too.
What the book is:
🔘 A love story and fictional retelling of a part of queer history as Hitler came to power in Germany. There is so much love in this book and while I enjoyed the found family and the MC love story, I was surprised by how much the love of city/home and the desire to fight for their place impacted me.
🔘 A dual timeline story that alternates between the 1990s (USA) and the late 1920s to late 1930s (Germany). The book begins in 1927 with Tillie, her partner Ruth, and their group of queer friends in Berlin. It follows their struggles as their city transforms from a place that was accepting of them to a place that they fear. In the 1990s, Thea's grandmother's health is declining due to her dementia and along with her remaining family Thea has made the difficult decision to move her to a memory care facility. In that process Thea uncovers a hidden part of her grandmother's past that leads her to try and connect the pieces that her grandmother's memory has either lost or suppressed.
🔘 A well researched and creative narrative that connects some of the worst names from Nazi Germany to the fictional characters and an ending that gave me the Queer Notebook feels I didn't realize I was missing from my life.
🔘 There are some reviews that quote the authors use of "Make Germany Great Again" and I want to be clear that the author does not use it as a Hitler campaign slogan in order to make a connection to present day. There are times when Nazi supporting characters will say something like, Hitler is going to make Germany great again, which is historically accurate, as Hitler absolutely did say these words. The only parallel that should be drawn to the author using this phrase and the current US president is that both men see/saw themselves as the only ones capable of restoring said greatness.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
What the book is:
🔘 A love story and fictional retelling of a part of queer history as Hitler came to power in Germany. There is so much love in this book and while I enjoyed the found family and the MC love story, I was surprised by how much the love of city/home and the desire to fight for their place impacted me.
🔘 A dual timeline story that alternates between the 1990s (USA) and the late 1920s to late 1930s (Germany). The book begins in 1927 with Tillie, her partner Ruth, and their group of queer friends in Berlin. It follows their struggles as their city transforms from a place that was accepting of them to a place that they fear. In the 1990s, Thea's grandmother's health is declining due to her dementia and along with her remaining family Thea has made the difficult decision to move her to a memory care facility. In that process Thea uncovers a hidden part of her grandmother's past that leads her to try and connect the pieces that her grandmother's memory has either lost or suppressed.
🔘 A well researched and creative narrative that connects some of the worst names from Nazi Germany to the fictional characters and an ending that gave me the Queer Notebook feels I didn't realize I was missing from my life.
🔘 There are some reviews that quote the authors use of "Make Germany Great Again" and I want to be clear that the author does not use it as a Hitler campaign slogan in order to make a connection to present day. There are times when Nazi supporting characters will say something like, Hitler is going to make Germany great again, which is historically accurate, as Hitler absolutely did say these words. The only parallel that should be drawn to the author using this phrase and the current US president is that both men see/saw themselves as the only ones capable of restoring said greatness.
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 14, 2025
Give My Love to Berlin is a beautiful and poignant story set against the backdrop of Berlin during the rise of Nazism. At its heart, it’s a love story not just between Tillie and Ruth, but also among the chosen family they build at the Institute for Sexual Science, a rare refuge for queer people in an increasingly hostile world.
I was struck by how much I didn’t know going into this book. I had no idea how vibrant and queer Berlin was in the 1920s, nor was I familiar with Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and his groundbreaking work, particularly in support of transgender women. I found myself frequently switching over to Google to learn more about the real people and events that inspired the story. That’s a testament to Bryant’s writing–she draws you in so deeply that you’re compelled to learn more even as you’re swept up in the narrative. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the chilling parallels between the events described in the book that led to the rise of Nazism and what we’re witnessing in the United States today.
I also loved the shifts between timelines, from 1927-1941 to 1990-1991, and the way the characters’ lives remained interconnected across generations. As someone who’s a sucker for family history and old photos, I was especially drawn to the genealogy thread. It added a compelling mystery that slowly unfolded alongside the main storyline.
By the end, I was sobbing, literally having to stop reading because my tears were blurring the pages. I couldn’t put this book down. As a debut novel, I’m impressed by Bryant’s ability to tell such a powerful and important story with so much emotional depth. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amphorae Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I was struck by how much I didn’t know going into this book. I had no idea how vibrant and queer Berlin was in the 1920s, nor was I familiar with Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld and his groundbreaking work, particularly in support of transgender women. I found myself frequently switching over to Google to learn more about the real people and events that inspired the story. That’s a testament to Bryant’s writing–she draws you in so deeply that you’re compelled to learn more even as you’re swept up in the narrative. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore the chilling parallels between the events described in the book that led to the rise of Nazism and what we’re witnessing in the United States today.
I also loved the shifts between timelines, from 1927-1941 to 1990-1991, and the way the characters’ lives remained interconnected across generations. As someone who’s a sucker for family history and old photos, I was especially drawn to the genealogy thread. It added a compelling mystery that slowly unfolded alongside the main storyline.
By the end, I was sobbing, literally having to stop reading because my tears were blurring the pages. I couldn’t put this book down. As a debut novel, I’m impressed by Bryant’s ability to tell such a powerful and important story with so much emotional depth. I can’t wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley and Amphorae Publishing Group for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 9, 2025
This is a dual timeline story. 1930s Berlin is woven in with 1990s USA.
We all know what 1930s Germany was about - this brings the perspective of some of the queer and trans community - just trying to live their lives while Hitler is coming to power.
It portrays the horror of seeing your community around you, including your friends and family, change and believe in something that sees you as 'other' and to her feared, hated, targeted and destroyed.
People voting in a party that at first is seen as a joke and unbelievable.
It is chilling. As you read it you know how it will end.
The 1990s USA section is family trying to work out what happened with a box of photos and a grandmother with dementia. They realise the significance of the found family that they have been able to live within on coming to USA.
Thanks to publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It is not just reading a fictionalised account of the brutality and persecution of the queer population. Other communities are not overlooked when describing the hatred and targeting. There is no fictional account of the war and the Holocaust - but that isn't needed here - we are familiar enough with it to be able to factor that into the story just by the mention of Dachau.
Looking around the world today is equally chilling; we watch history repeat itself - particularly with the USA queer and trans community at the moment.
At times I was reluctant to read on - but finishing the story is important to allow at least some of the characters some closure and for their stories to be told.
Unfortunately there are going to be modern day stories to be told that will not end well and have a Happy Ever After.
We all know what 1930s Germany was about - this brings the perspective of some of the queer and trans community - just trying to live their lives while Hitler is coming to power.
It portrays the horror of seeing your community around you, including your friends and family, change and believe in something that sees you as 'other' and to her feared, hated, targeted and destroyed.
People voting in a party that at first is seen as a joke and unbelievable.
It is chilling. As you read it you know how it will end.
The 1990s USA section is family trying to work out what happened with a box of photos and a grandmother with dementia. They realise the significance of the found family that they have been able to live within on coming to USA.
Thanks to publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
It is not just reading a fictionalised account of the brutality and persecution of the queer population. Other communities are not overlooked when describing the hatred and targeting. There is no fictional account of the war and the Holocaust - but that isn't needed here - we are familiar enough with it to be able to factor that into the story just by the mention of Dachau.
Looking around the world today is equally chilling; we watch history repeat itself - particularly with the USA queer and trans community at the moment.
At times I was reluctant to read on - but finishing the story is important to allow at least some of the characters some closure and for their stories to be told.
Unfortunately there are going to be modern day stories to be told that will not end well and have a Happy Ever After.
April 25, 2025
Thank you to Amphorae, NetGalley, and Katherine Bryant for allowing me to read this in advance of its release next month for a review. Thoughts are, as always, mine! It’s never easy to read about World War II, particularly as someone with Jewish ancestry and a family story that is connected to the Holocaust. This well-researched and tightly constructed novel takes you through Berlin’s history as the queer capitol of the world and its descent into an authoritarian nightmare. It asks a lot of tough questions that give the reader plenty to think about, though one of the most poignant to me was the debate over when you should abandon your home and when it stops being your home, if ever. Bryant is a capable author who conveys information clearly without making the prose feel like a history lesson or a textbook, which I really appreciated. I was also glad to see her place emphasis on how many people considered the Nazis a joke initially, which is important to keep in mind.
My only critique was that I wish the book had slowed down a little at times. The breakneck pace makes a lot of sense in some of the tenser conflicts, but I found myself wishing that we could linger more in the sections from the past to get a better sense of the characters and their interior lives. Tillie is by far the most well realized, but I would’ve loved to find out more about the history of all of the characters connected to the Institute. Slowing the pace down a tiny bit would also have eased the “this happened and then that happened” feeling that I had in certain moments.
Overall, I thought this was a lovely book and a really informative, emotional read. I was definitely tearing up by the end, and can think of quite a few people I’ll be recommending it to.
My only critique was that I wish the book had slowed down a little at times. The breakneck pace makes a lot of sense in some of the tenser conflicts, but I found myself wishing that we could linger more in the sections from the past to get a better sense of the characters and their interior lives. Tillie is by far the most well realized, but I would’ve loved to find out more about the history of all of the characters connected to the Institute. Slowing the pace down a tiny bit would also have eased the “this happened and then that happened” feeling that I had in certain moments.
Overall, I thought this was a lovely book and a really informative, emotional read. I was definitely tearing up by the end, and can think of quite a few people I’ll be recommending it to.
April 27, 2025
First, I want to thank NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest review.
The premise of this sounded like a really heartfelt historical romance. However, this lacked emotional depth, and as a german, I couldn't get over the odd representation of Nazi Germany. It felt written from a very American point of view. Berlin isn't and wasn't like that. The characters were supposedly german but didn't even have german names. The way they talked about Hitler was very insensitive and odd. The entire historical aspect felt wrongly handled and is not accurately portrayed.
Besides the historical inaccuracies, I also didn't like the characters at all. They didn't feel real at all. Their dialogs felt very akward and language wise also didn't fit in the 1930s at all.
Additionally, I disliked the writing style. It felt very inexperienced. The writing was very choppy and right on the nose. It lacked a lot of "showing instead of telling." Therefore, it heavily lacked atmosphere and felt very cold and unemotional.
Sadly, this didn't work for me at all, and I dragged through it. It's not a long book at all, but it felt very long since it lacked any atmosphere and tension for me.
The premise of this sounded like a really heartfelt historical romance. However, this lacked emotional depth, and as a german, I couldn't get over the odd representation of Nazi Germany. It felt written from a very American point of view. Berlin isn't and wasn't like that. The characters were supposedly german but didn't even have german names. The way they talked about Hitler was very insensitive and odd. The entire historical aspect felt wrongly handled and is not accurately portrayed.
Besides the historical inaccuracies, I also didn't like the characters at all. They didn't feel real at all. Their dialogs felt very akward and language wise also didn't fit in the 1930s at all.
Additionally, I disliked the writing style. It felt very inexperienced. The writing was very choppy and right on the nose. It lacked a lot of "showing instead of telling." Therefore, it heavily lacked atmosphere and felt very cold and unemotional.
Sadly, this didn't work for me at all, and I dragged through it. It's not a long book at all, but it felt very long since it lacked any atmosphere and tension for me.
May 20, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. Thank you NetGalley and Walrus Publishing for the e-ARC.
Damn, that last few lines had be absolutely bawling. In general, I think this is a great fictionalized way of learning what happened to gay, lesbians and trans people during the 30’s and 40’s in Germany. I already came into this book knowing what happened but I still found things I didn’t know about and also things I hadn’t thought of.
I also see this book as almost a cautionary tale, with the way things are going in the world, the rise of the far right, nationalism, and fascism around the world and all the anti-trans bills in the US. We cannot afford to be complacent.
In terms of the characters and narrative, I did find it suffering from “telling but not showing”. Not that I did not find some of the characters lovable, especially Tillie and Ruth but the other characters tended to serve a specific purpose without allowing the reader to form an emotional attachment to them. Nonetheless, I was still engaged and took any time I had to read the book.
I do think it’s a great way for someone who might not know that much about other people killed in the Holocaust to start learning about it, and also to learn that queer people, we have always been here and we will always be here.
Damn, that last few lines had be absolutely bawling. In general, I think this is a great fictionalized way of learning what happened to gay, lesbians and trans people during the 30’s and 40’s in Germany. I already came into this book knowing what happened but I still found things I didn’t know about and also things I hadn’t thought of.
I also see this book as almost a cautionary tale, with the way things are going in the world, the rise of the far right, nationalism, and fascism around the world and all the anti-trans bills in the US. We cannot afford to be complacent.
In terms of the characters and narrative, I did find it suffering from “telling but not showing”. Not that I did not find some of the characters lovable, especially Tillie and Ruth but the other characters tended to serve a specific purpose without allowing the reader to form an emotional attachment to them. Nonetheless, I was still engaged and took any time I had to read the book.
I do think it’s a great way for someone who might not know that much about other people killed in the Holocaust to start learning about it, and also to learn that queer people, we have always been here and we will always be here.
May 3, 2025
Once I started reading Give My Love to Berlin, I couldn’t put it down. I’m an audio book “reader” and actually sitting and reading is a challenge for me. I read it in two days.
It was that good. I will say this is my kind of book. Historical fiction with real events and people interwoven with a story of fictional characters.
Give My Love to Berlin follows the lives of two gay couples and their friends living in Germany from 1920’s through 1941 during the rise of the Nazi regime. The author’s impressive research educated me on the rise of the Nazi party prior to WWII and LGBTQ+ history during that time. Think Cabaret meets The Nightingale.
I loved both storylines, combining the past with the present. The past love story and the present story of discovering secrets from long ago. The past/present storylines kept me so engaged, I couldn’t stop reading. I just wanted to know what’s next. It played out like a movie in my head.
This is a beautiful story. I cried a lot. I learned a great deal, which I’m grateful for. Trust me, it’s worth the tears! The ending is the best. No spoilers from me!
It was that good. I will say this is my kind of book. Historical fiction with real events and people interwoven with a story of fictional characters.
Give My Love to Berlin follows the lives of two gay couples and their friends living in Germany from 1920’s through 1941 during the rise of the Nazi regime. The author’s impressive research educated me on the rise of the Nazi party prior to WWII and LGBTQ+ history during that time. Think Cabaret meets The Nightingale.
I loved both storylines, combining the past with the present. The past love story and the present story of discovering secrets from long ago. The past/present storylines kept me so engaged, I couldn’t stop reading. I just wanted to know what’s next. It played out like a movie in my head.
This is a beautiful story. I cried a lot. I learned a great deal, which I’m grateful for. Trust me, it’s worth the tears! The ending is the best. No spoilers from me!
May 6, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for eARC.
I’m glad I read this book. It’s difficult to say I had fun reading it as the topic fell quite heavy for me. So maybe not a fun read, but enjoyable one.
There is dual timeline (1990s USA and 1930s Germany) although the majority of the story follows Tilly and her friend group as they live in Berlin pre World War II.
It was interesting but quite heavy to read how the Nazi party grew in strength. The politics are not the main focus of the story but are important background.
It’s a well written historical fiction novel. I may not agree with some of the characters actions/decisions, but I think the characters are written very well, portrayed exactly how the author meant. For me, the writing style gave the vibes I associate with books/movies surrounding WWII timeline.
I got really invested with the story around 40-50% mark. The more towards the end, it was getting harder and harder for me to read, emotionally-wise, so prepare the tissues.
Overall it’s a well written book, especially since it’s a debut, but keep in mind that it can be triggering or at least reflective.
I’m glad I read this book. It’s difficult to say I had fun reading it as the topic fell quite heavy for me. So maybe not a fun read, but enjoyable one.
There is dual timeline (1990s USA and 1930s Germany) although the majority of the story follows Tilly and her friend group as they live in Berlin pre World War II.
It was interesting but quite heavy to read how the Nazi party grew in strength. The politics are not the main focus of the story but are important background.
It’s a well written historical fiction novel. I may not agree with some of the characters actions/decisions, but I think the characters are written very well, portrayed exactly how the author meant. For me, the writing style gave the vibes I associate with books/movies surrounding WWII timeline.
I got really invested with the story around 40-50% mark. The more towards the end, it was getting harder and harder for me to read, emotionally-wise, so prepare the tissues.
Overall it’s a well written book, especially since it’s a debut, but keep in mind that it can be triggering or at least reflective.
May 20, 2025
Some mixed feelings on this one. Overall I enjoyed the story and characters. I typically wouldn't read a WWII era historical fiction novel so the storyline sparked enough interest for me to look into the real Dora and the real Institute, therefore it lead to a great learning experience. The connecting the dots Thea was doing was throughout the b0ok was pretty interesting and it was certainly a nice feeling for everything to come full circle. The parallels drawn with our current political and cultural temperature in America were obviously unsettling, and I assume that was purposefully emphasized by the author.
Here's the more critical part of my review: Unfortunately the writing became redundant in too many instances. The tea pouring, the same descriptive words (over and over and over again) for anger/sadness/fear/grief, the door knocks, the vodka, the "doll" pet name... I couldn't take it. The ending was drawn out and expected.
All that said, when Bryant releases her next book I will give it a go.
Here's the more critical part of my review: Unfortunately the writing became redundant in too many instances. The tea pouring, the same descriptive words (over and over and over again) for anger/sadness/fear/grief, the door knocks, the vodka, the "doll" pet name... I couldn't take it. The ending was drawn out and expected.
All that said, when Bryant releases her next book I will give it a go.
April 3, 2025
I need historical fiction to do two things well: teach me something and give me characters to be invested in. This book did both of these things incredibly well. There is so much I did not know about preWW2 in Berlin. I loved the characters in this book and even though I knew where it was headed I was still invested in their lives and hoped for them. The parallels between this book and our current life in the states is beyond eerie and is so frightening. Through out the nazi rise there was this feeling that being the minority would keep them in check but they were dogmatic and organized. So they were underestimated. This book does any amazing job at detailing the slow and methodical rise of the party, including how people became a part of something that terrorized and murdered so many. Because the author understands that the important part of this type of history is understanding how it happened so we don’t let it happen again.
And the end was just beautiful.
And the end was just beautiful.
April 14, 2025
4.25 stars!
thank you netgalley & Amphorae Publishing Group for access to an early readers copy of this book.
can i just start by saying that this is such an incredible debut novel!! i've read many historical fiction novels especially set during ww2 and i haven't read a book about the sufferings the lgbtqia+ community went through. it was truly eye opening to read about and i learnt so much about the changes in berlin during the 20-40s, i knew this community was targeted, but i was so unaware of the extent that those in berlin specifically were attacked.
tillie's storyline was so interesting, working in her fathers law firm and seeing the growth of the nazi party through her eyes was some of my favourite parts!
i did feel that there were a lots of characters introduced at once and it did take me a while to get my head wrapped around them all, and remember who was who. but other than that this story was beautifully told & written.
thank you netgalley & Amphorae Publishing Group for access to an early readers copy of this book.
can i just start by saying that this is such an incredible debut novel!! i've read many historical fiction novels especially set during ww2 and i haven't read a book about the sufferings the lgbtqia+ community went through. it was truly eye opening to read about and i learnt so much about the changes in berlin during the 20-40s, i knew this community was targeted, but i was so unaware of the extent that those in berlin specifically were attacked.
tillie's storyline was so interesting, working in her fathers law firm and seeing the growth of the nazi party through her eyes was some of my favourite parts!
i did feel that there were a lots of characters introduced at once and it did take me a while to get my head wrapped around them all, and remember who was who. but other than that this story was beautifully told & written.
May 25, 2025
Thank you NetGalley and Amphorea Publishing for an ARC in exchange for providing an honest review. As someone who had a special bond with my grandma when she was alive I love how the book is centred around Thea learning her grandmothers story. As a queer woman the book made me emotional and really highlighted those who have paved the paths before us, living in the shadows, allowing us to be out and proud. This isn’t my usual read and was tough in places. The writing style was excellent, however it’s hard to fathom the evil acts that took places. I found a particular quote in the book particularly moving “they erased them. Erased it all.” It’s horrific what happened during that period to anyone that didn’t fit an ideal image and the book has educated me on how it impacted the queer community. Thank you Kathryn for making sure the communities stories are heard, as difficult and unfathomable it is to read
January 10, 2026
3.5
Very conflicted about this one. I was excited to return to 1920s Berlin after enjoying the descriptions of queer life in The Lilac People, but we didn’t get as much of that as I’d hoped. Why couldn’t we have gone to Ruth and James’ club??
The writing was also unfortunately quite mediocre and the linguistic anachronisms were jarring. A lot of the names didn’t seem particularly German?
I also found some of the plot points hard to believe, especially how they seemed to be practically running the Nazi party out of a random law firm. I also didn’t love how the author chose to kill off a historical character, when evidence shows she survived the period.
On the other hand, I appreciated how the book portrayed the not so slow creep of Nazism, with its obvious parallels to today, and how it shines a light on queer history. Overall I enjoyed it, but I really wish it had been better executed.
Very conflicted about this one. I was excited to return to 1920s Berlin after enjoying the descriptions of queer life in The Lilac People, but we didn’t get as much of that as I’d hoped. Why couldn’t we have gone to Ruth and James’ club??
The writing was also unfortunately quite mediocre and the linguistic anachronisms were jarring. A lot of the names didn’t seem particularly German?
I also found some of the plot points hard to believe, especially how they seemed to be practically running the Nazi party out of a random law firm. I also didn’t love how the author chose to kill off a historical character, when evidence shows she survived the period.
On the other hand, I appreciated how the book portrayed the not so slow creep of Nazism, with its obvious parallels to today, and how it shines a light on queer history. Overall I enjoyed it, but I really wish it had been better executed.
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