I received an advanced copy of this book.

3.5 stars

This story is initially grounded in the story of Emmy Clarke who travels to Germany in 1946 on behalf of the Library of Congress to sort and document books that had been seized by the Nazis during the war. She works alongside the Monuments Men and plays a key role in the literary world.

I wish the book had really leaned in to this particular story line, but two other story lines are woven in. One story line is from the late 30's, focused on Annelise, a member of a local Pirate group. A second storyline is from the early 40's, primarily focused on Annelise's sister Christine. The common thread that ties these together is a book that Emmy has found with a personal inscription to Annalise, and Emmy is determined to return the book to the original owner.

The close timelines made the book a little more confusing/slow for me to read until the connection between the storylines began to develop a little more.

When I started reading “The Lost Book of Bonn” I thought I wasn’t going to like it. The fact that there were alternating chapters with three different perspectives made it hard for me to invest in the story right away. I found that I preferred Emmy’s perspective over Annelise’s and Christina’s in the beginning. I almost put this book down. I’m so glad I didn’t.

As the stories developed, the three perspectives slowly merged into a cohesive dynamic that captured my attention. This well researched uncommon and unique perspective of Nazi Germany during World War II made for an interesting and informative historical fiction read.

This book follows three women: Emmy Clarke, Annelise Fischer and Christina Fischer during and after World War II. Annelise and Christina are teenaged sisters who each take very different political paths during the war. One is part of the resistance while the other is supporting and working for the Nazis. Their journeys and actions are told in alternating chapters. Separately, Emmy is a librarian for the Library of Congress. After taking an assignment abroad in Germany after WWII has ended, Emmy comes across a lost book of poetry with an inscription written in it to Annelise. Emmy’s mission is to return the book to its rightful owner.

I enjoyed each character’s development and complexity throughout the chapters and the intersecting relationship that ultimately emerged.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Edelweiss Pirates. This resistance group comprised of many German youths started with small pranks against the nazis and evolved into life-risking protests by Germans who would have benefited from the Nazi system.

I would recommend this book to all of the historical fiction lovers out there as well as anyone interested in a unique perspective of WWII.

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books and the author, Brianna Labuskes, for the opportunity to read this Advanced Reader’s e-proof in exchange for my honest review.

4.5⭐️ (rounded up to 5)

I very much enjoyed this book. The fact that I had assumptions about who did and didn't survive because this took place during WWII and that the author was able to surprise me with that added to my like of the book. Historical fiction can be hard... people reading want a happy ending but events like WWII make those kinds of endings seem unrealistic, even for a fiction book sometimes. I think this author did a great job at giving the mostly happy ending but keeping it more on the real side. Some of the routes the characters took were for sure more on the fiction side but it worked with the endings that were provided. I also very much appreciate when an author of historical fiction explains which events they changed a bit for the story and why. And that the whole story centered around a book that was being attempted to return to its owner just made it better.

• I really enjoy multiple POVs, especially if those POVs stretch across time. Stories interconnecting!! Multiple sides to the same story!! That stuff's the best
• Labuskes seems to give interesting, book-themed and little-known narratives the attention they deserve, after being swallowed up in bigger stories like the Second World War. This time it was about the book department of the Monuments Men - I almost wish there was more of Emmy's POV so we got to see more of what she actually did! 
• I just love a book about books.
• I loved Emmy, and her story, and the romance between her and Major Arnold (can't resist a good romance)
• Annelise's POV, and her time with Eitan that would have long-lasting consequences for a LOT of people, was beautifully told. Poor Annelise. I wanted a happy ending for her so badly but I knew pretty much from the start there wouldn't be one
• Christina's POV had the most character depth out of all of them, I thought. We got to see the roots of her self-loathing and the steps she took to overcome both it and the bigotry she'd been absorbing. I loved seeing her get her happy ending
• I had no idea about the Rose street protest and it was moving to hear about. Those women, through their courage, saved 2000 lives in the heart of Berlin, under the noses of so much hatred. I couldn't believe I'd never heard of it before, but, of course, since it was women doing it, probably it doesn't get much air time in traditional historical narratives
• The writing was excellent; I really fell into all of these stories
• The TWIST. I was expecting the whole time that Annelise had died during Kristallnacht, but no!! Her actual ending was sadder, frankly, but at least she lives to know that Eitan will be all right and that the war will be over. Her arc was so sad (so much innocence lost) but so beautiful (yet we persevere)

• I WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO ANNELISE. She was an amazing character and I feel enraged that all we get to know about her ending was that she died in 1945. We deserve to know the whole of it!! How did she die? How did she feel?? We sort of get that with her trip to Bonn and her forgiveness of Christina, but I wanted a proper ending to her story that wasn't just an addendum to someone else's

There is so much to unpack in this well written, excellent addition to historical fiction of WWII. Emmy is a librarian at the Library of Congress, sent to Germany in 1946 to assist in the efforts of restoring stolen literature to their rightful owners, and collecting the propaganda that convinced a country to participate in Hitler’s madness regarding the “Jewish question”. When Emmy finds a book of Rilke poems with an inscription, she is determined to track down the owner. Annelise is a young woman, who in 1938, decides to participate in acts of resistance with the Pirates of Edelweiss. The group started out as an outdoorsy hiking group, but quickly saw that the poison of the Nazis was worth fighting against. Annelise’s sister, Christina, in 1943, decides to reject her Hitler Youth allegiance and her Abwher position, to join the Rosenstrasse resistance when intermarried Jewish husbands were rounded up in Berlin for deportation. I have studied the era and did not know about the Pirates of Edelweiss or the Rose Street protest. As a librarian, the efforts of the Monuments Men to restore books to their universities, collections and donate to refugee camps was admirable. This quote hit home, “They’ve always wanted to dictate what voices were allowed to speak. Whose stories were allowed to be told”. An ominous warning applicable today. Highly recommend this book and thank NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 stars
I liked this book, but I liked the library of burned books much better. I was not a huge fan of the whole idea of what the Nazis weredoing against the LGBT community. I know it was a real thing but just not my favorite part of the book. I did like how all their story lines ended up intersecting towards the end and I did like the ending. I wasn't completely satisfying but it was okay. The book dragged a little bit for me in the middle. I do like this author's writing style though.