2 1/2 stars

We are told at the beginning of this book that it is based on a true story. What story? No additional information is ever shared with the reader. Nothing in the Acknowledgments and nothing found on the author's website. If I'm missing it, it shouldn't be so hard to find. So I have to assume the only element in the story based on real people has to do with the resistance group White Rose and the students that created it, Hans, his sister, and friend. The author should have supplied this information and told the reader that this is a fictional retelling. If he had, I probably wouldn't have read it. I kept reading assuming we'd learn that Franka and John were real people. Oops.

The premise is interesting although wildly implausible. I did like the development of Franka and her family story, but found the other characters one dimensional. I did enjoy learning about the White Rose resistance group for the first time and admire their bravery.

Otherwise, the dialogue was stilted and too modern for the setting of the book. And the end wrapped up too quickly. Too bad.