What a beautifully heartbreaking coming of age story.  Told in dual timelines that will take you from the summer of 1953 in South Carolina and back to Auschwitz, 1942, this book shattered my heart and yet was able to pick up the pieces at the same time.

In 1942, Jozef and Adi are captured by the Nazis after fleeing for their lives.  Taken to Auschwitz where they are torn apart to endure the horror no one can imagine. In the summer of 1953, 13 year old Alice's world is turned upside down when a local girl is discovered dead in the lake. 

When suspicion falls on the quiet German refugee, an unlikely friendship is forged between Jozef and Alice. A friendship that will alter both their lives forever. As she learns of Jozef's past, the desperate choices people were forced to make along with the fight for freedom, Alice grapples with the truth surrounding her own life. 

As beautiful as it is heartbreaking, this wasn't an easy read.  Jozef's story has stayed with me long after I read the last page.  The fear he endured, the horror he witnessed, all of it detailed in between these covers.  Alice struggling to understand at such a tender age.  There is a moment in the mind of Alice when she says "I wish I wasn't a child and I knew what to say to him."  All I could think, was even as an adult, you wouldn't know what to say to him.  If you love historical fiction, especially WWII history, do not hesitate to read this book.  This one deserves all the stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for my gifted E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.