I definitely did not enjoy this as much as 'Kommandant's Girl' but it was still a compelling and exciting read. I was gripped right from the very start, but unfortunately this didn't last all the way through the book. Quite a few factors spoiled my reading. Marta did not have such a strong personality as Emma, and didn't seem as fleshed-out as her. With Emma, I felt like I really got inside her head, but this was not the case with Marta. A lot of Marta's story relied upon coincidences, and there truly is such a thing as too many coincidences. The writing seemed somewhat flat, and I found myself skim-reading and skipping lines without meaning to. While I enjoy less-descriptive writing, there was just something with this book which seemed flat and too simplistic. Marta's "I'm learning a language" English was not believable - someone learning English and at the very basic stages would not say "I'll" - they'd say "I will." Surely Jenoff, with her work in a foreign country, would know this! And lastly, the amazing Scooby-Doo and Sweet Valley -esque ending where everyone is linked to the mystery - which was right under Marta's nose the whole time - and they reveal their Super Evil Communist plan to her without being prompted! Um, WHAAAAT? I agree with the reviewer who said that Jenoff obviously wants this made into a movie - the events in the last chapter did not work well in writing.
I appreciate that Jenoff makes history accessible to people who would not normally be interested in it, in the form of a romance novel. She does write compelling novels, but I prefer my books with a bit more history and little less OTT coincidence-based action and excitement. I feel that 'Kommandant's Girl' was significantly more believable. However, I did still enjoy reading this book and will read Jenoff's third novel. 6/10