The Girl Who Survived

“Wow!!!… Definitely not going to leave my head anytime soon… Devastatingly heartbreaking… Absolutely rammed with emotions… A heart-wrenching, absolutely beautiful, devastating story.’ Bookworm86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Germany, 1941: “We live together, or we die together.” A novel that will stay with you forever, The Girl Who Survived is inspired by the true story of Ilse Stein, a German Jew who was imprisoned in a ghetto––and who fell in love with the man she was supposed to loathe.

For eighteen-year-old Ilse life is unrecognizable. A year ago, she wasn’t forced to wear a star on her clothes. A year ago, her parents were alive, not yet killed by their own countrymen. A year ago, she had her freedom.

Now, at the break of dawn, she steps off the cattle train into a Minsk ghetto. This is Ilse’s new home: trapped by barbed wire, surrounded by SS guards she is forbidden to look in the eye, with no choice but to trade the last of her belongings for scraps of food. Sentenced for the crime of simply existing, she doesn’t expect to live past the summer.

Yet the prisoners in the ghetto refuse to give up––the underground resistance is plotting their escape. Ilse’s first act of defiance is smuggling from the munitions factory, slipping bullets into the lining of her pockets.

But this is just the beginning… When Ilse meets Wilhem, a local SS administrative officer, she never dreams that her greatest rebellion will be falling for him. Wilhem promises that she will survive, even if the cost is his life. But in a world of such danger, daring to love is the most dangerous risk of all…

Fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, The Choice, and The Orphan Train will be completely gripped by this heartbreaking tale. Inspired by a true story, this powerful novel shows that love is stronger than terror, and that when life takes everything from you, death is not to be feared…

This book was previously published as No Woman’s Land.

Readers love The Girl Who Survived:

“A completely heart-wrenching and soul-destroying book that I couldn’t put down and I have not been able to stop thinking about. I cried so much but I loved every page.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Wow, this book was terrific… Wow, just WOW! Truly brilliant. This book managed to do something no other book has ever managed to do with me and that is that I cried… I must award it 5 stars as nothing less would do!… Just an incredible story.” Jsybookworm, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This story was so beautiful, I absolutely loved it. I could not put it down… Such an amazing story… Throughout the whole story I felt like I was holding my breath. I cannot wait to reread this book.” @Nezzareads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A hell of a heart-wrenching read… The story grabbed me from page 1… And when I reached the end I’d gone through so many different emotions… Absolutely brilliant.” NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I couldn’t put this book down, I had to see how it ended, and warning, you will need Kleenex. But read this book. Especially if you couldn’t get enough of The Tattooist of Auschwitz.” Linda Strong Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Oh, what a story! Ellie Midwood has brought me to tears… A must-read, make sure you have the box of tissues handy, you will need them.” My Cat Reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“You will need tissues! If you love historical fiction this is for you, and at its BEST.” NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“So much emotion… It will have you holding your breath and crying so many tears.” Linda’s Book Reviews, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐