Zofia Lederman is 18, and recently been liberated from the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Despite being told the war is over, it doesn’t seem that way to Zofia. She feels broken in mind, body, and spirit. Three years prior, she witnessed as her all of her family were sent to die while she and her brother survived. With a promise to find each other and fill the alphabet from Abek to Zofia, A to Z, Zofia sets off from Poland into Germany to seek her brother. However, everyone she meets at the displacement camp she is at is also looking for someone. She meets people just as forever changed by the horrors of what they experienced as she was, and a young man who hides his past behind a wall of secrets. As her search continues, it seems nearly impossible. How will she find a single boy in a sea of missing people? Will the answers she finds during her search help heal her or finally break her for good?

Friends, this story is beautiful, but it is also incredibly heartbreaking. You might be thinking: “Well, duh, it’s historical fiction.”…but this book is something entirely different. I wasn’t imagining that I would relate to the anguish that Zofia feels throughout this book. From the start, it pulls you in. Throughout this book you’ll see Zofia’s memories, as she remembers them. At first, it all feels real. Vivid, raw memories that serve as both a reminder and a glimmer of hope. There’s no doubt that she’s experienced some tragic things. Then, things become a little distorted. Zofia’s memories become a little more unstable. There’s something riveting about having a somewhat unreliable narrator.

Along the way, Zofia meets so many people with stories similar to hers. With the same fervent hopes that they’ll be reunited with their loved ones. Each character is so memorable. You’ll remember something about each one. Miriam, who seeks her twin sister after they went through horrible experimentation. Breine, a former heiress who now just wants a simple wedding and quiet life. There’s also Inge. I don’t want to say much about her because of spoilers, but she’s the one that really stuck with me.

There are many small joys scattered throughout this story that are lifelines for all of these characters. Telling stories, hobbies, and reclaiming pieces of the past that were thought lost forever. Romance is another joy…mostly. Zofia’s romantic partner was problematic, and for once I feel like the ending of this type of relationship was completely appropriate.

This story has a perfect ending, at least, in the realm of everything that has happened. It’s not this overtly happy thing that is full of hope, but rather takes a very realistic approach to what’s next for the characters. I have to say, this book truly resonated with me in a way that I didn’t think possible. Truly, all of Monica Hesse’s books have had this effect on me. Her books look into parts of history that most don’t think about. Her author’s notes are worth reading for the historical relevance to the places Monica chooses to focus on. There’s so much respect in her research, and it reflects into her writing. I look forward to her next book, wherever that journey takes us.

This book is undoubtedly a 10/10 for me. It’s powerful, and I hope that this story will resonate with many others. Definitely add this book to your TBR.

They Went Left is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Will you be picking up They Went Left? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

Germany, 1945. The soldiers who liberated the Gross-Rosen concentration camp said the war was over, but nothing feels over to eighteen-year-old Zofia Lederman. Her body has barely begun to heal; her mind feels broken. And her life is completely shattered: Three years ago, she and her younger brother, Abek, were the only members of their family to be sent to the right, away from the gas chambers of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Everyone else–her parents, her grandmother, radiant Aunt Maja–they went left.

Zofia’s last words to her brother were a promise: Abek to Zofia, A to Z. When I find you again, we will fill our alphabet. Now her journey to fulfill that vow takes her through Poland and Germany, and into a displaced persons camp where everyone she meets is trying to piece together a future from a painful past: Miriam, desperately searching for the twin she was separated from after they survived medical experimentation. Breine, a former heiress, who now longs only for a simple wedding with her new fiancé. And Josef, who guards his past behind a wall of secrets, and is beautiful and strange and magnetic all at once.

But the deeper Zofia digs, the more impossible her search seems. How can she find one boy in a sea of the missing? In the rubble of a broken continent, Zofia must delve into a mystery whose answers could break her–or help her rebuild her world.

The post Review: They Went Left by Monica Hesse appeared first on The Nerd Daily.

Jack Kerouac Is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner
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Gae Polisner’s Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me is a story about the fragility of female friendship, of falling in love and wondering if you are ready for more, and of the glimmers of hope we find by taking stock in ourselves.

The Lucky Ones by Liz Lawson
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For fans of Thirteen Reasons Why, This Is How It Ends, and All the Bright Places, comes a new novel about life after. How do you put yourself back together when it seems like you’ve lost it all?

The Loop by Ben Oliver
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Life inside The Loop-the futuristic death row for teens under eighteen-is one long repetitive purgatory. But when news of the encroaching chaos in the outside world reaches the inmates and disorder begins to strike, the prison becomes the least of their worries. Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and The Darkest Minds.

Late to the Party by Kelly Quindlen
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From author Kelly Quindlen comes a poignant and deeply relatable story about friendship, self-acceptance, what it means to be a Real Teenager. Late to the Party is an ode to late bloomers and wallflowers everywhere.

So This is Love by Elizabeth Lim
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What if Cinderella never tried on the glass slipper? Unable to prove that she’s the missing princess, and unable to bear life under Lady Tremaine any longer, Cinderella attempts a fresh start, looking for work at the palace as a seamstress. But when the Grand Duke appoints her to serve under the king’s visiting sister, Cinderella becomes witness to a grand conspiracy to take the king-and the prince-out of power, as well as a longstanding prejudice against fairies, including Cinderella’s own Fairy Godmother.

Verona Comics by Jennifer Dugan
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From the author of Hot Dog Girl comes a fresh and funny YA contemporary romance about two teens who fall in love in an indie comic book shop.

Time of Our Lives by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
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A reflective, romantic coming-of-age novel that explores life after high school–perfect for fans of Fangirl and Emergency Contact.

This Boy by Lauren Myracle
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Lauren Myracle brings her signature frank, funny, and insightful writing to this novel of a teenage boy’s coming-of-age.

Crave by Tracy Wolff
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My whole world changed when I stepped inside the academy. Here I am, a mere mortal among gods…or monsters. Then there’s Jaxon Vega, a vampire with deadly secrets  and there’s something about him that calls to me. Which could spell death for us all. Because Jaxon walled himself off for a reason. And now someone wants to wake a sleeping monster, and I’m wondering if I was brought here intentionally—as the bait.

They Went Left by Monica Hesse
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A tour de force historical mystery from Monica Hesse, the bestselling and award-winning author of Girl in the Blue Coat.

Don’t Call the Wolf by Aleksandra Ross
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A forest, besieged. A queen, unyielding. Fans of Leigh Bardugo and Holly Black will devour this deliciously dark Eastern European–inspired YA fantasy debut.

The Burning by Laura Bates
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From Laura Bates, internationally renowned feminist and founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, comes a debut novel for the #metoo era. It’s a powerful call to action, reminding all readers of the implications of sexism and the role we can each play in ending it.

Will you be picking up any of these YA books? Tell us in the comments below!

The post April 2020 Book Releases: YA appeared first on The Nerd Daily.