Note: Thank you to NetGalley, Black Rose Writing, and author Barbara Pronin for the advanced reader copy of this book. This review will also be posted on NetGalley. What follows is my unbiased review of the book.

Winter’s End is a historical fiction book set during the waning years of World War II in the Netherlands. This makes it a bit of a different read as there’s no build-up to the Nazi occupation of the country. It begins in an already-occupied state, which takes for granted the reader has some understanding of history already.

The story follows three young women as they try to survive the occupation, as well as do their part to undermine the Nazis. Mila Brouwer is the beautiful daughter of a wealthy Dutch merchant who is surviving by collaborating with the occupiers. She feeds information to the Resistance forces that she overhears at the dinner table while her father entertains the enemy. Zoe Visser is a veterinarian by day, a resistance fighter at night. She helps hide those that the Germans are hunting down, as well as tries to help hunt down supplies, so people don’t starve. The youngest is Evi Strobel. She lives on a boat with her mother, who helps ferry supplies as well as move people through the network to escape the Nazis. The youngest of the three, she visits taverns where the Nazis drink and lures them to their deaths while the Resistance takes their uniforms and identification to use to help people escape.

I enjoyed Winter’s End as I found it to be much different than many other historical fiction novels set during World War II. I think by not rehashing the start of the war and occupation, the author could focus just on one year in the lives of her characters and do it justice. It was life-changing for all of them at a time when women were not expected to do the things they do. Even Zoe is already breaking barriers in her position as a veterinarian. They hide in plain sight, and that is what helps them fool their occupiers. They are underestimated because they are women. Only Mila’s father seems to know his daughter enough to be suspicious of how she tries to get the German officers at their dinner table talking.

The setting four years into the occupation of the Netherlands by the Nazis is compelling. The citizens are starving, with farmers digging up their tulip bulbs so people can eat them. That is part of what the Resistance is doing besides undermining the occupiers; they try to find food to feed their fellow citizens as well as those they are protecting in hiding.

The writing flowed very nicely, although parts were predictable. At only sixteen, Evi is recruited to lure Nazis to their deaths. Evi’s mother doesn’t want to let her do it at first; however, I never doubted that she was going to end up doing it. The characters are compelling enough that I didn’t mind that at all. The three women work together at times, but also work independently while living their lives. There is some romance, but it doesn’t dominate the story.

I enjoyed Winter’s End quite a bit. The story is different enough that I didn’t have the feeling that I’d read it before. The characters are well-written and interesting. The author manages to describe the setting well enough that I could picture it and empathize with those in this situation. It’s a solid read that I recommend to people who enjoy World War II historical fiction.