Amy Lynn Green has written a stunning debut that earned its place on my favorites shelf almost immediately! Stubborn, headstrong, and brash, Johanna Berglund reluctantly accepts a position as translator for a German POW camp, requiring her to move back home to the small town that holds her secrets and heartbreak. Told through letters between friends, coworkers, and delightfully quirky neighbors, Things We Didn’t Say explores deep themes of patriotism, prejudice, duty, honor, faith, love, and forgiveness. I really admired how Johanna’s character was stretched and shaped by the events that unfolded, and just when I was getting annoyed with her headstrong nature and thinking “hasn’t she learned anything yet?!” she would surprise me yet again.

Perhaps the best surprise was the Lutheran congregation that featured in the book, and the Lutheran humor sprinkled throughout. I laughed SO HARD at some of those scenes, because some things are still so relatable. Although not a “preachy” novel at all, there was a beautiful thread of law and gospel woven into many of the novel’s relationships which made this book even more satisfying to my Lutheran heart.

Oh my goodness, I just loved this book so much! I've always loved epistolary novels, and this one did not disappoint. I really appreciated that this book focused on POW camps in the United States during WWII -- something I didn't know anything about. This is an incredibly well-researched and thought-provoking book; I enjoyed everything I learned. My favorite thing about this book was Jo, the main character -- particularly her personality and character development. Highly recommend!

I am not sure what I expected when I picked up this book, but a literary collection of letters in the tradition of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" was unexpected. A book written in this manner can either fall flat or be wildly successful, and I believe this one to be the latter.
The story, woven in letters, of a strong heroine without romantic interests, but longing for an education, to stand for what she believes in, come across very well. the German POW's along with the Japanese unrest, is told in a new way when I thought it could not be done. My only wish would be that we had just a bit more to the story. Well done.
I obtained this book from the publishers. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Did not finish. Just couldn’t get into it

I read about stateside Japanese internment camps during WWIi in school (“Farewell to Manzanar” comes to mind), but I’ll admit even the thought of a German POW camp stateside hadn’t entered my mind until I picked up this book.

it’s thought-provoking, painstakingly researched, and convicting on many levels. Wow.

I’m not usually one for books written in letter form, but this one may just convince me to give them another try (along with Katherine Reay’s “Dear Mr. Knightley”).

This isn’t a quick or light read, which I sometimes struggled with, but on the same token, the subject matter doesn’t lend itself to either.

Very well-done book, particularly for a debut novel.

I received a copy of the book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I read every detail of this book, including the author's note at the end. I learned that this is the author's debut novel, which I never would have imagined!! This story is incredibly well-written in an epistolary manner (which might be a turn off to some, but I really enjoyed).
This book caught my attention from the very beginning, where it talks about a "civilian charged with involvement in prisoner-of-war-related crimes is a complicated affair." I was like, what? What happened? You might be asking yourself that very question right now...and it you are dying of curiosity like I was, I can guarantee you will not be disappointed...a truly great story on so many different levels.
There are not a lot of physical details given about the characters, but you get to know them through the letters. I am actually glad that we are not given a lot of details, or that might have spoiled the image that we get of them.
I am not a huge fan of historical fiction, but the style of writing really intrigued me and I had a hard time putting the book down to get anything else done. Johanna is the main character and I loved her sharp wit and humor. Yes, humor. I never expected to laugh out loud or be snickering through a "historical" read, but that is exactly what I did. Especially in the letters that never got sent. It was really refreshing to see a book that could have really been heavy, given the nature of the story (war), written in such an effortless way, that really kept my attention. (So, during this pandemic season, do not let what could be the "serious" nature of this book be a turn off to you.
This book had many layers, including elements of suspense and mystery, it really made you wonder who the enemy was. If you are like me, you won't wonder for long, you will simply read until you learn the truth. I highly recommend this novel for anyone who likes historical fiction, books written in letter form, captivating novels or just a well-written book. I hope that this author will write more books, I would love to read more from her.
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is the first WWII book that I've read set in MN. I didn't think it possible, but here we are.