Review - The Other Me by Saskia Sarginson

Title: The Other Me

Author: Saskia Sarginson

Pages: 400

Publisher: Piatkus

Release date: 5th March 2015

Blurb from Goodreads:

Eliza Bennett has the life she's always dreamed of.
She's who she wants to be, and she's with the man she loves.

But Eliza is living a lie. Her real name is Klaudia Meyer.
And Klaudia is on the run. She's escaping her old life, and a terrible secret buried at the heart of her family.

This is the story of Eliza and Klaudia - one girl, two lives and a lie they cannot hide from.

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US 

My Review:

 

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Little, Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley*

3/5 stars

Klaudia Meyer has reinvented herself as Eliza Bennett in an attempt to leave her past behind.

She doesn't want to be the daughter of a Nazi or reminded of her school days. She wants to dance.

Her life is a web of lies - she lies to people she meets, her friends and her parents.

Will Eliza be able to keep her two lives separate?

The Other Me was a thought-provoking read.

A large theme is World War II and how it affected those involved in it as well as their children. Klaudia was ashamed of her father, Otto, because she thought he'd been a Nazi. She was also bullied at school because of her father.

Some of the chapters were told from the point of view of Ernst, Otto's brother. These were memories from before, during and after the war. It was interesting to see how young German boys were affected.

Klaudia/Eliza was a likeable character and I felt sorry for her - her father had never been particularly loving and high school had been hard for her. She wanted to dance but her father didn't approve.

I also liked Cosmo, the love interest. The romance wasn't overwhelming and I found it quite sweet.

The plot was interesting and while I wasn't gripped I did want to read on.

Overall this was an enjoyable, unique read.