A heartbreaking World War Two tale, taking you from the barbed wire of Auschwitz to a sweltering South Carolina summer. The Note is about lost loves and long-buried secrets, desperate decisions--and the consequences that cannot be escaped... Auschwitz, 1942: On a warm summer's day in Paris, Jozef and his beloved wife Adi are captured by the Nazis after going on the run. Forced onto a train with countless others, they spend days travelling to Auschwitz. They are torn from each other, stripped of belongings, their arms inked with prison numbers. In the death camp, their days are numbered--will they ever see each other again? 1953, South Carolina: On the night of her thirteenth birthday, the air as sticky as honey, Alice is woken up by the ear-splitting sound of sirens. The body of a teenage girl, Nancy, has been found in the lake. Suspicion falls on Jozef, a German refugee who now lives in the small town. When one of Alice's friends breaks a window in his house, Alice is wracked with guilt. She writes a note apologizing--a note that changes everything. As Alice and Jozef form a friendship, Jozef opens ups about his painful past: he is an Auschwitz survivor. Hearing about the desperate choices people were forced to make, and the hunt for freedom amongst so much heartbreak, Alice starts to see her own life--and the death of her friend--in a new light. As their bond deepens, Alice uncovers Jozef's secret--one that has followed him from Auschwitz, and could now shatter Alice's world. When a long-awaited storm breaks the suffocating heatwave, the truth finally comes out, and Alice's life will never be the same again... An incredibly gripping and tearjerking page-turner perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz, When We Were Yours and We Were the Lucky Ones. Readers love Carly Schabowski's novels: "Oh my gosh, I don't know where to start, this book broke me... It will stay with me for a very long time... Heartbreaking, poignant, gripping and compelling, I felt every emotion... I read this book in one sitting." Fiction Vixen Reads, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Wow!! Just wow!!... This book is brilliant! More than brilliant, amazing!!!... Absolutely gripping, addictive and captivating... I was absolutely hooked from the first page to the last." NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Beautiful, heartfelt book! Captivating... Simply heartbreaking... I loved everything about this book! So beautifully done!' @oh.happy.rea