So whereas I did like sections of this book there are some things that annoyed me and some things that I loved and so I am rating this as a between a 3.0-3.5 and 4. Yes I do want to continue with the series but I need a break. 
 I started reading this book at the beginning of May on like the 8 and I read 20 pages and then put it down for two weeks because of being intimidated by the sheer size of this book.Eight hundred and ten pages and at times you can get through quite a few pages and then say 'wow, I just read 100 pages, Yeah!' 
 Anyways this story is set during World War II in Russia where Tatiana lives with her grandfather, grandmother, mother, father, sister and twin brother Pasha. It is the day that the war begins in June 1941. Of course, Tatiana's family panics and asks Tatiana to go get as much food as she can. Everywhere T. goes there is a line and then she gets frustrated and decides to get an ice cream cone. Enter a solider named Alexander and a heart-warming, wrenching and war-love story begins. 
 I do recommend this book although there are flaws and it is LOOOONNNG!!! 
 Now for spoilers. If you haven't read it do not pass go, do not collect $200 dollars, GO read it. 
 So it turns out that Dasha, Tatiana's sister actually met Alexander first and told Tatiana about him just that morning. When Tatiana learns this she closes off herself to Alexander, not meeting his eyes and so forth. However, the next day Alexander picks Tatiana up from work (Tatiana is 16 a day away from turning 17 and Alexander is 22).Now for 250-260 pages I was in love with this book and I couldn't understand why there was such negative feedback about this book, however now I understand. 
 Tatiana and Alexander hide their relationship and their feelings for each other from Dasha who Alexander is still seeing. This bugs me for two reasons one being that it is basically Tatiana's idea to hide this relationship because she doesn't want to hurt her sister but she is in fact hurting her sister because Tatia is going behind Dasha back to meet and fall in love with Shura. Now I would have less of a problem if Tatia had just told her sister about the relationship after Alexander (Shura) keep meeting her after work. It feels like even though Dasha is kind of oblivious and self centered she would deserve to know that her sister and her "boyfriend are in love with each other. It just feels like betrayal to me even though Dasha is not portrayed in the best light. And by trying not to hurt Dasha Tatia is basically saying that I'm not going to tell you about this but I'm seeing your boyfriend, kind of juvenile and a little bit of a bitchy move. 
 Now the second reason I don't like this situation is because Tatia could be fighting for Alexander but it just seems like she doesn't care about him because when Alexander says that they should tell Dasha Tatia is like 'No you have to keep seeing her I can't break her heart don't break her heart Shura." If feels like she doesn't care and that it there isn't another person in this meaning Alexander. Alexander wants to tell Dasha and why not? Sure she will be upset with Tatia and will probably slap her but no Tatia's behavior is just kind of naive and immature. Just tell her and have it over with. 
 This argument then continues after Dasha dies (she does find out like three days before she dies and the two still deny the relationship, two thumbs down). Alexander goes looking for Tatia and Dasha four months later and even though he wants to see Tatia and hug her and kiss her he doesn't know that Tatia is dead and they have this huge fight where they talk about it and I totally side with Alexander on this argument because it is on Tatia. Anyways at the end of the fight she is like why can't he have stayed around and finished the fight and to me that fight basically ended when he left because what was he supposed to say, oh you're right Tatia I should have been happy to see you (which he was) and I shouldn't have mentioned Dasha (he didn't know she was dead and he assumed that they were still engaged) but no your right Tatia and I'm wrong. NO juvenile, that was the end of the fight. 
 Then the forgive each other and spend the next 100 pages make love cough "fucking" and got married. I feel that some of the sex scenes were unneccessary and the book is long enough without 10 sex scenes included. I would have narrowed it down to like 5 and then gotten on to the next part. 
 So when Alexander has to go back to the Red Army he tells Tatia that she can't come with him and should stay there because Shura wants her safe. Alexander is very controlling, no? Yes he is but he also loves her and I think he's actually right in this sense. 
 I am only going to say a few things about Dmitri and that is that I fucking hate him. 
 So Alexander goes back to the Red Army and who should show up Tatia, she had to know he was alive because he stopped right (his hands got burnt) and basically saves him in a second different scenario. Yes I was glad that she followed him at this point but I was also getting a little bit frustrated at this point because I had been reading 100 pages every two days for two weeks and I just wanted this book to be over. 
 So while he is recovering in the hospital with Tatia as a nurse in another ward, Alexander finds out that Tatia is pregnant and Dmitri knows about the two of them planning to escape to America. Alexander is an American whose parents died because they were believed to be American traitors by the NKVD (I may have spelled that wrong). They are American but they were not traitors. Alexander ends up hurting Dmitri in the hospital for even suggesting that the two of them would leave without Tatia and the baby. So Dmitri tells the NKVD that Alexander is an American and they come for Alexander to torture and in-prison him. 
 Alexander has a plan though, he is going to get Dr. Sayers to tell Tatia that Alex died on the way to get a medal of valor (actually Alexander going to NKVD to be sent to jail). Tatia is heartbroken and leaves Leningrad with Dr. Sayers and Dmitri and gets to Stockholm where it takes two months for her to get safe passage to America. 
 We leave this book with Tatia having the baby boy on American soil making him an American citizen and ensuring Tatia's safety. Of course, Tatia has figured out that Shura is still alive and under the NKVD's supervision. 
 I don't totally hate this book but I don't totally love it either which may mean that my rating changes but for now I think it's like a 3.