Title: Bright Young Things
Author: Anna Godbersen
Pages:400
Genre: YA/ Historical
Source: Different Area Codes Book Tours
The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.
Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star…
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. [via GoodReads]
Set in 1929 Manhattan... that alone should have you sighing. What a wonderful time frame for a novel to take place within. Ms. Godbersen does a phenomenal job of bringing the 20's glitz and glamor to life in the pages of Bright Young Things.
Cordelia and Letty depart their small Ohio town in the hopes of leaving their mark on New York City but both are seeking two very different things. While Letty dreams of being a star and seeing her name in bright lights, Cordelia is on the search for her long lost father. She meets socialite Astrid and a friendship quickly ensues. Their three stories interlock and interweave and are full of scandal, intrigue, and romance.
With rarely a dull moment you'll find yourself whisked away to glamorous Long Island mansions and to the bright stages of Broadway. The writing is very detailed - you'll almost feel as if you are watching a movie. I could perfectly envision the girls, the clothes, the socialites, the parties. I also loved how true to the time the way the characters expressions and sayings are.
This is the first book in what will be a four-part series so don't expect all loose ends to be wrapped up by the story's closure. But don't let that stop you - the girls, their dreams, their struggles will grab you from the start and will not let you go till you are done with it. I was very impressed and cannot wait for the next installment in the series.
Plus, can you really resist a book that has a prologue that says:
"One would be famous, one would be married, and one would be dead."
Yea, I didn't think so.
My Rating:
Yes -- you had me at the time period! xo
ReplyDeleteI want to read this one pretty bad. I'm fascinated with flappers, and the time period. great review
ReplyDeleteEven though I didn't feel like there was so much going on plotwise in this book I did enjoy it. It was definitely setting the stage for the next book, I think there will be more action in that one.
ReplyDeleteI really want to read this one because of the time period! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI've read The firt luxe novel and quite like it :) And I'd really like to read that book, the cover is just gorgeous !
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