Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen
Paperback: 400 pages
Release date: October 12th 2010
Publisher: Puffin
Source: Won
Amazon ││ Goodreads
Goodreads Summary: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. From the New York Timesbestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.
Source: Won
Amazon ││ Goodreads
Goodreads Summary: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. From the New York Timesbestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.
Thoughts
I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about Anna Godbersen’s Luxe series, so I was really excited when I won this book in a contest. All I could say was I am not disappointed. I hate myself for doubting it a little because of its not-so high rating. Now I could safely say that I’d set aside my prejudice more often so I won’t miss out on books like this.
Set in 1929, Bright Young Things effectively transported its readers to the Jazz era. It made me think of Gossip Girl in a lot of ways! The talk of glitz and glam, boys, and anything that makes anyone on top of the social ladder made the resemblance evident. I’ve also been a sucker for Historical fiction lately and this book is a good addition to the ones I loved.
The plot went slowly at first but I had no problem with it since I got used to the author’s writing style easily. Godbersen’s words brought me to what might have been the late 1920’s atmosphere. I was completely drawn to the story and to the lives of Cordelia, Letty, and Astrid.
The characters have their own unique way of showing their sharpness and strength. They didn’t come off as superficial and proved my negative first impressions wrong. Cordelia, for instance, would be my favorite character. There was this air of confidence and independence in her that I really admire (and I’d really want to have). Her valiancy and bravado made me respect her more. She handles things the way I would want myself to and I don’t think she made any stupid decisions.
Naïve and innocent would be the words to describe Letty. She’s not as independent and clever as Cordelia but I liked her nonetheless. It’s also a good thing that she and Cordelia had separate ways throughout the book because that made her grew more as a person. Astrid on the other hand was not the spoiled brat I thought she was. What I liked about her was she didn’t let boys ruin her emotions. She loves Charlie (Cordelia’s brother) but she held her head high even at those times when he wronged her. These girls are the ones you could definitely connect and relate to.
The ending was a cliffhanger! Though I’m glad that I won’t have to wait for a year to read the next one. Due to the buzz regarding the Prologue, I had to read it again after finishing it to find out what the fuss is all about (pardon me for my short-term memory). I have never read a more interesting Prologue than this one’s. The most interesting bit was: ONE WOULD BE FAMOUS, ONE WOULD BE MARRIED, AND ONE WOULD BE DEAD.
I WANT THE SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW.
Set in 1929, Bright Young Things effectively transported its readers to the Jazz era. It made me think of Gossip Girl in a lot of ways! The talk of glitz and glam, boys, and anything that makes anyone on top of the social ladder made the resemblance evident. I’ve also been a sucker for Historical fiction lately and this book is a good addition to the ones I loved.
The plot went slowly at first but I had no problem with it since I got used to the author’s writing style easily. Godbersen’s words brought me to what might have been the late 1920’s atmosphere. I was completely drawn to the story and to the lives of Cordelia, Letty, and Astrid.
The characters have their own unique way of showing their sharpness and strength. They didn’t come off as superficial and proved my negative first impressions wrong. Cordelia, for instance, would be my favorite character. There was this air of confidence and independence in her that I really admire (and I’d really want to have). Her valiancy and bravado made me respect her more. She handles things the way I would want myself to and I don’t think she made any stupid decisions.
Naïve and innocent would be the words to describe Letty. She’s not as independent and clever as Cordelia but I liked her nonetheless. It’s also a good thing that she and Cordelia had separate ways throughout the book because that made her grew more as a person. Astrid on the other hand was not the spoiled brat I thought she was. What I liked about her was she didn’t let boys ruin her emotions. She loves Charlie (Cordelia’s brother) but she held her head high even at those times when he wronged her. These girls are the ones you could definitely connect and relate to.
The ending was a cliffhanger! Though I’m glad that I won’t have to wait for a year to read the next one. Due to the buzz regarding the Prologue, I had to read it again after finishing it to find out what the fuss is all about (pardon me for my short-term memory). I have never read a more interesting Prologue than this one’s. The most interesting bit was: ONE WOULD BE FAMOUS, ONE WOULD BE MARRIED, AND ONE WOULD BE DEAD.
I WANT THE SECOND BOOK RIGHT NOW.
.3
Great review! I've been hearing good things about this one, too, so I'm glad to see that you liked it so much. Hope you get the second book asap! :)
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