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The Luxe by Anna Godbersen
From Goodreads: A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites. Godbersen weaves a tenuous web of deceit, backstabbing and pretense that follows four teens: Elizabeth Holland, a prim and proper lady of old-money society, is betrothed to one man, though furtively loves another; Henry Schoonmaker, a debauched playboy who must marry Elizabeth or be disinherited; Diana Holland, Elizabeth’s younger sister who is in love with her fiancé; and Penelope Hayes, a member of the nouveau riche who will stop at nothing to win Henry’s affections. As Elizabeth and Henry’s wedding approaches, the spectacle unfolds in a wondrously grandiose scene, making for a fun, though not entirely unexpected dénouement. A delicious new twist along the Gossip Girl vein, readers will clamor for this sharp, smart drama of friends, lovers, lies and betrayal.
I love reading historical fiction, especially the books that are set in the late 19th, early 20th century periods. The clothes, the speech, the way people lived; almost everything from that time period intrigues me! I'm happy to say that this book did, as well.
Thrown into a world where appearance was everything, I found myself being immersed in the story. The beginning of the book was interesting, and it was fun to get to know all of the characters. Halfway through I came up with a theory of how it would end, and after that, I couldn't wait to finish it. I ended up getting more and more excited as I neared the end, wanting to see if I was right or wrong. I was kept in suspense until the very end! I loved it.
The characters in this book were really interesting. Watching them struggle with finding a balance between what everyone else wanted and what they wanted, seeing who they trusted and who they used for their own gain.
Overall, The Luxe
My rating- 4/5 stars
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YA Reads
Stop, Drop, and Read!
GreenBeanTeenQueen
