by Anna Godbersen
Pages: 433
Source: Library
Format: Hardback
Rating: 2.5 Stars
Goodreads Synopsis:
Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone--from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud--threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.
With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear...
In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.
My Review:
I was never incredibly interested in this book, but I was looking through my library and the pretty dress on the cover was just calling my name. The cover just screamed that there would be numerous scandals, breath-taking balls and gorgeous gowns within it's pages.
It lied to me.
First off, I knew what happened as soon I was introduced to Elizabeth's love interest. The prologue of the book is actually the ending, with the rest of the book leading up to it. So, it's pretty much given away then and there. I guess the "how" they got there was supposed to be the suprising part, but once Will was introduced, I figured it out. So the plot ended up being very "meh". Not to mention it wasn't very scandalous nor were there many balls.
The characters were alright, but nothing special. Actually, the only two characters I actually liked were the younger Holland sister and Henry. And that was pretty much the only scandal. Elizabeth grated on my nerves because she hated the fact that everyone thought she was the perfect socialite and treated her as such instead of realizing her true feelings. Well, it was her fault because she acted the part of the perfect socialite and never voiced her opinion. Now, I understand the why behind it, but ultimately it is her decision, so it's pointless to complain. Penelope was your stock mean girl who was just petty and annoying.
Overall:
Meh...just meh. Not much glitter and glamorizing going on within these pages. Scandals? Pfffttt...yeah right. Beautiful descriptions of dresses? As if. Awesome characterization? Ha. You make me laugh. Sadly this book just lacked the glitz, glamour and beauty I was hoping for.
All the best ♥
Mackenzie
I am so glad someone else was not jazzed by this book. I just finished a review for it, and I was thinking that I was being a bit harsh. But no. It was not at all what the cover suggests.
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