Book Review: The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things #3) by Anna Godbersen

The Lucky Ones (Bright Young Things #3) by Anna Godbersen
Release Date: 27th November 2012

Publisher: Harper Collins
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 373
Rating: 3.5/5.0

This book was read as part of the 2013 ODY and 2013 BSR

Summary from Goodreads:

"In 1929, the Bright Young Things escape Manhattan's heat for the lush lawns and sparkling bays of White Cove, looking for leisure, love, and luck.

New York City's latest It Girl, Cordelia Grey, is flying high with celebrity pilot Max Darby. But Max is a private person with a reputation to uphold—and a secret to hide. A public romance with a bootlegger's daughter could cost him more than just his good name. . . .

Aspiring triple threat Letty Larkspur has finally gotten her big break, but will her talent—and special bond with the married silver-screen star Valentine O'Dell—make her a target in the cutthroat world of Hollywood? Perhaps the ingenue knows how to play the leading lady after all.

Newly married to her longtime sweetheart, socialite Astrid Donal finds herself spending more time with one of her husband's henchmen than with him. With so many secrets between man and wife, is the honeymoon already coming to an end?As summer reaches its hottest peak, these sun-kissed girls will find out if their luck can last . . . or if dark surprises are on the horizon."

Review:

I began this book remembering very few details of each girls storyline, and as a result, I at times found this book interesting, and at other times, I just didn't know what was going on. Partly that's my fault for not  skimming the previous book or looking up the main plot points in the preceding novels before I began reading, but I also think its a reflection on how I found this series overall - not really that enthralling.

For example, this series has featured three narrators who we change between quite frequently - Cordelia, Astrid and Letty. I could remember Cordelia's story, because it was by far the most interesting, so I always knew what was going on with her. With Astrid, I couldn't remember everything at the beginning, but it did come back to me as I read. And with Letty, I honestly couldn't remember anything about her storyline...not one thing. As a result I didn't enjoy Letty's story so much because I just couldn't remember its beginning. 

Whilst I didn't necessarily find the plot and characters all that interesting, I can't help but love the setting. Set in the 1920's, with the prohibition and the illegal speakeasy's, the glamorous lifestyle and the gansters - I can't help but enjoy the frivolous lifestyle, with that hint of danger ever so present. Overall, a fair ending to a series that I wasn't really that enthralled with. Should you read it? I probably wouldn't - if you'd like to read something by this author, I'd go with The Luxe series instead, it's much, much better. 

Book Review: Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things #2) by Anna Godbersen

Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things #2) by Anna Godbersen

Release Date: 1st September 2011
Publisher: Penguin Books, Limited
Format: Paperback 
Pages: 358
Rating: 4.5/5.0

Summary from Amazon:

“For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys’ lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan’s bustling metropolis. But Letty’s not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams—no matter the cost.
Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey’s legacy . . . and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia’s half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights—and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly.”

Review:

Anna Godbersen is shaping up to be one of my favourite authors. Beautiful Days is the second novel in the Bright Young Things series, and I am eagerly awaiting the third instalment in this series [hopefully to be released sometime next year]. What I love about this series is that is mixes both what modern girls want in a good novel with the glitz and glamour of New York in the 1920s. It’s a perfect combination that has resulted in a great novel, one that lives up to the expectations I had after reading Bright Young Things last year.

At first I found myself wondering exactly what had happened in the first novel, but Anna cleverly [but not subtlety] interwove details of the first book into the opening chapters, and within the first 30 pages or so I knew all the key elements in the plot to fill in the back-story. I then could continue on reading about the interesting lives of Cordelia, Astrid and Letty, the three best friends on whom the story is centred. And whilst the novel is told from each of the girl’s perspectives, revolving around each of their lives and differing stories, I have always felt that the Bright Young Things series is centred around Cordelia. Maybe she is just my favourite character, but it seemed to me that most of the novel was dedicated to her.

The story has something for almost any reader out there. Romance, history, crime, scandal, even a touch of feminism in how Astrid disobeys her fiance Charlie. At the heart of it, each girl strives to become their own woman, whether it be Cordelia, who strives to become a part of the family business and prove herself; Letty, who works diligently to become a star on Broadway; or Astrid, who just wants to do whatever she wants without being ordered around by a man. This was an amazing and delightful read, but not quite a full 5.0; it seemed that there was something missing from the mixture. I wasn't completely enthralled in the story, but nonetheless, it was an incredible book and I would recommend it in a heartbeat.