Author: Anna Godbersen
Release Date: October 12, 2010 (hardcover)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 389
Source: Bought
Overall: 4 Stars
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 Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.
My Thoughts:
Reading Bright Young Things was me giving Anna Godbersen another chance because her Luxe series simply broke my heart to the point where I still haven't read the final book after hearing how it ended. It was a series that went downhill for me since I disliked several of the characters, so I guess you could say I was a little wary of trying Godbersen's latest release. But really, how could I resist the pull of the Roaring Twenties?
Bright Young Things takes you back in time to an era so unlike our own, with wonderful descriptions and details to match the time period. The novel is centered around three beautiful teenage girls in New York City: Cordelia- fearless and always in control, she's in New York to find the father she's never known; Letty- has always been satisfied to live in Cordelia's shadow but she'll have to come out of the dark if she wants to accomplish her dream of performing on the stage; and Astrid- the wealthy socialite who seems to have everything except a true friend.
These are three very different girls from the ones in the Luxe series, for which I am grateful. I took a liking to each of them... even Astrid, who I initially thought would only be a spoiled brat, which she isn't! These are three young ladies with their own dreams and their own troubles, so it made for quite an interesting read. I wasn't exactly fond of the way Cordelia and Letty split from each other after one argument over something that really shouldn't have come between their friendship, nor how hard Cordelia quickly fell for Thom (cue the forbidden love as their families' are rivals!)... but other than that, I didn't really have any major complaints with the novel.
It was a fast-paced, solid start to the series and the ending was just so excitingly good! It was well-built up and definitely kept me guessing what was going to happen next! Flappers, scandals, organized crime (along the lines of Prohibition and bootlegging) and some forbidden romance thrown in for good measure, Bright Young Things should certainly appeal to those who normally wouldn't like historical YA fiction.
So yes, after a successful start, I am cautiously optimistic about this series and will certainly be looking forward to read book two, Beautiful Days, when it's released in September 2011! I have my fingers crossed it will be just as good as Bright Young Things!
