SETTING: Chicago, USA, 1923
GENRE: Historical Fiction
PART OF SERIES? 'The Flappers', book one.
HEROINE: Gloria Carmody, 17
GRADE: A
SYNOPSIS: Every girl wants what she can’t have. Seventeen-year-old Gloria Carmody wants the flapper lifestyle—and the bobbed hair, cigarettes, and music-filled nights that go with it. Now that she’s engaged to Sebastian Grey, scion of one of Chicago’s most powerful families, Gloria’s party days are over before they’ve even begun . . . or are they?
Clara Knowles, Gloria’s goody-two-shoes cousin, has arrived to make sure the high-society wedding comes off without a hitch—but Clara isn’t as lily-white as she appears. Seems she has some dirty little secrets of her own that she’ll do anything to keep hidden. . . .
Lorraine Dyer, Gloria’s social-climbing best friend, is tired of living in Gloria’s shadow. When Lorraine’s envy spills over into desperate spite, no one is safe. And someone’s going to be very sorry. . .
MY THOUGHTS:
Gloria Garmody- She's the heroine and has red/copper hair and green eyes. She's a seventeen year old high school girl who lives in Chicago. She comes from a wealthy family. She's engaged to a twenty-three year old young man named Sebastian Grey, who has dark hair and green eyes. He's only after her money and he's a shady character.
Lorraine Dyer- Gloria's best friend since they were eight years old. She has dark hair and hazel eyes. She's very jealous of Gloria and has the hots for Gloria's close male friend, Marcus Eastman. He's got blond hair and green eyes. Lorraine is a villain who seems to only care about herself.
Clara Knowles- She's Gloria's eighteen year old cousin who's from Pennsylvania. She's got golden blond hair and blue eyes. She's got some skeletons in her closet and those are revealed near the end of the book. She's very likable.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a 'young adult' book but ignore that. The lead characters are seventeen and eighteen but they certainly don't act like teens. This is a book for adults. Gloria falls for a black piano player named Jerome Johnson who works in a jazz club and there's some serious drama with that toward the end of the story. I can't wait to find out what happens with that in the next book, Ingenue.
I happen to like villainous females in fiction so I'd have to say Lorraine is my favorite. She makes a mess of things and later gets involved with a gangster named Carlito. Carlito is out to get Jerome for something horrible that happens.
At first, I really didn't like Jerome's younger sister, Vera, but she makes another appearance near the end and we find out she's in cahoots with none other than Sebastian! She doesn't like that Sebastain's girlfriend, Gloria, is involved with her brother Jerome, so she sticks her nose where it does't belong and things go downhill fast.
I'm so glad I read this. I've never really known much about the 'Flapper' time period and thought it truly original to begin a series during that time.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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