Mundie Moms

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Book Review/Blog Tour- Bright Young Things

By Anna Godbersen
Published by Harper Teen
Released on October 12th, 2010
Source- Harper Teen/ The Teen Scene Blog Tour
4 stars- It's a Good Read

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 Timesbestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age (quoted from Goodreads).

Bright Young Things follows the story of three young adult girls, Cordelia, her best friend Letty and Astrid during the 1920's era. I love this era and have been very excited to read this book. What I enjoyed most was the era and the way Anna switches back and forth between each character. She doesn't announce that each chapter has a new voice which continues to follow the lives of the three girls and how they interact with each other, but she does it in a very subtle manner. Each of the character's voices is unique and shares a different side of this bustling era.

Cordelia and Letty are from OH and find themselves in NY. Cordelia came to find the father she never knew and Letty to follow her dreams of being a dancer. Astrid and Cordelia quickly hit it off, as Artrid is dating Cordelia's brother (whom Cordelia just met). Bright Young Things has a very fast moving plot that gives way to small adventures to each of the characters. Each of them is yearning for something and in finding out what that is will cause heartache and need to feel a sense of belonging. The only thing that bothered me with this trio was Cordelia and Letty's falling out when they arrive to NYC. To me, it didn't seem too realistic as they've grown up best friend, and upon getting to the city have a fight over something stupid and then don't talk to each other for a long time. I did however like how Anna makes their paths cross again in the story.

I really liked how Anna allowed us to see the 1920's era through the eyes of the three characters. It was fascinating to see Cordelia's family dynamics, Astrid's social life and Letty trying to fulfill her dreams. Like reality, not everything is how it seems. That's saying something with out giving anything anyway. I also liked Cordelia's brother Charlie, as he's protective of his family and the family business and I'll admit I'm totally heartbroken over Thom! I won't give anything away, but I am eager to find out what really happened in the sequel to Bright Young Things.

I enjoyed the friendships between Cordelia, Letty and Astrid. While reading the book I wanted a little more character depth from them, but now that I've finished reading the book, I don't think that would have fit with the story. Bright Young Things is written in a fast paced manner that allowed me to know the characters and understand why they make the choices they do. It's a fun read, with romance, fashion and brings to light the glitz of the 1920's.

You can find out more about Bright Young Things here http://www.bytseries.com/

7 comments:

  1. I can't wait to read this! I haven't read any of her books, but I definitely want to!

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  2. Alex- This was my first book I've read of Anna's and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of her books. It's a fun, quick read.

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  3. I really want to read this one, I keep forgetting to add it to my list. I also love this era, great review! =)

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  4. I love historicals and I've been eying this one. Thank you for your review!

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  5. I enjoyed her Luxe series and this looks like fun too!

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  6. I adore the setting of this book and am on page 200-ish...

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  7. I love the era!! She does a wonderful job at making you feel apart of the era.

    Alyssa, I need to read her Luxe series. I've heard it's good.

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