The Luxe- Anna Godbersen (review by Angela)

The Luxe by Anna Godbersen is an intriguing, fast paced, and scandalous story set in Manhattan in 1899. The book revolves around the two upper-class Holland sisters: Elizabeth, the beautiful darling of New York City, and Diana, her more rebellious, but equally beautiful younger sister. To outsiders, their lives may seem perfect, but the sisters have many dark secrets. The family has run out of money, and Elizabeth must be married off to wealthy Henry Schoonmaker to keep her family from disgrace. However, Elizabeth is in love with the carriage driver, Will, and her best friend, Penelope, is in love with Henry. To make things worse, Diana is in love with the one person she can never be with, and Elizabeth's vengeful maid will stop at nothing to take her mistress down. Suddenly, none of this matters when Elizabeth's carriage overturns in the river and she is presumed dead. Her death leaves New York reeling, and many wonder if the beautiful socialite's death was simply an accident. The twists, turns, and intrigue in this story of Manhattan's elite will leave readers wishing that they too had lived during this decadent era.

This book is good for fans of similar book series such as Gossip Girl and The Clique*. The plot is interesting and often surprising, and the characters are well-developed. The historical setting and the quotes from books, newspapers, and characters at the beginning of each chapter both greatly add to the novel. The Luxe is great entertainment for those who love to read about the lies, scandals, and secrets of the rich and famous.

-Angela-

*Bella's Note: I actually wasn't a huge fan of the Gossip Girl or The Clique series (though I love the GG TV show...I love Chuck!), but I really liked The Luxe. So don't necessarily think you won't like The Luxe if you didn't like the other series. Though I suppose it may be more likely that you would like The Luxe if you liked the other two. Just a note.

The Luxe can be purchased here: http://www.amazon.com/Luxe-Anna-Godbersen/dp/0061345687/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231535639&sr=8-1

And it's sequel, Rumors, here: http://www.amazon.com/Rumors-Luxe-Novel-Anna-Godbersen/dp/0061345695/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b

And finally, the third book in the series, Envy, coming out on January 27, can be preordered here: http://www.amazon.com/Envy-Luxe-Novel-Anna-Godbersen/dp/0061345725/ref=pd_sim_b_2

Have fun with those post-holidays giftcards!