kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
the dizzying conclusion to the bright young things trilogy. deeeelicious like candy. (although i kind of hated the cover. she doesn't look jazz age at all.)
bookshy's review against another edition
4.0
I love it, and I hate it. The same way I felt after The Luxe novels. Not as amazing as the Luxe (probably because I like the 1800's New York setting better) but still engrossing.
mariaburns's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful conclusion to this series. There were some twists and some turns but there was also some predictable parts. The epilogue blew my mind for many reasons. In short this really was a wonderful closure to the BYT series that I have enjoyed since the very beginning.
jenbsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'd listened to the first two books in this series on audiobook, but my library didn't have this one available that way, so I read the Kindle copy. This was a solid sequel and conclusion to the series. I just don't think I quite connected with these girls the way I did with the ones in the Lux series. Still an enjoyable read, introduction to high society in New York in the 1920s. The statement in the first book "One would marry. One would find fame. And one would die." is revealed here in the end.
zinokato's review against another edition
4.0
One of them is famous, one is married and one is dead.
Each of those events happened in an incredibly unpredictable way.
Towards the end I was surprised the first one happened, I thought Letty would lie low but glad she got her happy ending with Grady
And I'm not as about the last one. I'm just glad Cordelia got to be with Max
I'm glad I ended up reading this. I was disappointed with [b:Beautiful Days|9490038|Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things, #2)|Anna Godbersen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339953843s/9490038.jpg|14375485], especially since I love Anna Gobsersen's books as well as historical fiction but I'm glad things picked up here and didn't come down. This book was filled with such adventure, great romance and marvellous secrets.
I absolutely loved this end to the series and love the story that was told about these three bright young things.
Each of those events happened in an incredibly unpredictable way.
Spoiler
I knew the second one would happen, but always thought it would be Astrid with Charlie, not victorTowards the end I was surprised the first one happened, I thought Letty would lie low but glad she got her happy ending with Grady
And I'm not as about the last one. I'm just glad Cordelia got to be with Max
I'm glad I ended up reading this. I was disappointed with [b:Beautiful Days|9490038|Beautiful Days (Bright Young Things, #2)|Anna Godbersen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1339953843s/9490038.jpg|14375485], especially since I love Anna Gobsersen's books as well as historical fiction but I'm glad things picked up here and didn't come down. This book was filled with such adventure, great romance and marvellous secrets.
I absolutely loved this end to the series and love the story that was told about these three bright young things.
ellieafterall's review against another edition
3.0
I read this soooo long ago because this series was next to the Luxe one and preteen me LOVED the covers of the Luxe so lol. I liked this more than Luxe, I think, but those covers still make me heart eyes
saraelizabetha's review against another edition
4.0
Took me a long time to get into this one, but I thought it was a solid conclusion to the series. I'm definitely interested to see what historical period Godbersen will tackle next!
saboyer's review against another edition
5.0
Oh, Anna Godbersen. I've got such a literary crush on you.
The cynic inside me always anticipates being disappointed, but it never is. Every one of these books has impressed me. They might be a guilty pleasure, but they are stunning, beautiful, well-written and well thought out creations that make it impossible to feel guilty over loving. And love it I did. In fact, I miss it already.
This was a beautiful read. Godbersen is a master of language and moments. She has a way of spinning words together in such a way that you fall into this sort of dreamlike trance where the real world gets hazy and you find yourself right there with all these characters in the gilded world of the Roaring 20s. And I loved every minute.
The thing about Godbersen is she knows how to give unpredictable twists without them feeling unnatural. There were things towards the end where I was like, "Oh, yeah, duh! I totally saw that coming." But I didn't. In fact, I think I was annoyed that, as the writer in me followed along, I didn't think of it playing out that way. So it wasn't predictable, just...believable. Oh, and beautiful. So very pretty.
The thing is, quite honestly, if she was a bad writer, I would hate these books (like I hate this copycat). Because, let's face it, this is melodramatic melodrama. There is kissing, boozing, cheating, murder. And it's kind of jolting to remember that all this juicy drama happened in one summer. You're lazily flouncing along when someone suddenly says "I'm 18!" or "It's the end of one summer." And then you realize, oh yeah, all this crazy, crazy stuff happened to people barely adults in three short months. For a realist like me, that's a fact that's hard to stomach. I mean, 18 year olds shouldn't be married, shouldn't be screwing around with married men, shouldn't be deciding who they'll soar off into the sunset with. But, quite luckily, Godbersen isn't a bad writer. Au contraire! She is definitely one of the most talented YA writers I've ever read, and...for all the frilly silliness, I love everything she writes. Especially this.
After a sumptuous debut with The Luxe, she has found her footing and finalized her voice. This was the perfect combination of witty melodrama and soft moments; of sins and sinners with heart and honesty; of sweet kisses and steamy mistakes; of final decisions and second chances. More importantly, this was the perfect final installment of bitter and sweet.
Yes, someone dies. Someone's married. Someone's famous. And the epilogue could be one of my favorites ever. Somehow, Godbersen makes this tragic, gilded tale a dreamy one. And then you find yourself lethargic and thoughtful, still sitting, still holding the book open, just staring into space and thinking about it, gauging your feelings until you wish there was just one page more.
At least that's what I did. And then I started over and read all my favorite bits again. Because that's what Godbersen does: she makes me forget reality to slip into a world I never want to leave and never really can. It might sound melodramatic, but it's a dreamy place--the pages of any Godbersen novel. This series is one of my favorites, and this book is the best of them. So read it--but start from the beginning.
It's a very good place to start.
Read more at my blog: www.by-its-cover.blogspot.com
The cynic inside me always anticipates being disappointed, but it never is. Every one of these books has impressed me. They might be a guilty pleasure, but they are stunning, beautiful, well-written and well thought out creations that make it impossible to feel guilty over loving. And love it I did. In fact, I miss it already.
This was a beautiful read. Godbersen is a master of language and moments. She has a way of spinning words together in such a way that you fall into this sort of dreamlike trance where the real world gets hazy and you find yourself right there with all these characters in the gilded world of the Roaring 20s. And I loved every minute.
The thing about Godbersen is she knows how to give unpredictable twists without them feeling unnatural. There were things towards the end where I was like, "Oh, yeah, duh! I totally saw that coming." But I didn't. In fact, I think I was annoyed that, as the writer in me followed along, I didn't think of it playing out that way. So it wasn't predictable, just...believable. Oh, and beautiful. So very pretty.
The thing is, quite honestly, if she was a bad writer, I would hate these books (like I hate this copycat). Because, let's face it, this is melodramatic melodrama. There is kissing, boozing, cheating, murder. And it's kind of jolting to remember that all this juicy drama happened in one summer. You're lazily flouncing along when someone suddenly says "I'm 18!" or "It's the end of one summer." And then you realize, oh yeah, all this crazy, crazy stuff happened to people barely adults in three short months. For a realist like me, that's a fact that's hard to stomach. I mean, 18 year olds shouldn't be married, shouldn't be screwing around with married men, shouldn't be deciding who they'll soar off into the sunset with. But, quite luckily, Godbersen isn't a bad writer. Au contraire! She is definitely one of the most talented YA writers I've ever read, and...for all the frilly silliness, I love everything she writes. Especially this.
After a sumptuous debut with The Luxe, she has found her footing and finalized her voice. This was the perfect combination of witty melodrama and soft moments; of sins and sinners with heart and honesty; of sweet kisses and steamy mistakes; of final decisions and second chances. More importantly, this was the perfect final installment of bitter and sweet.
Yes, someone dies. Someone's married. Someone's famous. And the epilogue could be one of my favorites ever. Somehow, Godbersen makes this tragic, gilded tale a dreamy one. And then you find yourself lethargic and thoughtful, still sitting, still holding the book open, just staring into space and thinking about it, gauging your feelings until you wish there was just one page more.
At least that's what I did. And then I started over and read all my favorite bits again. Because that's what Godbersen does: she makes me forget reality to slip into a world I never want to leave and never really can. It might sound melodramatic, but it's a dreamy place--the pages of any Godbersen novel. This series is one of my favorites, and this book is the best of them. So read it--but start from the beginning.
It's a very good place to start.
Read more at my blog: www.by-its-cover.blogspot.com
lknano's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0