gawronma's review against another edition
4.0
What an enjoyable read. Clive and Henrietta make such a great team. I loved the sense of time and place. Cox really brought old Chicago to life.
slc333's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like it more than I did and was not quite sure what to rate it. While I was interested in the story and wanted to know what was going on there were several things that bugged me and detracted from my enjoyment.
The Good:
I particularly liked the setting of 1930s Chicago and the not quite respectable clubs and I was interested in finding out the who and why of the murder.
The bad
- Hen's naivety given her jobs & life experience (working since she was 14, working in a bar, having multiple jobs were she was sexually harassed because of her looks etc)
- The stupid decisions Hen makes inc going to work at the Burlesque and working so hard to be admitted to the white feather club (for no good reason)
- How the our supposed hero and love interest seemed to have no problems throwing a young girl without training or experience into such a dangerous position
- The age diff between Hen & the Inspector made their relationship feel weird and unbalanced. Also it was so sudden. They spend almost no time together yet they are desperately in love with one another.
Weighing the good against the bad I have come down on the side of 2 'it was ok' stars instead of 3 'I liked it' stars. Will I read more in the series - probably not. Would I read more by this author - yes.
The Good:
I particularly liked the setting of 1930s Chicago and the not quite respectable clubs and I was interested in finding out the who and why of the murder.
The bad
- Hen's naivety given her jobs & life experience (working since she was 14, working in a bar, having multiple jobs were she was sexually harassed because of her looks etc)
- The stupid decisions Hen makes inc going to work at the Burlesque and working so hard to be admitted to the white feather club (for no good reason)
- How the our supposed hero and love interest seemed to have no problems throwing a young girl without training or experience into such a dangerous position
- The age diff between Hen & the Inspector made their relationship feel weird and unbalanced. Also it was so sudden. They spend almost no time together yet they are desperately in love with one another.
Weighing the good against the bad I have come down on the side of 2 'it was ok' stars instead of 3 'I liked it' stars. Will I read more in the series - probably not. Would I read more by this author - yes.
trishjbutler's review against another edition
5.0
A great introduction to the marvelous Henrietta and her own brand of deduction
It’s 1930s Chicago, and a young Henrietta is working hard to help her family, eight siblings and her mother after her father committed suicide. She tries hard to be respectable as her mother wishes but can make more money as a taxi-dancer. When one Inspector Clive Howard visits the Promenade and dances with Henrietta, everything changes in her life as she becomes embroiled in the detective’s investigation.
“A Girl Like You” is a trip back in time. It will pull you into the era with fabulous descriptions of the locations, family situations, language that suits the time, and cops chasing gangsters in every way they can. Henrietta wants more from her life than just raising babies and has an inquisitive mind. Her additional incentive is to impress the handsome Inspector.
A five-star book, in my opinion, is one that will keep me awake reading into the small hours. “A Girl Like You” was one of those books as I followed Henrietta through her first ‘investigation’, piecing clues together and going into dangerous situations that my mind wanted her to pursue, but my heart didn’t!
If you like historical fiction, detective stories and a little romance thrown in, “A Girl Like You” is the book for you, heartily recommend.
It’s 1930s Chicago, and a young Henrietta is working hard to help her family, eight siblings and her mother after her father committed suicide. She tries hard to be respectable as her mother wishes but can make more money as a taxi-dancer. When one Inspector Clive Howard visits the Promenade and dances with Henrietta, everything changes in her life as she becomes embroiled in the detective’s investigation.
“A Girl Like You” is a trip back in time. It will pull you into the era with fabulous descriptions of the locations, family situations, language that suits the time, and cops chasing gangsters in every way they can. Henrietta wants more from her life than just raising babies and has an inquisitive mind. Her additional incentive is to impress the handsome Inspector.
A five-star book, in my opinion, is one that will keep me awake reading into the small hours. “A Girl Like You” was one of those books as I followed Henrietta through her first ‘investigation’, piecing clues together and going into dangerous situations that my mind wanted her to pursue, but my heart didn’t!
If you like historical fiction, detective stories and a little romance thrown in, “A Girl Like You” is the book for you, heartily recommend.
cgreenstein's review against another edition
I liked the setting, it's not one you get very often in historical fiction. The premise is also inventive. I think this would've worked better as a straight mystery / detective novel, though.
danalynn612's review against another edition
2.0
Forced myself to finish this one. It was much more a romance than a mystery (I don’t read romance!).
kimmerp's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very sweet book, more like 3.75. Definitely closer to a romance novel than a mystery (really, the mystery is more like an adventure). Readers are taken on a journey inside the clubs that employ beautiful young women in Depression Chicago. While this reads like a first book in terms of the author's simplistic approach to plot and narrative, the naive decision making if our heroine felt very real. She obviously led a very sheltered life and we can't help but root for her along the way. I loved the ending. As a reader of Victorian romances novels, I appreciated how heartfelt the ending was compared to those. Already have the next in the series to read.
estellabelle92's review against another edition
4.0
If you are looking for a little romance wrapped in a mystery surrounded by Chicago in the 1930's, then this is your book. When I finished I wanted to hug it - well I did - because it was unlike most of my recent reads - ambiguous endings, challenging topics, bleak outlooks. It was just what I needed at this moment in time.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
2.0
meh. Imagine a historical young adult romantic cozy mystery, and you may have some sense of this story. The historical era and location were interesting, but... the YA connection comes in with an insta-love relationship between the two main characters (who we know are main characters, because the cover page says it's a series about them.) that was startling in its speed, as well as its young female protagonist. Also, several of the young characters were given to doing REALLY STUPID and impulsive things on a frequent basis. The cozy element comes in the fact that there's no real suspense. When a book starts off telling you it is the first in a series about two characters, you can make a pretty safe bet that a) they'll end up together, because b) they won't die or be otherwise defeated. My other main gripe was that I didn't actually like ANYONE in the series. Clive is kinda creepy with his lusting after virginal young Henrietta, who is impulsive and coquettish and headstrong and not always very logical. Stan is quite creepy too, with his stalker-ish behavior and REFUSAL to accept that a female like Henrietta might know her own mind and should be allowed to make her own decisions. Henrietta's mother is never given any redeeming characteristics, despite a brief sympathetic back story. And while the inclusion of a lively group of lesbians in the story was novel and interesting, they weren't exactly rich characters, nor were the villains. The writing didn't wow me, and the references to sex were just uncomfortable--detailed without being sexy, I guess.
So basically I didn't like the book. I FINISHED it, so I couldn't have detested it. But it didn't win me over in any way, and I can't see myself picking up a sequel if the author releases one. (She appears to be a new writer--good for her for achieving more than I have thus far, and I really hope her writing improves with time and practice.)
So basically I didn't like the book. I FINISHED it, so I couldn't have detested it. But it didn't win me over in any way, and I can't see myself picking up a sequel if the author releases one. (She appears to be a new writer--good for her for achieving more than I have thus far, and I really hope her writing improves with time and practice.)
vesper1931's review against another edition
2.0
1930s Chicago and uneducated 18 year old Henrietta Von Harmon is working any job she can get which results in her getting involved in a seedy police operation.
I found the naive and innocent Henrietta annoying. How foolish and easy was it of her to get involved in what was basically the sex industry, and I didn't really find her relationship with the much older Inspector that believable. So for me not enough mystery. I would definitely prefer a series based just on the Inspector and keep away from his private life.
I found the naive and innocent Henrietta annoying. How foolish and easy was it of her to get involved in what was basically the sex industry, and I didn't really find her relationship with the much older Inspector that believable. So for me not enough mystery. I would definitely prefer a series based just on the Inspector and keep away from his private life.
khaven's review against another edition
5.0
A great mystery. A good romance until it gets a bit too sappy at the end. Very good Debut novel. Looking forward to future tales of Henrietta and Clive.