3.75 stars? I didn't like it as much as I did the first one, but just because the beginning was a bit slow. That said, Anna Godbersen is still one on my guilty pleasures and that's not gonna change any time soon. Her stories have something I crave. There's a lot of drama and a bit of romance. And the setting is always awesome. The freaking 20's, man. Isn't that something.The boys. I really felt in love with Charlie in this second book. And even though I like Max, the thing going on between Cordelia and Thom Hale is heartbreaking and I refuse to let it go.The girls. Astrid is still my favourite and Cordelia is an amazing character, but I struggle to like Letty, I really do.Anyway, can't wait to read the third and last one. Highly Recommended [return][return]This is the second book in the Bright Young Things series. The story definitely continues from the 1st book. I would not advise reading the 2nd book as a stand alone because the characters and story have already been introduced. Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur came to New York City from small town Ohio. As the story revealed in the first book, Cordelia Grey was the lost daughter of a famous and wealthy bootlegger. Cordelia’s and Letty’s fortunes changed and they were whisked away from the city by Cordelia’s brother, Charlie, to the family estate. They had food, money, a place to stay and quickly entered high society. Cordelia started getting involved in the family business and Letty kept trying to pursue her acting career. Astrid was one of their new friends who was getting married to Charlie. All three girls found young men they were interested in which let to summer romance. Unfortunately, the romance was followed by heartbreak. There was suspense and betrayal in the bootlegging business. Money and status came before friendship. All the girls had to deal with betrayal and disappointment. [return]It was a good read overall. Like the first book, the historical detail of New York City, the clothes, the nightlife, and the roles of women were portrayed quite accurately. Readers will be learning about prohibition without even realizing it. The writing flows, the characters are likable, and it’s a good mix of suspense and romance. There is a 3rd volume that will be released. I think this is a good book for fun reading in history classes for prohibition or bootlegging topics. It’s a good purchase for a public or school library. Not really too much explicit material, but definitely illegal drinking and allusions to sex. All the girls describe their kisses, with boys, to each other. Based on the cover art and main characters, this book is targeted towards girls. It would be a good historical fiction series for a book club, just not as easy as using a stand alone book for book clubs. Overall, I enjoyed reading it and I look forward to the 3rd book.
What do You think about Beautiful Days (2011)?
3.75 stars? I didn't like it as much as I did the first one, but just because the beginning was a bit slow. That said, Anna Godbersen is still one on my guilty pleasures and that's not gonna change any time soon. Her stories have something I crave. There's a lot of drama and a bit of romance. And the setting is always awesome. The freaking 20's, man. Isn't that something.The boys. I really felt in love with Charlie in this second book. And even though I like Max, the thing going on between Cordelia and Thom Hale is heartbreaking and I refuse to let it go.The girls. Astrid is still my favourite and Cordelia is an amazing character, but I struggle to like Letty, I really do.Anyway, can't wait to read the third and last one.
—rayna
I felt like Anna Godbersen wanted to make this a trilogy but she did not know what to do with this second novel. I don't feel like anything really happened in this sequel and I felt bored for most of the time that I read it. I was not incredibly impressed with the first book but I wanted to see where it went from there. Sadly, it went nowhere. The characters fell even more flat than they did in the first one and I felt like they just made bad decisions so there would be some drama for the third book.
—millia
