The Favorites

By: Layne Fargo
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Random House
Pages: 448

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.

An epic love story set in the sparkling, savage sphere of elite figure skating about a woman determined to carve her own path on and off the ice

She might not have a famous name, funding, or her family’s support, but Katarina Shaw has always known that she was destined to become an Olympic skater. When she meets Heath Rocha, a lonely kid stuck in the foster care system, their instant connection makes them a formidable duo on the ice. Clinging to skating—and each other—to escape their turbulent lives, Kat and Heath go from childhood sweethearts to champion ice dancers, captivating the world with their scorching chemistry, rebellious style, and rollercoaster relationship. Until a shocking incident at the Olympic Games brings their partnership to a sudden end.

As the ten-year anniversary of their final skate approaches, an unauthorized documentary reignites the public obsession with Shaw and Rocha, claiming to uncover the "real story" through interviews with their closest friends and fiercest rivals. Kat wants nothing to do with the documentary. But she can't stand the thought of someone else defining her legacy either. So, after a decade of silence, she's telling her story: from the childhood tragedies that created her all-consuming bond with Heath to the clash of desires that tore them apart. Sensational rumors have haunted their every step for years, but the truth may be even more shocking than the headlines.

Inspired by the powerful love and hate that fuel Emily Bronte’s classic, Wuthering Heights, The Favorites is an exhilarating dance between passion, ambition, and what it truly means to win.

First Impressions

This book was advertised as Daisy Jones & The Six meets figure skating so I was immediately in. Add the beautiful cover and this book jumped to the top of my list so fast. This might be one of the strongest first impressions a book has made in a long time.

What I thought

This might end up being my favorite book of the year.

Kat Shaw has wanted to be an Olympic ice dancer her entire life. When she and her skating partner/boyfriend get accepted to a camp being held by the best US ice dancer female skater, they feel like it’s going to be their first step towards greatness. But scandal and drama erupt behind the scenes.

The story is told in alternating chapters. The first perspective is Katerina and the second is told as documentary interviews with multiple people’s points of views. I listened to this on audiobook and it was told with a full cast of narrators. I would absolutely recommend listening to this because it’s one of the best audiobooks I’ve listened to, but I’m sure it would be just as good as a physical book.

This is also apparently a retelling of Wuthering Heights. I don’t remember much about Wuthering Heights other than it was a bit nuts, I didn’t like it, and I thought Heathcliff was the worst. After reading this book, I do still think Heath is the worst. I got so frustrated with him in this story, but I didn’t dislike him as much as in the original. He did have some redeeming qualities in the end in this version.

I am a big ice skating fan, so I know there is a lot of drama within the sport. I loved how this story played into that. Johnny Weir, an American male figure skater, voiced one of the skaters in the story. He ends up having a skating gossip blog and he played it so well. I felt like it could’ve easily been real life behind the scenes of the figure skating world.

If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know it’s rare that I can’t predict where a book is going. This story took so many twists and turns I truly had no idea. They would end up at a competition or a certain plot point and I would look down and see I still had like 5 hours left in the book when I thought that’s where the story was going to end. It was so fun to be on this wild ride.

Truly unlike any book I’ve ever read/listened to. I loved all of the characters and didn’t know where this was going next. If you love drama I would highly recommend this book, even if you’re not a figure skating fan. I have already recommended this book to a bunch of people. If you love audiobooks, I recommend checking it out on that but otherwise I’m sure it’s just as good as a physical read.

A Map to Paradise

By: Susan Meissner
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 352

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): 1956, Malibu, Something is not right on Paradise Circle.

With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…

First Impressions

Meissner has written some really lovely historical fiction. I’ve enjoyed a lot of her stories in the past and love how she writes strong female characters. I was intrigued to read a story about an actress in the 50s. I also loved the cover!

What I thought

This book was not quite what I expected. I thought it was going to be more of a story about the communists and how it influenced Hollywood and instead it ended up being more of a mystery.

Melanie has been blacklisted because her costar was named as a communist sympathizer. As a result, no one in Hollywood will hire her. Carson, her costar, has put her up in a house in Malibu since she’s the reason she can’t get work. Her next door neighbor, Elwood, is a reclusive screenwriter. When Melanie doesn’t hear from him or see him for a few days, she starts to get concerned and sends her maid over to the house to work for Elwood’s sister-in-law to see what is really happening.

I liked the first half of the book more than I liked the second half. The first half talked about Eva, the housekeeper, and what she dealt with as someone who was living in Russian during World War 2 and was now living in America claiming she is Polish. It also discussed Melanie dealing with the reality of being an assumed communist and how it took over her life. Once the story started centering more around June, Elwood’s sister-in-law, and how she had been in love with Elwood and taken care of him, I was less invested.

I found June and her story about being in love with Elwood to be irritating. I also found how she dealt with Elwood to be frustrating. Melanie was the only one in this story who spoke any kind of sense. Eva became invested in June so quickly and projected so much of her trauma on June.

While I was curious about the mystery of whether Elwood was still in the house and if not, where was he, the way it played out was not my favorite. I sided with Melanie a lot more with some of the decisions as opposed to June and found it difficult to be cheering for June in any way.

This book straddled a weird genre of mystery and historical fiction. As a result, it didn’t feel like it filled either of them enough. The mystery was predictable and the historical portion wasn’t in depth enough for what I wanted. I enjoyed some of the characters and the time of the story, but overall this one just wasn’t for me. Meissner’s writing was still well done and enjoyable so I look forward to her next novel.

Code Word Romance

By: Carlie Walker
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 320

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Two exes. One mission. A trip she'll never forget...

Max is just your average girl. She works odd jobs, has a soul-crushing amount of debt and just happens to have an uncanny resemblance to Europe's youngest female prime minister, Sofia Christensen . . .

So when the prime minister receives a credible death threat, the CIA approaches Max with a a life-changing amount of money if she pretends to be Sofia on the prime minister's annual Italian trip.

It would be a dream if it weren't for those pesky assassins and Flynn, Max's ridiculously hot handler - the man who broke her heart years and years ago.

With her life now on the line, Max knows she has no choice but to lose herself in the role. But losing her heart to Flynn again? Now that's a risk that she isn't willing to take . . .

First Impressions

The cover is a little meh to me. I don’t love the style of the art but it’s not terrible. I was more intrigued by the title and then the summary to be honest. I love a good twin swap.

What I thought

This book was really cute and kind of gave me vibes of Chasing Liberty/First Daughter vibes.

Max is recruited by the CIA to be a body double or a Prime Minister in a small island called Summerland. They happen to look exactly alike, and the Prime Minister, Sofia, is currently the target of an assassination. When Max accepts the job and shows up to Italy, it turns out that her handler is her ex and first love, Flynn. Now she has to not only avoid being killed, but see her ex for the first time in over 10 years.

Honestly, my favorite part of this novel was the action movie style with Sofia and Max and Flynn. I love the assassination attempts and trying to figure out who was after Sofia and why. I was a little let down by who ended up being behind the attempts as well as how it was figured out. But up until that point I really liked it.

I also did like the chemistry between Max and Flynn. It was interesting to see that they immediately picked up with their feelings from where they had left off, but I guess if you loved someone and never got closure those feelings could still be pretty close to the surface. I didn’t love the reveal for why their relationship ended in the first place. To be fair, I don’t love second chance romances so as far as that goes, the reason was fine. I didn’t feel like they had split due to reasons that were going to ruin a second chance. I was just a little disappointed because it was more of a “Really?” moment.

Max is an interesting character because she’s simultaneously a mess and really together. She knows what she wants but doesn’t quite know how to get it. I did enjoy her roommate because he was a bit silly. But at times that silliness went a little too far. At one point, he slips out of the CIA’s hands and ends up just exploring Rome and I don’t understand how the CIA could be that incapable.

Overall, the story was super cute. I was sucked in pretty quickly and wanted to know that Max, Sofia, and Flynn were going to be ok. There just were some parts that I felt could’ve been fleshed out a little more. I think if you enjoy early 2000’s bait and switch action comedies, you’ll enjoy this one. I just wanted a little more.

Book Club March 2025- The Song of Achilles

By: Madeline Miller
Published Year: 2011
Publisher: Ecco
Pages: 408

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.

What I thought

I have seen this book floating around the internet for at least a few years. People rave about it. It has a solid rating over 4 stars on Goodreads. I do enjoy the cover, but every time I read the summary I felt kind of meh. When Meghan picked it for book club, I was excited to finally see what everyone was raving about.

This book follows Achilles and his companion Patroclus from childhood through the Trojan war. I love Greek mythology, but I didn’t know anything about the Trojan war other than the name Helen of Troy and the Trojan Horse. I also know nothing about Achilles other than Achilles Heel/Tendon. I didn’t fully realize this book was a kind of retelling of the Iliad either. I am much more familiar with The Odyssey, so a lot of this story was new to me.

I’ll start with what I loved. I loved learning about the Greek mythology and the history of this war. I had no idea it was over 9 years long! I also didn’t know much about Achilles and how he became a hero, so I enjoyed that part as well.

What I didn’t love was Achilles which is unfortunate. I found him to be self-centered and naïve. I understand he doesn’t want to die, but he ruins so many other people’s lives because of it. I also felt like he didn’t listen to Partoclus at all and took advantage of him multiple times. Patroclus also drove me nuts, though he did grow on my in the second half. When he was a kid he irritated me. I thought I was going to vomit if I had to read about Achille’s “beautiful pink feet” one more time. But once they were in  the war and adults, I enjoyed it more.

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. I found it to be a little slow and I didn’t really like anyone in this story. I don’t know if that’s how I would’ve felt reading the Iliad or what, but it was not my favorite. I didn’t dislike it by any means, but I don’t feel like it’s one I’d recommend. I’m curious about the author’s other book, Circe, and whether that one would resonate with me more.

I’m super curious to hear what book club thinks. We have a good split of Greek Mythology lovers and those who aren’t into it.

What Book Club Thought

Meghan, who picked the book, ended up liking it the most out of the rest of us. One of our book club members said she felt it was really well researched and well done, but something about it just didn’t connect for her. Another member was on the same page as me. She liked the story but found the writing to be lacking. I struggled the most with the characters. I don’t do well when a book has unlikable characters. Overall, most of us gave it a 3/5 stars. I think it was a good book to discuss because we had a lot of feelings. I would recommend this book if you’re a fan of the Iliad and would recommend it as a book club pick. I am curious about her other book and may check it out in the future.

Know My Name

By: Chanel Miller
Published Year: 2019
Pages: 384
Publisher: Viking

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): She was known to the world as Emily Doe when she stunned millions with a letter. Brock Turner had been sentenced to just six months in county jail after he was found sexually assaulting her on Stanford’s campus. Her victim impact statement was posted on BuzzFeed, where it instantly went viral–viewed by eleven million people within four days, it was translated globally and read on the floor of Congress; it inspired changes in California law and the recall of the judge in the case. Thousands wrote to say that she had given them the courage to share their own experiences of assault for the first time.

Now she reclaims her identity to tell her story of trauma, transcendence, and the power of words. It was the perfect case, in many ways–there were eyewitnesses, Turner ran away, physical evidence was immediately secured. But her struggles with isolation and shame during the aftermath and the trial reveal the oppression victims face in even the best-case scenarios. Her story illuminates a culture biased to protect perpetrators, indicts a criminal justice system designed to fail the most vulnerable, and, ultimately, shines with the courage required to move through suffering and live a full and beautiful life.

Know My Name will forever transform the way we think about sexual assault, challenging our beliefs about what is acceptable and speaking truth to the tumultuous reality of healing. It also introduces readers to an extraordinary writer, one whose words have already changed our world. Entwining pain, resilience, and humor, this memoir will stand as a modern classic.

First Impressions

Honestly, the cover of this book didn’t do much for me. I saw it on a few lists and felt meh. What ended up drawing me to it was hearing multiple people rave about it and saying it was one of the best memoirs they had ever read. So, not the best first impressions, but a good second impression.

What I thought

Holy cow were people right.

Chanel Miller was the victim of rape in 2015 on Stanford University’s campus. It was the case that took the world by storm. Everyone knew Brock Turner’s name but no one knew Chanel’s. His case had such lasting ramifications and ow Chanel has decided to reclaim her story and tell it all.

I listened to this on audiobook because I wanted to hear her story through her voice. I’m sure it is just as powerful as a physical book, but man did the audiobook hit me. I remember this case so clearly. I was not in college at the time, but was well aware of the turmoil and the lax punishment he received as well as the backlash that followed. This all occurred during the height of the Me Too movement.

This book though shows so much more about what Chanel went through. She starts with the night of her rape and you follow her story through multiple trials. I had no idea that her trial lasted over a year and then she had to wait months after that for his punishment. This book infuriated me on her behalf. I wanted to call for Brock’s defense attorney to be disbarred as well as the judge recalled.

This is easily the kind of book to radicalize people and start a movement. Our so called justice system for victims of sexual assault is appalling. It opened my eyes in so many ways and I feel I need to find a way to support the cause. Also hearing even more about how Brock didn’t take any responsibility for his actions infuriates me. I also was disappointed in Stanford and the lack of action they took on the case. Even hearing how they tried to “rectify” the situation afterwards was disappointing.

This book is not an easy one to read but it is a necessary one. It can be graphic at times but man do I want it to be required reading for all high schoolers. The part that breaks my heart is that the people who need to hear this story most probably won’t read it. But hopefully enough of us can that we can pass along Chanel’s story and fight for the rights of sexual assault victims and believe their truths.

Book Boyfriend

By: Emily Wibberly & Austin Siegemund-Broka
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 384

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Jennifer Worth lives to escape into the world of her favorite romantasy series Elytheum Courts, where the romance is sweeping and the men are brave, chivalrous . . . and winged. Newly single and craving connection, she travels to an immersive fan experience celebrating all things Elytheum, only to see the last face she expected—Scott Daniels, her work nemesis, whose disinterest in Jennifer’s favorite series and standoffishness have made their publishing jobs feel like a feuding fae court.
 
Except the Scott she encounters there, in his secondhand cosplay outfit, is . . . different. Swaggering, flirtatious, confident. Unlucky in romance himself and inspired by Jennifer’s love for the swoonworthy men of Elytheum, Scott is determined to remake himself into the perfect book boyfriend.
 
Jennifer has no interest in helping the man who vexes her every workday and dismisses her fictional fantasies, but as the immersive convention activities force them together, they’re surprised to discover magic like none Jennifer has ever read about. But is enemies-to-lovers romance only for books, or can Jennifer and Scott bring the trope to life?

First Impressions

I have always enjoyed this married duo’s novels. I was excited to see they were coming out with a new adult novel and intrigued by the concept of a girl who is into romance novels and has the ideal fantasy of a boyfriend in her head.

What I thought

Maybe I shouldn’t have read this after Onyx Storm?

Jennifer works in publishing. She is a romantic and believes her true love is out there. Scott works for the same company and believes Jennifer is living in a fantasy. After he rejected her friendship, they immediately became enemies and have not liked each other for a year. When Jennifer gets broken up with at work, she decides to attend a Romantasy immersive experience her friend helped to create about her favorite book series. She goes to escape her reality for a week and heal, but then her dreams are crushed when Scott, who has forever dissed her favorite series, is there too.

I really wanted to like this book. I have enjoyed so many of their other books but I could not with this one. Part of my issue was the romantasy series stuff. Now, I had just read Onyx Storm which is part of the Emperyium series, so reading about a fact Elytheum series felt too close. It also felt very A Court of Thorns and Roses which did not enjoy. I just felt like I was trying to read two books at once because Jennifer and this experience are so Elytheum heavy, that you feel like you can’t connect with the experience if you’re not an Elytheum fan. Maybe if this had been written more like the book Fan Girl by Rainbow Rowell where in between chapters were snippets of the Elytheum series? That might’ve made it feel more real than Jennifer just referencing it every once in a while.

Also, I am not convinced at all that these people like each other. It’s supposed to be enemies to lovers but I just did not get it. She asks him to get a drink to become friends the first time they meet, he says no, and then they continue to harass each other at work for a full year. Then once they’re out of the work setting at this experience, she finds him attractive? And apparently because he say her checking him out he realized he also finds her attractive? I kept thinking maybe he had had a crush on her the whole time and went to the experience to understand her more and win her over when he came back to work, but that was not the case at all.

She pretty much spends the whole time harping on why she dislikes Scott and it boils down to not liking him just because he doesn’t like her. I don’t find that very solid. I actually ended up skimming the whole second half of the book because I could not with these characters anymore. I found her to be whiney and overly tied into her fantasy world (which all of the characters accused her of) and I found him to be flat and have no personality other than the fantasy character whose traits he was trying to emulate.

I’m so disappointed because I have previously really enjoyed this duo’s books, but the last two have just not done it for me. Maybe their magic has worn off for me? I don’t know. I’d be willing to give them one more shot if the concept strikes me, but definitely not the top of my list anymore.

I think if you are super into romantasy and like romance of convenience this book might be for you. I would not describe it as enemies to lovers and found a lot of it to just be frustrating and annoying. Just not for me.

Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge

By: Kjersti Herland Johnson
Published Year: 2024
Publisher: HarperVia
Pages: 400

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Mark the days till Christmas with this feel-good romantic mystery set at a cozy family inn in the snowy mountains of Norway—structured as an advent calendar for your daily reading pleasure.

An old mystery. A tragic accident. Secrets. Confessions. A new beginning.

After a traumatic climbing accident, well-known Alpinist Ingrid Berg has returned to the quaint Norwegian village that her family has called home for generations. She’s now ready to put away her ice axe and take over the management of the Glitter Peak Lodge from her aging grandmother, who's no longer up to the task. With Christmas rapidly approaching, guests are expected from both Norway and abroad, and Ingrid is welcomed as the inn's savior.

But within short order of Ingrid’s return, complications arise. Leaking pipes. Last-minute cancellations. The resurfacing of a long-buried mystery. And the return of two men from Ingrid's past. Will Ingrid be able to keep the inn alive, or will her family's legacy be lost forever?

The ultimate feel-good holiday treat, Christmas at Glitter Peak Lodge explores the healing power of family and home, and the magical bonds of community and traditions. Set up like an advent calendar with twenty-four chapters, each set on a different day in December leading up to Christmas, it can be enjoyed one chapter a day or devoured in one sitting.

First Impressions

I was visiting an independent bookstore and this book immediately caught my eye. The cover is gorgeous. The summary immediately piqued my interest because I love Christmas and Scandinavia. Add in that this is written by a Norwegian author and I walked out of the store with this book in hand.

What I thought

Ingrid has come home to Glitter Peak Lodge after experiencing an avalanche that ended her climbing career. This book takes place over the 24 days of December leading up to Christmas and follows Ingrid, her grandmother, and other residents and workers at Glitter Peak Lodge. Each chapter is one day of December.

I loved the format of this book, but I think, unfortunately, some of it was lost in translation. Literally. I think that the flow of this book got lost given that it’s translated from Norwegian. I think the translator did the best they could, but sometimes it felt a little choppy. And maybe that’s the way the original author wrote it? But also it just felt like sometimes I was jumping from one thought or character to the next with little to no transition.

I also kind of found Ingrid to be insufferable? I didn’t mind her at first but by the end she was my least favorite character. She has her reasons for being the way she is given some of the tragedy she’s experience, but at one point I got really frustrated with the way that she handled things and everyone seemed to be ok with it.

The other difficulty I had was I expected this book to be more focused on the romance and the hotel and it ended up having a bit of a mystery and a drama. I didn’t mind it. In fact, I think it ended up saving the book a little bit. But I didn’t expect it so I had to readjust what I was getting from this book.

The setting of this book is the clear winner. The side characters are also a delight. If you can kind of get over Ingrid and her grandma, I think this could be a fun read for you. I wanted to like this book so much more than I did, but something about it didn’t work for me. I did love learning about Norway at Christmas and think if that’s interesting enough to you, then you should pick this one up.

Let's Call Her Barbie

 By: Renee Rosen
Published Year: 2025
Publisher: Berkley
Pages: 432

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I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion of this novel.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): She was only eleven-and-a-half inches tall, but she would change the world. Barbie is born in this bold new novel by USA Today bestselling author Renée Rosen.

When Ruth Handler walks into the boardroom of the toy company she co-founded and pitches her idea for a doll unlike any other, she knows what she’s setting in motion. It might just take the world a moment to catch up.

In 1956, the only dolls on the market for little girls let them pretend to be mothers. Ruth’s vision for a doll shaped like a grown woman and outfitted in an enviable wardrobe will let them dream they can be anything.

As Ruth assembles her team of creative rebels—head engineer Jack Ryan who hides his deepest secrets behind his genius and designers Charlotte Johnson and Stevie Klein, whose hopes and dreams rest on the success of Barbie’s fashion—she knows they’re working against a ticking clock to get this wild idea off the ground.

In the decades to come—through soaring heights and devastating personal lows, public scandals and private tensions— each of them will have to decide how tightly to hold on to their creation. Because Barbie has never been just a doll—she’s a legacy.

First Impressions

A historical fiction about the creator of Barbie? Heck yes! The cover is perfection and I was so excited to learn more about the history of Barbie.

What I thought

This book was everything I wanted it to be.

Ruth and her husband Elliot are the creators of Mattel. When Ruth comes up with the idea for Barbie, none of the men understand or believe in her. However, she convinces them to take the risk. After a lot of struggle creating the doll itself, Ruth, Elliot, and their designer Jack have a lot more to contend with to maintain her success.

I think what fascinated me the most about this book wasn’t Barbie herself but was Ruth. She was a Girl Boss back in the 1950’s. She helped her husband and his friend create Mattel and it would never have been created nor been successful without her as the driving force. It was empowering to watch her own the boardroom and have people respect her. It was infuriating to see her get taken down because she was a strong woman as the success of the company grew.

The first half of the book was uplifting and interesting. I loved seeing them work through all of the problems of manufacturing Barbie as well as the environment of Mattel in the 50s. The second half of the book was a crush of reality. Greed and sexism taking over to destroy what could’ve continued to be magic.

Most of the characters in this book are based off of real people. There are two characters who are fictional and one of them is a secondary character. I did appreciate her as a character though because I felt like she brought some depth to the story and allowed certain aspects to be told in a way that works better on paper.

Rosen writes historical fiction so well. She stays factual while keeping it entertaining and always writes about strong women in history. I like that she’s not always writing about wars or torn times, but about women who were smart business women. I think a lot of her books would be inspirational to young women and I would love to share this book with high schoolers.

This book was so different from most historical fiction I’ve read. Rosen does a great job with modern-historical fiction and this book was another hit out of the park. Especially with the current Barbie-mania this book is fascinating.