Review: Beautiful Days by Anna Godbersen

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "After a month in New York, Cordelia Grey and Letty Larkspur are small-town girls no longer. They spend their afternoons with Astrid Donal at the Greys' lush Long Island estate and their nights in Manhattan's bustling metropolis. But Letty's not content to be a mere socialite. She is ready at last to chase her Broadway dreams - no matter the cost.

Cordelia is still reeling from the death of her father at the hands of Thom Hale, the man she thought she loved. Now she is set to honor Darius Grey's legacy... and take her revenge.

Promised to Cordelia's half brother, Astrid is caught up in a world of dazzling jewels and glittering nights - and the sparkle is blinding. Charlie Grey is a gangster playing a dangerous game; and for Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty, the stakes could be deadly."
  
Review:  At a time when I feel as though a good historical read has fallen by the wayside, Anna Godbersen's novels always seem to deliver.  As the follow up to Bright Young Things, we pick back up with Cordelia and Letty trying to make a life for themselves in busy New York City during the days of the prohibition.  In the case of a second novel, there is a lot to remember about the first book that I couldn't always piece together.  Having said that, I did, slowly pull the story back into one whole so I could enjoy the rest of the story. 

 In what reminds me of a Gossip Girls type of a story, the drama is high and the action is even higher.  There's a little bit of everything here, with its showgirls, prohibition, gangsters, wealth, and prestige.  However, the glitz and glamour are offset by moments of poverty and crime.  There were moments of girls languishing by the pool, in sorrow over whatever male interest wasn't paying them enough attention.  That was annoying, but I would suppose, pretty important in the development of a relationship?  I can't say that this was my favorite of Godbersen's novels, as the lead female characters feel a bit unreachable and  not relatable to me (while her Luxe series characters felt much more real in my estimation), this was still agood YA historical read.  I plan on grabbing whatever follow-up comes out next so I can find out what happens to these characters. 

*This review was based on a library copy of the novel.