Review: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

The Luxe
by Anna Godbersen
Series: The Luxe #1
Release Date: November 20, 2007
by HarperCollins


Pretty girls in pretty dresses, partying until dawn.
Irresistible boys with mischievous smiles and dangerous intentions.
White lies, dark secrets, and scandalous hookups.
This is Manhattan, 1899. Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone--from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud--threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future.

With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love. But when her carriage overturns near the East River, the girl whose glittering life lit up the city's gossip pages is swallowed by the rough current. As all of New York grieves, some begin to wonder whether life at the top proved too much for this ethereal beauty, or if, perhaps, someone wanted to see Manhattan's most celebrated daughter disappear...

In a world of luxury and deception, where appearance matters above everything and breaking the social code means running the risk of being ostracized forever, five teenagers lead dangerously scandalous lives. This thrilling trip to the age of innocence is anything but innocent.

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars (♥♥♥!!!)
Who Recommended it to Me: NA
Who I'd Recommend it to: Drama-loving girls who are always in the mood for some scandalous activity. :)

My Review:


*This review contains spoilers*

Wow. What a book. I'm seriously impressed. ♥♥ed it so much.

I actually didn't expect to like this book in the least bit.  I had heard a few bad reviews and the synopsis and cover looked really cheesy. So I started this book really skeptical.  But, despite my pre-reading suspicions, I was blown away.

The characters are so hard to figure out! Even though that might have been frustrating for some readers, I like that kind of book. I'm not saying that this book deserves a place next to the fancy classics with really, really complex characters, but I enjoyed the way that I had a hard time figuring out which characters I liked. At first, I disliked Elizabeth. I disliked her proper manner and her stiff air, and I pitied Lina-- the plain servant girl who is hopelessly in love with the man she discovers her mistress is secretly in love with, too.  As the book went on, though, I swapped my dislikes.  Soon, I liked Elizabeth a lot, and disliked Lina.  Lina's decisions were extremely poor. First, teaming up with Penelope was not a good move.  I suspected that Penelope had actually killed Elizabeth, but then at the end when I figured out that she didn't, I was really surprised.

I loved Will from the start. I started the book firmly believing that Lina should end up with Will.  When I thought of Elizabeth in her perfect ballgowns and flawlessness, I was overcome with disgust.  And then there was Lina, the quiet servant girl who secretly fantasized about marrying Will.  But then as the story shifted, I wanted Elizabeth to run away with Will, and I guess that's what happened at the end. But I have a suspicion that this isn't a happy ending. So that's why I'll definitely be looking for the next book as soon as possible!!

The story was easy to follow. I liked the way that it was told in third-person, but at the same time you could really see into the character's minds. Lina, for example, was so overcome with love that she made some seriously stupid, foolish decisions that, um, I don't think would have made Will love her.  I despised Penelope from the moment she walked in-- Penelope's obnoxiousness was apparent throughout the whole book. And I loved Diana, even though I thought her decision to meet in secret with her sister's fiance was questionable.  Hmm... What else? Well, I liked Henry, even though he was an idiot. I loved the way Diana made him feel like crap before she started loving him.  He really learned from his mistakes, I feel like.

Well, all in all, I loved this book! It was exactly the kind of book that I love. I'm really interested in this time period, and it sort of reminded me of the TV show Downton Abbey! So I would definitely recommend this book, but I think that only a certain kind of reader would enjoy it, so if you don't enjoy it, it probably just isn't your type of book. I was expecting not to like this book, but it turns out that it is JUST my type of book, and I loved it! So definitely check it out! :) ♥

4.5/5 stars