***Series Review*** Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Pros

• Beautiful covers
• Set in an interesting time period
• Not thought provoking (so if you just want to escape this is your book)
• Well thought out synopsises
• Great for mental imagery

Cons

• Not very engaging
• Characters aren’t likeable
• There isn’t much depth
• The endings are maddening
• The stories can get a bit farfetched

Best Book: The Luxe

Worst Book: Envy

Overall Rating

2 stars – not a series I enjoyed as an adult but I think that teens will thoroughly enjoy the stories and the romance of it. I can say that because as a teen I actually devoured the first three books and would’ve the last if I hadn’t got ill. It’s not a series of books that I’d recommend to anyone, I think it would be a tad hypocritical of me considering that I didn’t like them. I think we’ve all gathered that from my reviews though. 

***Review*** Splendor Luxe #4) by Anna Godbersen

On the Back of the Book

New beginnings.

Shocking revelations.

Unexpected endings.

As spring turns into summer, Elizabeth relishes her new role as a young wife, while her sister, Diana, searches for adventure abroad. But when a surprising clue about their father’s death comes to light, the Holland girl’s wonder at what cost a life of splendour comes.

Carolina Broad, society’s newest darling, fans a flame from her past, oblivious to how it might burn her future. Penelope Schoonmaker is finally Manhattan royalty – but when a real prince visits the city, she covets a title that comes with a crown. Her husband, Henry, bravely went to war, only to discover thar his father’s rule extends well beyond New York’s shores and that fighting for love may prove a losing battle.

In the dramatic conclusion to the bestselling Luxe series, New York’s most dazzling socialites chase dreams, cling to promises, and tempt fate. As society watches what will become of the city’s oldest families and newest fortunes, one question remains: will its stars fade away or will they shine ever brighter?

Pre Read Thoughts

I remember when I first read ‘The Luxe’, ‘Rumours’ and ‘Envy’ I couldn’t wait to the series finale so I got the US version. Just as it arrived though I became ill and didn’t read it – until now. I bought this off Amazon and I think I paid around $12 for it though the US RRP for the hardback is $17.99. Now the book says that it’s a first edition so I’m happy with that. After re-reading the other three books in the series I’m suddenly not so sure if I’ll like this book. So you see me approaching it with a small amount of hesitation. I hope that because this is my first time reading it though that I’ll get some enjoyment out of this. I prefer this US cover as the UK has some embellishments on it that distract from the dress. The synopsis is quite detailed and I like that. Now I just need to pick up the actual book. Wish me luck! 

Post Read Thoughts

I’m glad to finish the series if I’m honest, but only because it means I won’t have to force myself through any more of these. The stories just seemed too farfetched and straight off an over dramatic TV show. Gossip Girl springs to mind, but then again it always has when I read these books. I kept picking this up, reading a few pages and then putting it back down again. Nothing drew me into the book and that disappointed me. I also hated the how it ended. I wanted more than that and I feel Lina, Diana and Henry were all short changed. They deserved more than Ms Godbersen gave them. I got the feeling that the author only cared about Elizabeth’s ending and this was a huge disappointment. The writing was okay but once again I definitely would have had it edited more, all the action seems to take place in the final 60 pages and that’s not acceptable for me.

Diana has an epiphany in this one and I was just like “hallelujah! Finally woman!” I’ve detested her behaviour in the previous two books; I didn’t want her to be one of those girls who waste their life mooning over something they can’t have. Her secret lover, Henry grows up in this one. It was nice to see him finally take some responsibility for his actions; he even grew a pair when it came to his wife. Penelope has her downfall and it’s long overdue. I was happy with the way things turned out for her and she’s the only character that I can say that about. In contrast I hated how things turned out for Lina, I thought that she deserved Leland as well as the big house and the money. She deserved the fairytale. This is a book, the endings are meant to be perfect. I mean if anyone in the world was going to understand why Lina acted the way she did it was Leland. Although I have to say that I’m glad that she stopped denying Claire’s existence. What kind of person denies they have a sibling? This brings me to dear, sweet, dull as dishwater Elizabeth. She’s so perfect and this annoys me. I detested how she got the fairytale that the author was incapable of giving to anyone else. In keeping with the author’s bittersweet theme Elizabeth should have had something bad happen to her. A bit of tragedy might make her a bit more entertaining.

Overall I found this to be average, just like the rest of the series. The only thing I can form a strong opinion about are the endings and I want more than that from a book. I’ve invested time and money in them and I want to be able to enjoy them. Not much in this book stands out for me. I think that girls who like books similar to Gossip Girl will like this but if you want some depth in your stories then this isn’t for you.

My Rating

2 stars – it’s not so horrifically bad that I’d rather hurt something than read this but I’d hardly say that it entertained me. This evidently isn’t my kind of book and I accept that. I personally wouldn’t recommend it to you but there might be someone out there who would.

***Review*** Envy (The Luxe #3) by Anna Godbersen

On the Back of the Book


New York City, 1900

In high society nothing is more dangerous than a scandal. Two months have passed since the esteemed Holland family's shocking fall from grace and those watching the impetuous Miss Diana Holland are beginning to whisper again.

Further uptown, notorious cad Henry Schoonmaker and his new bride are the city's most celebrated couple. But the glittering diamond she wears hasn't brought her all she desires.

Manhattan's most envied residents appear to have everything: wealth, beauty, happiness.

But in a city ruled by reputation, sometimes the most practised smiles hide the most scandalous secrets...


Pre Read Thoughts


Okay, this is a re-read. I first read it a couple of years ago when I was 18 and adored it but after the disappointment I feel after reading The Luxe and Rumours I'm not sure if I'll like it anymore. Once again I think that the UK cover is too busy with all it swirls and things. It distracts you from the dress which for me is the focus of the cover. The RRP is £6.99 and that's what I paid. It's a reasonable price and I won't grumble about it. The synopsis doesn't really say much so I'm wondering how much I remember and what's gonna happen.


Post Read Thoughts


It's taken me ages to read this because I didn't enjoy it at all. The whole thing felt incredibly mediocre. The whole book felt limp, nothing happened until the final 100 pages. That means that 3/4 of this book is just filler and that's ridiculous. Surely it should be quality over quantity. Maybe that's just me getting old though. The writing isn't any better, it's filled with dull narrations and many, many descriptions of outfits that I couldn't give a stuff about. The pace is slower than a snail stuck down with super glue (although why you'd stick a snail down with super glue I have no idea). I could barely manage more than a couple of pages at a time until everything started happening. Having all your plot development at the end of the story is stupid, it makes the reast of the book boring.

The characters get worse in every book. Diana has gone from a bright, quirky individual, to a stupid, lovesick puppy that does nothing but pine after their owner. In this case, that's Henry, who's described as a "cad" but he's nothing but a drunken idiot with no backbone. I mean he says he loves Diana but look at how easy it was for him to forget about her. He even married another woman for crying out loud! Speaking of his wife, dear Penelope is nothing but a vindictive nymphomaniac who thinks that she's better than she is. Everything she says about Diana is also true about herself. She's a hypocrite. She has no morals. I guess that's why she continues to be the friend of poor, fragile Elizabeth who just gets soppier with every book, I want to slap her silly. I get that she's had a tough time but she doesn't even seem to be trying to move on. Unlike her former love rival Lina who has turned into nothing but a social climbing gold digger who has only managed to get to where she is by blackmailing people. None of the main characters are likable and none of them are particularly realistic.

Overall I'm unimpressed. The whole thing is ridiculous, I don't believe that any of what happened is likely to have ever occured. I know it's fiction but this isn't a fantasy book. I also want to know why none of the parents seem to actually care what their children do. I mean my mum would skin me alive if I treated anyone the way these morons do. I can genuinely see why teens lovbe these books but for me this just doesn't cut the mustard as even a semi decent read. I mean for it to be that there'd have to be some semblance of a plot running through the book not just leaping in at the end like "Look at me! I'm a plot!" that really didn't make me very happy.


My Rating

2 stars - The only reason that this is getting 2 stars is that it's not bad enough to get 1. In that sense it's Anna Godbersen's lucky day. I personally don't like it and if you have similar taste in YA to me I don't think you will either, however, if you're a Gossip Girl then you're sure to love this book. You should definitely check out the series.

***Review*** Rumours (The Luxe #2) by Anna Godbersen

On the Back of the Book


December 1899 - New York City

Manhatten has bid farewell to its brightest star, the dazzling Miss Elizabeth Holland. Yet the rumours about her untimely demise continue. Meanwhile her sister, the irrepressible Diana, has been seen in the company of not one but three eligible bachelors. Might there be a fourth?

In high society, reputation is everything.
The Holland family simply can't afford to be the subject of such wicked whispers. Heaven forbid that they should fall so spectacularly from grace...

There is a very fine line between truth and lies, love and hate. And all is about to be gloriously revealed.


Pre Read Thoughts


Once again this is a re-read and I was initially attracted by the cover, looking at the UK cover now though it's too busy with all the stuff coming out of the corners. They take over the picture and detract from the beautiful girl in the beautiful dress (which is why I'm using the US cover). The RRP is £6.99 and that's what I paid for it. It's a fair price. I admit that I was disappointed with the generic symopsis because The Luxe's was so indvidual and I guess I was hoping that they'd stick with that idea.


Post Read Thoughts


After reading this book for a second time, I'm beginning to thoroughly regret my decision to re-read this series. What 18 year-old me loved, 20 year-old me detests and this is no exception. This book would be so much better if it was a couple of hundred pages shorter and if every single item of clothing was given its own paragraph. Okay, I may have exagerrated about the clothing a little but so much of this book is irrelevant to the plot development. It took me nearly a month to read this I was so bored and frustrated. I kept putting it down after a couple of pages. Reading a book should be fun.

The characters are so incredibly dull. They don't want to make me read the book, they make me want to throw it into a fire or at the very least at a wall. I don't connect with them in any way or have any sympathy for them whatsoever. Their behaviour  is atrocious and there don't seem to be any repercussions for them either. If I had to choose a character that was tolerable I'd say Diana, but only because I liked her in book one, she's had a complete personality transplant in this one and I missed the old her. I have nithing further to say on any of them because they aren't worth my time and I should be naming a character because I either liked them or loathed them, not because I have to.

Overall I'm not a fan of this book anymore, it's too like Gossip Girl and that series bored me to tears. There's too much fashion and not enough depth to the story. I found the writing to be boring and too focussed on unimportant, trivial details. On a positive note I like the idea of starting the book with the main event from the end of the book. Granted, I'd like the idea more if the rest of the book was good quality writing but apparently I'm asking far too much.


My Rating

2 stars - No more Mrs Nice Reviewer, I gave the first one 3 stars because I used to like it but I can't do it with this one as well. It isn't fair to the books that I give a good rating to because I like them. This book is distinctly average. There's not too much that I did like but there isn't anything that truly drove me crazy and made me feel anything towards this book. If you're absolutely desperate and this is the only book you have to read then go ahead, otherwise steer clear unless you're a Gossip Girl fan.

***Review*** The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

On the Back of the Book

Imagine if you will, New York City, 1899

Society's elite: the glamour, the grandeur, the glittering parties, the most handsome beaux, the most beautiful debutantes... the rich girl, the humble boy, the forbidden love, the stolen glances, the whispers, the scandal, the mystery, the revenge.

You are cordially invited to step into
The Luxe
Where the secrets are dark
and the sins are delicious...
R.S.V.P.

Pre Read Thoughts

Confession time! I've read this before, but in my defence it was years ago. This was a cover book. I fell in love with the girl's dress. It's so pretty and if I lived in the 19th century I'd want to be the girl in that dress. Saying that, my cover is too busy for my taste, it's got all these swirls and flowers and butterflies on it and it ruins the effect of the dress. Hence why I haven't used it. The RRP is  £6.99 which is more than reasonable. I also want to point out that I love how the synopsis is set out, it's so cool, it creates intrigue.

Post Read Thoughts

I first read this book a couple of years ago and I adored it. Now though it didn't really grab me as much as it did then. The story was essentially Gossip Girl except the frocks were bigger and iPhones didn't exist. The pace of the story was a bit hit and miss, the first 200 and something pages were dull, less would have been more. The author's style of writing got old pretty quickly, too much time was spent on materialistic things as opposed to the plot.

The characters are from Gossip Girl. I can prove this:

The Luxe  - Gossip Girl
Elizabeth   - Serena
Penelope  -  Blair
Henry      -   Nate
Diana      -   Vanessa
Lina        -    Jenny

I know that looks like a list but if you've either read or watched Gossip Girl you should know the character traits of each character. My favourite character is Diana. I love how vibrant and full of life she is. The others are pretty boring and generic and I didn't really connect with them.

Overall I quite like the book. I don't think it's a particularly strong opening to a series but not many YA books are now. I found myself wanting to know less about Elizabeth the society girl and more about Elizabeth the person. Her attitude to Will as she describes him contradicts the way she feels, this annoys me. I wanted this story to be different from Gossip Girl but with Alloy Entertainment involved, how could it be?

My Rating

3 stars - I should probably give it less but because this book brought me joy at one point in my life I've decided to be generous. This is a definite must for Gossip Girl fans. However if you're looking for an interesting insight into the workings of upper-class New York in the 19th century, you're looking at the wrong book.

A Final Note

Sex is eluded to. The author cuts away before anything really happens though, but to be on the safe side I recommend this for 14+.