Review - The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Title: The Luxe
Author: Anna Godbersen
Publisher: HarperCollins 
Pages: 448
Source: Bought 

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.

Reviewing is hard. There's just so much to cram into a few short paragraphs & it's especially hard when you've never written a review before. So bare with me because the verdict's still out on my reviewing skills! 

I didn't think I'd like this book. There's a little caption on the cover that says it's the 'OC of the 1800's' & I hate those types of programs. I don't like Gossip Girl or the OC, and although I used to be obsessed with 90210 I stopped watching it, because I got really sick and tired of listening to rich people complain about how much money they have. None of their story lines could hold my attention for long & I didn't think it would be any different with this book, but I bought it any way because the cover is gorgeous and I am obsessed with the Victorian period.

Boy, was I wrong about this book!

After the first few lines I was completley hooked, not only is the story line amazing, but the writing style too. I'm starting to think that it's no coincidence that Anna's name has 'God' in it. She is a writing God. Honestly, she's really talented :) I have to say though, even though I was hooked by the beginning, I was still a bit hesitant during it, because it first talks about Elizabeth's death & then goes back in time to show you how it happened. I kind of felt like this was pointless & I didn't really want to invest myself in this character if she was just going to die. 
So............I skipped to the back of the book. I get told off a lot for doing this :( but I couldn't help it! & trust me, without saying too much, it's definatley worth reading :) 

I didn't like all the characters, but I didn't hate them in the way that made me want to throw the book against a wall & never pick it up again. They were just real characters. They had their flaws & that's what made it okay for them to be annoying. Usually I don't like characters because writers make them too perfect & unrealistic. The characters I did like though, well, I really liked. 

This book was like one endless supply of yummy guys. 

But don't let that fool you into thinking there was no plot. Originally I thought most of the story lines were going to be really obvious; when I was reading it I just couldn't stop thinking 'well, we all know what's going to happen now,' but time & time again I was surprised when the story went down another route. The plot was a lot more complex than it I thought it was. 

Honestly, this book (and the rest of the series) was amazing, but if I had to say one little negative thing, it would that the book is told from different characters pov's & sometimes it would be one characters pov for five or six chapters which got a bit boring. Other than that, it was a really good series - well researched & well written. I highly recommend all books :)