The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

Series: Luxe #1

Publication Date: November 20, 2007 by Harper Collins

Summary: 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.

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My Thoughts

This was my first Young Adult Historical Fiction novel and I would have to say I really enjoyed it. This book was a pretty quick read for me. This book reminded me a lot of 1900's Gossip Girl.

The book follows two sisters Diana and Elizabeth.  There family runs out of money and Elizabeth's mom wants to get her married off to a rich boy so their family can continue to live their current lifestyle.  The book is centered around the engagement of Elizabeth and Henry, but Elizabeth does not love him at all.  Diana ends up falling for Henry and they sneak around to be with each other.  Elizabeth's best friend Penelope use to be in love with Henry and she becomes a back-stabbing friend.  Elizabeth does not want to marry Henry at all, because she's in love with someone else.  Lots of love triangles dealing with Henry.

I really liked at the beginning of each chapter there was either some sort of note or newspaper article, that was very unique for me.

I love the two sisters Diana and Elizabeth.  I love how Elizabeth over came her family and proceeds to be with the one she loves. And Diana was a sweet girl who happens to fall in love for the first time and its fun to live through her story and obstacles. Penelope was one of the side characters and I really did not like her at all, she was very manipulative.

The ending had a cliffhanger, so I am eager to read the next book in the series. But overall I really enjoyed this book. I highly recommend it.

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