Review: Beautiful Days

Title: Beautiful Days
Author: Anna Godbersen
Date Released: September 20th, 2011
Pages: 368
Rating: 4 out of 5

Description:
For the bright young things of 1929, the beautiful days seem endless, filled with romance and heartbreak, adventure and intrigue, friendship and rivalry.

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.

From the "New York Times" bestselling author of "The Luxe" comes the second book in an epic series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age.

Review:
Beautiful Days picks up a month after the events of Bright Young Things.  Cordelia, Letty, and Astrid have all moved on to other things, such as lounging by the pool.  But, they've also moved onto much more serious roles.  Cordelia is busy with planning to open up a speakeasy, while Letty is trying to launch her career.  Meanwhile, Astrid is finally engaged to Cordelia's brother, Charlie, but being linked to a Grey, especially one of such power, means danger.

This sequel was a great followup to Bright Young Things.  We get to see life after Cordelia and Letty are settled into their new lives in the ever glamorous New York City and how their relationships with other people continue to develop or break at any moment.  I'll admit that it does go at a slow pace at times, but then it picks up and builds to towards the climatic event in the end.

The characters are fantastic and have changed so much by the end of the novel.  Letty definitely becomes stronger, Cordelia becomes more responsible, while Astrid finally realizes that you should always listen to what people tell you to do, especially if they know what they're talking about.  In terms of love interests and boyfriends, some were just plain jerks while others were ones to definitely admire.  Max, for instance, is this mysterious and broody pilot that I, for one, cannot help but swoon over.  On the other hand, Grady was cool...  But then he wasn't anymore.  And Charlie is just Charlie.  He's a brother and a fiance so he has this protective instinct about him.

In general, what I love about Anna Godbersen's novels is the historical time frame in which she writes her novels in.  The 20's is just such as glamorous time in the American history, and to read about it in such an entertaining novel just makes it all the more better.

I would definitely recommend this to people who like a light historical fiction read.  It's not heavily historical, but it has many references to the 20's, such as the speakeasies and bootlegging businesses.  The story itself is just really intriguing and had me hooked from page 1 to page 368.  I cannot wait until I can get my hands on The Lucky Ones, which is out as of 3 days ago, to see what will happen in the final installment!  There are a lot of loose ends that will hopefully be tied up in The Lucky Ones.

Cover Review:
Love the cover!  It's absolutely gorgeous from the title's font to "Cordelia" lying on the lounge chair.  I love the rich purple colors contrasting with the light pink of the dress.

Cleo :)

*Description & cover from goodreads.com
**Review copy purchased.