Title: "The Liz Taylor Ring" by Brenda Janowitz - A Solid Read

Rating: ★★★☆☆

"The Liz Taylor Ring" by Brenda Janowitz is a solid read that provides an engaging exploration of love, relationships, and the intricate dynamics of family. While it may not have blown me away, it offers a well-crafted story worth delving into.

The novel follows the life of Hannah, a woman grappling with the complexities of her own relationships while navigating her role within her family. The characters are relatable and well-developed, allowing readers to connect with their experiences. Janowitz delves into the nuances of love and marriage, exposing the imperfections that often lie beneath the surface. The story unfolds with a comfortable pacing, allowing the reader to become fully immersed in the narrative. While it may not be an extraordinary literary masterpiece, "The Liz Taylor Ring" delivers an enjoyable and thought-provoking tale, earning it a solid 3-star rating. If you're looking for a well-crafted story that explores the intricacies of love and family, this book is definitely worth a read.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Graydon House and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I read another book by the same author a while back and enjoyed it, so I was very excited to see a brand new title by Brenda Janowitz.

This book is about three siblings who get a call that there is a prized possession of their mothers in a safe deposit box and they have to go in person and claim it. Of course, it stirs up family memories and drama, as well as well as trying to get to the bottom of a mystery. 
This book didn't disappoint me in the slightest. It was a total guessing game up until the end and made me want to keep reading.

I really enjoyed this book.

When their mother's diamond ring (an exact replica of the diamond Richard Burton gave Liz Taylor) resurfaces, three siblings gather under one roof for the first time in years.

This was fine. I enjoyed it, but I don't have strong feelings about it.

I joined an impromptu buddy read to finish some lingering netgalley books and we chose to read the Liz Taylor Ring!

This is a family drama that’s starts in 1978 with the marriage of Lizzie and Ritchie. They have a whirlwind romance that has a lot of bumps and after they take a 9 month break, they get back together and Ritchie gives her “the Liz Taylor Ring.” There’s a lot of drama surrounding this ring, especially with Ritchie’s gambling issues.

Many years later, the ring is thought to be lost. Their adult children have grown apartment and are brought back together by dealing with the estate of their parents when the ring is found where they least expect it. It brings them all closer together after having all these family experiences.

I really enjoyed this novel! I always enjoy dual plot lines and it worked very well here. I liked the siblings squabbles; they felt very genuine. The book also had short chapter which helped the story fly by!

I will say this to this is a book where the cover and title don’t really match the story at all. The book really has nothing to do with Elizabeth Taylor, only that the Lizzie’s ring is designed to look like Elizabeth’s. I also think the cover looks like a historical fiction (it’s still gorgeous!) and this is more of a contemporary read.

Thank you so much to @graydonhouse @brendajanowitzwriter and @htpbooks.

Definitely recommend this book to friends and family. For me it was a little bit of a slow read. I did pick up midway through and I’m glad that I finished it. Definitely give it a try and add it to your to be read list.

Don’t let the title fool you - this book is not about Liz Taylor but about a regular family from Long Island - though they happen to have a fabulous Diamond ring they refer to as “the Liz Taylor ring.” We see the perspectives of parents Lizzie and Ritchie in the past - including the start of their relationship in 1978, and in in 1992 when after a separation in their marriage he gives her the ring he won gambling - and then in the present day we see the perspectives of their three adult children Addy, Nathan, and Courtney, when the ring they thought was gone comes back into their lives after both parents are dead.

This is one of those family novels where each member of the slightly dysfunctional family has their own secrets/issues/problems, but written with a light touch. Think “The Summer Place” by Jennifer Weiner or “Gilt” by Jamie Brenner. While it may not be the historical novel the title and cover conjures up if you’re going in blind, it’s a really enjoyable and quick read. I read a bunch of Brenda Janowitz’s early (more chick lit) books but then lost track of her, but now I want to go back and read the ones I missed.

I also read "The Grace Kelly Dress" by Brenda Janowitz, and enjoyed it, The Liz Taylor Ring, however, was even better! I loved the characters, simultaneously loved and hated their parents, and couldn't put this book down. Definitely a recommendation from me!

In The Liz Taylor Ring Brenda Janowitz allows three siblings ponder past and future while addressing the age old question: What is more valuable our relationships with people or things? This novel is well researched, engrossing, and thought provoking. A definite 5 star read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a connection to the glamour only Hollywood can provide! I received an advanced reader copy for free and I post this review voluntarily. Thank you to #NetGalley and #HarlequinTradePublishing .

I love Brenda Janowitz's books and The Liz Taylor Ring was no exception - family drama at its best - especially when there is jewelry at stake!

I loved reading this family saga that all starts with the couple Lizzie and Ritchie and their fire and ice relationship that had highs, lows, passion, emotion, and also includes a stunning ring that is just like the famous piece that Burton gave Liz at one point during their eventual relationship.

I enjoyed the dual timelines of this book and how they intertwined the lives of the characters. I also liked that the story was told from different character's perspectives. One part of the book is about Lizzie and Richie and their storybook romance with some bumps along the way. The second part is about their three grown children, who also are experiencing some issues in their lives. The ring is important in both parts of the story. I was definitely kept guessing until the end about the ring.

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I think the two timelines story is one of my favorite ways to consume a book. I love that the ring plays such an important role in both narratives. It was such a cool way to give a nod to Elizabeth Taylor, but also sharing a true love story with ebbs and flows. The family dynamic is so believable and the the intriguing mystery of the jewelry is a fun element.

The Liz Taylor Ring tells the story of three siblings who fight over Elizabeth’s Taylor’s ring. This story was very repetitive with unlikable characters. The Liz Taylor Ring read like a soap opera. There is a lot of sibling rivalry, drama, and romance. Still, I recommend this for fans of Elizabeth Taylor. The Liz Taylor Ring is also perfect for fans of The Seventh Sister, Stars Over Boulevard, and The Last Tiara!

I seem to have read a number of these multi generational novels recently. Perhaps that is the latest fashion in fiction like when you couldn’t escape a vampire book or a dystopian future for quite a while? Thats not to say that I didn’t enjoy it, because I really did. The Liz Taylor Ring is the first title that I’ve picked up by Brenda Janowitz but I’ll definitely be adding her other books to my increasingly daunting TBR pile! (Even if it is only a virtual book pile on my Kindle I still feel guilty every time I switch it on!)

In 1978, Lizzie Morgan and Ritchie Schneider embark on a whirlwind romance on the beaches and glamorous yachts of Long Island. Over the years, their relationship has its share of ups and downs, including a nine-month separation that ends up with Ritchie coming back with a stunning eleven-carat ring—one that looks just like the diamond Richard Burton gifted Liz Taylor after their own break up. Like the famous couple, despite the drama that would unfold throughout the Schneiders’ marriage, the ring would be there as a symbol of their love…until it wasn’t.

Decades later, the lost ring unexpectedly resurfaces and the Schneiders’ three children gather under one roof for the first time in years. Tensions are high and each is eager to get their hands on this beloved, expensive reminder of their departed parents. But determining the fate of the heirloom is no simple task, unearthing old wounds and heartaches the siblings can’t ignore. And when the ring reveals a secret that challenges everything they thought they knew about their parents’ epic love story, they’ll have to decide whether to move forward as a family or let the ring break them once and for all.

The way the book is written meant that it had a very visual quality and at times felt a bit like one of those Netflix family drama series. I could see all of the characters – and their environment – so clearly that it felt like I was in there with them, desperate for a glimpse of this rock that symbolised everything that the parents stood for. As in all family dramas there are a number of secrets that emerge that threaten to pull the siblings apart, but there is something about a threat that often galvanises an opposite, or unexpected, reaction.

Supplied by Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

UK Publication Date: Feb 1 2022. 384 pages.

This book was just "meh" for me, unfortunately. It might be a case of "it's not you, it's me," though! Thanks for the opportunity to preview the title.

When I saw that she had a book coming out about Liz Taylor's ring, I had to read it. Let me say, she did not disappoint. The story centers around three grown children, the truth of their parent's marriage, and the heirloom they thought long gone. Intriguing, with multiple POVs and drama, this book hit the spot.

I loved this one . I love her writing and the old Hollywood vibe this book spoke of .
The author is becoming a fave.
Thanks for letting me review the book to Netgalley and the publisher

There were 3 siblings and 2 of them got along but they all had their reasons for wanting to find the ring and being “damaged” from their childhood and their parents splitting up those 9 months and then getting back together and the reasons weren’t very compelling. Especially the brother, I thought his reason was weak and he also had a storyline with his husband that involved something I hate- when characters keep doing dumb things and keeping secrets etc all because they choose not to communicate a very simple thing- he found something in his husbands pocket and all he had to do was ask. There was a lack of forward momentum in the storyline, they all kept arguing and complaining and I think after so long that’s too much to expect a reader to stick with whrn the stakes aren’t high. What really made me stop was a part in the past which I had initially been the most invested in but then there’s a part where Ritchie starts keeping a journal and every day, all the minute details were read back to back to back and I just saidf nope I’m done and didn’t even skip to the end to see if they resolved things.

The Liz Taylor Ring was an unexpected treasure. An engaging family saga centers on the eleven-carat diamond that Ritchie gave his wife, Lizzie. The ring and drama faced in the story are both reminiscent of Elizabeth taylor and Richard Burton's relationship. The short chapters, multiple points of view, and alternating timelines elevate the plot as we follow Addy, Courtney. and Nathan as they discuss what to do with the ring and remember the peaks and valleys of their parents' marriage. Great read!

The Liz Taylor Ring was more than I expected. I was thinking it would be a romance, but it was more a family saga, the story of a family dealing with gambling addictions and how it affected them. The relationships that needed to be repaired, and those that needed to be exposed for what they were. The story is told in a dual timeline, starting 1978, with Lizzie and Richie’s classic love affair. Ritchie gave his beloved Lizzie the ring, after a nine month break in their relationship and they resumed a love affair giving birth to their third child, Courtney. The ring disappears with many stories to explain what happened to it. Now, decades later after both their deaths and the "The Ring" reappears. All three children are there when the safety deposit box is opened and for each of them; Addie, Nathan, and Courtney, the ring has a different significance. As the family story unfolds, we get to know all members of the family and how Richie and Lizzie affected their lives.

This was a great way to tell this family saga story. Using the 11 carat diamond that was so important to Richie and Lizzie's love story to show the families ups and downs was quite intriguing. The story is told through the POV of Courtney, Addy, and Nathan. When the ring resurfaces, these three siblings get together for the first time in years. They don't really like each other very much. They all have secrets and are all judgemental. Not knowing that the ring will reveal unknown secrets about their parents and themselves, it leads them to make a final decision about what to do with the ring as well as to either bring them closer together or destroy their relationships completely. Brenda Janowitz has written a very enjoyable book, with flawed characters that I came to like by the end. This engaging book deals with serious issues such as family turmoil, alcohol and gambling addiction, yet the story never gets too heavy. I enjoyed all the references to classic movies, especially the Guys and Dolls homage with the names of the two oldest children. A slow burn of a story, but with short chapters, it moved quickly.