Sister Stardust by Jane Green is her debut historical fiction inspired by a true story.
I really enjoy Jane Green's novels and I was thrilled to read her first historical fiction.

The author reimagines the life of Talitha Getty during the Swinging '60s.

Set during the 60's and all that comes with that: parties, drugs, and money.
I haven't met too many books set in this time period and I absolutely loved it.

We met Claire who is recently widowed and finds a box of memorabilia from the 60's and recalls a time in her life that was much, an exciting and yet tragic time.

I was very captivated while reading this book exploring the swinging 60's.

The story, the location, the era, all are so well written.

Jane Green is one of those authors I’ve loved since I was in high school. I remember sharing her books with @readingwithremy since we were both obsessed with reading and anything British, despite neither of us ever having been to England.

In Jane’s newest book, Sister Stardust, she decided to go in a much different direction. This book is a historical fiction about the 60s in England, where our main character Claire dreams of something bigger than her small town in Dorset. She moves to London at the first opportunity and becomes a shopgirl living in housing for unwed women. She finally convinces her bff Dottie to move to London too when she means John late one night, who exposes her to people in the music industry. She becomes friends with the band, the Wide Eyed Boys and after following then to Morocco on a whim, she meets the beautiful and enchanting Talitha.

Most of the book is spent during this period where Claire (who now goes by the more fashionable CeCe) is just in awe of Talitha and her bohemian lifestyle. She gets very mixed up in drugs and rock and roll, but mostly she is just bewildered with Talitha.

I really enjoyed this! It’s different than anything I’ve previously read and has vibes of Daisy Jones and the Six mixed with Almost Famous. The best part of this new style of writing is that it’s inspired by a true story. Talitha Getty was a real socialite and actress in the 60s. She was married to the son of the famous oil tycoon and died tragically although under suspicious circumstances.

Thank you so much to @janegreenauthor @sisterstardustt and @hanoversquarebooks for my beautiful gifted copy. Sister Stardust is available now!

Thanks to Hanover Square Press & HTP books for an advanced copy of Sister Stardust by Jane Green. '

I've been a Jane Green fan since I read Jemima J in high school so I'm always eagerly anticipating her newest book. Sister Stardust is set in the late 1960s in counterculture London where Claire yearns for adventure and the glitz that she sees in the magazines of the famous musicians. When she has a chance encounter that leads to an unexpected opportunity and she's whisked away with her new friends to Morocco. Here she meets and befriends Talitha Getty, a socialite wife and they instantly connect. Immersed in the world of drugs, sex and rock & roll will Claire stay in this dream life or will it be to much for her?

I really enjoyed the beginning with Claire at home in Dorset and her move to London. I liked her look back at these few weeks in Morocco, but the middle was a lot on the sex, drugs and rock & roll, but I knew that coming into the book. The author's note at the end about the real like Talitha Getty was awesome and it was fun learning more about her.

Thank you HTP for the gifted copy.

I don't think I've read many books set in the 1960s, so this was a refreshing change. It wasn't my favorite from this author, but it was okay. I enjoyed reading' about CeCe's journey from getting kicked out of her home by her stepmother to being on her own in London. I do have mixed feelings on how much drugs were nonchalantly used but I guess it goes with the time period.

I will say that I didn't know much about the Getty family before reading this book. I went down a deep google rabbit hole reading about them after I finished the book!

After being kicked out of her family home by her stepmother, Claire sets out to find herself as a young adult. Assuming the name “Cece” in her new life in London, she falls into a world of fashion, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. Cece’s desire for adventure takes her to Marrakech, Morocco, where she encounters socialite Talitha Getty, and the two become kindred spirits despite the darkness and danger that surround Talitha’s seemingly idyllic life.

Jane Green fully immerses the reader in the 1960s sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll scene, complimented by an atmospheric Moroccan backdrop. I appreciated how part of story focused on a re-imagined retelling of the real life of Talitha Getty, a troubled actress, socialite, model, and style icon of the late 1960s. This novel is very different Jane Green’s past work, and I loved the unique story and take on biographical fiction. I would definitely recommend this book, especially for fans of the 60s era!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing—Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for my gifted e-ARC!

Claire has always wanted to be famous and hang around the with the “IT” people. When her stepmother kicks her out. Claire decides to head to London. She is going to do it! She is going to be discovered and live her dream. It just turns out to be tougher than she thought.

Claire begins her new life as a shop girl living in a hostel in London. She just knows she is going to be discovered at anytime. She ends up meeting a young gentleman who is a manager for some up and coming artists. This turns her life around…and not for the better. She gets in way over her head with the charisma of this bohemian lifestyle.

This is a coming of age story you do not want to miss. Now, it is full of sex, drugs and rock and roll. But I loved every second of it! The only reason for the 4 stars is the plot is a bit thin. But, there is something about Jane Green which just keeps you coming back for more. Her characters are some of the best and this novel is full of them. I love the way she incorporates the true rock and roll characters into this tale. (With a bibliography!)

Need a rock and roll story you will not soon forget…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 - '𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘹𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦.'"

𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗗𝗨𝗦𝗧, Jane Green's latest novel, is a departure from her previous books. It's based on the true story of 1960's icon Talitha Getty and will transport you to another time and place.

Claire comes from a provincial English town and longs to lead a flashier life in London so when she's kicked out of the house, the teen heads for the big city to make her dreams come true. When she falls in with a crowd of musicians and famous groupies, she transforms herself into Cece and follows them to Marrakesh where they move into a palace owned by Paul and Talitha Getty and indulge in all of the hedonism of the sex, drugs and rock 'n roll era.

Green's writing is lush and descriptive, bringing their over-the-top time in Morocco vividly to life. With shades of 𝘈𝘭𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘍𝘢𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘴 and 𝘋𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘺 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴, the story gives a glimpse into the glamorous, seductive and dangerous lives of the well-off celebrities from Cece's innocent point of view. As she gets more entangled in their world, she has to decide whether the darker side of fame and fortune are worth the perks that come with it. It's an interesting coming-of-age tale and I was enthralled by the character of Talitha who weaves her bohemian magic over everyone who crosses her path. I've been googling to learn more about her since I finished!

From the music and exotic locations to the fashion and the food (there are even recipes included!), 𝗦𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁 is truly a unique escape back in time.

Thanks to Harper Collins, Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for a copy to review.

This was a transportive tale full of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll.

Admittedly, I almost DNF'd this novel after the first few chapters. I am so glad I stuck with it because once the novel flashed back to the 1960s, I was completely enthralled.

Claire gets kicked out of her house by her stepmother when she is 19 years old. Ready for a new beginning, Claire moves to London and starts working in one of the fancy department stores. Convinced she won't be able to lead her best life until she loses some weight, Claire starts the yogurt diet and transforms herself into a beautiful and stylish London butterfly.

On the way to a party one evening with a girlfriend, Claire meets John who nicknames her Cece, claiming Claire is too plain for her. John brings Cece into his world of celebrities and musicians and suddenly, Cece is living the life she's always dreamed of. Traveling to Morocco with rockstars and groupies, Cece embraces her new world and gives in to experiencing life to the fullest.

This book gave me Almost Famous vibes. It was sensual and poetic and the imagery Green created while Cece was in Morocco was absolutely incredible. Though the tale felt far fetched as a whole, the relationships Cece built and the individual characters felt so real. I loved how flawed and human even the biggest celebrities were and how small the world felt with everyone jet setting around the world to spend time abroad. The wealth and opulence Green described was truly magical and otherworldly.

Cece was an interesting character. I was happy the obsession with her weight and diet was fairly short lived and wasn't discussed once we got into the meat of the story. It was a bit of negative that all of Cece's dreams seemed to have come true once she lost weight and I think more could have been done for positive body image but all in all, this was a romantic and wild read and one I am definitely glad I picked up!

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy of this novel.

I have been a fan of Jane Green's writing ever since I picked up Jemima J back in 2002. Her style has evolved over time from dating stories to those of marriage and relationships. However, her latest, Sister Stardust, is a complete change from everything she's ever written. It was still a well-told story that I became easily absorbed in.

Right before I started reading this novel, I had watched the movie Last Night in Soho. As a result, a lot of aspects from this novel reminded me of that movie. Except for the horror parts, of course. Some other aspects from this novel made me think of Daisy Jones and the Six. After reading Sister Stardust, I had to go online and look up Talitha Getty right away. The image of her in my mind was so different from what I saw on my screen, but she still seemed mesmerizing. I couldn't find information on Lissy, Dave, or Eddie, so I'm assuming they were made up. They seemed so real though!

Claire was a good protagonist and I enjoyed seeing everything through her eyes. I love how people just accepted her presence and helped her fit in. It reminded me of when I would go to midnight viewings of Rocky Horror back in the day. I loved Talitha's friendship with Claire and actually was jealous of Claire because of that. The hedonistic feel of the story was enjoyable and there was a really steamy scene that I appreciated, to say the least.

I was not a fan of all the drugs, even though I know it was part of the time period and culture. (I usually don't like when characters do drugs in any book though.) I was annoyed that Claire let herself get caught up in all that when she could have said no. (I guess one of the Sweet Valley High books really did a number on me. Apparently I'm not alone in feeling that way.) After the climax, the story seemed to slow down a bit, but it was still interesting. I felt bad for Talitha though.

Overall, this was a worthwhile read that shows how talented Jane Green is at writing something completely different from her usual fare.

Movie casting suggestions:
Claire: Phoebe Dynevor
Talitha: Talula Riley (If you look at her other pictures, you'll see why I picked her)
Paul: Jack Davenport
Eddie: Finn Jones
Lissy: Stefanie Martini
Dave: Theo James
Jimmy: Alex Garland
Benji: George MacKay

Thanks to Harlequin for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This one was not for me. I just couldn’t get into it, but it may have been a case of bad timing. It started off too slow and over explaining and did not pull me in, so it was a DNF for me.

If I had to use just one word to describe this book it would be : ADDICTING!

I loved it, start to finish. It was exciting! I loved the characters and the writing and I was invested! I NEEDED to know what would happen next. And boy did I want to jump in and live the 60s with Cece (maybe not the drugs - I’m just too straight-laced - but definitely the parties and the music).

Jane Green did such a fantastic job of capturing the era (or so I think, as I wasn’t actually around in the 60s). She is incredibly skilled at making you feel like you are a part of her story, it sucks you in and keeps you interested until the very last sentence!

I was sneaking in pages every chance I got and going home and devouring it at night. Definitely one of the best books I’ve read in 2022 so far!

This was a fantastic fast paced story, and I simply loved every second! It made me think of something that Taylor Jenkins Reid would write - And I absolutely adore her writing so that is a high compliment.

Simply delightful!

Jane Green at her best! Set in the 60's, this novel is Green's first in the historical fiction genre. Fascinated by Talitha Getty after first seeing her picture as a teenager, when approached to write historical fiction, Green knew this was the story she wanted to write. Sister Stardust follows Claire, reimagined as CeCe, as she navigates the wild lifestyle of Talitha and her friends, with a storyline inspired by the early days of the Rolling Stones - sex, drugs and rock n roll.

In this wild tale about the swinging 60's, Claire, a self depicted country mouse, tells the tale of how she escaped her awful upbringing and ran away to London and managed to reinvent herself. Pulled into the rockstar scene, Claire jumps right into the sex, drugs and rock n roll. It's outrageous and yet emotional. I've never read anything like this before, but it's definitely something I would like to read more of!

I really enjoyed this book, as I do all of Jane Green's writing. I thought this was took a little while to get into the story but once I was in, I was very drawn to the story. I love all things rock and roll and British so this really captured me. Knowing that so much of this was based on real people made it come alive. It reminded me of Daisy Jones and the Six. I thought the view of Talitha through Claire's eyes was a good was to retell the story. Overall, a nice and entertaining way to escape the current state of the world and enjoy the free spirit of the 60s.

Green is a successful British author of 'women's fiction' . This is her 21st novel and in a departure from her normal style, this one is historical fiction. She has been inspired by the true story of Talitha Getty and her husband John Paul Getty Jr. who was the son of son of J. Paul Getty, one of the richest men in the world. The story is set in the swinging 60's and author has imagined a young woman (Claire) who gets swept up in the lifestyle of the rich and famous when she is asked to join them in a trip to Marrakesh, where Talitha and her husband have a home. Claire and Talitha become close friends, but Claire soon realizes the lifestyle of parties, drugs, booze and free love comes with dangers. This is a fun glimpse into a different life and the author has peppered the story with famous names that would have been in Marrakesh at the time. It is a good recommendation for fans of books such as "Daisy Jones and the Six".

This was a book that will transport you to the late 1960s where sex and drugs are free flowing among the icons of that time. This book is set in London and Marrakesh and tells about Talitha Getty and the ‘hippie’ counterculture.

The story is told through the narrator, CeCe. CeCe, a country girl named Claire, goes to London and transforms herself to 1960s trendy. She meets a man named, John, who introduces her to the people she has idolized in magazines.

CeCe is at the right place at the right time and goes on an adventure to Marrakesh. She stays in the “Pleasure Palace” of Talitha and Paul Getty. From their roof top she becomes enchanted with Talitha and experiences a life far from anything she has seen before.

When offered a job by Talitha, is this life of glamour, orgies and drugs, what CeCe wants? CeCe must decide who she really is even though she feels like Talitha is her soul sister.

This is a coming of age story of the fictional character CeCe, but at the same time it is a look at the real lifestyles of 1960s London icons of the time with a focus of on a real person, Talitha Getty.

I love when historical fiction becomes a page turner for me and this book did just that. I thought the way that CeCe is telling the story as an old woman to her adult daughter, Tally, was brilliantly done.

I also loved the descriptions of the people, places, and clothing that brought this time period into focus for me. I did not know about Talitha Getty so it was fascinating reading about her story.

For all that love to feel transported in time, add this one to your TBR.

This book brings you back to the fabulous 60s. This is a re-imagining of the life of the 60s socialite and model, Talitha Getty,band a coming of age novel. I didn't know about this family, or Talitha, but I had to do a bunch of googling while reading and definitely got pulled down the rabbit hole!

It starts with Claire, a young girl living in England who moves to London after an argument with her stepmother. There, she is involved in the partying and nightlife, and meets new friends.. She then travels to Morocco with them and starts to live the more free, and wild life. Talitha is known for the parties she has at her and her husband, Paul Gettys palace home. Claire, now known as Cece, ends up there. She loves this new life with all the music, musicians, models, drugs and sex. Cece and Talitha become bonded, and form a very close relationship, and she learns of things about Talitha that will change everything.

This includes real life characters, and well as other fictional characters. The setting of Morocco, and the life of the 60s was so entertaining to read about, and this story was so captivating. What a unique Historical fiction book. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to the publisher, netgalley and the author for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Green whisks readers back to a time that seemed enchanted—the late 1960s. London was the place to be with the electric, eclectic beat of new bands, rad fashions, and the ubiquitous drug scene. Cece, a country girl, recalibrated her life in London and falls into the fast lane, leading her to Marrakech and Talitha Getty.
Green does an excellent job in describing the setting and the people, although many of the people she mentioned I hadn’t a clue about.
She also captures the heady hedonistic overtones, tinged with the vapidness and the urge for something that was just behind reach, of that era.
I did some outside reading about Talitha Getty, someone whom I was unfamiliar.
Take a trip to a time that will never be again and the people who emblazoned it onto history.

Oh, how I loved this book. It was leave you with a book hangover, that's for sure.

We met Claire as she is cleaning out her house and looking for things in her attic with her daughter Tally when she comes across a box of items from her time in Morocco, including a letter signed by "T". The reader is then transported back to the 60s as Claire tells Tally about her life growing up, her adventures in Morocco and the musicians she used to spend time with, and more. By the end of the book, all of the names of characters click into place too.

I've been to Morocco and I love reading books set there. It's a beautiful country, and just as magical as this book makes it.

Jane Green has done it again with Sister Stardust. It's an incredibly beautiful read.

4.5/stars
Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for my honsest review.

Wow, this was such a fun book! I really loved the '60s setting, and I enjoyed learning about Talitha Getty!

We start this story with Claire, a young woman who, after fighting with her stepmother, moves to London and then to Morrocco. She quickly lands herself in a wild, partying lifestyle, and we get to be by her side for all of it!

I enjoyed following Claire as she made a new life for herself, and befriended Talitha Getty. I thought the plot was really interesting, and I liked learning so much about Talitha. I found myself pausing to go google so I could get more details!

I would recommend this one for readers that enjoy wild coming of age stories set in a recent historical timeframe.