Astra Davies is what is known as a 'bright young thing'. From a wealthy family with an estate, she dashes around London from parties to house parties to balls to dinners. She doesn't have a thought in her head except to have fun and be with her friends and maybe, just maybe, get married although she isn't sure that's what she wants to do. But then disaster strikes. Her parents die and the family secrets are slowly revealed. Her father had made bad investments and Astra finds herself left without money or marketable skills.

There's one man she is attracted to but Lord Jeremy Harris is in the same boat as she is. His estate is in as much danger of poverty as hers is. But no one is likely to ask Astra to marry them anyway. She has run afoul of a scheming socialite who tries to ruin Astra by spreading lies and finding ways to separate Astra from her friends. She even finds ways to set a spy on Astra to try to find out scandals about her. All her schemes leave Astra ostracized by society.

But Astra isn't one to let fate determine her way. She is left part of a business along with an airheaded, half alcoholic young man but she straightens him out and together they find a way to save the business by offering new products and focusing on new technologies. She finds a way to spike her rival's worst schemes against her without retaliating on her level. Most importantly, she finds a way to honor her parents' biggest secret which involves a family member Astra had never heard of. Can anything keep her down?

Brianne Moore has written an interesting feminist tale of resourcefulness and ingenuity. In 1930's England, women of Astra's social class were not business entrepreneurs but instead had rigid social rules to follow. Readers will be fascinated to read of Astra's transformation. I listened to this novel and the narrator had exactly the right voice and narration style to match Astra's personality. This book is recommended for readers of women's fiction.

I really liked this book. It was interesting throughout the whole book. I'm looking forward to more form this author.

I was looking forward to a story of the aristocracy of pre-WW2 England, and that’s what I got. I won't summarize the plot as there are many other great and well-worded summaries of the main happenings in the book.

I appreciated that the majority of the story is told from the perspective of the women in the book. The author does a great job of contrasting the “requirements” of women of this era with the realities of them being human, with desires, marital issues, and social situations that cause upheaval. I also enjoyed the character of Freddy in this book as he was painted to be a bit of a bumbling drunkard who is “set right” by the women in his life. I like this role reversal given the powerful characters of the book are almost entirely female. It's refreshing that the male character is rescued by the females rather than the reverse. Further, I enjoyed that this book treated contemporary issues and how they unfolded in the previous century – finding one’s path, grieving the loss of family, family secrets, unhappy marriages, issues of poverty and joblessness, charity, but also the desire to find happiness coming from independence – these are all themes and storylines from the book of that era, but the connection to present day is “indubitable”. Finally, I am a bit of a sucker for a happy ending and the author does a nice job of tying up the loose ends of the story and the reader can close the book satisfied that all’s well that ends well.
My appreciation to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title as an ARC!

Astra Davies is a young ahead , vibrant , independent woman ahead of her time . She finds herself inheriting debt and society rules and rumors after her parents pass away, setting out to prove to herself and the world at large that she can and will overcome the tragedy and make a name for herself despite the obstacles the Era of that timeline has in store for her.

Sadly, this one wasn't for me. I heard some mixed reviews on the book and that made me hesitate to start it, and when I finally did, my heart just wasn't in it. I do think it could be someone else's cup of tea andI might give it another chance down the road, but for now I'm just gonna set it aside!

When Astra’s parents die suddenly, she is left to manage the family estate. Unfortunately, the estate is full of debts and secrets.

Astra charges forward in a world where women are expected to marry for money and run a household.

I’m not sure I loved this book. There is some intrigue, some drama, and some romance, but not enough to keep me totally invested.

I also felt like there were too many characters to keep track of. But I think this might have been an issue listening to this on audio. Despite my issues with this book, I did enjoy the narrator.

A Bright Young Thing by Brianne Moore was a DNF for me, unfortunately. It just didn't grip me or gain my interest. Could have been my mood or taste at the time. I LOVE historical fiction, so I'll probably pick this one up again one day. Nothing wrong with the book! It just wasn't for me now.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really liked this book more than i thought, at first i wasn't too sure how much i'd like the characters but i ended up liking them and the story!

A great character driven historical fiction book about one British socialite trying to make it on her own in a world where women have few avenues for independence. Thoroughly enjoyable and great on audio. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

Thank you to Net Galley, the publisher and author for an audio ARC of this book. This story was set in between WW1 and WW2. I liked learning about the time period of the book. I liked Astra and her friends. I thought she was resourceful and determined. I liked the story but thought it needed a little more excitement. I liked the narrator.

This a audiobook to listen in exchange for a review. Thanks to Net Galley and Dreamscape Media. Dreamscape Media has been very generous with "ARCs" for audiobooks which is a platform I particularly love.
The narrator was perfectly chosen and her voice was a strong point for the overall experience of this audiobook.
This is a romance - a story of a girl who loses her family and wealth through a tragic accident. She has support from friends and some distant family, but this is really MEAN GIRLS set into a Victorian romance. So many trials for our heroine, it was a little bit much.
The time period was the 1930s but the book would have benefitted from a little more period detail as this did not ring true to me, (seemed earlier in time).
The characters were well drawn, my favorite Dandy the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!.
The story was a little trite and implausible but an enjoyable escapist listen. I feel fans of romance novels will really enjoy this book as it is quite tastefully written.

Five stars!

One of my favourite reads of the year! The story of Astra Davies was an absolute treat to read, and I've already recommended it to other lovers of historical fiction in my circle.

Astra Davies finds herself crashing into a world of harsh realities when she experiences a great tragedy. Forced to face that she's ill equipt to be truly independent, Astra decides she needs to become more knowledgeable and self-reliant, even if she's not sure how to do that.

Astra's world of 1931 upper class Brittish finery is bewitching and such a game of cards. Having to keep up appearances, battle rumours and work in unconventional ways to achieve her goals, makes Miss Davies a wonderful modern character to follow through the 1930's.

I loved the class aspect of "keeping up with the Joneses" and although Astras ideas were progressive, it was still believable in the context of the plot and the actual historic times.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this is one of my favourite books of 2021.

A Bright Young Thing is a touching tale of a woman determined to rise above her circumstances. Astra’s determined not be held down by traditions, expectations, and obstacles. I love her determination and how she refuses to become bitter, even when some really mean people deserve it (and more…I’m looking at you Millicent). The story is slow moving and full of rich details and conversations. This is the book to grab when you want to sit and slowly immerse yourself in another world and another time. The author explores many characters but does a great job developing Astra and Jeremy. I had the additional privilege of characters coming to life through the voice of Shiromi Arserio.
I received a complimentary copy from the publisher via NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own, freely given.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of A Bright Young Thing, audiobook version

Socialite, Aster Davies, is young and beautiful living it up in London until the sudden death of her parents leaves her heart broken and in financial ruin when she discovers her father's been barely holding their finances together after some risky investments. She moves in with her aunt and cousin in order to rent her beloved home, but she must keep up airs of the wealthy in order to attract a rich husband and save herself from a spinster life of poverty. She attends fashion shows, balls, hunting weekends and other fated events where she catches the eye of Jeremy Harris, the Earl of Dunreaven, whos financial future is also in limbo. She must also contend with her arch nemisis who also has eyes on Harris and begins spreading rumors about dear ol Astra. Feeling desperate she begins to transform herself from ditzy debutant to business maven as she attempts to save her father's investments and her future.

I wanted to like this book much more than I actually did, I found the main character lost and vapid, I am not sure if she wanted to be a successful business woman or a societal princess, here intentions were very split. While she does make some attempts toward the former most of the book is centered around her relationship with the down trodden Earl. I struggled to like this character and at moments I did but overall she was too unfocused. I did find some of the side characters more well rounded and interesting. The setting of this novel is 1931 London but the premise felt like it would be more appropriate in an Austen era than the cusp of WW2. The behaviors, dress and attitudes were definitely antiquated even for the time it was supposedly set. Overall this felt like a missed opportunity. I had the audiobook version, narrated by Shiromi Arserio, who does a pretty good job of telling the story and keeping the pacing easy to listen to .

Astra’s world as she knows it changes overnight when she loses her parents. As she gets over her grief, she discovers not everything was as it seemed. Her parents kept things for her that now she has to face and make decisions that will change the course of her life for better or for worse.

I thought Astra was a pretty strong character and not a naive young girl as everyone thought of her. She stood up for herself, questioned things that didn’t seem right, and did what she had to do to survive in an era where women of her class weren’t very much in business. Her cousin Tobias was a funny character, and I could totally picture him as the author described him. Millicent was as hateful as she sounded, and the rest of the friends were great secondary characters. I enjoyed how Astra’s relationship with Jeremy developed. I thought it was sweet.

The problem I have with this book is how it ended. It was an abrupt ending. I get that perhaps the author didn’t want it to be like every other HEA, but it was still too abrupt. I don’t know, perhaps there should’ve been an epilogue where Astra and Jeremy visit Raymond or something.

Overall, I enjoyed it…except for the ending. I wanted to close the loop on what happened after Jeremy leaves her home.

I loved this book! Perfect for fans of Downton Abbey--the protagonist is feisty and doesn't give up despite many obstacles thrown in her path. Predictable ending, sure, but still a great read!

I really enjoyed this audiobook, I finished it in one day!

What I liked the most about this book was Astra’s character development. In the beginning she is a spoiled rich girl and has to find a way to make it on her own. She has to make some difficult decisions and grow up quite quickly after her parents’ death. I was so enthralled by Astra’s predicament, I had to see how she was going to work her way out of it.

The book had some spectacular settings from London to rich country estates--I got a distinct Downton Abbey vibe.

The audiobook narrator did an excellent job voicing all of the characters, especially Astra’s voice as a ‘bright young thing.’

A Bright Young Thing by Brianne Moore had a very captivating and entertaining storyline. It was a historical fiction book that took place in England in the 1930’s. Just the right amount of drama and romance were woven into the plot to make it memorable. I listened to the audiobook that was very well narrated by Shiromi Arserio. There were elements of mystery, love, family, survival, class distinction, dark family secrets, scheming lady socialites and a determined heroine throughout A Bright Young Thing that helped to make it such an enjoyable book.

Astra Davies was an only child who lived a life of indulgence. Her world consisted of parties, lots of friends, smoking an occasional cigarette, having some drinks with good friends, shopping for couture dresses and not having a care in the world. She was twenty-three years old and was enjoying her life. Astra was clever, witty, bright, resilient, determined and clueless when it came to anything about finances. Her whirlwind life came abruptly to an end when she learned that both of her parents had been killed in a car crash. Astra was soon advised that her dear father had lost most of his money because he made several bad investments. Astra was left with only her family home, Hensley, and shares in a rubber company that was doing poorly. She was advised that she could not afford to continue living at Hensley but would have to rent it out and perhaps even sell it at some point. Astra was devastated and embarrassed to tell any of her friends about her dire situation. She was determined to find a solution to her problems but she was unsure how to go about it. The one thing Astra knew for sure was that finding a rich husband was not the easy fix she was searching for. Astra moved into her Aunt El’s house. She had no other choice. Her aunt was determined to marry her off. Astra put one foot in front of the other and started to work on improving her current situation. She knew that she could not depend on anyone else. It was going to take research and a whole new outlook on her life but she knew she was capable if she put her mind to it. There were obstacles along the way, though. Her biggest thorn in her side was Millicent who was constantly trying to ruin Astra’s reputation by spreading vicious lies about her. The best part about Astra’s life was Jeremy Harris, the Earl of Dunreaven. Would Astra be able to prove her innocence and get drunken Freddy on board to help her salvage the rubber company that they both owned? Could she discredit Millicent and win back her friends and the people she cared the most about? Could she visualize a future with Jeremy in it? Would it be possible to make all those that mattered the most to Astra not just see her as just another “bright young thing”?

I really enjoyed listening to A Bright Young Thing by Brianne Moore. This was the first book that I had the privilege of reading by Brianne Moore but I will look forward to reading more of her books in the future. A Bright Young Thing glimpsed into the lives of the families of nobility living in England in the 1930’s with their elaborate homes and gardens. I loved the character of Astra and found myself rooting for her to succeed. The story kept me engaged and interested to find out what would happen next. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media LLC for allowing me to listen to A Bright Young Thing by Brianne Moore through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was okay, and not a book that I would read again. It didn't grasp my attention, and I found it a struggle to finish. The narrator did an okay job. I think it would have been better if the narrator had distinguished the characters more. The narrator spoke clearly and was easy to understand.

I had high hopes for "A Bright Young Thing"--but, I found the book the be just okay. The book is very plot heavy (which I know some people like).

I did really like the book's placement in history. I have read so much historical fiction placed during WWII--which is fascinating but a bit tired. This book is placed after the stock market crash but in England. It was a hugely transformational time.

If you like a plot heavy read, you should definitely check this book out! The main characters are likeable, and there are certain points where you feel for the character so much (getting stuck with the dress bill).

This book will leave you yearning for parties of days past but ultimately being grateful for a less restrictive society. Women truly had few options.