I love Frank Sinatra’s music, so didn’t hesitate to pick up this book. Although I love historical fiction, this book felt much more like a disappointing romance, focusing on the dysfunction in Ava Gardner’s and Sinatra’s relationship. There were mentions of Fran’k’s social consciousness, and Ava’s desire to have her own career, but mostly there was sex, arguments, then makeup sex. Not really my cup of tea but I am sure there is an audience for this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I've been a fan of Webb's previous historical fiction, and this seemed like a fun pivot from her typical subjects. There were times when the writing dragged on a bit, and I often found both narrators insufferable, but it seems that is through no fault of the author, but rather based on the source materials she had to work with here. I would recommend this to readers who are interested in celebrity stories rather than historical fiction.

An engagingly written and immaculately researched piece of Hollywood historical fiction. Webb brings the tumultuous romance of Frank and Ava to life in vivid detail; these larger-than-life characters are rendered very real, very human, and very vulnerable, and there are oodles of surprising guest stars to meet along the way. A lot of fun!

Full confession: Before reading this, I knew very little about Frank Sinatra’s early years, or a whole lot about Ava Gardner. Since their big Hollywood years were before my time, I wasn’t as familiar with them and my Dad watched some of the movies, but not usually with me around. That being said, this book sucked me in. Heather Webb did a wonderful job with research and exploring their relationship. I was so invested in the story, I needed to know more and started looking up more. There is so much out there, I am impressed with Webb’s ability to stick with the parts that relate to the focus on Frank and Ava together and not add information that would detract from her telling of their intense love story.
Webb’s writing style and character development will keep you engrossed in this fictionalized, but extremely realistic, story about Frank and Ava. I loved the behind the scenes look at Hollywood and the movie business. If you love Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, 1950’s Hollywood, or a well-written historical, this one is for you. STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT will be on the top of many best of lists for the year, including mine!
Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given.
#StrangersInTheNight #heatherwebb #frankandava #williammorrow #historicalfiction #tallpoppywriter #tallpoppywriters #tallpoppyblogger #bloomreads

4.25/5

I love Heather Webb and Strangers in the Night is another amazing historical fiction novel from her that I could not put down. Once I started the audio, I knew I was going to finish in one day and that is exactly what I did. I really didn't know anything about Gardner and Sinatra's relationship, and I loved the way Webb filled this fictional book with so much information about them both as a couple and as individuals. I haven't seen any movies Ava has been in, but I have listened to my fair share of Sinatra songs, and it was nice getting to know these two better. Reading this actually made me want to check out biographical material, especially for Sinatra, and it sounds like they had a loving but incredibly toxic relationship that seemed to be made a bit better once they were no longer married.

The novel spans many years and is broken into specific parts with each one being the title of a Frank Sinatra song. I thought this was a wonderful touch and it also gives the reader a bit of an idea of what you can expect from each section. I don't think you need to be an Ava Gardner OR Frank Sinatra fan to enjoy Strangers in the Night, but I think it would certainly help if you at least knew who they are. The audiobook is exceptional, and I adored Chris Andrew Ciulla & Cassandra Campbell as the narrators. Even with such an iconic voice as Sinatra's, Ciulla was able to really put me in his shoes and it was easy to imagine him as Sinatra himself. Campbell was already a favorite of mine, and her voice was basically made to be Gardner. She sounds so classy and if I didn't know any better, I would just assume that's what Gardner actually sounded like. If you enjoy historical fiction, old Hollywood, and reading about well-known people's relationships you definitely need to pick up Strangers in the Night.

Despite being a big classic film and TV fan, I did not know that legendary crooner Frank Sinatra and screen siren Ava Gardner were involved in a relationship, much less married, before reading Heather Webb's intimate biographical novel Strangers in the Night, which reimagines the pair's tumultuous love affair. I was hooked on this brilliant book from the very first paragraph and quickly found myself completely invested in Frank and Ava's relationship.

Strangers in the Night is biographical fiction done right. Webb brings Frank and Ava vividly to life and creates a real sense of who they were as people. Despite knowing very little about Frank Sinatra beyond his incredible singing talent and Ava Gardner for being a big name during the Golden Age of Hollywood, I felt like I knew the pair quite intimately by the time I finished this novel.

Webb goes into Frank and Ava's personal and professional lives, highlighting their struggles as they both attempted to make it big in Hollywood, and detailing their mercurial relationship, which constantly ran hot and cold. Between Frank's volatile temper and both he and Ava's penchant for drowning their sorrows in liquor, it is no surprise that this relationship was built on shaky ground. Webb captures the pair's fiery passion for each other, while also demonstrating how the slightest upset could send their whole house of cards crashing down.

Entirely riveting with a candid, confessional vibe, Strangers in the Night is a stand-out biographical fiction novel for 2023. If you can get your hands on a copy of the audiobook, it comes highly recommended. Chris Andrew Ciulla is fantastic in the role of Frank, and had me believing that I was actually listening to the man himself. What an experience listening to this book was - highly recommended!

I know with historical fictions about real people not everything can be true, but it sure felt like it was with Sinatra and Gardner. I loved the love story between Frank and Ava. The public fights they had and jealousy they felt, it was a surprise to me they were together for as long as they were. At times it seemed like they did certain things on purpose just to get the others' attention. Shows that you can love someone but they might not be the right one for you. I could feel their passion and drive, not only for each other but their career. The dual POV overlapped wonderfully. I loved getting both sides of the events and how their thoughts aligned at times. I learned so much about Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner after reading this book. Being a 90’s baby I only really knew Sinatra as a singer so I was surprised to learn how long it took for his career to take off and the fact that he was also in a lot of films. I went down a google rabbit hole after reading this.

Thank you @msheatherwebb @williammorrowbooks @netgalley and @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

The month of April had significance for both Frank and Ava. Frank signed a contract with Capitol Records on April 1, 1953. Ava packed up and moved to London on April 2, 1968 where she would live out the rest of her days. It therefore seemed like April was a good time to do a review for a novel that truly encapsulated their tumultuous love story.
Most have heard of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Frank most notable for his swagger, his membership in the Rat Pack, and maybe a song or two (😉). Ava was once noted as being the most beautiful woman in Hollywood. Their on again, off again relationship played out like a headliner for the National Enquirer. Webb masterfully made them human for the reader. These were real people with real emotions. They had hopes and dreams and fell in love just like the rest of us. They also suffered from disappointments, alcoholism, depression, and despair. They were manic in both their work and their play. Webb wrote with an intensity that mirrored Frank and Ava's rollercoaster relationship. An unputdownable read that fans of both Sinatra and Gardner will not want to miss. Bravo Heather Webb, you've done it again!

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.

TITLE: STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT: A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner
AUTHOR: Heather Webb
PUB DATE: 03.21.2023

REVIEW:

In STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT: A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner, author Heather Webb gave her readers a glorious glimpse of the gilded age of Hollywood - in its finest romance and scandal. I have always been fascinated with Sinatra and Gardner, and this fictionalized true Hollywood story was incredibly eye opening as I never really knew much about these Hollywood Royalty more than their music and movies. The incredible research that took to write this incredible story of two very famous people was evident and quite the joy to read!

What a triumph!

The love in my soul for Ava Gardner as a fellow North Carolinian is unmatched. I am so grateful to Heather Webb for writing about her and her relationship with Frank Sinatra. I loved this book so, so much.

Are you a fan of Old Hollywood? I am! I love old movies and music. Strangers in the Night is a fictional story based on the real life romance between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner.

Ava Gardner was a famous beauty who dazzled on the silver screen, Frank Sinatra was one of the biggest crooners ever to sing. Frank was married to his first wife when he met Ava and he divorced Nancy so that he could be with Ava.

They had a tumultuous relationship dependent on a lot of alcohol and drama. Frank had a lot of issues and one was dealing with Ava’s rising star status as he wasn’t doing as much in his career. He dealt with a lot of temptation from other women and cheated on all of his wives. The author clearly did tons of research, but as this is fiction, she embellished some parts. Make sure to read the authors note to see what part she enhanced!

I really enjoyed this book! If you enjoyed the Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, I think you would really enjoy Strangers. Thank you @suzyapprovedbooktours, @msheatherwebb @williammorrowbooks for my gifted copy.

Heather Webb, the author of “Strangers in the Night; A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner,” has magically transported me back to the ‘Golden Age” of Hollywood to all the glitz and glitter of a mesmerizing era. In this Historical Fiction and Romantic novel, I am intrigued and captivated by the big production studios, the producers, the directors, and the actors and actresses. I love how Heather Webb vividly describes the Hollywood scene through her writing and storytelling.

It had been difficult to have a stable relationship in Hollywood during this era. It wasn't easy to get roles, and women had more challenges than men. I was thrilled to read about the relationship between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardiner. The highs and lows of their romance and careers were intriguing. Both had a magnetic pull and attraction. Both were complex and complicated people. The author writes such a memorable and thought-provoking novel that I highly recommend it.

Old Hollywood royalty always makes me thing of Bogie and Bacall, Lucy and Desi, and, of course, Frank and Ava.⁣
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Star cross lovers Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner’s intense relationship was hot and steamy from day one.⁣
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But this was no fairytale.⁣
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The legendary crooner and glamorous actress were both fiercely independent, but together they were as volatile as they were passionate.⁣
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They were “a perfect, terrible fit” and “wretched for each other - completely incapable of being together.”⁣
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Nothing short of tumultuous, their epic relationship was riddled with infamous scandals, fighting, jealousy, and cheating and Heather Webb imagines their story through each others careers of failures and successes with impeccable research and fascinating historical accounts. It’s a riveting and captivating historical fiction tale of Hollywood life and the glitz and glamour of the movies and music scene during its golden age.⁣
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With cameos from many famous friends including Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, and even Ernest Hemingway, it's a love saga for the ages that was a ticking time bomb of seduction and unpredictability. Even if you aren’t familiar with their story - it’s still a wickedly fun, tragic love story to read.⁣
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“Forever in love but ultimately a tragedy.” Because, sometimes love just doesn’t make sense.

Frank Sinatra, an iconic singer has a show with Tommy Dirsey’s band at the Hollywood Palladium where he meets actor Mickey Rooney who is an MGM icon and his wife, Ava Gardner, an actress working for Louis B. Mayer

Frank and Ava start to hang out by going to dinners, movie events and other fun stuff. They then decide to date in secret as Frank’s music and movie career begins to suffer as Louis Mayer threatens him to straighten up and fly right.. Ava and Frank got a secret weekend trip with Frank as the pilot. Ava mentions Howard Hughes, her friend and nothing more & how he had a plane crash..

I grew up listening to Frank Sinatra as he was one of my grandmother’s favorite singers. This book was so intriguing, insightful and so interesting. So much so, I’m currently looking for books about the two of them…

I’ve been following Heather Webb’s career since her debut novel, so obviously I was going to ask for this book. Especially after getting to know her personally last July in Ireland. Of course, you’ll also know that I love biographical fiction, so that’s another box ticked. Mind you, I do prefer stories about more historical women, about which we know little to nothing. That said, the younger generation (or even people just 10 years younger than I) might not remember much about Ava Gardner, and probably couldn’t recognize Frank Sinatra’s voice if one of his songs came on the radio (for some nostalgia show, no doubt). Truth be told, even I’m just a touch too young to have seen Ava’s films while growing up, but I do love a good, old, classic film, and she was in a few! As for Frank, my mother used to play his records all the time. Plus, he was in my mother’s favorite movie musical, Guys & Dolls (I still have a copy on DVD).

So, neither of these people were total strangers to me, and I did know that they were involved at one time. However, I knew nowhere near the level of detail that Webb brought to this book, and boy does she get into the very minutiae of their relationship, both the good and the bad parts. Interestingly enough, I often shy away from stories about the rich and famous, and on the surface, if that was my only criteria, this shouldn’t have interested me at all. Again, that just goes to show how little I knew about these two, and even less about their affair. Neither Frank nor Ava had it easy, nor was it clear sailing along the ways of their careers. In fact, when you read this book you’ll see just how difficult a time they both had, even though they both became rich and famous, eventually.

It was interesting to note that Webb decided to concentrate almost only on this period of time in their mutually shared lives. I mean, there’s so much else that Webb could have mentioned but decided not to include. Yes, Webb does make nods to Sinatra’s ties to the Italian mob, and does include some background about the famous “Rat Pack.” However, this comes late in the novel, and is more of a backdrop for how Sinatra’s career was changing at the time. Now, this isn’t a bad thing at all, and in fact, I think it gave this book much more focus than if she had included much more. To be honest, I’m not sure we needed them to appear at all in order to understand Sinatra, but to ignore them would have been a disservice, and would have left a gaping hole in the story.

The question remains, did Webb do enough to bring Ava and Frank into our hearts enough to really care about them? On the one hand, it certainly made me understand Ava a whole lot better, and while she made some stupid mistakes along the way, she comes off mostly very sympathetic here. On the other hand, despite my knowing a whole lot of good things about Sinatra, he came off here as being weak, while also a bit of a b*stard. Well, more than just a bit, to be frank (pun intended). Let’s face it, when bad things happen to good people, we feel their pain. However, when that same thing happens to someone who wasn’t always all that nice, and doesn’t really change much for the better, we might pity them and feel bad, but we also can’t fully feel their pain. So no, this book didn’t make me cry, but it was totally fascinating – a true portrait of enduring love. I’m therefore warmly recommending it, and giving it 4.75 stars out of five!

A really interesting view into 2 of entertainment's biggest names. The push and pull was really intriguing, which surprised me as I'm usually annoyed by a will they won't they vibe.

Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra had a special relationship. Each have their own issues, but put the two together and you have an explosion of emotions…anger, love, creativity and passion.

This novel is so well researched! And there is so much more I wanted to know. I knew very little about Frank and Ava. I knew a bit about each individually but I had no idea about their relationship. So, I found myself researching both of them as I read their story. Heather Webb has done an awesome job compiling their stormy and intense relationship.

Frank Sinatra was definitely an emotional mess. I had no idea how many times he threatened or tried suicide. This was just one of the many eye-opening revelations I discovered. This story is full of astonishing information.

Need a good biographical, historical fiction…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

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

Wow! Strangers in the Night is one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. I LOVED it. I only finished it moments ago and I’m sitting here in tears. I admit that I knew little of Frank and Ava’s story but I love what Heather Webb did with it. I didn’t always like them and the choices they made, but their love for each other, though volatile to say the least, shines through.

Thank you to the author and publisher for sharing an advanced copy with me in exchange for my honest review. I will be purchasing a physical copy of Frank and Ava’s story for my shelves.❤️

I went into this not knowing much about Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner’s relationship but have only heard the utmost praise about Heather Webb’s writing, and now I can finally see why. Not only did I learn a ton through Webb’s meticulous research, but I was engrossed by the bingey, fast-paced writing and on-again-off-again fictionalized love story. I loved how Webb alternated chapters between Frank and Ava’s point of views, giving you insight into their individual lives and their perspectives on the same situation as well as the highs and lows of Hollywood. I didn’t expect to feel so many emotions at the end and am now eager to dive into Web’s backlist.

Read if you like:
-1950/60s US Historical Fiction
-Hollywood life
-Drama, heartbreak and scandal
-Alternating POVs
-Short chapters

Thank you William Morrow for the ARC. Pub date: 3/21

This historical fiction book based on Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner made me want to start a movie marathon with not only movies they both starred in but also all the great actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

This 1950s-1960s is my favorite movie era so reading about two icons and their volatile relationship that spanned from from the late 1940s until Ava’s death in 1990 was a huge hit for me. This book really catches their essence and the time period for actors just in general. Heather even puts in her notes other fascinating tidbits on both stars that she just couldn’t fit into this novel.

I loved the way the book is broken up into 5 parts based on time periods and the book is in both Frank’s and Ava’s voices.

This is a great book that pays tribute to intense love and two very strong personalities.