I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked this story. The protagonist starts out as a weak-minded girl in the beginning but grows into a strong woman. It is set in a time when women were expected to marry and take care of the men, giving up any dreams they had for a career. I felt the author did a good job creating a believable story with a realistic ending. I have enjoyed other books by this author, and plan to continue with any others she writes.

Just not quite sure how I feel about this one... I am usually a huge historical fiction fan, especially the early 1900s, but this book just didn't grab me right away. I didn't always like the main character Pandora and sometimes found her whiny and hard to root for. I realize that women of this time were quite sheltered and often under educated, but she seemed a little more so than usual. I did like the second half of the book better - her story got more interesting and she seemed to pick herself up by her bootstraps a bit more. Overall, she was not my favorite heroine. The other characters didn't really jump off the page and the story felt like it had a derth of detail in some places and an abundance in others.

The Life She Wanted, by Anita Abriel, is a quick and engaging read about a young woman who aspires to a career as a fashion designer during the 1920''s. Although of modest means, her father's employment by the ultra wealthy has exposed her to a lifestyle for which she also hopes. While the story exposes the hubris of the period, it is with a very gentle and forgiving spotlight. Far more intriguing is the main character's journey to achieve the life she really wanted. The story's resolution is predictable, but satisfying. This is an excellent choice for a vacation or pool read. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Books for the opportunity to read a digital ARC. It was a pleasure. 3.5 stars rounded up.

This is a fast, easy read based on a strong concept entertainment-wise. However, the execution was lacking, in my opinion. It's mainly due to the lead female character, Pandora, who's too naive and doesn't take control of her fate until the last 10% of the book. She says she wants to be a designer and have her own shop, but it's more an afterthought than a real goal, all she does is try to find a rich husband, because she thinks it's the only way to get what she wants... Honestly, the character of Virginia would've been much more interesting and subversive as a lead character given the time in which the story is set. There are dramatic moments, especially regarding Pandora's husband, but it all felt very conventional and it lacked genuine emotions. For me, The Life She Wanted was a sort of crossover between Gossip Girl and Downton Abbey, but without any originality.

A lovely story about a relatively poor girl who wants to be a fashion designer. Will she succeed? Well that would spoil the novel if I told the reader, and so I will refrain. A good read, which I read in two days and it was a page turner from the beginning. Set in the Gilded Age of New York. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for giving me a copy of the book.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

It took me a minute to get into the story, and then I fell in love with Pandora. I have not read too many historical novels set in the roaring twenties and the depression, but if they are well written with characters as strong as in this one, I shall be reading more.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The premise of the book drew me in but once I started reading it, I just couldn’t get into it at all.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

<b>one of the best books i've read this year, no doubt.</b> A stunning tale that follows young Pandora as she struggles to make her way through the world. It is a tale of love, loss, and growing up that has me utterly obsessed with every twist and turn

(major spoilers below! look away NOW)
I love each and every character, but I will sing for Pandora. She is unflappably charming and I am absolutely smitten with her. I can't put it into words - i simply am simping.

Although it's a happy ending, it's one of those happy endings that is not quite what the main character (or the reader) expects from the get-go. Yes, Pandora becomes a fashion designer, but she's not making those fancy society gowns she first dreamt of - she doesn't have her boutique and her plan to sell dresses to her society friends goes up in flames, but she does end up a successful owner of her own sportswear brand named after her daughter. The men she thought she would have a life with did not turn out the way she wanted them to, but she does end up with a beautiful daughter and an archie! (whom i knew from page 2 loved her - fabulous foreshadowing btw)

The best part about this is that we can see the character growth; the pandora we meet in the first few pages - ditsy with innocence and girlish charm grows up well in the face of her trials and tribulations into a sharp, compassionate and most of all loving woman to her family. Brings a tear to my eye to see her achieve her peace and happiness.

This book is so good at delivering that I don't even crave a second book - Pandora's story is told perfectly and everything falls into place so snugly that there is nothing more a reader could want for (ok small lie, I'm happy to read 800 pages more about whatever the author wants to bang on about in this universe - Vivian or Esme spin-off maybe?) Highly recommend it.

**ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

<I> 1926, Hyde Park, New York. Born to modest means but befriended by the wealthy, aspiring dress designer Pandora Carmichael has been surrounded by privilege yet never at home in it. That hasn’t stopped her from dreaming—of a romance in a rarified world that could also give her the status and resources to start a business of her own. When she’s introduced to a charismatic Princeton student, Pandora’s future begins to fall into place.

Marriage provides Pandora with a devoted husband, comfortable love, and the prominence and affluence to open a boutique. It’s a fantasy realized, until scandal and tragedy upend Pandora’s life and she flees Hyde Park with a heart-wrenching secret. As the Depression looms, Pandora must rethink everything she’s ever wanted.

From sprawling Gilded Age mansions in New York to the seedy underbelly of Greenwich Village and the stunning ocean vistas of the French Riviera, Pandora’s escape is a journey of self-discovery, adventure, true love, and ambition. There are new dreams to be had, and Pandora is betting on herself to make them come true. </i>

Privilege meets discrimination, fantasy meets reality, and Pandora meets…. herself, in this tale of a woman coming into her own despite the odds in the 1920s. Breezy beach read meets epic tale in this historical novel, and it was an easy, entertaining read.

Thank you Anita Abriel, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was really good. I've read several books by this author, and enjoy her writing.

I'm not usually a fan of 1920s historical fiction, but this one was really interesting. The story was really interesting with some plot twists I didn't expect. It showed the hardship of being a female in the 1920s, especially when Pandora was trying to get a business loan and the banks would only give her a loan once she was married.

I appreciated the story, although I'm not sure why Pandora didn't realize she loved Archie before.

This was a story of a womans triumph in the 1920's.

Pandora wants to be a fashion designer. When her dreams seem close, something happens to cause it to be ripped away. From scandals to tragedy to historical happenings, Pandora faces many challenges before her dreams come to fruition.

This was a very well written story with an awesome set of characters. The story was a bit romance while at the same time having the strong independent woman feel given from Pandora as the main character. It was a very good story and it kept me engaged. Just a side note, I loved the ending.

This book held great promise for me. The storyline sounded great, I loved the time setting, I enjoy books where women show their strength and come into their own.

Yet, somehow, this book didn't meet my expectations. The writing at the beginning was very slow and simple. This was a character-driven story, but the characters seemed one dimensional. Pandora, our leading lady, was overly focused on marrying “up” so she could start a business. She repeated this fact, over and over. But, she ended up marrying a flawed character. The flaw was a surprise to her yet obvious to me from the first time he appeared.

There were other characters that I would have loved to learn more about. Pandora's father Willie, a story factory worker named Millie who would have been interesting, and Archie who was a childhood friend. These are some of the characters that played a key part but were never developed to my satisfaction.

One thing I did like was “the lifestyle of the rich and famous” during the 1920s. It was very class oriented and for some reason that fascinates me.

The second half of the book was an improvement, but, for me, it was a long slog to get there. The storyline picked up, more started happening besides tennis matches and opulent galas. Pandora actually became a strong businesswoman.

The ending was predictable. Again, I had figured it out.

For me, this was just an ok read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

This book was okay, but besides the plot twist was pretty boring and predictable. Not my favorite. 2.5 ⭐️

The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel sweeps readers back to 1926 in Hyde Park, New York where Pandora Carmichael dreams of becoming a fashion designer. The story has a good premise. The 1920s is one of my favorite time periods. I can understand Pandora’s love of fashion. Times were changing and so were fashions. There are parts of The Life She Wanted that I liked and other parts that I did not like. The author is a descriptive writer which does allow readers to visualize the scenes. It also makes the story move at a slower pace. The characters lacked depth. They needed to be fleshed out and brought to life. I never got a sense of Pandora’s personality. Her emotions never seemed real. Pandora is not a likeable character. Some of her thoughts and reasoning made me cringe. There are a number of characters, but they are all superficial. Pandora’s friend, Virginia was a progressive woman. She had no intention of following in her parents’ footsteps. I like the path that she forged. The Life She Wanted was more of a romance than a book about a woman overcoming her circumstances and making a name for herself in the fashion world. The story played out in an expected manner. I easily predicted early on how the story would play out. The author touched on some adult themes in the story especially for the time period. Unfortunately, she barely scratched the surface. There was repetition of key details (I got it the first time and I did not need it repeated twenty times). The ending was rushed compared to the rest of the story. I also felt the story lacked the lingo that would have been used in the 1920s. The Life She Wanted was just okay for me. The Life She Wanted is the berries with a fat cat sheik, a fashionista tomato, a handcuff for a bim, hinky behavior, a fella in the jug, a Jane in a jam, and a plan for rags.

It was 1926 and Pandora Carmichael's father had played at Wimbledon and was now a tennis coach. While not poor, they weren't wealthy like the families they knew, and the privileges those families knew were not Pandora's. She wanted to become a dress designer - it was all she'd ever dreamed of, and owning her own business was a part of that. When Pandora met the son of a family friend, and fell in love with him, her future seemed assured. Her wedding was beautiful - perfect for Pandora, and his parents made her feel like part of the family. But tragedy and scandal were to follow, in part the stock market crash, and it wasn't long before Pandora was fleeing New York for the French Riviera where a student of her father's lived.

The narrative looks at life in New York in the 1920’s and how wealthy family’s lived, sons were expected to follow in their father’s footsteps and daughters marry well, and everyone owned multiple homes. Pandora discovers a family’s reputation is everything, they don’t want it tarnished and it’s all a facade. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. It was an easy, quick read, and definitely held my attention. This was well paced with great characterization, and I appreciate the twist the author threw in. This was a bit lighter than most histfic novels I read, but I love the time period and felt fully immersed in it.

As long as she can remember, Pandora has wanted to be a dress designer. Marrying into a well known family may lead her to fulfilling her dreams, but 1920s America may not be the place to do this. Excellent descriptions of the moneyed US estates and the villas of the French Riviera make this a well written historical novel. Recommended.

Thank you #partner Lake Union / Amazon Publishing for my gifted copy!

Hyde Park 1920s: Young Pandora Carmichael was abandoned by her mother, and raised by her Wimbledon-tennis-star-turned-tennis-instructor father. Though she's the help, Pandora rubs elbows with the wealthy as her best friends in the world are Virginia and Archie Van Luyen - the children of her / her father's employer - and she's a frequent guest of theirs at social functions.

Being raised with and around the elite has exposed Pandora to a world of fashion and glamour - but she hasn't the means to make it her own. Because while Pandora and her father are not poor, they're not at all rich, and her options for her future are limited. Her father has scrimped and saved to allow her to attend secretarial school.

But Pandora has big dreams - none of which include secretarial school. She has informally studied fashion for years and has a real talent for design and sewing. She wants to own a boutique some day but lacks the financial support to do so. When she meets and marries a man of means, it seems her dreams will finally become a reality. That is, until scandal and tragedy hit, throwing her world - and her plans - off its axis.

Will Pandora ever become the fashion designer she's always dreamed she'd be? Or will she forever be on the edge of the world she yearns to belong to; an outsider always looking in?

Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one! It was an easy, quick read, and definitely held my attention. This was well paced with great characterization, and I appreciate the twist the author threw in. I own a couple others by Abriel and look forward to reading them soon! This was a bit lighter than most histfic novels I read, but I love the time period and felt fully immersed in it. I loved Virginia's character the most and hope we get to see her in an upcoming novel 🥰

Pandora Carmichael's father is a tennis coach, they live in a cottage on the Van Luyen's grand estate Riverview in Hyde Park, New York. Pandora has always been treated like one of the family and she grew up playing alongside Archie and Virginia.

Pandora dreams of being a dress designer, she attends a party with Virginia, and so do Archie's friends from Princeton. Pandora has grown up surrounded by wealth, she's not from their class and her father wants her to enroll at a secretarial school. Pandora is surprised when a handsome banker proposes, her mother-in-law helps her plan their lavish wedding, and she can’t wait to have children of her own and maybe one day open her own boutique.

Unfortunately, Pandora doesn’t have a crystal ball, she has no idea a shocking scandal is about to be published in the newspapers and followed by a tragedy. Pandora leaves Hyde Park, and she travels to the French Rivera and stays with one of her fathers tennis protégés. This gives Pandora time to think, let the situation in America cool down and plan her next move. Pandora hears about the Wall Street Crash, it’s not until she returns to the United States that she understands how bad things are, she has to start again, and workout how she make and sell her own line of women's sportswear?

I received a copy of The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. The narrative looks at life in New York in the 1920’s and how wealthy family’s lived, sons were expected to follow in their father’s footsteps and daughters marry well, and everyone owned multiple homes. Pandora discovers a family’s reputation is everything, they don’t want it tarnished and it’s all a facade.

You follow Pandora from New York, to the French Riviera, and Paris and back home again. A story about Pandora growing up, she's rather young and naive at the beginning, her passion for clothes and fashion, how she overcomes adversity and disappointment, has a fresh start and finds love. I recommend, The Life She Wanted and the authors previous book, The Light After the War and four stars from me.

It's 1926 and Pandora Carmichael is a young woman whose father Willie is the tennis instructor for a wealthy family. The Carmichaels live in a cottage on the sprawling Van Luyen estate in Hyde Park, New York. Pandora has grown up with the Van Luyen children and their close friendship has introduced her to the world of privilege and wealth. Pandora is invited to all the society parties and hopes she will marry into one of the wealthy families. In addition to finding love and starting a family, she wants to be able to provide for her father and pursue her hopes of becoming a fashion designer. Pandora's journey takes her from New York to the French Riviera as she seeks to fulfill her dreams, finding love and heartbreak along the way.

Author Anita Abriel has created an enjoyable story with The Life She Wanted. I am drawn to historical novels that take place in New York. From the mansions in the Hudson Valley to the streets of Greenwich Village, this book did a fine job creating a good sense of the era. Pandora is an appealing, resilient protagonist you will root for. This is a relatively short book and a light read. While not about tennis per se, I liked how it was part of the backdrop and was happy to find real-life tennis great Suzanne Lenglen appear in the story. The references to the fashion designers of the time were also entertaining. Abriel did excellent research for this book.

I truly loved this story, set in the 1920s, an era I love. Pandora is the daughter of a talented tennis player whose injuries forced him to leave the professional tennis circuit. Pandora’s mother deserted her husband and baby and, to support Pandora, he became a tennis instructor to privileged families. Thanks to her father’s role, Pandora grew up adjacent to wealth and privilege in New York’s Hudson Valley.

As an adult, Pandora is beautiful and inquisitive. She desires a wealthy husband who will help her achieve her dreams of opening a fashion atelier where she can sell her designs. She may even be willing to settle to obtain the life she wants, but as she grows and matures, she reflects on these choices.

This was a well-developed novel with an interesting and ambitious protagonist whose life unspools in “interesting times”. I enjoyed her ability to change and adapt to the shifting times, and the reflections on the changing role of women and rapidly evolving social structures. A highly recommended novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.