I received a complimentary electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, author Wilton Barnhardt, and St. Martin's Press. I requested this novel without properly vetting it, and for that, I apologize. There is much more sexual content even early on in this tale than I could ever be comfortable with. DNF.
pub date August 1, 2023
St. Martin's Press

Reviewed on July 17, 2023, at Goodreads and Netgalley only.

I just could not get into this book. Had trouble following the characters and I don't think they even appeared to be that interesting. Disappointing read.

I was looking forward to reading this book because it seemed it would be a light read that would provide a distraction from the heavy books I have typically been reading. Unfortunately, the characters were not appealing to me and I just couldn’t get invested in the story or their lives. I agree with several other reviewers who expressed that this seemed like a sitcom episode but one that really didn’t contribute anything. Just a meh read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

For more reviews, please visit my blog at: https://www.msladybugsbookreviews.com/. Over 1000 reviews posted!

A new family drama centered around the Costa family. The Costas are an absurdly wealthy family and then the 2008 financial crisis happen. Now Roberto and Rachel, the children of patriarch Salvator, traverse Europe dealing with their father's actions.

I wish this had been more overtly satirical. I didn't really get that vibe from the writing despite that being in the synopsis. I think the premise had promise as it gave me Schitt's Creek vibes, but the writing style wasn't for me.

I received Western Alliances from NetGalley in exchange for my review.

This book follows Roberto Costa around Europe over the course of a decade or two, as he learns family secrets and how to protect himself from various scams pulled by his mother and sister. Flings, loves, places, and cultures all add color to Roberto’s experiences.

Western Alliances was fine, but ultimately didn’t leave a lasting impression. It had a reasonably well-formed plot and various characters flowing through it, but none were relatable or particularly memorable. Not awful, not great.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me. I thought it would be a fun read but I just couldn't connect with either the story or characters.
But given that so many others loved it, it must be a me issue.

This is sit-com in written form. The family was so well-written and their antics were hysterical. I could visually see this story happening on the small screen and the backdrop of Europe made it even more visually appealing. Despite the 1% status of the characters, they were so relatable on so many levels.

When I saw the Succession comparison in the blurb, I immediately clicked on "Read Now." This is sort of like an alternate Succession universe where instead of spending all of their energy hating one another and "working" to impress their father, the Roy children decide to give up and go on extended vacations.

The range of characters and locations in Western Alliances is impressive, though I didn't find myself as immersed in the story as I wanted to be. There were lots of characters to keep track of and none were sympathetic.

The author is talented and I think readers in the mood for a slow-paced story with unlikeable characters and vivid descriptions of European sites will enjoy.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

DNF. I really tried to get into this novel but gave up at the one third mark. It’s so meandering, and the characters, while mildly original, I didn’t care about at all. As far as I can tell, the plot of this is that two rich adult siblings travel and fornicate their way through Europe and then at some point the 2008 financial crisis hits and they lose their fortune. Boo hoo. There is tons of name dropping and cultural references that, for me, just got irritating.

I’m struggling to finish this book. At the beginning I liked the book because of the descriptions of places that I have visited, such as the Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, and the pacing was very good. Unfortunately, there are far too many graphic sex passages that are off-putting.

I would not recommend this book unless you are ready for pornography.

I started this book several times since I found the initial blurb so interesting, but despite my efforts, I couldn’t identify with the characters or the situations. I felt like I was plodding through the novel.

It just wasn’t a good fit.

Thank you Netgalley.

I was really excited about this novel, as I love reading about rich people behaving bad. The beginning of the book was a bit rough though, and from then on I couldn't really get into it. I loved the diversity among the characters. Their dynamic as they interacted with each other was easily the best part of the story!

Salvador, the father, runs a Wall Street bank right before the crash. His children have never worked and his wife is an actual piece of work. The book follows Roberto and Rachel across Europe as they come to terms with his choice’s and try to move forward.

Unfortunately I just couldn’t get myself into the book. I didn’t find myself invested in the characters and found myself disinterested in the storyline and that’s when I had to throw in the towels around 65%

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Western Alliances in exchange for an honest review.

This just wasn’t for me and I DNFd at 60 percent I wasn’t enjoying the story it felt to try hard.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin Press all opinions are my own

I was initially really excited about this novel, as I love reading about rich people making bad decisions. The beginning of the book was a bit rough though, and from then on I couldn't really get into it. I loved the diversity among the characters. Their dynamic as they interacted with each other was easily the most interesting part about the novel for me.

Right off the bat, I was not interested in how much detail about banking, loans, and money that we went into. I thought this was just an introduction for the beginning of the book so I skimmed through it. But as I kept reading I found myself continuously pulled from the storyline with those sections.

The writing was amazing and I loved the characters, however I think the book was just not for me. I could easily see someone who has a prior interesting in this sort of content loving this book though.

Western Alliances by Wilton Barnhardt is a fun and compelling character-driven novel.

Barnhardt’s writing is engaging and very well done. I was immediately hooked and once I started I didn’t want to stop.
This one did not disappoint. The characters are so true to life that I could see them as clearly as if they were in the same room. The characters were winning and terribly flawed a that same time. Which made this story even more interesting. He has a way of making all of his characters compelling and memorable.
I really didn't want to do anything except read it, and then was so sorry when it ended.
This skillful writing, funny in places and very entertaining story is one that I’ll recommend to contemporary fiction readers. It was beyond entertaining.

And they weren’t kidding when they mentioned that these characters were just as richly absurd as the ones in HBO’s Succession tv show. I loved it.

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

Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

A crazy Succession like story, Western Alliances will take you all over the world. Roberto and Rachel have always lived a spoiled life. When Salvador warns them that this cushy life may be ending, the two are forced to reckon with real life and the choices made by those in power (including their father). I enjoyed it very much!
#StMartinsPress #westernalliances #WiltonBarnhardt

Wilton Barnhardt's "Gospel" is one of my favorite books, and I was so excited about "Western Alliances." But it seems that these books were written by two different people.

"Gospel" is big, with beautifully developed characters that you care about and an intriguing premise. "Western Alliances" is like a sit-com episode, funny, but you don't really care much about the characters. The early scenes are best, where the beleaguered dad cuts off his careless kids (set in a French train station so the father can make a speedy getaway to his next meeting.)

What's this comparison to "Succession?" This novel is more comic and hapless, more like "French Exit." Barnhart is a good writer and I hope he finds his stride in his choice of this shorter fiction format. He has a lot ot offer.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Western Alliances in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe part of the problem was that I have never even heard of Succession. So I was in the dark about the characters.

Salvador, the father, runs a Wall Street bank right before the crash. His children have never worked and his wife is a piece of work. The book follows Roberto and Rachel across Europe as they come to terms with his choices and the consequences of those choices.

I was not familiar with this author so I had no preconceived notions about him or his writing.

I lost interest rather quickly. Was this a sitcom episode? Rather like Seinfeld which was a show about nothing.

NetGalley/ August 01, 2023, St. Martin’s Press

Wilton Barnhardt was a new author to me but I decided this sounded like a light and fun kind of read from the description provided so why not give it a chance...unfortunately it really wasn't. Western Alliances really reminded me of a Seinfeld episode...a lot happened but nothing happened. I didn't connect with the characters so wasn't invested in their journey. Overall just not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Western Alliances in exchange for an honest review.

Coming of age tale of two spoiled siblings. An interesting romp through Europe, but did not keep the LOL-comic promise. Perhaps too much, too often.