This book was so fun. I wanted to jump into the pages at times. However, it is also a story of tragedy, struggles and self growth. I loved the storyline and the historical aspects. The characters were so well created - I truly wanted to know them and was sad when the book ended. This book is beautifully written and so well done that I truly enjoyed every page of it.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy

Harper-Collins had SO MANY great choices for tours for this fall that I could hardly restrain myself! As you know, I love historical fiction, so I was drawn to this novel about a young seamstress during the 1920’s who is learning to navigate life as a young adult. I loved the character of Zora and I loved a glimpse into life during that time. I read a lot of WWII novels, and WWI, but I haven’t read a lot about the Roaring 20’s and/or Prohibition times. I also know next to nothing about sewing and fashion design, so this was interesting to me, too. This book toggled in time, but only at the beginning and end (can be helpful if you find a lot of time switching confusing!).

Noelle Salazar is such an engaging writer! If you love her books, you will love this one, too. Thank you so much for my e-galley and for letting me be part of the tour.

I love the 1920s, so I was excited to read this historical fiction account of the time period. The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar is a both informative and enjoyable. I loved how easy it was to get immersed in the speakeasies and Hollywood sets as well as Zora’s transformation.

This book was so good. I don't have other words.

A Smithsonian curator is fixing a Hollywood dress for an exhibit and notices that not only is the dress not typical of the dress designer that it was supposed to be made by but also finds a label inside declaring it Zora Lily's work-- a person who was previously unknown to the curator and modern history.
Jump back in time to Zora when she was just a seamstress working with her mother to make money for her family during Prohibition Era Seattle, WA and how her life took her from her home, to a nanny, to a seamstress in Hollywood, to creating the most iconic looks for Greta Garbo in her newest movie, to coming back to Seattle plus all of the mysteries and life in between. Her story was so hard to put down and simultaneously informed the time period and felt familiar within it.
Salazar is a wizard with history and making it come alive in new ways. This story didn't disappoint and was just as unassumingly beautiful and humbly hard to ignore as her characters.

#arc
#netgalley
#theroaringdaysofZoraLilly

See during the jazz age- a costume conservator at the Smithsonian discovers an unknown designer of a dress Greta Garbo wore.
Flash back to 1924 and Zoe’s dreams of becoming a designer - making her way to Hollywood.

This book took me to 1920s old Glamor Hollywood. I could not stop reading this I was so hooked. I loved the dual timeline. Great book.
I just reviewed The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar. #TheRoaringDaysofZoraLily #NetGalley
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Taking place in my favorite era the 1920s, I had high expectations for this book and I was not disappointed! Zora and her mother take in sewing, mending clothes for the more fortunate to help their poverty-stricken family survive. Zora designs clothes herself in whatever free time she can manage, dreaming of one day owning her own clothing shop. Zora and her friend Rose frequent Seattle's underground clubs and speakeasies, where illegal booze runs freely and the women bob their hair and roll their stockings below their knees. Zora and Rose go to Hollywood chasing their dreams, Zora gets a taste of how brutal that world can be and returns home to Seattle and the family she left behind.
I am not going in depth as to the story and details of what happens, you can read it and find out for yourselves. I will say this, it is a warm, delightful look into the lives and relationships occurring in an era when the country was undergoing big changes, fortunes were made and lost, women were fighting for their place in the world. It is a time of great despair, but also one of great hope. Zora is the epitome of the era and I just loved her character. She makes you want to cheer for her and wish her all the wonderful things she deserves to get out of life. You will fall in love with her.
I give this book 5 stars and recommend highly. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and to Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

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

Sylvia and Lu caught my attention immediately by doing my dream occupation. Restoring fashion and movie history seems like such a fulfilling task if you are passionate about it.

Then Zora's story began and I was completely hooked. The 1920s was such an interesting decade with the post was decadence mixed with prohibition. I love reading about The Roaring Days of Zora Lily did the history and feel of the decade justice.

I can't wait for Noelle Salazar's next book.

Loved this one and it was written exquisitely I loved learning about the jazz age on the west coast during the 20’s and prohibits and the storyline drew you in and kep you engaged
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review the book

Jazz music is blasting in underground clubs, alcohol is feeding inhibitions (despite the prohibition) and flappers are redefining fashion. The Roaring 20s are in full swing, but Zora Lily Hough spends her night helping her mother sow so that in order to help support her family. She does not yet know it but a night out with her best friend is about to take a down a path that will completely transform her life. Be ready to feel tragedy, fall in love and feel intoxicated Zora as you join her on this life journey.

Love this story so much. 1920s Prohibition era is usually not my cup of tea but this book was truly hard to put down. Though the story is supposed to happen on a dual timeline, most of the story line focuses on Zora. The couple of chapters of the present time at the beginning and end of the book felt more like book ends. Zora is such a beautifully written character it was hard not to fall in love with her.

10/10 I would recommend

Thank you netgally for the ARC #netgalley #TheRoaringDaysofZoraLily

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily by Noelle Salazar is a wonderful and very engaging story. It has everything a good 1920s historical fiction should have. I loved the message, and the very satisfying ending. I very much enjoyed reading it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this one! I haven't had many books that are set in the 1920s and I really loved this one. The book follows Zora as she becomes a designer including her love story with Harley and some sad moments in between. I truly enjoyed reading how she finds her passion and the tid bits at the end about her eventual family and life with Harley. The setting at the beginning and end with the Smithsonian was also an interesting touch. I would recommend it and am interested to read other books by this author.

I enjoyed the story of Zora and how she thrived despite the challenges she faced. The story gives interesting insight into the Jazz age on the west coast. The plot moved along well. Really liked the connection to the fabric archivist and bringing the story full circle..

I was drawn to this book by it's setting in the Roaring 20's. This was a fascinating era and the author brought that into the book. Reading about the parties and speakeasies was interesting and easy to imagine. From the summary I was expecting Zora to face more adversity in her climb. It seems more of a feel good journey as she went from one helping hand to another. It was an enjoyable book to read.

Noelle Salazar's fascinating novel The Roaring Days of Zora Lily begins in 2023 with a curator at the Smithsonian Museum of American History's discovery while working on an exhibition of iconic movie costumes from 1920's through today. She finds a label underneath another label with the name of Zora Lily on it.

Who is Zora Lily and why was her label hidden underneath the label of a famous costume designer? That takes the story back to the days of Prohibition and the 1920's. Zora Hough was a teenager from a poverty-stricken family in Seattle. Zora helped her mother support her family as seamstresses, repairing clothes for others.

Zora's talents lay in designing and sewing beautiful dresses for wealthy women in Seattle. She spent all her time either in school or working to help her mother. Zora's best friend dances in a club downtown and convinces Zora to join her in some well-deserved fun at the clubs.

Zora is introduced to a whole new world in the dance clubs, and catches the eye of a handsome and wealthy man, a man whom all the other women desire for themselves. The dicotomy of her life at home and her night life in the clubs is striking.

Soon Zora's talents are put to use repairing the costumes for the dancers and when Zora's friends are drawn to the bright lights of Hollywood, Zora accompanies them and gets a job at a studio as a seamstress.

Although Zora was led to believe that she would be designing clothes for the movies, in fact she spent all her time sewing and repairing other people's designs. She became frustrated and was set to return home for good when an opportunity arose for her to possibly realize her dreams.

Noelle Salazar transports the reader to the 1920's era in The Roaring Days of Zora Lily. You can almost hear the music in the clubs, taste the fizzy drinks, and see the beautiful dancers moving. I also liked the Hollywood setting, meeting people like Greta Garbo. Zora being torn between her loyalty to her family and her own big dreams is something people can relate to as well.

Fans of Karen White's jazz-era Wicked City trio of novels (The Wicked City, The Wicked Redhead, The Wicked Widow) and Adriana Trigiani's All The Stars in the Heavens, (a fictionalized account of actress Loretta Young's life) should put The Roaring Days of Zora Lily on their TBR list. I recommend it.

Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on their Fall 2023 Blog Tours.

I recently finished The Roaring Days of Zora Lily and felt it was an interesting read, but a bit long. I will admit I went in a tad blind to the book but did have a sense it will be filled with entertaining people in a mystery that was to be unravelled. What I found was a tale slowly following the life of Zora Lily from her early 20s. It was a quarter to halfway through the book before her dress designing/creating work really took hold. I found myself drifting at times because of the pacing of the story.

I did enjoy the 1920s setting in the clubs that dominated during prohibition. And honestly, Harley is definitely a book boyfriend if I’ve ever read one. This was a solid read. Once I realize that the book was really a detailed journey into Zora‘s life and not focused on her dress making turn, I came to appreciate the story for what it was.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin books for my DRC in exchange for my copy.

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily
By: Noelle Salazar

This novel was absolutely delightful!

2023-When a costume conservator at The Smithsonian’s National Museum is getting items ready for an exhibit, she finds a hidden label. This gown was worn by Greta Garbo, and when she sees the hidden label, she wonders if the designer label was not the original designer as the name Zora Lily is the first sewn into the gown.

1924, Zora has been helping her siblings fix and hem for people to earn money for her family. Zora wants more! She dreams she could be a famous designer like Coco Chanel. She works hard and basically never goes out to enjoy the night life. She finally goes to town with her best friend and discovers music, fancy dresses and more. In the height of Prohibition, the alcohol is everywhere in the speakeasies.

She meets Harley, a handsome businessman who promises her the world she has dreamed about. Harley has his own troubles, but she is in love. Will Zora get more than she bargained for? Will she make her dreams come true?

This is a book that readers will easily fall in love with. Zora is the type of character that you love from page one and fall in love with more as she grows from a girl to a woman. Watching her take a dream and turn it into a reality is just beautiful. Her path may not always be smooth, but how she handles what bumps come up is inspiring. This is the perfect book for a book club, or just someone who enjoys historical novels. I can’t recommend this book enough.
Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this lovely book.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for an ARC of this gorgeous novel. I have never read anything by Salazar before, but that will change after this book. I requested the novel since the Roaring Twenties are my favorite decade to read about, not only for the parties, booze, and dancing, but mostly for the fashion. The novel opens with an exhibitor at the Smithsonian discovering that a piece she was mending is not by the designer she originally thought, but instead by Zora Lily. Who is she?! Zora is a seamstress who spends her days helping raise money to support her siblings. She has a taste of the glamorous lifestyle when she attends dance clubs with her friend Rose, and gets to see how the other side lives. The author does a beautiful job of showcasing the 20s, as well as drawing us into Zora's fame as a seamstress. I am very picky about historical fiction, and know I will be picking up Salazar's novels from here on out

I loved this book. Wonderful characters. Superb writing.


"The Roaring Days of Zora Lily" is a captivating novel that weaves together two timelines, transporting readers to the glitz and glamour of the 1920s while exploring themes of family, love, ambition, and self-discovery.


Set in both 2023 at The Smithsonian's National Museum of American Art and 1924, the story revolves around a hidden label found on a famous gown worn by Greta Garbo. The discovery sparks the curiosity of a costume conservator, who embarks on a journey to uncover the mystery of Zora Lily.


In the 1920s, readers are introduced to Zora Hough, a poverty-stricken young woman struggling to make ends meet by sewing and mending clothes for clients. Zora's dreams extend far beyond her humble life, as she secretly aspires to become a fashion designer like Coco Chanel. Her journey takes an unexpected turn when she is introduced to the vibrant world of underground speakeasies, where music, glittering dresses, and forbidden romance beckon.


Zora's newfound ambitions collide with the responsibilities she holds toward her family, and she must navigate the challenges that come with pursuing her dreams.