The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard transports the reader to NYC in the 1970's, its music, its nightlife, and the civil unrest of war and women's rights to learn about the life of Astrid Bricard. One day Astrid's in Paris vying for a coveted fashion award, the next she's disappeared. Her daughter in left with haunting questions in adulthood, and her mother's legacy.

The Bricard women fight the patriarch in fashion to be known as designers against the likes of Halston, Oscar de la Renta and Blass. We learn of each women's love, her mystery and the "why" fashion is so important in an industry dominated by men. The Bricard women each bring something unique to the story culminating to an epic intersection with its conclusion.

Lester's writing demonstrates the loss, pain and sacrifice for generations of Bricard women, where every decision transcends time with consequences for future generations. This is storytelling at its finest.

It was a delight to see other characters from Lester's novels make an appearances in this story. The Three lives of Alix St. Pierre was one of favorite reads in 2022.

Thank you, Forever.

I always enjoy Natasha Lester’s books and this was no different! While I enjoyed all 3 timelines, I loved Astrid and Hawk’s most. My only complaint is length. The first and last third were unputdownable but the middle section felt so slow.

This book is told in three different timelines, following three generations of Bricard women. In the present day, Blythe lives in the shadow of her mother Astrid, a fashion designer who disappeared in the 1970s, and her infamous grandmother Mizza who is known for being the sultry muse of fashion designer Christian Dior. While Blythe is still tangentially involved in the fashion world, she prioritizes her children’s welfare above all else, especially after her divorce. When talk of reviving her mother’s abandoned fashion brand comes up, Blythe is faced with separating fact from fiction regarding her mother’s story. We get to read all about Astrid’s experience firsthand through her chapters of the book, including the rise of her notoriety and the vicious things that the press says about her. While she has her own issues of living in her mother’s shadow, we get to unpeel another layer by reading Mizza’s chapters as well. These three perspectives are fascinating to read and put together to create a vivid history of all the Bricards have had to endure.

Fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid will love this book--famous designer, dual timelines, family drama and mystery. I adored this story, that felt gauzy and golden like old Hollywood.

Wow! This was much better than I thought it would be. It is not that I thought it would be bad. When I read the blurb I thought, this sounds interesting. But it far exceeded my expectations.

I enjoy books where we learn more about our protagonist through exploring their past utilizing multiple times lines. In this case we are following three different generations of the Bricard family, who led an exciting, tumultuous, past, I suppose that is up to the reader, to decide, aAll if which shaped who Natasha has become in the present.

I highy recommend this book. Thank you to Net Galley for allowing to read this book, and to give an unbiased opinion before it’s

Another gripping book by Natasha Lester! Her stories are always so well crafted and I learn about a historical figure I wasn't that aware of prior to the books. I love the appearance of Alix St. Pierre in this one!

Set in the fashion industry, three generations of Bricard women struggle to make their mark in the industry and have their name known. Mizza's story is just incredible - Astrid is the star of the book - and Blythe is the one that pulls their stories all together. Each generation fights against the male dominated industry and furthers women designers a bit more. Just a fantastic story and I enjoyed all three timelines.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Astrid disappears at her fashion show at Versailles leaving her baby daughter. Astrid was also not raised by her mother who was also a fashion designer. This is a story of those three women trying to make it in the fashion industry and of Astrid's disappearance.

Another huge hit from one of my fav historical fiction authors! Natasha Lester is the queen of shining a light on forgotten women in history with a particular focus on fashion and WWII. In this latest story, we get to know three generations of women and their struggles balancing, love, motherhood and careers in male dominated spheres. HIGHLY recommended, great on audio and full of fantastically moving characters with fun Easter eggs from past books sprinkled throughout. I defy you not to fall in love with Astrid and Blyth Bricard. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

I enjoyed the story, for the most part. I loved the three perspectives, the historical parts involving Mizza were amazing. Astrid trying to make a name for herself apart from her true love made me sad. Blythe trying to figure everything out with most of the information missing affected her life in so many ways.

The portrayal of women in the working world, whether it be in fashion, or elsewhere was depressing in that over three generations, the same issues are still apparent. The ending made me a little irritated, although I understand the why of the disappearance, I wasn’t thrilled with the resolution to it I did like Jake and Blythe figuring themselves out and their story reiterates how childhood shapes your decisions and communication is invaluable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Forever (Grand Central Publishing), Forever, and Natasha Lester for the eARC.

Three generations of women work to find their way in the male-dominated world of fashion. Mizza Bricard (the only main character based on a true historical person) is famous for being fashion designer Christian Dior's muse. A designer in her own right, she was not recognized in her time for her true contributions. It was not revealed at the start as to why Mizza's daughter Astrid was raised by a family in the United States. Once she became a young woman, it was clear that Astrid had inherited her mother's skills as she was also a talented designer. She struggled to get recognition and was overshadowed by Hawk Jones, a fellow designer she loved deeply but was relegated to the role of being his muse. Some provocative photos of the beautiful Astrid that appeared in Life Magazine made it hard for her to be taken seriously. At a multi-designer fashion event in 1973, held at Versailles, Astrid was on the verge of achieving the recognition she deserved. But just as she was about to appear, she disappeared. Based on a bloody dress left behind, it looked as if she might have been murdered. Or did she simply run away? The third generation of Bricard women had not escaped the same struggle. In the present day, Blythe, who is the daughter of Astrid and Hawk, was abandoned by her famous parents. A divorced mother of two, Blythe's dream is to bring back Astrid's fashion line, which went by the name Mizza. She needs funding but doesn't want to have to rely on her ex-husband, who owns multiple fashion brands or seek the money from a competitor of her ex who has the capital but is someone she doesn't trust. And while deciding which path to take, Blythe is also trying to find out what happened to her mother, Astrid Bricard.

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard, by must-read author Natasha Lester, offers everything I look for when hoping to be swept away by a novel. It features historical and contemporary timelines. It has strong women, and the backdrop is the world of fashion. There is also a mystery that needs solving. Lester does incredible research for her books and the three generations of Bricard women are unforgettable. Being the only actual person, I found myself going down the rabbit hole reading everything I could find on the real Mizza. Lester perfectly captured the changing landscape of fashion and the free spirit of the young adults during Astrid's timeline. Other than the fictional character of Hawk, the other designers mentioned are figures everyone will recognize. And Blythe's journey was also very well done. This is a gem.

This book contains lots of intrigue involving fashion, various periods of time that have always interested me, rock and roll, and well known art schools, all of which often find their way into the bohemian lifestyle. Everything that has always captured my imagination throughout my life, as well as having been an actual part of my life. So, being an Art school grad myself who was into all of these things, you would think that I would love this book. Well, I had assumed so before reading this. Unfortunately, it really didn't do it for me. In fact, I found the main character, Astrid Bricard, extremely annoying. Every time I turned around she was going off the deep end over something or other. Sure, you need some drama to make a book interesting, but she jumped from one situation after another in a maddening pace. I ended up feeling like I had caregiver burnout well before the book was even completed.

For me, Astrid was also somewhat unbelievable. Always the best, most beautiful, smartest, coolest, etc. You get the picture. That just is never a character style that I can buy into. Life just isn't that way. In fact, the only character that struck me as believable was her mother Mizza, a real life fashion icon and muse to Christian Dior, one of several real life people depicted in the book. I probably would have appreciated this book more if it were more about her than this Daisy Jones like Mizza offspring.

Astrid struck me as suffering from a severe and lifelong case of borderline personality disorder. No, she was never diagnosed in the book as such, but that's exactly how she came off to me. I just couldn't put up with her anymore and was glad when the book was over.

There were definitely parts of this book that I liked. Sadly, a lot of the parts involving the main character I found rather annoying which made the book as a whole sort of a mixed bag for me.

ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪꜱᴀᴘᴘᴇᴀʀᴀɴᴄᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴀꜱᴛʀɪᴅ ʙʀɪᴄᴀʀᴅ
ʙʏ ɴᴀᴛᴀꜱʜᴀ ʟᴇꜱᴛᴇʀ
ɢᴇɴʀᴇ: ʜɪꜱᴛᴏʀɪᴄᴀʟ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ
ʀᴀᴛɪɴɢ: 5/5⭐️
ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀʏ: 1-30-2024

“Loving someone and making them feel loved are two different things. It’s easy to just love, but it takes effort to make another person believe in that love.”

Lester did a fantastic job of capturing the lives of the three generations of Bricard women and making each of them interesting and memorable. I found each timeline captivating and the themes of women trying to break down the fashion matriarchy were both frustrating and inspiring. It’s my third book by Lester and my favorite so far!

If you read the Three Lives of Alix St. Pierre you’re going to love seeing her play an important roll in this story. Having characters from previous books make appearances is one of my favorite things an author can do! I also found so much of the history fascinating and spent far too much time researching Mizza and The Battle of Versailles. I’ll share a few tidbits in my stories!

Thank you @forever for the arc via Netgalley!

QOTD: Any weekend plans?

AOTD: it’s going to be crazy cold here but it’s also my birthday tomorrow so we are aiming to get out for lunch or dinner, as long as it’s not freezing!

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard gave me all the Daisy Jones vibes, except in the fashion world. It's a wonderfully written book about three generations of women trying to make it in the fashion industry, and everything they must overcome to make it.

To be completely honest, the first probably 100 pages of the book to me forever to get through. I was enjoying it and thought the writing was strong, but found myself easily pulled away from it. Once I started getting into the nitty-gritty of the story with Blythe and as she begins to unravel the mystery of her mother, in thanks to her niece who began reaching Astrid for a project, I was intrigued.

With multiple generations covered, the book covers a lot of tough topics including wars, the Nazis, abuse, equal rights, adoption, mental illness, and more, and I thought each aspect was crafted into the story beautifully.

I truly believe The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard will be another book that will be quickly known by her name alone, much like Evelyn Hugo, Addie LaRue, June Farrow, Daisy Jones, and more.

Thank you Forever/Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This multi-generational story takes the reader deep into the fashion industry and the history of women and their various roles and perceptions of their roles. Blythe's story takes place in present day as she is juggling life as a mother, her life as the daughter of a fashion muse, determining what her career/life should be, and trying to understand the true story of her parents and their relationship. Astrid's story takes place in the 1970's and her impact and perception within the fashion world, as well as her connection to designer Hawk Jones. After the Battle of Versailles (the fashion event of the century), Astrid disappears and leaves a lot of questions behind. Mizza's story begins in 1917, and her journey into the fashion industry was heavily influence by the world events and volatile decades ahead of her.

This book had the storyline and the potential for a great read, unfortunately it didn’t succeed. Blythe trying to find out she was abandoned and what happened to her mother was a big draw. But if we could have spent more time on Astrid’s disappearance and her life, instead of going back to Blythe and Jake’s issues. Maybe if I had just read the chapters with Astrid and Hawk, it may have been better.

I was not wanting a romantic story filled with detailed descriptions of how the simplest touch would turn her into mush. The romance was overdone, please do not get me wrong, there were no detailed sex scenes and just a little profanity, but the miniscule leg touching or thinking about a kiss from years ago was too much.

I did not finish the book, I read about 65% and that was it. There were several things I did enjoy though, the way the chapters were named with the characters, it helped keep track of the timeline and the book started out pretty well but just didn’t keep on track.

I am sure some readers will truly enjoy but it wasn’t my kind. Comes in with 3 stars.

I received an ARC from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 3 stars.

3 different POVs and a beautifully crafted story: It's 1917 and Mizza Bricard is sixteen and on her own. At an exclusive party she meets some very scandalous women and learns that if she stays strong and makes her own way in life, she will make a name for herself. She does this through the couture fashion houses in Paris and becoming known as Dior’s Muse. But was she actually?
1970: Astrid Bricard arrives in New York determined to prove to her adoptive parents that she can make it as a fashion designer. She has a scholarship at Parsons and lots of determination, but then she meets Hawk Jones, another fashion designer and their lives explode in passion and love. The media tags Astrid as Hawk’s muse, totally ignoring her true designs. But when the top fashion designers of America come up against the French in Versailles, Astrid’s world falls apart.
Present: Blythe Bricard wants more than anything to design fashion, but she never wants to be someone’s muse. She turns her back on designing but cannot leave the fashion industry altogether. When she is invited to a chateau in France, her life will unfold in an emotional roller coaster that will tell the true story of her grandmother, mother and father.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Forever for this e-arc.*

The Disappearance of Astrid Bricard was the first book I’ve read by Natasha Lester. It’s the type of book I normal devour, and I definitely did. I did feel that some parts were a bit slow and others went too fast.
A main theme (to me) of this novel was definitely the way women and men are treated differently and I found that part of this story made me feel all the emotions. I thought it was also so clever tying in that no matter the generation this stayed the same. Very sad.
I have to say I felt the ending was a little rushed and would have liked it to feel more completed, but that is just my opinion. Others may think it’s perfect.
I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you, NetGalley and Forever, for providing me with a complimentary digital copy of this book for review.

This narrative stands as a testament to women's empowerment, artfully chronicling the lives of three generations of women who have been confined by societal expectations and the burdens of their gender. The portrayal of their talent as both a gift and a catalyst for danger and criticism poignantly underscores the double-edged sword of their abilities. Their enduring resilience and the hardships they navigate serve as a powerful homage to the fortitude of women everywhere.

The novel also offers an intriguing glimpse into the inner workings of the fashion industry, and I was particularly thrilled by the recurring appearances of the iconic Alix St. Pierre. Her cameos added a layer of authenticity and glamour to the story's rich tapestry.

At its core, this is a tale woven with threads of heartbreak and family reunions, masterfully balancing the bitter and the sweet. The narrative captures the essence of sorrow and the unyielding hope for reconciliation, creating a reading experience that is both profoundly moving and ultimately uplifting.

An incredible blend of real history and fiction, following three generations of women facing similar issues in the fashion world.

My only critique was the characters' voices don't stand out from each other. The other character names mentioned were what kept me straight instead of them being distinct.

I just loved this book! Fashion, love, family relationships, generations, mystery - all the things that make a book that I couldn’t put down. This is my first book by Natasha Lester and it won’t be my last. What a journey of the three Bricard women. They were all strong women, who fought for their place in the fashion business. I enjoyed the back and forth timeline stories, the anecdotes to true fashion icons and especially the WW2 Paris storyline. When i discovered that Mizza Bricard was a real person, who did work for- no with- Dior, I loved the book even more! Lester weaved the real stories of Mizza so well with the fictional stories of her daughter Astrid, and granddaughter Blythe.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.