"An aspiring makeup artist takes on predatory Hollywood in this addictive debut novel with bite - a sultry, thrilling blend of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Killing Eve, and A Promising Young Woman.

It's 1950 and Loretta Reynolds is newly arrived in Hollywood, fresh off a con that brought her from England to the sunny shores of California. She's running away from a complicated past to fulfill her ambition of becoming a makeup artist to the stars.

When her new husband, a would-be actor, takes her to a sex-fueled Hollywood party on their wedding night - hoping to trade her to a powerful director for a favor - she discovers the dark side of Tinseltown and sets out on a path of revenge against the cruel men who use their money and power to play with lives and dreams.

In her quest for vengeance, Loretta gathers a band of La-La-Land misfits: a fading starlet past her prime, a friendly neighborhood sex worker, and a brooding screenwriter who proves yes, not all men are evil - just most...

Now, Loretta is about to get her big break - and Hollywood better beware. Loretta has learned a lot about makeup, and more... and some of her clients might not make it out alive."

But hopefully she does, because mentioning Killing Eve and A Promising Young woman has put me on edge...

I. LOVE. HOLLYWOOD. STORIES. And I love revenge stories. I can see this getting compared to Evelyn Hugo, but I enjoyed how it dared to go darker. Loretta as a character was so fun to follow and the cast of charcters in this book were a real treat. I oved the 1950s setting too.

The Unforgettable Loretta Darling is a captivating novel set in the Golden Era of Hollywood. This glamorous and delightful read keep me engrossed until the final page. Follow the story of Loretta Darling, a cunning British grifter, as she navigates the glitz and glamour of 1940s Hollywood armed with a makeup brush and a thirst for revenge against the corrupt men who have wronged her. This dark and delicious tale left me craving more. Thank you to the publisher and author for allowing me to share my thoughts on an ARC copy of this book.

2.5⭐️
this story was described as an old hollywood historical fiction with promising young woman vibes. i thought i was going to be obsessed with this, but it missed the mark for me. i found the plot really weak, for quite a while i truly didn't know what the bigger picture was, like what was loretta's ultimate goal? it did pick up a bit near the middle and i see the potential, but overall i didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them!

cw: sexual assault

thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my ARC of the unforgettable loretta darling by katherine blake. all opinions are my own.

Old Hollywood and revenge? Should be a compelling story. Unfortunately, this fell flat. The book dragged and dragged and then rushed to the end.

I think there are ways to tell revenge stories - i.e. Promising Young Woman. This isn't... it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was so good. It was interesting to see Hollywood through the perspective of a makeup artist because typically the books are through the views of actors or directors. I loved it and I’m a Loretta Darling stan. I will defend her until I die. She did what had to be done. This was written so well and was very entertaining and engaging. I couldn’t stop reading.

Not my favorite. The story was a little complex with a more difficult characters that I expected.

I liked the old Hollywood setting, but the storylines were darker and the author’s voice didn’t do much for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From publisher Harper Perennial: It’s 1950 and Loretta Reynolds is newly arrived in Hollywood, fresh off a con that brought her from England to fulfill her ambition of becoming a makeup artist to the stars.
When her new husband, a would-be actor, takes her to a sex-fueled Hollywood party she discovers the dark side of Tinseltown and sets out on a path of revenge against the cruel men who use their money and power to play with lives and dreams.
 In her quest for vengeance, Loretta gathers a band of La-La-Land misfits: a fading starlet past her prime, a friendly neighborhood sex worker, and a brooding screenwriter who proves yes, not all men are evil.
Now, Loretta is about to get her big break—and Hollywood better beware. Loretta has learned a lot about makeup, and more. . . and some of her clients might not make it out alive.
**********************************
My review: I was pulled into this book from the beginning. Loretta is brash, brave and determined. She knows how to get things done! The novel has shades of Evelyn Hugo but turns a little darker, which makes it intriguing. Loretta’s friendships (Sally, Grace, Alice, Primrose and Eliot) provide support and some occasional levity. I read the book in just two nights because I really wanted to see where it was going, where Loretta was going, and who was going down because of her drive.
The peek into 1950's Hollywood behind the scenes was fun. And the evil men who lurk(ed) there reminds us that some people have to do what they have to do. Loretta is definitely a character that requires discussion. Not everything is black and white and can you rationalize revenge? I don’t know, sometimes I can. I wished for a little more explanation of Loretta’s past…things wrapped up a little too quickly. But overall, the book held my interest completely.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for an advance copy in exchange for my review.

The book is poignant, powerful and thought provoking. The author takes us back in 1950s in the golden era of hollywood and this follows the odyssey of Loretta. She is an aspiring make up artist and she is trying to escape from her past so she came to Hollywood, California to do a fresh start but things are not what they appear to be. The truth and secrets behind the glamorous life are unsettling. As soon as her new husband takes her to one of the hollywood party, she comes face to face with reality and the dark side of the Tinseltown with an unacceptable truth and trauma that is going to live in her mind forever. She is determined to make her way out of it or make it up to her. Though the ending was unexpectedly good, it made it up for me. There are characters you will love and hate.

The Author has shown how a woman is treated in hollywood and how wealthy men take over the control of everything and use their money and power to fulfil their desires. Only brave women survive and find a way to fulfil their dreams. Despite all the awful things, the author has shown a strong side of women and they get what they want though behind glitz and glamour lies a horrible truth and unspeakable secrets.

Thank you Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for letting me read this book. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book!

Initially, I was intrigued by the promising premise of the book: "An aspiring makeup artist, Loretta Darling, navigating the predatory world of Hollywood." But I was so disappointed in the book.

As a makeup artist in the film industry, I was looking forward to seeing our world portrayed authentically. But man, I was let down. The author didn't dive deep enough. Where’s the set etiquette? where were all the other crew who make movies happen? No ADs, costume, grips, or prop departments were mentioned. It seemed as though Blake merely skimmed the surface of the film industry.

The book's length just made my disappointment worse. Everything happened too easily, with no real depth. The characters felt flat, and the "revenge plot" lacked substance. Events unfolded with an unrealistic ease, leaving little room for genuine development. Both the plot and characters felt underdeveloped and lacking in depth. Instead of richly layered personalities, I encountered one-dimensional figures who failed to evoke any real connection or empathy.

Overall, while the concept hooked me, the execution left me wanting more. I was craving a story that felt genuine and exciting but it just completely missed it.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. I liked the voice of the main character, but the pacing was very fast and I had a hard time keeping up with the plot.

The Unforgettable Loretta Darling had the promise to be really good but it felt just a little too long.

Loretta Reynolds is an aspiring Hollywood makeup artist who doesn't take no for an answer, she schemes her way into friendships, jobs, love affairs. It's the last bit that gets her into some trouble. After living in sin with her lover and needing a green card she convinces him to marry her and he tries to sell her out for a role in a film. Loretta obviously won't take that lying down, changes her name to Loretta Darling and determines to get her revenge. Along the way she collects friends like the aging starlet, the screenwriter, her prostitute neighbor and more. Loretta is a good makeup artist but her revenge schemes may get in the way of her dreams.

The writing was good and Loretta had a unique voice but the book just dragged on. It seemed like we were halfway through the book before we got to the new husband selling her out scenes. Also I don't want to spoil anything but I felt like Loretta's revenge methods were truly weird but fun and the author should have leaned into the weirdness. Instead everything is wrapped up pretty nicely.

In the end I enjoyed this book I just think some of it could have been trimmed.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

DNF at 15%

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read this. After seeing the reviews here, my interest and hopes kind of went down and as I was reading, I just thought...boring. I wasn't loving the first person narration, I don't think there was anything gripping about Loretta which is weird given the book title. I was expecting a really personable character, but she was immediately underwhelming.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. I felt like it would be a little more like finlay donovan maybe but it ended up being wildly different. Highly recommend!

I couldn’t get enough of this book! Old Hollywood, scandal and very well thought out. I loved the humor and writing. I will be thinking about this book for a while because it’s that good! I loved every page! Thanks NetGallery!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Unforgettable Loretta Darling.

I love revenge stories and main characters who plot to give the bad guys their comeuppance.

It’s 1950 and twenty-year-old Loretta Reynolds is determined to make it big in Hollywood as a makeup artist.

She's come a long way from England, leaving behind a traumatic past and eager to live out her dreams in LaLa Land.

But, she soon discovers not everything is glitz and glamor in Tinseltown and when she's betrayed by her new husband, she begins to craft a plot of revenge against those who took advantage of her and others.

But will her revenge plot ruin her ambitions to be rich and successful and leave her the same way she arrived in Hollywood? With nothing but a con and a dream.

The Unforgettable Loretta Darling is improperly categorized as a thriller, because it's not thrilling, or suspenseful.

The narrative takes us from the beginning from Loretta's arrival in Hollywood, how she gets her big break doing makeup for famous stars, and her revenge plot, and it's slow going.

There's a lot of filler about makeup and drug fueled parties and orgies, dealing with the patriarchal industry of Hollywood and egotistical actors and executives.

The writing was fine, but the narrative was a tedious slog, nor was I a fan of Loretta.

I realize she's young and a stranger in a strange land, but despite her chutzpah, she's very immature and not very street smart despite having run away from home.

How her life plays out, including finding a decent guy just shows how lucky Loretta is and this takes a certain amount of disbelief on the part of the reader.

But, I didn't care for the story; it was not exciting or suspenseful or interesting.

I do like the cover.

I really wanted to like this as I am always intrigued by the idea of old Hollywood, but the entire book fell flat for me as it was just extremely slow paced. Unfortunately, by the time I got the end, it felt so rushed that the entire story felt a bit all over the place leaving me with a sense of indecision.

this novel reminded me so much of promising young women. I love Loretta, a tale of revenge and mixed in with being a fierce makeup artist, what more could you want

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really wanted to love this book, because I’m a sucker for old Hollywood. Unfortunately, it all fell flat for me. The first two parts were painstakingly slow to the point where I felt I had to force myself to pick the book back up, but the final part seemed very rushed, with storylines messily tied up. While I still loved the concept, this one missed the mark for me.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.