I absolutely loved this book! I didn't know anything about the main characters prior to reading it and was completely captivated by them. What powerful women during an incredibly misogynistic time. The scene with Nancy having to go down the pole made my skin crawl. I was rooting her on the whole way through. I'm not usually one for sappy endings, but this one was so needed after Jacqueline. Fantastic book that will be highly recommended.

Thanks to HarperCollins & NetGalley for a digital advance reader copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

As a young teen I picked up my mother’s copy of Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls. That was the only book I read in that genre. But this spring I was intrigued by the story based on two women writers who were known for writing racy novels in the 1960s. I found this new book both entertaining and illuminating.

Rather than focusing on the steamy scenes, this well-researched historical fiction imagines a friendship between the two women who were leaders in this writing style. Paul envisions Jacqueline’s desire to have an author friend to talk to. “Jacqueline had plenty of American friends, of course, but none who understood the peculiar pressures of being a woman who wrote about gritty subjects and was publicly pilloried for it. That gave her and Jackie a unique bond.”

The story is set on the cusp of the feminist movement, in the 1960s. In addition to chapters narrated by Jacqueline and Jackie, Paul includes a third character, this one fictional. Nancy White comes to New York hoping to break into publishing. Her story intersects with the two Jackies as she establishes her career, and also struggles against rampant sexism of the time.

I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes personal stories of these three women, their dreams and fears, goals and secrets. That’s what ended up making this a page-turning book, as I promised myself I would read just one more chapter before turning out the light. Yet I stayed up far too late.

It took me a while (maybe half the book) to really become engaged but I’m glad I kept reading. By the conclusion I felt like I truly knew both Jackies, and as author Gill Paul writes in her Author’s Notes: “My eternal gratitude to Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins for everything they did to advance the cause of women’s writing. They were trailblazers for the kinds of novels that millions of readers enjoy worldwide, with glamorous settings, juicy plots, and generous servings of sex. They paved the way for every single woman novelist who followed them.”

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for this book.

I've been looking forward to reading this since I was a big reader of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline (Jackie) Susann (may they both rest in peace) and probably read most of their books.

Even though I know this book is fictional the author did a great job in research. I learned a lot about their personal lives in depth. I don't recall remembering Jackie Susann dying at 74 in 1971 when I was only 13 and definitely not reading her books. I was more shocked about Jackie Collins since that was later years after since I read a lot of her books by then.

Between the alternate chapters of Jackie Susann and Jackie Collins, since JC, there was Nancy, who was only 22, who came to NYC to get a job in publishing, first being a secretary which she didn't like since she wanted more to work with publishing. She ended up editing with Jackie Susann on Valley of The Dolls after she found it on her bosses desk, and loved it. Of course her male boss despised it. Jackie took a liking to her. Then Nancy gets a request from the publicity department to help Jackie book tours, book hotels, etc. JS seemed tough to work with but Nancy had no problems so far and took her under her wing and felt sorry for her since she had no family and bought her clothes since she dressed like a old lady.

JS was not an easy person to get a long with unless she liked you. Sort of high maintenance. She wanted her way and that was it. JC seemed totally different.

Ironically, I didn't realize it until I Googled, but when I was reading it on 9/21 it was the 50 year anniversary date of JS death. She was either 53 or 56 according to what I read.

JC wrote 37 books (per Fantastic Fiction but when I Googled before I saw it there, it said 32), before she died and JS only wrote 6 but I bet if she lived longer she definitely would have written more. She wrote a romance with a sci-fi twist in 1956 and was published in 1979, which was mentioned in the book under a different title.

Even though I knew that JS would die in the end, I still sobbed like a baby. JS and JC became good friends by the way.

And what happened to Nancy? She opened her own publishing company and another thing which I won't spoil.

Review:
Gill Paul is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors I am still working my way through her backlist but this one here 💅💄🍷🍾
Get you a drink Honey and grab this book !
As some one who read and devoured Valley of The Dolls , and grew up reading Jackie Collin’s this novel is a gem. I love the 60’s backdrop and the inside look of the publishing world of that era . This is a story written in 3 points of view we have Nancy who loves books and becomes friends with Jaqueline Susann and Jackie and helps them both with their books . The pace was great it only took me awhile because I had to put it down to do other things . I love this one Gill Paul !
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gill Paul
#reviewbook
#booktok
#ScandalousWomen
#jackiecollins

Scandalous Women is a historical fiction novel that follows the story of two female writers Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins.
I am a fan of Gill Paul's writing.
The book was just incredible! I could not put it down.
Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC to review.

I don't often read books that so directly weave fact and fiction surrounding people. I was blown away by how much I loved this book. I have always been drawn to controversial women's fiction, especially in older novels. To get a direct look into what it looked like to actually push those boundaries before feminism was common or accepted by society. Gill Paul did an amazing job building and writing her characters; by the end of this book I felt like I personally knew these women. I will definitely be rereading this one many times.

Another solid delivery from the always-entertaining Gill Paul. The story follows two female authors and an editor who write and edit “racy” books in a time where women are expected to stay home and tend to their families.

I really enjoyed the strong female characters and what felt like an authentic portrayal of how the world was for women during the 1960s. I didn’t honestly think I would enjoy this book as much as I’ve enjoyed Gill’s other books, but I found myself engaged throughout. There were a couple of places where it didn’t feel like the events advanced the plot or got resolved, and the ending felt a bit rushed. However, I would still recommend this one if you like historical fiction or other books by Gill Paul.

Thanks to Netgalley and William Morrow for the advance copy in exchange for honest review. 4 stars, recommend.

This is a novel about Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann, two powerhouse groundbreaking female writers that I knew very little about. It is the 1960's and it is a wild time, including for female writers writing about women who have relationships and sex! It is a page turner and just plain fun! I walked away with greater appreciation for these women and their accomplishments that lead the way for so many other female writers but more importantly I had fun as this is a page turner!

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow.

Scandalous Women by Gill Paul. Pub Date: August 13, 2024. Rating: 4 stars. I am a huge fan of Gill Paul's novels and this one is no exception. In this novel she explores the complex lives of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann. The reader gets a first hand glimpse into the publishing world of the 1960s where women's voices were reduced and sexuality was promiscuous. These two female writers were powerful women who led the movement in literary circles to capitalize on stories of women, sexuality and the many dimensions of females. I loved learning about this time period and found the publishing world extremely fascinating. Trailblazing women always make history and these two were voices to be heard. I highly recommend this novel! Thanks to #netgalley and #williammorrow for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Gill Paul has found a really good lane in Women’s Historical Fiction, and I love the way she chooses subjects who are largely familiar in a general sense, but seldom written about and appreciated in modern fiction.

I’ve liked some of her novels better than others, and that’s largely been dependent on how much I liked the subjects. In this case, I absolutely loved them. I’ve never read anything by Jackie Collins, and while I loved Valley of the Dolls, I’m also largely not familiar with Jacqueline Susann’s other work. This feels like a case where my taste in fiction didn’t have much to do with how I felt about the authors of that fiction, and I love that Paul is so good at humanizing women from history who we don’t know much about in a personal sense.

The fictional characters in this story were also well-crafted and likable, and served wonderfully to tie the two women together. Though I was a touch disappointed to hear that the friendship between them was fictional, I’d like to think that if the circumstances had aligned for it, Paul’s story might have been what really happened.

I’m huge on books where I had a great time reading them AND felt like I learned something. Paul’s books are perhaps more approachable in that way than most of the stuff I read that meets that goal, and I think they’re a lovely choice for those who prefer less academic novels that are still exceptionally well written and informative.

In the mid-1960s, writers Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann shook up the publishing world with their provocative books *The World Is Full of Married Men* and *Valley of the Dolls.* This book imagines a young PR genius, Nancy White, who handled publicity for both authors and became friends with them, blending fiction with real-life events from their worlds.

The story was entertaining, but it was disappointing to learn that Nancy wasn’t real and that the two women likely never met. Knowing that made me enjoy the book a bit less, but it was still a fun read.

Scandalous Women by Gill Paul

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley for review. My opinions are my own.

5/5 stars

I can’t even begin to tell you how much I loved this book. I’m not sure if this is fiction or creative non-fiction but it tells the story of authors Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins and their rise to fame in the 1960s.

As someone who has always LOVED reading, I fell in love with women’s lit in my early 20s by reading my great aunt’s copy of “Valley of the Dolls.” Sure, I’d read my share of romance but never realized that there was more out there… legit books about women’s issues written by women… and “Scandalous Women” does a great Job telling telling their stories.

Of course, Gill Paul has taken creative liberties and will tell you this in the notes at the end. But this book is a work of art and I believe Jacqueline and Jackie would have loved it.

There are several triggers in this book: domestic violence, substance abuse, patriarchy in the 60s and all that entails..

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @williammorrowbooks for the review copy of Scandalous Women by Gill Paul.

Have you ever read any books by Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann? I have had their novels on my TBR forever, but I still need to read them. I know just a little about both authors and I was excited to review a new novel about them, Scandalous Women by Gill Paul.

In the 1960’s Jacqueline Susann revolutionized publishing in the United States with her new racy book, Valley of the Dolls, and her groundbreaking way to advertise it by have a cross-country book tour. Meanwhile, in London, Jackie Collins has written her own shocking novel, The World is Full of Married Men. Nancy White is an assistant editor for both and lives the type of life that is could be a story in a Jacqueline Susann or Jackie Collins novel. Will the women be able to help each other to achieve their dreams?

My thoughts on this book:
• I enjoyed this novel. It was another book that I couldn’t put down. I quickly read it and relished it.

• The book was told through alternating narratives from the viewpoint of each of the three women. I found all three storylines to be fascinating.

• I learned so much about Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. I more than ever want to read their books. I empathized with both women. Jacqueline Susann was a fierce woman on the outside, but behind closed doors, she struggled with breast cancer and with trying to earn money to ensure that her disabled son would be able to have money to be taken care of for the rest of his life. Jackie Collins had an abusive first marriage but found love with her second husband. She was devoted to her three daughters. Both women wanted to make a name for themselves, and they dared to by writing about women who liked sex, which was unheard of in 1960s publishing.

• I enjoyed Nancy’s fictional story as well. She’s a naive newcomer to New York City that through her own grit and determination, is able to make it in the big city. She also has problems with love along the way.

• I had never really thought about modern day book tours, they are just what every author does. I did not realize that Jacqueline Susann was the first person to do this and shape the modern book tour.

• It was fascinating to me to think about how these two women “invented” a grittier type of women’s fiction.

• I liked the relationships between the three women in the novel.

• I enjoyed the historical afterword about the real history of these amazing women at the end of the novel.

Favorite quote: “I don’t approve of women’s novels being patronized by the literary establishment. We should all read whatever we want without shame.”

This book was published on August 13, 2024.

Overall, Scandalous Women is an addictive story of two powerful women authors who were able to find their own path in the 1960s. This was great historical fiction that I could not put down.

SCANDALOUS WOMEN pushes through the misogyny in publishing to take a look at what could have been the lives of Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins, and a wanna-be editor who allows them to cross paths. Paul brilliantly weaves together the social climate of the 1960s with the heart and emotion of being a woman who wants more than to be just a housewife.

I loved every minute spent with Jacqueline, Jackie, and Nancy. There is a relatability to these characters which caused this reader to invest in their outcomes. Paul perfectly balances all aspects of the fictional relationships between these three women. The personalities are fascinating. The moments of compassion, pain, and love were expertly depicted. And finally, the way the author showed how women were treated in the workplace during this time was impactful. It is one thing to know the backstory of women’s place in history, but it is an entirely different situation to read a scene where their contributions were blatantly ignored and grabbing someone’s butt or breasts wasn’t considered grounds to be fired.

Here is the thing. We all know who Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins are. Hopefully, you have read their books because they are more than just the sex and salacious content sprinkled into their stories. So by the author choosing them as the subject of this book, she shows just how important they were to publishing. SCANDALOUS WOMEN shows the strength of women just as much as it shows their vulnerabilities. All and all, this was one entertaining, enlightening, and engrossing rea

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for gifting me this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I thought this book was an enjoyable beach read for the summer. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the culture of the 1960s and who enjoyed Feud: Capote vs. The Swan's on FX. Gill Paul knows how to write an unputdownable thriller and I enjoyed reading about these amazing ladies from history. This book will make you nostalgic for a bygone era. I can't wait for Gill Paul's next book!!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I loved this look at how these two pioneering women helped launch the best-selling romance genre. Paul had me thinking about the 1960s and how much has changed, and how much we still have to fight for.

In Scandalous Women by Gill Paul, we are taken back to the 1960’s and brought into the world of writers Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. Both women are trying to get their writing careers off the ground and doing so on their terms.

They are pitted against each other and struggle in their personal lives as they begin to gain success with their writing. This is written from the point of view of Nancy, a young woman who works at a Manhattan publishing company. The two women meet thanks to Nancy and begin a decades-long friendship.

I wish this was true, because the friendship was lovely and the support between the two writers was special, however, this was fictionalized. Darn! Oh well. It was fun to think about.

An enjoyable read, but my favorite part of this book was the details of the time periods.

1966, NYC: Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls hits the bookstores and she is desperate for a bestseller. It’s steamy, it’s a page-turner, but will it make the big money she needs? In London, Jackie Collins’s racy The World Is Full of Married Men launches her career. But neither author is prepared for the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex.

Jacqueline and Jackie are lambasted by the literary establishment, deluged with hate mail, and even condemned by feminists. In public, both women shoulder the outcry with dignity; in private, they are crumbling — particularly since they have secrets they don’t want splashed across the front pages.

1965, NYC: College graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house, but she could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she will encounter. While working on Valley of the Dolls, she becomes friends with Jacqueline Susann, and, after reaching out to Jackie Collins about a US deal, she is responsible for the two authors meeting.

Will the two Jackies clash as they race to top the charts? Will Nancy achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, despite all the men determined to hold her back? Three women struggle to succeed in a man’s world, while desperately trying to protect those they love the most.

I found myself chuckling at the wit of these female characters and in awe of their strong-will. These women stood against the criticism, hate mail, and misogyny to share their stories with other women of the time. Scandalous Women is a relevant piece in current literature that is worth the read. I recommend this especially to those who loved Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and believe it belongs in the same space.

Full review is posted on the blog dandelionlit.com

I really enjoyed this. I was prepared to think it was fine. Gill P typically writes a tougher historical fiction, but this one (while tough at times) was so compelling. It's the loosely fictional story of two women who were the founding women in sexy books. Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins both wrote books that were steamy and fast and got massive amounts of push back for it. They were ground breakers who paved the way for the books we love to read today. I loved the feminist themes in all areas. I loved how they navigated relationships and their careers. I just really enjoyed it.

This was an interesting read. This was a work of historical fiction about authors Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins and a young woman Nancy, just starting out in the publishing world. I learned about their work, considered racy for the time. and how they created a market for women's books that were not simply romances. The women were looked down upon and had an uphill battle with publishers (as did Nancy) because the decision makers were men and also by the burgeoning feminist movement, as setting it back, although they saw things differently. The book had the perspectives of all three women as narrators. I liked the different perspectives. Occasionally, it lapsed into either being a bit informational or being too much about the women's personal lives (also a large part of the book). All in all, it was a satisfying read. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion, which is wholely my own.