This fiction read the cover, so fun and interesting. Pulls you in Paige gripping enjoy this valley of the dolls inspiration retailing from the past the characters couldn’t put this book down. I cannot wait to have the physical copy in my hand just was just an amazing read.

I really enjoyed this book ... brought back many memories, both of the books written by Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann as well as memories of the 60s and 70s. Oh, how we all grabbed their books the instant they hit the shelf ... and so scandalous for those days!! I just might check out one or two this summer -- good beach & wine books -- and see how they read in this day and age ... they'll probably sound pretty tame!!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC. It was quite enjoyable!!

United States and England - 1965 to 1974

This is the story of two authors breaking the gender barriers. It is a fictional account but based on research and, while some characters are not real, there are many who are.

Nancy White has always wanted to be an editor. After college, she moved to New York City and began to work for a publisher, hoping to work her way up the ladder. But she discovers almost immediately that sexism and sexual harassment are rampant in the corporate world of the sixties. It is while she struggles to find footing in the business that she meets Jacqueline Susann who is working hard to publish her first novel after her successful book about her poodle, Josephine. The men are dead set against publishing what they view as a romance novel, but Nancy convinces them that the book is a sure-thing. VALLEY OF THE DOLLS hits the bookstores and is an immediate hit.

Jacqueline Susann begins her promotional tours for the book, determined that it will be a bestseller. But her life isn't all that the public thinks it is. She and her husband, Irving, have a son who lives in a special care facility in Texas, and always will. After having breast cancer, Jacqueline asks God to grant her ten more years and a best seller, and she isn't going to take no for an answer. She is, however, shocked by the initial reviews of her new book, and the animosity of some women over the sex scenes. Jacqueline does not let any of that detract from the fact that the book is selling like crazy.

Jackie Collins loves to write, but hasn't had much chance to finish anything as she cares for her baby, and a husband who is anything but reliable. But after her divorce, she meets and marries Oscar Lerman, an American investor, and he is a man who is supportive, and who helps her achieve her dreams. Her first book goes to publication in England, and is met with some of the same shock as Jacqueline's book did in the States. Yet, the book soars in sales, and the publisher urges her to produce another quickly. THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN will be followed by THE STUD.

It is Nancy's luck that she comes across a news report about "The British Jacqueline Susann?" Doing more research, Nancy is convinced that the publisher she works for should publish Jackie Collins book in the States. When they agree, and Jackie comes to New York to meet the staff, she meets Nancy, and thanks her for recommending her book. The subsequent meeting of Jackie and Jacqueline happens, and a friendship begins.

While SCANDALOUS WOMEN is fiction, the realistic approach to both authors is compelling. The author has done a lot of research on both women, and readers will feel that they know Jackie and Jacqueline intimately by the novel's conclusion. In today's world, neither of these authors would be considered truly scandalous, but in the sixties and seventies times were different, and both women stood by their beliefs. This book tells the story of the transitional times. I highly recommend SCANDALOUS WOMEN.

Although I never read any of the books by Jackie Collins or Jacqueline Susann, I remember those books being around even if they were a little before my time they were still books I was aware of. This is not necessarily a biography of these two authors plus their publicist but it felt like it could be. I like how this author framed each story as if we were actually there with these real life people but the stories around them were fictionalized.
It made me want to know more about them and how true to their real life this fiction novel really is.
Great read and I would like to check out the authors other work.

Welcome to Scandalous Women, where two female authors must battle misogyny and critical snobbery as they blast through that glass ceiling and take their places at the top of the bestseller lists!

Gill Paul is a genius at writing historical fiction and if not for the author's notes, I would have believed that history had happened exactly as she described. I can remember reading Valley of the Dolls, in the 1970s and it made quite an impression on me, but I had no idea what Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann had gone through to get their books published.

Truly, Scandalous Women is not only informative about the book publishing world back in the 1960s, but some parts are SO entertaining to read! I happily recommend this book!!

HUGE thanks to both #WilliamMorrow and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of ScandalousWomen!!

#GillPaul #JackieCollins #JacquelineSusann

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

This is the fourth book that I've read by Gill Paul, and just like the first three, this one is absolutely 5 stars! I have been a bit bored with what I've been reading lately, and Scandalous Women finally snapped me out of it. I wanted to do nothing but read this book, and of course, as much I wanted to finish it, I also didn't want it to end! Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins and Nancy were SUCH well developed characters - I felt like they were all women I wish I knew in real life. I really can't think of enough good things to say about this book...I wish I could read it all over again!

The splashy cover, title, and subjects made me think that I was in for a fun, dishy, scandalous read in the spirit of the novels of Collins and Susann. It's not that at all. There's sparks of drama, many of them provided by the fictional character who helps provide a lot of the structure through her role working with Collins and Susann on their books, but overall it falls flat. Collins is wedged into the book through a fictional friendship between her and Susann, but it never feels like a coherent story. This book wasn't bad so much as it was just dull.

I love books about books, books about authors, and books about the publishing world. Gill Paul delivers all of this in Scandalous Women.

Scandalous Women tells the story of Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. These two women were cutting edge authors for their time. Though I haven't read Valley of the Dolls or any books by Jackie Collins I want to after reading Scandalous Women just to see how "racy" these books were.

Gill Paul always writes in a way that makes me forget my surroundings and enter another world and time. This book doesn't disappoint. She made every city and character come to life and kept the story going easily from one chapter to the next.

If you love books about books and strong women pick up this book. You'll be glad you did.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion which I have given.

In the mid-1960s writers Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann took the publishing world by storm with their racy books THE WORLD IS FULL OF MARRIED MEN and VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. This book that imagines that a young, impressionable wunderkind named Nancy White handled publicity for both and that the two became friends. The book both fictionalizes their stories and includes real life aspects of their worlds.

This was quite an entertaining book, but it was quite a downer to discover that Nancy didn’t exist and that the two women probably never met…I felt like I enjoyed it less knowing all that. A fun read.

I thought this was going to be a page turning can't get enough book, but I guess maybe being a Millennial this was not the book for me? Maybe not the target audience?

Overall it was alright.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for my E-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

“Scandalous Women” by Gill Paul is a fabulous book about two extraordinary women Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. Gill Paul gives us a fictionalized story of these remarkable women who broke the ceiling in the world of publishing by their fight against sexism and their creation of a genre of books dealing with graphic sexuality from a female perspective. The story speaks to their fight for recognition in a male dominated industry while dealing with both personal & professional tragedies. I really enjoyed how the author describes the determination and resilience of both women as they fought their way to the top of the bestseller charts. While reading this book it is hard to remember this is a work of fiction as it’s clear that Collins and Susann paved the way for future generations of female authors. If you enjoy books about the shifting social mores the 60s, including all the glamour, excess and glitz of the times you will love this book as much as I did.

Thank you NetGalley & William Morrow for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The author's newest historical novel, set initially in the 1960s, brings to vivid life writers Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins, and the sexy books they created for women hungering for novels they really wanted to read. Their impact on the publishing interest is immense, and we see them courageously battle pervasive sexism and personal challenges including cancer, a severely autistic child who had to be institutionalized, a violent first husband who committed suicide, and heavy use of booze and pills.

Paul's compelling book had me racing through the pages, devouring chapters that alternate between the two Jackies and the fictional young editorial assistant Nancy who champions them. The prose flows, the narrative grips, the characters are so compassionately written that you can't help but cheer for them. A triumph!

Two women who had the "balls" to write the steamy, sexy novels in the 1960's. Far ahead of their time. they faced many difficult situations not only in the workplace but from the critics who couldn't believe that women would actually write books such as these. Behind the scenes we see what their private lives were all about and despite their success, how they faced what they lived with. Ms. Gill has given us another excellent book. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Scandalous Women by Gill Paul is the story of real-life novelists Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins, and the fictitious editor Nancy White. The chapters rotate among the women, and the novel begins in the early stages of the women's careers. Despite much of the story and characters being a creation of the author, I found the voices authentic and the story line fascinating. It was especially illuminating - and disturbing - to learn of the extensive sexism these women experienced in many different situations, including the workplace. It was very difficult for these women to get ahead, but they persisted, and eventually were accepted for who they were.

I am a huge fan of Gill Paul and have read nearly all of her novels, so I was super excited to read this one. I was not disappointed! I love her style and her unique subjects. Thank you to Ms. Paul, the publisher, and NetGalley for an advance e-reader copy of this book!

Thank you to William Morrow | William Morrow Paperbacks and to NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

I have read almost all of Gill Paul's books and really enjoyed them. There have been a few that were just So-so for but over all I really enjoy her writing and writing style. I was really excited to get an ARC of this book when I saw it on NetGalley.

This book follows 3 women: Jackie Collins, Jacqueline Susann, and fictitious Nancy White as they navigate the publishing world in the 1960's.

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't one of my favorites by this author. I will recommend it to people though.

I must remind you, readers, that this book is mostly fiction. If you want more of the truth, make sure you read the notes at the end of the book. I did a bit of research myself, as I like to do with biographical/historical/fiction, and while I am disappointed at the one thing I found, everything else is spot on.

This was a fabulous novel. I could not for the life of me, put it down and finished it in one big gulp! Gill Paul is one of my favorite biographical/historical/fiction writers, and this novel just puts her one more notch toward my all-time favorite of this genre.

It not only showcased Jacqueline's trouble trying to get Valley of the Dolls published, but it also showed just how far women truly have gone in the publishing world of today and how bad it was for women of that era who wanted to become editors.

*This ARC was supplied by the publisher William Morrow, the author, and NetGalley. Thank you all.

I have loved Gill Paul’s previous “biographical” novels, that often depict famous strong women of different eras, which the author is able to bring to life with her vivid prose. She works her magic again with her latest novel “Scandalous Women,” which focuses on Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins, as well as a fictional woman, Nancy White, struggling to make a name for herself in the male dominated world of publishing.

Gill Paul vividly recreates the vibrant colors of 1960’s and 1970’s fashion as well as the drug and alcohol infused celebrity night club scene. The author also recounts the struggles both the two authors and working women in general faced in a male dominated world, including ridicule, discrimination and sexual assault.

The story is told through the alternating POVs of Jacqueline Susann, Jackie Collins and the fictional Nancy White, who works for Jacqueline Susann’s publisher. Nancy offers to work with Jacqueline on the revisions to her first novel “Valley of the Dolls,” and soon becomes friends with the author. Later she encourages her publisher to buy the US rights to Jackie Collins’ first novel, “The World is Full of Married Men,” and befriends Jackie as well, drawing strength and inspiration from both authors, and ultimately brings the two authors together where at least in fiction, the two famous writers become best friends.

Many biographical novels are interesting and informative but “Scandalous Women” was also enthralling, partly due to the exciting time period covered and partly due to the dynamic, trail blazing personalities of the characters. I highly recommend this novel to historical fiction fans, particularly those who appreciate strong female leads forging new trails for others to follow.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for providing me an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Having loved the work of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann, I was beyond thrilled at the opportunity to read their own life stories. There is no one more equipped to do so than Gill Paul!
An amazing novel!

A novel about two incredible trailblazing authors- sign me up!!!!! I couldn't download Scandalous Women, by Gil Pail, onto my ereader fast enough! And wow, I was not disappointed. Paul created a fictional character to serve as the editor to both Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann, and told the story through their 3 alternating POVs. I loved hearing their different personalities leap off the pages. An absolute delight! Highly recommend!!!!