This book was good! I liked it but didn’t love it. I definitely see potential in it and look forward to seeing what else the author does.

I've enjoyed every Talley book i've read so far and the trend continues with this book. Historical queer polyam noir murder mystery. whats not to love?

In Everything Glittered, Seventeen-year-old Gertrude and her best friends Clara and Milly are students at Washington Female Seminary. After their first clandestine visit to a Speakeasy, the girls return to school to find that their headmistress, Mrs. Rose has been murdered, amidst scandal, it’s presumed.

Gertrude is determined to clear the reputation of her mentor and find out what really happened. She enlists the help of her friends, she’ll try to avoid grifters, bootleggers, and shady federal agents to get to the bottom of the mystery, all while trying to hide her growing attraction to her friends.

I’m not into murder mysteries, but I am into queer, historical fiction, and that’s why I picked this one up. It managed to hold my interest almost the whole way through, and I liked the characters. I was bummed that Mrs. Rose was murdered so early, as I find that, in these situations, the mentor or older women tend to be the most interesting characters. Though we do get to find out more about Mrs. Rose posthumously, so I’ll take that. Overall, this one was fine. There were twists and turns, a young woman discovering her sexuality and coming to terms with it, maybe even finding a little taste of queer love. I do enjoy Robin Talley’s writing, so even when the main plotline isn’t a big draw for me, I still tend to enjoy the books.

Robin Talley is an author who's been very hit or miss for me, and in my opinion, her strongest work tends to be her historical fiction (Music from Another Worldand Pulp for most recent examples). With Everything Glittered, she's trying something completely new to her body of work: a murder mystery, set in the height of Prohibition, and featuring the kind of love story that's still unconventional to the YA genre. And for the most part, I think this is done well: readers who enjoy a mystery will find plenty of twists and turns here, and a well-crafted plot that ends satisfyingly if perhaps a little expectedly. Talley also does well capturing the era in which her novel is set, and what life would've been like for three well-bred girls of the upper crust of Washington, D.C. high society: the naïveté of their sheltered upbringings, the stifling expectations of their families who are clinging to a bygone era, their own longings for the liquor, excitement, and speakeasies of the more socially free Jazz Age that exists around them. While I'd hesitate to call this a queer historical novel in the way that Pulp and Music from Another World, both of which explored specific aspects of queer history, were, queerness is very much present and important in this novel, with our main character, Gertie, going on a journey of self-discovery that makes sense to the period of time in which it's set (while not once conceding the fact that queer people have always existed, through all of history).

The reason that this isn't rated higher for me is because I felt the plot could've been a lot tighter--it dragged, and I found myself struggling to maintain my interest. There were also one or two bombshell plot moments that didn't feel tied up satisfactorily (or were tied up so quickly and neatly, I wondered why they even mattered in the first place). I'm not a mystery reader, but I'm also not someone for whom the genre is boring, so this just felt like there was a lot of fluff that could have been condensed down.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me an eARC via NetGalley to read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this one. I’m a sucker for a good historical mystery, and I loved the setting and the time period of the 1920s. I liked seeing the characters discuss Prohibition and speakeasies, and I thought it was an interesting layer added to the mystery.

I did find the beginning a little bit slow, but I found the writing style easy to follow. The pacing was alright, but there were lots of times where I felt like nothing was really happening. I did really like the way the pacing picked up towards the end because it matched the frantic energy of the characters during the climax of the story.

I liked our characters, but I thought Gertie was a bit too naive. Her friends were clearly keeping secrets and she never really questioned it. I did like her beginning to question and explore her sexuality. I thought this was a relatable and interesting element particularly given the fact that the book takes place in 1927.

Gertie was a good narrator, and I liked how she kept fighting to find the truth for Mrs. Rose. Her friendships with Milly and Clara were well written, and I liked seeing her struggle to be the perfect society girl her mother wanted her to be.

The mystery wrapped up really well, and I enjoyed watching the characters search for answers. There were lots of different possibilities and suspects, and in the end I thought it was a good reveal.

I really enjoyed this book but if you’re looking for a mystery-forward plot this might not be the book for you. The murder mystery is certainly there and fills the plot. Gertie takes the matter seriously, and we do discover the identity of the killer.

But Everything Glittered is primarily the story of three teenage girls stepping outside of their narrow lives and getting a look at what else is out there. The majority of the book focuses on the schism between Gertie’s upbringing and her journey of self-discovery – the gradual realization of her queerness, and the future she can barely imagine is at odds with the future her mother has always pushed her toward. This is executed beautifully, with information about fashion and etiquette being leveraged against less-vaunted society. There’s a lot of minutiae specific to the daily lives of the politicians’ daughters in the 1920s, with lots of etiquette and fashion detail and while this certainly furthers the story, it also tips the balance toward atmosphere over action.

Overall pretty meh. I think my main issue with this book was that the voice and writing style just didn’t fit well with a 1920’s period piece. I just didn’t feel transported. I think part of that is due to the book being told in first person POV. In my opinion third person would have been the better move because we could have had some more atmospheric descriptions to set the scene. The core of this story is the murder of a school headmistress, however not enough was done to build Gertrude’s relationship with her. I needed more work to be done to really establish why Gertrude would continually risk her life to find out who Mrs.Rose’s murderer is. I’ll also be frank and say I did not care about the romance. Frankly Clara and Milly felt interchangeable personality wise so I had trouble telling the two apart. If you want a really fun queer noir mystery I’d just recommend picking up the Evander Mills books.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A queer Prohibition-era thriller compared to Last Night at the Telegraph Club certainly piqued my interest. And while it did not quite meet my Last Night at the Telegraph Club expectations, Everything Glittered was an engaging look at 1920s society girls coming to terms with their identities while solving a murder filled with political intrigue.

Things I loved:
-Setting: As someone who has lived in Washington, D.C., it was fun to have landmarks I recognized - something I rarely find in fiction less focused on politics. That coupled with the plot being set during Prohibition, with an intriguing look at speakeasies, especially queer ones, made this an enjoyable read
-Queer representation: I had anticipated a sapphic romance when I picked this book up but instead got a more nuanced and layered approach to what it meant to be queer in 1920s D.C. Gertie's slow awakening, from her fixation on Mrs. Rose to her confusing feelings towards her friends and distaste for societal expectations about marriage, was subtler than expected but quite relatable. The reveals of one of the girls' primary suspects being queer and the speakeasies that were safe spaces for queer folks had me wanting more. Polyamorous protagonists were also a lovely surprise!

Things I was on the fence about:
-The mystery: I found many of the twists and turns quite engaging, particularly the reveals re: Mrs. Rose and her husband. But towards the end of the book, I found some of the action confusing before the final big bad reveal
-Suspension of disbelief that these three young society women would have gotten away with the snooping and antics at all hours, particularly given the naivety of Gertrude
-The ending: I'll admit, I'm a sucker for a happy ending, so the uncertainty of Gertrude, Clara, and Milly's future moving forward left me with some anxiety

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Everything Glittered.

Queer and historical are two of my favorite things to read! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this ARC and give my honest review!

While the premise is intriguing overall the book just did not do it for me. I found some of the plot points to be confusing but can be a good addition to your collection if you are looking for a book that is historical, suspenseful, and filled with LGBTQIA+ romance. I would not recommend for middle schools though as the plot points can be difficult to follow even for older teens and adults.

"Everything Glittered" by Robin Talley is a captivating exploration of self-discovery and the complexities of modern relationships. Talley’s lyrical prose beautifully captures the nuances of her characters' lives, blending humor and poignancy as they navigate love, ambition, and the pursuit of happiness. The vivid imagery and relatable themes create an immersive experience, drawing readers into a world where aspirations often collide with reality. The author’s ability to evoke emotion while maintaining a light-hearted tone makes this novel a delightful read. Overall, "Everything Glittered" is a testament to resilience and the magic found in everyday moments. Highly recommended.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I used to be so excited for Robin Talley books, but after the second in a row not hitting for me, I think it might be time to face the fact that I’ve outgrown her books. And it sucks, because Everything Glittered had a lot of potential, especially in the amazing premise.
While this setting is new for Talley (she’s previously written historical fiction in the 1950s), she did her research to convey the era for the most part, especially the queer culture of the speakeasies. It’s not as atmospheric as I would have liked, but it’s still one of the pluses of the book overall. Talley’s writing is also fairly engaging, so even if I wasn’t enjoying the characters, or sometimes the plot, I coasted by enjoying her prose.
The characters were a mixed bag. The protagonist was forgettable…I forgot her name the second I started the book. Her friends are also interchangeable. But Mrs. Rose as the murder victim grew more interesting as the story went on, especially with the secrets that came to light about her.
But as I was only half-invested, my interest flagged in places. The mystery elements were juicy and twisty, but the bits in between, especially towards the end, resulted in a lot of lull, and the book felt longer than it should be.
While I didn’t like this one as much as I hoped I would, there are strong points here, which I think will land even better for the intended reader, and I respect that Talley hasn’t tried to “age up” her writing too much to appease adult readers to align with the current trends. With that in mind, if the book sounds interesting to you, I’d recommend checking it out to form an opinion for yourself.

I feel like I should have loved this story: lesbians in the 1920s at a fancy boarding school? Sounds about right. But the mystery at the heart of the story just didn’t work well.

3.25 stars

A YA mystery set during Prohibition and starring a Sapphic MC sounds absolutely amazing, and it was a fine read, but I was disappointed by a lot.

The way the mystery unfolded was kind of all over the place, and the reveal felt out of the blue and not in the fun way. The Sapphic polyamory that was hinted at was the main reason I kept going, and I was disappointed in that too. Props to the author for trying something different genre-wise because that's really brave to do. The historical landscape was pretty interesting, and I liked that the story tackled some harder topics like the rampant homophobia, bribery, and corruption in Washington.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Gertie, Clara and Millie are high school age three young women in a girls finishing school in 1927 Washington DC. Their beloved headmistress, Mrs. Rose, holds somewhat unconventional views on women that are controversial among the parents and faculty. One night when the three girls steal away to visit a speakeasy and are almost swept up in a police raid, they return to find that their headmistress has been murdered. The girls decide to find out what really caused Mrs. Rose's death after the newspapers say she was part of a bootlegging gang and died from alcohol poisoning.

This lengthy book is part mystery and part coming-of-age at a difficult time for young women bred to become society matrons. It is also an early look at what can only be called an emerging throuple.

I appreciated the historical detail and am not experienced enough of a mystery reader to comment on the plotting, but I can say that, although I really liked the book, I felt that there may have been some scenes that could have either been cut or edited down. That being said, this is an experienced queer YA author who took some chances with this book, so I recommend it.

Everything Glittered is a suspenseful YA mystery with a little bit of sapphic polyamorous romance in it. The writing was well done, the MC’s perspective was excellent and pleasant to read. It took me a bit to get thru the book but I’m glad I read it and I’d recommend to young adults looking for a historical suspense-romance with some twists and turns.
It was a great look at the prohibition and queerness in that age.

This was a great read, and I loved that the author didn't shy away from the homophobia, corruption, and police brutality against LGBTQIA folks during the time period of the story.

I wanted to like this so bad but the main leads were just so flat that it made the mystery completely unfulfilling. I struggled making it through this one because of that, there was just no weight to the friend group.

This was a delightful, quick read. It's got mystery, historical accuracy, political intrigue. I found the three main characters to be a little flat and not quite believable.

This is a bit of a tough one for me because, while I appreciated a look at queer culture in the 1920s and police corruption/brutality, I had more than a little trouble connecting to the characters and being fully invested in the mystery aspect. There was a lot more telling, it seemed, than showing, especially in regards to the characters and their relationships. Gertrude, Clara, and Milly are all supposed to be best friends, but I never really felt like they genuinely cared about one another. I recognize that this is, primarily, a mystery novel, so things like character relationships might get pushed to one side. However, I still feel like there could've been a bit more to give in that regard.

As for the mystery, not only did it not really grab my attention, but the big reveal ultimately didn't satisfy me either. I'm not going to spoil anything, but I do feel like the way the reveal was done as well as how the clues ended up stacking together in the end, didn't entirely work.

Overall, I don't believe this was bad, necessarily, it just felt like it fell short in multiple aspects for me.