The Last Secret of Lily Adams is a captivating dual-timeline novel told from two perspectives: Lily Adams, a rising starlet in the glamorous yet cutthroat world of Old Hollywood, and her granddaughter Carolyn, navigating the present day as she unravels the mysteries of her grandmother’s past.

In the golden era of Hollywood, Lily Adams is a young actress whose exceptional dancing talent propels her into stardom alongside a legendary on-screen partner, reminiscent of the Ginger Rogers era. On the verge of establishing herself as a solo icon, Lily suddenly vanishes from the spotlight, leaving behind fame, fortune, and unanswered questions. Around the same time, Stella Lane—a fellow actress who served as both mentor and rival to Lily—is found murdered under mysterious circumstances, a case that remains unsolved.

Decades later, Carolyn is tasked with curating an exhibit honoring Lily’s illustrious career for a local Hollywood history museum. Sorting through her grandmother’s belongings after her death, Carolyn realizes how little she truly knew about Lily’s life. Determined to uncover the truth, she embarks on a journey to piece together the reasons behind Lily’s abrupt departure from Hollywood and her connection to Stella Lane’s tragic fate.

Parallel to her investigation, Carolyn grapples with the unraveling of her own life. Recently left by her husband for another woman, she reflects on the sacrifices she made for her marriage, including giving up her first love: dance. Carolyn hopes that by uncovering Lily’s story, she might find clarity and the courage to reclaim her own passions.

Blending historical intrigue with a contemporary journey of self-discovery, The Last Secret of Lily Adams explores the dark underbelly of the Old Hollywood studio system—the power, corruption, and ambition that shaped careers and destroyed lives. This poignant tale shines a light on the resilience needed to follow one’s heart, no matter the cost.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

an amazing debut! i am a lover of old hollywood and this book made me love it for that reason and many more. so excited for when this is released so i can snatch it up and have a copy for myself.

Imagine finding out your grandmother was a Hollywood star gone too soon. This book was a pleasure to read, and I never figured it out before the end. I love it when that happens

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of The Last Secret of Lily Adams! All opinions in this review are my own.

Usually I like dual timeline historical fiction story, but for The Last Secret of Lily Adams I wish it didn't switch as often and just stayed in the past. In the present, Carolyn is cleaning out her grandmother's, Lily Adams, house and although the ending makes it clear why the dual timeline is necessary, Carolyn's storyline just doesn't reveal as much as the past one. There are some clues that are revealed to help Carolyn devel deeper into her grandmother's past, but most of the mystery is revealed during Lily's timeline.

Through Lily's timeline, the author proves that she can write a captivating story and I am excited to read her next one!

Wow, what an incredible read.

Fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will love this novel.

Dual-timeline, old Hollywood story, with tons of twists, turns, love, romance, and deceit.

This was the perfect blend of today's timeline/topics with the historical portion.

What a great read.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my DRC.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t have much to say about this other than it really wasn’t for me. Although I was interested by the plot, the prose wasn’t all that engaging to read and I didn’t find the historical aspect convincing.

thank you netgalley and lake union publishing for an e-arc copy of this book! this was quite an entertaining dual pov story, however i do think lily was a much more compelling character than carolyn, which made flashback chapters more interesting than the chapters set in the present tense.

while i enjoyed this enough, i do not think i really felt a proper historical setting, it could've been set in modern day as well and would have given us the same effect. (excluding that one part at the very end which i cannot reveal for obvious, spoiler-related reasons). the mystery part, although somewhat predictable was compelling and i do think this book is interesting just not as memorable as i would like it to be. still, it could be a great time! if you enjoy celebrity stories and family dramas this could be a book for you. it features an interesting female main character and just enough drama to keep you turning the pages.

thanks again to the publisher for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, author Sara Blaydes, and NetGalley for providing me the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Publication Date: June 4, 2024

4 STARS

The Secret of Lily Adams is nothing new in the story it’s telling. We follow a naive young woman pursuing her dreams in Tinseltown, only to see the darkness that lies beneath the facade. That said, the book was immersive, paced well, and atmospheric. I didn’t become bored at any point in the book—which I can say of very few books.

Author Sara Blaydes manages to pull off the dual timeline format flawlessly. Usually, I end up vastly preferring a timeline and consequently being bored and skimming the other. This book balances the present and the past by tightly connecting them and giving them different strengths. I’ve long been fascinated with the Golden Age of Hollywood and its studio system; the past timeline shines with its otherworldly dazzle dazzle and high drama. In contrast, the present timeline is aesthetically simplistic but follows Lily’s granddaughter, Carolyn, who has no less of a tumultuous inner life. Fresh off a divorce, Carolyn and her sullen teen daughter investigate the truth about the real Lily Adams and what happened to her murdered friend and film star, the glamorous Stella Lane. Therefore, the actions in the past timeline reverberates through the present as Carolyn reflects on her life and thereby drives plot advancement in the present timeline. Carolyn’s POV was also engaging because she’s relatable as a modern character but also as a reader/audience stand-in: consuming the mysterious tale of ingenue actress Lily Adams.

I was a little disappointed at the ending. The book didn’t seem to be firing on all cylinders as far as delivering an emotional or thematic punch. I did appreciate how the author had laid breadcrumbs throughout the book to properly set up the end revelations.

Overall, The Secret of Lily Adams was a solidly enjoyable reading experience, well crafted piece of fiction if a little predictable, and a pleasure for anyone who loves Golden Age of Hollywood dramatic tales.

Would recommend for fans of…
🎥 The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
🎥 Kill Her Twice
🎥 Did You Hear About Kitty Carr?

As I’ve been dipping my toes back into the historical fiction genre I’ve been looking for books that add in elements of other genres I enjoy, namely mysteries and thrillers, and The Last Secret of Lily Adams, a dual-timeline, Old Hollywood story, has plenty of suspicion and intrigue.

The story opens in the present with Carolyn, a recently divorced woman who’s cleaning out her grandmother’s home when she and her daughter stumble upon a letter from her grandmother, Lily Adams. Lily was a starlet until she mysteriously disappeared after the death of her rival, Stella Lane. These chapters alternate with chapters set in the past that spell out Lily’s secret.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well balanced the mystery and historical fiction elements were, and the pacing was great – it’s definitely a book you can binge, and both timelines felt very fleshed out.

I’ve read a lot of stories similar to The Last Secret of Lily Adams over the past couple of years and while most of them have been enjoyable, they can blend together, and that’s definitely the case for Lily Adams. Even just a couple of days after finishing the novel, I was struggling to remember character names and plot points so I can’t say it left a lasting impression. That being said, I think this book would be great for someone who’s never read anything in this genre before.

The Last Secret of Lily Adams is out now. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Last Secret of Lily Adams is a dual timeline book, told through two points of view—Lily’s, when she was a young starlet in the Old Hollywood studio system, and her granddaughter, Carolyn’s (present day) as she comes to clean out Lily’s house and personal effects after her grandmother’s death.

As a fresh-faced young actress, Lily had painstakingly climbed her way to cinematic success, partly due to her dancing prowess and becoming a fitting partner to another screen legend (much like Ginger Rogers). Just when she is poised to break out on her own, she disappears from the limelight and leaves Hollywood all together. At the same time, her some time rival and mentor, Stella Lane, is murdered and the circumstances around her death are never solved.

Carolyn is tasked with creating an exhibition of Lily’s life for a local Hollywood history museum and, as she goes through her grandmother’s things, she realizes she didn’t know Lily as well as she thought she did, and she is determined to find out what happened to make her grandmother leave her passion for the movies behind to lead a quiet life…and how her grandmother figured into Stella Lane’s life and death.

In the backdrop, we learn that Carolyn’s husband has recently left her for another woman, after she had given up her passion many years prior to marry him and have a child. She was never able to return to her first love (dance) and hopes that the answers she finds in her grandmother’s reasons might also help her figure out where she goes from here.

Part history, part mystery, The Last Secret of Lily Adams takes the reader behind the scenes of the power and corruption of the Old Hollywood studio system, what people will do to hold onto their position and status, and the courage it takes to follow one’s own compass.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As Carolyn cleans out her grandmother's house after her death, she begins uncovering secrets from long ago and the woman her grandmother, the starlet Lily Adams used to be. Lily Adams, once known as a beloved girl-next-door during the Golden Age of Hollywood, left the Hollywood scene before her star could rise higher, leaving questions in her wake after another actress, Stella Lane, was murdered. Told in a dual-perspective, The Last Secret of Lily Adams is set in both the past and present showing insight to who Lily was and who Carolyn is.

With a captivating and engaging storyline, a well researched look into the Hollywood glamor of the 50's, and flawed, but realistic characters, Blaydes captivated me with her graceful writing.

As other reviewers have noted, The Last Secret of Lily Adams is very reminiscent of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - high praise, but very much deserved. This is a fantastic, engrossing mystery with a cast of compelling characters and really entertaining twists. If you're captivated by Old Hollywood and love a bit of glamour in your historical fiction, this is certainly for you!

A glamorous mystery with all the right trappings! I love the friends/enemies story of Stella and Lily as they struggle against the stresses of being in the spotlight. The Last Secret of Lily Adams sheds a light on the underbelly of the glamorous Hollywood machine for all its cracks and ruthlessness and what it truly takes to become a star.

I entered this book thinking I knew what a dual timeline book with this kind of name and cover would become, but it had a few unexpected turns. These may have been unexpected, but worked in the big picture.

Lily Adams was a popular actress who went quiet suddenly and became almost a recluse. Her granddaughter is clearing out her home to set up a museum of sorts when small things start to come to light.

In the present timeline we see the tumultuous relationship between a mother and daughter as they struggle with figuring out not just their own relationship but also that of a once -famous relative with her career. There are secrets that are waiting in the background and we get to see the possibilities in the past timeline.

Although the surprise factor works best in the future, I would have still preferred to have a single narrative set in the past. The current one was slightly disassociated with what they were uncovering.

I did enjoy the author's writing style and character building and would like to try other books as well. I would recommend this book to fans of dual timelines

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Great story of the history of a movie star and a mysterious death being solved by grand daughter and great grand daughter .. really enjoyed how the story rolled out, and the relationships.

I’m going to be real honest when I started this book I could not get into it and I put it away for a few days & I’m SO glad I did because when I picked it back up I could not put back down! I loved the alternating timelines, especially Lilly’s and the Golden Age of Hollywood setting.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

I kept reading this book because it kept me intrigued about what Lily's secret was going to be. I was able to guess it, but that made me excited and not mad. I found one of the storyline to be a lot more interesting than the other and found myself slowing down during these chapters. Overall, I had a good time and I would read from Blaydes again.

This story gave me Evelyn Hugo vibes, and that in itself is high praise because TJR is one of my favorite authors of all time. I really enioyed finding out what happened to Lily Adams, the actress who vanished when her success was peaking. The writing style made me feel as though I was peering over her granddaughter's shoulder as she unravelled the mystery of her grandmother. Super engaging story!

"I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This book is a glamorous mystery/drama that takes you back to the golden age of Hollywood. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read that captivates you from the very beginning and keeps you engaged until the very end."

In this fascinating dual-perspective historical fiction novel, readers follow Carolyn Prior and her daughter as they discover Lily Adams’, Carolyn’s grandmother, secrets from her time as the all-American girl in the Golden Age of Hollywood. As they discover why she disappeared from the spotlight and what she has to do with Stella Lane’s murder seventy years ago, Carolyn realizes that she and Lily have some remarkable similarities only discovered through Lily’s letter to Carolyn and her possessions in her Los Angeles house. With several brilliantly complex female protagonists and a fascinating historical mystery for them to solve, Carolyn and Lily are fascinating characters with complete and interesting backstories. The detail in Blaydes’ depiction of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the competition between and restrictions of women in the industry shows her research into the topic and the stress and challenges that these women faced. The characters are the star of the novel, and their characterizations are different without pitting them against each other unnecessarily. By splitting the novel between Lily and Carolyn, readers have the chance to solve the mystery of Stella Lane themselves, and the two perspectives balance each other perfectly in this incredible historical fictional mystery and dual-POV novel.