I liked this book. Took me a bit of time to fully get into it but as it went on I felt more and more connected to Birdie. Her character development was a slow burn but worth reading to get to it.

The Cover Girl is for fans of the yester-year model. Transport yourself to a time of watching Warhol and his muses, what would that look like? feel like? If that evoked a feeling of tingling thoughts, then The Cover Girl is for you.

The Cover Girl, by Amy Rossi, is a fantastic novel set mostly during one of my favorite decades- the 70s—though we also have chapters in the present day, 2018. Birdie Rhodes is a character I will never forget—she's fierce and tough, someone I was rooting for from the very first page. I loved that Rossi juxtaposed Birdie in two timelines, so we could see the full trajectory of her life. Heartbreaking and inspiring. Highly recommend!!!

Oh, I hated this one ... and couldn't put it down. Rossi takes a riveting look at modeling and the treatment of women before the me-too movement became a thing.

You'll be engrossed in the world of modeling, the expectations and experiences of models, and the innocence and ignorance of those used by the fashion world.

The interpersonal relationships, the thrill of being seen, and the indifference of a dysfunctional family are told with heart and presence. If you like a decade-long personal saga of personal growth and heartbreak, you'll enjoy this one.

Thank you NetGalley and The Publishers for the eARC!

Birdie Rhodes resonated with me a lot, as a young girl taken advantage of by all the people in her life. She had no one to really help and guide her. But somehow she overcame that and actually became a somewhat functional human in her adult life. This book goes back and forth from the 70s in Birdies young life, to a woman in 2018. It was a great read. Definitely recommend giving this a shot!

This book is truly so good! After reading Honey by Isabel Banta, I was trying to find something that had a similar vibe with a different era and a fun girl navigating fame and this was def that! Birdy just had you on her side, wanting so much more for her even when she switched to the POV's taking place in the present. You wanted so much for her and for her to see what everyone else did, and it was just good I really loved this take one finding yourself in so many circumstances that hold you back from doing just that. Loved so much really!

The Cover Girl is a look at the tumultuous life of Birdie Rhodes, a former model thrust into the limelight at a young age. She has to grapple with the lasting impact of fame and trauma. The initial chapters paint a picture of Birdie's explosive rise in the modeling world, filled with excitement and the promise of something extraordinary. However, the narrative turns darker when Birdie falls for a much older rock star at fifteen. Despite warnings, Birdie is swept into a life for which she is ill-prepared. She later distances herself from her past and maintains a low profile. However, this is disrupted by an invitation to celebrate a colleague's fifty-year career, forcing her to confront the past. It reveals the emotional and psychological scars left by fame and highlights the pain and growth from self-reflection. This book poignantly explores the world of modeling. It is heartbreaking but full of redemption and resiliency.

I received an ARC ebook for my honest review. Thank you, NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA.

As a young teenager, Birdie gets swept up into the modeling world, and then begins a romance with a man in his thirties. He abruptly leaves her, and she is left with nothing. A decade later, she is still trying to pickup the pieces. This was heartbreaking and beautiful.

Amy Rossi wrote a timeless and inspirational story where control is given back to the person who has been abused. The story is quite believable and the reader can see this book. I had all sorts of pictures in my head as I read this - pictures of models and rockstars famous during this period of time. I especially loved how even in her midlife, the main character realized how her agent had advocated for her the best she could and was able to come to terms with it.

This is a harrowing story told very matter-of-factly by our protagonist Birdie Rhodes. Birdie was scouted from by a famous modeling agent at the age of 13. She then lived the life that many of us (all of us?) dreamed of as young women - jet setting, appearing on covers and dating a very famous musician.

Birdie provides her story, step by step and it might actually change your mind about modeling forever. Amy Rossi does an amazing job of painting a picture of a young woman who encounters obstacles, trauma and deep scars, and surmounts them. Or does she?
Unusual book - one I am sure to recommend far and wide!
#harlequintrade #harlequin #thecovergirl

The story of this young cover girl is not what you'd expect. Amy Rossi takes us behind the scenes for an up-close look at the rise of a 13-year-old model. It’s full of interesting insights and really sheds light on what it’s like to gain fame so young. Definitely worth a read if you're curious about the modeling world!

This book has a lot going on and I would compare it to a Taylor Jenkins Reid book. The first couple of chapters I wasn’t sure I was going to love or want to stick with the book, but I’m happy I did. What an interesting look at the dark side of the industry. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thanks for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. In all honesty the first couple of chapters I wasn’t sure I was going to love or want to stick with the book, but I am so glad I did. It was hard to read how a child was just let to be groomed by a man in just hopes of fame. How she was treated was just terrible with no one ever sticking up for her. Gives you a complete different perspective of the business. Well written and definitely recommend.

The Cover Girl has a lot going for it. I agree with others who have comped it Taylor Jenkins Reid- it has that sweeping life story set in a particular era thing going on. We follow Birdie through her life as a model- from her discovery at a mall to her first jobs and relationships with a rockstar. The book excels at highlighting the exploitation and abuse of young people in the modeling industry, which very much fits into current conversations in our post-METOO world. However, I found it hard to really get into the story.

This book feels like VC Andrews and Taylor Reid Jenkins collabed on a book, and it's a good thing. The idea of telling a story across time, but this of the young model whose life isn't her own, who is taken advantage of and has to learn how to adapt to circumstances and expectations. Her memories are fraught with strife, but she still relives them and grows, even as the story comes to an end. All in all, a wonderful story absolutely worth reading!

I really enjoyed this debut novel by Amy Rossi. The writing was easy to read and I had a fun time experiencing the 1970's to 2018 with our main character Birdie. This is not an easy book to read, though. Birdie is so observant in her own life that there were times I considered quitting reading but I'm so glad I didn't...the pay off was worth it. Trauma, exploitations, fashion, queer advocacy...this book has it all.

The formatting of the book via Mira/Harlequin was hard to get through. Everything felt like one long paragraph. I wish they'd fix that up.

I'm also curious what the cover will be

This book was interesting. I think it's a good take on things we have heard have happened in the modeling agency.

A beautiful book about a beautiful girl surviving in the ugly world of high fashion and modeling. Rossi takes the reader on an unexpectedly tender journey with Birdie, a gorgeous girl "discovered" by the most influential agent in modeling. But life as a model takes a vulnerable child and puts her in the center of a whirling dervish of glamour and vice.

First, thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC copy.

This was a sweeping life story of the model growing up in the 70s. It follows her career through the AIDS epidemic, a scandalous celebrity romance, and just getting older in a culture that cherishes youth. It reminded me a bit of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo in its breadth and themes. Birdie Rhodes was a character I will keep with me. She was abused and taken advantage of, but she continues to forge deep relationships while healing from old wounds. I would classify this novel as a drama with strong themes of identity and self-love.

Birdie has it all: the walk, the look, and the legs. But it’s still a surprise when she’s discovered by Harriet Goldman—a modeling agent. One day Birdie is shopping with her mom, and the next she is on the cover of a rock star’s album. As she rises to fame, everyone seems to forget that Birdie is just 13. Covering topics of exploitation and abuse, The Cover Girl is a story of a girl in love..with people and places that someone so young should never even be exposed to. 
I am so grateful that I came across this book when I did, because I have been in a DEEP reading slump. This book has all the gossip and intrigue of a good reality show, with the sobering undertow reminding you that for every fictional story we all know a realistic counterpart: Brittany, Demi, the Olson Twins, etc. I sped through this book, and I am so excited for it to be in all of your hands soon! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read the ARC!