In the early 1960s, Nineteen-year-old Mia Walker is working in a bakery in NYC when a mysterious stranger comes in to the shop and offers her a modeling job in Paris with one of the most esteemed modeling houses in the world. Now having lost both her parents, Mia sees this as an opportunity for a fresh start, despite having no knowledge of the fashion industry. Just when she's getting acclimated, she realizes she has been pulled into a dangerous situation that she must figure out how to get out of safely, or pay with her life.

I enjoyed the beautiful backdrop of the Paris setting. Sadly I have never been, but one day I will go and be able to see the magical city. For now, I pictured Mia's apartment similar to one I stayed in Italy. Although I don't know exactly what the city looked like, I could imagine it and felt I was there with Mia, walking next to her.

I was hoping for more character depth and growth. We don't get much background on Mia, and having more details about her life would have helped me connect with her more. My favorite character was probably Chantal, as we learned the most about her.

This read super slowly for me, but it does pick up toward the end and I did want to know what happened. Some of the specific details could have been skipped with the same result. I can't say I was surprised by any of it, but I was satisfied with the ending. Also, the title is misleading, as The Kennedys are mentioned only a few times.

Read this if you like historical mystery, fashion, espionage, the Cold War era, and Paris!

So fun! Loved the mix between the high fashion world and the secret world of international espionage. The beginning felt a little slow building up to the spy action, but once it hit I was hooked. Mia was exactly the kind of FMC I love to root for and her character growth was fabulous.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
This book was different than anything I have read recently. I enjoyed it. I liked the history, the espionage, and that it was set in Paris. This was a solid historical fiction read.

3-3.5 stars
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of The Kennedy Girl, from Julia Bryan Thomas. The story follows Mia, an American, as she’s recruited from the bakery where she works in New York to Paris, to be a model for the esteemed fashion house, House of Rousseau. Little does she know, she’s been recruited for more, and with a backdrop of the 1960s Cold War era, things escalate.

This book was just fine for me. I felt its pacing moved a bit too slowly for me, like the book could’ve moved faster, or been shorter. Espionage actions didn’t start until almost halfway through the book. I also felt like there weren’t very many characters who had a lot of depth to them outside of the main 1-2 characters. I continued to get Mia’s roommates confused the entire book. You can tell the book is thoroughly researched, so if you like France, or the Cold War, this will definitely be up your alley!

If you haven’t yet read a book by Julia Bryan Thomas, you’re missing out. Her writing immediately draws you into the story. You’ll feel as though you’re in 1960s New York and Paris, gracing the halls of Rousseau fashion, standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, or having a croissant at a little French cafe. From the first sentence you’ll be immersed in Mia’s newfound world as a model at one of Paris’ elite fashion houses gaining an appreciation for the intricacies involved at all levels. Thomas will have you questioning everyone’s motivations and angles as you struggle, as Mia does, to determine who is onside and who can and should be trusted. Along with Mia you’ll have misgivings at a few little things while delighting in the newness and exotic new life she now leads. With incredibly high stakes during the height of the Cold War, Mia will have to trust her wits and think on her feet if she is to survive this experience unscathed. “The Kennedy Girl” is filled with intrigue, espionage, French couture, taking risks, and suspense. I loved this book! Thank you @netgalley and @bookmarked for the advance #drc to read and review. All opinions are my own.

On shelves everywhere January 14, 2025.

Also, side note, can we also talk about the fact that models are expected to have unrealistic expectations about their bodies and food?!?

#historicalfiction #coldwarfiction #drc #fyp #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #thekennedygirl #juliabryanthomas #netgalley #sourcebookslandmark #fictionbooks #jackiekennedy

Julia Bryan Thomas delivers a captivating blend of glamour and intrigue in The Kennedy Girl, a perfect historical fiction that swept me away. Set in 1960, the novel masterfully moves between the dazzling world of Parisian fashion runways and the shadowy undercurrents of Cold War espionage.

The story follows a compelling main character—an American orphan who rises to prominence as a Paris fashion model—through the breathtaking beauty of France. Every detail of her journey is filled with clandestine danger and intrigue, creating a tense and engaging atmosphere. The author’s vivid descriptions and rich characters brought the pages to life, making me feel as if I were right there in the heart of it all.

I couldn’t stop rooting for the heroine, and the story kept me fully invested from start to finish. If you love historical fiction with a perfect mix of espionage, fashion, and a touch of glamour, The Kennedy Girl is a must-read!

I did enjoy this book but it was definitely very slow paces to begin with, however I am glad I stuck with it because the story is absolutely worth it.
If you live historg/historical fiction or espionage fiction then this is definitely one for you

This book was honestly fun to read, but I think that it was missing a lot of movement in the beginning and end. I truthfully trudged through the beginning of the book, it felt slow moving and had little excitement or depth. It was unclear for a while where the book was heading, and Mia, the protagonist, was lacking a lot of depth and backstory, though I do think that these aspects continued throughout the book. The book picked up about halfway through where it finally grabbed me and intrigued me, and I began to want to put the pieces together.

I liked the way the book lets the reader piece things together as they read it and make their own assumptions. At first, having multiple chapters of mysterious characters with mostly unanswered questions was very frustrating, but I came to understand it was necessary for the storytelling.

I think that the end was a bit too “tie it in a knot and bow” type of way considering how heavy and intense it had been just before. I would say that around 70% of the way through the book until just before the epilogue-style chapters were by far the most interesting and had me wanting to read more.

Overall, the characters lacked a lot of depth, which I wished they had more of, not only for the sake of understanding and relating to the characters, but also to make them messier. I think Luca and Chantal had the most depth to their characters, and this would have been nice to see from Elizabeth, Maeve, and even Mia, who I felt her past lacked some more backstory.

I do think this was a fun read, it just wasn’t totally for me. The first half, all I could think was that people who like the show ‘Emily in Paris’ would love this book. I still stand by that, but be prepared for more twists and much darker plots! I really liked how they use these darker plots to make the story more complex and creating more gasping moments. I think that this book felt more like reading a movie or tv show just based on the timeline and the way it treated backstory and timelines, but I think that people who enjoy a good heist movie like the Ocean’s Eleven movies but with a more high-end fashion-forward focus. While it wasn’t for me, I could see a lot of people really enjoying the way the book starts calm and quaint and then late in the novel it really picks up.

When Mia's father dies, leaving her all alone at the age of 19, she is broke and has no idea what to do with her life. Then a mysterious stranger gives her a plane ticket to Paris and offers her the chance of a lifetime... a modeling job in Paris at the esteemed House of Rousseau. At first she is skeptical and plans to cash the ticket in and use the money to pay for rent for the next several months while she decides what she should do next. But the allure of Paris, the runways, and all of the beautiful clothes she would get to model calls to her and she decides to go. But modeling is more than just photoshoots and runway walks, there are also cocktail parties and dinners that they are required to attend to show off dresses from the House of Rousseau. As Mia adjusts to the Parisienne lifestyle, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. Becoming more and more successful in her position as an up-and-coming model, she is soon drawn into the Cold War by the very fashion house she works for. As she finds herself falling further into national crimes and politics, Mia will soon have to decide which side of history she's really on.

I really enjoyed the previous book this author wrote, and was excited when I discovered she had written a new book. She does an excellent job bringing the past to life in her books. It started out a little bit of a slow burn, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. This book had something for everyone - there was plenty of fashion talk in there for those interested in that, there was the historical fiction element, and there was the political intrigue and suspense. There was also the mystery of who exactly was on which side, and that kept me guessing until almost the very end. With personable characters that you want to root for, and plenty of villains to root against, this book will definitely keep you captivated. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and Julia Bryan Thomas for this ARC.

Cold War, espionage, and Parisian fashion houses all mixed into one novel sounds like an incredible premise for a historical fiction tale. However, this one did not work for me.

👗What did you love the most?
The best part of this book was the French setting and the way that Thomas described everything perfectly. I felt like I was alongside Mia, touring Paris and France for the first time as an American. I also enjoyed the Cold War timeframe. This is a part of history that I want to know more about, so this book really allowed me to dive into the espionage part of this war.

👗What to expect:
Multi POV
Cold War timeframe
French setting

👗How was the pace?
Slow. It starts to pick up by the halfway mark, but the first half is very slow.

👗Do you recommend this book?
First, this book has very little to do with the Kennedys, so do not let the title fool you. Also, there were some major plot holes that I couldn’t get past, and the very slow pacing of the beginning just left me wanting more from this story.
3/5

Thank you so much Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Kennedy Girl is such a unique historical fiction novel. It follows Mia who is scouted in NYC to be a model for a fashion house in Paris. While she is there, she ends up involved - unbeknownst to her - with a network of spies during the Cold War.

I loved how suspenseful this book was. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what's going to happen to Mia since she became unknowingly tangled up in espionage.
I have to admit, though, that my interest in this book didn't pique until the spy stuff started happening. I wasn't really connecting to Mia or her occupation and I found her day to day life to be not that exciting. But things started getting very interesting once the talk of the Cold War started.
Mia ended up surprising me as a character. She seemed very skiddish at the beginning, but as time went on, I could tell she became more comfortable in her modeling role and her role as a spy. Her character development was seamless.
Some of the spy and Cold War stuff did confuse me a little bit and I wasn't always able to follow who was sided with who.
The ending of this book was super satisfying. If you enjoy historical fiction and suspense, you are bound to enjoy this one when it releases on January 14th!

I really enjoyed this propulsive historical thriller that left me guessing who was who until the end. The Cold War espionage mystery was enthralling from the beginning, and I couldn’t stop reading until I found out what happened. I loved the references to 1960s Paris and its quaint streets and fragrant cafes, plus the fashion details were fascinating.

I loved Thomas’ first book, For Those Who Are Lost, and while this book doesn’t have its emotional heft, I really enjoyed the mystery at the heart of The Kennedy Girl. Perfect for those who want to learn more about the Cold War and the machinations of the Americans and Soviets behind the scenes, I highly recommend this for those who love to read historical thrillers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Historical fiction set in 1960s Paris fashion scene. Young model, Mia, unknowingly becomes entangled with a spy ring during the Cold War.

Multiple POV. Coming of age story.

I loved the Cat and Mouse element of the story!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance reader egalley.

I love the gorgeous imagery of this book and the Cold War is a great backdrop for some drama, but I don’t think it lived up to its potential. It was hard to believe Mia’s actions at the end of the book. She was supposed to be naive and sheltered but also very smart and sophisticated. I think the book was good but could’ve been great.

Julia Bryan Thomas, historical fiction author of Those That Are Lost (1922) and The Radcliffe Ladies’ Reading Club (2023) now gives readers a Cold War espionage novel for 2025. Set largely in Paris during the early 1960s with To Kill a Mockingbird not long off the presses and John F. Kennedy soon to replace Dwight D. Eisenhower in the White House, nineteen-year-old Amelia “Mia” Jocelyn Walker, a New York City bakery worker, unexpectedly receives the job offer of a lifetime to model for House of Rousseau in Paris, the city where her idol--now Jacqueline Kennedy--had once spent a year.

Installed in a small apartment with two other models. Maeve from Dublin and Elisebeth from Southern Sweden, Mia is introduced to the elegant Madame Laurant, who spends two weeks teaching the innocent newcomer some basic French expressions and showing her around the city of Mia’s dreams. Not long after she starts working, however, Mia begins to be assigned evening jobs showing off her glamorous House of Rousseau gowns at social events where she is to verbally pass her fake address to a specified stranger who requests it. Realizing something is off about this arrangement, Mia remains so infatuated with the glamorous international fashion world that she accepts its occasional oddities. Suddenly things begin to go terribly wrong, causing Mia to fear for her life and to trust no one.

Opening with cryptic but attention-grabbing “Before” section and “Prologue” and occasionally shifting points of view between chapters, The Kennedy Girl challenges readers from time to time. Yet these challenges make for a more intriguing, better book. Go with the flow. Experience the suspense. Don’t worry if a thought or comment is unclear at the moment. That’s intentional. Everything gradually becomes clear and falls into place.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advance reader egalley of Julia Bryan Thomas’s New Cold War novel to be released on January 14, 2025.

When Mia unexpectedly takes a job in Paris as a fashion model, she thinks this is the change she needs to add some excitement to her mundane life. Little does she know, she will get that excitement, but not in the way she thinks; Mia gets caught up in international espionage.

Although it’s a little over 400 pages, this book was fast-paced and read like a great movie! It WOULD make a great movie or series. I liked the character of Mia and was invested in what happened to her. I also loved the Paris setting and the time period; the author did a wonderful job with descriptions and bringing it all to life.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to read! I’ll be recommending this one not only on social media, but for my book club as well!

Mia gets a job as an American model in Paris. However, little does she know she will find her self wrapped up in the cold war and politics.

Overall this books good. It was fast paced and easy to follow and read.

"This American Girl in Paris might hold the fate of nations...and Jackie Kennedy is no longer the only woman for whom fashion and politics dramatically collide."
Mia is recruited as a model by a Parisian fashion house while working at a bakery in NYC. Upon her arrival and through her first few months working for the House of Rousseau she falls in love with Paris, but realizes that being a model for a top atelier is not just about wearing pretty things and being beautiful. She finds herself in the middle of a game of Cold War telephone passing information to members of the Alliance, and finds out one of her two roommates is also passing intelligence, but which one? and where is Madame Laurent who initially coached her in the Parisian way? and why is the House of Rousseau's driver's attitude toward her so hot and cold?

I flew through this book - a very easy read in which I was quickly wrapped up in Mia's story as an American in Paris in fashion, and picking up on how the House of Rousseau managed to handle espionage during one of the most famous spy-times in history. Though I do wish, from the title and synopsis we had a little more time with the Kennedys, it didn't really take away from this story that we only spent one evening in the same room as JFK and Jackie at a state dinner. We also did need to be reminded of Mia's orphan status as to why she did decide to drop everything and head to Paris (but maybe this is actually how models were recruited in the early 60s?)

I do recommend if you want girl-spy in Paris historical fiction vibes, even despite a couple "plot holes."

I wanted to love this book but just was never able to fully get into it. It was a good way to combine fashion and politics, but just not for me!

I enjoyed this Cold War spy thriller, although the title was somewhat misleading—the main character only resembles and idolizes Jackie Kennedy, who does actually make a brief cameo appearance.

Mia Walker goes to Paris as a model and ends up involved in Cold War intrigue. Her adventures are somewhat unbelievable but very entertaining. I stayed up late to finish the final third of the book, eager to find out which characters were on which “team.” This was a fun read that I would recommend to readers of Susan Elia Macneal’s Maggie Hope series..

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.