this was cute, something good to pass the time, but nothing groundbreaking.

the book is packed with drama and old hollywood glamour, but the characters all shine on their own.

the writing is fun, easy to read, and enjoyable, so it definitely didn't feel like a drag.

there are a bunch of cool cameos from real historical figures, so it was fun going all leonardo di caprio pointing at the screen meme every time someone got namedropped. sue me. i'm nosy. if you like george orwell, you're in for a treat. (i don't. hate that man)

This was an interesting and mostly enjoyable historical novel, sharing the lives of three different women who had been in school together when young. It was interesting to see how they progressed in their lives, becoming rather famous in their own careers. It was clearly very well researched.
It was rather long with a lot of different characters which made the first half harder to follow. I found the second half more enjoyable, possibly because I had finally got my head around who everyone was.

I’d like to thank Netgalley, the publishers and Caroline Lamond for this e-ARC. This review is unbiased and 100% my own.

The Socialites tells the stories of three of The Convent of the Sacred Heart girl:s Vivien Hartley, Maureen O’Sullivan and Sonia Brownell. We first meet them as little girls, sent from India and Ireland amongst other places. We follow them from little girls in Roehampton, through to their late teens, marriages, love affairs and the ups and downs of their careers.

Vivien Hartley is of course the beautiful but tortured Vivien Leigh, star of Gone with the Wind.

Maureen O’Sullivan is Jane in the 1930s series of Tarzan films and mother of Mia Farrow, considered on of Ireland’s best actresses.

And, Sonia Browning married George Orwell, becoming Sonia Orwell. She cared for his estate and ensured his letters and essays were published.

While Caroline Lamond has obviously taken creative liberties, she certainly knows enough to give us a snapshot into these three women’s lives. And I am more the better for it, so thank you. And finally, thank you for the careful, sensitivity to Vivien’s bipolar disorder. (It also feels very odd to be finishing this book the same day they announced Dame Joan Plowright's death 😔).

4.5/5
This book was SO GOOD! Just from the cover alone I was obsessed, this was such a great story and it was so well written I was hooked from start to finish! I honestly binged it because I could not put it down! I will most definitely be recommending this book!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | A Glamorous and Entertaining Escape

The Socialites by Caroline Lamond is a sparkling, drama-filled read that delivers on its promise of glamour, secrets, and high-society antics. The novel immerses readers in a world of wealth and privilege, following a cast of complex, ambitious women navigating love, friendships, and the pressures of elite circles.

Lamond’s writing is sharp and immersive, making it easy to get lost in the luxurious settings and scandalous twists. The characters are layered and intriguing, though at times, their decisions can be frustrating—but that’s part of what keeps the pages turning! The novel balances humor and drama well, making it an engaging and fast-paced read.

While some moments feel slightly predictable, and a few side plots could have been more fleshed out, The Socialites still delivers an enjoyable and escapist reading experience. If you love books about high society, ambition, and a little bit of well-placed drama, this one is definitely worth picking up!

(Actual: 3.5⭐, rounded up) It's rare for me to naturally go for Historical Fiction - similar to the Fantasy genre, it's not that I don't enjoy it, more that it just takes me a bit longer to really get into. That said, THE SOCIALITES was a pleasant surprise for me; there were certainly some parts I could directly relate to (read: hello, fellow Catholic Private School Girlie™ here), but ultimately what really drew me in was how the stories of Maureen, Sonia, and Vivien, and - while they may have started in the same place - where they ended up, how they "secured" their status in Hollywood and as socialites, and all the choices they made along the way that either helped or hindered them on their journey. But— while this book WAS very intriguing, it did feel a bit disjointed and unevenly paced at times what with it's constant time skips, various locations, and multiple POVs to keep track of. The best way for me to sum it up I suppose is to say that when it was good, it was *really* good; when it began to lose its momentum, however, it dragged on in a way that felt impossibly tedious and unnecessary. Overall, I'd still recommend this book out to others because I think, even when it strays further into its more fictionalized/dramatized moments, the stories of these three women are all powerful in their own right and deserve to be heard.

I loved this book and how it told the partly true, partly fictionalised story of Maureen, Vivien and Sonia. I found it very interesting seeing how they were linked and it moved at just the right pace for me. I also researched the history behind the women too which made it more realistic.

This book started off a bit slow for me and while it picked up a bit towards the middle and end, it never really captured my attention. I really couldn't relate to the characters but I did enjoy the writing.

An interesting concept, and well written. The multiple point of views helped develop the plot and characters, but could make things disjointed at times.

My actual rating is a 3.75⭐️

The premise of this book is a good one: three girls who attended school together in the 1920's forge their own, unconventional, paths in life.

I enjoyed learning about Maureen, Vivian and Sonia and each of their legacies yet, I didn't feel like the book fully lived up to it's potential.

I wasn't expecting an indepth biography of each of the women but I feel like the snapshots we got of pivotal moments in their lives could have been expanded on, instead we are sometimes just told what happened without seeing how it played out and impact them.
**SPOILERS**
(Two examples I can think are is Maureen's story abruptly ending after the death of her husband and Vivian announcing her much desired pregnancy, only for the story to skip several years with a brief mention of her miscarriage)

Overall I did enjoy the story and will possibly try more of the author's works.


Thank you to NetGalley, OneMoreChapter & HarperCollins for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

‘The Socialites’ by Caroline Lamond is a glamorous, informative and engaging read about the partly fictionalised lives of three incredible women who shaped Hollywood’s Golden Age and London’s literary scene - actresses Maureen O’Sullivan and Vivien Leigh, and arts advocate Sonia Brownell - who all spent their formative years at the Sacred Heart Convent school in Roehampton.

Told in five sections, spanning four decades, their stories evolve and grow in different ways but remain entwined with themes of Catholic guilt and dreams of stardom and influence. The initial scenes at their cold and strict school gripped me and especially endeared mischievous Maureen to me. Vivien’s character bloomed for me when she explored theatrical fulfilment outside of being a wife and mother, and Sonia’s tale was full of unexpected events.

For me, the pacing wasn’t perfect - I’d have preferred to spend longer at school and round myself racing through some later sections to see progression. I also expected the novel to focus a little more on female friendships. However, the fact it was based on real, inspirational women fascinated me and has prompted me to research their real lives and seek out non-fiction accounts of a similar age.

This book gets 3.5 stars from me. It was a good read, but would have needed more consistent emotion and deeper connections between characters for the comparisons I have seen to the works of Taylor Jenkins Reid to hold true (though I acknowledge that’s an incredibly high bar!)

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher One More Chapter, Harper Collins via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This book had me well and truly hooked from the very first page!.
A completely unique, captivating story that is overflowing with fascinating characters all of which have their own personalities and traits which in turn add something special to this engaging read. I have recommended this book highly to so many people already!

This book was a bit hit and miss for me. I enjoyed reading about the characters, but the multiple point of views felt at times a bit disjointed and it made it a bit difficult to get fully into the book
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a delightful novel. In addition to being a romance, I thought it was somewhat of a thriller too. I would definitely consider reading more by Caroline Lamond in the future too.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I was given a copy of The Socialites, written by Caroline Lamond, in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley and One More Chapter, Harper Collins.

Pretty good! I didn't know what to expect from Lamond's novel, featuring fictionalised accounts of Vivien Leigh, Margaret O'Sullivan and Sonia Brownell. Like many, I was most intrigued by how Vivien Leigh, a rather tragic but memorable figure of 20th Century life would be depicted.

The first section was easy to read as we covered a year-long chapter in the life of three girls at the Covent school. From there, it's their lives and their achievements to the very end.

I wasn't sure how the book would go from there, but the pieces came together little by little—following the format of focusing on Sullivan, who had the most successful early on, Leigh, and Brownell. I felt the author treated this project as a labour of love, trying as she covered the essential life details to indicate that they were trailblazers in their own ways. However, there was a degree of Catholic upbringing, which remained firmly rooted in their characters and linked them to the meeting point we had as readers.

Unlike, say, a bonkbuster like a Susann or a Krantz, this book looked to the minor victories these women had in life amidst turbulence. It was light and airy in parts, Maureen O'Sullivan's life being delivered in a biographical manner, Leigh's acting work referenced briefly to keep us abreast of her highs and lows and Brownell's career-meets-muse lifestyle but the second half of this book is when the pages really started to fly by. Lamond clearly cared for these characters and wanted to show their lives through the turning of the years. Short chapters and continual movement helped her case as well as a neat, comforting narrative style.

I was first hooked when the author was talking about their lives in the catholic school and how strict it was. But after that it just went downhill. Felt like the story dragged on.
I’m all about women power but there was just no flow to the story sorry.

Three girls brought up in catholic covent spend their lives with catholic guilt.

At first this book felt exciting but with each part the girls/women did more questionable actions. Bearing in mind it was the 1920-50s and I am sure if a man did it wouldn’t have matter to society. But there was a lot of cheating and affairs.

I stupidly hadn’t realised it was actually based on three real women. Which might have made me enjoy the book more if I had known.

As a huge Vivien Leigh fan & the biggest Gone With the Wind fan, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel!!!!!!!!!!! In my opinion the book could have done without Sonia's character but it was a very enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this story and all it offered. I am not normally one for anything set in the past - the 80's is about my limit however this really caught my attention and was a great read bringing all sorts of emotions along the way.

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. Although I enjoyed the characters, I found the multiple POVs at times disjointed and it interrupted my ability to get immersed in the book

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.