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.

Glamour. Tragedy. Triumph. Scandal. The headline from the book cover promises these to the readers, and it delivers. Three young women attend the same convent school in the 1920's. All three would lead celebrity lives that would deliver headlines in all the gossip magazines of the time. These three, Vivian Leigh, Maureen O'Sullivan and Sonia Orwell, lived their lives in public. Their names would become synonymous with the perceptions of those who loved them. THE SOCIALITES is a great book, it tells the story not only of these three women, but of the era in which they lived and the people who surrounded them. Easily a 5 star read and it would make a great group read.

3.5 Stars

Three young girls attend a boarding school in London. Two become friends, the third is a few years younger. They all have dreams and aspirations, much larger than the life the nuns are grooming them for. Margaret O’Sullivan (Actress, married to John Farrow, mother of Mia), Vivian Leigh (Actress, married to Sir Laurence Olivier) and Sonia Brownell (Writer, married to George Orwell). This historical fiction follows their life, loves and struggles.

Told from different points of view, which was sometimes hard to follow. I found the women’s choices frustrating, selling themselves short many times. Time seemed to jump in the book also. Even with all their triumphs and tragedies, I had a hard time connecting with these women, making one bad decision after another and expecting things to change. I did enjoy looking into the glamour of old Hollywood. Of course, I had to go down the rabbit hole and look more into each women.

I received an ARC for this book. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins UK, One More Chapter for this eCopy to review

In The Socialites, I found myself transported to the 1920s, where three young girls—Maureen, Sonia, and Vivian—enter a strict convent school in a quiet London suburb. Their journey from this cheerless environment to becoming influential figures in the world is both captivating and inspiring. Maureen becomes a movie star, famously known for her role as Tarzan’s Jane, which helped rewrite cinema censorship rules. Sonia, an aspiring writer, eventually marries George Orwell and becomes the guardian of his literary legacy. Vivian, on the other hand, becomes an iconic actress, known for her roles as Scarlett O’Hara and Cleopatra.

The novel spans four decades, taking us from Bloomsbury to Hollywood, and from the cafés of Paris to the theatres of New York. It beautifully captures the glamour, tragedy, triumph, and scandal that marked their lives.

While I appreciated the historical context and the vivid portrayal of these extraordinary women, I felt that the pacing was uneven at times. Some parts of the story seemed to drag, while others felt rushed. Additionally, I would have liked to see more depth in the character development, and their friendships explored in more detail.

Overall, It's a good read for fans of historical fiction and those interested in the Golden Age of Hollywood,

I wanted to like this book and I did to a certain level but I just felt compelled too many times to skip parts because I got bored, sometimes got a bit lost and I really couldn't connect with the characters often times.

This was a really interesting story imagining the lives of three women who meet at a London convent school, and later go on to become actresses Maureen O'Sullivan and Vivien Leigh, and wife of legendary novelist George Orwell and herself a writer, Sonia Orwell.

Although this is fiction set in a historical timeframe, it does deal with real people - and the writer does a good job in conveying the achievements, frustrations and aspirations of this trio of women. Worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars.

An intriguing histfic tale focused on three girls who attended the same London convent and grow up to be famous: Actresses Maureen O'Sullivan and Vivien Leigh, and writer Sonia Orwell, who later married George Orwell. I was captivated by their lives, but found the different POVs had to keep clear at times. Book clubs who enjoy historical novels about exceptional women will want to add this to their 2025 reading lists.

This was crazy fun and interesting! It took me a few chapters before I realized these were real people. I loved all of the women featured. In my opinion this could have been a longer book and really been fleshed out. Sophia's experiences during the war for instance was glossed over more than I liked. But all in all, I read this pretty fast because I did not know anything about any of the actresses,or Sophia.

There were some parts of this book that I thoroughly enjoyed, while others proved more challenging. The POVs & dual timelines occasionally felt disjointed & at times the pace seemed rushed, making it difficult to follow. However, I found the journeys of all three women to be fascinating. Caroline Lamond’s writing style was a standout for me; her ability to craft an engaging narrative is what kept me reading.