Beanie, Ella & Mercedes are three women who want a different life than what they are told they have to have. They want to break through the glass ceiling in Hollywood. This is their journey, and all that was happening. I liked that the book, seemed to be the same pace as where the women were in different parts of their journeys. They went through a lot, and I enjoyed stepping back in time to see the women, started breaking into the good old boys clubs.
I received an ARC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley.

Fun novel about women Hollywood agents in the 80s. Great sense of time and place. Fun characters - three women - trying to get ahead at time when women were discounted and dismissed.

Beanie Rosen grew up in the 1950s and from an early age wanted to be a Hollywood agent. Much like Elizabeth Zott from Lessons in Chemistry, Beanie was ahead of her time. A woman’s place in the 1960s was in the secretarial pool or on the agent’s couch. She is feisty and resourceful. She helps her romantic interests get ahead in the business but they generally leave her behind. Finally another female agent appreciates her talent and Beanie begins to take her rightful place in the agency. There are two other female characters trying to make their way in the business but Beanie is the star of this show. I thoroughly enjoyed it and didn’t want the book to end. I think this will be a big beach read next summer. I’m sure it will be among my top books of 2025. I thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

"Climbing in Heels" is an absolute knockout! The characters are the heart and soul of this story, with the unstoppable Beanie Rosen stealing every scene. From the razor-sharp dialogue to the meticulously crafted backstories, every detail shines—especially the spot-on fashion references that make the world feel both dazzling and real.

This book is a deliciously indulgent ride, packed with high-stakes drama, ambition, and a touch of real-life Hollywood glam. Think Gossip Girl meets Entourage, but with powerhouse women at the helm. The 1980s Hollywood setting is pure magic, brimming with grit, glamour, and backroom deals that keep you hooked.

At its core, this is a story of resilience, friendship, and the cost of success in a world built to keep women on the sidelines. It’s sharp, witty, and impossible to put down. If you love fierce, ambitious women fighting for their place at the top, Climbing in Heels is a must-read. Someone turn this into a movie ASAP!

This is a fun but crazy novel about women in industry who are dying to get ahead and will do whatever it takes to get ahead whether it's blackmail, extortion, seduction, or restructuring. They are headstrong and determined and though often friends, they will stop at nothing to prove it's a woman's world as well as men's!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This is another book i requested and was approved for but NEVER RECEIVED. It is not a review to share with the publishers but one you should take very seriously. I will not request any more books from Netgalley.

Interesting read about agents and actors in Hollywood when most of the jobs were going to men and then some very determined women broke through and made their way to the top. Good read! Not usually the type of book I read but I received an invitation to read this book and decided to give it a try. Definitely recommend.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really tried to finish this book, but I just wasn’t able to. I loved the concept of women working to defy the odds and climb the ladder into a man’s world, but there were too many characters to keep track of, and the descriptions of all the characters made the book move slower than I typically enjoy. I do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy from NetGalley.

A good book. There is a lot of backstabbing and then character redemption. The 80"s was a tough time for women in business. It's even harder if women use the knives in other women's backs as a ladder to rise to the top. There was a lot of truth in this book.

Fast-paced read! This was a tale of women climbing the corporate ladder in a predominantly male world. Along the way, they use what they have to get what they want.
Beanie, Ella & Mercedes are some ambitious women. I love that the author slowly unfolded each woman's background. I think Beanie was my favorite character. She had the brains and the determination to go far. She didn't just break the glass ceiling, she shattered it!
This was a highly enjoyable read focused on the power of a woman.

Fun concept and a nice palette refresher book but I did not work for me - too light in the writing. I appreciate what the author is doing though.

TL;DR: this is a wildly entertaining workplace dramedy in the vein of WORKING GIRL, SEX & THE CITY, and THE MAILROOM, about a group of young women working their way up the 1980s entertainment industry ladder. I really enjoyed it, and though I have a few minor quibbles (doritos), overall this is a big crowd-pleaser.

Three women rise through the ranks at Hollywood's hottest agency in the 1980s, despite the boys' club dominating the industry. These women are determined to succeed, no matter the pressure to keep them down. The story highlights the friendships, betrayals, survival, and defiance needed to rise above. Beanie Rosen, Mercedes Baxter, and Ella Gaddy seemingly have nothing in common except their determination to stand on their own and control their lives. The story pulls back the covers on the sex, drugs, and what it took to get ahead during this time. With cunning strategy and perseverance, these women find their way. The narrative is led by Beanie, who introduces us to the culture of the Sylvan Light Agency. The author effectively depicts the toxic environment many women endured during this period. Their perseverance and cunning made me cheer for each win they achieved. The characters are deftly created, each woman distinct in her approach to overcoming the culture they were fighting against. This is the author's debut novel and clearly has a bright future. Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy. This is my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced reader copy.

I really wanted to like this book--a story about three secretaries trying to make a name for themselves in 1980s Hollywood--but the execution of the book was too slow, in terms of the plot opening out. With so many books being published every month, I really need a book that quickly pulls me in--either through immediately compelling characters, being dropped into the middle of an interesting plot, and/or sophisticated writing that makes me love the language. Unfortunately, CLIMBING IN HEELS didn't have any of these features, so this one isn't for me.

“Climbing in Heels” by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas is about three different woman ruthlessly working to try and get into “the boys club” in the entertainment industry in the years pre-Weinstein. Success is their only objective and we follow their journey of betrayals and manipulative behavior to do what they must to climb the ladder.
It is a tale of survival and ambition that we have heard before. The characters were not special and I found myself struggling to finish the novel. I do think those that are addictive to stories about Hollywood will enjoy this book more than I did.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book, and I did at parts, just not the book in its entirety. The premise of the book itself is dynamite: three young women in the early 80’s beginning their careers as young adults, hoping to break the barrier from secretary to talent agent in Los Angeles. The stage was set for what rising professional women were facing during this era: trying to climb the ranks in a sexist make-dominated profession. In this aspect of the novel, I was able to get a clear picture of how degrading it was to be a woman working in the industry well before the Me Too movement arose in modern society.

The beginning of the novel provided engaging hd ground for the three main characters: Beanie, Ella and Mercedes. Their early upbringings were interesting and kept me reading quickly as I devoted the first few chapters of the book. As the girls grew into women, and they entered the working world at the Light Agency, starting at the bottom ranks….the story stalled in those bottom ranks for a long time. This part of the story dragged for me, and had me believing this book had to be much longer on page length than it actually was. It was difficult to engage with the story at this point as I struggled to keep up with the many new characters and situations that were coming at rapid fire constantly.

By the end of the novel, Beanie, Ella and Mercedes had broken through the top steps of their climb and were becoming wildly successful, at a rapid speed. I was engaged again the last few chapters, and enjoyed the ending.

The book was highly detailed and had the potential to be an excellent story overall. The middle was just far too long and cumbersome for me.

I tried reading this book but found the writing choppy and the characters formulaic. Unfortunately, I could not finish it.

Nevertheless, than you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Words fail to describe how disappointing I found this book to be...

I really thought I was going to enjoy this. I love books about Hollywood, particularly written by people with some connection to Hollywood. This was a mess though. The relationship of these three women felt flimsy. Beanie as a driving force didn't really do anything for me as a character. It felt like a lot of ideas but not a lot of execution. Now it's true that I read an ARC and maybe by the time a finished product comes out things will feel different.... not that I've seen that happen in the decade I've spent in the book community. This just felt like Goldsmith-Thomas is a well known person and was able to get a book deal about a life she had lived and new about, but completely failed when it came to writing a compelling piece of fiction worth anyone's time or attention.

Climbing in Heels, Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas's debut novel, is a fictional tale of the rise of three secretaries at the hottest agency in 1980's Hollywood, giving you a glimpse into the boys-will-be-boys club and the women who wanted a seat at a table where they were expected to serve.
A story to remind about how to a woman with heels.

I loved this book! It reminded me of “Working Girl” with a dash of Jackie Collins. “Climbing in Heels” is the story of three, strong young women, with very different backgrounds, who must navigate a male-dominated field and fight for every inch of their successes. Set in the 80’s and 90’s, this novel focuses heavily on Beanie, who wants nothing more to be an agent. However, in an (at the time) male dominated field, Beanie has no obvious way into the job. Along with friends who boost each other along the way, the women must find ways to outwit and outplay their male coworkers to climb their way to the top.
The novel offered a peak behind the curtain at the world of entertainment management. The author was adept at portraying the struggle of women in a male dominated field, while keeping the tone relatively light and fun.