This book had me hooked from page one—Hollywood glamour, dark secrets, and a past that just won’t stay buried! Lena’s story was full of twists, betrayals, and intrigue, all while shes trying to catve out her dream in the fashion industry and I loved every second.

Thank you NetGalley, Megan Chance, and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed this one. I thought it was well-paced and followed a part of history I don’t know much about.

This novel is about Lena Taylor, aka Elsie Gruner, who is head costume designer for Lux Pictures in Hollywood. It follows her life from her studies in Italy, where she is entangled in mysterious circumstances and code words, to her rise in LA. She’s always been paranoid about her past and it coming back to haunt her.

I thought Glamorous Notions was a fascinating read that I read really quickly. If you’re a fan of history, Old Hollywood, or just want a unique mystery, I recommend this one. I already have some other books from this author purchased and I can’t wait to dive into them as well!

This is historical fiction about the Red Scare and blacklisting in Hollywood. What worked: a really interesting look into costume design in 1950s Hollywood- it was described in beautiful, luscious detail including designs, fabrics, colors, experiences with famous actors, and so much more. I also really loved all the political machinations of censorship and blacklisting, the espionage, the intrigue - all of it. What didn’t: it felt a little long-I always wanted to get back to it but it felt like it took me longer than expected to get through it. Additionally, the motive for all the espionage was based on a true historical fact, but it came out of left field in the story. I would have liked some foreshadowing here and there about what was at stake. Overall it was an enjoyable book that touched on a place and time that was new and refreshing.

I loved the atmosphere amd setting of the book. It had promise, but Lena's life felt orchestrated, not by Lena herself but by the people around her. Once did Lena herself seem to have a backbone and make something happen for herself but only after being pushed by her friends.

Thank you, Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! 

This is a tough book to review. There were some parts that were page-turning and thrilling while some others fell flat.

Without any spoilers, I appreciated Elsie/Lena’s tenacity and unwillingness to give up. She goes after what she wants, which is admirable. However, I’m not sure if the small thrills outweighs the lulls.

The “twist” was a little predictable as well. However, if you love Old Hollywood stories, you may enjoy this one. There’s a lot of references of actors and actresses from the Golden Age, which I appreciated.

It’s not my favorite, but it’s not terrible either.

Glamorous Notions must be included on every Best Books of 2025 List! Fast paced intrigue, danger, high-risk romance and dreams dashed fill this book. The reader is transported to both 1950s Hollywood and the jazz clubs of Rome as our heroine moves through her brave life choices amidst America's fears of nuclear attack and communist expansion. You get a bonus reading this book - not only a great story but also great insight into this confusing and dark period of America history. .

Elsie Gruner from Zanesville, Ohio has been making and designing clothes ever since she could remember. Living on a pig farm in Zanesville, she sees few opportunities for her fashion dreams to come true. She meets Walter and Walter also has big dreams of going to Hollywood to become a star. Elsie naively believes in Walter and becomes his wife "hitching herself to his wagon". Dirt poor Walter takes Elsie into pool halls across America, where Elsie poses and flirts while Walter scams players out of money. Elsie is his wingman to earning quick bucks to finance their cross-country trek.

When they arrive in LA, Walter continues to use Elsie a distraction for his pool sharking. She is just an afterthought to him. Elsie questions the ethics of this when they get booted out of a pool hall - she is a moth ready to turn into a butterfly and seedy pool halls aren't the place for her.

Elsie begins to reach out on her own in the neighborhood they move into. She takes a job secretly as a waitress and there she makes a contact that will change her life. Through her own contacts, she sees a path to take and this butterfly flits into Italy, a Russian spy ring, the CIA, the Italian police and onto movie sets with the most famous of Hollywood stars. In going from moth to butterfly, she also changes her name to Lena Taylor and loses the Ohio pig farm girl for good.

The story hooks you from the beginning and is good enough as a coming of age in glamourous Hollywood and beatnik Italy. Along the way Megan Chance also sneaks in an educational setting of how people's lives were overturned when they were blacklisted and subjected to raids by the FBI if they were suspected of being a communist. The characters, the setting and the fast paced storyline should make this novel a must-read book.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I had several familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

I loved diving into 1950s Hollywood with this book - it seemed very authentic to the hard work behind the scenes of making glamorous films. It was also very true to the atmosphere of - on the one hand - the danger of gossip-mongering, and on the other hand the claustrophobia of the search for communist sympathizers that was rampant at that time. The author weaves in the youthful indiscretions of the female lead character, which come back to haunt her as she makes her way in her chosen profession. Yes, at times the narrative was a bit long-winded, and our female protagonist was unbelievably naive, but overall I found this an engrossing read.

Elsie dreams of becoming a fashion designer, but growing up on a pig farm in Ohio that dream seems far-fetched. When smooth talking Walter comes along and sweet talks her into marrying him and going to LA so he can pursue his dream of being an actor, she thinks she’s found her way out. It doesn’t take long for Elsie to realize she’s involved with a man that will only lead to her downfall. Escaping that marriage, she enrolls in classes at a design institute, where she shines. That eventually wins her a scholarship to study in Rome.

Thinking she’s finally on her way, she reinvents herself in Rome, renames herself as Lena Taylor, and becomes involved as a courier where she should have listened to her instincts, but wanting to belong, she doesn’t. Lena is always looking over her shoulder - both there and after she returns to the US. Set in the 1950’s during the Red Scare era, sadly it doesn’t take much for the censors to question your activities. She can escape her surroundings and keep her mouth shut, but will that be enough to save her in the end? Thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

I enjoyed the descriptions of Rome and feel we could have had a bit more about Elsie/Lena in Rome and I enjoyed the Hollywood bits. I fely quite invested in Lena's success.

I did feel however that the book would have benefited from more detail about the McCarthy era and Reds Under the Bed. I know a bit about it and the blacklisting etc., but i think more could have been woven into the story to make clearer just what Lena was up against. As it is, I feel that there is no sense of her being in real danger due to what happened in Rome.

I also felt that the book was a bit low on gossip or secrets. The blurb said that Lena heard a lot of secrets from her clients at their fittings but I dont actually recall anyone telling her any secrets.

A good read as far as it went but perhaps a little flat.

Set in 1950s Hollywood, Glamorous Notions follows the story of fashion designer Elsie Gruner, known as Lena Taylor at Lux Pictures.
Elsie Gruner is a young girl who grew up on a pig farm in Ohio drawing sketches of clothes and moving to LA with her husband Walter, who dreamt of becoming an actor but never quite made it.
Lena is the woman who left her husband, moved to Rome to study, met Julia and became entangled in the dangerous world of covert deliveries. But then there’s a murder, it’s linked to Julia, and Lena is escorted out of Rome and back to LA. It is time to assume her new identity and she becomes Lena Taylor, who came straight from Ohio to Hollywood. Now, working in Los Angeles and quickly climbing up the career ladder, Lena’s life appears to be on track, but her fear of the past resurfacing grows. Still haunted by her earlier life and unsure if someone is watching her, she must face the possibility that the truth may soon be exposed, threatening everything she’s built.
The premise is intriguing, but the plot moves slowly at times. Knowing she will be running from a murder (sorry for the spoiler above), makes you wait for it for the first third of the book. Then, once she’s back in the States, it seems to be going well and you are just waiting for it to unravel.
So, while the plot itself didn’t excite me, it was the setting that was appealing:
The years following World War II in the United States were marked by a mixture of optimism and tension. But beneath the surface, a cloud of paranoia loomed, especially for Lena, who had to worry about the company she kept. The Red Scare, driven by fears of communism infiltrating American life, gripped the nation. Senator Joseph McCarthy became the face of the anti-communist crusade, accusing countless individuals in government, Hollywood, and the arts of being Soviet sympathisers or spies. All this is apparent in Lena’s personal life, from her connection to Julia to her homosexual friends and acquaintances who may or may not be communists, but most of all in her work life: the films, plots and clothes are all double and triple checked to avoid any signs of communism, to represent the American life. Dress colours are changed, setting need to be re-thought to show how different the States are from the Soviets and most of all, showing the freedom attached to the country… while everyone was living in fear of the bomb and worrying if someone around them may be a spy!

Glamorous Notions is a nice little escape read, with just enough suspense to be interesting but not so much as to be really scary, just enough romance to be sweet but not so much as to be sappy, and just enough mystery to keep you guessing but not so much that you are as confused as the main character. I'm really surprised at how quickly I got caught up in the story, and how solid the plot was. 1950's Hollywood, during the era of the communists and the cold war, Lena gets caught up in events that quickly spin her life out of her control, and she has to resort to a life of lies in order to keep her secrets safe from the man who she has grown to love. Can she trust him? Can he trust HER? And who IS Julia, really? The story is a solid one and I enjoyed every page!

I am very much split down the middle about Glamorous Notions. I didn't find it thrilling or even that captivating in terms of what it sought to accomplish with the plot, but I loved the writing style and the pacing of the novel overall—at least until the end, which felt somewhat rushed and wrapped up very neatly. I felt like the characters were criminally underdeveloped, especially for creative, interesting people that the narrative purports them to be. The love story was the most well-developed part of this book in my opinion, which wasn't at all unfavorable, but just not what the book is centered around. Since it was the most compelling part for me at times, I wished there had been more of it.

For a book where the main character was constantly outrunning the feds it felt surprisingly low-stakes and not at all suspenseful. I did enjoy the backdrop of Old Hollywood, and the industry insiders/media coverage that came alongside it, but I just didn't buy Lena and her complexities as a character, or her willingness to constantly place herself around people she should stay the furthest away from.

While this didn't completely work for me, I will definitely try something else by Megan Chance, who seems to have a very eye-catching backlist. Since this one also caught my eye, I hope I do a lot better with one of those!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Brilliance Publishing, Brilliance Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC!

3⭐

Lena Taylor, head costume designer for Lux Pictures, was once Elsie Gruner, the daughter of an Ohio dressmaker and married to a wannabe actor. Leaving her husband behind, she wins a coveted spot at an art academy in Rome where she becomes drawn into the shadowy world of jazz clubs, code words, and mysterious pick-ups and deliveries. Finding herself in the middle of a bewildering sinister international plot, Elsie flees to LA and becomes Lena Taylor but she’s never stopped looking over her shoulder.

This story takes place in the 1950s, one of my favourite decades to read about. We tend to forget (or at least I do) how strict morals were at that time and how easy it was to ruin your reputation, especially in the world of Hollywood. Not to mention the Red Scare, the perceived threat posed by Communists in the U.S. I found the book to be engaging with characters who could've stepped off the silver screen. The information contained in the book and in the Author's Notes to do with bone music, the practice of recording bootleg jazz music onto x-ray film, was especially interesting as it's a practice I'd never heard of before. Lena was perhaps more naive than she should've been but she eventually grew a backbone and made some tough choices.

My thanks to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a copy of this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.
Publication Date: February 1, 2025

Hollywood, 1955 in the height of McCarthyism, costume designer Lena Taylor's past is creeping up on her and she fears exposure.
For a young woman she has quite a few secrets - a husband she fled, a time in Rome which may have involved the Russians, a new identity, and communist friends. The most interesting characters are Charlie and Harvey, I wished there was more of them; the others were less developed.
Overall it was an fun read.

GLAMOROUS NOTIONS by Megan Chance

Lena Taylor (aka Elsie Gruner), a Hollywood costume designer, has a secret past. This story had *so* much going on right from the start! There’s an estranged husband, fashion and costume design, smoky jazz clubs, Hollywood elite, film studios, Russian spies and espionage!

I liked the behind the scenes look into 1950s old-Hollywood and appreciate the call outs of iconic LA locales. However, name dropping every notable celebrity from the era was kind of heavy handed.

While I did enjoy Lena’s story and found it engaging, it felt entirely too drawn out. I wish the author focused more on her relationship with Julia rather than the romance with Paul.

If you’re looking for an easy read between heavier novels, this would be a good choice.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Pub Date: 02.01.25
**ARC courtesy of Netgalley & Lake Union

Elsie is a simple girl who lives on a farm in a small town and she dreams of leaving her hometown as she feels uncomprehended by her family. She grabs the first chance she has and marries Walter, a pool player that uses her beauty to distract his opponents. She is young and naive and that naiveté will get her in all kinds of trouble, she'll mingle with the leftists and anarchists, she'll become a courrier in Italy, she'll do a lot of transgressions even in her new job as a Lux Costume Design Head. There's a lot of mystery, spy games, CIA and FBI disputes, prejudice against women who want to have a career instead of being only mothers/housewives. Although this is a work of fiction it's based on true facts after WWII when the US Government trying to disseminate America's values and way of life did exactly the same as many other dictators had done in Europe, and continue to do throughout the world nowadays, using the movies industry to share false views.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

𝗚𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 ᴡᴀs sᴜᴄʜ ᴀɴ ᴇɴɢᴀɢɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴀʙʟᴇ ʜɪsᴛᴏʀᴄᴀʟ ғɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. Sᴇᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ 1950s ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴏʟʟʏᴡᴏᴏᴅ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇ Rᴇᴅ Sᴄᴀʀᴇ, ᴡᴇ ɢᴇᴛ ᴀ ʟᴏᴏᴋ ᴀᴛ ᴄɪᴠɪʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs , ᴛʜᴇ sᴜᴘʀᴇssɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴡᴏᴍᴇɴ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴏғ ɴᴜᴄʟᴇᴀʀ ᴡᴇᴀᴘᴏɴs ғᴀʟʟɪɴɢ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʀᴏɴɢ ʜᴀɴᴅs, ᴘᴏᴛᴇɴᴛɪᴀʟ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪsᴍ ᴀɴᴅ sᴘɪᴇs.

I ᴀʙsᴏʟᴜᴛᴇʟʏ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏʟᴅ ʜᴏʟʟʏᴡᴏᴏᴅ / ʟᴀ/ ʀᴏᴍᴇ sᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴏsᴛᴜᴍᴇ ᴅᴇsɪɢɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ sᴛᴀʀs.
Tʜᴇ ɢʟᴀᴍᴏʀᴏᴜs ᴄʟᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘᴀʀᴛɪᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ɢᴏssɪᴘ ᴄᴏʟᴜᴍɴɪsᴛs ᴡɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴅᴏ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ғᴏʀ ᴀ sᴛᴏʀʏ.

Iᴛ ᴡᴀs ɪɴᴛᴇʀᴇsᴛɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ʟᴇᴀʀɴ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴠᴇʀɴᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴄᴇɴᴄᴏʀᴇᴅ ғʀᴇᴇ ᴛʜɪɴᴋᴇʀs ᴀɴᴅ ʜᴏᴡ ʙɪɢ ᴏғ ᴀɴ ɪɴғʟᴜᴇɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴡᴇʀᴇ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ғɪʟᴍ ɪɴᴅᴜsᴛʀʏ ᴅᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴘᴏɪɴᴛ ɪɴ ᴛɪᴍᴇ.

Iᴛ's ᴀʟsᴏ ᴀ sᴛᴏʀʏ ᴏғ ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ᴏғ ʀᴇɪɴᴠᴇɴᴛɪɴɢ ʏᴏᴜʀsᴇʟғ, ғʀɪᴇɴᴅsʜɪᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇᴛʀᴀʏᴀʟ.

Tʜɪs ᴡᴀs ᴀ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ sᴛᴏʀʏ, ʙᴜᴛ I ғᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀs ᴄᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ғʟᴇsʜᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴀʙʟᴇ. Iᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴅɪғғɪᴄᴜʟᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴍᴏsᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇᴍ,
Bᴜᴛ I ᴅɪᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ʜᴀʀᴠᴇʏ ᴀɴᴅ Cʜᴀʀʟɪᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ʟᴏᴠᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇᴍ.

Oᴠᴇʀᴀʟʟ I ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ʀᴇᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇɴᴅ ᴛʜɪs ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴀs ɪᴛ ᴡᴀs ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇsᴇᴀʀᴄʜᴇᴅ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴀ ғᴀᴄɪɴᴀᴛɪɴɢ sᴘʏ sᴛᴏʀʏ ʙᴀsᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ғᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟ ʜɪᴅᴛᴏʀʏ.

Thanks to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for my gifted copy. My review was voluntary.

From small town Ohio, to the communist underbelly of Rome, to the glittering lights of Hollywood - Elsie’s story is action-packed and full of drama!

Some details were hard to believe - how could Lena not realise what she was asked to courier in Rome, and how could she rise to such fame without being recognised? However, overall the story was fascinating and kept me on my toes until the very end.

3.5 stars out of 5 ⭐️

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this arc.

The gorgeous cover for this book enticed me into trying it. After (more than) a bit of frustration with the FMC, I found the ending satisfying if maybe a touch too easy given the stakes.

Elsie/Lena frustrated me a bit. When the reality of having hooked herself to a loser hits her, she makes a bold snap decision and sticks to it. Then little Elsie from Zanesville is reinvented and she embraces her new self. Blonde bombshell Lena enjoys the nightclubs, jazz, smoking (not just tobacco), and what she’s learning about fashion. She also seems to willfully turn a blind eye to what she’s doing for her friend but then Julia is very good at manipulating people to do just what she wants.

Reality smacks Lena around a little before she washes up back in LA with two dear friends who know how to get her a fake birth certificate with which she can invent her new self. More chutzpah carries the day and Lena is on her way again to a new identity. But then her past comes calling again. If the truth comes out, her past lies will explode in her face and she’ll lose everything and then some.

Okay, so frustration explanation time. Lena keeps getting worried about all of the above paragraph issues but will then think, “Oh, it won’t be uncovered – maybe. Everything will be fine – probably.” I can certainly understand how Lena could be enticed into doing what she did in Rome – small town pig-farm girl in a glamorous city gets entangled with someone who knows how to play on Lena’s imposter syndrome until Lena is willing to do things she deep down realizes are fishy. Okay, fine Lena can be gullible once.

But then Lena deliberately buries her head in the sand when reality comes calling years later. Yes, the average person with no experience in this would probably also “hope on, hope ever” that her problems won’t rear up in her face again but Lena has experience and as her life spiraled down the plug hole, I couldn’t help but want to shake her a bit.

What the book does supremely well is show the nightmare that Hollywood was in the 1950s. Not only are there gossip columnists ready to leap on anything (true or not) in your life that they can spin into an attention grabbing headline. On top of all that though, in the early 50s there was the Red Scare, HUAC, and MPA working along with the CIA and FBI to craft a vision of American wholesomeness and out anyone suspected of not seeing life that way (fairies, as homosexuals are referred to in the book and working women). Heck when Lena’s varied issues are about to come crashing down on her, I wanted to curl up and bury my head for her as well as urge her to wake up and smell the coffee.

The resolution isn’t quite what I expected but Lena redeems herself a bit in how she handles two people in her life. She pays off one debt and finally comes clean to someone who deserves the truth. Then she makes a momentous choice to be herself from then on. Brava, Lena. B-

Elise Gruner marries Walter to escape Zanesville, Ohio, he wants to be an actor and earns money as a pool hustler and she's his good luck charm. The daughter of a dressmaker Elsie loves to draw and design clothes and she leaves Walter and Los Angeles behind and goes to Rome to study at the American Art Academy.

Here a naïve Elsie meets Julia, she takes her under her wing, introduces her to Jaz and clubs, funny cigarettes and interesting people and asks her to drop off packages. Elsie thinks nothing of it and until it gets dangerous and she has to leave Rome in a hurry and is told to not mention what happened to anyone.

Elsie changes her name and persona to Lena Taylor and works as an assistant costume designer for Lux Pictures and she falls in love with Paul Carbone a screenwriter and she’s still married to Walter and worries about her past catching up with her and sometimes feels like someone is following her.

I received a copy of Glamorous Notions by Megan Chance from NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Set in post-World War Two and during the 1950's and Red Scare. The author's new book looks at Civil Rights and the threat of communism, spies and were sympathizers living in America and Hollywood, nuclear weapons falling into the wrong hands and possibility of another war? Full of dark secrets, danger and espionage and Lena’s friends Charlie and Harvey had different political views and are a couple and it wasn’t the time to be different or take risks!

For me I found the story lacked depth, a bit like Elise/Lena’s herself, I found parts of the narrative unbelievable and slow and despite it being based around real facts and of course there was lots of name dropping of famous stars of the era. A quick read and three stars from me and I liked Charlie and Harvey's characters.