On a dreary Saturday I began reading this book about a stunning siren of the Golden Age of Hollywood, a tragic love story with a secret that was kept for more than eighty years and I almost finished it in one day!

Present Day: Joey Cabot is a successful writer whose last book didn’t sell very well. She is hoping that the new novel she is writing about the tragic last months of Hollywood legend, Lola Grayson, will put her back on top. Joey even manages to buy the California house that Lola and her lover, Robert Taggert, kept as their hidden love nest. The house is in disrepair and as walls are removed and plumbing updated, Joey finds a secret space with a safe. Inside the safe are documents related to Lola’s life. There is also an empty ring box and another box that contains a beautiful ruby and diamond brooch. What happened to the ring and why was this beautiful brooch left behind when Robert sold the house after Lola’s death? Joey’s obsession grows as she opens more boxes with things from Lola’s life. There are so many unexplained documents in these boxes and when she meets someone who was close to Lola, the story of her tragic life really begins to unfold.

Los Angeles, 1934: Lola Grayson is the biggest star at MGM. She rose to stardom the hard way through the casting couch with an insufferable stage mother and now she is owned by the studio. Her life isn’t her own as the studio dictates what she will do and with whom, what movies she will make and if she crosses the studio she will be in big trouble. Lola has always been medically frail and as her health worsens she wants to give up Hollywood, marry Robert and have children but the studio and he mother won’t allow it. When Lola tragically dies at the age of 26, the world is in morning and MGM has lost its biggest star.

As Joey hears about the life of Lola she realizes that she must write a book about the real Lola and not the one that Louis B. Mayer manufactured. The Girl Made of Stars brought the Golden Age of Hollywood and the studio system alive and cameo appearances by Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, Myrna Loy and Marion Davies added to the story.

I loved this book and had to keep reading it until I learned more about the secrets in Lola Grayson’s life.

Thanks to Dragonblade Publishing Inc and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy. It will be published on January 29, 2025.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Golden Age of Hollywood and classic movie star trope for books! It was definitely giving me Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes, which is one of my favorite books of all time. The contrast and entanglement of similarities between the two story lines, old Hollywood vs. modern day, is just so good.

Thank you to Netgalley, K.E. Le Veque, and Dragonblade Publishing for the opportunity to read an ARC of A Girl Made of Stars

I read mostly memoirs and historical fiction. Lately, “Old Hollywood” has taken over the WW2 spot and every time I turn around there is a new release about some former fallen starlet. Often, it’s an author-created character (as it is in this case) but not always.

I’m tempted to round up to 3.5 stars and may do after I process a bit (decided against it and stand by my 3 stars). Dual timeline with some parallel conflicts. For lack of a better word, as I was reading it, I kept thinking that it was “cheesy” and overly predictable and some aspects were completely unrealistic. Sure, it’s historical “fiction” but plausible would have resulted in a higher rating from me.

This book is certainty worth a read if you enjoy historical fiction and especially if Old Hollywood appeals to you.

This was a cool book! I did end up really enjoying it. The Girl Made of Stars is about a young actress named Lola Grayson during the Golden Age of Hollywood who ends up falling in love with another star at MGM. Like many other stars during this time in Hollywood, Lola is exploited and taken advantage of movie executives and also struggles with issues including bad health and an overbearing mother. The alternate timeline in the novel features a woman named Joey Cabot, who is a writer and ends up purchasing a home in Los Angeles that was owned by Lola Grayson and the man she fell in love with. Joey is also struggling with the loss of her mother and the complicated relationship the two of them had prior to her mother's death. I appreciate how this novel featured two interesting stories in one, and I enjoyed reading both Lola and Joey's stories. I love reading stories based on the Golden Age of Hollywood, and this one was no exception! I am looking forward to reading more by this author as I enjoyed her style of writing and the pacing of the novel. The characters felt very real and relatable. The cover is also so beautiful!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Her name was Lola.....

Lola Grayson was the star at MGM in 1920s/1930s. MGM controlled everything about Lola, making her a cover girl, setting up dates, picking out her 'just perfect' Hollywood home. Lola Grayson is also miserable and buys a secret house with her lover, the one place that she can be herself. Then, tragically, Lola dies.

Joey Cabot, in present times, lives in Lola's secret house. Consumed by grief, she becomes obsessed with Lola after finding documents and paperwork, showing a different version of Lola than what MGM wanted to show.

I enjoy books about old Hollywood and the look through one of the stars life. Seeing how controlled Lola was by the studios was like reading a tell all from someone like Judy Garland. The pills, the lack of choice, the control. Joey's story resonated with me as well. I understand the grief, and the need to focus on something else as a means to move on. Joey's digging was something I would do myself.

Fans of early Hollywood will enjoy this book, as will anyone who enjoys historical fiction. It's a wonderful story about women., who will do what they want, despite the circumstances.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

Thank you to Netgalley, K.E. Le Veque, Dragonblade Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

In 1934, Lola Grayson was the biggest Hollywood star. In 1935, she died, but her secrets survived.
Her life was apparently perfect, but she was far from happy: the movie industry saw her as a money machine and nothing else, and so did her mother.

“MGM controlled Lola’s looks, her hair, her weight, her homes, her money, her friends, and her personal life. Lola Grayson wasn’t just a star. She was a commodity. (...) Lola Grayson no longer belonged to herself. She belonged to everyone else. She was every man’s fantasy and every woman’s ideal.”

The only place where she felt like herself is Dulces Suenos, the house she secretly bought with Robert, her lover.
Joey Cabot, a novelist, is navigating the grief of her mother’s death and their troubled relationship. She feels close to Lola, and she wants to discover more about her story and tell the truth in a book: she was not only a sex symbol, but a woman with dreams and hopes, exploited by the movie industry.

“I’m going to reconstruct the last six months of Lola’s life. (...) I don’t want to dramatize her. (...) I only want to humanize her. She was a living, breathing woman, and I believe that she was much more than what people saw on the screen. She has a real story and I want to tell it because I feel like her life was cut way too short. I want to show the world a side of Lola that no one knew, and I want to do it the right way.”

When Joey buys Dulces Suenos and finds documents and papers in the house’s safe, everything changes, and Lola’s secrets start to come out again…

“Yes, Reid, I need this house badly enough. I need it for Lola and for me, for the girls with mothers who took advantage of them, for the girls who were always trying to make those mothers proud.”

I was so excited to start this book, mostly because I love everything related to Old Hollywood, and the plot reminded me of one of my favourite books, The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo. If you liked that one, definitely give a chance to The girl made of stars!

The book has three sections: Joey’s, Lola’s, Joey & Lola’s. I found Joey’s first part to be a bit slow, but by Lola’s part I was completely glued to the pages, and the last section is definitely my favourite.
I loved seeing Lola’s life from her point of view and not the public’s, it really shows the harsh truths of what it was like to be a movie star, being deprived of basic rights such as choosing how to live and what to do with one’s body. It was so easy to emphasise with her character, a woman that’s following someone else’s dream and has to give up on her life to do so.

The characters felt relatable and real, especially in Lola’s part, as I feel that’s when the characters are described in more depth.
I liked Joey too, she was driven and ambitious, determined to make the world remember Lola for something more than a sex symbol; she put herself in a very challenging position, giving up all her savings to buy Dulces Suenos in order to understand her idol’s life better.
The setting alternated between the present day and the ‘30s, although I would have liked to have some details more about the parties Lola attended and what the world looked like back then. I think there were fewer descriptions about that, as it focused more on the psychology of the characters. Overall, it was not given much attention through the book, it felt flat, which is a shame, cause the ‘30s and ‘40s would have been an amazing background if given more space!
K.E. Le Veque’s style is easy to read, I read most of the book in one sitting, it flows effortlessly and so does the plot: as I said before, the first part was the one I liked less, but nevertheless it was fast-paced and it did its right job, moving the reader closer to the main character’s story. It had the best ending this story could ask for, it was moving, sweet and nostalgic. I loved the way everything tied up beautifully at the end!

Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was such an emotional read but at the same time it wasn’t hard to get into, which I really appreciated!
What didn’t convince me completely, as I said before, was the lack of depth in the setting’s description and the writing style. I would have loved it if the book was a bit longer but focused on those aspects too.

I definitely recommend it to you, especially if you’re fascinated by historical fiction, Old Hollywood and its secrets!

The book is about two different women. In 1934 Lola was a star. In the present day, Joey is a writer who purchased Lola’s former home and is writing a story about her. It seems like the book ‘The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.’ It’s a good historical book. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read the book and do a review.

If you historical books you’ll like this one. A bit slow but picks up halfway through the book, well written but could be a bit more edited.

A historical fiction book in the same vein as 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

It was a little slow to start but once it picks up you become invested in this Hollywood tale. Some of the descriptions feel like they need more editing. The author needs to show more rather than tell it to us.

The authors note is really interesting too.

It’s got a solid story

It’s been a great month for historical fiction reads. My latest was the Girl Made of Stars. This was a great book that historical fiction fans will enjoy.

- historic story of generations and how controlling true stardom can be, where you really can rely on only your core group of friends to protect you
- story was a bit slow to start, but then really picked up maybe 55% of the way through
- i could have done with more detail of lola's life ex. parties she went to or the fashion, but she did a great job describing specific pieces of jewelry
- became totally enveloped in this book and wanted more more more!

highly recommend this book for your next historical fiction read, you will LOVE it!

Girl made of stars
Kathryn LeVeque

Brilliant book. It’s a parallel story involving 2 women from different eras who end up effecting each other lives in a phenomenal way. It’s about women struggling to come into their own. This book is so well written, the characters so alive, even the secondary ones, plot so unique it’s actually startling in its beauty. This book affected me in such a way, I think it is right up there with one of the best books I’ve ever read. Congrats and bravo to Ms LeVeque.

I'd heard about this book from the author's website. I have to say that I was blown away once I read it. Just wow.

I won't give a book report on it because that spoils it for others sometimes, so I will say that I enjoyed the plot of a movie star, the biggest in Hollywood, and how she was treated by everyone around her. Lola was a normal girl who wanted normal things but she happened to be a star. The people in her life felt that the owned her. It was like death was her only escape from them.

Then a writer wanted to write a story about Lola's life and she found out some things she probably didn't want to find out. One thing led to another and another until she found what she wasn't looking for. The whole process of how she got there was amazing.

I thought the book was so well written. I couldn't put it down. It exposes things that might be better left buried, but then they come to light and you feel such relief for Lola. The ending was beautiful. If you have a chance to read this book, read it. It's worth it.

3 stars ✨
Thank you to Netgalley, K.E. Le Veque, and Dragonblade Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

If you love historical fiction with a Hollywood setting, you will enjoy this book.
Set in a dual timeline, we see the current star in Hollywood in the 1920s and 1930s Lola Grayson, and Joey Cabot, a novelist who bought Lola’s home. Watching Lola’s journey in Hollywood and experiencing what her life was like including how the studios controlled majority of her life and in her death was one of the most interesting parts of the novel. It was truly my favourite part of the book to look inside how Hollywood at the time worked, and in some ways how it works in modern times.

If liked stories like 7 husbands of Evelyn Hugo… you might want to pick this one up.

I thought that the overall storyline was good, but I felt as though the writing style could be a bit more polished.