Member Reviews

I did not like this like I intended to. Was interested but I was not the intended audience for this book

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The It Girls by Caroline Young is a short but informative read on the history of the It Girl, the girl who the world knows their name and brings love and hate all at once.

When it comes to the It Girl's of today, a few names may come to mind: Sabrina Carpenter, Selena Gomez, Chappel Roan. More recently, Kim Kardashian and Britney Spears. But the history of the It Girl shows, it wasn't always the rich and famous that were the mainstays of their days. At the beginning, the It Girl was more often than not, the mistress and lover of a King or Prince (Nell Gwynn or Madam De Pompadour). It eventually moved onto actresses, but a lot of these actress became infamous for their royal lovers' connections (Lillie Langtry). Young's novel covers decades of history which brings to light what made the It Girl of its time.

This is a quick interesting read that I'd recommend for history lovers. 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rowman and Littlefield Publishers for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I love a book what looks behind the glamour. It's always interesting for me to read how famous people ended up where they did, what had to be given up for the sparkling life and what sort of unreserved traumas or even tragedies hide behind the scenes. This was an interesting read about those women who got themselves name in the industry. I loved reading this collection of them.

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I liked the premise of this non-fiction book, lots of mini stories and bios of people that share a common trait, in this case the "It girl". Our famous or infamous sex symbols in main stream media filled with lies, abuse, misogyny, and how the media shapes our opinion of them based on not much factual information.

The one focused more of the history than the celebrity scandal which I did enjoy.

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Thank you Netgalley & Rowman& Littlefield Publishers for an eARC ❤️


Hey, have you ever wondered what makes an "It Girl"? You know, those women who just captivate everyone's attention and become iconic figures of their time? I just read this fascinating book, "The It Girl" by Caroline Young, and it's all about the history of these women.😍
From Nell Gwyn to Kim Kardashian, Caroline Young explores the lives of these incredible women who've defined generations with their beauty, talent, and often, scandalous behavior. I mean, can you imagine being a 17th-century actress and becoming the mistress of a king? That's some serious "It Girl" stuff right there.
But what's really interesting is that Caroline Young doesn't just focus on the glamour and glitz of these women's lives. She also dives into the darker side of fame and explores the childhood trauma, misogyny, and exploitation that many of these women faced. It's a really nuanced and thought-provoking look at the complexities of fame and femininity.
I have to say, I was completely absorbed in this book. The writing is engaging and witty, and Young's passion for her subject matter is infectious. If you're interested in women's history, celebrity culture, or just great storytelling, you'll love "The It Girl".😍

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I was really excited to learn the history of " it girls" however I found myself struggling to get through certain parts of the book. It was just ok for me

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I love this type of book, collecting mini-bios of people who share some trait or another. This one, about famous sex symbols throughout history, was very entertaining and well done. I expected to enjoy the historical subjects more than the modern ones, because I’m generally more interested in history than celebrity. But I ended up enjoying the book from the first page to the last. Bringing the stories right up to the current moment emphasized the full sweep of the topic in a way that just focusing on historical “It Girls” would not have done.

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"It" girls have been profilic in all time periods a fact that Young shows through this travel through history. With various chapters about women as varied as Nell Gwynn to Britney Spears, the author brings you right into celebrity culture with all of its triumphs and pitfalls.

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Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

The It Girls takes a thoughtful look at the complex lives of historical, influential women. These women often had their ambitions and accomplishments minimized in order to create space for the drama and gossip their lives provided the public. I enjoyed the author’s comparisons between historic and modern “it girls” to help contextualize their cultural impacts.

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This is like the nerdy history girls version of a gossip column - loved it!

It was really fascinating to learn about the lives of historical IT girls, and really see the similarities in the treatment of beautiful and driven women from the past to now.

While fascinating and detailed with intriguing life tidbits, I rather had hoped for a little bit of a deeper ending or conclusive wrap up which spoke about how society allows this to continue or…I dunno, something. It felt like a collection of interesting mini-bios but I was missing the hard-hitting, gravitas thread that pulled them all together in an impactful lesson…
Don’t get me wrong, glimpses of this were throughout, but I think I wanted a bit more depth.

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I’ve always been interested and fascinated by an It Girl. It was so interesting learning of the different sit girls of the course of our history and how they came to be

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