If this book had been edited down to 300 pages rather than 500 it would have been 5 stars. It simply dragged the story out too much. Good story but waaaaay too long

I liked this book. Some of the plot seemed predictable and some things happened to conveniently. The chemistry between the two main characters were believable and so was the setting.

I did not finish this book unfortunately I didn’t enjoy the plot or like the characters

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

A wealthy family. A rotten secret. A young woman with more to lose than she knows. Josephine Montfort is from one of New York's oldest, most respected, and wealthiest families. Like most well-off girls of the Gilded Age, her future looks set - after a finishing school education, she will be favourably married off to a handsome gentleman, after which she'll want for nothing. But Jo has other dreams and desires that make her long for a very different kind of future. She wants a more meaningful and exciting life: she wants to be an investigative journalist like her heroine Nellie Bly. But when Jo's father is found dead in his study after an alleged accident, her life becomes far more exciting than even Jo would wish. Unable to accept that her father could have been so careless, she begins to investigate his death with the help of a young reporter, Eddie Gallagher. It quickly becomes clear he was murdered, and in their race against time to discover the culprit and his motive, Jo and Eddie find themselves not only battling dark characters on the violent and gritty streets of New York, but also their growing feelings for each other.

*3.5 stars*

There are books that drag you into the story, kicking and screaming, only to eventually think "What was that all about?" This was one of those books...

Good historical YA novels - that don't involve paranormal aspects - are few and far between. Finding what looked like a gem had me very excited. And I sank into the story of Jo, her father and the newspaper pretty quickly. The story itself has so much going for it: the setting of the late 19th century in New York was captivating to me. I felt right there - that is a rare thing for me now, to be able to feel like the author has brought me along for the ride. The descriptions of the people, the places and the interactions between them all were brilliant. I really did love all those aspects.

So what brought the score down to 3.5? Two things - the first being the length. I don't know why this book was 500 pages. Sure, it helped build the mystery between characters but it lead to some repetitive sections and slow passages that were just unnecessary (IMO.)
Also, I did not like Jo one little bit. Supposedly 17 years old but acted like a pre-teen. Spoiled, pretentious and unlikable for me, I am afraid. And that did mar the story.

Overall, a great mystery in a stunning setting and time period. Certainly worth the effort.


Paul
ARH