The Starlets

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

The Starlets is the latest offering from Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne. They are wonderful writers individually, but man they make a fantastic team.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced digital copy.

This was a light, fast read, but it was written large - if you know what I mean. Prominent characters, a large and interesting plot line—everything just screams old-time Hollywood Epic of the inexpensive kind!

I loved the enemies to best friends/sisters trope, and added in the fact that I was busy trying to figure out which Hollywood star of that generation the authors were describing; well, that just added the cherry to the top of my ice cream sundae!

At times, this book just screamed slap-stick comedy, and at other times, it shouted that it was an old-time Mafia movie. Murder mystery one minute, then slap-stick the next.

I really loved this book.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Harper Muse/Harper Collins, the authors Lee Kelly, Jennifer Thorne, and NetGalley.

A fun, exciting read. Nicely evocative of the 1950s, and the authors managed to achieve this with dialogue, descriptions and the inner monologues of the characters, instead of leaning so hard into clothes and makeup that it turned into a fashion show. Another thing I loved was the lack of romance. The heart of the story was the friendship between the protagonists; essentially this was a buddy story - rather unusual for a book about women. Gosh, as Lottie would say, what a swell book!

Oh my old Hollywood heart!! Vivianne and Lottie are vintage hollywood/adventure gold!! I couldn't believe my book eyes when I found out about this treasure! A story involving two actresses who both are working on the set of a war and love movie! (Think 2004's Troy but set in 1950s!! 💖)

Vivian and Lottie are two very different actresses working on set in the 1950s in italy! Vivienne is Hollywood diamond royalty! She comes from a long line of entertainers! Lottie is America's angel actress! A great combination of sugar and spice from both women's personalities! 🍾

When Vivienne arrives on set she believes she's set for the main part! She finds out that her arrival Lottie however is to play Helena of Troy!! A beautiful moment given to another beauty! Is Vivianne and Lottie get through some misunderstandings and creative visions in order to work together and escape some very bad men! 🎙️

(No spoilers lol) 😎


The women race away from the movie set when Vivian is asked to protect a certain object that could get these very bad men in trouble! Our beautiful actresses have to pull out all their tricks in both beauty and brains to fend off truth mixed with lies. And in return they both rely on each other to be the unsung heroes in this amazing book! 🎆

I love how the authors described each and every scene! Especially the gowns that are beautiful heroes wore I have a weakness for vintage old Hollywood gowns and I kept rereading the lines over and over! 📖

I kept imaging a young Marilyn Monroe and a young Liz Taylor as our lead actresses in this story! The female friendship in this book brought my heart so much warmth and joy! When two women come to understand each other in order to not only survive the protect each other a true sisterhood is formed! 🌹

Bravo! 💞

** “Trust your instincts.” **

Lee Kelly and Jennifer Thorne once again join forces to deliver the fun and wild “The Starlets.”

When actress Vivienne Rhodes agrees to star in a new Helen of Troy film, she believes she will be in the lead role. So imagine her surprise when she finds her younger nemesis, Lottie Lawrence, who also stole away her beau Teddy Walters, now in the role … with Vivienne seemingly demoted to the priestess Cassandra.

Fuming, she attempts to make Cassandra’s role into a greater part. But when deadly trouble begins to pop up on set, Vivienne and Lottie find they must join forces to save themselves and the cast and crew. As they initially bumble their way through survival — including a trip to Monte Carlo, the Alps and Rome — they quickly get in tune with each other to work together as a team, maybe even building a friendship along the way.

The authors create a great story filled with thrills, danger, mystery and laugh-out-loud moments. They create a great cast of characters that will draw the reader in, all while also delivering some good themes, like trusting in your self and your instincts; the treasure of friendship (“Maybe friendship is its own rare treasure”); women helping each other through adversity (“Women had to help women or nothing would ever change”); and learning from your past.

The book does contain occasional cursing and hints of a relationship that might make some uncomfortable.

Fans of series similar to Clive Cussler’s Fargo series will enjoy “The Starlets.”

Five stars out of five.

Harper Muse provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

In 1958, Hollywood starlets and rivals Vivienne Rhodes and Lottie Lawrence end up on the same set, shooting a movie In Italy. When they discover illegal activity on set, they end up on the run through Europe.

I wanted to read The Starlets because I love classic movies and found the old Hollywood theme intriguing. This book surpassed my expectations! It is fast paced, exciting, and a great snapshot of another time and place. The characterizations were strong, and the storytelling was engrossing.

I highly recommend this novel for fans of historical fiction, and especially for anyone interested in old time moviemaking.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was looking for books about Hollywood on NetGalley when this book popped up. It was the sort of book I needed after reading a lot of books with heavier topics. This was a very engaging book that I flew through, enjoying almost every second of it.

The first part of the book takes part on the set of a movie, one of those old Hollywood epics, in 1958. One of the things I liked about this book is its own distinct set of fictional characters, with the mention of real-life actors and movies and popular magazines and newspapers interspersed throughout. This lends the reader to find the situations more believable because they’re in the same sphere as movies like Ben-Hur, also filming in Europe at the same time, and a trip to Monaco, to visit Princess Grace, who was married two years prior.

However, this book isn’t just historical fiction, it’s also an action thriller/mystery! The two main characters, Lottie and Vivienne, stumble upon some shady dealings and nearly get caught. Soon, they’re on the run all over Europe. And as much as it’s life-in-danger, there are times when there’s comic relief, too. The two women think they are safe, yet time and time again, they discover they’re not so good at this stuff and that the people chasing them have caught up.

My favorite parts of the book where when the focus was on Vivienne, the Esther Williams-like actress who swam her way to stardom and is trying to break free from the typecasting. Her ability to swim plays a crucial part to the adventure, which I appreciated.

If you’re looking for an escape and enjoy an action-filled historical fiction book, and a love of the golden age of Hollywood, you might enjoy this book!

Do you have a favorite epic movie from the golden age of Hollywood? Gone with the Wind is my favorite epic classic movie.

In the summer of 1958, Vivienne Rhodes, has traveled to the Italian island of Tavalli, to star in the new epic movie, A Thousand Ships, about Helen of Troy and the Trojan War. She is surprised to discover that she will not be the star, but her nemesis, Lottie Lawrence will be the star. Lottie “stole” Vivienne’s fiancé and Vivienne is still reeling from the heartbreak. Vivienne and Lottie inadvertently discover a murder on the island and are soon on the run. Will they be able to find help and solve this mystery?

My thoughts on this novel:
• The storyline moved very quickly and kept me on my toes. I really wanted to know what was going to happen.

• I loved all the nods to real Hollywood movies and stars from that time period. I love classic movies and old Hollywood.

• I enjoyed how the two women were enemies, but were able to put aside their differences, get to know each other, and work towards a common goal. They became friends by the end. I loved how their relationship developed.

• The characters were great. I loved Vivienne and Lottie, but the other characters on the set were fun and interesting as well. The villains were very dastardly.

• I liked the adventure too as the two women fled through Europe. There is a scene involving Ben Hur and a race car that I will never forget.

• There were great moments of humor in the book as well.

Overall, The Starlets by Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne was a fast-paced historical fiction novel set in the golden age of Hollywood with unforgettable characters. I loved it and highly recommend it!