Author: Julia Bryan Thomas

Julia Bryan Thomas is the author of For Those Who Are Lost. She is married to mystery novelist Will Thomas.

#BookReview The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas @AuthorJuliaT @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheKennedyGirl #JuliaBryanThomas #bookmarkedbylandmark

categories: 8/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction
#BookReview The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas @AuthorJuliaT @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheKennedyGirl #JuliaBryanThomas #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: The Kennedy Girl

Author: Julia Bryan Thomas

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Jan. 14, 2025

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 432

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 8/10

This American Girl in Paris might hold the fate of nations…

It’s the 1960s, and the fashion culture of New York, Paris, and Milan is starting to make an impression on the mid-century American woman. Jackie Kennedy’s effortless style leads the nation, although Mia’s bustling bakery job doesn’t often give her the time or money to craft a stylish closet after her idol in the White House. But when a mysterious stranger suddenly offers her a modeling job in Paris at the esteemed House of Rousseau, she takes a chance on it, despite knowing nothing about the world of fashion. As an orphan with big dreams, holding a one-way plane ticket to Paris, she sets off for what she hopes is a better life.

But the job of a model runs deeper than photoshoots and runway walks, and as Mia adjusts to the Parisienne lifestyle, she realizes that not everything is as it seems. Becoming more and more successful in her position as an up-and-coming model, she is soon drawn into the Cold War by the very fashion house she works for. And as she finds herself falling further into national crimes and politics, Mia will soon have to decide which side of history she’s really on.

Jackie Kennedy is no longer the only woman for whom fashion and politics dramatically collide… 

The Kennedy Girl is an immersive and heart-pounding story perfect for history buffs and armchair travelers alike, with glimpses into both the propulsive Cold War era of espionage and the inner-workings of the most prestigious Parisian fashion houses.

Review:

Absorbing, captivating, and vivid!

The Kennedy Girl is a rich, compelling tale set in Paris during the 1960s that takes you into the life of Mia Walker, a young American woman who, after accepting a position to model for the House of Rousseau, finds herself swept up in the glitz and glamour of the City of Light, mingling with the rich and powerful from several countries, and moonlighting as a spy for more than one side.

The prose is descriptive and smooth. The characters are independent, spirited, and brave. And the plot is a mysterious tale of life, loss, love, self-discovery, war, politics, secrets, friendship, determination, betrayal, and espionage.

Overall, I found The Kennedy Girl to be an intriguing, absorbing, atmospheric tale by Thomas that did a lovely job of blending historical times with entertaining suspense.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Julia Bryan Thomas

Julia Bryan Thomas is the author of For Those Who Are Lost. She is married to mystery novelist Will Thomas.

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#BookReview For Those Who Are Lost by Julia Bryan Thomas @AuthorJuliaT @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #ForThoseWhoAreLost #JuliaBryanThomas #bookmarkedbylandmark

categories: 9/10, Book Review, Historical Fiction, Noteworthy Book Releases
#BookReview For Those Who Are Lost by Julia Bryan Thomas @AuthorJuliaT @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #ForThoseWhoAreLost #JuliaBryanThomas #bookmarkedbylandmark Title: For Those Who Are Lost

Author: Julia Bryan Thomas

Published by: Sourcebooks Landmark on Jun. 14, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback

Source: Sourcebooks Landmark

Book Rating: 9/10

One woman’s split-second decision on the eve of World War II will tear a family apart…

On the island of Guernsey, as WWII looms, many islanders make the heartbreaking choice to ship their children to safety in England, not knowing when (or if) they will be reunited. Acting on faith, Ava and Joseph Simon reluctantly send their 9-year-old son Henry and four-year-old daughter Catherine with their children’s teacher Helen, who will escort them to the mainland.

But Helen’s sister Lily is fleeing an abusive, childless marriage, and, just as the ferry is about to leave, she convinces her sister to let her take Helen’s place so that she can make a new start for herself. It is Lily who takes the children to England, and it is Lily who lets Henry get on a train by himself. But Lily has always wanted a child, and she’s unable to let Catherine go. So she decides to walk the other way, taking Catherine with her in her arms. That split-second decision impacts the lives of everyone long after the war ends.

Perfect for readers of Sold on a Monday, For Those Who Are Lost is at once heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and uplifting.

Review:

Pensive, charged, and atmospheric!

For Those Who Are Lost is a poignant, heart-wrenching tale set in England during WWII that takes you into the life of a handful of people whose lives are unimaginably changed one day when Ava and Joseph Simon allow their two children, Henry and Catherine, to evacuate the island of Guernsey, prior to occupation, in the hands of a young woman who unbeknownst to them is using the opportunity to flee her abusive husband and perhaps acquire that one child she’s always yearned for.

The prose is eloquent and expressive. The characters are distressed, brave, and resilient. And the plot, including all the subplots, unravel and intertwine seamlessly into an absorbing tale of life, loss, family, tragedy, desperation, secrets, friendship, parenthood, separation, and war.

Overall, For Those Who Are Lost is one of those novels that sweeps you away so thoroughly to another time and place that before you know it you’re turning the final page and the afternoon is completely gone. It’s a moving, alluring, impactful tale by Thomas that does a beautiful job of highlighting that survival of any kind often involves moral dilemmas, courage, strength, and beyond all else, inconceivable sacrifice.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

            

 

 

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Julia Bryan Thomas

Julia Bryan Thomas is the author of For Those Who Are Lost. She is married to mystery novelist Will Thomas.

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