Author: Fiona Davis
Publisher: Dutton
Date Published: January 25, 2022
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Thoughts:
- I am torn between 4 and 5 stars for this one. Maybe 4.5 stars? When is Goodreads going to let us do half stars?
- Lillian Carter a.k.a. Angelica is a famous and highly sought after model. It is 1919 in New York City, and Angelica's likeness can be seen everywhere. She has posed for many many sculptures. Sadly, she is getting older, and her work is slowing down significantly. After a misunderstanding with the police and her landlord, Lillian goes into hiding. Ironically, she is hiding as a personal secretary to a high profile family that collects art. She gets attached to the family, but more misunderstandings and scandalous situations arise.
Jump ahead to 1966, Veronica is a newly discovered model that is on one of her first photo shoots in the famous Frick house. The home has been donated to the city, and it has been turned into a museum. Veronica gets trapped in the house because of bad weather, and because she got side tracked with a mysterious puzzle to solve. Joshua is an archivist in the museum, and he is stuck in the house with her. Together, they start uncovering clues about the Frick family.
- I normally don't like time jumping stories. I get confused, but the writing and storytelling in this one was well done. I loved how the 1966 storyline tied into the 1919 storyline, and I loved how each time we time jumped there was something new to learn.
- I was completely hooked from the beginning of the book till the end. I loved Lillian's story. It was so intriguing to me. I liked Veronica a lot as well. Her motivations and character touched my heart.
- The story felt a lot like Downtown Abbey, which I loved. I don't know why the relationship between wealthy people and their servants is so entertaining, but it is.
- My favorite part about the story was Lillian's character growth. She thought she was only good for her looks, but she learns how intelligent and capable she is. Her character development through the book is empowering.
- They should make a movie or a TV series adaptation of this book. It would would be SO fun!
My Thoughts in a GIF:
