Lady Be Good, Amber Brock
Lady Be Good, Amber Brock
List: $17.50 | Sale: $12.25
Club: $8.75

Lady Be Good

Author: Amber Brock

Narrator: Julia Whelan

Unabridged: 8 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/26/2018


Synopsis

Set in the 1950s, Lady Be Good marks Amber Brock's mesmerizing return, sweeping readers into the world of the mischievous, status-obsessed daughter of a hotel magnate and the electric nightlife of three iconic cities: New York, Miami, and Havana.

Kitty Tessler is the winsome and clever only child of self-made hotel and nightclub tycoon Nicolas Tessler. Kitty may not have the same pedigree as the tennis club set she admires, but she still sees herself as every inch the socialite--spending her days perfecting her "look" and her nights charming all the blue-blooded boys who frequent her father's clubs. It seems like the fun will never end until Kitty's father issues a terrible ultimatum: she may no longer date the idle rich. Instead, Kitty must marry Andre, her father's second-in-command, and take her place as the First Lady of his hotel empire. Kitty is forced to come up with a wily and elaborate plan to protect her own lofty ideas for the future, as well as to save her best friend, Henrietta Bancroft, from a doomed engagement; Kitty will steal Henrietta's fiancé, a fabulously wealthy but terribly unkind man from a powerful family--thereby delivering the one-two punch of securing her now-fragile place on the social ladder and keeping her friend from a miserable marriage.
     Then Kitty meets Max, a member of a band visiting New York from her father's Miami club, and her plans take a turn. Smitten, but still eager to convince her father of her commitment to Andre, Kitty and Hen follow Max, Andre, and the rest of the band back down to Miami--and later to Cuba. As Kitty spends more time with Max, she begins waking up to the beauty--and the injustice--of the world beyond her small, privileged corner of Manhattan. And when her well-intended yet manipulative efforts backfire, Kitty is forced to reconsider her choices and her future before she loses everyone she loves.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader on June 26, 2018

4 “It’s not easy being good” stars to Lady Be Good! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ It’s the 1950s, and Kitty Tessler, daughter of a self-made hotel and nightclub owner (i.e., in other words, “new money,”), yearns to fit in with the old money set she rubs elbows with at her father’s clubs. Kitty dates around, but she n......more

Goodreads review by Chandra on June 25, 2018

Historical fiction isn't usually my cup of tea. Then I get introduced to the likes of Fiona Davis and Amber Brock and these reads keep me picking this genre up periodically and I'm so glad that I do. This one is a super cute, light, quick read that is sure to delight fans of this genre... and those......more

Goodreads review by Mrs Mommy Booknerd on June 02, 2018

#FirstLine ~ Kitty Tessler sat at the long wooden bar in the Palm on a chilly Friday evening, steadily losing confidence that her date deserved the seat next to her. This book was one of those books that has something for everyone. I did not enjoy everyone character but they were all critical to th......more

Goodreads review by Celia on October 02, 2021

Review 2/23/20 This is the first of the books I received as a giveaway that I've decided to reread. If anything, I liked it even more the second time around. Part of this might be because the last book I finished, Caging Skies, actually had a sort of similar pretense to Lady Be Good. But where Caging......more

Goodreads review by Amy on May 29, 2018

3.5/5 There is something so glamorous about New York City in the fifties, maybe it’s the throwback to a simpler time, but the descriptions of the clothing, style and good clean fun never ceases to delight me. Brock really brought this time period to life and transported me from NYC to Miami and then......more


Quotes

"Lady Be Good is a fascinating, endlessly entertaining romp through the 1950s through the eyes of a clever, complicated socialite. Funny and incisive, richly detailed and full of unexpected twists, this novel is a delight from the first page to the last."
Anton DiSclafani, author of The After Party

“Brock (Fine Imitation, 2016) uses descriptions of the glamour of 1950s New York, South Beach, and Havana to add sparkle to this quick-paced period novel about a spoiled heiress who slowly learns to see beyond her own privilege.”
—Library Journal

“An exciting romp through 1950’s Manhattan, Miami, and Havana… a spellbinding story complete with captivating characters, sweet romance, and fascinating female friendships.” 
—Bustle

“Satisfying and heartwarming…a solid choice for historical fiction fans interested in the 1950’s as well as readers who enjoy tales of women becoming empowered, taking control of their lives, and learning true friendship.” 
—Booklist

"Amber Brock's Lady Be Good is a charming, effervescent romp through 1950's New York, Miami, and Havana. But underneath the glitz and glamour of this fun and flirty page-turner is something deeper and far more important: a woman learning to see beyond her own life of privilege in order to find real love and lasting purpose."
Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia


“Kitty Tessler, a headstrong glamour girl determined to move up in the world, steals the spotlight in Amber Brock’s latest, a tour-de-force filled with intrigue and surprises.”
Fiona Davis, bestselling author of The Address and The Dollhouse

“A delicious slice of mid-century Americana--stylish, sexy, and bursting with color and sound.  From the glittering skyline of Manhattan to the club scene in pre-revolutionary Havana…Brock has created a fascinating journey of self-discovery as Kitty searches for love and the strength to forget all she once believed was true, and embrace the new and modern woman she wants to be.”
Karen White, bestselling author of The Night the Lights Went Out