Review: The Kennedy Girl

The Kennedy Girl by Julia Bryan Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm of two minds about this book. There are some parts that I enjoyed, but the character of Mia was annoying and overly naive at times. I realize that she was only 19, but even a 19-year-old should have been more skeptical of the offer made to her. Okay, rant over!

This book was set in the early 1960s during the middle of the Cold War. Espionage is at its height, and things are so much different in the spying game than I imagine they are today.

Mia, our main character, gets mixed up unknowingly into this game and is a good little sheep, always doing what the "bad" guys want her to do. But playing the role of double agent was quite interesting, and she did it well.

This is a predictable book, but it still has its moments.

ARC* supplied by the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "From esteemed author Julia Bryan Thomas comes a novel for readers who loved the fashion and glamour of The Second Life of Mirielle West and the clandestine intrigue of The Secrets We Kept, showcasing a journey to France through the eyes of a wide-eyed American orphan who becomes embroiled in an international espionage scheme.

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."