This book delivers everything it promises, it brings 1960s Hollywood glamour, it brings intrigue and mystery and the summer streets of Rome provide the perfect backdrop.

From the opening chapter I was hooked and I could not put this down. I was captivated by Teddy and her story; a story which is essentially her self discovery. At the start I felt as unsure about Teddy as she felt about her new life in Rome but as the novel progressed she captured my heart and I was rooting for her.

The story centres around the real historical and cultural events of the time, including details such as the current fashion tends, which made it feel authentic. It looks at what constituted a ‘scandal’ in the 1960s and it was interesting to compare this with modern day ‘scandals’.

For me the main theme was the role of women in the 1960s and the pressures and restraints they experienced from their families, their marriages and society. Emily Dunlay brilliantly captures the claustrophobia Teddy feels in her life as well as the inner turmoil she suffers always trying to do what is expected of her rather than what she wants to do.

A bright and glamorous read with a dark underside - I loved it!

‘Teddy’ by Emily Dunlay is a powerful and interesting novel in which Dallas debutante Theodora (Teddy) Carlyle tells the story of a dramatic period in Rome as a newlywed to her diplomat husband which culminated in a night of turmoil and violence, and slowly reveals her intriguing, tragic, darkly glamorous past along the way…

I loved the immersive 1960s setting of this book, with the descriptions of Italian streets and luxurious parties transporting me to the romanticism and excitement of a summer in Rome at the height of culture. The tale was strongly rooted in its time, with key historical events shaping the narrative and the shining stars of the moment being name-dropped throughout. I also lusted after some of the fashion mentioned in the novel which provided extra sophistication.

What surprised me the most was the depth of Teddy’s character and the emotional backstory laid bare across the chapters. Teddy herself was relatable, and the book asked very interesting questions about what scandal really means and whether layers of generational trauma can really be washed away. It was an eye-opening and often sad portrait of the pressures on women in 1950s and 60s society to behave in “the right way”, with said pressure often applied by older women caught in the cycle themselves.

The author skilfully built up tension and suspense throughout the pages, sowing the seeds of mystery and creating a swirl of potential theories as to what happened on that fateful early July night. I really struggled to put the book down, such was my determination to unravel the truth.

This gets five stars from me, and I’d highly recommend to fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s feminist historical fiction.

I received an advance Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher 4th Estate via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I’m praying to the streaming/tv/film gods that this is picked up and made into a film or show immediately because Teddy deserves to be on screen!! 💄 💋

This was a joy to read from start to finish and I can’t wait to reread when it’s out! I’m obsessed with Old Hollywood stories because the vibes are unmatched, Teddy did not disappoint. While Teddy isn’t set in Hollywood, it’s Hollywood adjacent. It oozed the same ✨glamour and vibes✨of the 1960s that is synonymous with the time and I ate them all up! Dazzling 🤝🏻 deception 🤩✨

This book will be everywhere this summer, and with that cover it’s easy to see why. Teddy’s cover is one of my 2024 favourites and I can’t wait to add a copy to my shelf! 💅🏻🩷 A stunning debut from Emily Dunlay, I can’t wait to see what’s next! 👀

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book for free in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

This was a fun book and a drama filled read perfect for the beach. If you are looking for a guilty pleasure book for the summer, this is a great book to add to your TBR. I am definitely going to look out for more books by Emily Dunlay in the future!

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Many Thanks again to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest review.

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I was really excited to receive a proof of this novel. It sounded right up my street, and the cover is stunning! The book promises summer sun, glamour, sizzle, and scandal, and it certainly delivers on those fronts. However, it goes deeper and darker than I initially expected.

The novel deftly explores family secrets and shame, sexism and the abuse of power, and the societal expectations placed on women. It examines the versions of ourselves we present to the world to succeed and the strain this facade causes, as well as the determination needed to take charge of your own life.

The story moves back and forth in time, alternating between an intense interrogation in the present day and Teddy's story, which leads up to this. This structure builds tension slowly, culminating in an explosive event. While I found the pacing a bit slower than I’d have liked, it didn't ruin my overall enjoyment.

Teddy is a complex and multi-layered character. Raised in a privileged environment, she has the need for independence but no idea what to do with it when she gets it. At times naive, she is also ambitious and glamorous, yet slightly messy - which you know I love!! She is chaotic and never ready to calm down, leading to lots of questionable decisions. But she is also very open when it comes down to her vulnerabilities and concerns, allowing for a full all round view of her. However you can’t let it fool you, she only ever gives away as much as she wants.

The author's attention to detail in describing aspects such as clothing and decor was stunning. Some of the dress descriptions I particularly loved. The writing is very atmospheric, vividly capturing Rome’s rich cultural and luxury urbanscape.

In Teddy, the author has created an intriguing character, forever attempting to escape a past that continues to define her. Her journey takes place in a city teeming with heat, art, elegance, and luxury. Whilst sitting on a dark undercurrent of deception and manipulation, where appearances are often deceiving.

Overall, this novel is a compelling read with rich descriptions and a well-crafted, enigmatic protagonist. It is a thoughtful exploration of identity, power, and the cost of maintaining appearances. Highly recommended for those who enjoy stories with depth, complex characters, and a touch of glamour mixed with darkness.

Teddy is determined to be the perfect wife. after all, she’s waited long enough (she’s now ’spoiling like old milk’ and her rich Texan family has almost given up on her). but now she’s finally married to a diplomat at the American Embassy in Rome and life is good (except that her husband won’t let her spend any money and doesn’t seem to care for her and she has no friends and she can’t find the right dress for the ball and she has a looming secret that’s about to destroy everything she wants). the scene is set for a perfect July 4th party (if Teddy can destroy the evidence of the worst decision she’s ever made).

this novel is both gripping and funny, completely transporting in its setting and its cast of characters. considering that we’re in Teddy’s head, and Teddy is deeply unreliable, the author does an incredible job drawing such distinct characters, who all feel real and gritty and, often, deeply awful. Teddy makes the worst imaginable choices, over and over, and at times you want to shake her, but the authenticity of her portrayal and the richness of her voice carry you along. i absolutely devoured this.

thank you netgalley for this review copy!

Teddy is an exciting character with lots of layers. The descriptions of life in the ‘60’s is facinating. Unfortunately I found the book quite slow and not really leading anywhere. The end was a bit of an anti climax and the ‘twist’ with her aunt was glossed over too quickly. I enjoyed the beginning of the book but lost interest part way through.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance digital copy!

Teddy Huntley Carlyle from Dallas, Texas has always dreamed of a glamorous and exciting life elsewhere, the kind her Aunt Sister has lived. So when she meets and marries David, his job drawing them to Rome, it seems like this dream might finally be becoming reality, as she is swept into the heart of the elite diplomatic circles of the American community in 1960s Italy. But Teddy has her secrets and, one evening at an embassy party, it seems like her past may finally be about to catch up with her; and to fix things, it seems like she may just have to get in over her head.

This goes deeper and darker than I expected. Yes, there’s summer sun, glamour, sizzle and scandal, but there’s also family secrets and shame, sexism and men abusing their power over women, expectations placed on women at the time, the versions of ourselves we put forward to others to succeed and the strain this causes, and the agency ultimately needed to regain control of the narrative. Moving back and forth in time, between an interrogation and Teddy’s story that brings us to this point, the story slowly builds tension towards what we know will be some explosive event. Teddy is a complex and multi-layered character. Brought up in a cocooned and privileged environment, she yearns for independence but then doesn’t always seem to know what to do with it. Naive at times (or seeming so anyway) but ambitious, glamorous but also slightly messy, unwilling to settle but also making a lot of questionable choices, divulging her worries, vulnerabilities and mistakes to the reader, but also at times coming across as impenetrable and composed as could be, knowing exactly what she’s doing and not giving away more than she wants to. Great detail is given to dress and interior decor, and Dunlay takes delight in walking us through Rome’s rich cultural and luxury urbanscape. In Teddy, Dunlay has created an intriguing character, constantly trying to outrun the past that has shaped her, whose story unfolds in a city drenched in heat, art, elegance, luxury, and bubbling with an undercurrent of darkness, deception and manipulation, where nothing is what it seems.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the DRC.

Teddy is a larger than life girl from Dallas. With an interesting past behind her, she has now gotten married to David, a government employee, who has whisked her off to live in Rome as he is attached to the American Embassy there. At first she struggles, but after she is finally invited to a party there, her life starts taking a upward trajectory and although her fears of her past being discovered are still there, she starts to relax. However, in trying t0 fix something, she causes more problems than she solves and things start to come crashing down.
A read about how naive the privileged can be. Even allowing for different times I wasn't whether or not I liked Teddy until she appeared to grow a spine.

Set in the 1960's in Rome and Dallas Teddy is quite a character and we live her amazing life with her in this book which for me was a quick read. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

This is exactly as you thought it might be - an enthralling summer read. Really fun and entertaining!

When I saw this book was set in the 1960's in the US and Italy I thought it was going to be something it wasn't. However I really enjoyed what it turned out to be. At first Teddy's 'poor little rich girl' character annoyed me but then we were shown just how manipulated, confused and unhappy she really was. Knowing what life was like in the 60s for women (I was there) I can empathize with her totally. I don't want to give anything away but I really loved the ending of the book. Very fitting.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

An absolutely enthralling read from cover to cover. This book has it all - highly interesting characters, great storyline and absorbing writing style. 5 stars, highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley andthepublisherfortheadvance digital copy..

A really unusual, different story that had me hooked from the beginning. It hooked me with its glamorous setting and high society lives, and reeled me in with its enticing storytelling. Great suspense, fabulous characters, gorgeous settings, addictive writing style, interesting twists. I enjoyed this cover to cover. And I'm still left trying to read between the lines, to better understand Teddy. Was she really unlucky and naive, a product of an overprotective upbringing, or is she far more astute and cunning that any of us give her credit for? Not easy for books to keep you thinking, when our lives are already so crowded.

Teddy is one of those books that grabs you right from page one and sinks its red taloned claws into you and just spits you out at the end. We’re caught up in the glamorous Italian 60s, the couture shops, the palazzos, they just ooze elegance. Teddy is simultaneously alluring yet naive, I sometimes didn’t know what to make of her. She went from calamity to calamity, making situations worse with various blunders but at times I was struck by her sadness, her addictions, her vulnerability in such a male dominated world. This book made me think. It’s still making me think.

Very entertaining and compelling.
I liked Teddy and the atmosphere.
I'm not sure if Rome was so glamorous as there were a lot of darker parts that a charachter like Teddy couldn't avoid (terrorism, spys, students protests, etc etc) but I enjoyed it and didn't care about historical accuracy
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A woman's place is where her husband says it is, or if not yet married her father.
A marriage in her thirties is unexpected and then a move from Texas to Rome.
A new chapter, the past wiped clean, no ghosts from previous liaisons. That is what marriage and a new country should of been but you can never truly escape your past.
The moral codes and politics, is teddy leading her own life or being directed behind scenes she is not even aware of?
Skilful, emotive writing that will take you back in time and feel teddy's feelings.

When Teddy marries American diplomat David she moves to Rome and becomes caught up in a whole new world of glamour and secrets…. but what is she hiding?

Set between the 50s and 60s, Teddy is a glamorous intoxicating read that I raced through

The two timelines show Teddy’s life and how it changes over the years - from a scandalous, spoiled heiress to a diplomats wife. All is going well until the 4th of July when Teddy’s life as she knows it begins to blow up and the secrets she’s hidden begin to unravel.

This was a really well written, heady read that I became totally wrapped up in. I loved Teddy even though her actions were questionable and she was a bit of a mess (but who isn’t!) I also loved the setting, it reminded me of Christine Mangan’s Tangerine which I also enjoyed.

A great read.

Oh my gosh, my new favourite character just landed. Teddy is such a fascinating and fun character to read and I loved her story! I loved how she simply doesn't care about the men around her - nor should she - and everything she does is for her own gain. This is truly if Betty Draper had stayed in Rome and I will be pushing it into the hands of everyone!

I warmed to Teddy straight away, she is such a character, being worldly wise on the surface, but also incredibly naive. She sounds like fun, but there is an underlying hardness and calculation to her outlook. and approach to life. Having read the first few chapters, I wasn’t keen on the direction the book was taking. It became a bit boring, with its backwards and-forwards repetition of the same scene, whilst not really moving the storyline forward in any way. I lost interest, and could not relate to the many more characters introduced. Not for me, I’m sorry to say, this was a DNF.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this book.