Set in 1960's USA and Italy the story of a wife, the US embassy, a spy (or two) and lipstick. I did enjoy it, but also found myself skimming parts of it to get through. It's a good storyline, maybe a little repetitive?

Rome, 1969. Glamour and corruption are rife among the American expat community, and Teddy Huntley - a Texas heiress freshly married to a diplomat - has found herself at the centre of it all.

For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, or Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, this glitzy, gossipy, scandalous book perfectly balances plot with character, keeping you hooked all the way through. I really enjoyed this!

Teddy is charming and intriguing, deserving of a fresh start but her life is never simple. This is a 1960s glamour book full of suspense that you should read with a cocktail in hand.

I found the premise and setting and period of this book irresistible! And it didn't disappoint. Gripping and thrilling, with fascinating moments of political intrigue. The plot unravels wonderfully, with a satisfying end and a cast of dazzling characters. I loved it!

This book is so beautifully written. The time period has been captured spot on, and there was obviously a lot of research undertaken to describe Rome in the 1960's. I think nearly everyone will be able to identify with Teddy's character in some way. The over-eating, drug taking and spending is so sensitively addressed yet still highlights the struggles that Teddy deals with on a daily basis. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great read.

I'm in two minds about this book. Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC. Overall I found it an engaging read. I can't say that I liked the characters but it was well-written and I wanted to read to the end to find out what happened to Teddy.

I had such high hopes for 'Teddy' and was so excited when I got approved for an ARC with it being one of my highly anticipated reads this year.

I thought the premise of this book was great, and it sounded like everything that I'd love from the synopsis, but sadly this one fell flat for me. I really enjoyed Teddy as a character, but other than that I found myself not caring or connecting with any of the characters (which I actually thought there were too many of?), which hindered my enjoyment of the story as I found myself bored sadly due to not caring about any of the side characters. I was also so excited for the storyline as it sounded like something I'd really enjoy, yet for me I found it to be quite anticlimactic and it just didn't hold my attention very well sadly.

Teddy was a very likeable yet naive and flawed character which I really liked, and this had the bones to be a brilliant book, but it didn't tick my boxes on this occasion unfortunately as I found myself wanting more sustenance from it.

Thank you for netgalley for the ARC copy.

Teddy by Emily Dunlay is out on 4th July and you just know already it's going to be hottest accessory in everyone's suitcase going on holidays. The blurb compares it to Lessons in Chemistry meets Mad Men, and I do understand that because it's set in the 1960s and very glamourous, but it also reminds me a lot of Villa America by Lisa Klausman, about Americans in Europe (in that case bohemians in the 1930s, from memory) and the possibilities and freedom that offers, but the feeling that this is a temporary freedom.

The novel is set in 1969, mostly in Rome, about a thirty four year old Texan woman called Teddy who has recently married David, a respectable businessman working in Rome who offers a fresh start and a chance at the glamourous romantic life Teddy always wanted for herself. However, David doesn't open doors to the glitzy parties with famous faces Teddy imagined, but rather is controlling and demands Teddy behaves herself.

The story goes between an interrogation by the police late at night, as Teddy slowly reveals her part in the crime under investigation, and the months before as she arrived in Rome. Teddy, after feeling stifled by so many years by her conservative political family (and the memory of how her free spirited aunt had paid for her recklessness), feels a scolded child, though David doesnt even see the real, "shameful" her.

This is a really enjoyable novel, and the political intrigue that always seems slightly out of Teddy's grasp is so interesting - Hollywood stars turned Ambassadors, Russian diplomats who wear many faces, and a deep paranoia under a facade of confidence and glamour that could be equally about the concerns of the Americans in Europe or women suffocated by their traditional gender roles in the 1960s. Unfortunately, while the mystery of this novel has a lot of potential the pacing just doesn't work and it at once stretches itself thin over the months it spans and condenses at the same time, feeling as though it was originally written for a different timeframe in mind. Still I had a good time reading it, and I'd recommend it as a fun, stylish summer read.

This book wasn't really for me. I did finish it as I was intrigued to see if I would think it made sense by the end - not sure it did. The pace of the book was strange and I didn't find it flowed.

I would like to preface this by saying I don’t think this book is bad, it just most definitely is not for me. I read a decent chunk of this book and just found myself so uninterested so I had to stop as I knew this book wasn’t for me. The marketing of this book doesn’t do it any favours, as it’s not as advertised in my opinion. It’s way more political than is described and Teddy is not an interesting protagonist. Unfortunately the pacing was for a lack of better words dreadful. I think this book would be better received if marketed properly.

When I saw this historical fiction set in Rome on Netgalley, I immediately requested it, and started reading pretty much straight away.
Set in 1969, in the city I call home, it intrigued me from the start.
Protagonist Teddy is a glamorous American art historian who we meet when she’s at the centre of a scandal and crime investigation.

It takes the rest of the novel to slowly unravel the crime and Teddy’s role within it, and this unravelling is deeply satisfying and captivating.

The world of the novel is set around the American Embassy in Rome, with a cast including socialites, ambassadors and film stars, and it’s a great read if you’re into the 60s, Italy, or art.

It’s been compared to Lessons in Chemistry but having read both I’d say this is less of a comedy but it’s excellent historical fiction none the less, with a feminist edge, a strong female protagonist and has the same echoes of a woman making her way in a man’s world.

If I could award this book a 10 I would. It reminded me of Ibsen's "Dolls house" and the film "Don't worry darling".
It tells the claustrophobic, constraining life of Teddy, a glamorous Texan women of 34 who believes she has achieved the dream of her family as well as herself when she marries David. A man who plays the role of her oppressor as he upholds a patriarchal system. Together they move from America to Rome where he is seconded as a diplomat in the American embassy. Here we see a lonely and isolated Teddy who soon realises that her self has been diminished. She must live on an allowance determined by her husband and adopt the role of a housewife.
Teddy learns that her husband has been keeping their marriage a secret when she receives a late invitation to the Embassy's party. While she is scolded for embarrassing him by getting drunk and daring to dip her toes into the pool, she wins over the ambassador "The wolf" and his wife Lina. Her life begins to improve when she takes on the task of itemising and categorising the art throughout the place. Despite this upturn she is introduced to substances by a rather unscrupulous doctor to make her happy, sleep and just exist. - it seems to be normal for the women to keep them functioning and manageable.
The book explores the idea of women in a patriarchal society where they are stifled and judged differently to their male counterparts. Teddy lost her virginity at her coming out ball but it was drilled into her as being a visible stain men could see. She is surrounded by objects that lunch dates, women are expected to desire. While she makes continuous efforts to live by these rules she can't help but fail. She sees her behavioural traits as mirroring that of her Aunt Sister who appears to have been the rebel and whose behaviour led her to undergo a horrifying treatment to pacify her "self" mood.
There are so many aspects to this novel as it consists of interviews between Teddy and authorities and narrative where we witness the dark secrets of her own family in particular the women and just how far men will go to achieve their goals. For me I was cheering all the way for Teddy especially when she asserts her own independence and flies the nest.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this NetGalley. Sheer brilliance.

Emily Dunlay's descriptive writing skills did huge justice to the stunning backdrop of 1960's Rome and Teddy's character was well represented but for me this novel just lacked something. It was certainly confusing at times but at points the action speeded up and I became more involved but overall I didn;t find it compelling, maybe it was the lack of relateable characters, I'm not sure.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my early copy in return for an honest review.

Teddy Huntley/Carlyle/Shepard has never felt like she knew the rules of the game. As the daughter of an ambitious politician and his prim and proper wife, Teddy appears gluttonous and unkempt and a problem to be managed. To her absent husband, she is a thing to be indulged, tolerated, sometimes loved. To the socialites at parties, an endearing object of mirth.

And to The Wolf, well, to The Wolf she's an opportunity.

This is a tricky novel of perception with important historical context at play. It poses interesting questions and rarely gives answers. Teddy's narrative has a tendency to meander away from the plot and I still can't tell if this was intentional misdirection or writing style.

There were sections that I really enjoyed and sections that I felt lost their way a little, though every scene worked to build a picture. Overall, I enjoyed TEDDY, though I also think I expected too much of it.

Emily Dunlay transport us to glamorous Rome in 1969. The Eternal City, the Dolce Vita, the history, the glamour of the Via Condotti where doors to Gucci or Valentino open for the deep of pocket, Cinecittà, the Hollywood of the Tiber and directors such as Federico Fellini, the drinks, the parties, the politics, power, corruption and not to mention the Cold War spies. Into this fabulously intoxicating environment steps Teddy Huntley Carlyle of Dallas, Texas, newly married to David Shepherd, a diplomat. Teddy comes from a family of wealth, she’s beautiful and she knows it but aged 34, she despairs of marrying until she meets David and they marry very quickly. You know how the saying goes, marry in haste, repent at leisure? One thing is for certain, she’s playing with fire, wanting marriage but also to see and taste the world, the conventional mixed with the unconventional. She tries so hard to be good, to be the best wife she can, but in July her life explodes in tandem with the 4th of July fireworks. You see, Teddy has a past and it’s about to catch up with her. The front cover sums up the mess she gets herself into, although maybe it’s not just her.

What an entertaining, well written and accomplished novel. This is a character driven study of a woman of her time, or is she? Teddy is far from perfect, but she’s smarter than she seems although doesn’t always act it. She’s lively, impulsive, terrific company and also very naive. And what of the men? To describe her and David as chalk and cheese is an understatement. He’s smart, he can be sweet and tender, but he’s also cold and controlling. Just wait until you meet the other male characters!

As for the setting, magnifico! It completely captures Rome at this time, it’s steeped in atmosphere, both ancient and modern with excellent historical context excellent as you witness the Cold War intrigue and the precariousness of life at this time. I thoroughly enjoy walking the streets of Rome with Teddy and imagine I’m sipping a Bellini in a delightful bar!

The plot becomes very intriguing and I really like how it’s told in flashbacks and also in the present day. There are a number of whoops Teddy moments, where your heart pounds along with Teddy and you want to tell her to breathe but maybe not to drink quite so much champagne! There are moments of suspense and tension as the threat of discovery escalates.

Overall, Teddy is great company in this entertaining and engaging novel which will make for fun summer reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to 4th estate for the appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

This was confusing. Good. But confusing. I just felt like what I read didn't quite match up with what I was expecting having read the blurb.
There was what was in the blurb, but also a lot more focus on politics and less about what I thought would be a major cheating scandal and the fall out of that. So I feel like I kind of started on the wrong foot reading this when I was ready for a romantic drama with focus on the affair rather than this drama that was engaging but not necessarily what I would say was the focus.
I did really enjoy the writing style and flow. I found it engaging and fun to read and the pacing was great. However by the end chapter and epilogue it did slightly feel as if they had run out of words and needed to suddenly wrap everything up. There was a lot of plot twists and information at the end that you never really get to sit and take in before the book is finished.
Overall, although I did enjoy this once I got going, I felt confused at the plot when I started and the ending felt rushed.
Favourite Quote - I can be awfully naïve for such a practiced liar.
Favourite Character - Teddy

In Emily Dunlay's captivating novel "Teddy," readers are transported to the glamorous and tumultuous summer of 1969 in Rome, where the allure of Cinecittà and the intrigue of international politics collide to create a riveting tale of deception and redemption.

The protagonist, Teddy Huntley Carlyle, embarks on a journey of self-discovery and reinvention as she navigates the high society of Rome with her new husband. Dunlay expertly captures the essence of the era, painting a vivid picture of a world filled with glamour, secrets, and unexpected twists.

As Teddy's carefully crafted new life unravels on the Fourth of July, the novel takes a thrilling turn, propelling Teddy into a web of intrigue and danger. The juxtaposition of Teddy's desire for a fresh start and the shadows of her past creates a compelling narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.

Dunlay's masterful storytelling and rich character development breathe life into Teddy and the vibrant backdrop of Rome, creating an immersive reading experience that blends romance, suspense, and historical intrigue seamlessly. "Teddy" is a captivating and evocative novel that delves into themes of identity, redemption, and the consequences of one's past actions, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and suspenseful storytelling. Emily Dunlay's "Teddy" is a gripping and enchanting tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned.

Thank you to Netgalley and Fourth estate for this ARC. Teddy is propulsive page-turner about a woman on the edge of reason in 1960s Rome. A Texas socialite with a past shadier than she’s willing to admit to, Teddy is thrilled when she finally meets a man willing to propose. Sure her new husband seems like a bit of a stick in the mud, but his work for the State Department will take her to the glamorous heart of the Eternal City, where she can finally leave her past behind and be the ideal version of herself, a perfect diplomat’s wife. This lasts about five minutes. Desperate to stop her shiny new life shattering into pieces, Teddy must reckon with Russian spies, sleazy politicians and sneaky paparazzi all while keeping up appearances with a husband who she doesn’t know nearly as well as she thought. This is a perfect holiday read that combines the excitement and charm of the Cinecittà with the uneasy tension of a woman trying to cram herself into the narrow box of respectability for women in the 1960s.

I missed Teddy as soon as I turned the final page. Evocative, moving, and slyly political, I just adored it. And I adored her most of all, beautiful, underestimated Teddy,

My eye was caught by the cover of this book, and then the opening drags you straight in - Teddy being interviewed by police and letting you know that a dress covered in someone else's blood is in her laundry basket.

What follows then is the story of the events that led up to that night, taking you to Rome, Texas and places in between, and shopping at Dior. for a whirlwind of parties. But is it all it's cracked up to be?

The story then brings you up to the current day and then goes forward to how things have ended.

Thoroughly enjoyed the work through the story, but was left a little frustrated by the ending.