Set in the Summer of 1955, three very different girls descend on the Barbizan Hotel to try and achieve their dreams and escape the humdrum of their regular lives. These three girls, Dolly, Vivian and Laura are very different but for an unlikely friendship; a friendship that will change their lives forever over the course of one summer.

I love historical fiction, especially when it is historical fiction that I can visualise and really sink my teeth into and 1950s New York with all its fashion and glamour and promise really does manage to take my breath away.

M. G. Callahan creates a stunning version of the New York lifestyle; he mixes debutantes with society folk and with the beatnik movement in one fell swoop. He looks at the challenges that modern young women faced and how they coped in the face of difficult decisions and adversity. Searching for Grace Kelly is a stunning novel that hooks you from the first page. It is told in contrasting perspectives of the three girls and allows us to see that the grass isn’t always greener.

Searching for Grace Kelly by M. G. Callahan is available now.

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In 1950s NYC three women meet in a hotel exclusively for ladies. These ladies are in NYC for various employment in publishing agencies/houses, secretarial schools etc.

The three are there for employment but to also escape their strict upbringings, for new experiences and to find love. Each do meet someone they feel they love but they are to experience self-discovery, and their friendship would be pushed to the limits.

This was an enjoyable enough tale, and whilst there were love stories, there weren't any particularly happy endings.