The Studio Girls by Australian author Lisa Ireland is enticing, mesmerising and rich in emotion, real-life historical fiction.
Set in 1955, Los Angeles Hollywood the story intertwines between years and four young women yearning for success and fulfilled dreams. They find themselves living together at the Hollywood Studio Club, a famous boarding house for those wanting to succeed in Tinseltown.
Sadie Shore is full of ideas and has little interest in becoming an actress. Her dream is to become a successful scriptwriter and moving to Hollywood was the perfect place to perfect her craft.
Vivienne Lockhart, Peggy Carmichael and Julia Newman are longing for leading roles in a major movie. Each is at a different stage in their career, but will years of hard work and rejections pay off before they finally land that coveted “yes”?
The Studio Girls is one of those books that is short enough to keep your attention and long enough to make an impact. Lisa Ireland has a marvellous eye for detail and such a way with words; effortlessly she describes for us the perfect image of 1950s Hollywood and fills it to the brim with angst and nostalgia.
Everything is so clear and vibrant, as she knows this era like the back of her hand. I felt like I was sitting in a movie theatre watching it all play out while reading this book.
I am all praises for the author’s crafting of the characters, reflecting the era of bombshells and sex symbols, they are very likable, believable, human, and imperfect. I especially liked how these women came together to support each other in a male-dominated industry.
Whilst there is heartbreak, scandal, and jealousy they each had one another with a will to push ahead, remain strong and fulfil their dreams of becoming successful in their chosen field.
The dialogue was exceptional, the pace was perfect, and the overall feel of the story was realistic. There were some unexpected surprises here and there which made it an exciting read and kept me turning the pages until I found that I had come to the end. It was simply, yet tastefully, smartly, and cleverly written that when I finished, I wanted more.
Everything about this cover is perfect, I really enjoy the way the type, colour, and image masterfully work together. It is beautiful and mysterious and manages to capture the era. I love how it will appeal to a contemporary audience without abandoning the spirit of the novel. A definite standout on a bookshelf.
Wow is the very first word that comes to mind when I think about the experience I had while reading The Studio Girls. I loved this book and everything about it, the setting, the era, the clothes, and the culture. For all of you 1950s Hollywood fans out there, this book is a must for you. I highly recommend it.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading The Studio Girls by Lisa Ireland. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Thanks Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read Lisa Ireland’s The Studio Girls. If you enjoyed The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo you will love this book. The setting is 1950’s Hollywood with budding actresses Vivienne, Julia and Peggy and Sadie who wants to write scripts – the girls all live together in The Hollywood Studio Club a type of boarding house for up and coming actresses. Their lives intertwine and we follow their journey of success, secrets, tears and dreams then 40 years later their paths cross and secrets are revealed and past deeds forgiven. A really enjoyable read.
I gave this book 5 stars
This book is amazing!!!! Definitely one of Lisa’s best and one of my top reads for this year. I couldn’t put it down. Such an excellent and well written story. Thank you Beauty and Lace for the chance to read this fantastic book.
The Studio Girls by Lisa Ireland ( Penguin Books Australia) is a fascinating story of love, rivalries, ambition and friendship primarily set during the 50’s and the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’.
It follows the fortunes of Julia, Peggy and Vivienne, young wannabe movie stars and Sadie, an aspiring screenwriter. In the 50’s these four young women form a close friendship, which helps them weather the ups and downs of their chosen careers as well as their chaotic love lives. However fast forward to the 90’s and it is clear that some kind of rift has caused a falling out…
The Studio Girls is compelling reading. Not only does it show the glamour and glitz surrounding the young starlets who are dazzled by the promise of a career on the screen, it also shows the impossible choices and the restrictions placed on them by a very male dominated industry. In addition, it reveals the ruthless antics, the back stabbing and the ruined lives of those who don’t quite fit the image…
Written with authentic detail and inspired by real life history, The Studio Girls is a captivating read and a revealing glimpse at Tinseltown, where image is everything, and the opulence and glamour often hide heartbreak and scandal. In my mind it would make a great tv series!
Wow, wow, wow what a beautiful story of friendship between 4 young girls with ups and downs during their lives. From the first page I was captivated and wanted to read and finish the book but also wanted to take my time which I had to do due to some appts in between reading. In one day, I just read the rest of the pages and it really is a page turner.
Showing my age here but the book reminded me of a tv show I used to watch called Brackens World with movie stars, producers, castings. This book could easily be made into a movie, and it would be so good.
The author has drawn on an actual place that was around in the 40s, 50s & 60s where many actresses have stayed as young girls. The girls in this book are fictitious characters and their names are Sadie, Julia, Peggy & Vivienne. I loved all 4 of their stories. Three of them wanted to be actresses in Hollywood and Sadie just wanted to write a screenplay.
They all became friends but as with friendships there is always turmoil, twists and turns, secrets and even sadness.
I loved reading about the place where they lived, the costumes, I could imagine what they looked like. I was a part of the pages as I read.
Throughout the book we go from 1955 when the girls were younger and then we would jump to 1999 but it was all done perfectly in that you did not get lost in the years. What I loved that really helped was when you read anything to do with the year 1999, the font would be different. I loved how the chapters would say the girl’s name on who we were reading. Exceptional work by the author or the publishers on doing this. There was no confusion when reading.
The cover is stunning in that I almost wondered if the girl on the cover was ever in Neighbours and now lives in America. I highly recommend everyone to read this book and hopefully it will be made into a movie.
Thank you, Beauty & Lace and Penguin Random House Australia, for sending me this fantabulous book to read. Keeping this one with other books I have as one day will read again.
To Lisa Ireland the author, you have captured the essence of The Studio Girls magically and to me this is the book of the year.
I absolutely loved Studio Girls. It revolves around the life of 4 friends who live together in the Hollywood Studio Club, a boarding house for upcoming women in the movie industry. The story is told in two different timelines, 1955 and 1999, but is really easy to follow. From ups and downs in friendships to the male dominated Hollywood industry, once you start reading you won’t want to put this down. Thank you to Beauty and Lace for letting me review this book.
The Studio Girls by Lisa Ireland is a real treat. I was completely absorbed by the stories of Sadie, Peggy, Julia and Vivienne who are trying to make it in Hollywood in the 1950s. They stay at the Hollywood Studio Club which is a boarding house for Hollywood hopefuls providing support and often friendships. Julia’s star is already on the rise and she’s being kept away from trouble, Peggy is a diligent about her craft and trying hard, Vivienne has talent but is not taken seriously and Sadie wants to be a screenwriter and works for one of the big studio bosses in the meantime. There are many ups and downs for all the ladies and their one constant is each other. This is set at a time when men rule Tinseltown which has many repercussions for the girls. I connected to all the girls for different reasons and really enjoyed following their journeys, although felt for them for all the constraints of the time. This is a dual timeline story as we fast forward to current times to see where the ladies ended up and how their lives changed. It shows the struggles they have gone through, but that the friendship bond is hard to break.
The writing and story flowed so smoothly and I could picture everything from the scenery to the outfits and the way the story unfolded. This may have been set predominantly in the 50’s but it could apply to current day mostly and was memorable and one of my best reads for a long time.
Lisa Ireland’s The Studio Girls is a captivating journey back to the golden era of 1950s Hollywood, where dreams are born, friendships are forged, and hearts are often broken, anything set in the “old Hollywood” era is immediately on my radar, so I was very happy to be picked to read this.
The book skillfully combines the glitz and glam of the film industry with the raw, personal struggles of four young women living at the Hollywood Studio Club.
With dual timelines, Ireland paints a vivid picture of each character’s journey, blending the allure of Hollywood with the harsh realities faced by women in the industry. The friendships among the four women are the heart of the novel, offering a moving portrayal of solidarity, support, and resilience.
Their interactions are filled with genuine emotion, from moments of joy to the inevitable heartbreaks, making it hard to put the book down. Lisa Ireland’s narrative is rich with gossip, scandal, and the kind of heartwarming and heartbreaking moments that make for a compelling read.
This book was a delight to read and I zoomed through it, I think I have read most of Lisa Irelands novels, and this one was by far my favourite.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read Studio Girls by Lisa Ireland. This would have to be the best book I have read this year! I absolutely loved it and I got through it far too quickly.
The story featured three young budding actresses and one hopeful script writer. It portrays them believably and you feel like you are one of their group dealing with their day to day problems and highs and lows.
Lisa Ireland has a winner here.
Wow! This book is an absolute must read! So well written, I was taken back in time to all the glitz and glam of the 1950s.
I flew through this book, finding myself wanting more and more. The characters in this book are relatable and each bring their own unique struggles and perspective to the story.
Overall, the Studio Girls is a heartfelt exploration of friendship making it an inspiring read for many.