I’m kicking myself for not reading this sooner.

The dual timelines and the mystery work really well. The story of Dovie and Gillian’s secret romance in 1955 feels so tragic, as do Ava’s struggles in 1975. Despite the tragedy, there are some beautiful, hopeful moments as well.

I loved this book, and I’ll be thinking about it for a long time. I won’t wait too long to pick up the author’s next book.

I really enjoyed this book. All three central female characters were believable and I liked how we got to know each one pretty well throughout the book. The author was very good at exploring emotions and it was very interesting to see how the characters bounced off each other. The pace was good and steady and the writing style felt very fresh and modern.

That Green Eyed Girl by Julie Ann Moylan is a devastating, character-driven mystery set against the culture and prejudices of mid 20th century New York. Its dual timeline is woven together masterfully, such that it kept me guessing from beginning to end.

Without giving away any spoilers, there was one character in this book that had me raging at each appearance. A master manipulator, we bear witness to the tragic and far-reaching consequences of her actions throughout the novel.

While I can safely say I really enjoyed this absorbing book, I did feel, at the end, as though not all of my questions had been answered. Did I miss something..? Quite possibly. However, what I thought lacked in this respect, it made up for with some very stylish writing and the rollercoaster of emotions it took me on.

With thanks to @michaeljbooks for gifting me a digital copy to review.

‘That Green-Eyed Girl’ has been on my TBR shelf since the publication date, and there is nothing in particular why this has not been picked up. I am thankful to both the Spring Bingo hosted by Buddy Read Book Nook and ReadWatchDrinkCoffee for helping me reach completion of this read!

I truly enjoyed this story, which is filled with emotions, with concepts ranging from love to betrayal. Although some topics discussed may upset some readers, the characters, dual time lines and absorbing writing style of this book make it an entertaining and recommended read.

As I read this book, I had a strong sense of empathy for Ava and it portrayed the stigma surrounding mental health and homosexuality during both the 1955 and 1975 time periods in a powerful and thought-provoking way.

I am disappointed with my negligence in not having read this author's work sooner, and I am eager to read more of their writings. If historical romance is something you enjoy reading, this is a must read!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the dual timelines in this book! Set in the same flat in New York, Ava’s story is set in 1975 and she is struggling to manage when her mum gets admitted to a psychiatric unit. In 1955 Dovie and Gillian live in the flat, keeping their relationship a secret. I like how the timelines link and both timelines were equally interesting. Some parts were a little slow which is why I’ve given 4 stars but overall an enjoyable read.

1955
In an apartment on the Lower East Side, school teachers Dovie and Gillian live as lodgers. Dancing behind closed curtains, mixing cocktails for two, they guard their private lives fiercely. Until someone guesses the truth . . .

1975
Twenty years later in the same apartment, Ava Winters is keeping her own secret. Her mother has become erratic, haunted by something Ava doesn't understand - until one sweltering July morning, she disappears.

Soon after her mother's departure, Ava receives a parcel. Addressed simply to 'Apartment 3B', it contains a photo of a woman with the word 'LIAR' scrawled across it.

Ava does not know what it means or who sent it.

But if she can find out then perhaps she'll discover the answers she is seeking - and meet the woman at the heart of it all . . .

It is so hard to believe that this book was delivered as a debit author. The writing is sublime and perfect.
This book is a true gem which I found hard to put down. I cannot wait to read more by this author

I love a dual timeline book, and especially love books set in New York so That Green Eyed Girl ticked a lot of boxes for me. Julie has written a beautiful novel about hidden love, abandonment and secrets against a backdrop of societal changes. It is difficult to balance two timelines, often I read a book with this trope and favour one period over the other, but in this, I was fully engrossed in both. Loved the characters, loved the writing and loved the plot. More please.

This was such an interesting read. At parts it was hard to get through, and heartbreaking, but I really enjoyed Julie Owen Moylan's writing and will definitely be reading more!

Truly, for me, a novel of near-perfection. It starts off strong with my favourite setting for a novel - New York city, baby - and the brilliant linked-in-location-across-time trope that always brings me back for more. I have been thrusting this book into the hands of everyone I meet since I read it a few months back! An absolute TREAT of a novel, and one not to be missed!!

Wow what a fab book and fab story. This book kept me reading from start to finish i read in one sitting as i was gripped on the story. Brilliant characters great ending

This story is told over two timelines, which pivot around the contents of a box. In 1975, 15-year old Ava is contending with her mother's mental health breakdown and father's affair whilst also worrying about typical teenage issues. A package arrives addressed to her apartment but to no one in particular, the contents of which send her on a mission to return them to their rightful owner. In 1955, we meet teachers Gillian and Dovie, who are having to conceal their long-term relationship from the world out of fear of the repercussions of being discovered. When the school secretary, an unliked woman who Dovie mistakenly takes pity on, discovers their secret and uses it to blackmail Dovie, their carefully constructed lives begin to fall apart.

I'm a sucker for a dual timeline, and this book does it very well with both leading up to the point where they cross over. It also has some fantastic characters, particularly Ava and blackmailer Judith - Ava is navigating some truly terrible situations and her emotions felt very authentic, whilst Judith is just so perfectly evil. I also really liked the settings of both timelines, particularly of Dovie and Gillian's story as it really showed just how difficult it was for lesbians to live with the prejudices of the time.

This book really made me think of one of my favourite stories, Nicole Krauss The History of Love, with it's New York setting and young protagonist dealing with difficult family issues whilst also somewhat naively trying to solve a mystery. The books are very different, but I clearly have a soft spot for younger characters trying to navigate adult issues.

I really enjoyed this book, it's a fantastic debut that makes me very excited about Moylan's future!

Unfortunately this book just wasn’t for me. The writing was good, and I can see why other people will like this book, but it just wasn’t for me.

I loved the setting of 1955 New York for this book, it’s so glamorous. I also loved the dual timeline of the same New York apartment in 1975. The book was interesting and intriguing. The characters were all complex and interesting and their interactions were well written and engaging.

The book covers some challenging moments including the illegality of being gay in the 1950s and covers these in a sensitive and thought provoking way.

I really enjoyed That Green Eyed Girl, it took me a while to get through but I always wanted to pick it up.

Ok I loved this book. It broke my heart towards the end and it gave me a lot to think about. I enjoyed the characters, I love how they intertwined with each other and hearing about the past and present of the characters really added to this.

It was very well written and I was gripped by the storyline and the characters from the start. A really, great, must read book. Ok I loved this book. It broke my heart towards the end and it gave me a lot to think about. I enjoyed the characters, I love how they intertwined with each other and hearing about the past and present of the characters really added to this.

It was very well written and I was gripped by the storyline and the characters from the start. A really, great, must read book.

This was such a beautifully written book, I love a dual timeline and felt that this worked together perfectly. i fully envisaged being in both timelines and how New York would look.

I adored the characters and their interactions with each other, this is easily a one sitting book!

‘That Green Eyed Girl’ is a gripping, emotional read, a storyline unlike any I’ve read before, and one not to be missed!

Some of my fave aspects:

🥃 Dual timeline (1950s & 70s America)
🥃 LGBT+ characters dealing with being LGBT+ at a time when it wasn’t accepted in any shape or form
🥃 Harrowing insight into how women who identified as LGBT+ were treated
🥃 female-centric characters/cast
🥃 air of mystery & intrigue
🥃 insight into mental health, especially mental well-being of those who identify as LGBT+
🥃 gripping, page-turning plot as the reader discovers events at the same time as the characters
🥃 cleverly created timelines & characters with certain links that add up during the story

I could not put this book down! It was written in such an enticing way, and all the characters were so insanely interesting.

'That Green Eyed Girl' is another of my favourite things: books set in and about New York.
In the sweltering summer of 1975, Ava Winters is desperately trying to conceal her mother's deteriorating mental state, until she escapes from the apartment one morning and is hospitalised. At the same time, a strange box is delivered, addressed to 'Apartment 3b', containing , among other things, a photograph of three women, one of whom's face has been scrawled out and replaced with the word 'LIAR.' To take her mind away from her family crisis, Ava becomes determined to solve the mystery and reunite the box's contents with their owner. A mystery that will take us back to 1955, where the occupants of what would become Ava's Lower East Side apartment are two women named Dovie and Gillian. Outwardly they're just friends and lodgers but, in private, lovers. A secret they must keep in a world where revealing the truth would see them locked away. And then someone finds out...

Julie Owen Moylan's debut is a great read! A dual timeline story that shows how the stories and voices of the past echo through to the present like peeling away layers of wallpaper to find the patterns hidden underneath, and not just through the history of a physical space either; there are a lot of different little details that link the two storylines together - the realisation of the significance of that 'green eyed girl' is a poignant one. (Without spoiling, I'd say another important thread is how certain people and groups have had the ability to tell their own stories taken from them.) Ava and Dovie are both interesting narrators who you're able to empaphise with (in fact, with the exceptions of Judith - who can take a long walk of a short pier - and Ava's father - who really needs either a shake or a slap - the rest of the supporting cast are also well drawn and mostly likable), and the writing is wonderfully evocative of both time and place.

Very much looking forward to seeing what she writes next!

When 'That Green Eyed Girl' was published, Julie Owen Moylan seemed like the queen of book twitter, taking bookshops and reading groups by storm - having read TGEG I can see why, what a novel!
From the first page, I was captivated by the dual stories of Dovie and Gillian, and Ava. I felt the pangs of Ava's first experience of unrequited love and the novel captures perfectly the awkward transition from child to teenager, along with the unwanted adult responsibilities that fall her way. As for Dovie and Gillian, I was totally caught up in their story. I loved the neat bringing together of the narrative threads at the end . The writing is assured and fluid and the story arc is flawless.

This is easily one of my books of the year, and I look forward to anything and everything that this author produces in the future!

I love a book with dual timelines so this one was perfect for me, and written so, so well! Set between 1950s and 1970s, we encounter our two main protagonists, Dovie and Ava. For me they were both wonderful narrators and I loved that despite the age difference, they were very similar in character and both very likeable characters.

There’s a little ‘detective’ aspect to this book as Ava tries to figure out who sent the package to her flat and who the intended recipients are. I loved this and it was especially endearing to see it written from the point of view of a teenage girl, someone very determined to not give up in her quest!

As mentioned earlier, this book is perfect for #pagesofpride as part of the main storyline centres around the relationships between Dovie and Gillian. In particular, it focuses on the perception of lesbians during 1950s America and the terrible treatment they suffered. Julie Owen Moylan writes the book beautifully and really shows the heartbreak and bravery these women went through.

This book for me was nothing like I expected but I enjoyed every minute of it and think it’s a brilliant debut novel!