The drinks glass and flashes of almost neon colour on this book’s cover were striking on NetGalley. To me they signified city living, the bar scene and potential for glitz and glamour - I’ve probably watched too much Sex and the City. However, the women depicted here were a long way from flashy, fashionista, New York City Girls. In fact there are only a couple of nights out in the whole book. This is a different NYC, where real people live and work day to day, just trying to get by in a city that’s exciting, but expensive and tough. In a split narrative, set partly in 1955 and partly in 1975, this is a novel that writes back to women’s history. It opened my eyes to a time when women were persecuted for the way they choose to live their lives. In 1955 Dovie Carmichael and her friend Gillian work together as teachers and share an apartment. The friends have a lot in common: they love jazz, a glass of whiskey at night and lazy Sundays at home. The pair guard their private time very carefully, until one day when the wrong person gets a glimpse into their lives, changing everything. Twenty years later teenager Ava Winter lives in the same apartment with her Mum and her Dad, when he’s around and not with his mistress. Ava’s mum is not well mentally and Ava is struggling to live a normal teenage life, preferring to stay home to keep an eye on her. She becomes fascinated with a mysterious box and letter sent to their address from France. Inside are letters, a butterfly necklace and a photograph with LIAR scrawled across a woman’s face. Ava wants to know the story behind the box. Who was this woman, that lived in her home and what do the letters say?

The theme that stood out to me more than anything was loneliness. I felt a contrast between the huge open city and the small private spaces where secrets are kept. The characters I felt most connection with were Ava and Dovie, both struggling to keep secrets about their living situation. The mistake Dovie and Gillian make allows a very manipulative woman to take advantage of them. Julia Schnagel works at the same school and does come across as a lonely woman, but has allowed her situation to develop bitterness and envy in her character. In the guise of struggling to find an affordable apartment, she inveigles her way into Dovie and Gillian’s home and relationship. It’s clear she wants friends, but seemingly can’t stand to see two people who are happy in each other’s company and if she can’t have it for herself she might just set out to destroy it. Ava is also lonely and I think she senses a similar feeling in the box of keepsakes she discovers, it’s that connection with the sender’s loneliness that makes her so determined to find the person this box was meant for. It’s also a distraction from how miserable her own life is. With her mum and dad estranged she is often solely looking after her mother who seems severely depressed and liable to harm herself. It’s almost a role reversal, with Ava looking after her welfare instead of the other way round. I felt deeply for this young girl going through the usual teenage phases of a crush on a boy in the neighbourhood, a worry about how she looks and fitting in, and both the anticipation and fear of what comes next in life. On top of this her father uses his precious time with Ava to chat up the waitress in their favourite diner. Her mother is deteriorating, screaming and muttering through the night and Ava is so worried about the neighbours hearing her or her friend finding out what home is really like since her dad left. The scenes of her alone in their cold apartment, willing her mum to settle for the night and wishing her dad was there, were vivid and moving.

Whether in New York or Paris the settings are beautifully evoked and I could feel the change in time period from just a few well written sentences. Even the usually romantic Paris has it’s downsides because this is the reality of living there, rather than the dream. I felt the author really got under the surface of these cities and showed me what it was like to be a New Yorker. I found the LGBTQ+ scene so interesting and the contrast between women who kept their relationships secret, with more openly gay women in NYC or Paris, was beautifully portrayed. Dovie has never ventured into meeting other women and the scene where she visits a club stayed with me. There’s an innocence about Dovie that contrasts sharply with the sophisticated women she sees there, some of whom are scathing of Dovie’s lack of knowledge about being openly lesbian in 1955. I don’t think she really understood the danger she faced which could be anything from losing her job to being arrested or put into an asylum. I was just as shocked to realise that women who were open about their sexuality, or discovered, were subject to arrest and even ECT treatment to curb their ‘unnatural’ activities or desires. The nightclub raid where Dovie is helped to escape through a bathroom window is unbelievably tense and so poignant when we realise it’s link to 1975. The way police manhandle and sexually assault the women reminded me of how the suffragettes were treated so many decades earlier. The idea was to break the women’s resolve and remind them what they were really for - the amusement, desires and dominance of men. Reading these women’s experiences made me so angry, but also opened a door into a world I am ashamed to say I knew little about. At heart this is a love story and all the way through I wanted to know what had happened in that apartment in 1955 and I also hoped that Ava would find the intended recipient of the box from Paris. For me this book had a similar impact to the television series It’s A Sin. This was an emotionally captivating story that’s sure to stay with me and has inspired me to read more about the history of sexuality and the fight LGBTQ+ people still have for equal rights across the globe. I really look forward to reading more from this talented author in the future.

I loved this book!

This is a heart-breaking love story with two interwoven time lines.

In 1975, Ava is lost and increasingly isolated. Her mother’s mental illness is getting worse and her father is hardly ever at home. It is July is the city, the heat is oppressive and the stench of uncollected gabage overwhelmes the streets. A parcel with no name is delivered from Paris to their apartment. Ava opens it and becomes obsessed with uncovering the story behind the contents.

Twenty years earlier Dovie and Gillian are living the same apartment. Both working as teachers in the city they have to hide their relationship, pretending to be friends and roommates rather than lovers.

Theirs is a relationship of opposites. At home they are cosy and intimate; listening to jazz, drinking whiskey and planning trips to Paris. But they are also fearful of being found out and ostracised at a time when women are sent to asylums for their “unnatural behaviour”.

When colleague, Judith, worms her way into their life and temporarily moves into their apartment, the tension increases and Dovie and Gillian have to fight for their relationship.

This is such an atmospheric book full of tension that is amplified by the small city apartments and summer heat.

Ava’s journey to uncover the the story of Dovie and Gillian reveals some truths about her own mother that may help her understand her more. Ava’s own loneliness is mirrored in Dovie’s letters and despite the 20 years difference they both live in times when reputations can be ruined by rumours and spite.

The 1950s chapters are by Dovie who is both desperate to please and longing for freedom. Her dream of life in Paris where she can live openly with Gillian is constantly at odds with her need to keep people happy. Judith is obnoxious and manipulative and definitely a character that you will love to hate. The extent of her manipulation is gradually revealed.

This is a beautifully written book. The characters and their stories will stat will you long after the last page.

Thank you to Penguin Michael Joseph for inviting me to be a part of this wonderful blog tour and for my gifted copy of the book.

That Green Eyed Girl is a serious contender for my book of the year. It’s a dual timeline story set in 1955 and 1975 in New York. This is a beautiful, yet heart-breaking, story of forbidden love, lost chances, jealousy, loneliness and forgiveness.

I loved the characters of Dovie and Ava, both incredibly strong and yet dealing with difficult problems of their own. Dovie was such a dynamic woman, knowing who she was, and knowing the risks of being true to herself. Gillian was more uncertain, and struggled with the potential risks to them being together

Dovie and Gillian were taking such enormous risks. In 1955 they could have lost their jobs, been arrested, and undergone electroshock therapy as conversion therapy, simply because they loved each other. As things implode, due to the actions of a character who is hard to like, lack of direct communication forces changes Dovie and Gillian could not have anticipated. I kept hoping for the best with the unlikeable character, and almost hoped she would have a redemption story, but you will have to read the story to find out for yourself!

Ava, in 1975 is nearly 16 and being forced to grow up fast when her mother is admitted to a mental facility, dealing with the stigma and gossip about her mother’s mental illness and her unreliable father barely being there for her. She lives in the apartment that used to belong to Dovie and Gillian in the fifties. When Ava receives the box it is almost a distraction for her from her family issues, as she sets out to find out who the box needs to be delivered to. I loved the way she investigates the people connected by the contents of the box, in the days pre-internet, when people had to be located the hard way!

The setting was so beautifully presented that I felt that I could picture the apartment, and feel the heat blasting through the windows. It was a vibrant snapshot of New York in the fifties and seventies, and I could picture every moment.

That Green Eyed Girl is a character driven story with such beautifully created characters who emerge from the page in all their vibrant realness to capture your heart and give it a squeeze. Be prepared for highs and lows in this incredible debut that will stay for you long after you finish the book.

That Green Eyed Girl is Julie Owen Moylan’s debut and what a debut it is! I loved this one!

I loved both of the main characters in this one, but I think I enjoyed being back in Dovie’s timeline that little bit more. There was something about the setting of New York at that time, an era I don’t usually read about that I found fascinating. And of course, Dovie, her and the people around her had me hooked. I especially liked finding out more about her family when she visited her sister.

I couldn’t wait to find out how these two separate stories were going to link, when we’d find out how they were connected, and I did not predict it correctly at all 😂 but I thought it was cleverly done. And towards the end I didn’t want to put it down as I just wanted more. I loved the ending.

This book shows heartbreak, the horrible treatment of gay women in the 50’s, how poorly mental health was treated, and how women’s lives have changed over the years. It was such an interesting read that had me hooked, needed to know more about two very different women from different times, all connected by Apartment 3B.

What an absolutely beautiful book. I've been on an incredible journey.

I love books set in two different time periods, I really preferred the 1955 setting, I could really see myself living there.

The characters were so well developed that I just loved them, Ava was so relatable trying to keep her mother's secret and my heart broke for her on so many occasions andI loved Dovie and Gillians relationship. What a struggle that must have been.

I'm feel so lucky to have experienced such a beautiful read and highly recommend this book.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rounded up from 3.5

Historical fiction is not something I usually go for but the synopsis with that element of mystery and the absolutely gorgeous cover drew me and I knew I had to give it a read.

That Green Eyed Girl is a dual perspective and dual timeline story. The first perspective is teacher Dovie in 1955, who is in love with Gillian, who both live in fear that their secret will be found out. The second is fifteen-year-old Ava, a troubled teen whose dad has abandoned her and her mum is suffering from a mental breakdown for which she is unprepared for. A box arrives at her apartment, which is the perfect distraction for Ava, who set about to find the mysterious owner of the box.

I was not prepared for how much of an emotional read That Green Eyed Girl turned out to be!

It is a very character driven story. I felt so much for both Dovie and Ava. Both troubled, but for very different reasons. I just wanted to reach into the book and hug them!

The writing set the scene so well. There were vivid descriptions and references which made me feel like I'd travel back in time to 1950s and 1970s New York.

There are a lot of tough subjects covered in the story, particularly when it came to gay rights and mental health issues. The author shows the harsh realities for women in those days which made me both sad and angry. It reminded me we may have moved on a bit from those days, but there's still more that needs to be done.

I felt the ending could have been a bit stronger, but of course that's just my opinion.

That Green Eyed Girl is an emotional and hard-hitting debut with realistic characters and settings to immerse yourself in.

That Green Eyed Girl is a beautifully written, emotional tale by Julie Owen Moylan. The dual timeline of the 1950s and 1970s New York are both superbly depicted by the author. The rich descriptions offer a real sense of time and place for the reader. A hugely impressive début. I'm pleased to have this new author on my radar.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Michael Joseph UK via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Right from the synopsis I was getting Evelyn Hugo vibes and once started these continued. Gillian and Dovie are living two lives, during the day respected school teachers but once they come home they are able to be their true selves, two women in love with each other. In the 50s they had to hide who they really were which is interesting enough but then an added element of tension is added when a colleague discovers the truth and blackmails Dovie. I was rapt with the three women's entanglement but at the same time we are transported forward to the 70s where a young girl is living in the same apartment and has problems of her own. I have read enough historical fiction of this kind to know that Ava would be unwittingly linked to the past but how? I love when a mystery is discovered and the key to unlocking the answer is in both the past and the present. The author kept me guessing throughout and I was as frantically looking for clues as Ava was. I may have been drawn to this book for one reason but I drawn to it throughout for a number of reasons. The characterisation, story intrigue and writing were evocative and stood out. 2022 is the year of the strong debuts and this is definitely one. Julie Owen Moylan is another new author to add to my watch list!

Now this is a very special one to me. It's been a joy to observe Julie's journey towards publication and definite literary stardom on Twitter over the past two years. It would have been thrilling if this was just any old book, but it's doubly satisfying that it's certain to be one of the hits of the year.

That Green Eyed Girl is a dual time narrative encompassing the stories of lesbian couple Dovie and Gillian in the 1950s, and Ava in the 1970s. Ava, dealing with a mother in the middle of a mental health crisis receives a box in the mail containing possessions she doesn't recognise. She begins to dig deeper into the story of the box, following up clues with her best friend Viola. The summer of 1975 in New York City is hot as hell and Ava is on the fringe of adulthood. Her father is mostly absent, occupied with a much younger girlfriend, and the story of Dovie and Gillian is a welcome distraction.

Switching to 1955, teachers Dovie and Gillian share an apartment in the city and are deeply in love. Of course, this being 1955 their romance has to be conducted behind closed doors, which is obviously strange to a contemporary audience. But for Dovie, and the more realistic Gillian, is a way of life.

Into their domestic bliss comes their colleague Judith, who has her own reasons for drawing close to the couple. She masterfully drawn by the author and would fully deserve to become her generation's own Mrs Danvers. I loathed her. and you very well may too.

All of the women in this book go on journeys - into other people, into their surroundings and into themselves. The story is rich in detail, never feels hackneyed or cynical. It's absorbing, tense and tear-jerking. And I couldn't have loved it more if I tried.

Bravo also to the designers of the jacket for pulling together a design that is both beautiful and reflects the heart of the story.

Owen Moylan is one to watch. I know she is working on another book as we speak. And I am looking forward to it immensely.

This book takes place in one New York apartment in 1955 and 1975.
In the former, we are with a young lesbian couple, who are keeping their love a secret; and in the latter a young girl and her i'll mother,

This was such a great story to read about and the characters felt so real and genuine. It was a really heart wrenching read in so many ways and I really felt for all of the characters.

Im being careful not to give anything away as it was so well crafted. This book was brilliant and i can't wait to read it again,

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book because it sounded interesting from the description but for me it wasn’t what I expected.

It was wry heavily character based rather than about a mum disappearing mysteriously and I felt like not much happened.

I’m sure that this style of book will be a hit with those that like character focused books.

Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. After a recent bereavement iv have struggled to find a book that has gripped me enough to concentrate on but this did it and I couldn’t put it down. I liked the duel timeline and felt such empathy for Ava and got to like her so much as the story unfolded. I also took to Dovie and Gillian and the story of the dreadful persecution of gay women in the 50s, such a sad, gripping tale of lost love and i most definitely recommend. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the chance to read this copy.

What a debut! Julie Owen Moylan is clearly an accomplished writer and storyteller and is definitely one to watch for the future. I have no hesitation in giving That Green Eyed Girl five stars.
There are two linked storylines, set twenty years apart, in the same apartment in 1950s and 1970s New York. It ticked a lot of boxes for me, with themes of friendship, family, love, heartbreak and loss, and even a coming of age angle for 15 year old Ava in 1975.
The writing included tension, sensitivity and even some humour. It gives an insight into life in New York City and into the treatment of mentally ill and gay people.
I absolutely loved it and can’t recommend it highly enough.

I didn’t finish this book I couldn’t get away with the split time line, and there was one character which wasn’t particularly nice

Told in two different timelines, New York 1950 and 1970, this book is wonderful written and took me in one hell of a ride.

Imagine two young women, teachers, that live together and get through a forbidden romance. I can only imagine the frustration and so many emotions for both of them in those times.

It gets even more heartbreaking when someone discovered their relationship and will blackmail one of them.

At the beginning, it made little sense to me. Why would we have the now and twenty years later storylines? But with the new clue of the box full of belongings, things get to shine more brightly with each new chapter.

A beautiful and heartbreaking story overall that I’ve enjoyed reading and will recommend it for a queer story.

This book flits between two timelines, one in the 1950s and another in the 1970s. We are whisked to New York and two young teachers, Dovie and Gillian, sharing an apartment and a forbidden love, and then forward to a young girl, Ava, living in the same apartment, whose mother is haunted by something in her past. When her mother is taken into hospital, Ava receives a parcel containing various belongings, a letter and a photo with the word "liar" across it.

This is a wonderful book, with some interesting female characters and a central mystery about what happened in the lives of Dovie and Gillian and how they are connected to Ava. We see Gillian's kind nature get her, and Gillian, into an increasingly difficult and ultimately dangerous situation. Ava is a young woman going through many of the awkward experiences of young adulthood, including that of an intense, unrequited love. The plot masterfully enfolds by switching between the two timelines and slowly revealing small connections before the whole story is told.

Its an excellent book, recommended.

I enjoyed everything about this story: the perfectly executed settings in the New York of the 1950s and 70s, also a brief sojourn in Paris; the characters Dovie, Gillian, Ava, the dreadful Judith, and the gripping, emotional ride the reader is taken on.

In 1955 Dovie and Gillian are school teachers who share a home together until Judith discovers a secret about them and, in return for keeping silent, blackmails Dovie into letting her move in with them.

In 1975 teenage Ava is living in the same apartment, her father leaves her on her own and her mother is in a mental hospital. When Ava receives a parcel sent from Paris she sets out to find the recipient.

This is a heartbreaking love story that delves both into the experiences of mid-century American gay women and also mental health 'treatments' of the time. Highly recommended.

That Green Eyed Girl is Julie Owen Moylan’s beautiful, tender and devastating debut. Set in New York during both 1955 and 1975 this is a story of love, loss, heartbreak and discovery.

That Green Eyed Girl is a story of two halves that become beautifully intertwined. The first is set in New York in 1955 and is the story of Dovie and Gillian. Both women are teachers who to the outside world live as lodgers. But within their apartment they are much more to one another and protect their personal life fiercely. That is until someone finds out…

The second is set within the same apartment but in 1975 and is the story of 16 year old Ava. Ava is struggling with her mother’s increasingly erratic behaviour. Soon after her mother’s departure Ava receives a mysterious parcel, addressed only to her apartment number. Within the parcel are personal items, half written letters and a photo on which was scrawled ‘liar’. Ava is desperate to find the answer to the mystery surrounding this parcel and it’s intended owner.

That Green Eyed Girl is told in alternating chapters going between 1955 and 1975, which I think worked brilliantly. It becomes clear as the story progresses that there is more connecting Ava to the previous tenants than simply their shared address. The story unfolds beautifully and is so carefully and thoughtfully plotted by Moylan. In each period New York feels as alive as the characters themselves, providing a fantastic backdrop to the stories.

In many ways this is a deeply tragic story, and within it Moylan explores many significant issues. We are witness to the difficulties and extreme prejudice and maltreatment people faced simply for loving who they loved. Also explored is the barbaric way in which people with mental ill health were ‘dealt with’ by doctors of time. Additionally there are issues of racism, child neglect and blackmail. Whilst these are very heavy topics they are dealt with so sensitively Moylan and the novel never feels a chore to read.

This is a beautiful and yet tragic story, one of love felt and love lost. It is also, in many ways, a coming of age novel as Ava tries to find her own place in the world whilst trying to figure out what happened in the past between Dovie and Gillian. I’ll look forward to reading what Moylan writes next.

I was really intrigued by the synopsis of this book, however I did struggle. I found it difficult to get into. I am sure it will be the perfect read for someone, it just wasn’t my kind of book.

Great debut book, I enjoyed the dual timeline of changing between the 50s and 70s and the exploration Ava sets off on. From the start I felt like I needed to know everything about these characters, desperate to know the story of Dovie and Gillian whilst also being caught up in Ava. There’s a real vivid nature to the writing and the details of New York and the apartment really helped me dive into this book.

A solid debut.