Wow! I was not emotionally prepared for this stunner of a book.

This book flips back and forth from Dovie's pov in the 50's to Ava's pov in the 70's. In 1955 homosexuality was treated as a crime and the women that were caught to be in a same sex relationship were cruelly punished.
Dovie forced to hide behind closed doors makes one mistake which leads to the destruction of her life as she knows it. The culprit for this destruction plays a key part and it was extremely interesting to find out her motives and how she warped the truth to destroy true love.

Ava is a sixteen year old girl in 1975, who is having a miserable time at home. Her mother is battling with poor mental health whilst Ava tries to cover up the damage that her mother's mental health is inflicting until it all gets too much. Ava's dad was semi-absent, he tried to play his part but I instantly took a dislike to him and the fact that he would try to do his role when it suits him made me genuinely angry.

When Ava is delivered a mysterious box, she tries to uncover the mystery that it withholds. I absolutely adored Ava and I really related to her myself and felt genuine sorrow for all the hardship she was going through. Once Ava was committed to solving the mystery, so was I. I read this book in just over a day and I would quite happily read it all over again. It was so unexpectantly beautiful. This story is full of deceit, love and betrayal and so much more.

I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review. WoW! WoW! WoW! What an absolute mind spinning, beautiful gripping story this was!
I had a really hard time putting my Kindle down to do my Adult responsibilities. One of my favourite reads of 2021. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I absolutely loved this book. It was just so beautifully written. I felt like I personally knew each character and I could feel their emotions as the story progressed. My heart felt their pain and hurt. This is definitely the best book I have read in a very long time. Superb!

"That Green-Eyed Girl" is a novel set in the same New York apartment in two different decades. In the 1950's we see Dovie and Gillian living there, two schoolteachers who are, for all intents and purposes, spinsters who are sharing the rent. Unable to reveal the true nature of their relationship, the two guard their private lives fiercely - until someone finds out their secret...

In the 1970s, the apartment is now being lived in by teenager Ava Winters and her mentally ill mother. When Ava's mother is hospitalised, Ava is left to fend for herself. And when a mysterious box arrives from Paris containing a photograph of a woman with LIAR scrawled across her face, Ava finds in it the distraction she needs from her unraveling life. Determined to track down the woman the parcel was intended for, Ava isn't prepared for what she will find out about the history of her home, or what implications it will have, not just for her but for all concerned...

I really enjoyed this engaging and well-written novel. The characters were well-drawn, and if they made incomprehensible decisions sometimes, well that was all part of their fallibility. I liked the way the two strands of the novel wove together across the decades, and that every character came with a fully thought out backstory. And the end - well, no spoilers, but it broke my heart a bit! Looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, who provided me with a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dual narratives can be tricky, add two time-lines and you’re asking for trouble. Not Julie - she pulls it off beautifully, I was equally invested in both strands. There’s a real sense of place too, I’ve never liked whiskey, I’m not big on jazz but I found myself thinking I should love both. The pacing is perfect, the voice is striking. Highly recommend.

I don't usually read this genre but I was blown away by this book! So evocative of the period and the pacing was really well done. i was swept up in Gillian and Dovie's story and didn't want it to end. A nice use of dual narratives too.

Well, I am afraid I am going to gush about this book and when it comes out next year I'm going to stand on a box in the middle of Manchester city centre with a copy of it in my hand, preaching to all who will listen. It would go something like this: "You have to read this book." "This book is so beautifully written it makes you quite breathless." "Block off forty-eight hours from your life, because you won't be able to put this down." 'I hate Judith."

On a more serious note, this book takes you back to a time when books were crafted and not just written. To a time when plot twists and storylines are original. To a time when the writer crafts each sentence so beautifully that it feels effortless. To a time when writing is a skill, more reminiscent of carving a masterpiece than painting by numbers!

I lived in New York for two years in the '90's and although this book is set in two timelines way in the past, the evocative writing and the way Owen-Moylan gave it the respect to make it a character in its own right is incredibly skilful. It took me right back there; to the heat and the vibrancy of New York City, to the eclectic mix of people that make up the city and it made me so incredibly nostalgic!. The sights, sounds, feel, were in my house for the time it took me to read it and it made me smile.

It's not often I read a book in two days, but I ripped through 'That Green-Eyed Girl' and was disappointed when I got to the end. I'd have just liked to have had a cup of tea with the characters, watched them wash up, sit in a chair for a little bit longer. As a result, I thought about this book for a while after I had finished it.

I am not going to spell out the plot of this book because you just need to read it and be swept away into 1950's New York. However, without spoilers, here's a quick synopsis: The dual-timeline, set in 1955 and 1975, features two women who will later be linked by a strange box of possessions. The era it is written in, draws attention to a period which is rarely discussed: when homophobia was rife, when people had to conform to stereotypes expected of them.

This book deals with difficult themes which prove to be thought provoking as you're walking the dog or washing up or making a coffee. This book made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me incredibly angry with one of the characters, but most importantly it made me curl up in the garden and not move for hours at a time. It's slick. The prose is dazzling, the storyline original and the plot engrossing. With this writer, you are in good hands.

I loved Dovie, and was championing her from the sidelines, even though some of her decisions are at times erratic and ill-thought through. As for Judith, I wanted to grab her by the scruff of her neck and visibly remove her from Dovie's life!

Ava, a struggling schoolgirl, is a heartbreaking character with her own struggles and a fabulous contrast to Dovie's storyline.

This book broke me, put me back together and made me ugly cry.
Just buy this book. You won't regret it. Cannot recommend enough.

Thank you to the publisher, the writer and NetGalley for my arc.

Wow, this one was hard to put down! I loved the story of Gillian and Dovie, two women who were unable to be public about their love, sharing their lives in a small flat in hot 1950s New York until something terrible comes and interrupts their private bliss. As a happily married lesbian, I've never felt so lucky to be born in the 1980s, and while things aren't perfect now, this book highlights the risks of secrecy and betrayal. There are two narratives, one set in the 1950s as gentle but determined Dovie struggles to enjoy her life and hold onto her love. The second narrative starts in the 1970s where Ava, not quite a woman, still in high school and pouring all her love and hope into an unrequited crush rather than dealing with her mentally ill mother and emotionally disconnected father. This novel teases out the connections between the two. It would make a lovely film in the style of Richard Yates/Mad Men, with beautiful visuals and a killer jazz soundtrack. Five stars from me.

This is a book that held my attention until the end and had me wanting to find out what happened. However, I did feel like the ending was slightly predictable and I was disappointed that there wasn't more of a backstory or narrative of Ava's mother Mary-Lyn. I think this book is an ideal holiday read and as someone who read it in one day, I would recommend it as a great beach read.

I finished That Green Eyed Girl a few days ago and I am still thinking about it. It's such a powerful book, but one that never screams or yells to make its story known, instead it quietly breaks your heart and then reassembles it gently - all to a soundtrack of sultry New York jazz!
It tells the story of Dovie and Gillian who live together in an apartment in 1950's New York City, hiding their love from the world and guarding their private lives fiercely. That is, until someone discovers their secret...
Twenty years later in the same apartment, young Ava is hiding her own secret. When her erratic, unwell mother disappears, a package turns up on the doorstep that will send Ava on a journey, leading her gradually back through time to Dovie and Gillian's tragic story.
I really liked the dual timeline narrative of this book and was particularly interested in the electroconvulsive therapy sub-plot. I thought the writing was absolutely exquisite; the author writes with such poise and clarity, I could hardly believe this was a debut novel.
Heartbreaking, evocative and smooth as a spoonful of honey, this is sure to be one of the literary hits of 2022. Pick it up if you wanted to be transported to mid-century NYC (and if you like a novel that makes you want to dance and weep in equal measure).

Art on a page. Beautifully crafted, duel timeline novel set in a New York apartment. Two teachers having to lead a life in the shade and the tragic teenager trying to make sense of her troubled existence.
This isn't my usual read but I found it both refreshing and charismatic. A strong debut.

Wow what a book. I really enjoyed this book and enjoyed all the different characters and loved what the book touches on
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy

I don’t usually read books in one sitting, but I received ‘That Green Eyed Girl’ as an arc this morning, and finished it in just a few hours.

This is a story featuring two inter-connected timelines, 1955 and 1975, with two women linked by an apartment and a box of possessions. The 1950s, as told by Dovie, and indirectly Gillian, is a terrifying time for our sapphic protagonists, so they keep their relationship hidden away, for fears of electroshock therapy and being cast out from society.
Although the culture has changed by the 1970s, through Ava, we see how prejudice affects day to day life, and her family, and how women are ‘treated’ for mental health issues, when her mother is forced into hospital.

The characters in this story are so perfectly written; Dovie and Ava are compassionate and kind people, yet they have realistic flaws, and often make mistakes.

I’d recommend this book in a heartbeat, and will absolutely buy a physical copy when it releases next year.

Set in 1955 and 1975 this blends a poignant, heartbreaking love story, with a saccharine free coming-of-age tale and it does it so well. The prose is beautifully simple, letting the storylines in both periods unfurl at a pace that isn't rushed but never drags. It's a simple story that reaches it's conclusion with such dignity and is all the more devastating for that. A truly accomplished novel - and I cannot wait to read more from this author.

I've been going through a VERY stressful house move and this absorbing novel was exactly the anecdote I needed, whisking me back to 1950 and 1970s New York in this dual timeline about love, loss and identity.

New York in the mid 70s. Ava wants to be worrying about her romantic hopes and schoolwork, but with her dad recently shacked up with the youthful Candy, her mother's mental health has broken down. Ava has missed school to take care of her, but as her mother's mental health deteriorates even further she knows she's out of her depth - and she can't rely on her father. She's only 15 and there's no one who really cares about her. Which is why when a box is delivered to her apartment from Paris addressed to the past occupants, she becomes obsessed with trying to track down the women who used to live there and to find out what happened to them.

Back in the 1950s Gillian and Dovie can only be themselves in their apartment. By day they are respectable single women teachers who happen to share a flat, at night they are lovers. But New York in the 1950s is a hostile environment for lesbians, and the threat of hospitalisation and forced treatment hangs over them. They dream of Paris and a life free of fear and pretence, but can never quite bring themselves to make the step, but when a colleague blackmails her way into their lives, the fault lines in their relationship become strained and any future starts to seem beyond their grasp.

This is a really beautiful read, thoughtful, poignant and incredibly evocative, putting us right into both New York timelines with meticulous research and detail. The themes of mental health, hidden lives, heartbreak and fear and the bravery it takes to grab control of your life subtly run across both timelines. Clever and haunting, this is very much recommended.

It's not often I read a book in a day now, but I whizzed through 'That Green-Eyed Girl'. A dual-timeline story, set in 1955 and 1975, it features two heroines who are linked by a strange box of possessions. The story alternates between the jazz-infused 1950s of America and France, and the 1970s, and illuminates a period of history that is rarely written about - a time of prejudice and homophobia when forbidden love was punished and many people lived hidden lives. The character of Dovie was so loveable, and the reader is on her side all the way through, despite the missteps she takes at times. Sad, lonely, dangerous Janet is a character you just want to punch! Gillian, with her valid neurosis and conflicted interests, is a character the reader can understand so well, and Ava, a schoolgirl who is struggling with too much for one so young, proves how brave she is by the end. The lives of these four women are all intertwined very cleverly, and Moylan's prose is uncomplicated and heartwarming. Highly recommended.

I received a copy from Netgalley, in return for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this wonderful book ahead of the publishing date.
This is a story set in two timelines, telling the tale of love, family and loss.
Set in New York City we are invited to share the stories or Dovie, Gillian and Ava.
This novel is a wonderfully bittersweet tale, told in an easy to follow, well- paced way with well developed characters and creating environments you can almost feel.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost in an interesting story for a few hours.

I received an ARC from NetGalley, for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is set in both 1955, and 1975, flirting seamlessly between the two. Our story starts in 1975, with the young Ava and her mom, Mary-Lyn. We soon pick up on the fact that all is not well with Mary-Lyn, often experiencing lapses from reality, leaving 16 year old Ava to cope with the fallout.

As the same time we are introduced to Dovie and Gillian, back in 1955, a couple of young teachers at the local school. Dovie and Gillian have a love between them, but one that must be kept hidden from public eyes, as that love is just seen as "unnatural", and something that can only be fixed by electric shock therapy.

A mysterious box arrives addressed to the apartment where Ava and her mother are living. While seeking to take her mind off what is happening with her mother, Ava turns to the box. Upon investigating, Ava discovers that the box has been sent from Paris, and has mementos from Dovie and Gillian's life, from when they lived in the very same apartment that Ava now lives in.

While we follow Ava investigating the contents of the box, we see more of life back in 1955. We learn more of Dovie's and Gillian's personalities. Dovie comes across as a very tender soul, who wants to be liked by everyone. This leads to a terrible situation, where a sly, conniving woman ends up sharing the perfect harmony that Dovie and Gillian had created in their apartment, their sanctuary.

Without giving away too much of this story, we are led through the tribulations that Ava experiences with her mother, her crush that doesn't seem to notice her, and her father, who seems to forget about Ava when it suits him.

At the same time, we see just how the relationship between Dovie and Gillian is deteriorating due to the meddling of Judith.

I was taken through a gamut of emotions while reading this, there was frustration at Ava's situation, a growing dislike of Judith, and sorrow at the unfairness of the society that Dovie and Gillian had to live in.

This book had a wonderful way of creating links with characters across the timelines, links that as a reader, I wasn't expecting, yet they see me to fit perfectly. I found the pace of this book to be perfect, nothing seemed to be rushed, and everything was laid out so well. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and if you get the chance, you should definitely read this book!

Really enjoyed this one. Ava is one neglected 16yr old and how she channels and copes with that is adorable. I started off preferring the 1955 time period as it portrayed a story rarely told. This was simple, yet beautiful and I got sucked into that very quickly. Whether it took me longer as poor Ava was surrounded by less likeable characters I'm not sure. But when the story bridges the 20 year gap between them, that's when this get really interesting and I really got absorbed into this.
Packed with revelations and what ifs, I couldn't help but wonder, what next?
Striking, poignant, beautiful.