Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Historical Fiction

The story is set in 1927 in Philadelphia, and it follows Helen Montgomery, a young woman who is seeking more than what women of that era wanted. She has dreams of making a name for herself, but destiny has something else stored for her. She will have to give up all her dreams and aspirations and marry a man for his wealth due to her family’s troubled financial status and her father’s scandal.

Anita Abriel is a new author to me, but her writing style is one that I find engaging and straightforward. Her prose is clear and concise. She creates believable characters and situations that some readers might relate to. I think the writing style suited the theme of the story very well.

The author must’ve done extensive research to include all the fine details of that era. That was a commendable job she did there. The narrative moves at a leisurely pace, which may not be appealing to all readers, and I believe that the characters (especially the secondary ones) could benefit from additional depth. Because of these two elements, the story that was supposed to be exciting and that relied on its characters to drive the narrative was not as attractive as it could have been.

If you are looking for a story that challenges societal norms in some way, as well as one that deals with women's empowerment, self-discovery, dream-fulfilling opportunities, and other similar topics, then this one is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

I think perhaps I'm the wrong audience for this one. I decided to read it because I live in Philadelphia and have never read historical fiction set in my area. While I did enjoy the history and it was fun reading stories with famous musicians, artists, and politicians of the 1920s, I could not empathize with the main character because everything always seemed to work out for her no matter what she did. At first I thought this book was going to focus on the pressures of high society women to get married, but marriage was treated so offhandedly by the main character. I lost track of how many men she was willing to walk down the aisle with over the course of this short novel, whether she loved them or not.

The writing was decent and I liked the details of the setting and the food, but overall I couldn't relate to anyone in the story and was a bit frustrated by some of the characters' decisions. However, the message of the book is clearly that we should follow our hearts, despite what society might think of us, if we want to truly be happy. And that is a nice message that left me with a warm feeling when I finished the book.

The Philadelphia Heiress is the coming-of-age story of Helen Hope Montgomery, a reluctant debutante from a wealthy family in the 1920s. Film fans (and those born in the 1900s) may recognize the retelling of the (now) classic movies "The Philadelphia Story" and "High Society" of the real-life socialite.

The author does an excellent job of detailing the look and feel of the Jazz Age's twenties era. It's a quick and charming weekend read that historical fiction fans will enjoy.

Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing, for the eARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review! All opinions are my own.

I requested this book because I thought the plot sounded interesting and the cover caught my eye. Unfortunately, I found the story dragging on and very boring and slow. It was more like a history book than a fun fiction read. With that being said, I am open to trying more books by Anita Abriel in the future. This one just wasn't for me, unfortunately.

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It’s 1927 and Helen Montgomery has been raised into a world of privilege on Philadelphia’s Main Line. As Helen is headed towards her debutante ball and her brilliant future as a sought-after young society woman, her father’s error jeopardizes her family’s place in good society and Helen is forced to marry well to salvage her family’s reputation – and fortune.

Although the situation is abhorrent to Helen, meeting Edgar Scott, the handsome and free-thinking son of a railroad magnate, improves her outlook on being forced into a premature marriage. Things are looking up – until external pressure sets in and threatens Helen and Edgar’s happiness.

This is my second Abriel novel, and I love her attention to detail, historical research and ability to immerse readers into the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the past. I could almost hear the strains of the Charleston and taste the fashionable pre-dinner cocktails. I also appreciated the currents of change flowing through early twentieth century society, especially for women. The weak point for me was Helen herself. As a reader, I don’t need only likeable characters if they’re interesting, but Helen was often hard to take: critical, unbending and judgmental, while readers were frequently reminded how “kind” she was. A more nuanced character would have allowed me to cheer on her transformation more. Regardless, this was still an enjoyable story, unfolding to the heady rhythms and glamor of the pre-crash roaring twenties.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy - all thoughts are my own.

The Philadelphia Heiress is my first from Anita Abriel and I cannot wait to read more of her books. I love the romance, the family dynamic, and the drama within the different relationships. None of the relationships are easy in this book but they are real.

I felt like a lot of the book was about Helen forgiving people. She had to forgive her dad, forgive her mom, forgive her sister, and so many others. There were times I was worried that she was forgiving too many and while I did not want her to hold any grudges, I wanted to her to be strong enough to stand up for what she believes in. Yet, Helen is a strong character. She does not let those she cares about walk all over her but she does realize that love is rare and when she has it, she does not want to let it go.

The descriptions in this book are in detail, a lot of detail. There were times that I skimmed over some of the words because there were too many describing a certain event or location. There were other times that I felt like I was reading something I had already read; the story had some repetition. But the story was so good.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for a copy of the book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Philadelphia Heiress is a fictional novel set in the 1920's and a throwback to old school romance. A nod to "The Philadelphia Story" a movie in the 1940's staring Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn.
Rich debutante, Helen Montgomery, who is strong willed and wants to go her own way finds herself in need of a husband to save her family name. Edgar, who has his own ideas to follow his dream of writing instead of going into the family business. Both are extremely independent, and their lives are on a collision course.
The story is predictable but it's a fun read to see how it all comes together. The journey is the fun part! I mean, we knew the outcome of Pride and Prejudice, but we still read it and cheered.
The author obviously has done an incredible amount of research of the era as it's apparent by the fine details of the story. I enjoy envisioning the scenes. A fun bonus when other writers of the time (Hemingway, Z, Fitzgerald) are included in the story.
All in all, a fun read and a respite from the heavier topics I've read recently.

A delightful and complex read. I loved the history and the characters. Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced read!

I very much disliked the protagonist in this book. While I enjoyed the descriptions of the Main Line and environs, I would not recommend

The Philadelphia Heiress follows Helen Montgomery, a rich young woman who has to give up on her dreams and marry in order to placate a family scandal.

I finished this book in two minds. On the one hand, I sped through the story really quickly - it had a very easy (and perhaps even simplistic) writing style which meant that it was an unchallenging read. I also liked that it circumvented my expectations at times. It didn't take the predictable paths in terms of narrative - and it didn't draw out obvious plot points: instead it barrelled into them immediately which meant I was always kept on my toes.

I also really enjoyed the 1920s setting - one of my favourite historical periods - and you could tell the author had done a lot of research, although sometimes this came across a little clunky rather than natural or relevant to the plot.

However, as mentioned above: the writing style was rather simplistic. There was a lot of lingering on some details but then glossing over bigger emotional moments. Helen's characterisation was a little inconsistent. We're introduced to big character traits a little too late into the narrative and as a result they feel convenient rather than inherent.

The biggest issue I had with the book is that it is a blatant prequel-going-into-retelling of the film The Philadelphia Story - but this isn't mentioned (anywhere I could see at least) on any of the marketing for this book, the summary or blurb, or even in the author's acknowledgments. I would have expected the latter at the very least. I would still have read the book if I'd known, but having this not mentioned makes it feel like the author is hoping we don't notice? I accept that a lot of this book is more focused on the events that precede the events of the film - so that's fine, but the latter part is definitely getting into retelling territory. It is even more odd because there's some slight changes to characters in the film to make them "different" enough from source, but then one character (George) has the same name entirely as in the film. A little odd.

All in all, not the worst thing I've read, and it kept me entertained enough throughout. But probably not a book I could wholeheartedly recommend.

This book gave me a bit of a difficult time with it. Our main female character, Helen Montgomery, acted like she was living in the 19th century instead of the early 20th. I had to keep reminding myself that it was 1927, and she was Main Line and ultra-rich with certain standards to uphold. But darn, she was stubborn. I kept reading, though, and finally realized that this story is loosely based on one of my favorite old-time movies with Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn. Things got better for me once I realized this.

The author does a lot of name-dropping and descriptives, and I think she put a lot of research into this novel. It really shows and makes for some very interesting reading.

The story does pick up quite a bit once you hit the 60% mark with a little altercation between Edgar and a gentleman called Louis Renault...yes, THAT Renault. And a handsome devil he was, too!

So, this book was worth the time it took to read since I enjoyed it. It's a fast read, and the price for a Kindle copy makes it a very good buy.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Lake Union Publishing - a subsidiary of Amazon, the author, and NetGalley.

Helen is a heiress living in the 1920s on Philadelphia's Main Line. The family is urging her to come out and find a rich husband. She has other ideas. Edgar is the black sheep of his rich family. They both have other plans in life.

I enjoyed the writing style of Anita Abriel. There was good character development. However, I felt like I was just reading someone's life story. It felt too robotic and without direction. I did not finish it because eventually I was bored, despite enjoying the characters.

I was really excited to read this story because for one, I really enjoy books by this author, and also it takes place mostly near Phildelphia, and I am familiar with the area.

This story takes place in and around Philadelphia (mostly the Main Line) in the late 1920s. Helen is an independent woman, who loves to care for the cows and horses on her family farm and has plans for her future business plans, but also must find a husband.

This was a really interesting story. Overall, it was an easy read. I enjoyed all of the wonderful descriptions of the Philadelphia area and old landmarks. Location-wise, this book covers a wide range as the characters also travel to Europe, and the descriptions there are wonderful as well.

I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley and I'm glad I read it.

Thanks to Bridgerton, I am in my Debutante era. This one was a miss for me. I found the writing very dry and more telling was done than provoking emotion and developing the story for the reader to picture the story themselves. It is apparent that the author did plenty of research before writing this book and I always want to point out how much that changes the feel of the book for the reader. I also don't enjoy books that I cannot connect with the main character and find myself hating them by the end.

This one was not for me. I had a hard time believing the blurb that the main character Helen had dreams and ambitions and would find herself somewhere along the way. Helen was insufferable, rigid, and everything was SO black and white with her. I would not want to be her friend in the least. She pouts whenever she doesn't get her way and doesn't seem to grow up at all throughout the book. I felt like the other characters were almost wooden, for lack of a better word. There's a lot of words but I didn't get the impression that any feelings were behind any of these people. I could go on, but you get my drift.
I would not recommend this to others.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC!

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
I thought this book was ok for a quick, light read. When Helen Montgomery discovers her father is having an affair, the family decides she must marry to save the families estate and her father's reputation. I just found Helen to be an unlikeable character. She thinks she is always right and has very little empathy for others. I think she might have developed a little more heart by the end of the book, but it just seemed to be too late in the story. I enjoyed the descriptions of the clothes and the houses, and some of the well-known people that were alive in the 1920's, but the story was very predictable, especially the ending.

This book was an enjoyable read. I really liked the strong character of Helen and the dynamic between her and Edgar. I thought it was a really good historical fiction piece and liked the period it was set in. The period was clearly well researched. The writing style was good, and there were only a couple of typos.

I thought the pacing of the storyline wasn’t quite right for me though. I would have loved to have seen the beginning of Helen and Edgar’s relationship blossom more. Them getting together and getting married happened very quickly. I think the section with George was too long for my personal taste as I missed Edgar, and I thought the ending was a little rushed, as he won her over quite quickly.

Overall, I did really enjoy the book. The storyline, the characters, the period it was set in were all incredible. The pacing of the book was my only issue, but that was a personal preference.

I would recommend this book to others, especially historical fiction fans.

Thank you to @netgalley and @LakeUnionPublishing for this ARC. Helen is trying to enjoy a birthday lunch when she notices her dad with she believes is a mistress. After going home and confronting her mom and dad, she is told that they are in financial trouble because of this affair and she. must marry rich as soon as possible or they will lose their family home and Helen's precious milk cows. In walks Edgar who seems to be answers to prayers. But will she be able to love him enough to sacrifice her life for even if it means they will lose the "farm"? Good and quick read! #ThePhiladelphiaHeiress #AnitaAbriel #LakeUnionPublishing #March2024

First off, I LOVED this book! Where do I begin? I am from South Jersey and throughout the years have seen stories about Helen “Hope” Montgomery on the news. The Philadelphia Story and High Society are among my very favorite movies. Many years ago, I learned that Helen Montgomery was the muse for Phillip Barry’s play The Philadelphia Story which became the film starring Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. Now, fast forward to 2024, when I read The Philadelphia Heiress. It has many Easter Eggs from both films, while providing its own story set in conservative Main Line Philadelphia, the lush English countryside, glamorous Deauville in the south of France and up and coming sun bathed Portofino Italy. I was torn between plowing through each chapter or slowly savoring the book. The story is well constructed, and even amusing at times. Beautiful job, Anita Abriel! Now, please excuse me as I’m going to watch two of my favorite movies….