I found this book to be quite shallow and am now wishing I DNF'd it. Nothing about the book worked for me.

The premise of a wealthy girl, Helen, wishing to broaden her horizons and work on a dairy farm is weirdly interspersed with her inability to keep her nose out of other peoples' business. She is obsessed with her father's affair and decides marrying husband number one, Edgar, will solve her father's societal downfall. All the while she maintains a rabid hatred for her father and his choices. Later, she transfers her holier-than-thou attitudes on her beloved sister Daisy's choices to elope and move to Portofino - basically torpedoing that relationship too.

Throw in sporadic pseudo-dairy farming escapades and countless uses of the phrase "dairy products" and repetitious mentions of the Main Line, to add to the oddness of the book.

In her pretentiousness, Helen is able to "ostrich" enough to completely miss that her favorite confidante and uncle, Jack, is gay.

Moving on, she righteously decides to divorce Edgar based on unproven presumptions (daddy issues?) and her overriding love of dairy farming and his disdain for her Ayrshires.

Enter husband two, from left field, George. Helen hops into another engagement with approximately 5% of the book to go. But wait, within the final pages she learns she is not actually divorced, rips up the unsigned divorce papers, and (re?)-marries Edgar in front of the guests who thought they were witnessing her marriage to George. Oh, and George is pretty much OK with this.

The end.

Cue acknowledgements page.

It was ok. Maybe I just wasn't in the frame of mind to read about an uptight socialite and her "problems." Problems that could be solved by just asking questions. I thought some aspects were odd: her father's behavior (handing over a checkbook and a mansion is bought??),her reaction to her husband with a female friend. The ending was not surprise though. I enjoyed The Life She Wanted by this author but this one was weaker.

The Philadelphia Heiress by Anita Abriel

In 1920s Philadelphia high society Helen has the weight of expectations on her. She tries to live life her own way, marrying for love and carrying on her farming interests, but the path is not always smooth.

I loved this book. I really liked the historical detail - clothes, food, socialising - and the way the author included the Bloomsbury set, Deauville and Portofino as well as the Philadelphia setting. And I liked the story and characters too - the ending was a bit contrived but happy endings usually are and it was still very enjoyable. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Unfortunately, I am not going to finish this book. It is not at all what I anticipated. While the author is new to me, I requested this book because I am from and live in the Main Line suburbs of Philadelphia, and wanted to learn more about the history of the area what it must have been like to live here in the 1920's.

While I was expecting women's historical fiction, this reads more like a history book. Page after page of descriptions - everything from the houses, to the clothing, to the food.

But, another reviewer nailed my real gripe on the head with this comment: "If you love reading books that are almost 100% tell rather than show, you'll love this one." I 100% agree with this feedback. I do not need the author to tell me what the characters are feeling, doing, thinking, all the time. I should be able to discern the emotion of the characters from the author's writing. It felt very trite and juvenile - almost like I was reading a historical book from The American Girls collection.

A very enjoyable book. The characters were likable and the plot was easy to follow. I will definitely read more books by this author.

I love historical coming of age novels. It's a beautiful time period; there's no denying the glitz and glamour. But what I love most about these books is the ones that go beyond the glamour, and portray the real hardships young women face.

While THE PHILADELPHIA HEIRESS doesn't quite hit that mark, I appreciated the author's immense dedication to the knowledge and accuracies of the time period. It felt more at times like reading a historical non-fiction book about someone's real life, and not a fictional novel. I think there are a lot of readers who enjoy this sort of narrative, but it just lacked the emotion it needed for me to rate it any higher.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for my review copy.

And they lived happily ever after. That is The Philadelphia Heiress by Anta Abriel in a nutshell. The story centers around The Main Line in Philadelphia. The focus is Helen Montgomery. Because of circumstances beyond her control, Helen must marry in order to save her father’s business, the Montgomery estate and the family’s good name and reputation. While her true interest and passion lie elsewhere, Helen sets out to find a husband. What follows is a story of true love, a young woman coming into her own and finding the meaning of true love. Everyone involved has issues, but everyone ends up happy. An enjoyable fun read.

Love Anita Abriel’s work, in addition to her writing as Anita Hughes. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read in advance of publication. Loved the premise and her shift to writing about this time period within the historical fiction genre! Hope more is set in this time period by Anita.

3.5 stars
RECOMMEND

I received a complimentary Kindle e-book in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Anita Abriel, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is one of those light, fun, and easy-to-read novels that you read by the beach or the pool in the summer. Unfortunately, it did not have the character development and storyline that love. Yes, it is an enjoyable book, but I liked it rather than love it.

It's 1927, and Helen Montgomery is coming of age on Philadelphia's Main Line, where privileged young women are set for life. But Helen has desires of her own and marriage isn't among them, until her father is embroiled in a devastating scandal that jeopardizes the family's financial future and social standing. Then, it becomes up to Helen to repair both by marrying a man of wealth and connection.

This book was a quick, easy, fast paced read with a simple writing style. I don't really enjoy simpler writing styles UNLESS I want a book that doesn't require any thinking. This book is just that, a book that requires no thinking.

I did enjoy the ambience of 1920s American high society and there were a few twists and turns that were engaging. You can tell the author put lot of time into researching, which I admire.

I did find the main character, Helen, a bit stuck up and annoying. I suppose that is the point, but the whole 'I'm not like other girls, I love farming' was so overdone. I'd also say, there wasn't much character development from her or the main love interest.

There was also so much miscommunication, too much for me to take Helen or the main love interest seriously. I think if you enjoy reading a slice of life story, you'd like the miscommunication in this.

I'd say the story was wrapped up in the last few pages, which threw me off as it felt too sudden.

If you're looking for a quick weekend read, this would be perfect for you.

This is a captivating historical fiction centered on the high society of Philadelphia’s Main Line, in the late 1920s.the descriptions of that era in Philadelphia made me feel like i was there with Helen.

A love story that i truly recommend. I look forward to more of Anita Abriels books

Thanks Netgalley and Lake Union for this arc

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

(book for review courtesy of NetGalley)



I tried to like The Philadelphia Heiress. The plot is in keeping with what I usually read. Helen Montgomery is a Philadelphia socialite who chafes at the constraints of society. Helen wants to be a farmer. Yes you read that right - Helen is socialite who wants to trade designer gowns for overalls. She'd rather squeeze the udders of cows then be squeezed by eligible suitors. Helen wants to make butter and cheese rather than marry and live a boring rich person's life. A novel premise, sure, but Helen wears designer dresses and attends society functions with barely a fuss.



To save her family from social ruin, Helen agrees to find a beau at her coming out, and marry him before punch and cake are served. She barely dates two suitors before agreeing to marry a man she's talked to a handful of times. I would say that is a ridiculous notion, but women's history has taught us the opposite. The novel tries to tell readers that Helen falls in love with her fiance just in time to say I do. Then comes a marriage that faces the normal first year bumps. But could those bumps have been avoided if Helen had known her fiance for more than a minute?



Helen and her husband Edgar are presented as rebels and thus, a perfect match. Rebellion will be achieved by her butter and cheese making (on the farm attached to her family's estate) and Edgar's eschewing his nepo railroad job and mining his Harvard legacy education for connections to the publishing world to become a "novelist." I say "novelist" because The Philadelphia Heiress presents Edgar as a cliche of a cliche : the writer who needs to work on his novel, then parties, has an affair, and is a general wastral, then claims all of these things are done in service to the novel that he never actually seems to write. Helen pouts and Edgar storms out, then placates her with jewels and furs - remember she likes overalls, and not fancy clothes because she is not like the other spoiled heiresses.



They vacation in the south of France - as newly weds who want to make it on their own - with noted names of the late 20s. As Edgar is a "novelist" Scott and Zelda show up for no more than an obligatory cameo. The famous people dropped into the narrative only prove that the author can internet search "famous people of the 1920s." Louis Renault shows up. You know, that famous French car guy everyone knows from the 20s - no, no one knows who Louis Renault was. At least the novel got Zelda's interest in studying dance correct. The Philadelphia Heiress is ultimately about spoiled rich white scions of privilege who create their own problems. As Gertrude Stein, who somehow wasn't mentioned, said "there's no there there. The Philadelphia Heiress has no substance and too much stylized style.

Way back in 1940 there was a movie starring Cary Grant, Kathryn Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart called "The Philadelphia Story." Fast forward to 2023 and there is a book entitled "The Philadelphia Heiress" which I requested. This book is so like the movie with a few twists and turns...but not nearly as good as the film! Considering the fact that it was so much alike, to me it wasn't funny, I was not amused. Perhaps a wider audience wouldn't have seen the movie, or perhaps if they did, wouldn't remember it. I finished the book, knowing the ending as it was the exactly the same as the film. In any event, thanks for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is no mere rebellious heiress running from a doomed marriage. Here is a testament to a love that outsmarted the skeptics. Helen Montegomery must marry and marry well. A time tested plot to be sure. Helen has a plan that does not include marriage if she cannot marry a man who can share that vision. Enter Edgar , he too has responsibilities. To not only marry but carry on the family business.Edgar wants to write, sees himself as a great writer, a skill the writing world is hesitant to share. A social gathering provides the backdrop for their meet cute. These two form an alliance that Initially meets each others needs. Helen is co tent to grow her dairy business and studies in the states and Europe. Edgar meets and is influenced by writers is their circle, Fitzgerald and Zelda , Hemingway is mentioned. It’s a whirlwind of adventure until the real world crashes the party. Edgar starts to drink , Helen takes the family and goes back to the states. Helens life slowly begins to come together, her dairy is ahead of the curve, she is introducing cream to consumers, she has what she wanted life on the farm and a thriving dairy business. It is here that a new love enters her life. He is enigmatic, people invite him even though he’s not of their circle. His ideas are exciting, his presence is assured, and Helen accepts his proposal. As the days of the wedding approach, so does Edgar. It is Edgar who sees this man for what he wants from Helen. It is Edgar who reopens a secret section of Helen’s heart. It is Edgar who has a secret, that will bring live to Helen again.

Living near the Mainline and a reader interested in Grace Kelly type books, this title grabbed my attention. A young woman marries into a weathy family to save her family's fortune after her father's messy affair. What follows are two people working together to understand what it takes to make a scucesful marriage among nurmerous difficulties. A good summer read for those who go to the Jersy Shore and also for those who want an entertaining read and read about the Main Line (outside Of Philadelphia).

The Philadelphia Heiress is a great easy-read book. I'd definitely recommend it as a holiday read. There is nothing too taxing about the plot, but I think this adds to its charm. I really liked the character development in the story and how they adapted with the plot. Sometimes the main character could be frustrating, but I think this is mostly to do with my present day ideals. When I put myself in her shows with who she is on the show, she suddenly became much more likeable as a character. The plot is pretty standard, but it works and I have no real complaints about how the story played out.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants a nice story that doesn't require a lot of thinking.

A captivating period novel.
I really warmed to the main characters as the book went on. Helen is a product of her time and class, but holds everyone to impossible standards.
As she grows up and comes up against real life, she slowly comes to realise that life is not all black and white.

I found this to be an interesting read. While I loved the the ambience the book emits and wraps you with, which demonstrates an amazing research effort by the author, the only conclusion it led me to was that I hated the main character.
She is stuck in their ways and has no growth at all throughout the book. It really is frustrating how everyone describes her as a humble high society member while she spends the whole book proving the opposite. How she mentions during the book how she hates men thinking they can decide for her but at every turn ends up letting them do so is infuriating. In the end this character is just another eras pick me girl, and thoroughly annoying.

Advanced reader copy provided by #NetGalley #ThePhiladelphiaHeiress

I had high hopes for this book from the description but, alas, those hopes were dashed. I did not finish it because to me it was reminiscent of a series of books that start with the letter H - the trite romance novel. It was definitely not my cup of tea. But, for readers who enjoy this genre, I think they will definitely enjoy this book because it’s quite well written.

⭐️⭐️⭐️/5. The Philadelphia Heiress by Anita Abriel. It’s the Main Line in the 1920s. Helen is a reluctant debutante. She is much more interested in tending to the dairy cows on her family’s estate then husband hunting. She’s trying to develop her own line of cheeses. Suddenly, her father gets caught with a show girl. There’s a scandal and Helen must marry quickly. She must find a suitor from the right family who belongs to the right clubs. There’s a few possible fellows but then she’s swept off her feet by fledgling author, Edgar. They marry but the marriage is rocky. Will Helen and Edgar live happily ever after? Eh. I didn’t really care. Bonus points though for fabulous cover art! #bookstagram #whatiread #anitaabriel #bookgram #netgalley #books #reading #mainline #bookworm #goodreads #libbyapp #arc