Twenty-year-old Margaret manages to persuade an American to finance her way to Hollywood. She has dreams of becoming a famous make-up artist, but first, she must re-create herself and learn to deal with the seamier side of the film business.

From the very beginning, we realise that author Katherine Blake has created a fearless character in Margaret. Her wiles take her from a working-class background in Morecombe to the golden era of 1950s Hollywood, as she becomes The Unforgettable Loretta, Darling.

I’m not sure what drew me to this book. I like to take a break from reading crime now and again so always look for something a little lighter in tone. I also love the era the book is set in.

The narrative has far more dialogue than I expected, so from the very beginning you are catapulted straight into the story with its gossipy style. This style, combined with the storyline of a young northern girl fleeing to America with big dreams seemed a bit too much like the backstreet saga’s my Mum loved to read. Initially, the story makes its inevitable progress, with Margaret, now known as Loretta, working in a diner and befriended by a prostitute.

Very quickly the story takes a very dark turn. At the beginning of the book, the author warns of scenes that the reader may find distressing. These scenes, particularly the first one, make for uncomfortable reading. They highlight the debauchery of the time, the way in which leading actors were treated as gods and could get away with anything while women were treated as commodities. The nature of some of the hedonistic parties was frequently written about in gossip columns but using a code that only people in the industry truly understood.
Once Loretta had glimpsed the seamier side of Hollywood I had hoped that the story was going to become an exposé of the darker side of the film industry during the 1950s, however, it continued to focus on her quest to become a famous make-up artist.

I liked the supporting characters and the frequent nods to real-life stars of the 1950s. Thanks to the descriptions I felt fully immersed in the backstage life on a movie set. We are given a glimpse into the magic of make-up and the studio trickery to make actors even more glamorous. The story could have been so much bigger if it had picked one direction, either chasing dreams or an exposé and stuck with that. The ending does leave things open for a sequel and I’d happily spend time finding out how Loretta is doing chasing her dream.

The Hollywood system does not only work for actors but the supporting industry.
Running away from Lancashire and the UK to the sparkle of tinsel town.
Follow the ups and downs of Loretta as life changes and friends are made.
It made me smile

A really enjoyable story about one woman's drive and ambition to become a make-up artist to the stars in the golden era of Hollywood.

Margaret moves to the US from the UK with dreams of become a big make-up artist in Hollywood, even though she has no formal training and is self-taught, but she certainly has a lot of drive and ambition.

Once in Hollywood she changes her name to Lorretta and slowly finds her feet, through a series of chance encounters, some good and some not so good. She has a lot of determination and people start to notice her more, because of her perseverance.

There are also a few hidden secrets about her past life in England that slowly reveal themselves as the book goes on.

All in all a really enjoyable story about someone slowly working their way into the film industry as a make-up artist, being employed by the make-up artist to the stars, and mixing with various stars of the day, with a bit of murder and mystery thrown in! A very entertaining and easy read. I really feel we need another book in this series to see what happens to Loretta and Eliot once they arrive in New York!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This review is my own.

I’ve had to let Loretta Darling sit with me for a day after finishing it to see how I felt. I didn’t want to be rash with my opinions, sadly, 24 hours later, I still feel like I was promised a ritzy Golden Years of Hollywood tale but got a macabre tale.

But I’d rather not settle on the negatives:

Loretta and Sally: gorgeous, love it. Actually made me really heartbroken.

Loretta and Primrose: love it. Probably the best person in her life.

Enid: gosh.

I just felt like the first 2 parts kind of languished about and then we rushed through part three and wrapped it up with the end but there were still questions with no resolution. It was heavily inferred but I guess after spending so long suffering through Raphael (twice) and the other men in the book, we get the good (we hope) one and barely any time with him

I loved the Hollywood setting and Loretta as a character is a great heroine - while many of the characters she meets along the way are as seedy and terrible as you'd expect from Hollywood 'back in the day'. It was nice to see an alternative to a character wanting to be in the movies too with her instead working her way up as a makeup artist which felt unique and fresh. Really loved it!

This book maintains its fun, frothy tone even though some of the subject matter is actually quite dark. I think this leads to a sense of it being quite an unbelievable storyline. I feel that some aspects needed a bit more explanation and closure (what did happen to the jar?!) and if these loose ends had been tied up it would have made an overall more satisfying read. What I will say is that the prose flows along well and if you are prepared to overlook some of the loose ends of the novel you will find an entertaining and light beach read at its core. It has more than a few nods to the ‘me too’ movement and is flying the flag for equality, which I definitely admired about it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book with no obligation to review.

I will say 3.5 rounded to 4 because I have given 4 stars to books I have enjoyed more and 3 stars to ones I have enjoyed less.

This book was not quite what I expected but I still enjoyed it. Loretta is quite a likeable character and we want her to succeed. The book is vividly written with good, believable characters. There are more sex scenes than I expected, including a fairly tame description of an orgy and some of the language is a bit crude.

It does seem to paint quite a true picture of the old days and ways in Hollywood in the 1950s when actors were completely controlled by the studios and women were used and abused by powerful men. Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose. Loretta is a person who is not afraid to do what she feels she must in order to succeed and I will say, her revenge on the men who treated her so badly was quite satisfying. Watch out for gypsophila!

I got a bit confused about Loretta and Elliot's plan, I don't remember him telling her what it was but I suppose it involved what happened at the end. I was also a bit confused about what exactly what happened with Enid and Da.

It's an easy read and quite enjoyable, nothing deep to think about.

Sassy, charming and full of fun. This timely story is the full package - I just love the title, the cover and our heroine, Loretta. Who doesn't love an excursion into old Hollywood?

I have to echo the other reviews sadly that it's a story that doesn't live up to the outline which is sad as I loved the outline for this.

The cover does draw you to the book but it's another girls changes name to get what she wants.

I love anything related to the golden age of Hollywood and this was a fun little read from Hollywood in the 1950s. There were two scenes which definitely weren't so light hearted and unexpected. Some may need to check their trigger warnings. Unfortunately some plot points and characters didn't feel fully flushed out and the love story felt a bit unbelievable (I didn't think there was much chemistry there).

Still recommend if you're looking for an easy read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.

Absolutely loved this romp of a book but it also has some serious messages about how women were [and often continue to be] treated as sexual fodder in the film world. Loretta re-invents herself as a make up artist to the stars in 1950's Hollywood, in the days when most men are complete cads but there’s the occasional decent one… Loretta is a wonderful character, so feisty and fun - would so love to hang out with her - and this was such a fun read. The icing on the cake was the insight into Hollywood make up secrets, and all the 1950s detail.

A great beach read. I did feel like the character wasn't fully developed, but I enjoyed the set up and how everything unfolded. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Wasn't quite sure where this book was heading. But I really enjoyed it. Its along the lines of how to kill men and get away with it buts set in the golden era of Hollywood!

A mesmerising and intriguing psychological drama set against the backdrop of Golden Hollywood, the novel follows our protagonist who wants to be a makeup artist - a nice change from the usual actress trope. This was a brilliant showing the struggles of trying to get your foot through the door. Reminiscent of Evelyn Hugo. However this wasn’t as compelling as Evelyn Hugo, and I was disappointed that the female protagonist has conveniently a male protagonist who rescues her quite a few times and that she wasn’t as driven and fire-y as I had envisaged. We move through events rather quickly and at times the voice felt more YA than adult. But it was really well researched and there were some interesting passages.

An engaging read set in the glamour and grime of Hollywood - I enjoyed the premise of this book. Thank you for letting me review it

I enjoyed this novel about a young woman's ambition and desire to make a new life for herself by whatever means necessary. I felt the ending was a little rushed and Loretta's character wasn't fully developed but overall an entertaining read that promises more from the author in the future.

Margaret leaves England and reinvents herself as make up artist Loretta Darling in the golden age of Hollywood. She suffers some traumas and setbacks, but with the support of good friends, and a knowledge of toxic plants, achieves success.
A good beach read.

I enjoyed this book, particularly the beginning - it gets off to a really strong and punchy start. The characters are great, particularly Loretta.
If I have one gripe it’s that I think the pacing towards the end didn’t quite work. I wanted to know more of Loretta’s back story and I felt this was skimmed over a bit too quickly.
All in all though, a fun and entertaining read from a promising new author.

An enjoyable read telling the story of wannabe make up artist Loretta’s arrival in Hollywood. Would recommend for lovers of Funny Girl by Nick Hornby, City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert and Seven Husbands by TJR. It was a fun read and I liked that it wasn’t focused on the typical wannabe actress trope. It just felt a little cliched and lacking in sophistication in parts, this combined with the ending feeling rushed meant it was a 3 star read for me.

A pleasant enough frolic through Hollywood's heyday through the eyes of a make up artist. An enjoyable light read