Book Review for The Philadelphia Heiress by Anita Abriel

 The Philadelphia Heiress by Anita Abriel

Published March 26, 2024 by Lake Union Publishing

Genre:  Historical Fiction

 

Taken from Goodreads:  In pursuit of happiness, a young woman’s dreams extend beyond money and marriage in this aspirational historical novel by the international bestselling author of The Light After the War.

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. Debutante balls, eligible bachelors, and marriage aren’t among them…until her father is embroiled in a devastating scandal that jeopardizes the family’s financial future and social standing, that is. Then it becomes up to Helen to repair both by marrying a man of wealth and connection.

Edgar Scott is as independent as Helen. The black-sheep scion of a railroad magnate, Edgar’s aspirations of becoming an author go against the grain of his own family’s expectations. For a time, Helen and Edgar’s marriage grows from attraction and convenience to genuine loyalty and respect. But as Edgar’s frustrations and rejections mount and Helen’s personal dreams recede, the cracks in the perfect life Helen wants are beginning to show.

So begins Helen’s journey of forgiveness, redefining the meaning of perfection—for herself and in others—and accepting with all her heart the mistakes humans make in the name of love.

 

My Thoughts:  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.

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Meet Anita Abriel (Taken from her website):  Anita Abriel was born in Sydney, Australia. She received a BA in English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing from Bard College. She lives in California with her family and is the author of The Light After the War which was inspired by her mother’s story of survival during WWII. Her latest novel, The Life She Wanted is set in the Gilded Age mansions of 1920’s New York and on the French Riviera.