Basking in the new found freedom of the jazz age in 1929, the three slim, lovely, and lively girlfriends and New York socialites seem to have it all. With their interesting mix of worldly activities and naïve innocence, Cordelia Grey, Astrid Donal and Letty Larkspur fill their days lounging by the pool at the Grey's expensive Long Island mansion in the afternoons and dancing the nights away with exciting men in top Manhattan clubs. Yet, for all their new found joy in these activities, each longs for something more in different ways.

Letty dreams of the glamor of being a Broadway singer, Astrid feels caught between her uneasy home life with her rich, but overbearing, mother and the thrill she feels when with Charlie, Cordelia's brother and high rising gangster. Protected constantly by the men in Charlie's gang, 18 year old Cordelia still feels raw and robbed by the death of her father, Darius. She knows she wants to do something, but what?

With the heady changes of the times from flapper skirts, to flying in an aeroplane, to bootleggers rubbing shoulders with old money elites in country clubs and speakeasies, life seemed easy and fun, yet class distinctions still made their mark and danger lurks for the unwary. As each girl single-mindedly follows her dreams and desires, they soon neglect to check their impact on others with surprising and scary consequences. Can they and their friendship still survive?

With her realistic descriptions and authentic depictions of the Jazz era, Anna Godbersen instantly pulls you into the heat and headiness of this brash and cheeky glamorous time. BEAUTIFUL DAYS is the second book in the Bright Young Things trilogy and, while it can easily be read as a stand-alone young adult novel, it might best be read in sequence. The characters are strong and well developed and, as the plot moves forward from the insights of each woman, it makes for a fascinating tale with well- developed dialogues fully in tune with its authentic historical fiction backdrop. It is sure to be a hit for the teen market as well as being a delightful read for the more seasoned readers! Enjoy this dollop of the bootlegging life in the 20s!