Gosh. I had high hopes for this one - I am OBSESSED with the golden age of Hollywood, and though I don't typically gravitate towards a historical fiction pick, the synopsis and description of this one had me hooked. Unfortunately, it really fell flat for me and I slogged through to the finish in hopes it would get better (spoiler alert: it never did).

It has all the elements that would normally intrigue me - the setting, the journalism, the investigation, the mystery, but all were poorly executed and never really captured my attention. I never should've finished this one because the ending was less than satisfying and didn't make the process worth it. Skip this one - it's not as good as you want it to be.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me and was a DNF but I am sure other readers will feel differently! Thank you for the ARC!

Fully immersed in this world with lots of great characters that keep you engaged from start to finish!

A very engaging debut about the Golden age of Hollywood. 

This was a fresh take and I was wholly engaged through out the entire tale.

This debut novel will appeal to fans of old Hollywood and all to familiar gossip stories that ring true today. Lindsay Lynch is an author with a lot of promise.

A well-written and clearly well-researched debut novel about the golden age of Hollywood. I found myself wishing there was more plot and less description. I'll be curious to see what Lynch writes next, though!

The main thing that will stick with me from Do Tell is the novel's incredibly strong voice. The old school Hollywood tone and vibe are immaculate. It makes the book very moody and evocative. As a reader, you feel immersed in the action and can vividly visualize the plot. I found this novel to be an extremely strong debut, and I'd definitely pick up future releases by Lindsay Lynch.

Thank you to NetGalley, and Doubleday for the complimentary eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I tried this one but was just kinda bored, it didn't really feel like much was happening. After talking to a few other sources who had read this, I felt okay putting it down.

If you are fascinated by 1940s Hollywood: the movies, the glamor, and perhaps, most of all, the gossip Lyndsay Lynch’s debut novel Do Tell is for you. Not a book for the starry eyed, this book is an often cynical look at the era - at the inside lives of the stars and the studios that own them. 

The narrator Edie O’Dare is brutally honest - as she finishes out her contract at a major studio and transitions to writing a gossip column. She walks a tightrope - needing to maintain access to the studio and the stars to have something to write and writing copy that will keep her editors and readership reading. The throughline is the story of a young actress who has the temerity to accuse a leading man of sexual assault. Edie has to make several decisions along the way that impact the case dramatically. I’m not sure I loved her, but found myself admiring her nonetheless. 

Lynch does an excellent job of keeping me interested in a cast of characters who are not overly likeable. She does an excellent job of recreating the uphill fight of women of the era. I celebrate the victories even if we don’t admire how they are achieved. I feel the frustrations and the sadness - even if we feel some might be deserved. Her setting is the best! She captures for her readers the fashion, the language, the physical settings and the culture of the time.

You are saying old Hollywood gossip around characters screen main character energy? Please, Do Tell! Set in pre and during WWII era, Do Tell is your TMZ of the times. Everyone was afraid of Edie, who was a B-list star before her contract expired with FWM. She was feeding info to other gossip columns while staying close to one of the studio execs and getting herself invited to every big event. So, what she did next? Start her own column. She did not get much out of her contract with FWM, but still she would give back to them in form of good exposure.

The only problem with being a gossip columnist was not knowing where to stop. There was an understandable trade-off between talking about the most scandalous gossips out there to push your agenda and fame further and wreck people's lives. Edie crossed that line not once but twice forgetting there were people attached to these stories. All her days came after those two ball-drops were about trying to find out the truth and make up for what she destroyed.

I really liked the atmosphere created in the book. How the traditions and customs of the time were weaved into the story was on point. There was even a nod to unsung heroes of the movies, costume department! If you like old school Hollywood glam, read this

Such an interesting book. I was so enraptured by the book that I flew through the book. I will for sure read more by this author in the future.

A novel that takes place in old Hollywood when gossip columnists reigned large and spread a shadow of fear over the stars - women like Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper who also had ambition to act but ended up reporting on former co-workers - stars and directors.  There are loads of interweaving scandals and cover-ups here including allegations of rape, sexual harassment and gay stars having to hide in the closet.  The dialogue at times is quick and witty like in a screwball comedy.  There are wonderful detailed descriptions of the gowns and the Academy Awards ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel - I felt like I was there.  Famous stars are mentioned in passing (such as Cary Grant and Myrna Loy) but the main characters resemble famous stars (such as Errol Flynn).  Overall, this was a good read.  Sometimes, it felt the threads got tangled and the book became bogged down (this is Lynch's debut novel) but still an enjoyable read.  

Thank you to Netgalley and Doubleday Books for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

I feel like this book could be an easy 4 or 5 star read for a different audience. I loved the setting and the Hollywood glamor era, love that it makes you see the dark side of films as well as the glitz of it all. I did not connect with the characters, not even the star and I appreciated her take control attotude but I feel like it was pulled away from the plot of the book and formed a new story in ways rather than flowing easily.

This is a DNF for me.  I was just not interested in these characters and found myself growing tired of the endless gossip.  The author was going for wit, and rapid fire dialogue to evoke a period and develop characters and was only moderately successful.

One of my friends reviewed this as “I like the idea of it more than I like the execution”, and unfortunately, that’s exactly how I feel after slogging through it. In the 1940s, Edie O’Dare is a Hollywood actress who’s finishing up the final year of her contract with renowned studio FWM. Although she knows everyone, she wasn’t terribly successful, so she’s not sure what to do next – until she gets the opportunity to write a gossip column exposing the scandals of all her former coworkers, including an assault (and Me Too) situation at a party she attends. While that outline sounds fascinating, the plot meandered all over the place, and the characters weren’t rich enough to even help me tell them apart. It was somewhat interesting to see behind the scenes of Hollywood’s Golden Age, but the plot was so bogged down in flashbacks and forgettable asides that it just made it a slow read that I wanted to give up on many times. (I stuck with it because reviews said it got better, but… it really didn’t.) I’m disappointed this wasn’t more enjoyable!

The book started off the familiar 1930's rhythm of speech (fast and clipped) so I expected to enjoy the book and breeze through it. somewhere in the middle of the book after waiting for the pace to pick up I lost interest. I wanted to like this book but No it became a tedious predictable read.

Do Tell by Lindsay Lynch
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.75)

Thank you @doubledaybooks for the @netgalley of this debut novel that came out last month! Swipe for goodreads synopsis.

I really enjoyed the Old Hollywood setting of this! It takes places in the 30s and 40s in Los Angeles. Grace was my favorite character and I liked how the acknowledgment section mentioned who the characters were inspired by.

What I didn’t like about this was the pacing. I didn’t like how the chapters were divided and felt like the different sections and parts were a bit jumpy and random. I was also confused on some of Edie’s motivations. It felt a lot longer than it was.

⚠️: rape, sexual assault, infidelity

I just couldn’t connect with the writing or story.

Edie, our main character, isn’t at all likable.

We have a large cast of characters that feel interchangeable. None, including Edie, are well developed.

The content feels choppy and disconnected, and the plot ill-defined.

Nothing was working for me, so I gave up.

DNF

*Thank you to Doubleday and NetGalley for the eARC.*

The synopsis of the book seemed like it would be a great read. Set in the glamour of old Hollywood, great descriptions of the fashion and setting.  However, there were way too many characters introduced in a very brief amount of time at the beginning of the book.  It made it too difficult to keep up with who was who and I felt I needed a scorecard just to remember who everyone was.  Not to mention how they were connected.  Due to that reason, I was unable to connect with the characters or follow the storyline well, so was unable to finish reading this item.  My library system has already purchased it for our collection and there is a small wait list already, so hopefully others will feel differently about this item than I do.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Do Tell by Lindsay Lynch!