Wow- this book was not at all to my liking. I thought the premise sounded good but once I actually started reading- nope. Sam, her father, and Animos were just too much for me.



**I received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

This is a fun story, especially if you’ve ever lived sorority life (or wanted to). You’ll find yourself shouting out loud at Sam, who will basically do anything to get the thing she’s always wanted in life: a real family. This made it hard for me to connect with her, though. I found myself rooting for her and wanting to protect her one moment and then wanting to smack her in the next. However, Daniel is a dream and I was glad the story ended the way it did, I just wish Sam would’ve come to her senses a little sooner in the story.

The book itself was beautifully written and the plot moves at a great pace. I’ve enjoyed author Alys Murray’s other novels immensely and can’t wait for the next!

I've been reading Society Girl for over a month now. And that has nothing to do with the book and everything to do with me. I was super busy last month as you already know, and to top that, romance is not exactly my genre of....expertise. But I have read @writeralys' debut and I loved it so I was really excited to read Society Girl!! And I was so pumped when I got approved for the ARC of it right away! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Society Girl, without giving too much away, follows Samantha Dubarry as she attempts to fit in with her almost-aristocratic family by joining an elite, private and rowdy group of gentlemen that's been a home to the Lords and Dukes of the country for centuries called The Animos Society. In the attempt to win the love and respect of her father, Samantha puts everything she wants - - everything she is - - on the line. But how much is too much to give? The story starts off when she is asked to bring a boy to a ball, whom she is then to humiliate to enter the society. But..surprise surprise..fake-dating someone never does end well in romance novels now, does it? She falls in love with him and is forced to make a terrible choice. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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The story moves forward from there with a good amount of fluff and and angst- they balanced each other quite well, actually. Going into the novel, I expected it to be a cozy, fluffy read like The Christmas Company, but it was much more intense than that. The entire novel moves forward with the reader possessing the knowledge that there is going to be some serious heartbreak at the end, and that adds a certain angst and emotion to the novel that keeps it from being a complete fluff-piece. While the romance in the book was pretty cute, it was the angsty emotional parts that really stuck with me and made me want to keep reading.
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I loved the characters of Samantha and Daniel in the book. I really adored the brother, Thomas and actually didn't quite mind the Father, too. I won't say there were revolutionary characters or anything here, but, each character had this really nice touch to them that made them relatable and understandable and real. I wasn't a huge fan of the way the characters acted sometimes. Samantha, especially, was really dumb at times. And yes, I do realize that it was part of showing how oblivious she was so that when she finally thought clearly, the character development was clear, but I still wasn't a fan of it. Sorry! The plot was fun and scary in the way things are scary when you know you're going to crash and burn at the end. And the writing was just perfectly suited for the kind of novel that it was.
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I also loved how music was a good part of the story. It didn't really take over the whole narrative but it was a nice component to the book and it made it more enjoyable. All in all, the book was just really fun to read and it's not perfect, but it's lovely. I've said this about The Christmas Company, too, but I'll say it again - - this would make a really good movie to watch, not gonna lie!

I'd like to thank Netgalley, the lovely folks at Entangled Publishing and of course, Alys, for providing with an opportunity to read and review this book! All the opinions are my own!

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this arc. I will be reviewing this book in the near future with an honest rating and review.

This was overall well written and an intriguing scenario. Sam is an attention starved 20 something desperate for her fathers approval that she’s willing to push aside the people that actually give her time and attention to get it . Her goal is to get into this “secret society “ which is apparently not that secret at any cost. She is so tunnel visioned she truly is willing to settle on a life she doesn’t really want if it means her father will grant her the time of day. The story was predictable which made this a rather slow moving book for me. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have read this ahead of time and would give the author another try.

Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

I love Alys Murray’s writing. She crafts situations that feel real and gives her characters motivations and decisions that make sense. Both Samantha and Daniel are acting in ways that they truly believe are best for them. They both want something more than anything else in their lives, and aren’t afraid to go after it, even if we the reader can see that they are making HUGE mistakes. Alys lets them make those mistakes and takes us through to the other side. Samantha and Daniel’s love story is everything you remember young love to be-- uncertain but so swoony and lovely. And with a bit of revenge.

Sure, you could call Sam a cynic, and she'll accept the label, life having taught her it's the truth. Growing up in the system gave her some hard lessons in life and they've followed her into adulthood. She doesn't believe in fairy tales, only that you're pretty much an idiot if you do. What she would like is to be accepted for who she is, but the circumstances of her birth make that a little difficult. You see, her dad is an English lord, and she's simply his illegitimate half-American daughter. Determined and desperate to get his attention, Sam decides to become a member of the Animos Society, an exclusive Oxford University club. The catch...they only except men.

Daniel, her dad's new mechanic, is the exact opposite of anyone in the Society, and while he's everything Sam needs, that fact may not help her get what she wants...acceptance. But Daniel not only sees the real her, he's also falling for her.

Surprisingly, Daniel may be her ticket to getting in - she just has to betray the man that holds her heart. What choice will Sam make? The one who truly loves her and wants what's best for her? Or doing what she must to gain the attention of the father that abandoned her.

One-click now to see which option she chooses.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book.**

Society Girl was an interesting read. It showed the insights of the aristocracy and the lengths people are willing to go to belong. Sam is quite a despicable character, with little to no redeeming qualities, leaving you to feel empathetic and sympathetic towards Daniel.

⚠ Content Warnings: Misogynistic pigs! Ugh. I hate them. Public Humiliation. Prejudice.
⚠ Read if: you love stories about English nobility, but in a modern setting.

Society Girl tells the story of half-American Samantha/Sam Dubarry that only wants to be loved and accepted by her newfound father who is part of an all-male secret society, Animos. Though her halfbrother Thomas hates what she is doing, she insists on going through hell just to get that stamp of approval.

In her journey, she experiences an instant attraction with their mechanic, Daniel. But she is someone jaded and does not believe in love, and Daniel is a hopeless romantic. Plus, love can hinder her goal to be the first female member of the Animos Society.

Aaaaah. This was such a great quick romance read. A cynic and a romantic plus throw in the British noble life in the mix!

I enjoyed the healing, self-love, and acceptance that Sam goes through. I love Daniel and all the musical references scattered throughout this book. This was a very satisfying read that was so hard to put down!

I think that this would turn into a series, but I am a bit unsure. If it would, though, I hope it would be the story of Thomas and his Mud Duck, Iris.

What an amazing romance! Congratulations to the author!

Thank you to Entangled for an advanced copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

Society Girl
By: Alys Murray

*REVIEW* 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Society Girl is a compelling look at the importance of validation and belonging. Sam is a lost soul. She's been in the United States foster system but eventually ends up in England to be with her father, whom she has never known. No one sees Sam, and that has been the sad story of her life. No validation from her father or anyone else that she is seen and loved. Sam decides to take control of her life and become the first female member of an all male secret society at Oxford. This will surely get her father's attention. Of course, though, the over privileged boys of this society must haze Sam before she can become a member. They can do what they please because their status in society is secure no matter what. Those on the outside must claw and fight to become a part of the inner circle. Only a person with extremely low self worth would do what Sam does. She's become a villain. Ultimately, she's tasked with the destruction of Daniel, a guy who actually sees and loves her as she is. Sam uses his love for her to shatter him. It's the ultimate ironic betrayal. She's too blinded by her own self loathing to see the recognition and validation Daniel gives her. Sam has been unimportant for so long, so she assumes that's all she'll ever be. It's what we all want-to know our existence is important and we belong. Will Sam ever realize that she does matter? Is she too far gone to recognize love? While I sympathize with Sam's character, I don't like her. She's mean and self centered. Daniel is a kind, selfless loving character, and I did like him. The story is engaging, revealing and thought provoking. Overall, it's a solid read with a unique premise and a bit of darkness that will keep you reading.

Sam is desperate to fit into her father's world. Growing up in the American foster care system, Sam doesn't know until she's a young adult that her father is a British aristocrat. She's determined to earn his acceptance by joining the secret Animos Society at Oxford that her father and brother are both a part of even though the organization has never allowed a female member. The leaders of the Animos require Sam to perform degrading tasks in order to achieve membership. The hardest of which requires her to "date" an employee of the family to only dump them in public at a society sponsored ball. As she is going through the process, Sam selects to date Daniel, a new employee at her home that is in charge of the fleet of vehicles. Sam discovers that Daniel is a true romantic that believes in the power of love, where she is a skeptic that does not think that love exists. Can Daniel change her mind or does Sam finally achieve acceptance from her father by earning a member in the Animos Society?

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Holy crap this book sucked me in! I devoured it. I need more, like yesterday.
Thanks to Entangled and Netgalley for the Arc

i should have known that the comparison to cruel intentions would mean that society girl would be less of a swoony romance. there's a lot of really bad behavior happening in this book, and sam dubarry is mostly a jerk.

she is so focused on getting her father's approval that nothing, literally nothing of the awful things she does and lets happen sinks in. her focus is on that one thing. and while that kind of single-mindedness can seem admirable, it's also just hard to like someone who misbehaves so badly.

that daniel best even allows her to apologize is something. but he's like the sweetest, kindest, purest heart. of course, he falls in love with sam. he's the kind of person who is going to love the broken soul over any number of beautiful ones.

in the end, this was a good read, but it wasn't an enjoyable one. i prefer my romance reads with a little less hazing and humiliation.

**society girl will publish on august 19, 2019. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/entangled publishing (embrace) in exchange for my honest review.

Samantha is struggling to fit into the society she finds herself. To do that she has to become a new version of herself. Danny is a sweetheart from the wrong side of the track. The story tells a sad tale of the adult child who has never been given the validation she wanted from her parents. She struggles with self worth issues and is on a destructive path. The one person who sees her and loves her she ultimately shatters. She has to work very hard at repairing the broken pieces, starting with herself, before she can be worthy of the love of a good man. This is a good book that explores the disparity that still exists in British society.

Sam decides to not take it anymore!

Sam Dubarry wants to be accepted by her father so she figured trying out for the secret Animos Society at Oxford as the first woman member because then he would have to notice her. Sam had done everything that the society wanted but she had to make someone fall in love with her and take them to an Animos Society ball. Sam had gotten close to Daniel Best who was taking care of her father’s car collection in between working at his grandmother’s shop while trying to make it as a singer. Sam decided to ask Daniel to go to the ball but it didn’t go as he expected when he found out the contest that the Animos Society had with its members.

Sam is a broken character in the being of the story but after the end she finds her spine and takes down the Animos Society by bringing them into the sunlight so that regular people would see who and what they were.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

All she wants is to be loved, but is she too blind to see that it might be right in front of her? Sam, the main character in this book has lived in foster care since her mother died, but now that she has found her father, all she wants to do is make him proud. The things that this woman goes through to be part of an all male society is crazy. I feel like she has no respect for herself as a woman to allow these men to treat her in such a fashion. I guess I really don’t understand her need to be accepted. I absolutely loved Daniel and how vulnerable he was. He loved Sam, and she loved him, but she was willing to throw it all away. It was a nail biter at the end. Will Sam stay with Daniel?

Daniel Best is the one man who truly sees Sam. The real her. The new mechanic for her father, Daniel is everything the Animos’ aren’t. Kind, honorable, good. But then the worst thing she can imagine happens.When I started reading I couldn't put it down. Alys Murray is magnifysent and amazing writer.I cannot wait to read more of there books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.Can't wait for the next book.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

This author is new to me and I really enjoyed this

Timely and well written it is about how society thinks you should behave as opposed to reality.

A quick, easy read over the summer - highly recommended

I wanted to like this... but the heroine made it impossible to do so. Though the writing makes the pages flow easily and the plot is unique, I just could not get over our heroine’s behavior and it soured the whole book for me. The story follows Sam, a young American who recently found out that she’s the daughter of English nobility. She grew up in foster care and she would do anything - really, some truly atrocious things - in order to have a family to call her own. Her father is cold and disinterested in her, so she decides to join the infamous Animos Society in an attempt to bond with him. Unfortunately, the initiation into Animos requires Sam to do some seriously unflattering things - including making one of her employees fall for her and humiliate them in public. When she meets Daniel, the family’s new auto mechanic, she is torn between wanting to truly date him and wanting to use him for her own gain.

Daniel is perhaps one of the sweetest, most gentlemanly guys I’ve read about in romance novels, and that makes Sam’s actions even more atrocious in comparison - which, yes, I understand is probably the point. But Sam goes to too many extremes in order to join Animos, when she could’ve found love and acceptance in other ways. I can’t say that I hated the book, because I was invested in the story from beginning to end, but I was really hoping Sam would learn her lesson much sooner than she did. Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It’s an intriguing book but Sam really tainted it for me.