You will love, love, love this historical fiction novel set against the 1939 World Fair in New York City. We Came Here to Shine by Susie Orman Schnall shines a light on the challenges that women faced working primarily in a male dominated world. The main characters, Max and Vivi, fight each step of the way to make sure their dreams come true as they start new adventures in NYC.

This story deals with women’s struggles in the workforce during the 1930s. The setting is the New York World’s Fair which was such a great concept for this story. The characters are like able and learn to stand up for themselves in the time of a man’s world. Definitely a book club selection.

The World’s Fair of 1940 is the setting for this quick and easy read. Two young ladies, working at the fair, become friends, experience highs and lows, and come through to the other side. Nicely written, for the most part, this book does have a few “preachy” moments that can distract from the plot. All in all, a nice vacation read.

I've read all of Susie's books and my favorite part about this one was how she covered the struggles women had during the late 1930's. I loved both Vivi and Max and thought both of their stories were equally amazing!! It was so much fun learning about the World's Fair!!

This tells the story of two very different “modern” women and the world,s fair.

One who escaped New York to be a star in Hollywood and one who attends NYU as a journalism student

This is an honest look at two women who were ahead of their time yet absolutely believable!

This was another great book by Schnall by whom I had loved her previous novel The Subway Girls. I loved how she used the backdrop of the World's Fair in 1939 to write about two very brave women and how they not only forged a friendship but discovered what was most important to them as they fought for inequality during a time when women were treated much less than men. I loved the characters and very much enjoyed reading a historical fiction novel set in the 1930s NOT about WWII since that has been done so much. I highly recommend We Came Here to Shine!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

I loved that 'We Came Here to Shine' took place at the World's Fair - the period and the descriptions made this book for me,. So fun. Susie Orman Schnall did a great job of portraying life during this time and the plight of the "working girls" of this era. I found this story to overall serve as an enthralling and quick read that was well-researched and provided a unique insight into the time period.
There were just a couple of factors that I found improbably for the era, so I am giving this novel 4 out of 5 stars. I would definitely check out more of Schnall's work!

This is the story of two young woman trying to take control of their own careers and ambitions in the male dominated world of 1939 Hollywood and New York. Vivi Holden dreams of being a Hollywood star, while Maxine "Max" Roth yearns for a career in journalism. Vivi is up for a her first starring role when she is told that the part has been given to someone else and she is being sent to the New York World's Fair to star in the Aquacade Water Show opposite Johnny Weissmuller. Max had hoped for a summer internship at the New York Times, instead she is sent to the daily World's Fair publication and finds her boss has assigned all of the writing to her male counterpart, while she is tasked with typing up the daily schedule. When these two young women meet, they decide to form a bond to help each other fight against the prejudice and misogyny, and fulfill their dreams.
Schnall has created two characters oozing spunk and moxie. Readers will find themselves rooting for their success! Set against the backdrop of the World's Fair this is an engaging and well plotted story to be enjoyed by historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans alike.

(3.5/5) I do enjoy reading historical fiction, usually HF that takes place during WWII, so it was actually nice and refreshing to read an historical fiction book that did not take place during that time. We Came Here to Shine takes place during the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. While the fair itself wasn't really the main character in the book, we do get a few descriptions of main attractions and events at the fair. The book revolves around two women who meet while working at the fair, Vivi a Hollywood starlet, and Max, an aspiring journalist, who develop a strong bond. It's told in the POV of both Max and Vivi, something I do love in books. It's a story of friendship, love, and family secrets. Overall, I found it an enjoyable and fast read.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the review copy.

This novel is about two women who appear to be complete opposites but end up becoming friends at the 1939 World's Fair in New York City. Viva is an actress from Hollywood and Max is a journalism student. They both are forced to work at the fair not by their desire but by a studio owner and a professor but the more they see of the extravaganza, the more they get settled into their new jobs.

Viva is an up and coming actress who has just been hired for her first starring role in a movie after several years of playing bit parts. The morning that the movie is supposed to start filming, she is called into the office of the studio owner and told that she looks too innocent to be playing the main role in this movie and that someone else has been hired for the role. She's told that if she'll go to New York to be the lead in the Aquacade with Johnny Weissmuller for a year, there will be a starring movie role waiting for her when she gets back. With no other choice, she packs up her apartment, tells her long time boyfriend that she's leaving and takes the train to NYC. When she goes to the pool the first day, she's met with resentment by some of the cast and by a huge role that she needs to learn right away but she knows that she has a starring role waiting for her back in Hollywood so she starts learning the dances and keeps her upbeat, though nervous, attitude.

Max is a journalism student and ready to start her last year of college. She's wanted to be a reporter at the New York Times since she was a child. The professor hands out papers telling all of the students where they will do their internship for the summer and she is very disappointed when she sees that she's been given a summer job at the newspaper at the World's Fair and not the New York Times job that she requested. When she starts the job, she is told that she won't be allowed to write any articles but will instead be writing the daily list of activities and working in the office while a fellow male student gets all the work that she desires. She decides to make the best of it but to try to find chances to undermine the male student and write some articles.

Vivi and Max are both facing sexism in a very blatant manner - their lives are totally determined by the men that they work for and they are both unable to break out of their roles. When they meet each other, they quickly become good friends and share their disappointment with each other. As the summer goes on, will their friendship help give them the strength to obtain their goals? This is a story about love and friendship, sexism and meeting personal goals all taking place at the beautiful World's Fair.

Thank you to Net Galley and to the publisher for this amazing book. My review opinions are my own.
I was thrilled to receive this ARC galley about women's empowerment set in the year of the World's Fair . This is a fictional account of the repression of women and our rights prior to WWII.

Two amazing women meet at the World's Fair in 1939 in Queens, New York, Both independent fighting barriers to their dreams. One an actress and the other a journalist. The author writes each women's story in alternating chapters. Their stories feature the discrimination and lack of rights of women of those times . Many of which coincide with the discrimination women face today. The stories include job discrimination, sexual harassment as well as lack of their rights in the work place each faces. As their stories are told we see how driven they are and how their ambition must be their strength to barriers for their dreams

Well done to the author for a excellent story of female empowerment amid repressive times for women. So much of what the author writes of still sadly pertains to today for women. This is a must read for all young women and all women that enjoy stories of female empowerment.

A fun look at the 1939 New York City World's Fair through the eyes of two young women from different worlds and a chance meet at the Fair. I did not know much about the 1939 Fair and was interested in the story of it and the lives of these young women from page one. I could not put this down and enjoyed it from page one to the end. Engaging characters, great world building, attention to details, makes this a very enjoyable book.

Vivi a Hollywood actress and Max a journalism student becomes friends after meeting at a sort women's movement rally at the New York World's Fair where they are working. They are both battling sexism in their careers and they bond over that. Vivi is getting pushed around by her agent and Hollywood Studio and Max is relegated to being a glorified secretary instead of writing articles for the paper she's working for. I learned a lot about the World's Fair of 1939. I liked the little peeks the author gave to the Miss Subways, feature of her other book. The book had a satisfying end

I really enjoyed this story based on an actress and a journalist and how their lives intertwined with one another!! A little bit of Hollywood flair too... highly recommend

Two things this book had going for it: great writing and it had me looking things up online to learn more. I love historical fiction that introduces me to events and people I didn't know about and does it in a way that encourages me to go find out more. A fictional book should treat these characters like regular supporting roles, even though in real life they might have had more well-known roles. For example, Elizabeth Dorchester and the National Women's Party are mentioned a few times, but this book wasn't about her or it. Sure there were some very visible feminist movement undertones, but the book wasn't about that. It was just part of the times that Vivi and Max were living in. Additionally, Dr. Couney and his baby incubators! I'll admit I would have assumed that was completely made up had I not already heard about it on Things You Missed in History Class. But it was interesting to hear how women at that moment viewed the exhibit. This was a wonderful novel that worked to casually include a lot of subplots and did it well.

WOW! Fabulous historical fiction! A great coming of age/life-changing story of Max and Vivi; two girls with big dreams who meet at the iconic 1939/40 world's Fair. A tale of female friendship & support. In a time when women were often told what to do & how to act or not to act, Vivi & Max support one another, summoning their inner courage to realize their potential & reach their dreams! Pic shows my 1904 world's Fair antiquing find ️ Fab book!

After reading The Subway Girls I knew that I had found an author that I would read anything that she wrote. I was so thrilled to receive an ARC of We Came Here to Shine from the publisher. I was immediately drawn to this book also because of its stunning cover.

I knew little to nothing about the 1939 New York's World Fair. I found the story about the fair fascinating. The description in the book made me wish I could have attended and walked around. I love that Susie Orman Schnall writes books about events in our past that are so little known.

This is a story about two women who separately found themselves working at the World's Fair in NYC. Neither woman choose the job but they were told they were working there by men who were their superiors.

Once again, Susie Orman Schnall brought us a story that I will not soon forget.

I received an ARC of this book. All thought and opinions are my own.

Loved this book!! I am so glad to finally read a historical fiction book that is not centered around a war. I had pretty much given up on that genre until this book.

Two worn from different coast are brought together at the 1939 Worlds Fair. Max is a journalist student at NYU and ViVi is an aspiring actress in California sent to be the star attraction in the Aquacade swim show. Both women have different obstacles that they are facing and they become friends and allies.

This was such a timely book in respects to women trying to break into male dominated fields and facing men with power using intimidation to get what they want.

I loved the Worlds Fair as the setting. Making me wish I had been around to see it.

St. Martin’s Griffin #freereviewcopy

This story features strong women, friendships, and striving to get ahead. Max and Vivi are so different, yet they both want to be taken seriously and desire to have control of their future. I think that the World’s Fair in 1939 was a fantastic place for a plot. I also liked how these women were so different, and both of their stories worked well within this setting.

I did struggle with the overall story, though, because nothing big really happens. I think I had different expectations of the story than what it was truly about. I did find the middle got a little slow, but I did enjoy the faster paced ending.

I received a free electronic copy of this ARC from Netgalley, Susie Orman Schnall, and St. Martin's Press - Griffin. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. I love everything I have read written by Susie Orman Schnall. All are unique tales in historically accurate, well-pictured settings and memorable, well-balanced protagonists, stories to savor immerse yourself in.

Maxine Roth is a confident, accomplished journalism student in NYC, looking at her last year of schooling in the fall. She will be doing a summer program set up by her college professor where his students work in the local publishing field - ending with a competition wherein students submit their best, published summer stories and the coverage considered the most balanced and well-written will result in a year's free tuition. Max's father has recently lost his long-term job and if she doesn't get a scholarship of some sort she will have to quit school. Hoping for a spot with the NY Times, she is instead granted a job with the daily paper of the 1939 Queens World's Fair, Today at the Fair. This was a job assignment that because of the misogynistic discrimination of her editor Hugh Collier will result in Max doing scheduling and grunt work all summer, with absolutely no opportunity for her to write any articles. All of the stories will be written by her fellow student Charlie Hull.

Vivi Holden, born Alessia Russo and raised in NYC, is a Hollywood contract actress with WorldWide Films Studio with a couple of small movie roles under her belt, looking forward to moving up in the movie hierarchy with a larger, more juicy role in the fall. But first, because of her extensive swimming competition efforts in high school, she will be 'loaned' to east coast producer Billy Rose, filling in for an injured Eleanor Holm as the female lead of the 1939 New York World's Fair Aquacade, a water ballet in a pool the size of a football field and a venue that would seat ten thousand people. Vivi would be playing opposite Johnny Weissmuller, an accomplished Olympic swimmer and movie star of 'Tarzan' fame. She was scheduled to go through two weeks of rehearsal for the very complicated routine, which is turned into four days upon her arrival in New York City. Estranged from her only relatives, her sister Maria, brother-in-law Frank, and little Sophia, Vivi also intensely feels totally cut off from boyfriend Gabe and California friends as she works frantically to learn the routines involved in the water ballet.

These two young ladies, both disappointed in the cards they were dealt in the summer of 1939, work their way through personal difficulties, a world looking at imminent war, and family angst. And they find, in the search for their way, the true grit that makes them strong women in a man's world... And a great hope for the future, as envisioned at the 'World of Tomorrow', 1939 New York World's Fair.