A lovely and wistful fictionalized account of the friendship of Jackie Bouvier and Lem Billings, covering the period between Jackie’s first meeting with Jack Kennedy and their wedding.

I realized when I started this book that I was pretty vague about Jackie Bouvier and Jack Kennedy during this period, and not much better informed about the subsequent period. I also thought Lem Billings was a fictional character until I read the author’s note at the end but it didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book and subsequent reading of Wikipedia told me little that I hadn't learned through Jackie and Me.

Lem has been friends with Jack Kennedy since school and was virtually part of the Kennedy clan. However, this novel puts Jack somewhat in the background and focuses much more on the relationship between Lem and Jackie. Though Lem narrates from 1981 when he is in poor health and has been left behind by both the Kennedys and Jackie, it is a sunny and joyful depiction of a deep friendship between two people who have more in common with each other than with the charismatic Jack, but who nonetheless feel that relationship is more important.

Jack asks Lem to keep Jackie company, and while Jack isn’t really courting her, he also wants Lem to keep his name in play. Lem, in this telling, plays a pivotal role in their relationship when Jack asks him to talk to her about what marriage with him would be like.

Jack himself is not a particularly sympathetic character: he is steered by his father, is a perpetual philanderer, and uses Lem as both a messenger and a stooge. The Kennedy clan are presented as cruel, insular, and self-absorbed without the glamor that reflects and is reflected off them.

Jackie is a woman of her times (and I do seem to be spending a lot of my reading time with American women in the 1950s) and her class. Though she spent some time in France and has an actual job - Inquiring Photografer with the Washington Times-Herald in which she asks people in the street increasingly loaded questions like “Should engaged people reveal their past?” - she still understands her purpose is to get married and have children. The disparity between how she (and other women) approach the idea of marriage versus how Jack sees it is brutal. Lem, who is so closeted he doesn’t appear to realize it, functions perfectly as the sexless companion to Jackie, though there are a few vignettes of his later, slightly more out life.

Though I learnt a little history, I would recommend this novel as a rich story of a deep friendship of two outsiders who are not sure if they want in but don’t know of any other option.

Thanks to Algonquin Books and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

A charming reflection on young Jackie and Jack from the point of view of the best friend, Lem, who devoted his life to understanding the Kennedys.

Lem became Jack's best friend in college and soon began summering with the Kennedys. When Jack asks him to help entertain the young Jackie during his busy senate career, Lem is not sure how serious Jack is about her. But he soon falls under the spell of a young Jackie O, albeit more in a chaste way, as the book strongly hints that Lem is gay. This Jackie still has a multitude of ways her life could have turned out, as she works hard as a newspaper columnist and enjoys all the art and fashion New York has to offer a girl of her station. As time goes on, it seems like Jackie is auditioning for the Kennedys, not the absent Jack. The more Jack ignores her, the more Jackie seems to look for any tiny scrap of meaning in their few interactions. One knows what Jack sees in Jackie: a beautiful woman of a certain social standing who's ready to stand in the background at political gatherings. In fact, at one point, young Jackie goes to the newspaper archives and pulls all the pictures of political wives from the past two years, studying their facial expressions, stance, and above all, their clothes. But it's less clear what Jackie sees in Jack.

This book reveals all the flaws of Jack and Jackie and their upbringing without judging them for any of them. It also shows how Lem, absent any family or romantic partners of his own, clings to the Kennedys, finding ways to become indispensable to each new generation. Lem reflects back on his love for both and how it lost him the place of intimate confidant for both as Jackie and Jack's interests eventually no longer align.

For anyone who's ever been fascinated by portraits of Jackie and tales of Camelot, this book explores the creation of a power couple and all the complications that ensue.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've always been fascinated by Jackie O, and since reading The Editor by @stephenrowley , I've craved more accounts of her life prior to, and after, being married to JFK. So when @algonquinbooks reached out and asked if I'd be interested in reading Louis Bayard's Jackie & Me, I jumped at the chance, and I'm so glad I did! Thank you so much to @louisbayardwriter @algonquinbooks and @netgalley for both my gifted e-copy and physical copy of this remarkable novel!

This historical fiction book chronicles Jackie's early life, including her short stint at Vogue, her time as a photographer at the Washington Times-Herald, and her blossoming relationship with charming Congressman Jack Kennedy, all told from the perspective of Jack's friend, Lem Billings.

This book engrossed me from the first page. Bayard's writing style has an easy, effortless flow, which made me feel as though I was having a conversation with a good friend. I appreciated the early glimpses of Jackie's life, and while fictionalized, I was fascinated by her relationship with both her mother and father, as well as her drive to pursue a career. As a journalist myself, I loved reading about her application process to the Vogue internship and her time at the Times-Herald, and my heart went out to her as she was forced to either be a career girl or marry into a family of high standing - there was no compromise or "having it all."

Additionally, my heart went out to Lem, who had such strong feelings for Jackie but sacrificed them - and, in turn, his own happiness - for Jack. The way he remembered and spoke of Jackie touched my heart, but the realization that they sacrificed so much of their hearts and lives for someone who didn't appreciate it, broke it, as well.

If you, like I, am intrigued by the Kennedys, the Camelot era, and the reality behind the glitter and glamour, this is definitely the book for you! A story of friendship, difficult decisions, sacrifice, betrayal, and love, Bayard does a beautiful job of giving readers a fascinating look at Jackie and her life outside of Jack.

This book hits shelves Tuesday, June 14, so don't wait - get your pre-orders and library holds in today! This was my first Louis Bayard book, but it certainly won't be my last!

Very interesting take on Jackie, Jack and their friend Lem. Written from Lem's viewpoint, glimpses of the pre - Kennedy Jackie and a young Jack and the way Camelot came to be.

Though this is a work if fiction it's often difficult to remember this whole reading. The words and story come to life in a way you feel you are reading an account written by Mr. Billings himself!

A fictionalized account of Lem Billings, John F. Kennedy's friend and Billing's relationship with Jackie Kennedy. As a long term friend of Kennedy's, Lem Billings had knowledge of JFK and his habits, which he tries to impart to Jackie. A nicely written book that makes one question if it is fiction or has a bit of truth.

Jackie and Me
by Louis Bayard
Pub Date: June 14, 2022
Algonquin
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book! We are all fascinated by Jackie and this is a great book told through the author's eyes. I adore historical fiction and if we are to believe everything written in this book the Kennedy Men are not very admirable are they.
I enjoyed this book and the inside view of Jackie's life before she married the future president.
3 stars

I enjoyed this book as a throwback to my love of the fantasy of the Kennedy 'Camelot'. I admired JFK as a president so much that I joined the Peace Corps back in the sixties when I was barely out of my teens. I loved Jackie as an icon of grace, beauty, and dignity. I never knew about Jack's life-long friend, Lem Billings, and Louis Bayard did a genius job of recreating the friend from Choate, taking the narrative up to and after the president's assassination.

Lem and Jack met at Choate, a prep school, where the rich boys got their education and start on the path leading to wealth, fame, and political leadership. The book tells a bit about the trouble Lem and Jack got into and I enjoyed every bit of it. After the war, Jack is in D.C. and Lem in Baltimore. When Jack asks Lem to help him out by meeting Jackqueline Bouvier and then making friends with her, I was hooked.

I thoroughly enjoyed this walk down memory lane and will wonder if an important part of the narrative is fact or fiction. I recommend this new book to all to get a feel for those young people who came to stand out in history for brilliance and tragedy.

Thank you to NG and Algonquin Books for this e-ARC.

As historical fiction goes, this book is unusually interesting. The author makes you feel like you are living this along with Jackie. It's hard not to judge negatively the young John Kennedy. If the details of this book are true, then John Kennedy was not a very admirable person. I enjoyed this book and the inside view of Jackie's life before she married the future president.

3.5
This one was slow at the beginning for me but it did pick up in the later half. So we all know how Jackie and Jack's story ended, but do we know how it began? This book is about Jackie Bouvier and JFK's friend, Lem Billings. Lem is told to court Jackie to see if she is good politician wife material while JFK continues sleeping with every breathing female. I maybe was not in the right state of mind to read this as I had just watched a Marilyn Monroe documentary right before I started this book. The Kennedy men are horrible human beings. This book is told through Lem's point of view and while he becomes a friend to Jackie, he is first a friend to the Kennedys. So he is put in some very awkward situations. The book ends with the wedding of Jack and Jackie so it is only a small sliver of Jackie's life. On the flip side, Jackie had to have known what she was getting into. I think it is the typical where the woman thinks she can change the man. Ladies, they do not change once married.

"Death by boredom," I once suggested.
"You mean Congress," he said.

I absolutely enjoyed reading Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard, tho I wish it was longer, and felt kind of short shifted by the ending. It felt like there was at least 3-4 more chapters due to this, including the hard parts of history. Overall loved it, but wanted more, and was disappointed by what I DIDN"T see in it.

Lem Billings, close friend of JFK, is asked to vet and entertain JFK's paramour, Jacqueline Bouvier. While Lem courts Jackie on JFK's behalf, he slowly begins to fall in love with her. I did not like this book. I had a hard time with the writing style and plot movement. Whenever someone is telling stories of their past, there is a danger of nostalgia. This entire book felt nostalgic and slow moving. Overall, a bust.

Jackie & Me takes the reader on a journey of Jackie Kennedy Onassis's life before becoming Mrs. John F. Kennedy, told in the voice of Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings. Lem, former schoolmate and longtime pal of JFK, is assigned the task of being Jackie's companion while Jack is off campaigning and presumably philandering. This highly fictionalized perspective of an American icon provides a different window into Jackie's life; one, perhaps, that was forgotten once she became the wife of a senator turned president.

A story like this is interesting in that one might think, "Hmmm, I never thought of it this way." To me, this read like Lem's (fictional) diary or journal, one that was written well after the events took place. There's no major climax or turning point. I cannot presume to know how accurate or inaccurate the details of the book are, but that seems irrelevant here. It's a creative imagining of a friendship and relationship that in all likelihood, readers will be unable to scrutinize. If you are nostalgic about this time in history or just want a pleasant and well-written historical fiction book, I recommend you pick this up. Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance e-ready copy of this book.

I'm not much for books about JFK, but I have all the time for books about Jacquline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Told from the perspective of Kennedy's closest friend (and handler of sorts), this is the dazzling and complicated story of Jack and Jaccqueline's unusual courtship and later early marriage, which endured heartbreak even before the assassination.

Bayard expertly highlights the unease Jacqueline felt when dealing with the Kennedys, especially the women.

It's rare that I wish a book was longer--this was a fantastic read!

Many thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Jackie & Me by Louis Bayard. Having recently visited the Dallas book depository, I am once again fascinated by the Kennedy's and was excited to receive an ARC of this book. Even though this is a work of fiction, it is based, of course, on real people and real events. I found myself pausing often to research events in the book as I read. I feel that I have come away with a better understanding of Jackie, especially before she was "that" Jackie. I had never even heard of Lem Billings before, and I must say, I was rather surprised by his friendship with JFK and even more surprised that I hadn't heard of him before now. Without giving away any spoilers, suffice it to say, there is a lot of truth to the book and Bayard also takes care in his end notes to let the reader know about an event he made up as it fit the times. I have to say I appreciated that, as it was one event that I didn't bother to check on! This is a fairly quick read - especially if you don't stop to research - and I highly recommend it.

This book is perfect for those who are intrigued by Camelot and enamored of Jackie. It is a sweet friendship story between the two people who loved Jack Kennedy the most in the world and what they each gave up personally to be his best friend and his wife. There was no new historic or personal information but I did feel like I got to know Jackie better as a young woman. I would recommend this book to any reader interested in Jackie Kennedy Onassis.

"Jackie and Me" is a story of how two searching people became themselves--one, a debutante turned global icon, the other, a second fiddle loner turned an out man looking for love.

What's good: The story casts a new light on the specific choices made by JFK's friend Kirk LeMoyne "Lem" Billings and Jacqueline Bouvier. It shows a friendship made, and how in friendship, we can be purely honest with one another--in many ways, a higher level of love.

What's iffier: The book seems to just sit in the period of the courtship of Jackie and Jack; there's not a lot of forward momentum.

There's a certain distance in the Lem POV, implying information about Jackie, Jack, and his own life without being willing to say it. That's certainly in keeping with the period, but it was a bit frustrating at times, as we're at the mercy of Lem's POV.

With gratitude to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review.

Louis Bayard did a magnificent job of capturing the tone of the 50's and 60's surrounding the Kennedys in Jackie & Me. He painted a lovely picture of Jackie, showing her as the heroine so many considered her to be. It was a joy to spend a few hours back in that innocent time. Bayard hinted answers about Jackie's later choices of Onanisis and photo editing. It is a great book.

A wonderful spin on the historical fiction story that allows us a look at Jackie Bouvier, through the eyes of her husband's best friend. This was a great way to discover Lem Billings and who he was to Jack Kennedy and the Kennedy family. All of the research and details were spot on and the story was well-crafted. Excellent read and I highly recommend this book.