Short synopsis: 1938, Gloria Doening befriends a woman named Estée Lauder a woman hoping to take the Beauty world by storm.

My thoughts: This was a fun look into the rise of a beauty mogul, and her rise to fame and fortune. The NYC setting based on real women is always a favorite!

I liked how the story was primarily focused on Gloria’s side of the story vs Estees. I think it added so many fun elements to the story to have her thoughts

Read if you love:
- Successful women
- NYC settings
- Historical fiction (not WWII) based on real women
- Best friends
- The beauty industry

One of my favorite historical fiction novels of the year! I will read anything Renee Rosen writes. Thank you for the opportunity to read this e-galley.

The struggles of a young Estee Lauder as she attempts to make her big break in the cutthroat beauty business are reimagined through the eyes of her fictional best friend Gloria Downing in Renee Rosen's new novel, Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl.

When shampoo girl Gloria meets skincare peddler Estee in a New York salon, she has no idea that she is standing face-to-face with a woman who will one day build a beauty empire. Having grown up among the East Coast elite, Gloria is attempting to reinvent herself after her father is sent to prison for running a massive Ponzi scheme. Hiding out from her former social circle, Gloria accepts Estee's easily given friendship, and the two quickly become bosom companions.

Gloria sees her new friend Estee through the trials and triumphs as she pounds the pavement with her skincare arsenal, struggling to get the big department stores to see her as more than just a lowly woman hawking her wares. As Estee makes waves in the beauty industry, doing things no other brand dares - free make-up testing, anyone? - Gloria too steps out of her comfort zone, eventually landing a job at Saks Fifth Avenue, which may just be the foot in the door Estee needs to get her hands on her big break.

Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a richly detailed Estee Lauder-adjacent novel that combines a satisfying mix of truth and fiction. While the story of Gloria is a figment of Rosen's imagination, much of the details of Estee's life are true, including her breaking into the beauty industry through Saks. I knew nothing about Estee Lauder, aside from her name, before reading this novel, and feel that I got an incredible sense of the woman who "would not take no for an answer" through this book.

I quite enjoyed learning about how Estee revolutionized the beauty industry, turning it on its head and giving women what they actually wanted, as well as how Estee was able to maintain a facade of her background and upbringing for years in order to be more accepted. This novel paints a vivid picture of the New York beauty scene in the 1930s and 40s, and comes highly recommended to fans of biographical fiction.

𝗠𝘆 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 4½ ⭐️
FIFTH AVENUE GLAMOUR GIRL
🤍𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: historical fiction
📖 432 pages
𝗘𝗺𝗼𝗷𝗶𝘀: 🌆🗽🧴💄💕💰💪🏼🪖

🩵𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲🩵

Thank you @prhaudio @netgalley @berkley @reneerosen for the #gifted copy!

I loved it! FIFTH AVENUE GLAMOUR GIRL is an enchanting historical fiction that captivates from start to finish. Set against the backdrop of WWII, it beautifully intertwines themes of love, ambition, & the power of friendship. Estée Lauder's journey from humble beginnings to cosmetic mogul is both inspiring & empowering. The dynamic between Estée, Gloria, & Joe adds depth to the narrative, showcasing the importance of relationships in achieving success. With nods to iconic figures like Helena Rubenstein & Elizabeth Arden (which I read about last year in BEAUTIFUL RIVALS), this novel pays homage to the trailblazers of the beauty industry.

I really loved seeing the growth of the MC, Gloria. The intricate family dynamics & themes of starting over & second chances add layers of complexity to the story. With its Audrey Hepburn-esque cover, this is a must read for fans of historical fiction & those who appreciate tales of resilience & determination.

In the bustling streets of New York City, Gloria Downing seeks solace from a haunting family scandal by seeking a fresh start, hoping to blend into the urban anonymity. Serendipity intervenes as she crosses paths with the ambitious Estée, who harbors dreams of beauty industry stardom akin to icons like Arden and Rubinstein. As their friendship blossoms, Gloria finds herself drawn into Estée's relentless pursuit of success, discovering her own talents along the way. With Gloria's newfound voice and a job at Saks Fifth Avenue, the duo embarks on a journey of empowerment, challenging societal norms and facing the inevitable consequences of their defiance. In a world resistant to female power, they confront the steep toll of forging their own destinies and standing firm against adversity.

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲:
◽️ single POV
◽️ New York
◽️ driven, powerful women
◽️ multiple timeline
◽️ starting over & second chances
◽️ complicated family dynamic

Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a fascinating and inspiring novel that offers a glimpse into the life and legacy of Estée Lauder, one of the most influential women in the history of the beauty industry, and her friendship with Gloria Downing, a fictional character who represents the many women who helped her achieve her dreams.

The book is an enjoyable read that will appeal to fans of historical fiction, women’s fiction, and biographical fiction. The book is also an informative source of information and insight into the history and culture of New York in the 1930s, and the challenges and opportunities that women faced in that era. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about Estée Lauder, or who is looking for a captivating and uplifting story of friendship, ambition, and beauty.

"Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl" is perfection. Rosen gifts her readers with the fictional rise of Estée Lauder. This book is a historical novel of sorts, but it is more about the power of women trying to discover who they are and reach their dreams. I continue to love the characters and effortless writing style of Rosen as she delves into the real-life portrayals of women.

"Fifth Avenue Glamour Girls" captures the essence of 1938 New York City with a compelling narrative centered around Estée Lauder's journey to success. The author, known for hits like "The Social Graces" and "Park Avenue Summer," skillfully weaves together the stories of Estée and Gloria Downing.

Against the backdrop of a beauty parlor and Saks Fifth Avenue, the novel unfolds the transformative friendship between these two women, showcasing their determination to break societal norms. As Estée dreams big, aiming for recognition alongside beauty industry icons, Gloria discovers her own strengths.

The narrative beautifully explores the challenges of women seeking success in a male-dominated world, making it a captivating read filled with ambition, resilience, and the price of defying societal expectations.

Happy to include this title in my recent thematic round-up “High Society,” in the Holiday Gift Books package of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see mini-review at link)

I love historical fiction, and couldn’t wait to read this latest release by Renée Rosen.

It was so fascinating to be immersed into the beauty and skincare world, and I loved the glitz and glamour and fashion of this time frame.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-historical fiction
-themes of friendship
-themes of ambition and dreams

*many thanks to Berkley, PRH audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl tells the story of Estée Lauder from the perspective of her fictional best friend, Gloria Downing. Gloria Downing is the daughter of a criminal. In order to not be recognized, she changes her appearance and gets a job as a shampoo girl. She meets Estée Lauder who sells skin care products in the hair salon’s side shop. These two women embark on a lifelong friendship. Gloria becomes a glamorous shopgirl. Estée becomes a successful businesswoman and celebrity.

I found Gloria a hard character to like. Gloria is from high society. However, Gloria struggles through poverty because of her father’s crime. She often looks down upon others and is very judgmental. I also found her to be very selfish. She is also very guarded and does not trust people very easily because of her heartbreak. Nevertheless, she did grow on me as a character towards the end. However, she was a very frustrating character throughout most of the novel.

Overall, this novel is about friendship, ambition, and dreams. The message of this book is to never give up your dreams no matter the obstacles. I really liked all of the characters. I love Gloria’s friendship with Estée Lauder, and I wished the novel was told from Estée Lauder’s perspective rather than Gloria. Estée Lauder was a hardworking woman who never gave up her ambitions even when it seemed futile. I also loved her romance with her husband, Joe. They had a caring and loving marriage. Therefore, I think that it should have been narrated by Estée Lauder instead of Gloria. Still, Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a very light and entertaining read! There is a lot of glamor and some celebrities like Helena Rubinstein are in this book. Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl is a must read if you like reading about fashion. I recommend this for fans of By Her own Design, Mademoiselle Chanel, and A Dress of Violet Taffeta!

Another excellent historical fiction novel by Ms. Rosen. While I definitely enjoyed learning about Estée Lauder, I was more entranced by Gloria’s story.

A bit fluffy but still interesting to read about the early years of the cosmetic world. How fun it would be to go back in time and walk into Sak’s! Enjoyed learning about how Estee worked to make herself successful.

This is the story of how Estee Lauder became part of the beauty industry. From her start in beauty salons to becoming a department store staple and all of the steps and missteps along the way.

I'm a big fan of Renee Rosen's writing! I was so excited to see the excerpt of this book - I love that Renee took on a story about Estee Lauder and her origin story in the cosmetics industry. It's centered around such a fascinating time in the industry in general and I really enjoyed the cameos of different major players at the time. I also thought the perspective through which the story was told was interesting - instead of from Estee's point of view - to tell the story through the perspective of a close friend was a nice stylistic choice and was woven really well into Estee's overall journey.

I did feel like the unauthorized biography/author interview tie in felt almost unnecessary. I understood at the end that it was there to nicely tie up the book and drive to a natural ending, but the brief pieces in the middle felt like they were more out of place than really adding to the overall story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book to read and review!

This is the fun story of Estée Lauder and her drive and determination to launch her cosmetics company into Saks Fifth Avenue.
I love stories of unconventional women, and this one definitely fits the bill. Estée was definitely a woman ahead of her time, and embodied the current standards of “having it all.” Definitely grab this one if you want to be inspired!

The cover is wonderful and that will draw in a lot of readers. For anyone who does not know much about Estée Lauder and how she started her business, this historical novel combined with some fictional characters provides an excellent biography. At times Gloria seemed to be repeating her history and I grew bored. The friendship between Gloria and Estee was well written. A good book club title. 3.5 stars

I was really excited to read this because I love Estée Lauder, but honestly this one just fell a bit flat for me.

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for my gifted copies. My thoughts are my own. #penguinrandomhousepartner

I love reading biographies (and memoirs), and this one piqued my interest! If you are interested in cosmetics or skin care you may enjoy reading about how businesswoman Estée Lauder got her start.

This story is told through the perspective of her friend, Gloria Downing. Gloria describes how Estée worked tirelessly to get her beauty products into the hands of women. Estée started out (in the late 1930s) by approaching women in beauty salons and offering to perform facials while she spoke to them about skin care. Estée often traveled to Palm Beach where she attended parties and mingled with the fabulously wealthy, hoping someone would provide funding so she could expand her business. Gloria carried a purse full of samples and followed Estée at these parties. Gloria was amazed at how Estée always managed to work the topic of skin care into every conversation.

Estée’s strong ambition caused her to put her business ahead of everything else and she divorced her husband so she could be with another man who could provide more opportunities for her.
Her plan didn’t work out and
eventually, Estée remarried her husband. Together, they worked tirelessly to build the successful Estée Lauder cosmetics line.

Though I read the majority of this book in its digital format, I also listened to portions of the audiobook which was beautifully narrated by Hillary Huber. The story moved at a good pace. While I admired Estee’s business ethic, I found I did not particularly care for her character.

Read this if you enjoy:
*women’s friendship stories
*strong female characters
*success/rags-to-riches stories

Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen was a super interesting and engaging historical fiction read.

This is a story about the fictional Gloria Downing and her friendship with Estée Lauder. This book is told from Gloria’s perspective and references and embellishes actual events in Estee’s life.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable read. While tumultuous at times, I did appreciate Gloria and Estee’s friendship. I also admired Gloria’s personal growth throughout the novel as she navigated going from mega rich to a working woman who struggled at first but eventually found herself an admirable career. I also really liked the author’s note and learning about the real events and facts from Estee’s life that inspired this historical fiction novel.

⠀
This latest historical fiction novel tells the story of make-up and skin care icon, Estée Lauder. It is told through the point of view of one of Estée’s closest, fictional, friends, Gloria. We actually get more of Gloria’s story as a young woman, raised in privilege, who is left penniless when her family lost everything. She is befriended by an ambitious young Estée who is trying to sell her face creams in the corner of a beauty shop.
⠀
The depression era New York City time period of this book was what held my attention every bit as much as what Estée and Gloria were doing. It was hard enough for men to find a job during this time, women had to work twice as hard. Luckily both of these women were hard workers and strived to make lives for themselves.
⠀
Estée was relentless and we see today where that drive for success has put her company. Estée Lauder Company owns many cosmetic companies that laughed at her as she was coming up. They went from Estée and a part time sales girl hawking her creams in beauty parlors to being found in make up departments everywhere, sales over $14 billion yearly and employing over 48,000. Her family still holds the majority of the company, her sons and grandchildren leading the company.
⠀
You can see this book inspired me to dig. I loved this story of perseverance and pride in a job well done.
⠀