3.5/5
Do Tell by Lindsay Lynch

Edie O'Dare has made her way in Hollywood... almost. Her current acting contract is almost at its end, and a renewal is not in her future. What's a girl to do but use what she's good at? For years, Edie has been trading Hollywood secrets to Poppy St. John for her "Tinseltown Tattler" column. Now Edie is ready to set out on her own.

Set in the 1940s, Lindsay Lynch's Do Tell starts off as a tale of juicy behind-the-scenes gossip about the stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It very quickly turns into a provocative story of depth. One minute, you'll be blinded by the glitz and glamour of the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The next, you'll be taken aback by the machinations of those controlling the stars. Some parts are exciting. Others are just heartbreaking. So grab a fruity drink, settle in by the pool, and dive into Lynch's scintillating Do Tell.

Read if you like:
• Historical fiction
• Stories of old Hollywood
• Tawdry tales

It's not a Tuesday unless you got to the Parnassus instagram page and watch Ann, Lindsay, and the rest of team tell us what books are out that week. So the week Lindsay said that she wrote a book was a cause for celebration. The novel that she wrote is Do Tell. It's a book that feels like your going into a time machine into old Hollywood and get all the dish about movie making and celebrities and all the things that they are up to. The main character is a gossip columnist named Edie O'Dare. She helps get out a story of big celebrity who raped a woman at a party. From there things start to boil and her life is taken places she never thought she would go. She is a well developed character and the rest of the cast and it's a big one all come off the page as living breathing characters. I never got bored and was fascinated to see where Lindsay would take this story. The novel tackles a lot of serious subjects and handles them well. It's literary summer reading which is my kind of book. I won't go into other plot points becuase that would ruin where the story goes and it's best to find out for yourself. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Great pick for book clubs and am also excited that it's an Indie Pick. Well done Lindsay! Thank you to #netgalley and #doubeday for the ARC. Am exicted to share in my socials and sread the word!

4/5 - Thank you to @netgalley, Doubleday and Lindsay Lynch for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Out now!

This was a dazzling, high drama, intelligent and interesting read that totally surprised me. I’m not sure I’ve read anything quite like it, but if you loved Evelyn Hugo and City of Girls I think you’ll enjoy this!

Set in Hollywood in the late 30s / early 40s, Do Tell is narrated by Edie O’Dare - an actress turned gossip columnist. I LOVED the behind-the-scenes look into old Hollywood - the studio life, old westerns, glittering soirées, power struggles and complicated relationships, all taking place before and during WWII.

The issues of who has power, who matters and whose stories get told were at the forefront of Do Tell. This is not a fluffy book. Women have been dealing with BS in Hollywood since the studio structure became a thing (check out Gina Davis’ documentary “This Changes Everything” for more) and highlighting the injustices and blatant abuse was not easy. It certainly had consequences. It still does.

There are a LOT of characters here (the intro has a cast list) and the structure is a bit chaotic - going between past and present within each chapter, since Edie is telling it as an elderly woman in present-ish day. Once I got used to it, it was easy to keep up!

This was a pretty engaging read about the glitz and glamor or old Hollywood. Overall, I enjoyed it, but I found some characters' stories much more interesting than others. There were a few that just didn't hold my attention as much.

Glitz, glamour, and the Golden Age of Hollywood. DO TELL by Lindsay Lynch is a blast and completely transported me. Very fun!

Edie O'Dare is an actress with FWM studios who is about to have her contract run out. Due to her being "in" with so many of the leading men and ladies of the day, she is in prime position to become a gossip columnist after her acting time is over.

This book is not a salacious, gossipy book like you might think! It is more of a deep drama between Edie and the various people she knows - whether it is an upcoming actress, a studio head, or even the brother she brings to Hollywood to find a job screenwriting.

She brings her talents for being "not noticed" to watch what is going on all around her. And as the years go on, Edie must face several challenges to her moral character when things go wrong at a party, or when she finds out the truth about some of her famous friends. What to publish? Whom will it affect and how? These are the struggles we see Edie face throughout the novel.

I found it to be quite interesting and much deeper than the title suggests. The setting and real-name dropping add to the allure.

Book clubs would also love this book - it leaves a LOT to discuss!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book. #sponsored

This story of Hollywood's Golden Age begins in 1939, before the U.S. entered World War II. The powerful movie studios held their actors to long-term contracts and fed the media carefully crafted stories about their stars. Like MGM, rival FWM Studios worked to stay in good graces with Poppy St. John, the writer of the syndicated column “Tinseltown Tattler.” Actress Edie O'Dare was nearing the end of her contract and realized she was never going to make it in pictures. But she was serving as a behind-the-scenes source for Poppy, selling juicy bits of gossip for her column. At one of the lavish studio parties, Sophie Melrose, a 16-year-old actress about to make it to the big time, alleges that Freddy Clarke, one of FWM's leading men, had sexually assaulted her. She tells her story to Edie who decides it's time to start writing her own column. A trial soon follows, which captures the attention of the nation. America then enters the war and life changes as many actors go overseas to fight. Edie's popularity with readers grows and she becomes a force in the world of gossip. But has she paid too much of a price for her success?

There was a lot that attracted me to read Do Tell by Lyndsay Lynch. It's an era I enjoy reading about both in fiction and non-fiction. The rivalry that grew between Poppy and Edie was much like the real-life gossip writers Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. The story of Freddy Clarke was clearly inspired by Errol Flynn, who was accused of assaulting not one but two young actresses. So, with all this nostalgia, glitz, glamour and excellent research, I had very high hopes for this book. While it was good overall, I was never able to truly root for Edie, which was an issue for me. The book focused so much on the dark side of old Hollywood that I yearned for more. Perhaps this was how it truly was, but I'd like to think there was more brightness to be found under all the lights of Tinseltown. If you enjoy stories from this era, this book may be for you.

Rated 3.5 stars.

an engaging story full of secrets

thank you to netgalley and to the publisher for this review copy.

I wanted to love it, but I struggled with that. I eventually came to care about what happened with some of these characters, but that took a while. And I think that was my main struggle - this one took a while. The first chapter felt like forever, and in fact, the whole thing felt longer than it really was.

But let's hop into the good stuff, yea?

We have a bevy of actors as main characters, in various stages of their careers. Many of them are over-managed by the PR team at the studio, including being in staged relationships and even marriages.

The first half of the book deals with the trial of Freddy Clarke, one of the studio's biggest leading men, who is accused of raping the underage Sophie Melrose at a party. She was only in one picture for the studio, and so her dreams of making it are dashed before they really got off the ground. Especially with the studio's lawyers on the job, and legions of fans who judge Freddy's personal character by the heroes he plays on screen.

Our main character and narrator is Edie O'Dare, who first brought the allegations to light. Now, with her own acting contract over, she decides to try her hand at writing a Hollywood gossip column. But, because of her closeness to the Clarke trial, she doesn't want to cover it. So she needs another big story to get her column off the ground.

She thinks she has a bombshell of a story, finding out that one of FWM's actresses was pregnant out of wedlock. And where did the baby go? When she asks questions of one of the actors who may have been involved, he begs her to print something else scandalous about him instead. His career is over, and he ends up going overseas in the war.

As the war era begins, and Edie still talks to the other actors involved, she learns that she had the original story all wrong, anyway. Charles, the one who is overseas, gladly sacrificed his own career, but it wasn't for the actress who was pregnant.

We learn well into the story that Edie is recounting all this much later, after her own retirement.

There is some intrigue here, and some fun bits if you like stories of Old Hollywood. To our more modern sensibilities, there is also the issue of believing women when it comes to assault claims.

As I said, though, it's a bit slow-paced. I think part of that was because the characters are all so concerned with their careers/images, that none of them stood out as particularly likeable right out of the gate.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Do Tell
Author: Lindsay Lynch
Source: NetGalley
Pub Date: July 11, 2023

Do Tell is a debut novel by Lindsay Lynch, who introduces Edie O’Dare (not her real name…of course) with dreams of becoming a Hollywood star (with modest screen success) but becomes a first-rank gossip columnist. These were the golden days of Hollywood with glitz, glamour, and gossip. But behind the gossip are secrets, indiscretions, and lies. All the stars were owned and ruled by the studio system, and the studios controlled the industry with onerous contracts. You had to agree to many things to become rich and famous, and they pulled strings with people like Edie to get the gossip that makes a difference. It’s exhausting reading about being required to attend parties, whoop it up, relationships being arranged, no gay anything, and acting your life to death. You could never let your guard down. We have hidden pregnancies, fake marriages, sexual assault, and a trial that the studios control. It can be pretty tawdry. I liked Edie’s wit and can-do attitude; if she can’t be a star, she’ll be a star maker. The author writes: “You get to invent your truths. I have to reckon with the messy truths given to me.” It’s not all glitz and glamour; sometimes, it’s blood and guts. An exciting story and a compelling tale. I wish there had not been so many characters; it was sometimes challenging to keep the backstories organized, but well done. #DoTell @doubledaybooks #lyndsaylynch #Hollywood #Acting #secretas #pettiness #gossip #spiteful @netgalley #historicalfiction #fiction #Lgbt #Adult @instalindsa #debutnovel #movieStars  - Pub Date: July 11, 2023
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I received a complimentary copy of this ARC. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own. Thank you to Doubleday Books, NetGalley, and the author for the opportunity to read this novel. Pub. Date: July 11, 2023.
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#book #books #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagramer #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #readersofinstagram #reader #booklove #bookreader #reader

This one is for the lovers of the Golden Age of Hollywood and those who have a fascination for behind the scenes of movie making and stars of old. Do Tell gives a serious nod to the careers and influence of real life Hollywood gossip columnists, Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons, who were the predecessors to what can be considered the Modern Age of online gossip sites.
In the novel Do Tell, Edie O'Dare, an actress that never really breaks out, finds she has a knack for getting the goods on the studios and popular casts and crew behaviors and mishaps, sharing them with the gossip columnists of the day. When her acting career fizzles out, she turns from a provider of gossip to becoming a formidable syndicated columnist herself. Told by Edie as she looks back on her career in Hollywood while holding herself accountable for broken confidences, she also acknowledges it was a part of her career. Men don't apologize for their careers and neither does Edie.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for this e-arc.*

I love when a book’s setting or time period becomes a character in the book. DO TELL, the debut novel by Lynch, is set in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in the 1940s where movie studio heads were boss and celebrities were set up and paired together to create buzz and make successful movies. (Wait - does that still happen?) I thought the book had interesting twists - most of which I predicted - and the writing was strong. I could practically see the scenes as if they were in an actual movie! The characters were too many at first to keep track of and I had to push myself to find redeeming qualities in some to make me want to know what happens next…ya know? A fine first novel and I look forward to this new author’s next. Thanks to Doubleday for the advanced copy.

The description of this book sounded great, however, I had a hard time reading this book and kept skipping chapters until the end. Too many characters and too much dialogue with nothing exciting happening.

The Golden Age of Hollywood- the 1940s- was not as glamorous for everyone. Edie, whose studio contract is about to expire has been working mostly for the chief of publicity at the FWM studio, collecting tidbits of info about its stars, which she also sells to Poppy, a gossip columnist. She's making enough to bring her brother Seb, a novelist to town where she hopes he'll get a job as a scriptwriter. A fateful night at a glossy party leads to a Me Too situation for a young actress which changes everything for Edie and others in her orbit. Edie finds herself digging into the relationship between actors Hal, Margy, and Charles, and then others as well. This is an unusual novel in that it's a love story to Hollywood (a very conflicted one) as well as between two people (this one will sneak up on you- no spoilers). I don't know old Hollywood well enough to guess if anyone or any incident is based on reality and that didn't bother me a bit. Know that Edie isn't always likable, that this might seem to wander a bit in spots, but that it's a subtle and highly entertaining read that never flagged for me and always kept me turning the pages. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Great read.

Hollywood in its hey day makes the best setting for a good book!
Edie had dreams of becoming a famous movie star so off to goes from one coast to the other. Sadly, she just isn’t a good fit for becoming the actress she wanted to be. But the things she has done and seen help make her a good gossip columnist and she has the skills to watch and listen to things going on around her in Hollywood.
I enjoyed the trip to the past of Hollywood few saw, and the author has brought it to life for readers to enjoy.
Thank you NetGalley, Lindsay Lynch and Doubleday Books for the ARC of Do Tell. This is my personal review.

What I loved:

-- Lindsay Lynch's writing style

-- Old-Hollywood glamour

-- "Me Too" sexual assault theme

-- The fantastic cover

-- The uber-talented authors who blurbed the book

-- Very "quiet" LGBTQ theme


What I didn't love:

-- Slow read (plot felt much longer than it was--not a page-turner as depicted)

-- Too many characters (good thing there was a character directory at the beginning)

-- Much less juicy gossip than I expected


Thanks to Doubleday for an advanced reader copy via the NetGalley app.


3.5 stars 🌟

Do Tell is told from a point of view I've never read before - a gossip column writer. Edie O'Dare has worked smaller parts in some films and has some unique insight into the lives of the more popular movie stars. After she reports about an incident at a party, Edie learns about the long term effects of the small blurbs that get told to the public. This book was slow moving, but I enjoyed the little details of Edie's life.

This book gives an insider's look into the golden days of Hollywood, and the author creates what feels like an authentic portrait of that time and place. I found the story a little too full of details and too many characters to keep track of. At times it wore me out trying to follow it all. However, I enjoyed this book overall. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the glamorous pre-WWII days of Hollywood, Do Tell follows the rise of Edie O'Dare from B-list movie actress to influential gossip columnist. What stories that Edie chooses to tell or not can make or break a career.

I loved the atmosphere of Do Tell. There is a sense that you are getting a jucy behind-the-scenes look at what that golden era might have been like. In fact, some of the characters and story lines may be based on real people and events....

The meat of the story is how what Edie sees and reports affects people in power. How does she handle the secrets and lies to which she has access? And how did the Hollywood system cover up sordid truths that laid beneath the veneer of glamour?

3.5* What a cute title to go along with a despicable look at Old Hollywood's offstage lifestyles. Hiding behind a gossip columnist after her acting career is short of sublime, Edie is grasping tidbits of gossip to detail parties, hidden relationships and the social scene. It has repercussions exposing and publishing secrets of former colleagues. One of my favorite pastimes was to watch black-white movies where actors and actresses were bigger than life. This book brings out the best and worst of Hollywood with bar brawls, western scenes, Me-too movements early on, sexual discrimination, as well as exposure of preferences, which during the 40's it was even more discreet.
When Edie is handed information from a rising starlet, Sophie, who is only 16 years old, she is about to expose a very popular and older actor who supposedly forced himself on Sophie while at a party. This sets off a chain of ugly events with not just her enemies but her friends. What I found interesting was the print, in which matter could be changed to suit the person it was about or if it was someone the columnists liked.
This was interesting and made me think of all the older actors and actresses that have died.
That's Show-biz!! Thank you NetGalley and Doubleday for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!