I love that this is written in her perspective and it is enjoyable to see how her viewpoints alter at each each. Very enjoyable and I'm not even a big musical theater history fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Lillian Lorraine came to New York with her mother to set the world on fire!!  Her mother was very domineering and Lillian had to invent ways to get around her, to get some independence.  She became a model, using her beauty to get entrance into the modeling world.  By happenstance she met someone who was able to get her into the chorus of a stage play.  It was the early 1900's and women were feeling their "oats" and so did our protagonist.  Her attraction to Flo Ziegfeld led to him taking control of her career.  Being on stage what was she wanted more than anything, but she was fiercely independent, impulsive and reckless.  Wild doesn't even begin to describe her personality.  In the end it destroyed her.  This book was well researched...a good book!  My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one for the character of Lillian, the historical research and settings, and the way the author brought the story to life.

The Adored One was unique to me, and it was so interesting that it followed a real person's life. The choice of story was unique.

For me, I like to feel as though I am in the time period that the story is being written about. This book threw me out of it a little with modernized dialogue when telling the past stories. Descriptions of what Broadway and her surroundings looked like would have helped me to visualize it as well.

I was shocked by how wild Lorraine was for his time period. I would have thought it would have been taboo. It does get addressed later on that this was part of the reason for the decline of her career--which I appreciated.

I also wanted the relationship to be addressed. To me, Ziegfeld feels like a predator. Even though Lillian lies about her age, 17/18 years old with a 41 year is just hard for me to swallow. I did not take off from the review for this, as it is what happened. I just wish the story could have addressed that topic and power dynamic.

Introductions for characters were not as fluid as I would have liked. It felt like they were just kind of dropped in the story. Fred, Gene, etc. 

This is told from 1 POV, so avoid the story if you don't like that. There was a lot of inner dialogue for me. I wanted more conversations between characters. I would have loved to have seen more of Isabelle. I really enjoyed her character. 

My favorite scene would have been the ragtime one. I felt fully immersed reading that.

The ending wraps up nicely so that you can see what happens with all of the characters. It gave me a Cass Clare vibe in that way.

This is the life of Lillian Lorraine, which I learned at the end of the book, was based upon a true story. Her complicated relationship with Flo is examined. Also the position that actresses were in in the early 1900's, expected to be subordinate to men. I thought the author drew Lillian's character very well. This novel explores the era when moving pictures were just beginning, and the theatre was considered more important. Also the historical research is impressive.  Highly recommended.