I haven't met a Susan Meissner book I didn't like, and her latest, A Map to Paradise, is no exception!

This story has a different feel from her past few novels, but also shows what a diverse writer she is. It has some of the feel of Stars Over Sunset Boulevard, which was my intro to her writing many years ago. It also reminds me of the TV series Why Women Kill. Although it takes place in the 1950s, it has a lot of relevance to present times. Especially with Melanie's situation of being blacklisted in Hollywood because she was associated with someone people believed to be a Communist. I felt really bad for her in her situation. Not only couldn't she get a job, but she was also being bullied and had to hide away in order to get any semblance of peace and privacy. And then her closest friend suddenly stops contacting her or responding to her outreach and she doesn't know why.

Eva also had an interesting situation, but I don't want to say much about it to avoid spoilers. Let's just say she's hiding something about herself that could impact Melanie even further if people found out.

At first, I didn't like June, but then I came to appreciate her more as the story went on and I cared about what she was going through too.

Overall, the story is well-told and flows well. It held my interest the entire time. I feel like the intensity level isn't as strong as it was in Susan's previous couple of novels, but the element of mystery carried things along. It's perfect for fans of The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis (who I think would pair up well with Susan if she were to ever write a book with someone).

I recommend checking it out, whether you are a long time fan of Susan Meissner or whether this is your first time reading her books. Either way, it will keep you turning the pages!

(Trigger warnings below.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Melanie: Rose Williams
Eva: Jeanne Goursand
June: Rosamund Pike
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TW: Domestic violence. Suicide. Agoraphobia. Death of spouse.

This was my first read by Susan Meissner and it definitely won’t be my last! I have always heard great things about her books and now I can see why. Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and it is so refreshing to read about a time in history that isn’t often depicted. It’s clear Susan Meissner did her research, making the story very interesting. I really loved seeing how the lives of the three main characters are intertwined and the progression of their friendships.

Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner is an interesting read with many twists and turns. Three women have formed an alliance with each other even though they suspect each other of various crimes or situations. The book is set in the 1950s during the era of blacklists in Hollywood. People were not trusting each other and were selling out each other to avoid being in trouble with the government for being a ‘communist’ .

Melanie Cole is one of the blacklisted people, all because she went to a party with her boyfriend. She has a maid coming in daily, Eva. Eva is an immigrant from Europe who was displaced by WWII. She is obviously hiding something and it loath to put herself in the limelight. Really Melanie’s house doesn’t need that much attention, but it is job and she is safe. Next door to Melanie is a famous writer in Hollywood, Elwood, a recluse. Melanie is positive Elwood would help her if she could just get past his sister in law June, who is almost his gatekeeper. It is interesting that June is digging around Elwood’s roses. The three women help each other while attempting to keep their secrets their own. Different happenings make each one suspicious of the other one. Yet the world is a dangerous place in Hollywood.

The book is not a turn the page every minute to discover what is happening, as much as it is a slow reveal of the characters, their motivations and secrets. The ending does tie everything up nicely revealing a number of truths and reminding them the world is a dangerous place for them. Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner is an interesting read.

The writing is strong as usual, but I thought that three POV characters were too many to really get an in depth emotional connection to all of them. Still totally worth reading.

Melanie Cole is a Hollywood actress in the 1950s who has been put on the blacklist due to her ties with a supposed communist. She is biding her time in a house by herself waiting for it to pass so she can go back to work. Her only companions are her housekeeper Eva, reportedly from Poland, her reclusive agoraphobic neighbor, screenwriter Ellwood, and his widowed sister-in-law June. Each of the characters is holding onto secrets from their pasts, and when events of the present draw them together in unusual ways, they forge a unique bond with each other.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Melanie's character. Maybe it was because I was listening to the audiobook for most of it, but she comes across as hysterical and not level-headed at all. After a while it got better, but I thought it took a bit too long for her to cue in on the fact that she was not the center of the universe and that people might have reasons for doing what they do.

Although I thought there were too many characters and too much jumping back and forth in time with those characters, the overall story is mostly engaging and interesting. I love reading books set in this time period, I found the plot to be fascinating as it explores what it was like to be a woman during that era vs. being a man, and captures everyone's fear of the Soviets at that time.

Although this wasn't my favorite book by this author, I will still read more of her books and always look forward to an intriguing novel with interesting characters.

In 1956 Malibu, starlet Melanie Cole is effected by the Hollywood blacklist. When her reclusive neighbor, a screenwriter, goes missing, she becomes involved in an unexpected mystery.

I wanted to read A Map to Paradise because I love historical fiction and am interested in old time Hollywood. I've never read a novel about the Hollywood blacklist before!

This was a fascinating read. I loved the combination of historical storytelling and mystery. The characters in the book are memorable, and their interactions added a great deal of depth to the story. I enthusiastically recommend A Map to Paradise for other historical fiction fans, and especially for anyone interested in old time Hollywood.

3.5 TY to Net Galley and Berkley for the ARC. What I loved: the setting. I love books set in Cali and Malibu is a favorite. I was also drawn to the old Hollywood/movie industry theme. What I didn't love: I didn't get nearly enough of either one. The story had too many themes, one of which was WWII, for which I was not prepared nor enjoyed.

Thank you UpLitReads & Berkley Pub, #partner, for the finished copy of A Map to Paradise in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.

I have been a fan of Susan Meissner’s books for quite some time and this latest one did not disappoint. A slow-burn mystery that takes us to the 1950s during the height of the McCarthy Era and the Red Scare, I found myself totally transported. This is at the beginning of the decline of Old Hollywood and we see actors & actresses being blacklisted, tensions high and everyone afraid. ⁣
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I loved how Meissner brought this piece of history to life but more importantly, I loved the female friendships she develops as she tells her story. This has always been such a strong part of her storytelling and it really shines here.

In her new novel A Map to Paradise (Berkley, 2025), Susan Meissner’s three protagonists each have reasons for avoiding unwanted attention. It’s late 1956 in Malibu, California. Melanie Cole, a 25-year-old film starlet, has isolated herself in a house rented by her lover and former co-star, an actor who landed on the Hollywood blacklist. Her presence in his life has deemed her guilty by association, and she despairs about her future career. One of the few people she sees is Eva Kruse, her housekeeper, who’s keeping her own secrets: she isn’t the displaced war refugee from Poland she claimed on her immigration papers.

Melanie had used to enjoy chatting with her agoraphobic next-door neighbor, Elwood Blankenship, a talented screenwriter who was in a terrible car accident years earlier. When Melanie and Eva glimpse his sister-in-law, June, digging up his rose garden, with Elwood nowhere to be found, they know something’s wrong.

See full author interview at: https://historicalnovelsociety.org/secrets-and-solidarity-susan-meissners-a-map-to-paradise/

Three women, all with secrets to keep and stories to tell find their lives intersecting in Malibu jay before Christmas 1956. Melanie is a blacklisted actress holed up out of sight dreaming of a comeback. Eva, her maid, is a WWII refugee whose true identity could get her sent back to Europe - and force her to face her actions during the war. June lives next door, caring for her housebound brother in law. One night will bring them together, forging friendship that can get them through anything.

I enjoyed this intriguing story of friendship and resilience set in Hollywood during the 1950s blacklist. With great female friendships, dual timelines, multiple POVs and a bit of a mystery, I was sucked in from the start. It's more of a character driven story but the twists are good and the ending nicely wrapped everything up.

Thanks to PRH Audio and Berkley for the copy to review.

Melanie is basically under house arrest without the actual ankle bracelet after being blacklisted by Hollywood. Her only acquaintance if her housekeeper Ava, and her neighbor Elwood who is agoraphobic. When she and Ava see June, Elwood’s sister in law digging in his rose garden, they question why Elwood is no longer answering.

I did this book on audio and really enjoyed it! I was really suspicious of June from the start when Elwood was suddenly not answering the phone or coming to talk to Melanie at all, something just did not seem right. I ended up becoming very fond all three of our main ladies, Melanie, Ava, and June. Everyone in this book was hiding something and I loved following along to find out what those secrets were. I loved the mystery, the backstory of all the characters, and the scenery throughout this story!

Thank you to @berkleypub for my gifted copy of this book!

I went into this expecting to love it so much. I wish the storylines dived deeper and gave me more substance but still enjoyed reading this historical fiction and would recommend it to all readers.

I really don’t like this writing style. The story is set in the 1950s in Malibu. Three women become friends and discover secrets about each other. I found this storyline to be flimsy and repetitive, with a whole bunch of backstory dumping. Not much in the way of narrative drive.

Fabulous story of three women, all adrift and missing out on life. Eva works as a maid after she comes to California in the post WWII time. She had been living at a displace person's camp and was finally granted a sponsor to go to the USA. Melanie is an actress on the blacklist which was common in the 1950s. June is a widow and pines for a man who doesn't share her longing. In Malibu the women's lives intersect.
This is a creative story which shows the lengths one will go to for love and true friendship.

Formal review to come - I enjoyed this book! I enjoyed the added suspense of the body in the bushes!

Many thanks to my friends at @berkleypub @prhaudio and @uplitreads for the free #gifted copies of this book. #partner #berkleypartner

As the Cold War loomed, Hollywood’s golden age—full of glitz and glamour—became the target of McCarthy’s anticommunist blacklists. Thus sets the stage for Meissner’s latest venture into historical fiction.

I can always count on her books to immerse me into a timeframe that isn’t oft written. And with the current political scene, I was very curious about the Red Scare era. The rush to judgment. Neighbor telling on neighbor. The lists. The bribery. And here, Meissner painted a picture of that scene that kept me interested and made me want to know more.

The first two-thirds of the novel unfolded slowly and methodically as each character was introduced and backstories were revealed. Secrets abounded and each woman longed for connection and acceptance.

The pace picked up for the last third of the novel, and I enjoyed watching these three women—so different from one another—forge a bond and find comradery.

While I appreciated the look into a period in history that’s not often depicted in HF, I found it to be less emotionally resonant and engaging that Meissner’s previous titles. Still, I enjoyed this novel and will continue to eagerly read each book Meissner releases.

🎧 Award winning narrator, Lisa Flanagan, readily immersed me into this time period and breathed life into each of the characters. With distinct accents and tone, Flanagan’s portrayal of each woman was individualized and well executed.

Not particularly sympathetic MC but somewhat redeemed. However, the other characters are interesting and nuanced, which is endearing. Overall the book encompasses Love, grief, friendship + red scare in a very interesting way.

Advanced reader copy provided by Berkley and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘬𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴!

This historical fiction really drew me in from its very first page! I was really interested in the mystery, which was quickly introduced and how this would intertwine the three women! I loved the writing style of this novel and how fast-paced it was! I definitely plan on reading more by Susan Meissner in the near future!

There’s nothing like a Hollywood story to reel me in. Our main character, Melanie, has been blacklisted. With her life at the top of the hill, she has nowhere to go but down, and she lands hard. She becomes friends with her neighbor, Elwood, until he goes missing. Eva is her housekeeper hiding secrets. June is the neighbor’s sister-in-law. We get a glimpse into all three of the women’s backstories, all as different as can be. We come to realize the thing they have in common is heartache, a thread that binds their budding friendship. When a fire threatens Malibu, (yes it’s a Deja Vu moment - but the book was written before the recent fires), the secrets are threatening to be revealed. The ending is a brilliant resolve for each of the characters.

The story of three women whose lives intersect during the McCarthy era in Malibu, California. The book slowly twists through their stories and struggles ... and secrets. While it wasn't a page turner, the characters and the story were really well done and it had such a satisfying conclusion.