I am all about the 80s so I began with this book eagerly.
It got off to a very slow start and never really gained much momentum.
I didn’t really care for any of the 3 women but it was interesting to see their rise to,power from the 60s-80s.
I also liked how there was a what happened to each of the characters at the end.

Climbing in Heels dives headfirst into the glittery yet cutthroat world of Hollywood, set against the backdrop of a changing industry. It’s a timely, relevant read —especially considering how many real-world stories have surfaced over the past decade about the power dynamics in the industry.

One of my favorite things about this book was the behind-the-scenes look into the entertainment industry —the deals, the deception , the ambition , and the evolution from an old boys’ club to something (slowly) more diverse. I loved learning about how the industry grew over time, and the writing in the first half was strong enough to pull me in right away. I honestly couldn't wait to see where it was going!

I also couldn’t help but wonder how much of this was based on real events… There were definitely moments that felt way too authentic to be purely fictional.

BUT ... the book didn’t fully stick the landing for me. The POV was third-person limited and shifted between three main characters—which can work well, but here it felt a little uneven. One character was clearly more fleshed out than the others, and the result made the transitions feel clunky.

As the story went on, the pace slowed... a lot. I found myself losing interest during the second half and seriously debated DNF’ing (I didn’t, but it was close). The ending? It was fine —not bad, just... not great either . It didn’t leave me with that satisfying final punch I was hoping for.

Would I recommend Climbing in Heels? Probably not. While the concept was, the execution just didn’t quite live up to the potential. Still, if you love stories about power, ambition, and the messy truth behind fame, you might find some enjoyment in it.

Big thanks to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the eARC and the final copy—this one definitely caught my attention right away!

Link to Instagram review to come

What a fun book! I love the 1980s scene, the strong women and their drive to climb the corporate ladder. While the women say they won't let the men rule their lives or determine who they are, they also morph into women with the same characteristics of the very men they're trying to prove wrong. This was a great look into the culture of women in the workforce in the 80s

Drama ala Gossip Girl style. Fun and interesting read. It kept me entertained and wanting to read more.

There is so much happening in Climbing in Heels! I absolutely loved the premise of this book 1990's Hollywood, breaking into the industry and doing it in style. I loved the pettiness and the almost Gossip Girl / soap opera like quality to the book. I did find it a bit long and wordy at times, but overall did enjoy the book! I think this would make a great tv show. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves sex, drama, and Hollywood! Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this eARC!

Climbing in Heels takes you into the world of agents for big celebrities in the 1980s. It follows Beanie, Mercedes and Ella, who each forge their own path. The novel sucks you in and makes you feel like you are really there in the 1980s. It is seductive, entertaining and addictive. I enjoyed Beanies story the most, bringing herself up by her bootstrap to become a big agent.

If you enjoy stories set in the 1980s or about Hollywood, this book is for you.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the DRC of Climbing in Heels. All opinions in this review are my own.

I thought I was going to love Climbing in Heels so I'm disappointed I didn't. It felt too long and the stories of the three women didn't feel connected enough. It didn't need to start when the women were young and because it spanned so much time, I feel like the characters lacked depth. I also felt like I was reading three different stories. Although they are set in the same time and place, the three women only interacted on occasion so I felt like I was trying to read three different books at once. Overall, Climbing in Heels tried to cover too much and it lost depth because of it.

Living in LA, it is all around us and just an every day part of life. But Climbing in Heels put a new spin on it for me and I was enthralled. It is the story of 3 secretaries at a talent agency in the 1980s determined to make it as agents and bust through the glass ceiling. It had real celebrities and movies intertwined with fictional ones, it had sex, drugs and all the scandals of that time period and just Hollywood in general and it had my favorite, female empowerment. I loved seeing these women never give up, never take no for an answer and break the stereotypes in a man’s world. It was very juicy and entertaining.

I loved this book about the cutthroat world of entertainment talent agencies in Hollywood in the 80s. I had a hard time keep track of the cast of characters, which was very large. I did like that the author used actual famous people for the agency's clients as lent a sense of realness to the book. Overall, a very entertaining read and one I would highly recommend.

As an Executive Assistant, I was intrigued about a novel revolving around the lives of secretaries from the 80s. This was a fun vacation read and I was rooting for these women taking over a good-ole-boys industry and taking no prisoners, even when they were undermining each other. Each character was thoughtfully given incredibly interesting backstories that shaped and carried their decisions throughout their lives. Well done! I can't wait to see this adapted for television! I only hope that Darren Star does it justice.

Thank you to the publisher, the author and NetGalley for an advance copy.

It started out strong, hooked me from page one… then it didn’t. About 60% in I just didn’t care.

Possibly right book, wrong time?

✨ The Vibes ✨
‘9 to 5,’ the talent agency version

📖 Read if…
✨ You love a strong female character
✨ You’re equally interested in women’s fiction and historical fiction
✨ You want a book that feels like a beach read, but has some substance

On paper, this book was written for me – three women must navigate the male dominated world of talent agencies in 1980s Hollywood – but I think this book is sadly one of my biggest disappointments of the year.

In terms of what I liked, I loved all the details about agency life and you could tell Goldsmith-Thomas really used her personal experiences and observations to inform the story. Beanie, the main character, was an amazing character to follow. She sometimes made frustrating choices, but her drive and determination made the story, both in terms of emotional beats and plot points. I also think the story does a great job of showing how male dominated spaces can unite women and motivate them to work together, but can also create a sense of competition that can alienate them.

As for what didn’t work for me, I’m not sure why we needed so much backstory on both Ella and Mercedes. While they were both important to the story, they ended up being relegated to side characters once they arrived at the agency, and in the end, their backgrounds had very little impact on the plot. Additionally, at times, the prose was a little wordy and unwieldy, which made the story a bit hard to follow, and in terms of subject matter, it was brutal to read about the toxic workplace and the men that created it. I’m sure it mirrored reality at times, but it was tough to get through.

While this book didn’t quite work for me, I’m sure readers who are looking for a story that blends women’s fiction with historical fiction will find some enjoyment in this book.

Climbing in Heels is out now. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was ok, not nothing special. The story seemed to drag on, and was way too long for my liking.

I'm sure it'll find an audience though, just not my kind of story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

One star because I DNF’d the book at about 40%. It was too much of a mess for me to enjoy. The premise was SO promising but the actual book itself was disappointing.

Thank you, St. Martin’s Press for a gifted eARC.

(2.25 stars)
I was really looking forward to Climbing In Heels because one of my sons worked for a Hollywood talent agency for a while. This story was supposed to focus on three women who climbed their way up in such an agency in the 1980s when it was still very much a “boys’ club.” The book seems to be semi-autobiographical, as the author became a very successful agent herself. Alas, this was incredibly disjointed and I lost interest pretty quickly. The three main characters don’t even interact with each other until about 40% into the book. Instead we get a lot of backstory as it jumps around from Beanie to Mercedes/Millicent to Ella.

I was able to bounce between the ebook version and the audiobook version, ably narrated by Stephanie Németh-Parker. It was not the narrator’s fault that I just couldn’t get invested in these characters or their story.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a review copy of this book and to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to a review copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I liked Climbing in Heels for its bold tone and behind-the-scenes insight into Hollywood and career-building, especially from a strong female perspective. Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas clearly has a sharp voice and a wealth of experience. That said, some parts felt more like name-dropping than storytelling, and I wished for a bit more emotional depth. It was entertaining and witty, but didn’t quite leave a lasting impact for me.

I enjoyed this look into this side of the entertainment industry. It was like Mad Men in heels in a different era. Fun read.

Addictive, salacious, and entertaining!

Climbing in Heels is an immersive, provocative tale that takes you into the lives of the rich, glamorous, and famous, as well as the not-so-important people of 1980s Hollywood and reminds us that not everything is always as it seems and amongst all the designer clothes and extravagant mansions there’s also an abundance of sex, power, ambition, temptation, rivalry, jealousy, and deception.

The writing is effortless and fun. The characters are self-obsessed, relentless, and driven. And the plot is a captivating mix of life, love, fame, fortune, secrets, despicable behaviours, friendship, drama, and the intricacies of movie-making.

Overall, Climbing in Heels is an exciting, seductive, amusing tale by Goldsmith-Thomas that highlights her impressive behind-the-scenes knowledge of the motion picture industry.

I was hooked from the beginning!!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

Climbing in Heels by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas is a fizzy, fast-paced debut that offers a juicy behind-the-scenes look at 1980s Hollywood through the eyes of three ambitious secretaries clawing their way up the entertainment industry's ranks. Drawing heavily from Goldsmith-Thomas’s own experience as a top agent, the novel is brimming with sharp dialogue, high drama, and a palpable sense of era-specific decadence—think power suits, Rolodexes, and cocaine-fueled late nights.

Beanie, Mercedes, and Ella are compelling in concept, each bringing a different flavor of ambition and vulnerability. Beanie's grit, Mercedes's savvy, and Ella's rebellious charm create a dynamic trio with enough friction and flair to keep the pages turning. The themes of female solidarity, betrayal, and survival in a male-dominated world are timely and potent, especially in their depiction of how some women begin to mirror the very systems they once fought against.

However, while the setup is promising, the execution sometimes falters. The plot tends to skim the surface of deeper emotional development, relying more on sensational moments than character-driven storytelling. Some of the dialogue feels forced, and the narrative occasionally reads more like a screenplay than a fully fleshed-out novel. The glitz and gossip are entertaining, but they sometimes overshadow the heart of the story.

Climbing in Heels is a flashy, dramatic read that offers plenty of entertainment and insider flair. But despite its empowering premise and addictive energy, it doesn’t quite stick the landing in terms of depth or resonance. Worth a read for fans of showbiz fiction, but don’t expect it to linger long after the final page.