This book was such a wonderful read. It really brought you back to to the time when the books takes place. I love how it all connects in the end, It is a beautiful story about how a hard working single mom can do amazing things. You mistakes do not have to define you! This was so well written and overall an amazing read!

What Remains in the Dust

"Just head for that big star straight on. The highway's under it; it'll take us right home." —Arthur Miller, The Misfits

Blonde Dust opens with this quote, and it sets the tone for the novel’s haunting meditation on regret, reinvention, and longing. Tatiana de Rosnay draws from fiction, biography, and social history to weave a mythic narrative that echoes the emotional gravity of Marilyn Monroe’s final film and the lives it brushed against.

At its heart is Pauline, daughter of a Parisian war bride, who finds herself adrift in the Nevada desert—until the arrival of a film crew and a woman known only as Mrs. Miller rekindles long-buried dreams. Monroe becomes less a character than a force: mythic, magnetic, and quietly devastating.

While the novel leaves some emotional threads unexplored—especially between Pauline and her family—this feels intentional. Like ghosted memories, they linger on the periphery, suggesting more than they say. The result is a story that reads like a score—imperfect, aching, and quietly luminous.

In the end, I knew the dust would settle to reveal a different picture—one that would always haunt me, just on the edges of my vision, beckoning me to discover more, but always separating me from what had once been there.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the book I read!

3.5 stars | Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of Blonde Dust, which just came out June 2nd!

Pualine holds the dead-end job of cleaning toilets at the very glamorous Mapes Hotel in Reno, NV. Seemingly out of the blue, her boss tells Pauline to fill in for a co-worker cleaning suite 614. As she begins cleaning, a beautiful woman emerges from the bedroom. This chance encounter leads to a tender friendship between her and Marilyn Monroe.

Broken down into three periods, we get to see Pauline’s life as she immigrates from France to America, her time at the Mapes Hotel as a young single mother, and decades later as the abandoned Mapes Hotel is demolished. The majority of this coming-of-age book focuses on Pauline as she fumbles through life—discovering her love for wild mustangs, her loyalty to Monroe as rumors spark, and ultimately growing into who she wants to be. I was most pulled into the parts with Marilyn Monroe, as most of what I know about her largely centers around her legacy as an Old Hollywood movie icon, a blonde bombshell, and a sex symbol. Blonde Dust shows us a glimpse of what she may have been like behind closed doors: a quiet woman raging within herself, yet sweet and kind to those around her.

For lovers of historic Hollywood, a slower plot, and how female friendships can shape someone.

tw: death, drug abuse, addiction, animal cruelty

Somehow despite being shy of 300 pages, this one manages to have a sweeping feel that honors the feeling of the mustangs and 1950s Reno, balancing the freedom and wildness of the horses with the repression of young women's choices in the era. I did expect this book would focus somewhat more on Marilyn Monroe as a character, but instead she is more of a side character, with her serving as a surprising influence on Pauline.

The wild west, old Hollywood and a hotel's rich history in Reno tell the story in Blond Dust.

Mapes Hotel is being demolished, and those who created its history return to see its demise. The sight of the building stirs memories long forgotten as the story alternates from the past and present. The hotel's shining moment was when Marilyn Monroe befriended a young worker and giving her chance to fulfill her dreams after staying at the hotel during a movie shoot.

Marilyn's life is still intriguing today as she was back in the 50's/60's.

Blond Dust is loaded with heartbreak and hopefulness.

Thank you Grand Central Publishing

I couldn’t put down BLONDE DUST by Tatiana de Rosnay! It just swept me up in a more quiet side of Hollywood in the 1960s.

Single mom, Pauline Bazelet, a lowly chambermaid at the Mapes Hotel in Reno. Nevada is assigned to clean a vacant room, however she stumble across Mrs Miller, a.k.a. Marilyn Monroe. Marilyn is in town working on what was to be her last movie and dealing with the final days of her marriage to Arthur Miller. Asked for opinions, invited to gatherings and keeping mum about their encounters has unexpected consequences for Pauline and her daughter for the rest of their lives. What follows in the next few weeks is the enduring power of female friendship and how Marilyn changed Pauline‘s life. When the Mapes is due to be demolished, some of the former staff are returning to reminisce about their time there. None have a better story than Pauline but she is still protecting what Marilyn did for her.

Although I realise this was fiction, I loved seeing a softer side to Marilyn and I’d like to think it is at least possible in today’s Hollywood. I’m a sucker for glitz and glam and the enduring faith that one woman can place in another, the wild parties, the beautiful clothes, and how the meek shall inherit. I could not put this book down and my heart was racing like the Mustangs in the desert. I will certainly be looking into the authors other works. They say that people come into your life for a reason, a season, or lifetime and Marilyn did all three for Pauline.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

Loved this book !
First time reading this author and won’t be the last time
Great insight into the life of people jn Hollywood
Liked that some of the story was a true account of Marilyn Monroe

Tatiana de Rosnay's Blonde Dust is a haunting and beautifully imagined story of friendship, loss, and transformation. While I don’t often reach for historical fiction or reimaginings of real figures, the striking cover and themes pulled me in—and I’m glad they did. At the heart of the novel is a nuanced and emotionally rich portrayal of a fictional friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Pauline, a young French immigrant maid whose life is forever changed. Pauline’s backstory is layered and compelling, and I was especially drawn to the 1960s Old Hollywood storyline, which felt both intimate and cinematic. The subplot involving wild mustangs didn’t resonate as strongly and slowed the already quiet pacing, but the core of the novel—the bond between two women across lines of class and fame—makes it worth the read. This is a story about the unexpected ways women can show up for each other, and how one act of care can leave a lasting imprint.

I love Marilyn Monroe, old Hollywood, and some historical fiction.

This book was great. Beautiful character development with Pauline. I love the historical tie in with the Mapes Hotel and seeing the behind the scenes of glitz and glam.

This is a story about how one person can completely change your life and the story of female friends. Add Monroe on top and it was a great story!

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the gifted copy!

Blonde Dust is an intriguing book that hooked me quickly. The story is composed of a few very different threads that came together in a surprising perfect way. The life of a young woman, Pauline, working as a hotel maid to support her daughter, is presented in contrast to that of actress Marilyn Monroe, at the height of her fame. Their paths cross in Reno, where the addition of Pauline’s friends who are trying to help the wild mustangs brings to story to a dramatic climax. Tatiana de Rosnay is an incredible writer, and this book proves to be another hit. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book. There were
many parts of this book that I really enjoyed and other parts that made the story drag a bit. Overall, a 3.5 star rating. I did enjoy the story of the unlikely friendship between Marilyn Monroe and a young woman who worked in the hotel during the time “The Misfits” was filmed.

The is the story of Pauline, who immigrated to the US from Paris as a child when her mother became a war bride. They moved to Reno, Nevada and Pauline fell in love with Mustangs. This story goes back and forth between two different time periods of the past and the present. Pauline's chance encounter with a movie star changes her life. There are several different themes that play out in the story which were interesting to read. Not my favorite book by this author but it was a good story. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to read.

This was a really well done book that dealt with Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, I really enjoyed getting to read this from a different set of eyes. The overall feel worked in the time-period and was hooked from the first page. Tatiana de Rosnay was able to create a strong world and the characters felt like the real people. It was everything that I was hoping for and was glad I was able to read this.

Blonde Dust by Tatiana de Rosnay. When I saw that Ms. de Rosnay had written another book I was overjoyed since she has not had a book published since 2020. This is the fifth book of hers that I have read. I absolutely loved this book. It was beautifully written. The story itself takes you on a journey through three important time frames in our heroines life.

Pauline is the main character. The first period of her life is post World War II -1946 Paris and continues into 1958 Reno, Nevada. Pauline’s mother falls in love with an American GI and they move to the US. The second period of her life is during 1960 when she is a washroom attendant at the Mapes Hotel in Reno, Nevada. She is asked by her boss to cover a shift in one of the main suites of the hotel. Pauline is befriended by it’s occupant, a movie star. Pauline doesn’t go to the movies or cares about Hollywood so she truly has zero idea who’s suite she is cleaning. They become friends during the months that this woman occupies the suite. The last period is when Pauline is in her 60’s and an acclaimed equestrian Veterinarian. The reason that Pauline became involved in horses was because of her stepfather. He introduces her to horse rescuers and the wild mustangs of Nevada. I have listed the three portions of her life in chronological order but that is not how they happen in the book.

Ultimately we find out that the occupant of the suite is no other than Marilyn Monroe. The cast and crew of the movie “The Misfits” were staying at the Mapes Hotel while the movie was being filmed. We see the stereotypical view of Marilyn being a very troubled soul. What we learn is that she was a very kind a caring person. Although Marilyn is in Pauline’s life for only a few months she leaves a very deep impact on her for the rest of her life.

My only disappointment with this book was there was no Author’s Note. We, as readers, do not know how much of the story regarding Marilyn Monroe, the filming of the Misfits and the operation to save the wild Nevada Mustangs is based on an historical account and how much was pure fiction.

As I mentioned earlier it was nice to see a new book added to this authors accomplishments. I would like to thank the author, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m always up for historical fiction based on real people, and Blonde Dust fits the bill. I loved this character-driven story. Originally starting in the year 2000, the real Mapes Hotel is going to be demolished. Pauline, the protagonist in the story, reminisces about the time she spent working as a maid at the building. She also remembers the unlikely friendship she made with the tragic movie star, Marilyn Monroe.

There are themes of friendship, resilience, as well as navigating societal pressures with the friendship of Pauline and Marilyn, which occurs at a pivotal moment in both their lives. I read someone’s review who called this a “fun, light-hearted read,” and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Monroe has great emotional turmoil as her current marriage is falling apart, as well as a reliance on drugs means she has a hard time showing up to work (the movie being filmed, The Misfits, would be her last. She was too big of a liability to insure.)

This is an interesting take on a period of Marilyn Monroe’s life and would recommend for fans of old Hollywood or those like me that like their historical fiction based on real events.

I found this book to be incredibly fascinating. The storyline(s) were interesting and engaging. I thought the characters were well developed and wonderful. I found this to be a quick and enjoyable read. This book was told in two timelines, the 2000s and 1960s - I enjoyed the 1960s timeline much more. I did find that the main character was complex and realistic in both timelines and I enjoyed how they were tied together. Strong female friendships and characters (even when they come across as weak) were prevalent through the entire book. Pauline is a young chambermaid at a hotel in Nevada. While there, she is befriended by Marilyn Monroe, during her breakup with Arthur Miller. The story follows Pauline during her experience at the hotel in the 60s, her relationship with the wild mustangs and history behind them and her relationships that lasted decades. Overall, a well done historical fiction that ties into old school hollywood glamour (a behind the scenes peek!)

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Pauline is a single mother and i working as a maid at one of Reno's finest hotels in the 1960s. Reno at the time was still part of the wild west and Mustang's run free; Pauline's dream is to be an equine veterinarian, but her daughter's unexpected arrival has stalled her dreams. When Marilyn Monroe stays there during her time filming a movie she befriends Pauline and the experience alters the trajectory of Pauline's life for the better.

I have really enjoyed the author's past work and since I am always fascinated by a Marilyn Monroe story I was excited to pick it up. While I enjoyed the story I would say this was a like not love read for me. I'm still thinking about it but it was a bit slow at times. I did think the story was well done and I was pretty into about 75% of it. If you like these types of novels I think it's a good one to pick up.

3.75 stars

Thank you to Grand Central Pub and NetGalley for the ARC to review

I really enjoyed reading this book! It's a story of an unlikely friendship. It's also about a young woman becoming independent and following her true passion.

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.

Thank you to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Tatiana de Rosnay for allowing me to read this ARC.

I am always excited for a book by Tatiana de Rosnay, so was thrilled to see Blonde Dust. Everyone loves a story about famous, well-loved actresses, and this book won’t disappoint you. I never read ahead because I like to be surprised, and, even though I guessed, the fact that Chambermaid Pauline didn’t, made the reveal fun. The friendship between the movie star and Pauline shows us the importance of lasting friendships. Be sure to read this book!