Thanks to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Tantor Audio for the digital copy of this book and audiobook; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The story follows a young American, Mia, who works in a bakery in New York. She’s recruited to be a model and get this, she gets to go to Paris to work in a fashion house. Sounds like a dream opportunity for a young lady who is obsessed with Jackie Kennedy’s style. She starts working with the House of Rousseau and is adjusting to life in Paris, when suddenly, things turn a bit more interesting, as if that wasn’t interesting enough!

Set in the backdrop of the Cold War of the late 1950s and early 1960s, I thought I’d enjoy this book more than I did. That’s not to say it was bad–far from it! However, the pacing was slow to start. There was a big build up before Mia even gets involved in espionage, and then the story picks up considerably.

You can tell from the writing that this book is well researched, yet sometimes I feel like that was a hinderance to making me love the book entirely. It seemed to get a little bogged down in the middle a bit, then picks up again towards the end. It’s a somewhat unique story, so I have to give the author some credit for the overall arc of the story. If it sounds like I didn’t like the book, that’s not true. It just wasn’t a five-star read for me. More like 3.5.

I thought the narrator, Ri Paige, did an admirable job of narrating the book. I would definitely seek out other titles with her as narrator.

If you like a good story set in France during the Cold War, you should definitely check out The Kennedy Girl.

5 Stars! I LOVED this!! So unsuspecting! I took a chance, requesting a book that didn’t have a cover photo on NetGalley, it was publishing in a week and had what sounded like a fun plot that was right up my “fashion background alley” — and boy, was it!

Such fun! A young woman in NYC is approached by an older man to fly to Paris to represent one of the largest fashion houses. The story was worldly with tours and dress fittings, modeling, private parities, million dollar necklaces, espionage, guns, murder and an explosion! What more could I ask for?! I would totally read something else by this author!

Thanks to NG & the publishers for a chance to read early and review.

I was hoping this book was going to be more about the Kennedy's. It was still a good story but not what I was expecting.

The Kennedy Girl, by Julia Bryan Thomas, is not about Jackie Kennedy as I had originally thought, though she does act as a sort of role model for our protagonist, Mia. Narrator Ri Paige brought Mia to life perfectly in the audiobook as she explores Paris and discovers why she was really offered this out-of-the-blue opportunity. Love the 1960s/Cold War era and found Thomas's novel to be a wonderful blend of history and imagination. Highly recommend!

Julia Bryan Thomas delivers a captivating blend of glamour and intrigue in The Kennedy Girl, a perfect historical fiction that swept me away. Set in 1960, the novel masterfully moves between the dazzling world of Parisian fashion runways and the shadowy undercurrents of Cold War espionage.

The story follows a compelling main character—an American orphan who rises to prominence as a Paris fashion model—through the breathtaking beauty of France. Every detail of her journey is filled with clandestine danger and intrigue, creating a tense and engaging atmosphere. The author’s vivid descriptions and rich characters brought the pages to life, making me feel as if I were right there in the heart of it all.

I couldn’t stop rooting for the heroine, and the story kept me fully invested from start to finish. The audiobook narration by Ri Paige was superb, enhancing the experience with her dynamic and expressive performance. If you love historical fiction with a perfect mix of espionage, fashion, and a touch of glamour, The Kennedy Girl is a must-read!

'The Kennedy Girl' is a thrilling and glamorous novel that gave me insight to the Cold War through the eyes of a naïve American model. At nineteen, Mia seized the chance of a lifetime to join a prestigious Parisian fashion house. Unwittingly, she was drawn into the gripping world of espionage, where danger lurked around every corner. I would have loved to see more complexity in the political intrigue, richer relationships for Mia to navigate, or a deeper exploration of Mia's character development to elevate this book to a five-star read. The story also occasionally followed a male government agent and elderly French woman.

If you enjoy reading women's historical fiction, then I recommend this book to you! Julia Bryan Thomas' writing flows nicely and Ri Paige's narration captures the suspense well. Special thanks to RBmedia and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.