Excellent job by both the author and narrations team.

Books based on Hollywood are always something that pulls my attention. This one was so good. Loved the characters, the settings, the storyline. It was all so well done.

Phenomenal performance by the narrators. They took this book to the next level and it made for a very entertaining experience.

Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely is a wholesome story of young, naive Lori Lovely’s brief career as an actress and her trials and tribulations during her rise to fame. Suddenly, she gives it all up to become a Benedictine nun. But why?

Lori’s niece, Lu, is a college student and is working on a thesis about her Aunt Lori. The story is told through interviews Lu has with her aunt. During the interviews Lu discovers quite a bit that has never been revealed before.

I enjoyed this dual timeline audiobook and it’s nostalgic look at the movie business during the 1960s.

"Film was indelible proof of existence. Long after memory faded and we were all gone, the images of who we were--or more accurately, who we wished we were--would remain."

Take note of this one, fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo! The story of Lori Lively in 1960's Hollywood has been kept under wraps in a Benedictine Abbey. When her goddaughter and niece comes to visit, we get to listen in.

🎧If you are able, listen to this one! I thoroughly enjoyed the audio version as narrated by Cassandra Campbell, Helen Laser, and Stephanie Németh-Parker.
🎥Going behind the scenes of old Hollywood makes for compelling reading. In addition, movie locations in Italy add an extra glimmer of glamour.
🫄Themes of motherhood and sisterhood are all through the story. Lu is on the cusp of graduation and the unresolved issues from her childhood are coming due as she struggles to finish her thesis. Can Aunt Lori help bring clarity?
💏The story of Romeo & Juliet frames Lori Lovely's Hollywood journey. Lucas Wesley (inspired by Elvis) plays Romeo. Loved the incorporation of the classic into the narrative all the way to the end.

"History is written with a bloody knife; not a flower stem."

Thank you to William Morrow and Edelweiss+ for a digital copy and to HarperAudio and NetGalley for an audio ARC. All opinions are my own.

In the 1960s, Lori Lovely is a rising star in Hollywood. She made her film debut starring in Romeo and Juliet: The Musical alongside her costar, the Sing King himself, Lucas Wesley. Plucked from obscurity, Lovely had the beauty and the talent to become an icon, but in 1969 she disappears from the spotlight and becomes a Benedictine nun. In 1990, Lou Tibbott is getting pressured by her advisors to finish her thesis and graduate from college already. A history major, she decides to visit her Aunt Lori in her convent to write the story of how she went from a superstar to a cloistered nun. A cozy and uplifting historical fiction.

This was a really sweet novel and I kept wanting to come back to it to hear more of Lori's story. There is some of the expected conflict with the invasive paparazzi and predatory agents, but most of Lori's struggles are internal as she tries to figure out who she is and what she wants. Lori's character was quite well developed and I loved hearing about her time in Hollywood and her time in the convent. Since she is a nun there is a good amount of information on Catholicism and finding her calling, so if that is something readers are not interested in they might not enjoy this one so much.

The one thing I didn't really care for in this book was Lou. In one of her chapters she says something about how she didn't know if she wanted to be Lori or be with Lori, which I feel is a very weird thing to say about your own aunt. Also as the story went on there were all these clues laid to come to a final conclusion and yet Lou is completely oblivious to it. It might be because she's too close to the situation because it had to do with her family, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes at it. Despite this, I did still enjoy the book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrators did a good job with the text. I would recommend this one to fans of 1960s historical fiction or stories about religious awakenings.

This story is by a few real-life actresses. In the author’s note, McCoy explains that while the book has roots in reality, it is fiction. It’s a dual timeline story about Lu Tibbet who, in1990, is struggling to finish her senior thesis in modern American History. She decides to go directly to the source or her research, her aunt, the former actress Lori Lovely, who, at the peak of her career, left Hollywood to become a nun. The book shows Lu interviewing her aunt at the convent and trying to get the truth about what happened that caused her to change course. Mother Lori remembers the events that led to her fame starting in 1969, and I’ve heard you shouldn’t read too many synopses to avoid spoilers.

I expected this one to be more of a mystery because of this line in the blurb: “Why would such a beautiful girl take the veil? Was she hiding from someone? Did it have anything to do with the tragic death of her costar, heartthrob singer Lucas Wesley?” All of those questions are answered, but the answers were less mysterious than I was predicting. Ultimately this was a pretty wholesome story of a girl making it in Hollywood and some of the darker moments she faced along the way. I think fans of historical fiction and the golden age of Hollywood will enjoy this one. Lori is a lovely character who seems to have the best intentions at every turn, but she was a bit passive and ended up with a lot of people making decisions for her and taking care of her along the way. I love the movie industry and loved getting a behind the scenes look at the making of Romeo and Juliet the musical, Lori’s big break. I couldn’t help but think of Olivia Hussey in the version I watched in school.

The audiobook was fabulous. There’s a full cast recording including Helen Laser and Cassandra Campbell and listening to them embody the characters had me completely swept away in the story. If this one is up your alley, I’d definitely recommend the audiobook.

Lucille-Marie (Lu) named after her aunt and her mother, is in her 5th year of college and has changed her major several times. She has been warned that she has to complete her thesis this semester in order to graduate. After her advisor helps to reframe history as a living person, she opts to do her thesis on her aunt, Lori Lovely, a movie star who had disappeared from the public eye to become a nun. This also allows Lu to ask the questions she's always wondered about but been too scared to ask. She will finally get to know what happened to Lori Lovely.
The story is told from the POV of Lu in 1990 and Lori in the past (60's). This really added to the anticipation as it would break away from Lori's story right when something major had either happened or was about to happen. Lori's story was absolutely mesmerizing, with both the carefree and heartbreaking sides of life in the spotlight. I also loved how the author put some suggestions at the end of the book if you wanted to learn more about the people that inspired the novel.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this digital audio e-arc.*

Bygone Hollywood, two narrators in alternating timelines? Sign me up. This book was charming, a fairly lighthearted telling of what, at times, seemed like a life filled with more than its share of burdens. The narrators performed beautifully and the writing was evocative and concise.

An Intriguing and Thought-Provoking Story

SUMMARY
Lori Lovely was a highly successful young actress who suddenly abandoned the fame and fortune of Hollywood to enter a cloistered convent in Connecticut in 1969. In 1990, Lori’s niece, Lu Tibbot, decides to write her college senior thesis about her Aunt Lori's life. Lu visits the Benedictine convent to interview her aunt, now the head Abbess. Lori, despite many requests over the years, has never spoken to the press about her reasons for choosing to take her vows. But now she is ready to share everything with her niece, if Lu is willing to listen to the whole story.

REVIEW
Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely is a historical fiction novel inspired by the life of a real actress. It explores themes of fame, love, and vocation, and highlights the contrast between the contemplative monastic life and Hollywood's superficiality.

I can’t stop talking about this book. I was riveted from the first chapter. It is creatively told from two different points of view in dual timelines. Author Sarah McCoy’s writing captures an intriguing and thought-provoking story.

Three main characters drive the story. Lori Lovely, known as Lucille Hickey to her family; Lu Tibbot, Lori’s niece; and Lucus Wesley, Lori’s famous co-star in the Romeo and Juliet musical and her on-again, off-again love interest. All three characters are well-developed.

Listeners will enjoy the audiobook performance of WHATEVER HAPPENED TO LORI LOVELY. The fabulous narrators were Cassandra Campbell, Helen Laser, and Stephanie Németh-Parker.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book. All opinions expressed here are my own.


Publisher William Morrow
Published September 2, 2025
Narrated Cassandra Campbell, Helen Laser, Stephanie Németh-Parker
Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

Ohh I love Helen Laser was very happy to hear her on this! The voice actor for Lori had such a sweet voice it really fit the character so well! I really liked this book. A great historical fiction based on true events I always love that.

This book was slow in the best way. I really enjoyed the storytelling and the slow build of the characters. I was invested from the beginning and loved the writing style.

The premise is enticing: a 1960s starlet who vanishes from Hollywood and resurfaces as a Catholic nun. I went in expecting a thorny, transformative spiritual arc—something that wrestles with faith, fame, and identity. What I got instead felt smaller: Lori reads less like a woman led by conviction and more like a naive girl retreating into routine and order because the world and responsibility is too much.