Book Review: Uptown Girls by Joanna Shupe

Uptown Girls by Joanna Shupe
The Rogue of Fifth Avenue
The Prince of Broadway
The Devil of Downtown

Oh, Bravo, Madam, Bravo. This series crashed into my wild-girl world and center and sent tingles twisting into my gut wrapping around my heart like a vice, and squeezed. That flutter one feels when you find that book, hit me tenfold and then some and multiplied thereof. I inhaled these books and held on to them like a potent bong hit. I was left afloat in awe and awash in pleasure and excitement and wanted so badly to live in this world and experience these characters forever. These goddesses whispered into my ear and drove me to the stars, and the men?

Woo.

These books booted my malaise with a pure shot of dopamine that made my toes curl and my dimples ache from smiling so damn hard. They hit every theme and the four joys so brilliantly it hurt from so much perfection.

The fuck, you say? Oh yes, my love, they so did.

Raise your hand if you are a foul-mouthed woman with attitude, headstrong, independent, thrives on adventure and any forbidden hedonistic pleasures the more sedate and conservative populace calls immoral and thumbs their nose, especially for women. Set that into the Gilded Age in New York City in which three sisters, daddy’s girls, use their wealth and privilege to help those that are less fortunate than they are; hot delicious men that mommy and daddy and most of high society, with their strict rules and traditions, would shun, especially given their backgrounds, illegal and criminal occupations, and enterprises; and some of the best sex, chemistry, characters, and romantic drama I’ve ever read.

Voilà, mes amies.

Parts of these books reminded me of Peaky Blinders meets Gangs of New York—I would say The Gilded Age, but I haven’t started watching it yet. The author’s entire Gilded Age series set in New York City is fascinating and well worth your time and would be an entertaining series to watch—yo, Netflix!

I have swiftly made room on my favorites shelf for these three books, and every one of this author’s books, and will, I’m positive, read them over and over and over and over again.

March 10, 2022