Stars over Sunset Boulevard

Author: Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2016
Pages: 400
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Los Angeles, Present Day. When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind ends up in Christine McAllister's vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take her on a journey more enchanting than any classic movie. . .

Los Angeles, 1938. Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Hollywood after her dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, and lands a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey's zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood's glitterati enthrall Violet. . .until each woman's deepest desires collide.

Review: Susan Meissner wrote a novel against the backdrop of the filming of Gone With the Wind and the Golden Age of Hollywood. There isn't any book that she's written, that I won't read. I loved the setting, the characters, and the plot. This novel was a treat.

Nellie's Promise

Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Pleasant Company Publications, 2004
Pages: 85
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Nellie O'Malley has a home again. She and her little sisters, Bridget and Jenny, are happily settling in with Samantha's family in New York City. Best of all, Uncle Gard and Aunt Cornelia want to adopt the girls. Now Nellie's best friend Samantha will be her sister, and Bridget and Jenny will be protected and cared for, just as Nellie promised her mother. Then Uncle Mike shows up again and threatens to ruin everything-including Nellie's friendship with Samantha!

Review: This book was written years after the Samantha series, but since I'm reading up on all things Samantha, I decided to read it for the first time. I'm glad they included a book about Nellie, especially since this is juvenile historical fiction. It may introduce that age group to a time/circumstances of which they know very little.

My Husband's Wife

Author: Alice Feeney
Genre: Thriller
Publisher: Flatiron Books, 2026
Pages: 320
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Eden Fox, an artist on the brink of her big break, sets off for a run before her first exhibition. When she returns to the home she recently moved into, Spyglass, an enchanting old house in Hope Falls, nothing is as it should be. Her key doesn't fit. A woman, eerily similar to her, answers the door. And her husband insists that the stranger is his wife.

One house. One husband. Two women. Someone is lying.

Six months earlier, a reclusive Londoner called Birdy, reeling from a life-changing diagnosis, inherits Spyglass. This unexpected gift from a long-lost grandmother brings her to the pretty seaside village of Hope Falls. But then Birdy stumbles upon a shadowy London clinic that claims to be able to predict a person's date of death, including her own. Secrets start to unravel, and as the line between truth and lies blurs, Birdy feels compelled to right some old wrongs.

Review: This is the first Alice Feeney novel that I've read. It started out slow, but once I was in, I was all in. Very quickly I realized that I was going to have to "let go" of trying to figure this out if I was going to enjoy the story. What a ride.

Changes for Samantha

Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: American Girl Publishing, Inc., 1988
Pages: 61
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Samantha Parkington is a bright Victorian beauty being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Samantha's stories describe her life during this important period of change. Her own world is filled with frills and finery, parties and play. But Samantha sees that times are not good for everybody. That's why she tries to make a difference in the life of her friend, Nellie, a servant girl whose world is nothing like Samantha's. 

Review: This book may seem like a copout, but I promise that it isn't. Fiona Davis has a new book coming out on October 13, 2026 called Samantha: The Next Chapter. Written for adult fans in honor of the 40th anniversary of the American Girl dolls debut. Should Kiersten and Molly's stories also be continued, I'm here for them.

In preparation for the book launch, I wanted to reacquaint myself with Samantha. I was aging out of dolls in 1986, but the historical fiction nature of the series captured my imagination. My sister and I used to browse the catalogs, but neither of us ever received a doll.

Samantha Saves the Day

Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: American Girl Publishing, Inc., 1988
Pages: 61
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Samantha Parkington is a bright Victorian beauty being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Samantha's stories describe her life during this important period of change. Her own world is filled with frills and finery, parties and play. But Samantha sees that times are not good for everybody. That's why she tries to make a difference in the life of her friend, Nellie, a servant girl whose world is nothing like Samantha's. 

Review: This book may seem like a copout, but I promise that it isn't. Fiona Davis has a new book coming out on October 13, 2026 called Samantha: The Next Chapter. Written for adult fans in honor of the 40th anniversary of the American Girl dolls debut. Should Kiersten and Molly's stories also be continued, I'm here for them.

In preparation for the book launch, I wanted to reacquaint myself with Samantha. I was aging out of dolls in 1986, but the historical fiction nature of the series captured my imagination. My sister and I used to browse the catalogs, but neither of us ever received a doll.

Happy Birthday, Samantha!

Author: Valerie Tripp
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: American Girl Publishing, Inc., 1987
Pages: 61
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Samantha Parkington is a bright Victorian beauty being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Samantha's stories describe her life during this important period of change. Her own world is filled with frills and finery, parties and play. But Samantha sees that times are not good for everybody. That's why she tries to make a difference in the life of her friend, Nellie, a servant girl whose world is nothing like Samantha's. 

Review: This book may seem like a copout, but I promise that it isn't. Fiona Davis has a new book coming out on October 13, 2026 called Samantha: The Next Chapter. Written for adult fans in honor of the 40th anniversary of the American Girl dolls debut. Should Kiersten and Molly's stories also be continued, I'm here for them.

In preparation for the book launch, I wanted to reacquaint myself with Samantha. I was aging out of dolls in 1986, but the historical fiction nature of the series captured my imagination. My sister and I used to browse the catalogs, but neither of us ever received a doll.

Samantha's Surprise

Author: Maxine Rose Schur
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: American Girl Publishing, Inc., 1986
Pages: 61
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Samantha Parkington is a bright Victorian beauty being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Samantha's stories describe her life during this important period of change. Her own world is filled with frills and finery, parties and play. But Samantha sees that times are not good for everybody. That's why she tries to make a difference in the life of her friend, Nellie, a servant girl whose world is nothing like Samantha's. 

Review: This book may seem like a copout, but I promise that it isn't. Fiona Davis has a new book coming out on October 13, 2026 called Samantha: The Next Chapter. Written for adult fans in honor of the 40th anniversary of the American Girl dolls debut. Should Kiersten and Molly's stories also be continued, I'm here for them.

In preparation for the book launch, I wanted to reacquaint myself with Samantha. I was aging out of dolls in 1986, but the historical fiction nature of the series captured my imagination. My sister and I used to browse the catalogs, but neither of us ever received a doll.