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3.39 AVERAGE
3.39 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted ARC and Macmillan Audio for the review copy! Climbing in Heels is a solid poolside pick—easy to breeze through with a cool drink in hand and plenty of moments that’ll spark conversation about the not-so-distant past (or is it still the present?). On the surface, it may seem like soapy fun, but there’s a deeper pulse beneath the glamour and gossip. This story offers a sharp, often unsettling reflection on how powerful, capable women in the entertainment industry have navigated systemic inequality—finding ways to survive, succeed, and shine, though not without unfair costs.
It’s not a perfect book, but it doesn’t need to be. What lingers are the themes: the importance of the Times Up movement, the necessity of the Weinstein exposé, and the ongoing fight to be seen, respected, and valued. Climbing in Heels is a reminder that behind every glossy headline is a story that matters—and sometimes, fiction tells that truth more clearly than the news ever could.
medium-paced
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Goldsmith-Thomas brings her own experience in Hollywood in this debut novel that has a bold premise as it explores complex friendships, rivalries and the discrepancy in how women and men were/are treated in Hollywood. The book initially focuses on a trio of new-to-Hollywood young women - Beanie, Mercedes and Ella, but soon the story centres mainly around Beanie.
If you know me, you know that a quarter of my brain is dedicated to random Hollywood facts. This book is FILLED with a Hollywood name dropping, from real-life actors/directors and Hollywood acronyms, there are a lot of Tinseltown's who's who mentioned in its pages.
If I step back from the story, I liked it - the coming-into-herself focus about women's experiences in Hollywood. But I wanted more - more growth and better connection between trio and a stronger plot that really pulled me in. What I wanted less of were the numerous tertiary characters who bogged down the pace of the story and were hard to keep track of.
In the end, I liked this book, and it will do well, but it wasn't a 'wow' read for me. It felt much longer than its 380 pages and unfortunately it struggled to hold my attention, taking me almost two weeks to finish it. I enjoyed the premise and Girl Power vibe but think this book would be better as a TV limited series.
Disclaimer: Thanks to St Martin's Press for the advanced digital and paperback copies of this book which were given in exchange for my honest review.
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Just not for me. I love the concept but I kept losing track of the characters and didn’t really connect to them at all.
I really tried to finish this book, but I just wasn’t able to. I loved the concept of women working to defy the odds and climb the ladder into a man’s world, but there were too many characters to keep track of, and the descriptions of all the characters made the book move slower than I typically enjoy. I do appreciate the opportunity to read an advanced copy from NetGalley.
