meghan_readsbooks 's review for:

Climbing in Heels: A Novel by Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas

3.75

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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.