I hate to see this series end. Just too fun.

Not a bad end to this series! I'm always amazed at how quickly these books go - the story never slows down and before I know it, I've finished the book. I really loved the characters in this series - they were well-developed and I feel like I knew each of them.

I've read at least one of Godbersen's Bright Young Things series, and will likely read more just because I love her characters and the pace of her books.

Warning, SPOILERS below:



- I love that in the end, Henry was the pursuing Diana. Her decision to leave for Paris despite his proposal, was so sad but understandable.
- Not such a huge fan that Henry and Penelope will likely stay together. He'll be mildly happy at best, which isn't good enough for him, especially after the unfortunate incident with his father. The one time he really stands up for himself with him and ends so awfully... it seems like that could be a recurring theme with him especially since he's saddled with Penelope who would exploit that.
- I know Lina got her comeuppance, but I really liked her! She broke all societal rules and barged into the upper class on a bluff. I hate that Leland couldn't stick by her, but am glad she's reunited with her sister and having fun with all her new money. So annoyed with Tristan, though - he should have been happy with his payoff and gone away.
- Elizabeth! I was completely shocked by the twist with Mr. Cairns - I didn't see that coming at all. He really seemed harmless and almost meek. That she ended up with Teddy after everything was absolutely perfect.

The best of the series - the cliffhanger endings really weakened the others.

When I first started reading this series, I was very doubtful that I wud finish the series, and now that I have finished, I am glad I persevered!

I find myself very suprised how everything ends, some I kind of anticipated and others I had no idea!

What an end to amazing series. It is certainly one I will never forget.

Elizabeth got the happily-ever-after with Teddy, which I am sure satisfied us all. I truly believe he would care for her and accept her child from Will, and she would try her absolute best to do the same. Someone in the book needed a perfect fairytale ending!

As for Lina, it was made public that she went from rags to riches and in the process she lost her fiance . If he dumped her over that, it wasn't true love anyway. So she shared the inheritance with Claire and they started fresh. I was happy she came clean and society accepted her and I think there is so much hope for her. It's people like her who let go of the past and strive for the future that change our society. It inspires me.

The Penelope - Henry - Diana triangle was bittersweet but ultimately for the best. Penelope and Henry will proabably fall in love with each other again, but nothing can stop them from cheating on each other.In a way, I think they deserve this fate of an unhappy marriage. Henry married Penelope because he feared society and he wasn't always a great person. For example, he always got drunk, never faced his responsibilities and left Diana heartbroken for so long. As for Penelope, she was always a witch and didn't care about those she hurt to get what she wanted.

Diana didn't deserve shattered dreams or to be tied down. She got a bright predictable future where ANYTHING can happen. Isn't that what she deserves? Maybe she'll have a love affair with the Prince on the same vessel or Penelope's brother or somebody we don't even know. Or perhaps she'll go away for awhile and return from a life changing journey with new perspectives to a new, different society transformed by Lina and Claire and live it up in New York! In such a society she could even end up with Henry down the road!!! Its open-ended for our dear Di, so fill in the blanks the way you want to, but just be sure to include a little adventure and romance.

3.5
Reread of a series I loved in childhood! I remember not caring for how everyone's stories ended as a girl, but I appreciated it a lot more this time around.

Spoiler

I'm happy that Lina and Leland didn't end up together. With the truth about her coming out on their wedding day, I'm happy that Leland ditched her for good. Also, I noticed that ever since Lina started pretending that she was this wealthy heiress, she did absolutely nothing to help her sister. She was so self-centered and inconsiderate. Regardless, after Leland called off the wedding, Lina finally remembers she has a sister and invites Claire to live with her. Apparently, they throw fun parties together, which is cool.

I loved seeing Penelope get duped by the Bavarian prince, and to an extent I do think Henry and Penelope deserve each other. I certainly don't think Henry deserves Diana. All of his actions prove that he only wanted her on his terms. The first time reading this, I was sad that Henry and Diana didn't end up together, but now I think that was the best possible ending for Diana. She got to go out on her own and be free, just like she's always wanted.

Finally, Elizabeth and Teddy. Teddy has loved Elizabeth through so much, and them ending up together is definitely the best ending Elizabeth could have hoped for, considering everything that's gone on. I have mixed feelings about them as a couple, because I'll always feel like Elizabeth is just settling for Teddy because he's there and willing. Kind of think he deserved better, if I'm being honest.

Welllll...I finished the series and I can only classify it as a guilty pleasure which is why it gets 3 stars. I loved reading it because it was so over the top and dramatic. Not to mention it felt like it was a book full of modern teenagers who just happened to be really rich, really spoiled, and wearing Victorian Era dresses.
Anyway, a lot of the plots/sub-plots were wrapped up, but very sloppy (like, did the editor actually read the draft before they published it??).
Henry- Of COURSE he met Diana at the boat with a fancy ring despite the fact that she already turned him down, and of course she turned him down, and of course then he went home and stayed married to Penelope. Really?? And what a shocker, he told his dad that he was going to divorce Penelope and his father died. CLICHED MUCH??
Diana- Okay, so I'm kind of glad that she didn't stay with Henry because he was kind of a douche to her, but both this book and Envy were all about Diana pining over Henry, and then they didn't end up together? And how cliched, she went and lived in Paris. Eyeroll.
Penelope- Aaaaaaaaaaand she totally got played by a European prince. I have to admit, the scene where she went to the hotel and found out that he not only had checked out of the hotel without telling her, but he was also engaged to European royalty and had no intention of actually going to Europe with her or making her a princess. Pretty cliched, but hilarious.
Lina- Haha! I'm glad that Leland dumped her (and the wedding was called off, no less), but really, the whole Leland/Tristan thing was so incredibly unbelievable it was almost painful to read. Leland never showed a jealous streak at all, and then at the church he's punching someone's lights out? I have to say I'm glad that she realized that she was kind of a bitch to her sister Claire...she came into a TON of money when Carey Lewis Longhorn died and she just let her sister stay on as a maid. OMGWTFBBQ? What a bitch. At least she came around and let Claire move in with her instead of leaving her as a maid.
Elizabeth- LOLwut? So she figures out that Snowden is behind the entire thing regarding Will's death and her father's death and he's really just sucking up to the family so he will get all of the oil money? And then Snowden and his housekeeper keep her drugged up for months and nobody notices? I mean, I realize that pregnant women don't go out in public, but what about her mother or her Aunt Edith? They didn't come to see Elizabeth one single time? The ONLY person to realize that she was being drugged was Teddy Cutting? So Teddy comes to save Elizabeth, but Elizabeth has managed to kill Snowden (accidentally) and then she and Teddy go to see her mother and get engaged? Uhh...

Okay....so I sound way more harsh than I planned on. I did enjoy reading the books but they were kind of ridiculous. :) Still better than the Twilight series, though that's not saying much....

Such an enjoyable series. Although it wasn't filled with happy endings, it was filled with much deserved consequences.