It’s the 1920s and as England recovers from the effects of the Great War, its young people are busy bringing back the glamour and fun they knew before. Dorothy ‘Dolly’ Lane is running from her own past when she becomes a maid at the lavish Savoy Hotel that caters to the rich and famous. Through lucky circumstance, Dolly ends up coming friendly with Perry and Virginia Clement - Virginia actually being famous star Loretta May - who take Dolly under their wing and introduce her to the type of life she’s always wished for.

This book is a pretty wonderful, lovely read and managed to bring the vibrancy of London in the roaring twenties to life, while still keeping the memories and dark echoes of the war a real reminder on the sidelines. I loved Dolly’s introduction to the Savoy and just imagining how such a great hotel was run at the time and all the different things the maids, bar staff and porters must have witnessed all the time.

Dolly, Loretta, Perry and Teddy are all trying to forget the horrors they endured and the heartbreaks they suffered during the war and the bright lights of the stage seem to be a perfect recipe for that. I loved Dolly’s transition from Savoy maid to theatre chorus girl and rising star. One of my only complaints about the book is that I would have liked more time on Dolly’s time on stage. I felt the end was a bit squished and it didn’t get the time it deserved. Dolly talked for the entire book about her wishes to be on stage yet when she got there, we only got a couple of rushed chapters about her time.

I just loved the vibrancy of this book and how the characters, city and atmosphere came alive for me. All the characters had a lot of depth to them, and they were just so real for me. I think this book with its mix of upper and lower class, the blurred lines there after the war, the glamour of the stage as well as the downfalls of it would make a great mini series. I need Loretta May and Dolly Lane to come alive on screen for me please.