This book did manage to effectively portray the flavor of the 60's, but that's about all I can say in its favor.

I found the writing style repetitive and dull. The author would often express the same concept or use the exact same phrases in back to back sentences, making for uninspiring prose. Once the protagonist travels to Morocco she ceases to be a character and becomes more of a mirror for the rockstars and celebrities around her. Everyone around her instantly adores her for no easily discernable reason and finds her fascinating even though all she does is go along with the group (mostly) and speak in brief, bland spurts. This washing out of her already threadbare personality may have been a deliberate artistic choice, but it makes the middle and end portions of the novel exceedingly dull since the narrator is our only point of view.

The shout out from, and the comparisons to, Taylor Jenkins Reid's work do this book absolutely no favors as Reid soars marvelously in the same niche where this novel stumblingly plods. The comparison can only serve to highlight this book's deficiencies against a much better alternative. ( )

✌️Book Review✌️
( )

Sister Stardust will transport you straight to the swinging 60s! In this book, which was inspired by a true story (the glamorous and tragic life of 1960's icon Talitha Getty), the main character Claire leaves her small town life behind and moves to London. She quickly transforms into a more fantastic version of herself and crosses paths with the magnetic Talitha, who invites Claire (and her new friends) to her Marrakesh palace. Once there, Claire is quickly swept up into Talitha's sex, drugs, and rock and roll lifestyle, but not surprisingly, there's a dark side lurking underneath.

While I enjoyed learning about Talitha Getty, I felt like this novel had some serious issues. Claire basically starves herself, and then once she's skinny, all her dreams come true (ugh). It felt unbelievable that Claire would cross paths with, let alone befriend, Talitha and her famous friends. Which I suppose was kind of the point, but I wasn't left unconvinced. The book is also repetitive in spots, and the celebrity name dropping was a bit much. Overall, for such an interesting era and group of people, this book felt pretty ho hum. ( )

I absolutely loved this book which is based on the life of Talitha (pronounced Taleeta -- I never heard of her before this book) who was J. Paul Getty Jrs. wife.

It all started when Claire, a small town, innocent girl goes to Marrakesh and meets their wild friends, including rock stars, (name dropping included) in Marrakesh. Drugs, sex, orgies, wonderful food (recipes included) it was all there.

It was wild ride that's for sure. I know I didn't do this book justice with my general review but you need to read this book to understand it I think. ( )

After clashing with her step-mom, Cece leaves her small town for London. She lands a job in a department store, and begins transforming herself into a glamorous it girl. When she begins dating a music promoter, she quickly befriends a rock stars girlfriend and finds herself traveling with the band to Marrakesh. There she meets Talitha Getty, and finds herself in the midst of drugs and wild orgies.

This was a well written, engaging story. The characters were fascinating, almost hypnotic. The book was hard to put down, I found myself reading long into the night. The lifestyle of the rich and famous was absolutely crazy. With all of the attention, easy drugs, and risk taking, I see how they burn out quickly. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author. ( )