I recently finished Anna Godbersen's finale to the Luxe series, Splendor. Going into it, I had no clue it was to be the end, but as I got farther along in the novel I could tell Godbersen was tying up loose ends. 
 For those of you who are unaware, Splendor is fourth in a young adult series (the Luxe series) that follows New York socialites in the very beginning of the 1900s. It has been called a Gosip Girl for this time period. While parallels can certainly be drawn, I find the Luxe series much more engaging. 
 While the characters in the series certainly all have their foibles, they are refreshingly unapologetic. These are not damsels simpering in their drawing rooms over tea. I can't say personally I always liked the characters, but I was always interested in what was happening to them. The novels focus on the stories of Elizabeth Holland, Diana Holland, Penelope Hayes, and Carolina Broad, a coterie of sorts in their own perculiar way. Godbersen's narration shifts between the stories of these four young women, but her voice maintains a third person omniscient. The writing style is fast paced and engaging. 
 Splendor saw all four girls pretty well into their stories. I must say that I was extremely happy with the way the stories of all four girls were tied up. No, not every girl got the ending she wanted for herself, or the reading many reader's desire. However, they did get endings that made sense to their character and the story line that strung through four books. I must say that I took particular pleasure in the wrapping up of the Holland girls' stories (spoiler alert ahead). While Diana's ending made illusions to Edith Wharton's Age of Innocene (also about New York's high society around the same time), it was much more about her asserting her own independence. I loved that she decided that ultimately a man wasn't what was going to make her most happy. The celebration of this revelation is what Godbersen takes the reader out on with the Epilogue. I find this idea even more wonderful because of the fact that the books are marketed at teenage girls. Many can probably relate to the swirl of first romance Diana experiences, and I hope they will also be able to make similar choices. 
 Sometimes it's easy to forget the relative youth of the characters as they prance about in high society, scheme, and even enter marriages. I was originally intrigued by the series because of the time period. Despite traits that do not necessarily endear me, the characters grabbed hold of me. I found myself caring very much about the welfare of some. And, overall, I'm very content with the ending supplied them.