A mysterious death, an upstairs-downstairs affair, a marriage of convenience, a scheming social climber, a jealous maid, and a man in love with his fiancee's sister make up the sordid plot of The Luxe, the first in a four-book series about Manhattan's wealthiest families. While it may sound like a lot is going on, I found the 400+ pages to be surprisingly dull. Thinking back, the plot can be summarized quickly and so I'm not quite sure what was filling all those pages. 
 The book is covered with quotes and references to both Edith Wharton and Gossip Girl. Both of these influences are apparent in the book, but sometimes they're a little too apparent. If you are familiar with either the Gossip Girl book series or television show, then you'll definitely recognize Blair, Serena, Nate, Chuck, and Jenny in their Luxe counterparts. I enjoy the GG books and television show for what they are, and I was a little irritated to see it cribbed so closely here. 
 On the other hand, I was also disappointed that this book lacked the glitz and snappy speculation of Gossip Girl. There was gossip and glamor, but the gossip wasn't as biting or juicy as I was hoping and the glamor didn't live up to the cover. Part of the fun of reading about wealthy people is that you can immerse yourself in their rich lifestyle, but I had trouble feeling like I was actually there. I looked at that dress on the cover and I hoped reading the book would make that dress come alive, but it didn't really. The lack of glamor in the main character's life also weakened this aspect. 
 The characters felt simply drawn and I didn't really like or care about any of them. For me, they also suffered in comparison to their GG equivalents, feeling like pale imitations. I figured out the climatic "big reveal" in the opening chapter, which made the rest of the book frustrating to read. I also didn't really feel like I was learning anything about the historical time period, though this would be a benefit for people who want to read a gossip novel set in that time period but don't really like heavy historical fiction. 
 Overall, I didn't really enjoy this book, but I didn't dislike it either. It was ok. My biggest complaint really is just that I was bored. If I hadn't figured out the climax in the first pages, then I probably would have enjoyed this book more. As it is, I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the books in the series. It's not that I think they'll be bad, it's just that I have other books to read that I think I'd enjoy more. In comparison, my sister loved this book and sped through the whole series in a few days. So what do I know? 
 Originally posted at: Small Review