I read Jamie Brenner's first book, "Blush" last year and enjoyed it thoroughly so when I saw her new book Gilt was available to request on NetGalley, I knew I had to get it.
Gilt comes out on June 21st and spoiler alert: I really loved it! It followed the same formula as Blush... even the covers are similar. I love that about authors - when they write something similar and follow a specific pattern, it makes it so much more interesting in my opinion.
I also love the title and paired with the flashy, luxe cover I knew I was going to like it.
Publisher's Summary
One perfect diamond is all it takes to divide a family. Could one summer be enough to fix it?
The Pavlin family built an empire on love. As the first jewelers to sell diamond rings exclusively for proposals, they started a tradition that has defined engagements ever since. But when an ill-fated publicity stunt pits the three Pavlin sisters against one another for a famous family jewel, their bond is broken. No ordinary diamond ring, the Electric Rose splinters the sisters, leaving one unlucky in love, one escaping to the shores of Cape Cod, and the other, ultimately, dead.
Now, over a decade later, Gemma Maybrook is still reconciling the reality of her mother's death. Left orphaned and cast out by her family after the tragic accident, Gemma is ready to reclaim what should have been hers: the Electric Rose. And, as a budding jewelry designer in her own right, Gemma isn't just planning on recovering her mother's lost memento, she's coming back for everything.
From Manhattan’s tony Fifth Avenue to the vibrant sands of Provincetown, Gilt follows the Pavlin women as they are forced to confront the mistakes of the past if they have any hope of finding love and happiness of their own.
My Thoughts
I will read any book about a family-owned jewelry company. I do not know what it is about that business in novels but it always seems so glamorous and luxe. That in itself was a hook for me and it was so interesting.
Similar to Blush, Gilt follows a family business (Blush was all about wine in the Hamptons), located in Manhattan and a competitor to Tiffany's. We go back and forth between past and present to see how we got to where we are: Gemma is disconnected from her Pavlin family roots but she is desperate to get her late mother's engagement ring: The Electric Rose.
In the present, we see Gemma and her aunt's POV: Elodie and Celeste. Elodie is at the helm of the family business while Celeste has run far away from it.
In the past, we alternate between POVs between all three Palvin sisters, including Gemma's mother, Paulina. This was an interesting way to set up the family dynamics and understand why the Pavlin sisters are not on speaking terms, and just how Gemma got exiled from the family.
Throughout the novel there are subplots but truthfully, I didn't care much about them. All three main characters in the present day have their own love life issues but that was honestly the least desirable part of the book. I didn't care about Elodie and Tito (it seemed like such a mismatch) nor did I feel connected at all to Sanjay and why Gemma was so obsessed with him. It was very disjointed.
To me, the most interesting part was the family dynamics and finding out what happened to the Electric Rose.
I will say that it took me a bit to get into the book; it was a little confusing and hard to connect but once I got my ducks in a row and paid attention, I became enthralled. There were so many different personalities in this novel, so many different family dynamics, and a lot of great character development. I felt like I knew the Pavlin sisters and the entire jewelry business, it was very interesting.
As I said above, I didn't feel connected to any of the love stories in this book aside from Gemma's parents and I felt like there were just too many side characters that didn't add to the story but actually took away from it.
The ending of the novel where we get a glimpse into the future after a beautiful moment of the family coming together was perfection. It made me cry, gave me chills, and honestly it was the one moment where I loved all of the characters, Elodie and Sanjay included. It was perfection!
I think this might be one of my favorite books of the year - it was beautiful and broken in so many ways.
Gilt comes out on June 21st and I think you should read it!
xoxo
B
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