The Luxe by Anna Godbersen

This book was suggested to me by a teacher friend about eight years ago. She knows that I am a lover of Historical Fiction, and I don't mind a cheesy romance once in a while, so she recommended that I read it shortly after it was released. Neither one of us knew at the time that it was a series, and we would have to wait until the series was completed to finish the story, but I'm so glad that she suggested the book to me! This was fun to read a second time during the quarantine because I am feeling so overwhelmed with the seriousness of this whole stay at home and teach/social distance period.
The story tells about the Holland family, who are "old money" in turn-of-the-century New York. Elizabeth, the oldest of the two Hollands, is in love with their carriage driver, Will Keller, but she is being forced to marry handsome Henry Schoonmaker, New York's most eligible bachelor because her family has lost all of their money since her father's death. Elizabeth obviously doesn't love Henry, and she wants to run away to California with Will, but she has always been taught to do what is best for the family so she stays in New York even though her heart is with Will.
While Elizabeth is dealing with her engagement to Henry and her relationship with Will, her best frenemy, Penelope Hayes, is trying to figure out how to get Henry to marry her instead of Elizabeth. In addition, Elizabeth's younger sister, Diana, finds herself following in love with Henry, and Henry finds he feels the same about Diana. To make things worse, Elizabeth's maid, Lina Broud, is in love with Will, and she wants revenge because Will chose Elizabeth over her. It really is the cheesy romance that most teenage girls will enjoy. Plus, in my opinion, it is tastefully done. Yes, the characters have intimate relationships outside of marriage, but Godbersen doesn't portray those scenes in a tasteless way. She does not go into great detail during the love scenes, and the language is very tame.
In addition, I love how the characters are developed in the story. Penelope Hayes is very much the stereotypical rich brat who comes from "new money" while Elizabeth is the stereotypical damsel in distress who has to choose between her true love and her family. Diana is portrayed as a romantic teenager who is looking for love, but in all reality, she is more independent and courageous than Elizabeth and Penelope are put together. I hate Penelope strongly, and I feel the same about Lina Broud. The two of them are super selfish, and I love how Godbersen portrays their personalities through their selfish thoughts and actions.
I am looking forward to rereading the entire series, since I have time to do that, and I highly recommend the series to those who are looking for a fun, cheesy romance to help take your mind off of the more serious matters in life.