all that glitters
Chloe Hughes has been waiting to get out of her small Northern England town and start her life. She got accepted to Dern College, and is excited to start her classes. But she was assigned a room on campus, and her three roommates all look down on her from the start. It got better for Chloe when she met Olivia in one of her first English classes, and the two of them started reading those 30 assigned novels right away.
Chloe is studying late in the library one night when an abandoned scarf catches her eye. She takes a closer look at it and finds her initials monogrammed on it. She isn’t sure at first if someone had somehow left it behind for her, but when she shows it to Olivia, Olivia figures out that it belongs to influencer Clara Holland. Chloe sees her at the coffeeshop and goes up to her, handing back the scarf and pointing out that they share initials. Chloe was worried that the famous influencer would be standoffish and rude, but Clara turns out to be gracious and kind. And when they run into each other again, Clara invites Chloe to her party.
Clara lives at a big house surrounded by woods. It’s the family’s summer house, but Clara loves it there. That’s why she chose Dern instead of Oxford or Cambridge, where she was also offered a place due to her influential parents. Clara’s parties are legendary, with platters of food and endless alcohol, elaborate themes and lavish fashions. Chloe has a great time, and she gets invited back to more parties. She gets closer to Clara as she finishes her first semester.
The two women get so close that Clara invites Chloe to live with her. The house is big, so there is plenty of room, and there is always reliable heat and hot water, unlike in Chloe’s campus room. Chloe agrees and quickly gets used to the luxury of Clara’s lifestyle. They go to campus together, they plan parties together, they skip classes together. For a while, things are ideal for Chloe. But then Clara invites more women to live in the house. And things get more complicated.
The housekeeper quits, as does the chef. There are lipsticks, magazines, and half-eaten takeout meals left all over. Clara goes to classes even less frequently, so Chloe has to take the bus to campus. But Clara has asked her to help write her memoir. Chloe has always wanted to write a book, so she’s excited to be a part of Clara’s memoir. But it means that she has less time to spend on her own writing. And then Clara starts making rules.
On the fridge is posted a set of rules. At first, the rules are about replacing what you use in the house and being considerate towards each other. As the weeks go on, however, the rules are about being loyal to Clara and staying true to the group. Olivia pulls Chloe aside and tells her that people are starting to call them a cult. Chloe shrugs it off, but she does recognize that there are changes happening in the house, including how Clara has started to call all the women at the house The Goldens.
Things come to a head at a big party Clara throws at the end of the semester. They have a giant bonfire and the largest group of invitees they’ve ever had. There were even journalists there, who could see the party firsthand and see that it wasn’t a cult. But what happens that night changes everything, and it would take the police and the courts to step in and find out the truth.
The Goldens is a debut novel about influence and manipulation. It’s a roller coaster of secrets and rumors, wealth and longing. The audio book is narrated by Cassandra Harwood, and I thought she did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. Told through Chloe’s point of view, it’s a fantastic thriller with an ending I absolutely did not see coming. I loved The Goldens, and I look forward to seeing what author Lauren Wilson comes up with next.
An early copy of the audio book of The Goldens was provided by Macmillan Audio through NetGalley, with many thanks, but the opinions are mine.
