Soho, London, 1958. Three women. One boarding house. A secret that could shatter everything.

One wet afternoon in 1954, after a whirlwind romance, Edie West married Frank Budd in a South London registry office. With a spool of blue ribbon tied around her bouquet, she promised to love, honour, and obey him - for better, or worse.

Two years later, Edie arrives alone at 73 Dove Street, a West London boarding house run by the formidable Phyllis Collier: exhausted, nervous, carrying nothing but a cardboard suitcase. Phyllis' other lodger, Tommie, keeps herself to herself. But when Tommie discovers a secret from Edie and Frank's marriage, she's faced with a choice. Will she turn the other way? Or help set Edie free?

Transport yourself to mid-century New York in this compelling and evocative story of secrets, jealousy and hidden love 'BOOK OF THE MONTH' WOMAN & HOME 'DAZZLING DEBUT' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'SUPERLATIVE' RED 'SO VIVIDLY EVOKED' CLARE CHAMBERS, AUTHOR OF SMALL PLEASURES 'I WAS GRIPPED FROM THE FIRST PAGE' SARA COX 'BROKE ME, PUT ME BACK TOGETHER. JUST BUY THIS. YOU WON'T REGRET IT' 5* READER REVIEW _________ 1955 In an apartment on the Lower East Side, school teachers Dovie and Gillian live as lodgers. Dancing behind closed curtains, mixing cocktails for two, they guard their private lives fiercely. Until someone guesses the truth . . . 1975 Twenty years later in the same apartment, Ava Winters is keeping her own secret. Her mother has become erratic, haunted by something Ava doesn't understand - until one sweltering July morning, she disappears. Soon after her mother's departure, Ava receives a parcel. Addressed simply to 'Apartment 3B', it contains a photo of a woman with the word 'LIAR' scrawled across it. Ava does not know what it means or who sent it. But if she can find out then perhaps she'll discover the answers she is seeking - and meet the woman at the heart of it all . . . _________ 'Made me cry, took me to smoke-filled jazz bars, and made me want to dance. A brilliantly written, evocative and moving novel' ANNA MAZZOLA, AUTHOR OF THE CLOCKWORK GIRL 'Sad, rage-inducing and uplifting - a very emotional read' HARRIET TYCE, AUTHOR OF BLOOD ORANGE 'I will remember this book for a long time' LOUISE HARE, AUTHOR OF THIS LOVELY CITY 'Not only assured, pacy and involving, but both heartbreaking and heartmending' HOPE ADAMS, AUTHOR OF DANGEROUS WOMEN **WOMAN & HOME 2022 BOOK CLUB AWARD WINNER** READERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THAT GREEN EYED GIRL 'The pacing is perfect, the voice is striking' 5* READER REVIEW 'So well written that you truly feel like you're there' 5* READER REVIEW 'The ending will floor you' 5* READER REVIEW 'I was blown away by this book! So evocative of the period' 5* READER REVIEW 'It would make a lovely film, with beautiful visuals and a killer jazz soundtrack' 5* READER REVIEW 'Pick it up if you wanted to be transported to mid-century NYC (and if you like a novel that makes you want to dance and weep in equal measure)' 5* READER REVIEW 'This is the kind of book that takes your heart in its hands' 5* READER REVIEW

The page-turning and evocative new novel set in 1950s London from the author of That Green Eyed Girl 'An incredibly vivid rendering of post-war London and the complicated lives of three woman whose fates intersect at a boarding house . . . emotional, immersive and utterly absorbing' JENNIFER SAINT 'The sense of time and place is beautifully evocative. It's about pride and shame and love and loss and ultimately hope' LAURA SHEPHERD-ROBINSON 'Once again, Julie Owen Moylan has created a world that feels completely real and vivid' JODIE CHAPMAN 'From the Rivoli Ballroom to the seedy nightlife of Soho, the characters leap off the page in this compelling mystery' WOMAN & HOME ___________ When Edie Budd arrives at a shabby West London boarding house in October 1958, carrying nothing except a broken suitcase and an envelope full of cash, it's clear she's hiding a terrible secret. And she's not the only one; the other women of 73 Dove Street have secrets of their own . . . Tommie, who lives on the second floor, waits on the eccentric Mrs Vee by day. After dark, she harbours an addiction to seedy Soho nightlife - and a man she can't quit. Phyllis, 73 Dove Street's formidable landlady, has set fire to her husband's belongings after discovering a heart-breaking betrayal - yet her fierce bravado hides a past she doesn't want to talk about. At first, the three women keep to themselves. But as Edie's past catches up with her, Tommie becomes caught in her web of lies - forcing her to make a decision that will change everything . . . ___________ 'A beautiful story of friendship and new beginnings' BEST 'Gripping and atmospheric' RED 'I loved it even more than Julie's debut That Green Eyed Girl. Soho in the 50s is brilliantly done, as are the female characters. Brava Julie!' GEORGINA MOORE PRAISE FOR THAT GREEN EYED GIRL: 'BOOK OF THE MONTH' Woman & Home'DAZZLING DEBUT' Good Housekeeping'SUPERLATIVE' Red'SO VIVIDLY EVOKED' Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures'I WAS GRIPPED FROM THE FIRST PAGE' Sara Cox

Transport yourself to mid-century New York in this compelling and evocative story of secrets, jealousy and hidden love 'Book of the Month' WOMAN & HOME 'Dazzling debut' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING 'So vividly evoked' CLARE CHAMBERS 'I was gripped from the first page' SARA COX __________ NEW YORK CITY, 1955. In the dimmed lights of their apartment, Dovie and Gillian love each other in secret. Mixing drinks, dancing to slow jazz, they guard their lives closely, knowing they'll never truly be safe. And yet, outside, someone suspects the truth. Gillian fears the worst, and grips on to Dovie more tightly. But Dovie, seeing the good in people, lets the door open . . . Is this their chance to finally be free? Or are they in even more danger than before? __________ 'Superlative' RED 'Summer sparkles in this book and so does the prose' DAMIAN BARR 'Highly recommended' NIKKI MAY, AUTHOR OF WAHALA READERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THAT GREEN EYED GIRL 'Broke me, put me back together. Just buy this. You won't regret it' 5* READER REVIEW 'The pacing is perfect, the voice is striking' 5* READER REVIEW 'So well written that you truly feel like you're there' 5* READER REVIEW 'The ending will floor you' 5* READER REVIEW 'I was blown away by this book! So evocative of the period' 5* READER REVIEW 'It would make a lovely film, with beautiful visuals and a killer jazz soundtrack' 5* READER REVIEW 'Pick it up if you wanted to be transported to mid-century NYC (and if you like a novel that makes you want to dance and weep in equal measure)' 5* READER REVIEW 'This is the kind of book that takes your heart in its hands' 5* READER REVIEW

Pre-order this immersive, emotionally gripping novel about jealousy, loyalty, and the secrets we keep to protect those we love . . . 'Prepare to lose yourself in a tale of love, loss and deceit' SARA COX, RADIO 2 DJ AND HOST OF BBC 2'S BETWEEN THE COVERS 'I was hooked from the beginning' CLARE CHAMBERS, AUTHOR OF SMALL PLEASURES 'Broke me, put me back together and made me cry. Just buy this. You won't regret it' 5* READER REVIEW _______ 1955: In an apartment on the Lower East Side, school teachers Dovie and Gillian live as lodgers. Dancing behind closed curtains, mixing cocktails for two, they guard their private lives fiercely. Until someone guesses the truth . . . 1975: Twenty years later in the same apartment, Ava Winters is keeping her own secret. Her mother has become erratic, haunted by something Ava doesn't understand - until one sweltering July morning, she disappears. Soon after her mother's departure, Ava receives a parcel. Addressed simply to 'Apartment 3B', it contains a photo of a woman with the word 'LIAR' scrawled across it. Ava does not know what it means or who sent it. But if she can find out then perhaps she'll discover the answers she is seeking - and meet the woman at the heart of it all . . . _______ 'I will remember this book for a long time' LOUISE HARE, AUTHOR OF THIS LOVELY CITY 'Not only assured, pacy and involving, but both heartbreaking and heartmending' HOPE ADAMS, AUTHOR OF DANGEROUS WOMEN 'Such a devastating, gripping story and stunning, powerful writing. Once I started I just could not stop' ALIYA ALI-AFZAL, AUTHOR OF WOULD I LIE TO YOU? READERS ARE FALLING IN LOVE WITH THAT GREEN EYED GIRL 'The pacing is perfect, the voice is striking' 5* READER REVIEW 'I was blown away by this book! So evocative of the period' 5* READER REVIEW 'It would make a lovely film, with beautiful visuals and a killer jazz soundtrack' 5* READER REVIEW 'Pick it up if you wanted to be transported to mid-century NYC (and if you like a novel that makes you want to dance and weep in equal measure)' 5* READER REVIEW

BERLIN, 1926: After the death of their parents, sisters Leni and Annette only have each other. Desperate, but dreaming of better days, Leni finds work at a notorious cabaret: the Babylon Circus.

From the dancer’s barely-there costumes, to the glimmering mirrors that cover the walls, the Babylon Circus is where reality and fantasy merge. For Leni, it’s an overwhelming new world, and she’s happiest hiding in the shadows.

Until she meets the cabaret’s resident pianist, Paul. And so begins a tentative love affair that will play out over the next forty years. But, in a city whose divisions will define a century, can a love born within the feverish walls of the Babylon Circus ever survive? And can the bond between Leni and Annette – tugged in opposite directions of their own – also endure?

In Berlin, two sisters dared to dream of a better life – but where in this dark and dazzling city will they find their true home?