📆 Publication Date: 2nd April 2026
⭐️4/5 stars
📖 Length: 368 pages
📱 Format: ePUB
⏳ Read Time: 16 days
Synopsis
London, October, 1956. A glittering Royal Film Premiere. The whole world is watching . . .
Tonight, Elizabeth II will formally greet an array of stars. Though she was not born to be Queen, this young mother and wife has embraced her patriotic duty and its unforgiving demands.
A limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling gold: Marilyn Monroe. A money-making machine for Hollywood, with curves that drive men wild and a smile that lets women know she’s in on the joke.
As the two most famous women in the world come face to face, they look to be worlds apart. Yet beneath the glamorous costumes, both are fighting to keep the men they love, while trying to do their work in a man’s world. And they have spent the summer of 1956 battling secret demons the public could never imagine.
Now, Marilyn steps forward. These photographs will be on the front page of every newspaper in the morning.
But this isn’t their first meeting. And the story behind the headlines is even more sensational . . .
What I thought
I went into Elizabeth & Marilyn not really knowing what to expect, but I ended up really enjoying it. I love historical fiction, and while I’m not particularly a Royalist, I do find myself drawn to biographies and documentaries about the royals, so this felt like a nice change of pace for me.
Julie Owen Moylan does a great job of taking two real-life, notable figures (Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe) and blending fact with fiction in a way that feels both natural and believable. I really enjoyed how she wove imagined moments into real history to bring these two women together.
What stood out most to me was the focus on the similarities between them, particularly in their private lives. On the surface, they lived completely different lives, but the book highlights the shared pressure, pain, and confusion they both experienced. It made them feel much more human, rather than just the iconic figures we usually see. The parallel chapters worked brilliantly and kept me thoroughly engaged throughout.
I also found it really interesting that the idea for the book came from something the author saw online about them sharing a birthday—which turned out not to be true. It’s such a small spark, but it led to a really thoughtful and well-crafted story.
And I have to mention the cover, it’s absolutely gorgeous. The bright, colourful pop-art style really stands out, and it’s exactly the kind of book I’d be drawn to on a shelf.
Overall
Overall, I really enjoyed this. It was an easy, engaging read and felt like the perfect palate cleanser between heavier books. Definitely one I’d recommend if you like historical fiction with a slightly different angle.
Interested in picking this up? Links below
On Amazon – here
Bookshop.Org – here
Thanks to NetGalley, Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House, and the author for this ARC in return for an honest review.
Until next time… 🖤
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