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The Subway Girls

A Novel

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The Subway Girls

By: Susie Orman Schnall
Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik
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About this listen

From Susie Orman Schnall, author of The Balance Project, comes a dual-timeline audiobook featuring a 1949 Miss Subways contestant and a modern-day advertising executive whose careers and lives intersect.

In 1949, dutiful and ambitious Charlotte's dream of a career in advertising is shattered when her father demands she help out with the family business. Meanwhile, Charlotte is swept into the glamorous world of the Miss Subways beauty contest, which promises irresistible opportunities with its Park Avenue luster and local fame status. But when her new friend—the intriguing and gorgeous fellow-participant Rose—does something unforgivable, Charlotte must make a heart-wrenching decision that will change the lives of those around her forever.

Nearly 70 years later, outspoken advertising executive Olivia is pitching the NYC subways account in a last ditch effort to save her job at an advertising agency. When the charismatic boss she’s secretly in love with pits her against her misogynistic nemesis, Olivia’s urgent search for the winning strategy leads her to the historic Miss Subways campaign. As the pitch date closes in on her, Olivia finds herself dealing with a broken heart, an unlikely new love interest, and an unexpected personal connection to Miss Subways that could save her job—and her future.

The Subway Girls is the charming story of two strong women, a generation apart, who find themselves up against the same eternal struggle to find an impossible balance between love, happiness, and ambition.

Praise for The Subway Girls:

"Schnall has written a book that is smart and timely...Feels perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Liza Klaussmann." —Taylor Jenkins Reid, acclaimed author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

"A fast-paced, clever novel filled with romantic possibilities, high-stakes decisions, and harsh realities. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis’s The Dollhouse, this engrossing tale highlights the role that ambition, sexism, and true love will forever play in women’s lives." —Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions

Contemporary Contemporary Romance Fiction Historical Fiction Romance Women's Fiction Heartfelt Advertising

Critic Reviews

<p>“A charming, inspiring tale, crossing two generations of ambitious young women, striving against the odds to make their mark, find happiness—and figure out, decades apart, if it’s ever possible to do both.” —Nicola Kraus, co-author of the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestseller<i> The Nanny Diaries</i><br><br>"Schnall has written a book that is smart and timely, offering an incisive take on the changing opportunities for women in the workplace with a number of satisfying surprises. Feels perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Liza Klaussmann." —Taylor Jenkins Reid, acclaimed author of <i>The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo </i>and<br><i>Maybe in Another Life</i> <br><br>"The intriguing stories of two formidable women, Charlotte and Olivia, intertwine in Susie Orman Schnall’s latest, a fast-paced, clever novel filled with romantic possibilities, high-stakes decisions, and harsh realities. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis’s <i>The Dollhouse</i>, this engrossing tale highlights the role that ambition, sexism, and true love will forever play in women’s lives." —Amy Poeppel, author of <i>Small Admissions<br></i><br>"This is a must read for fans of modern-day fiction and historical fiction alike. There is so much to love in this story – all the satisfying nostalgia of the post-war advertising world, and all the excitement of present-day New York." —Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of <i>The Two-Family House</i><br><br>"This page-turner is finely balanced by a heartwarming journey that spans decades. I couldn’t put it down." —Amy Sue Nathan, author of <i>Left to Chance<br><br></i>"Schnall effortlessly weaves past and present in a tale of two women striving for their dreams in the cutthroat NYC advertising world. With a fascinating concept and characters you'll root for, <i>The Subway Girls</i> had me racing to its satisfying conclusion." —Kristin Contino, author of <i>Legacy of Us</i><br><br>"Susie Orman Schnall seamlessly moves between the present and past, weaving together the stories of two different women facing the timeless decisions of love, career, and happiness.” —Orly Konig-Lopez, author of <i>The Distance Home</i></p>
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