Move over, Mad Men. Step aside, The Devil Wears Prada. John Searles’ Single Girls is serving martinis, miniskirts, magazine drama, and enough juicy office gossip to keep you turning pages long past bedtime.
This book is an absolute blast.
At its heart is Helen Gurley Brown, the woman who didn’t just reinvent Cosmopolitan—she reinvented what women believed was possible. Armed with little more than impossible confidence, sky-high heels, and a radical idea that women didn’t need a husband to have a fabulous life, Helen storms into a failing magazine and turns it into a cultural phenomenon. Watching her do it is pure fun.
But don’t mistake Single Girls for a history lesson. This novel sparkles with wit, romance, ambition, heartbreak, office politics, impossible deadlines, outrageous celebrity encounters, and enough workplace chaos to make today’s media companies look tame. Every chapter delivers another delicious surprise.
The real secret weapon is Searles’ cast of “Single Girls.” They’re smart, funny, flawed, fearless, and fabulously entertaining. One is recovering from a spectacular romantic disaster. Another is chasing the biggest celebrity interview in town. Another finds herself in situations that are equal parts glamorous and gloriously ridiculous. Before long, you’ll want to join them for cocktails after work—and probably hear every bit of office gossip.
Best of all, these women feel real.
‘Single Girls’ on TODAY
They’re funny because life is funny. They’re vulnerable because blazing trails is exhausting. They celebrate each other’s victories, survive spectacular disasters together, and refuse to let the men running publishing tell them to stay quiet or stay small.
That’s what makes this novel such a joy.
Searles never forgets that the best historical fiction should entertain first. Yes, the book tackles sexism, ambition, unequal pay, impossible beauty standards, and the constant pressure women faced in the 1960s. But it never feels like homework. Instead, these themes unfold naturally through irresistible characters you’ll genuinely care about.
Helen Gurley Brown herself steals every scene she’s in. She’s brilliant without being arrogant, glamorous without being untouchable, and ambitious without ever losing sight of the women she’s trying to help. Searles wisely lets us see both the legend and the vulnerable woman behind the headlines. It’s impossible not to root for her.
The writing absolutely crackles. The dialogue is sharp, the pacing is lightning fast, and the entire novel has the breezy confidence of flipping through a fabulous vintage issue of Cosmopolitan. One minute you’re laughing, the next you’re unexpectedly emotional, and before you know it you’ve read another hundred pages.
What makes Single Girls feel so fresh is how modern it is. Swap the typewriters for laptops and the martini lunches for Zoom meetings, and many of these women would fit right into today’s workplace. Their battles—for respect, equal opportunity, and the freedom to define success on their own terms—still resonate.
By the final chapter, you’ll find yourself Googling Helen Gurley Brown simply because you won’t want to leave her world behind.
John Searles has delivered something rare: a novel that’s smart without showing off, meaningful without preaching, and wildly entertaining from beginning to end. It’s glamorous, emotional, funny, empowering, and completely irresistible.
Bottom line? Cancel your plans, pour yourself a cocktail, and dive into Single Girls. It’s sexy without being scandalous, nostalgic without being sentimental, and one of the most entertaining novels you’ll read all year.
Now that’s a magazine worth subscribing to.
Rob’s latest exclusives and insider reporting can be found at robshuter.substack.com
His novel, It Started With A Whisper, is now available for pre-order. The book follows four ambitious entertainment insiders who land coveted jobs on a struggling D-list cable morning show built entirely around celebrity gossip. Hired to expose the secrets of the famous, they soon discover the real story is inside the studio — because each of them is hiding something explosive. In a world where “today’s gossip is tomorrow’s news,” the biggest scandal may be their own.