“Diaries” gives you a glimpse of what some might call a Utopian world that only exists in romanticized, revisionist’s versions of the truth. But that is such a cynical and ironic way of reading about a book that speaks to the ability of recognizing that this life is fleeting and that place of euphoria that we all seem to constantly be in search of is ours for the taking if we choose to open our eyes.

“Diaries” is cognizant in a way that many of us wish we could recall some of our former days. It tells of a looking-glass world, where status and bank accounts mean nothing, if those are the only standards upon which you’re going to measure your experience. This is a tale of folly and of youth and the possibilities lying in wait if you are willing to venture out of the little box that everyone tells you that you must stay in.

This book gives you access to places that only exist if you know whom to ask. It is a journey that takes you inside and underneath. It also cracks the veneer of the Art Deco facade that so many of us only know the city to be. And more importantly it gives the reader a glimpse of what was beating beneath the surface.

The book is a love letter to a city that you cannot stumble upon. It reminisces about the beginning of a road that does not end on the last page of the book. It will remind the reader that once, the world was full and round and everything was shiny and new.

This is a story about a close circle of friends you’ll wish you were a part of, a page-turning love story about a doomed romance you’ll wish you had (even though you’re secretly glad you didn’t have to go through all that drama!), and a coming of age story that any girl, or even guy, will be able to relate to. I was almost angry when I got to the last page because I never wanted this book to end. I wanted to stay with Rachel and her friends in their exotic, exciting world forever.