We Came Here to Shine, Paperback

Set during the iconic 1939 New York World's Fair, Susie Orman Schnall's We Came Here to Shine features two ambitious young women--a down-on-her-luck actress and an aspiring journalist--form an unlikely friendship as they navigate a world of possibility and find out what they are truly made of during a glorious summer of spectacle and potential...

"An ode to female friendship that pulses with momentum and left me breathless." --Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Chelsea Girls

"A remarkable novel about the challenges women face and the courage they must summon in order to lead the lives they deserve. --Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Two-Family House

Gorgeous Vivi is about to begin filming her first starring role in a Hollywood picture when the studio head ships her off to New York as a favor to a friend. She's assigned the leading role in the heralded Aquacade synchronized swimming spectacular at the World's Fair, a fate she believes will destroy her film career. If she performs well, she'll have another chance at stardom, but with everything working against her, will her summer lead to opportunity or failure?

Plucky Max dreams of becoming a serious journalist, but when her job at the New York Times doesn't pan out, she finds herself begrudgingly working for the daily paper of the World's Fair. As her ideas are continually overlooked by her male counterparts and her career prospects are put in jeopardy, Max must risk everything to change the course of her life.

When Max and Vivi's worlds collide, they forge an enduring friendship. One that teaches them to go after what matters most during the most meaningful summer of their lives.

SUSIE ORMAN SCHNALL grew up in Los Angeles and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Her writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Huffington Post, POPSUGAR, Writer's Digest, and Glamour. She is also the author of The Subway Girls and of the award-winning novels On Grace and The Balance Project. Susie has spoken extensively on work-life balance and is the founder of The Balance Project interview series. She lives in Purchase, NY, with her husband and their three sons.