Set in the electric New York City during the early 1940s, Juliana by Vanda is a richly layered LGBT historical novel. It brings a rarely told love story to life. Both intimate and expansive, the novel shows a city, and a young woman, on the brink of change. This is not simply a romance, but a powerful coming-of-age story about identity, desire, and courage in a world that leaves little room for either honesty or difference.
The story opens in 1941, as Alice “Al” Huffman leaves behind the potato farms of Long Island with dreams as big as Broadway itself. Alongside her childhood friends, Al arrives in New York convinced she is destined for the stage. That dream, however, collapses swiftly when she is bluntly told she lacks talent. Forced to confront disappointment for the first time, Al takes a job to support acting classes and slips into what appears to be a conventional life, sharing an apartment with friends and dating a boyfriend who represents comfort, normalcy, and expectations.
Everything changes when Al meets Juliana.
Juliana is magnetic. She is a gifted singer poised on the edge of stardom, dazzling in her confidence, unapologetically queer, and wholly at ease in a world Al has never known. Where she is unsure and searching, Juliana is glamorous and fearless. Their meeting ignites something profound in Al, feelings she has never experienced, questions she has never dared to ask, and desires she has never named. Through Juliana, Al is introduced to New York’s gay underground, a hidden yet vibrant community pulsing beneath the surface of wartime America.
Vanda explores the tension between these two worlds: the carefully constructed norma” life Al shares with her friends. And the exhilarating, dangerous freedom of queer spaces that exist in the shadows. Al believes she can deal with both, keeping her heart divided and her secrets intact. But as the story progresses, the walls between these lives begin to crack. The cost of silence grows heavier, and she must confront the truth of who she is and what she is willing to risk for love and authenticity.
What makes Juliana especially compelling is its immersive sense of place. Readers don’t just observe 1940s New York, they walk its streets, hear its music, and feel its contradictions. From backstage theaters and smoky nightclubs to cramped apartments and hidden bars, the novel is also about the sights, sounds, and rhythms of a city bursting with creativity, repression, and change. The looming presence of World War II adds urgency and fragility to every choice the characters make, heightening both the romance and the stakes.
At its heart, Juliana is a love story, tender, sensual, and deeply human, but it is also a historical reclamation. Vanda gives voice to queer lives often erased from mainstream narratives, portraying them with humor, warmth, and unflinching honesty. The novel balances moments of joy and discovery with the real dangers of being different in a time when secrecy was often a matter of survival.
Critics and readers alike have praised the novel for its emotional depth and evocative storytelling. As Donna Spector writes, “From the first page I felt I was walking on the streets of 1940s New York.”
Others describe it as spell-binding and entrancing, noting how it recreates a lost world while telling a story that goes far beyond its historical setting.
Vanda’s background as an award-winning playwright is evident on every page. The dialogue crackles, the scenes take place with theatrical precision, and the characters linger long after the final chapter. Her deep understanding of psychology adds further nuance, making Al’s internal struggle as compelling as the external world she must face.
The first installment in The Juliana Series, Juliana (Book 1: 1941–1944), is an unforgettable introduction to a sexy, funny, and deadly serious world. It is a novel for readers who love richly drawn characters, historical fiction, and love stories that dare to challenge convention. More than anything, it is a celebration of finding one’s true self, even when the world insists you remain hidden.
If you’re ready to step into a lost New York and experience a love story that is as courageous as it is exciting, Juliana is a book you won’t want to miss.
