July 2026

SINGLE GIRLS by John Searles is a wonderful ode to Helen Gurley Brown --- and the “girls” who worked with her --- wrapped up in a brilliantly fun novel. John worked with Helen (in later days, he became comfortable calling her Helen instead of Mrs. Brown) when he started in the Books department at Cosmopolitan. Since I have known John, he has been fascinated by the mission of the magazine and its history.

This is a departure from the thrillers that we have come to expect from John, and his storytelling is spot-on. He nails the gumption and pluckiness that Helen harnessed. She wrote a book called SEX AND THE SINGLE GIRL, which encouraged women to become financially independent and experience sexual relationships before or without marriage. After its publication in 1962, she was inundated with letters from young women seeking her advice.

 Helen decided to shop her idea for a magazine for these same women. By the time she reached Hearst, every other magazine company in the city had turned her down. She was given three months and three issues to make Cosmopolitan a success. 

Helen built circulation and then was given three more months. Kept on tenterhooks, she built a magazine and a platform with a group of women who embraced her mission. They delivered a message that readers wanted to hear.

While SINGLE GIRLS is a work of fiction, it evokes the spirit and energy of these women set against the backdrop of the ’60s through the ’90s. John effectively illustrates Helen's fortitude, as well as her huge love for her husband and their lives together. The world of magazines is in the rearview mirror these days, but he does an outstanding job of capturing these so very heady days. The book even has a Cosmo Quiz inside.

Be sure to watch my interview with John here or listen to the podcast here.