This was a very good read, though pretty predictable. I enjoy the books where women beat the odds of a hard childhood that make them the strong women they need to be to move forward and be successful.

You may think the reason I loved All the Beautiful Girls is because a large part takes place in Las Vegas which is where I live. While it is always fun to read about the place you live in, to hear streets and places you are familiar with and can easily picture, that is not the reason I loved All the Beautiful Girls by Elizabeth J Church.

All the Beautiful Girls is the story of Lily told in three parts. In the first part we learn of what life was like for Lily as a young girl. When she was eight years old she was in a car accident that took the life of both her parents and her older sister. She then goes to live with her mother’s sister and her husband. We see how Lily’s aunt and uncle not only give her no love but her uncle sexually abuses her. We follow her as she learns what love means to someone with a life that begins as hers has. When Lily is eighteen she leaves her aunt and uncle and goes to Las Vegas to live her dream of becoming a dancer. The second part of the story tells of Lily while living in Las Vegas during the 1960’s where Lily becomes a much sought after showgirl. We follow Lily as she makes friends and accumulates wealth. We follow her as she gets to know many Las Vegas celebrities and as she makes decisions based on her past experiences as a child and her constant desire for love. The third part of the story is Lily learning about who she is. Learning how her childhood influenced choices she made while in Las Vegas. Learning how to come to terms with those choices and learning from them.

I loved All the Beautiful Girls because I loved the journey Lily went on. It is a difficult journey and it is a difficult story to read. But I loved the journey of Lily feeling like her whole life was disappearing, feeling that she did not fit anywhere, that something was wrong with her to learning what love is and discovering who she is and what she is capable of doing. There were times when Lily was making choices that were so difficult to watch her make but she learns from those choices.

I thought the book was so well done. There is a scene at the end when Lily must tell the man who has stood by her of what happened to her as a child and I felt that I was in that room with them. It was a powerful scene I thought was very well done.

This book has so many triggers and warnings. There is sexual abuse, self harm and pretty explicit sexual scenes. I don’t normally like reading explicit scenes and I don’t usually recommend books with them. But I am recommending this book because I didn’t feel like the scenes were there to arouse but were there to help in the development of Lily. Without them I don’t think I would have understood Lily and how she viewed love. I would not have understood how she thought or where she was coming from.

My copy of All the Beautiful Girls was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!

Feathers? Jewels? A beautiful yet flawed Heroine? What isn't to love? Fun story that will keep the reader turning pages until the very last one!

After being orphaned Lily was sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Endured feeling not loved by her aunt and abused by her uncle, however she had one constant in her life she called him the aviator.
She loved dancing and was able to go due to an anonymous payer. Dancing became her life, eventually her teacher convinced her to go to Las Vegas.
Las Vagas wasn't what she thought but she changed her name to Ruby and became a successful showgirl. She met many people and made some bad decisions. She was lucky to have made good friends and she still was in contact with the aviator.
In the end life turns out the way it is meant to be for each one of us whether real or in fiction.

** I received a copy of this book in exchanged for an honest review**

WOW! What an incredible tale about what lies behind the lives of the showgirls of Las Vegas! A passion and a desire to become a dancer leads the main character to an incredible world of love, laughter and finding oneself. Beautifully written and so entertaining this was a delicious book into the world of a showgirl. Thank you so much for having given me the opportunity to read this title prior to publication.

I liked this book! It was set in the late 60's early 70's and was set in Las Vegas. It had all the feels from that time and I love a book that can take me back and make me feel like I am there. I am not going to go into a lengthy explanation about what I liked. I will just say read it and you won't be disappointed. Thank you NetGalley for the book in exchange for a review.

‪All the Beautiful Girls 3.5 ⭐️‬

‪The dazzling, powerful story of a gutsy showgirl who tries to conquer her past amongst the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.‬

It was as unimaginable. When she was eight years old, Lily Decker somehow survived the auto accident that killed her parents and sister, but neither her emotionally distant aunt nor her all-too-attentive uncle could ease her grief. Dancing proves to be Lily’s only solace, and eventually she receives a “scholarship” to a local dance academy—courtesy of a mysterious benefactor.

Wearing sky-high headdresses, five-inch heels, and costumes dripping with feathers and rhinestones, Ruby may have all the looks of a Sin City success story, but she still must learn to navigate the world of men—and figure out what real love looks like. 

I should start my review by saying the story starts with the brutal killing of a pet hamster, then continues with the abuse and sexual assault on a child by those meant to protect her I almost stopped. But I’m glad I didn’t.

This is a journey that takes us from the fields of Kansas with Lily to finding Ruby in the glitz of Las Vegas. A story that takes us full circle as she searches for love only to again be abused and in denial, finally left nearly destitute. Does she ever find that elusive dream...

A captivating story so entwined with real events and people during the time period it portrays you often forget it’s a work of fiction.

I received this book for free in exchange for my honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you NetGalley!

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

From the blurb, "A powerful novel about a gutsy showgirl who tries to conquer her past amongst the glamour of 1960s Las Vegas--and finds unexpected fortune, friendship, and love."

Although I liked the vivid descriptions of costumes and the showgirl life, the whole story didn't really grab my attention.

3.25 ☆

The transformation of a small town Kansas girl into the glamorous Ruby Wilde, a Law Vegas showgirl in the late sixties, makes for a story full of heart and gritiness. Losing her parents at an early age, Ruby endures a loveless home and abuse as she plans her escape. Gifted with intelligence and beauty, she heads to Las Vegas to become a dancer. Church has created a character you will care about and a story that transcends cliches. Enjoyable read.

What a great story! The author did such a great job of making me really care about Ruby. I loved all the Vegas showgirl details, who am I kidding I love all things Vegas.
All the Beautiful Girls has a very heavy theme throughout so it’s not a light chick-lit, not an easy read at all but it’s totally worth your time. Highly recommend

This was well written and absorbing. The settings glowed. Very enjoyable and readable.

The first 70% of this was SO good but then it definitely petered off a bit in a weird direction and I really didn't like the ending. I really liked Lily and I love love loved her descriptions and time being a showgirl. It was so fascinating to read how that world was described and the author did a phenomenal job. The character development overall was excellent. There was definitely a feeling of un-putdownable-ness as well, which is so rare lately. Even with the ending, I really liked it!

All the Beautiful Girls comes out soon on March 6, 2018 and you can purchase HERE. I definitely recommend this one for fans of historical fiction.

There was no place Lily wanted to be, to stay, other than home. This home. Her home. But, standing in the middle of her former life, Lily realized she didn't have a choice.

All the Beautiful Girls is hard to put down! I read until the wee hours of the morning and then finished it as soon as I woke up. Lily/Ruby's story is disturbing, but the ending is very hopeful. I think she was able, with the help of friends, to break the cycle of abuse.

When I first started reading this book, I thought it was more historical fiction, like Ruby Wilde was real. Especially what with all the name dropping, the mention of timely events and what Ruby was doing during them and all the Vegas hotspots.

It took a while into it before I realized it was just "true fiction". That word "just" in no way is meant to take away from this story.

I followed Ruby's (Lily's) journey through her highs and lows and had a great time! Well, I still want to kick that Spaniard's A double S though. What an A$$hole!! I think I just seethed up again at the mention of him. Grrr!

This was true entertainment that had me mesmerized.

Thanks to Random House Ballantine and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book, which details Lily's life from the age of 8 well into adulthood. I found Lily to be likable and someone to root for. I also really enjoyed learning a little about Las Vegas in the 60's and 70's - an era I hadn't thought much about. If there was any complaint, it would be that in choosing to catalog a large portion of Lily's life, the author is of course forced to gloss over some parts. I would have enjoyed digging more into some of the other characters, but of course, the timeline of the story was the author's discretion. If she had chosen differently, I may have wished for a longer timeline and/or more focus on Lily.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

All the Beautiful Girls centers around Lily Decker, her childhood was tragic and heartbreaking. Swas a young girl in the 50’s whose parents were killed and was taken in by her aunt and uncle. And the heartache she went through as a child. With dreams of escaping her abuse to go and live her dream as a dancer, she was ecstatic when she winds with a scholarshop to do just that. My biggest question was, who is this person who did this for Lily?

I have to admit, the Vegas setting is part of what drew to me to read this, and it being set in in the 50’s and 60’s as well. It was described so vividly too, with all it’s illuminations, the hotels, the stage, to the costumes the Showgirls wore. Lily took on a different name when starting dancing, Ruby, which I thought suited her very well. But even with all the glitz and glamour of Vegas, it isn’t as easy as Lily/Ruby thought it would be. The topics of abuse, drugs, and hw society objectified women, during this era of time were all touched on. It takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions, but all the while rooting for Lily. A few of the other characters were so amazing, and I enjoy their interactions too.

Some parts of this was hard to read, my heart just heart for Lily, but it was such a powerful story of innocence lost, healing and moving on.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart, and deals with some pretty heavy topics such as child sexual abuse. That said, it does leave you with a happy, heartwarming ending which I loved. Most of the book is about the main character trying to find herself, after dealing with the death of her parents. She wants to be a dancer, and is advised to go to Vegas, where her only option is to become a showgirl. I admit, I was kind of fascinated reading about that part, having never been to Vegas myself. But the majority of the book is her overcoming her past and some of the poor decisions she made.

"All the Beautiful Girls" is a coming of age novel set in the 1960s. The story begins at the scene of a horrific accident, this accident defines much of our lead character's life, Lily. Lily is an intelligent, talented, and beautiful woman who struggles with recognizing her own beauty and accepting that many of her earlier life experiences are not her fault. She experiences many tragedies but also experiences a dazzling life as a show girl in Las Vegas. What I loved about this book was the beautiful and vivid descriptions of the costumes and pageantry of showgirl life in Vegas. Ms. Church excels not only in description but weaving the historical events of the mid twentieth century in the story. I gave the book 3.5 stars because this is not a particular genre, coming of age, that I enjoy.

Thank you to netgalley and the author/publisher for a copy of ALL THE BEAUTIFUL GIRLS in exchange for an honest review.

What a beautifully written novel from an entertaining era in history. Lily loses her entire family in a car accident when she is eight and is taken in by her aunt and uncle. Overcoming already difficult odds, she must learn to navigate a heartbreaking family life, emotional struggles and hardships while making her way to Vegas to be a star. Becoming a showgirl named Ruby, she works while trying to figure out who she is and what her future holds for her. She knows she can't be a performer forever and struggles to find her place in life.

I absolutely loved Lily from the moment the book began. She was a victim of circumstance who had a fighting desire to prevail despite all the barriers thrown in her path. She was strong, determined and fearless, and I adored her for her confidence and grit as she refused to give up. What an amazing example Lily was for those who find themselves in a difficult place. She proved that enough hard work and focus can pull you out of any situation.

I was so excited to read this book. because I grew up dancing and couldn't wait to see what kind of life Lily made for herself with a dance education. I was pleasantly pleased to find dance terms tossed throughout and of course, every little girl dreams of dancing on a big stage with everyone cheering for them, so why not read about someone who gets to actually do it? I loved the dancing aspect, but this book went so far beyond my expectations. What a poignant, emotional, and motivational experience this book was. I will always have a place in my heart for Lily (and Ruby).