It was alright, just a bit so and so.
But it was just okay. it was missing something, and making a bit boring...

Queensland, 1994. Claire Montgomery arrives in Starlight Creek, sugarcane country in Queensland, she’s desperately looking for a new location to shoot a TV mini-series and she’s found the perfect building. A gorgeous art deco movie cinema, she needs to find the owner and surely it shouldn’t be too hard in a small country town? Hattie Fitzpatrick’s the owner, her great nephew Luke Jackson’s extremely protective of his great aunt and he can’t believe it when she gives Claire permission to use the cinema. Under very strict conditions the film crew can use the cinema, it has to be left in perfect condition and exactly how they found it. Claire's responsibility, she works in a male dominated field, she’s contently under pressure, works long days and doesn’t get a lot of sleep.

Hollywood, 1950. Lena Lee’s a struggling actress, she knows in the cut throat industry time is not on her side, she’s desperate to keep her movie contract and to be cast as a leading lady. She falls madly in love with Reeves Garrity, they have to keep their relationship a secret and he needs to be seen with a popular starlet on his arm. The film industry is ruled by powerful men, women work long days, in skimpy costumes, and are paid less. Should Lena fight for fair pay, it will end her dreams of stardom, or settle down with Reeves and unfortunately she can’t have it all.

The Cinema of Lost Dreams is a story about two strong women, they have a lot in common, both wanted to be successful in their chosen careers, to be treated as equals and fairly. They find the small community of Starlight Creek to be supportive, when time get tough they all help each other and make Claire feel right at home.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review, I found the story a little slow at times and four stars from me.

i really enjoyed reading this book, the time period was great and I really liked the characters and the struggles they had.

A wonderful read a book that draws you and kept me turning the pages.There are two timelines the fifties in Queensland ad the eighties in Hollywood.Two fascinating women two stories that will keep You turning the pages.A book I really enjoyed and will be recommending.#netgalley#kensingtonbooks

Thank you for the opportunity to read this. I will be posting a full review to Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.

Thank you to Alli Sinclair for sending me a review copy of her book, The Cinema of Lost Dreams.

This is the first of Alli Sinclair's books that I've read and I'll definitely be reading more! The Cinema at Starlight Creek is set in both 1950’s Hollywood and Queensland, Australia in 1994.

In 1994 we're following Claire, who is working on a TV mini-series about architect Amelia Elliott, but when the filming location falls through she's forced to look elsewhere, namely a neglected theater in Starlight Creek. The theatre is owned by a local recluse who has no interest in participating, and Claire desperately needs to bring her (and her great-nephew) around.

In the 1950s timeline, we have Lena Lee, who's trying to make it in Hollywood, after a series of disappointments.

To me this book is a story about reaching your dreams, especially as a woman in a world that doesn't recognize your full worth. It was a little slow to draw me in, but once it did I became invested. I particularly loved the 1994 timeline, and the characters, who felt very real and multi-dimensional.

Being an Australian living in the USA the book also tugged at my sentimental heartstrings and made me homesick for the place and its people.

I love dual time periods. The Cinema of Lost Dreams was fantastic. Great characters and well written story. Thank you NetGalley.

Set in Queensland in 1994 and Hollywood in the 1950’s, this story weaves together the stories of two women both working in the film industry. Claire in 1994 is tying to gain access to the most beautiful art deco cinema for her new project. Also Lena in the 1950’s trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood while fighting for her rights in a male dominated world.

I loved the way these stories meshed together.

Set in dual timelines, Queensland in 1984 and Hollywood in the 1950's. The story goes back and forth between two protagonists, Lena in Hollywood in the '50s and modern day Claire, both involved in the film industry. Alli Sinclair captures the beauty of a small town in north Queensland where sugar cane thrives and an art deco cinema comes to life. This was an engaging read and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.

My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cinema of Lost Dreams is a fantastic book that has two time periods and two strong ladies. The book is well written and has interesting characters.

This is a very cool book. It tells two different stories that finally intersect in the last few chapters. I love classic films and Art Deco so this book was written for me. I thank the author for writing it. The very end was kind of sappy, just like a 1930s musical. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

I am usually not a fan of books that focus on multiple characters in different time periods. I feel it is sometimes hard to get invested in each one. However, this book looked interesting to me and I decided to give it a chance. The author did justice to both women in this novel, despite being decades apart. She wrote about 1950's Hollywood with the same admiration that she wrote about 1990's Queensland. I highly recommend this, as it will appeal to fans of historical fiction as well as anyone that loves a good story!

A great read.

The book is split between what happened to Luna Lee in Hollywood in the 1950s and 1990's Australia where Claire is working on a film set. It was easy to keep up with the two stories as they progressed.
You know there will be a connection between the two, but there are still some unexpected twists in the story.


Overall, an enjoyable book.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. This story was wonderful. This story involves two time periods-present day and 1950's Hollywood. Clare Montgomery is a location manager in Australia. Her latest assignment is to get permission to use an old Art Deco Cinema in Starlight Creek, a small town in northern Australia. Along the way, she meets the owner of the cinema, Hattie and her great-nephew. The 1950's story involves the career of an actress named Lena Lee, who is fighting censorship and accusations of communism. The ending is great! I really liked the way the author connected these two stories. I will read more by this author!,

Thanks go to the author and Net-Galley for giving me the opportunity to read and review The Cinema of Lost Dreams prior to publication. My opinions are my own and are not influenced in any way.

The Cinema of Lost Dreams follows two women, Lena Lee in 1950’s Hollywood and Claire in Queensland, 1994. Ms. Sinclair does an amazing job writing in both worlds. She paints an authentic picture in each. From the glitz and glamor of Hollywood in the early 50’s, to the climate surrounding the hays code and the scare of communism, to women’s unfair wages compared to men and Lena’s fight to achieve equality, that all comes through brilliantly.

Ms. Sinclair brings Queensland to life, from her vivid description of the landscapes, the beauty of the old theater, to the quaint town and its quirky citizens. I thoroughly enjoyed Claire’s struggles and her tenacity when persuading the owner to allow the threater’s use for the mini-series she tooted.

There are two romances in this tale of love. Lena Lee’s with the handsome leading man, Reeves, and Claire’s with Luke, the mysterious owner’s great nephew. Ms. Sinclair is able to pull the reader in and get them vested in both love stories.

While I enjoyed the romances, I loved Ms. Sinclair’s descriptive writing, and her strong historical research of a difficult time in the movie industry. If you enjoy women’s fiction with strong romantic elements, and a fantastic climax, then you will love The Cinema of Lost Dreams as much as I did. Happy reading!

What does 50s Hollywood have to do with 1990s Queensland? Claire's effort to gain access to the historic theater in Starlight Creek, small town in wine country, so that it can be used as a location for a film is linked to Lena's story of struggle in 1950s Hollywood. Sinclair has taken on a lot here but she's pared away enough to make what could have easily been two whole novels into one coherent and linked tale. The Hollywood part of this was familiar to me but the Australian portion not so much, which made this a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This novel was lovely to read. I enjoyed learning about both Claire and Lena.
Ms Sinclair is a wonderful writer, able to weave an elaborate story of two strong and confident women who will stop at nothing to fulfil their dreams.

I received this novel for free in exchange for my honest review.

As a long time lover of film, I thoroughly enjoyed this full length novel that vacillated between the old days of Hollywood in the 50s and current day life in small-town Australia. I loved how the author wove the lead female characters’ stories together over time, not revealing too much too soon. I also loved how all of the leading ladies were multidimensional, and how they made a way for the women who came after them with compassion and true consideration.

It was very interesting to read about everything that goes into making a film and a documentary and I admired the women in this novel for working hard to make their dreams come true.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A heart-stirring novel of loss, love and new hope set against the glamorous backdrop of 1950s Hollywood and a small Australian country town. How far would you go to follow your dream?
In Northern Queensland 1994, Claire Montgomery is a location manager who arrives in rural Queensland to scout a potential cinema location to shoot a TV mini-series on an inspirational woman who launched the Art Deco movement in Australia, despite society stifling her dreams. Claire is captivated by the beauty of Starlight Creek and the surrounding sugarcane fields. Working in a male-dominated industry is challenging, but Claire has never let that stop her pursuing her dreams-until now. She must gain permission to film at Australia's most historically significant art deco cinema, located at Starlight Creek. But there is trouble ahead. The community is fractured and the cinema's reclusive owner, Hattie Fitzpatrick, and her enigmatic great nephew, Luke Jackson, stand in her way, putting Claire's career-launching project-and her heart-at risk. The community of Starlight Creek used to be close knit, but with many people moving away to the city, and technological advancements, people became separated, and so the present community didn't take too kindly at strangers, especially city slickers. Claire wants to secure her future, but there are many who are willing to tear her down. Is it possible to get all that you want? Can dreams and reality ever co-exist, or does it have to be one way or the other?

We then go back in time to the Golden Age of Hollywood in the early 1950s, where Lena Lee is an aspiring actress who has sacrificed a lot to make it big in the film industry. However, she learns that to get her long awaited big break, she has to be in the right place at the right time and have talents to impress producers to sign her on. But success always comes at a price. Lena has to give up her privacy and deal with sexism, fake friends and relationships and play stereotypical female roles of being the damsel in distress who needs saving by a man, and have knockout looks for sex appeal. She longs for roles about strong, independent women but with Hollywood engulfed in politics and a censorship battle, Lena's timing is never right. The 1950s were also a time where the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) were investigating potential threats of communism as people were fearing the Reds Under Beds scare. Senator McCarthy said the ridiculous comment that homosexuals were communists. Hollywood even had a blacklist called The Hollywood Ten, The blacklist involved the practice of denying employment to entertainment industry professionals believed to be or to have been Communists or sympathizers. Not just actors, but screenwriters, directors, musicians, and other American entertainment professionals were barred from work by the studios. This was usually done on the basis of their membership, alleged membership in, or even just sympathy with the Communist Party USA, or on the basis of their refusal to assist congressional investigations into the party's activities. Even during the period of its strictest enforcement, from the late 1940s through to the late 1950s, the blacklist was rarely made explicit or verifiable, but it quickly and directly damaged or ended the careers and income of scores of individuals working in the film industry. Lena is also forced to keep her love affair with her great love, newly famous and handsome actor, Reeves Garrity a secret from the gutter press. Lena puts her career on the line to fight for equality for women in an industry ruled by men. Hollywood had never really treated its actresses right, hence the MeToo movement. They view them merely as sex symbols, and they pay them very little compared to men. Sex sells for them. Females were expected to look good all the time, they couldn't eat fast food for fear they'd become fat-but no one ever stopped the men from indulging themselves. Their privacy was gone as everyone wanted to know where they were, and whom they're with all the time. And the press are not above lies if it means their publications will sell very well. Hollywood also had a Hays Code-which was a a set of rules governing American filmmaking that shaped—and in many ways stifled—American cinema for decades. They censored anything they felt was too out there and inappropriate like kissing and sex scenes, to make the film more palatable to the public. There were a lot of double standards-actor have affairs, not an extremely big deal, but if women do, everything is blown out of proportion and out of the water. The woman is deemed a homewrecker and called unprintable names. The woman ahd to guard their reputations very carefully, not even a hint of scandal should touch them, but men flaunt it around.

Meanwhile, Lena's generous and caring nature steers her onto a treacherous path, leaving Lena questioning what she is willing to endure to get what she desires. Can two women-decades apart-uncover lies and secrets to live the life they've dared to dream? It was very horrible to learn that in Hollywood, loyalty is entirely conditional especially when it comes to reputation, fame and fortune, and the lengths people go to to ruin other people's lives to simply satisfy their bruised ego. Some people are the master of deception by maintaining facades. There was even the substance abuse problems in Hollywood. However, you should always strive to pursue your dreams no matter the obstacles if you really want it, you have to work hard for it. Most importantly, you should encourage others to follow their dreams, and help them along the way. Overall, this was a fantastic novel. I loved learning about the classic Hollywood movies featuring Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall etc.