Like most prominent families, the Batternberg family is full of scandal and secrecy. Peggy is forced to spend the summer with her family in Brooklyn, near Coney Island. While there, she sees several dead women’s corpses on the beach. She gets romantically involved with a foreign artist named Stefan. Stefan becomes the chief suspect for the murders. As the story unravels, the Batternberg family secrets are exposed.

I tried to enjoy this book, but there were too many problems. The first one is that the history of the book is incorrect. The story is centered around Dreamland at Coney Island in July of 1911, but the real park was destroyed and closed in May of 1911. I felt like the story had a lot of unnecessary and long situations. It felt choppy. The first 50% of the book was more enjoyable than the last 50%.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I expected to like this book based on my enjoyment of all previous books of historical fiction written by this author. I did not enjoy the book, however. The heroine possessed a very awkward combination of independence and naivety and her actions were simply impossible to embrace.
It was 1911; the young woman struggling to be free of her family edicts in New York City makes many poor/risky choices. Does that heighten the drama as it did in Bilyeau's last book? Yes, but in this case it is too implausible for me considering her position as unmarried young Jewish woman from socially important family under public scrutiny at all times.
I can get into young women seeking some higher goal, but it changes the game when the goal is essentially "lust" when the men of her family have already proven themselves to be moral wrecks themselves.
Lots of drama ensues in the setting of Coney Island of yore not dissimilar to Gothic tales of old. Here, though, there is no hero to the rescue.

Thank you to publisher for ARC through NetGalley.

2.5 stars


I was confused by this book. Was it trying to me a romance,or a murder mystery?
I was confused by our main character who proved to be independent,plucky and knew her own mind... So why then did she let her family bully her into going away with them?
Perfectly readable,but I feel I missed something somewhere.

I really enjoyed this book and it is a definite read for historical fiction readers of Coney Island. To read an in-depth review of this book i will be posting an article on my website on the publication date, www.zoesreadingcorner.com.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This was a pretty good book and I enjoyed it but I did have a few issues with it, most notably the fact that the events happen in July 1911 at the Dreamland amusement park in Coney Island and Dreamland was actually destroyed by a fire in May 1911. Also, there was instalove of which I'm not a fan. Peggy's love for Stefan seemed more like an act of rebellion against her family and society, rather than actual love. She knew the guy two seconds. I did enjoy the time period and thought the class differences and privileges were well portrayed. The identity of the murderer was a little too obvious, but I love early New York City history and found the setting of the amusement parks, grand hotels, and Coney Island very fascinating. Overall, I really enjoyed this and would recommend for anyone who loves historical fiction focusing on the Progressive Era. Thank you to Endeavor for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Dreamland was fantastic! It was a little slow at first, but once I was fully emersed in the culture of the early 1900's and the plot, I couldn't put it down.

I loved the setting and I thought the author did a great job making you feel like you were in that time period. I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

Definitely enjoyed the time period it was set in ! However, not sure what this book was trying to accomplish... I kept waiting for something exciting to happen or even an surprising twist... missed the mark for me !

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the ARC. I was so happy to see I got approved for this! Loved this!

I love reading books about strong young women who reject social norms to fulfill their dreams and live their passions. And this novel did not disappoint.

Peggy Batternberg is from a very wealthy and well-known family and is expected to act like it. But Peggy has other ideas about how she wants to live her life, taking on a simple bookshop position and trying to just "be normal". Lydia, Peggy's sister, is on the verge of being engaged to an eligible wealthy young man and Peggy is summoned with the rest of the family to stay at a hotel next to the famous amusement park at Coney Island. During their visit, things seem fine at first, especially the excitement and wonders over at Dreamland, a section of Coney Island. There, Peggy meets a Serbian artist and starts a secret romance with him. But then the murders start. Several young women are found strangled near the hotel which are somehow connected with the Batternbergs and Coney Island. The police want to pin the murders on Peggy's artist friend but she knows he could not have killed any of the women. But can Peggy find the real killer before an innocent man loses his freedom...and possibly his life? Enjoyed this novel immensely and would love to read more books with these characters!

Interesting journey through Coney Island in 1911. We get to see it from the eyes of the rich industrial set, as well as from the side of the poor immigrants. Loved Peggy and her complexities as well as her naivete. Loved the machinations of her family. Would have liked more behind-the-scenes of Dreamland. Good story that grabbed me from the beginning.