I loved this period history story! Rebellion of societal norms was a major theme here. As well as a reminder that having everything you think you want will not always make you happy, but sometimes what you think you do not want will make you happy.

"The Show Girl" is the classic story of a singer/dancer who wants to make it big in NYC. Set in the 1920's we get a glimpse into life as a Ziegfeld show girl & life before the financial crash. Olive McCormick is a woman of means but her family doesn't always approve of her choices, but she tends to follow her own desires anyways.

Overall, it is really well written (though there are a few moments that feel like forced plot parts to move the story forward and we gloss over some things that shouldn't have been glossed over) and a nice piece of historical fiction with a touch of romance.

I will say it's really not about being a showgirl at all - it's more of a background accessory to all the other familial & romance plot lines. There's also things that don't really make sense i.e. literally just walking into a starring role, the whole time she spends in the woods... we don't see any blood, sweat or tears, not a lot of glitz, glamor or glitter. There's no explanation of how hard it is but how fabulous it is. There's no deep dive into the lights, stage, costumes, smell, the other girls. This was not truly the story of a showgirl. It was the story of a romance and family struggle about a girl who happens to dance and sing. I was, of course, here for the showgirl aspect that I didn't quite get. I think I was expecting this to be everything I wanted a 5 star read so I set some high expectations for it, and this critique is probably just a personal one as I care too much.

Also, this one to me was much better than "City of Girls", if these two book combined aspects, I think it would be closer to what I needed. If you were disappointed in lack of showgirl-ness I suggest you read "Gypsy" by Gypsy Rose Lee, it'll give you everything you crave.

If you're looking for a femme, fun historical novel for the summer "The Show Girl" would be a perfect choice (+ hello to this cover - I can never resist feathers)..

* I received an arc in exchange for an honest review*.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely loved the time period depicted in this novel. I fell in love with Olive and found myself rooting for her in this piece of historical fiction. I'll read more by this author in the future.

I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of this book. 1920s New York CIty isn’t a time period. I’ve read much about. This was full of glitz and glamour. Olive McCormick heads to New York City hoping to become a star after meeting Mr. Ziegfeld of THE Ziegfeld Follies. Her guts and confidence get her a job on Broadway. Of course along the way Olive makes some really dumb choices. She’s young and unfortunately 1920s show business had male predators.
Her family hates her career choice which forces her to make some difficult decisions. The descriptions of the costumes and the shows were detailed and dazzling. The plot point about Olive’s secret that impact her future happiness was easy to see from a mile away but it made sense for the time period. Ultimately Olive is forced to grow up in this novel after she makes some poor decisions and after the stock market crash changes her world.
I enjoyed this novel.
Thank you NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the ARC>

Nicola Harrison's latest character driven historical fiction novel is for those of you who fancy immersing yourselves in the roaring 1920s in America with all the glamour of the famous show girls of New York City's Zeigfield Follies. It is 1927, and Olive McCormick is a small town girl from Minnesota with a conservative family who have found it hard to accept her for who she is, critical, and less than supportive. Olive is a gifted singer and dancer, with ambitions and dreams that are not looked on favourably by her family, and she must face a terrible event that is to have traumatic repercussions. Despite all the difficulties and obstacles in her path, along with all the she has to give up, Olive lives to realise her dreams of becoming a New York Zeigfield Follies show girl.

For the bright and driven Olive, she regrets nothing, being a show girl is all that she thought it would be and more, she could not be happier. Then she meets the good looking and wealthy Archie Carmichael who appears to appreciate her for all that she is, including her spirit of independence and ambition, it seems the world is at her feet. However, Archie seems to change and Olive harbours a devastating secret, is their love destined to splinter apart? Olive is a young and flawed woman, and not immune from making a series of poor decisions and living in a time where society and families do not look kindly on women who deviate from the expected norms and expectations of women.

Harrison has done her research of this historical period as can be seen with the intricate details and vibrant, rich descriptions that evoke the times so well. This is an intense, colourful, and entertaining novel, an emotional rollercoaster, that I think will appeal to many readers who love their historical fiction, touching on strong women that face hard lives, family dramas, love, heartbreak, trauma, secrets, and the excitement and thrills of being a show girl in the New York of 1920s, bearing in mind we know what the future holds, such as the Great Depression. Many thanks to St Martin's Press for an ARC.

This is an absolutely wonderful book. I enjoyed every moment reading about Olive Shine who knew she was destined to perform in front of people. She left Minnesota and made her way to New York intent on performing in the Ziegfeld Follies. Her personality comes alive on the stage and the audiences really love her. There is a love Interest that complicates her perfect life on the stage. As most of us know, when love enters a relationship life is far from easy.
I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from St Martin's Press through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
#TheShowGirl #NetGalley

I love historical fiction, so I was very intrigued by this story. The book is about Olive, who comes to New York City with dreams of becoming a show girl. During her journey to become a successful show girl, she is faced with sexual harassment, an unwanted pregnancy, and a rift between herself and her family.
The author did an incredible job with describing the beautiful costumes and glamour of show business. The imagery was so vivid and the story was quite realistic. Nicola Harrison writes historical fiction so well and clearly does her research. She describes the culture of life in the 1920s so well. The story was addictive and I couldn’t put it down.

What I liked:
The Show Girl is a classic tale that stays true to the old-timely feels in the best way. It is reminiscent grandma’s spunky stories of alluring times, glamorous speakeasies, romantic drama, & family secrets driven by an avant-garde woman trying to find her own voice.

What I didn’t like:
I considered the first half of the book to be very plot-driven, which kept the pace fast, but it lacked sufficient character development. I enjoyed the conversations between characters but the most intense action moments were rushed, making it was hard to connect with them. The protagonist is a feisty feminist, born before her time, yet she lacks depth. Instead of deserving the extravagant life she was lucky enough to fall into, she just was handed it. For a feisty feminist, this doesn’t sit well. I did not find her likable. The second half of the book became much more character focused, but I still struggled to empathize with Olive’s plight. When you are not rooting for the main character, the story falls a bit flat.

Recommended for fans of: City of Girls (Elizabeth Gilbert) and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Netflix)

I was immediately drawn to this gorgeous cover and title. I am attracted to reading books set in the 20’s and I was intrigued to read a story told by a Ziegfeld Follies Showgirl. It sounded like an original plot line, which I always adore.

The story is told through Olive’s perspective. She discovered at a young age that she loved the attention and accolades she receives when singing and acting. Her family is conservative, traditional and I would say extremely poor communicators. By that, I mean they never talk about the important stuff, they just keep it light and day-to-day. It felt like the only things that came out of her parents mouths toward her were negative and demeaning. Try as she might to win their affection and approval, it never worked. This plays a big part into the person she becomes.

Image finding out you are pregnant at 19 by a pervert who got you drunk and took advantage of you. Imagine if that was your daughter? You would be heartbroken, supportive and disgusted only at the man, right? Unfortunately that was not the case for poor Olive. Her mother was horrified and said the family was disgraced by her, sent her away to have and give away the baby, and never told Olive’s father of the situation or pregnancy. Now imagine you are Olive - where is the only place you feel good? Feel accepted? Feel loved? On stage of course. This story follows her quest to find the attention she craves through performing. Was she a likeable character? Not 100 percent – but I reminded myself that she was between 19 and 24 when the story is being told and if you remember that time in your life…it was mostly only about you and surely you also didn’t always make the smartest choices. She also had no real support system at home. She was on her own at an early age and had to fight and work hard to make her way.

Olive consistently makes bad choices throughout this book. Mostly based on her low self esteem and lack of confidence. She puts on a good face and others believe she is confident – but that is just not the case. I loved hearing about the Follies and about the infatuation with them back then. My favorite part in the book is when she is at the height of her career as a Ziegfeld girl. Once she meets Archie, a new storyline develops. As is her M.O. she creates havoc in her life and makes choices I cringed at.

The story was so engaging and I loved that I really couldn’t guess what was going to happen next. The costumes, clubs, and settings were described beautifully. My only regret with this book is that it wrapped up too quickly and perhaps too perfectly for my taste. But then, I guess that the hallmark of a good story is one that you don’t’ want to end, right? I rated this as a 4 1/2 star read, rounded down only due to the .rushed ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review an advance copy. Pub date: August, 2021.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

This was an enjoyable historical fiction book. I really loved "Montauk", and was looking forward to this new book! This story takes place in the 1920s and I haven't really read books set in that time period so I found it so Intriguing. Olive is from California, where she is approached by a man, Mr. Ziegfeld, who tells her to contact him if she ever makes it out to NYC! When she finally does makes it there, she wants to become a showgirl! I really loved Olive and was just rooting for her through this book. Olive ends up experiencing things that are meant to get in her way. Be warned of mentions of rape. She comes across men that treat her horribly, and it made me angry the way they treated her, But she really just was living this wild life in NYC. I enjoyed reading about living in the roaring 20s, and I could tell the author did a great amount of research. Definitely well written and a fun read!

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy! All opinions are my own!

Olive wants to be a performer. She wants to sing and dance and put on a show. So when her family moves to NY for her father’s job, she sets her sights on being a Ziegfeld girl - one of the most prestigious shows on Broadway in the 1920’s. At first, it looks like she will not succeed but apparently, success follows Olive... who becomes Olive Shine as she needs a good show girl name. So much more will happen for Olive as she sets out on this adventure. There are friends to be made, routines to learn and romance to be had. Things will not always be smooth for Olive but she will do all she can to end up on top.

This book has a little bit of everything - drama, romance, joy, sadness and history. It’s a story that is quite captivating as Nicola Harrison weaves together the lives of Olive, her family and her friends. It is hard to put down as I wanted to know what would happen on Olive’s crazy whirlwind adventure as a show girl during the flapper era in NYC. While I easily figured out the ending, well before it’s conclusion, I was happy to see how right I was, as the story unfolded in front of me. I could easily see a sequel to this novel being written as Olive’s adventures continue. I hope to read that book one day, too!

The Show Girl captured my attention from page one. I had expected the author to jump right into Olive’s story as a Ziegfeld Girl. But, instead, it started with something painful to read. I know that what happened to Olive and the consequences were not uncommon for that era, but still. My heart broke for her.

I loved how the author gave a peek into what being a Ziegfeld Girl must have been like. Florenz Ziegfeld had insane requirements for his girls. They had to be a specific body shape, have particular hair color, certain shoe size, and keep a certain weight. Plus, they had to be somewhat talented. I know this; I would have never been a Ziegfeld Girl….lol.

Olive was a relatable character, which surprised me. For that era, she was headstrong and knew what she wanted. Olive wanted to be a performer with Ziegfeld Follies. But even when she was performing with Ziegfeld Follies, she still did things her way. Olive didn’t conform to Florenz’s standard of beauty. Instead, at one point, she became a flapper. She didn’t bow down to the overt sexism of that time. An example of that was her relationship with her father. He expected Olive to conform to what society dictated at the time and was enraged when she didn’t.

Olive’s relationship with Archie was the only thing I didn’t care for in the book. It started with him lying to her about his relationship status and then morphed from there. I didn’t doubt for a minute that Olive loved him, but I did have my doubts about Archie. Plus, Olive’s secret was always there, and it got worse when they got engaged.

The Show Girl takes place a couple of years before the stock market crash of 1929. The author did a fantastic job of showing how lavishly the well-to-do people lived. But the author also weaved in whispers of the impending crash—a line here, a paragraph there. Even though I knew it happened, it was still a shock for me to read. People lost everything in that crash.

The Show Girl also took place during the Prohibition Era. The author did a fantastic job of showcasing speakeasies, the horrors of bathtub gin (look it up, people died), and the raids the Federal agents did. There is one scene where a raid happens during one of the shows. Agents raided the show. They dumped out/smashed hundreds of bottles of wine/champagne and then left.

The last half of The Show Girl didn’t live up to the first half. But that was a good thing. The first half of the book had almost a frantic pace to it, with Olive’s lifestyle. The second half was a lot slower and more reflective. Olive had time to reflect on the things she did (and didn’t do). She also spiraled. That was well written, and I liked how the author brought Olive out of that spiral.

There was a big twist that took me by surprise. I was not expecting what was revealed. I didn’t blame Olive for reacting the way that she did. Because if I had found that out, I would have had the same reaction. But, I also liked how she overcame her shock and wanted to help.

The end of The Show Girl was almost fairytale-like. While I liked it, I didn’t believe it. Olive got everything she wanted and then got to walk away. It was almost too good to be true.

The Show Girl was a fast-paced, exciting look into what life was like in late 1920. The storyline was good, and the writing was fantastic.

I would recommend The Show Girl to anyone over the age of 21. There is one scene of rape, one scene of a traumatic birth, drinking, smoking, and some mild language.

A great look at show girls of the 1920s! I wanted give this book a higher rating but I just couldn’t like the character. Olive wasn’t remotely relatable and most of the time she was a terribly selfish idiot. Her push of feminism and flying the face of tradition was admirable but generally poorly done. The added “secret” drama and the love interest were intriguing at first, but she ruined all of that with her immature behavior.

I was provided with an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Olive is a very talented singer and dancer and her dream is to become a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. She is from Minneapolis, it is 1927 and her family do not approve at all. This is a story of determination and perseverance . It is also a story of love and sacrifices. I just loved it!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

It's the Roaring 20's, and after a rough year and much determination Olive McCormick is finally making her way to New York City to try her hand at being a part of the infamous Ziegfeld Follies. When she finally makes it, Olive is more than happy to see that it is what she wanted and so much more! When she meets a swoon-worthy suitor, Archie Carmichael, she is even more thrilled. When new paths, information, and details come to light, Olive will have some difficult decisions to make about herself, her life, and what she may be leaving behind in the process.

This read was a solid 4 stars for me. Olive was a feisty, relatable, and easy to love character. There were times I would think "Girl what are you doing!?" but it was never to the point that I ended up disliking her or that it took away from her story. I absolutely loved that the whole story was very full circle for Olive's development as a young woman in the 1920's. Her tenacity and rise to fame honestly reminded me vaguely of Norma Jean/Marilyn Monroe in very subtle ways.
The main reason I can't give it a 5 star rating is that the ending felt way too rushed for me, I would have loved a bit more time for things to draw together or even see just a bit more of her future. I was glad that the main focus on the story was on Olive and her development, though I wish some secondary characters had a bit more fleshing out.

The description for this books makes it sound like the main plot of the story centers around her and Archie disagreeing about her time as a performer and what she does or doesn't do about his opinion about it. In reality, it really isn't a huge plot point. It's there, but there is so much more going on than just that and I wish the description of the book showed that a bit better because it is a tad misleading.

I'm a sucker for historical fictions so this book from the start was great in my books. I would definitely recommend to anyone who is also a lover of historical fiction with a touch of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review! This review is completely my own opinion.

A fabulous portrayal of a young woman trying to make it in show biz in New York in the 1920's, Glamour and indulgence reign among the Follies show girls. Fans of Elizabeth Gilberts City of Girls will devour this.

The Show Girl by Nicola Harrison is a delightful ride through the world of a Ziegfeld girl in the 1920s. Olive McCormick Shine takes us along as she experiences the ups and downs of a stage performer. She works her way up to earn the recognition of her talents from Mr. Ziegfeld to get her own starring appearance in The Follies as well as The Frolics. Along the way, readers are introduced to her fellow performers and their dancing the night away fun after they finish on the stage for the night. Olive also gets a taste of love and opulent living when she meets Archibald “Archie” Carmichael. When he asks for her hand in marriage, Olive starts to unravel because there is something he doesn’t know about her life and she’s afraid it will tear them apart.

This book is a great escape and will grab you from the beginning. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for its ability to weave the story around you until you can’t let it go.

#netgalley #theshowgirl

What a wonderful look into NYC in the 1920’s. Ziegfield Follies, women coming into their own and all that was available back then! Nicola Harrison, as always, did a phenomenal job with the descriptions of all there was to see in that era of excess. Olive Shine is what every girl secretly wanted be but knew it wasn’t proper. She personified the girl you don’t take home to mother. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves historical fiction!

Having read Montauk by this author and loving that book, I went into this book with high expectations and boy did she deliver! I devoured this book!
I absolutely loved Olive through it all, she was spectacularly written! The author did an amazing job not only with time period, but with Manhattan, the Adirondacks,
the Ziegfeld Follies, The New Amsterdam Theater , Speakeasies, the Village ....I felt like I was at every place and not just reading the words!
I highly recommend this book! I look forward to many more by this wonderful author.