The cover and the location of Last Dance on the Starlight Pier drew me to the story initially. I live about 30 miles from Galveston so I was really interested to read a story set there and to learn more about its history. From reading this book I learned so much about the dance/entertainment culture during the 20s & 30s.

Evie had a difficult childhood growing up a dancer in the vaudeville circuit with an unpleasant mother. Her aspirations to become a nurse and help those in need was really inspiring. By becoming a nurse in the dance marathon world she connected the two parts of her life together and found purpose. The other dancers Evie met were all unique and one particular dancer held a special place in Evie’s heart, Zave.

I was not expecting Zave’s storyline but appreciated its inclusion and the light it shined on the era of the time. I would have liked more of his story and felt it didn’t receive enough attention since it was introduced later on. The connection Evie and Zave share is special and meaningful because of their connections to Evie’s late father.

This is a lengthy read that tells a touching story about one girl’s dreams to become a nurse and make a difference. Her path was not straight; it ebbed and flowed like the dancers she looked after but the end result will leave you in awe.



Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for this eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I had such high hopes for this one when I started it. It had a great premise and a unique twist however- it fell flat for me. I think this could use another edit, as the story didn't flow very well. It was a bit clunky and missing the emotional piece that connected me to the characters. Unfortunately, I wasn't invested and found the writing to be awkward.

This is historical fiction plus romance and family drama. Evie Devlin wants to be a nurse but ends up dancing in a marathon in order to help make her dream come true. She has a tragic backstory with an emotionally abusive mother, especially after her doting father died young. In the marathon, Evie lives her dream of nursing, taking care of the dancers and their many maladies. The writing style was original, with a lot of descriptions about the historical background (set in the Depression) and well-researched details about dance marathons and the lives of the participants. There was also some details about vaudeville since Evie’s dad had participated as a dancer in shows with vaudeville. The story did seem to drag in places with some repetitive details, but all in all, it was a good story that needed to be told. When Evie falls in love with Zave, the “Happy Hoofer”, she opens herself up to more heartache and there ends up being a surprise ending with Zave that was a satisfactory conclusion to the story. Told at times like a history book and at others like the romantic tale of a young woman who has had a hard life and dares to still dream, this book was entertaining and soundly researched. Fans of historical fiction will enjoy it while fans of romance and family drama will not be disappointed at all.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255, “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”

Sarah Bird rips open the world of the powerful; the mob controlled Galveston of the 1930’s, A Mother Superior of the Catholic Church in a closed community, an aging aspiring actress who can’t accept her mediocrity and who sponges off and destroys the balance of her family, the Gaffers, the conmen who are always one step ahead of the law, the politicians with their empty promises. They all have a place and own a part of this story which centers around Evie Grace Devlin, a very strong and sympathetic protagonist. Over the years and throughout this saga she is surrounded by some very colorful personalities who each have their own sidelines and stories.

Apologies for leaving this review to percolate a little too long. The writing was better than good. The story or rather stories, as there were multiple underlying stories within this book, were interesting, heartbreaking, uplifting, running the gamut from positive to negative. The era was evocative of the crushing poverty of the depression except for in a handful of cities in the United States. Economics, politics, sexuality, friendships, family relationships, loyalties, psychology and medical prejudices, all sorts of prejudices - there aren’t many subjects left out of this book. My one complaint was the length and drag. Incidents that should have taken chapters are a page and so many long chapters could have been condensed to a few pages.

Thank you NetGalley and ST. Martin’s Press for a copy.

A captivating story that I couldn't put down. This book is a tearjerker and I love every moment of it.

What I love about historical fiction is learning something new. I was not familiar with the dance marathons that took place in the 1930s during the Great Depression which is why I chose to read this novel. Well, that, the title and the lovely cover.

<b>The Last Dance on the Starlight Pier</b> starts with Evie Grace Devlin watching the Starlight Palace go up in flames. At this point, she has no idea what has happened to her dance partner, Zane. From there, the book shows Evie's years in Galveston trying to become a nurse and leave her sordid vaudeville history in the past. When Evie's dream of becoming a nurse get hindered, she becomes involved in the bizarre world of dance marathons. We also get to learn about her past time in vaudeville and her evil mother, Mamie.

I loved Evie, Zane, and Sophie. Evie's strong will and determination won me over. Mamie was a very well written villain, one that is easy to despise. I also really enjoyed reading about the dance marathons. What a crazy way to make a living, dancing nonstop with only 15 minute intervals to rest, with the hope of winning the prize at the end.

While I found this story interesting and enjoyable, I felt like the book could have been trimmed a bit since I found myself skimming in parts. Overall, 3 stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Sarah Bird for an eARC.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Wonderfully told historical fiction set in depression era America.. Well developed characters who told a fascinating story. A read to be savored.

I don't usually enjoy books set in the depression era, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this one. I was drawn to the beautiful cover art, the Galveston setting, and the dance marathon twist on a time period that is usually all farms and dustbowls. My curiosity was rewarded with a story full of interesting characters that kept me on my toes. I was sometimes left confused by their actions, but I mostly loved that this was a story about people and not a time. Not that it could have taken place anywhere, it is very much of the moment, but it's a picture of the depression we don't always get and for that reason I think it's worth the time investment.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

CW: LGBTQIA+ slurs, hate, child solicitation, abuse, drug use

This is a historical fiction set during the 1930's dust bowl era in Texas and Chicago.

I liked this one well enough. Some of the flashbacks were very detailed and I didn't think that they were that necessary to include maybe. Or just describe another way without so much detail. Plus, the slurs and homophobia of some of the characters was awful. I know it was keeping with the times of the era, but maybe could have been done a better way.

This book was long and I felt every single page. I was rooting for Evie and admired her gumption but the whole story was hard to care about. At times it felt to sticky sweet, gosh golly phrases that made me roll my eyes. The marathon dancers were a unique plot point that I haven't read before but overall this book would have benefitted from some tighter editing.

Marathon dancing: a strange fad from the thirties that was a way of life for the professionals who mixed with the locals to earn a little bit of money in the depth of the Depression. Sarah Bird’s depiction of the life of the dancers, and the setting and issues of the times is very well done. The tensions, fears and prejudices of the era almost become characters of their own.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

During the Great. Depression in Galveston Evie leaves home to go to nursing school. She has a friend Sophie who has influence that keeps Evie from losing her scholarship for nursing school. The director doesn’t like Evie and wants her out. Eventually the director wins as she tells Evie that she won’t be given her degree as she worked in vaudeville. “No one wants a nurse that worked in vaudeville.” Evie doesn’t know what to do. How will she survive? Evie had learned to dance following her father’s instructions. In those times, vaudeville was where people went to be entertained. After her father died, her mother had her working in vaudeville even though it was dying out. in the 1930’s, people went to dance marathons for their entertainment (to watch the dancers dance). Evie ends up going inside a dance hall and ends up getting a job as the nurse for the dancers. When the boss of the dance hall finds out that there will be a raid, he tells his dancers they will be quitting early. The boss tells Evie she is fired. Evie wonders where she will work next. As the police raid lights are seen, the boss tells Evie that she is hired to go with the dancers in the car and to drive straight to Chicago. Evie has learned that her mother is I’ll with pneumonia and wants to go see her but knows that she can’t. She ends up learning to drive as she doesn’t know how by the star dancer. After driving through the night, she decides to change directions so she can check on her mother. Will she get in trouble with the dancers in the car?

The author has written unforgettable characters during a time that was difficult to live in. Bird has described the Great Depression accurately even including some of the words used in that time period that aren’t used now.. in spite of the Depression, Evie finds friends and makes her own family. I like that she didn’t give up when she made a wrong decision. She was a plucky yet vulnerable young woman.

Evie Grace starts life in vaudeville, dancing with her dad and then being exploited by her mother, Mamie. She dreams of becoming a nurse and manages to get a scholarship to a nursing school in Galveston run by the nuns. On the day of her pinning the director of the school finds old photos and Evie's dream of being a registered nurse is denied. She leaves Galveston and hooks up with a dance marathon and does some nursing for the dancers. She is eventually paired up with the star of the show, Zave, who actually trained with her father.

This is another view of the depression. Normally we hear about the unemployment or the dust storms but this focuses on dance marathons. I had no idea they were dancing with only a 15 minute break every hour. In that time they ate, cleaned up and took short naps. What a brutal thing to put yourself through on the chance that you could win and this could go on for weeks. I can't imagine that I would even want to go see really tired and desperate people clinging to each other, exhausted and clinging to wakefulness.

Zave is the star of the show and has fans all over the states. He is dazzlingly handsome and knows how to please a crowd. Evie feels a real connection with him because he trained under her father who she loved and was closest to. This is a love story but don't expect a romance. The promotor of the show has a connection to the mob and Evie's best friend in nursing school is Sophie Amadeo, part of the mob that controls Galveston.

I really enjoyed this. It felt more like a character study but sometimes I felt like it dragged a bit but I'm rounding it up from a 3.5 to 4. I would recommend this if you like historical fiction and seeing another side to the depression and you like really, really good characters.

I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital copy.

Too tawdry and tacky for me - the dialogue sounded like an authentic old time movie, but I didn't like the characters, and the premise of a gangster's daughter befriending the nursing school student from the wrong side of the tracks did not ring true to me.
I appreciate that times were tough for underprivileged people in the late 1920's to early '30's, but child abuse is not something I like to read about either, and that kind of turned me off at the beginning of this book.
The protagonist gets a job taking care of the poor people who are exhausted by dancing in the marathons at her uncle's dance studio - it is just too sad for words to read about people in such dire straits, willing to do this.

This was not a simple book to read. Evie’s mother is a pretty horrible person, and Evie has grown up with grifters and conmen, just trying to make enough money to stay alive. She fights for her dream to become a nurse, becoming best friends with the daughter of a mob boss. When her dream is derailed right before graduation, Evie finds herself caught up in the world of dance marathons. These marathons are a combination of entertainment, showmanship, and razzle dazzle, giving the Depression-hardened public a bit of hope.

Evie comes to love her life with the marathon troupe, and one member of the troupe in particular—especially when she learns of his connection to her much-loved, deceased father.

As always, Bird brings the historical era to life. This was a hard time in history for most of the population, and Bird pulls no punches here. Equally, many of the characters here have few redeeming qualities. But the found-family of the dance marathon crew is full of endearing—if flawed—characters.

The book deals with stigmas of religion, class, and sexuality in frank ways, not to glorify them but to humanize them.

While the ending isn’t exactly a “happily ever after” it is most definitely a satisfying one.

Possible Objectionable Material:
There is a description of a man masturbating at a burlesque show. Violence. Drinking. Injuries. Some characters are gay.

Who Might Like This Book:
If you’re interested in the Depression, Prohibition, dance marathons and vaudeville, this book has lots for you. Although there is deep love, it is not a romantic book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/05/a-handful-of-april-releases.html

3.5 stars rounded up. I really loved the topics covered in this book - the Great Depression, mobster families, prohibition, dance marathons and spine tingling corrupt medical practices. It was a fun ride and I loved the variety of characters. My main complaint was the indecisive nature to the main character. I feel like she fluctuated from headstrong and independent to love-struck, unsure and dreamy eyed. Had her character arc been more solidified, I may have enjoyed this more. Thank you to St Martins Press for this eARC!

The depression and dance marathon- who knew.
I enjoyed the journey two characters take and how they bonded together to prove what’s possible during a difficult time.
Length of book 400+ pages too long, but thanks to
These character pushed me to the end, which technically starts at the beginning of the story.
TY NetGallery for the peek

Evie Devlin was raised by a narcissistic mother who spoke badly of her father for joining the military and then having the nerve to die. In order to escape, Evie lies to get into nursing school as her way out. When the Director of the school receives information about a shady part of Evie's past, she denies her the chance to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse. After returning to the area she grew up in and ensuring her Grandma is taken care of when she is diagnosed with pneumonia, Evie travels to Houston and becomes a nurse for a dance marathon.

In 1932, dance marathons were an important way for young people suffering during the Depression to ensure that they had food in their stomachs and a roof over their heads. Evie becomes the official nurse for a dance group and eventually part of the act when she falls for the main dancer, Zane. Evie learns to handle the days as they come and attempts to figure out how to receive the registered nurse pin she worked so hard for. Evie learns the hard way that you have to make do with the cards you're dealt until the chance to change them pops up.

This is a bit of a different story for me and I felt it took me far longer than it really should have. It seemed that there were times when whole passages could have been edited out to help the flow of the story. All in all, it was a sweet story that helped pass the time.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of Last Dance on Starlight Pier by Sarah Bird.

I was looking forward to reading this since there aren't usually many historical fiction books set in the Great Depression and I find the 1930s fascinating.

This book while an interesting time period and premise, ultimately it was a little long for me and I was bored through most of the book. Also I'm hoping the finished copy has an author's note since there is nothing more I can't stand than a historical fiction that is missing an author's note!

"Last Dance on the Starlight Pier" is an enjoyable historical novel. The main character is tough, self protective, caring, and finds her voice over the course of the book as she works to become a nurse, fails to achieve this thanks to someone's nasty efforts, and becomes involved with the fascinating marathon dancing that so many people engaged in during the Depression.

The story is also predictable enough that I could see some of the coming disasters either created by Evie because of her actions or words, or problems caused by others.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Sat. Martin's Press for this ARC in exchange for my review.