This was one of my favorite historical fiction that I have read in the last few years. It was an interesting time period and a unique story to tell.

You just have to root for Evie the whole time. She had such a hard life growing up and deserves so much more. Her life as a nurse and marathon dancer was so interesting. I just loved the historical aspects of this book. I did not know much about dance marathons during the depression. I had no idea it was even a thing. It was really interesting to read about. It made me google some stuff to learn more. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

As a fan "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" I was eager to see what Sarah Bird had to say about the Great Depression and the dance marathons that often put food on the table. After listening to the audiobook, I have mixed feelings about Bird's characters in this novel.

The author captures the time period, including its politics, despair, and its limited opportunities. We're introduced to Evie Grace Devlin, who wants to escape her past and become a nurse. It's not meant to be, however, so she turns to dancing in the marathons.

The narrator did a good job bringing Evie to life, adding nuances and depth to her character. It's the other characters in the novel that left me with mixed feelings. I'd hope to know more about them, at least enough to make me like or dislike them. Instead, too many came across as hollow.

Over all, the story is good, and you want Evie to be happy. But as in the case of many novels, the ending often leaves you feeling less than satisfied.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. Audiobooks have so much to do with the narrator, and I did not like the narrator of this book it distracted me from the book, and therefore I did not finish the book. Maybe I will try again when it comes out in print.

I enjoyed the historical context of this book, although I found the pacing of the story a little off. The ending was not my favorite. The narrator was very good and brought the story to life.

Maybe 4 and ½ Stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my advanced audio copy of Last Dance on the Starlight Pier.

I started listening to this audiobook a couple months ago and decided to put it down. At the time I was just not in the mood. I'm so glad I decided to come back to it instead of marking it as a DNF. I do tend to do that =).

I really enjoyed this one.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier was narrated by Cassandra Campbell. I love her. She did an amazing job.

I feel like this book covers a lot of great history. Some I was familiar with and some I was not.

Including-

* The Dust Bowl
* The Great Depression
* Vaudeville

I loved the characters and the relationships written in this book as well. Some characters were easier to root for than others and even the ones who had rougher edges had good in them. I appreciated the author showing all sides to her characters. Nobody was perfect. They were well rounded. They were well written.

I also loved the dance hall / dance marathon aspect of this book. It's not something I've read about before so it was unique and very interesting to me.

Overall- Highly Recommend. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This was an unique and interesting take on the Great Depression era. I have not read a ton of books based around The Great
Depression so this was a nice change from the WWll historical fictions I often read. This novel focuses on dance marathons in both Chicago and Galveston and the dedication the dancers go through to keep their roofs over their heads. The dance marathons gives them a shimmer of hope during a dark and depressing time. It mainly follows Evie, who goes back to the dancing circuit after her nursing career failed. I found the story to be very fascinating and it was easy to get caught up in their world. The narration was done well too.

Thank you to NetGallery and to Macmillan Audio for giving me a copy for my honest review.

Readers will find themselves immersed in the sun loving group of dance marathon contestants of the 1930s. Not only did these marathons provide food, shelter, cash prizes, and Company they truly were the rest spite for all those involved after years of suffering in the United States. The protagonist Evie is endearing butt rash and often makes quick unwise decisions. Many readers may find her frustrating and Long to see more growth in Evie than is offered.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 Stars for an interesting historical fiction with a bit of a frustrating protagonist.

This was a good story but it was very long. I learned so much about the depression and the dance marathons of that era. Life was difficult for Evie Grace but she persevered and made a life for herself despite the prejudices of the day. This was an interesting story but filled with so much sadness that it’s hard to say that I liked it. I do think that Sarah Bird is a masterful storyteller. I just needed a little more to connect with the characters.

I almost didn't let this one come full circle. I almost gave up and missed out on the character development that I was hoping for. This book follows a woman in the late 1920s and the early 30s in America. During the time of the stock market collapse and the beginning of the depression. People were desperate for money and desperate for entertainment. She gets hired as a nurse for a marathon dancing promoter. I had heard of these dancing competitions before, but it is still so fascinating to me that they did this. It almost seems like something people would do now to put on youtube. :) Anyway, this was great and I'm so glad I read it.

Thank you to @stmartinspress and @macmillianaudion for the complimentary digital and listening copies of Last Dance on the Starlight Pier. I decided to listen to the audiobook of this one. Last Dance on the Starlight Pier published on April 12, 2022 - available now!

This book follows Evie, form her time studying to become a nurse during the Great Depression through to joining in Dance Marathons and travelling within the US. A lot of the story is set in Galveston, where she has befriended the daughter of an influential family while studying.

From the synopsis, this sounded like a book that would be right up my alley, and it may have been if it was significantly shorter. I was listening at double speed, and still found the plot was moving along too slowly.

There were also parts of it that felt like they came directly out of another Historical Fiction set in Texas during the Great Depression that I read recently. This duplication didn't help me in wanting to pick this one up.

My favourite parts of the book were the dance marathon sections. The author has created a hilarious cast of characters. I would happily read a series with each book focusing on one of them.

I will say I liked the narration of this book, and will keep my eye out for future works from Cassandra Campbell.

The story picked up a bit at the end, and I enjoyed some if the final twists and reveals, but overall this was a so-so read for me.

2.5 stars rounded up.

The name of this book is what first sparked my interest. The book is about Evie Grace Devlin, a girl in Texas, in the '30s who is struggling to get by despite a horrific mother that uses her as the breadwinner of the family. When she finally is able to go to nursing school in Galveston. Her past is introduced through flashbacks of memories throughout the book, which worked well for me. As the reader finds out about her past, her character is developed and it's easy to see how she became the person that she is. Ms. Bird introduces new characters well, as the story continues, and we get a glimpse of life in Galveston in the 30's, including mobsters, prostitutes, and the poor, struggling to survive as the depression comes into full swing. Things take a turn for Evie, and she is thrown back out into the world, and we get a glimpse of the dust bowl and the trials of the people that lived in this area of Texas. Finally, she gets hooked up with a group that does dance marathons across the country, and the characters that were involved in this lifestyle, which is something that I knew little about and was very interesting to me. I listened to the audiobook which was read by Cassandra Campbell who did a good job with the narration. Sarah Bird certainly brings quite a few social issues into this book, which are well researched, and described. I enjoyed this book, but did feel that it would have been better if the story were tightened up at the end. I found myself quite ready for the book to end a few chapters before the final chapter. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes historical fiction and would like to thank #Netgalley and #Macmillanpublishers for the opportunity to preview this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for the audio version of this book. I really enjoyed this book. It was about a young woman who had a pretty shotty up bringing gets herself into a prestigious catholic nursing school. She befriends another young woman the very first day who ends up being related to one of the biggest most feared gangter mobs of that era. She gets through nursing school only to have the head nun decline her her RN pin just hours before the pinner ceramony over somthing that happened to her while she was a young girl who had no say in what she did nor did she even know her own mother would put her in harms way. so she goes on with finding a way to make a living and she finds a traveling dance production that is in need of a nurse.. Here to find out that the star of the show was trained to dance by her own father who has sadly passed away many years prior. She ends up becoming this mans dance partner while aslo being the nurse for the dancers. the fake a marriage for publicity. then she finds out he is actually gay. back then the medical community thought that being gay was a choice so she was looking for information to make him not gay- that gets out of hand and he eventually fakes his death.. she is besides herself. to find out more read this amazing book!!

Evie Grace is determined to be a nurse. She has been given a scholarship to a nursing school in Galveston. But, all does not go as planned. Her past comes back to haunt her. So, Evie Grace heads back to her old life. But, things have changed.

Ok, when I started this book, I just was not very interested. I don’t know why, just didn’t hit me at the start. But…Y’ALL! This is a wonderful book! I loved Evie Grace and Zave. I enjoyed the prohibition era and the marathon dances. Who knew about the coin showers and the rules of marathon dancing.

Now, not everyone liked this book. I have read a few reviews (and I very seldom do that!) And I agree with a lot of their assessments. There are a lot of characters and Evie Grace makes some poor decisions. But, it is during the depression, I am not sure the decisions I would have made at that time would have been the best either. However, the setting, the time period and the unique backdrop of marathon dancers had me hooked! Now, I did listen to this book and did not physically read it. Sometimes that makes a difference. I might have not enjoyed it as much if I had physically read it.

The narrator, Cassandra Campbell, is probably the reason I enjoyed this book so much. Highly recommend the audio version!

Need a fabulous book which gives you all the feels…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

The Last Dance on the Starlight Pier shows us a part of life, and the struggles during The Great Depression. I had heard of dance marathons before, but not the role they played providing for couples and families during the 1930s. This story is told through Evie Grace Devlin. Evie had been a very young performer in the days of vaudeville, having been pushed on the stage by an unloving, selfish and abusive mother. When the days of vaudeville began to wane, she left and moved to Galveston to start a new life. She worked diligently to become a nurse, only to be kept from getting “pinned” as an actual nurse because of a mean spirited director and prejudice. She goes to see her uncle who gets her a job working as a "nurse" tending to contestants at dance marathons, and Evie soon finds absorbed into the cruel and rough world. These marathons support many employees (dancers, trainers, announcers etc.) but also contestants from the various areas they are put on. Spectators would also pay to come and watch, cheering on their favourites. Conditions were difficult with contestants dancing pretty much nonstop 24 hours a day, sleeping on the dance floor against their partners, and even dancing on broken bones. Having them ruin their health for a few coins so they could entertain the masses is heartbreaking. As time goes on, Evie becomes a part of the show, but she still desires to be a real nurse.

I found this to be an interesting story, a part of history I knew nothing about. Evie was a great main character. She was a victim of circumstances who tried to pull herself up by her bootstraps but was thwarted more than once. She didn't give up and continued to look for ways to follow her dreams. I liked many of the characters, but also disliked the ones who were written as the villains. People did what they had to do in order to survive, and at times it broke my heart. There were other themes in the story such as the attitude of people toward gay characters and how lobotomies were used to "cure them". Prejudice towards people who did not have money or came from poor areas, money separating classes and organized crime families. Even though there is a lot of sad stuff happening in this historical novel, it’s a different view of this time in history which I found interesting. I did pop out and do a search about these dance marathons and found this book well researched. I found sections of the book a bit repetitive and longer than need be, but the characters were easy to like and the audio brought it to life for me. Cassandra Campbell does an excellent job with the narration, giving voice to the various characters and immersing the listener into the atmosphere. If you enjoy audiobooks, I definitely recommend that format. This is my first book by Sarah Bird and I will definitely read more. If you enjoy historical fiction, I recommend Last Dance on the Starlight Pier.

I’ve been a big fan of Sarah Bird’s historical fiction since I read Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen, which was published in 2018. When I saw that she had a new book coming out, I was excited and couldn’t wait to start reading it. My thanks go to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for the review copy, and McMillan Audio for the recording. This book is for sale now.

Our protagonist is Evie Devlin; the setting is in Texas during the Great Depression. This is a time before government relief exists. Jobs for capable men are scarce, and for women, nearly nonexistent. Evie’s father is dead, and her mother has let her know that she won’t support her efforts to become a nurse. When hard work and determination land her a scholarship, Evie is over the moon, and she makes her way to St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Galveston. The director is not happy to see her; she disapproves of scholarship girls in general—a low class of girls, she believes—and in particular, a Protestant one! What is this world coming to? However, Sofia Amadeo likes Evie, and she wants her admitted, and since the Amadeo family’s money and power drive absolutely everything in Galveston, the director is forced to let Evie in. She and Sofie become roommates first, and then the closest of friends.

We follow Evie through nursing school, but on graduation day, she hits a snag and is sent away without her pin, which is the equivalent of a license to practice. Now homeless and nearly penniless, Evie is adrift, until she learns about the dance-a-thons that feature cash prizes. She was forced to dance for money as a small child and doesn’t care to do so again, but when she sees what passes for a nurse in the show—basically someone off the street recruited to play the role of nurse, but with no training of any kind—she persuades the manager to hire her instead. From there, romance and all sorts of other entanglements and complications ensue.

For roughly the first eighty percent of the book, I am enthralled. The plot is fascinating, the historical accuracy commendable. Soon this becomes my favorite galley. And this is why I feel such a colossal sense of disappointment, almost a sense of betrayal, in fact, when the ending is cobbled together with feel-good revisionism and wishful thinking. Without going into spoilerish detail, a member of an oppressed minority becomes Evie’s focus, and suddenly we roam so far from the historical truth that we never find our way back again. And make no mistake: the actual truth is ugly. But if you’re going to write in the kitchen, you have to be able to bear the heat. Or, something like that.

Sarah Bird is a badass writer. Just reading her figurative language alone gives me joy, and I am hoping fervently that this bizarre departure is an anomaly. I look forward to seeing what she writes next.

As for the audio, Cassandra Campbell does a serviceable job, though the Italian accent sounds a bit like Dracula. This is a common issue, I find, and so I’m not terribly concerned about this aspect. Everything else she does is right on point. If you are going to read this book—which, sadly, I cannot recommend—I’d say it’s a toss up as to audio versus print. Go with whatever you’re most comfortable with, but do it free or cheap if you decide to acquire it.

I love Historical Fiction, and especially when I read about a point in time I hadn’t known much about. Set during the Great Depression, Evie Devlin comes to Galveston to escape a dark past, but enters a dance marathon in hopes of winning cash prizes.

I ended up reading the physical copy, and alternating with the audiobook, which was narrated by one of my favorites, Cassandra Campbell. She always does a fabulous job of bringing each story to life, and I was so fascinated by the true story of the dance marathons

*many thanks to St. Martin’s Press/Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the gifted copy and audiobook for review

I just finished this and I’m almost speechless…. Almost. First of all I didn’t think this wad a romance. It was basically historical fiction. I only witness heartache and then more heartache.
I probably wouldn’t of chose the novel if it didn’t have romance. I am a hopeless romantic and during difficult fiction I survive on the romance parts.
I read some of this and listened to some of it. I love Cassandra Campbell as a narrator. She always does a superb job.
So getting back to the novel I was devastated or angry about most of the characters. And the protagonist had a terrible time. Really no one.
I am ok with this and suggest it if you want some history of the USA. And learn more about marathon dancing.
Thanks St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.
I’ve left my review on GR, BB, FB, B&N, Amazon.

I was really into this story at first, but it ended up being a bit of a disappointment for me. The main character, Evie Grace, was likable in the beginning, but about halfway, I started to find her annoying, and that feeling never left me throughout the rest of the book. My review WILL include spoilers, so read no further if you don’t want to see them.

Evie’s likability devolved for me when she became a selfish, naive girl seeking to mold Zave into what SHE wanted him to be. I fully understand that this was a plot device, but I unfortunately could not re-warm to her character after those few chapters. I also understand that she is supposed to be a naive and inexperienced young woman, but this kind of character seems unlikely with a vaudeville past and the numerous jobs she performed while supporting her mother. Regardless, I did not like who she became in that section of the book, and her strange fever dream that convinced her to accept Zave as he is was not enough of a redemption arc for me to forgive her.

I did enjoy learning about the dance marathons — I did not know this was such a prevalent thing in the 1930s, and I didn’t know that they were structured as performances. Very interesting! I think the author included story bits that could have been left out entirely though — the dust bowl and Hooverville inclusions seemed to me to be thrown in just because they also illustrated the depression era. They didn’t add anything to the story for me.

I am sure others are more forgiving than I am, but I’m sad that Evie devolved for me, because there were parts of this book I really loved!

A sweeping historical fiction novel that takes place during The Depression. It paints a vivid picture of life on the Dance Marathon circuit and the lovable characters who survived by becoming “horses”. The story starts in Galveston, which was relatively untouched by the collapse of the US economy. Two young ladies meet in nursing school and become best friends despite their VERY different backgrounds. This is a beautifully unique love story, a story of perseverance, friendship, and acceptance. I was able to close my eyes and visualize every single part of this wonderful book!