A murder mystery and classic Hollywood. What's not to like. LAST NIGHT AT THE HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN offers a glimpse of the golden age and a fun look at the Hollywood Canteens of WW II.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy of Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James in exchange for my honest review and opinion. Loved the cover but the book wasn't one of my favorites I've read this year. I found myself wanting to quit reading about halfway through as it just did not hold my attention. I expected more and was a bit disappointed.

2.5 stars

I spent most of this book thinking I should probably just DNF it and move on. The writing was tame and I found most of the characters to be either boring or useless. I think I've read too much historical fiction set at the Hollywood Canteen or in 1940s Hollywood so most of these characters and scenarios felt stereotypical or pale comparisons to better-written books.

The Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen was such a clever m$rder mystery story.

Set in the 1940s, still in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen shows us the seedier side of Hollywood during this time. Full of morality clauses, fake marriages, pills, booze, jealousy, love, lust, corruption, and m$rder.

This is a #latearc for me. This has sat on my Kindle for over a year now. It's one of those books that I picked up finally and wondered why I hadn't read it sooner.

With its cast of witty, cutting characters, full of one-liners and backstabbers, it felt reminiscent of the movie Clue. There were so many plausible villains in this story. The ending simultaneously shocked me but also felt somewhat predictable.

I thought the writing was excellent, the plot was intriguing, the story was suspenseful, and the characters were interesting.

I definitely recommend this one for historical mystery lovers.

Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced digital copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James is a captivating blend of history, romance, and friendship set during WWII, bringing the iconic Hollywood Canteen to life. Its richly drawn characters and heartfelt storytelling make it a memorable and enjoyable read.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it other readers. This is the kind of book I gravitate to.

This was okay, but it seems strange to purposefully set a book during WW2 and then have it be so small in a story - I feel this would've been better set earlier. The mystery was okay, but nothing particularly gripping.

This was a really fun historical murder mystery set in the glamorous world of old Hollywood where an aspiring murder mystery playwright finds herself trying to solve a real life murder at the Hollywood Canteen. Great on audio and perfect for fans of historical mystery fiction and the glamorous period of this age of film cinema. Fast-paced and twisty with a likable female protagonist. Highly recommend. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James. Pub Date: November 7, 2023. Rating: 2 stars. In this novel, the reader is taken to the setting of Old Hollywood and a murder mystery unravels. I really enjoyed the setting and atmosphere of this novel, but the storyline was not as engaging as I wanted it to be. The pacing felt off to me. This was an okay read to me, but not unputdownable. Thanks to #netgalley and #sourcebookslandmark for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Meh… interesting Hollywood characters; but overall I didn’t care much about the murder mystery, and the context of WWII was nearly non-existent. Quite disappointed that there was only the bare minimum said about how Hollywood changed plots, avoided stars being drafted, and more to keep the motion picture industry flush. Additionally, the daily effect of WWII and news crossing into the US was not nearly as all encompassing as I felt it should be. I do not believe that so many days could pass where there were no updates or discussions about the war. I like to read historical fiction to get context for the time; this felt a bit too modern, and certainly lacked any sort of emotional reactions to the war from our characters 99% of the time.

Although I suppose Hollywood may very well have been that self-absorbed even during the wars times. Only really thinking of themselves and holding events, like those at the Hollywood Canteen that furthered their own celebrity while appearing to be about the soldiers. This is definitely depressing for me as I always want to think humans are better. Alas we really aren’t and I suppose this story reflects that.

Overall, this is an okay read. I’d easily say pass on it were anyone to ask if they should read it. Maybe if you love murder mysteries and celebrity gossip? I’m not unhappy I read it but I could just as easily DNF’d it and walked away with no rejects about not finding out who our killer is, or how the club members lives finally pan out.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Unfortunately, after reading 34% of Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen, this book just didn't really grab my attention and I decided not to finish it. Rating as a one star because I have to give a rating. I will not be posting this review on any social media sites. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for the opportunity read an advanced copy and review this book.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen is an old Hollywood murder mystery with very modern attitudes and sensibilities. Sometimes it works, sometimes it's lacking but it is a fun read.

Interesting look into a part of history I hadn't heard of before. I love a mystery involving anything to do with celebrity culture and this one was one I loved. The mystery was well thought out with lots of red herrings but a definite path to follow which are my favourites.

I loved the Hollywood setting, but the whole lot and mystery aspect lacked in my opinion. Also characters lacked depth and hard to connect with.

I really, really loved the old Hollywood setting of this book! The characters and setting were so fun and nostalgic and if you're a fan of old Hollywood, you'll totally love all of the references and nods to real live actors and actresses. The "Ambassador's Club" was fun and twisty and I enjoyed following their story.

Overall, this was a good, quick read!!

A film critic is found dead at the Hollywood Canteen and murder mystery playwright, Annie gets mixed up in the investigation along with an interesting array of new friends she meets along the way.
I went into this book expecting to get old Hollywood glamour vibes but unfortunately I didn’t. The characters were interesting and entertaining, the storyline was good but I just didn’t get that vibe I was hoping for so I was a little disappointed. If I wasn’t expecting that I probably would have enjoyed it more.

Overall, I really liked this book.
The characters are well written, the twist was unexpected but believable and the main character was relatable.
Annie starts out in the Big Apple as a Broadway playwright and feels on top of the world, not even a critic’s accurate accusation about the relationship she has with her stars can bring het down. That is until her world gets tipped upside down when her lovers get a movie contract and head to Hollywood. They leave Annie with nothing but a broken heart, taking not only her happiness, but her grandmothers nightstands, too.
Annie contemplates chasing her lovers across the country when she unexpectedly gets a screenwriter offer from Paramount, requiring her to move to Hollywood.
Here she finds some unlikely friends, including the critic Fiona Farris, and she thinks she might have the ability to move on from her failed relationship after all. Until Fiona’s murdered and Annie is a suspect along with the rest of her friends.
She writes murder mysteries for broadway and the big screen, can she solve this one in the real world?
The things I didn’t like were purely personal.
The beginning was incredibly slow, and the entire novel was very wordy. I felt this took away from the the bits of action and ingenuity we witnessed. Annie overall was relatable, but I felt after the breakup she was quite mopey and wished she was more angsty. She did make up for it in the end, though.
I think I need to come to the realization that historical fiction isn’t my genre.

fun little read. I liked learning about the Hollywood Canteen and the banter of the characters. The mystery was interesting and the story was good. But it was a bit slow in places, the pacing felt a bit stilted at times, and I'm not sure it's a story that stands out. I almost wish I'd done this as an audio book. I think the mystery might feel a bit more urgent played out a bit more off the page.

It was well written and I liked it, but it was just okay.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

What had me intriqued was the story of old Hollywood and with a little mystery and whodunnit has me wanting more. The only doewnside for me is it is historical fiction which is not my genre but I did not let that deter me from reading it. If found Annie Laurence relatable. She goes through a bad breakup and decides to move cross country to start over. But an acquantaince of hers is found ddead. Now what? Read it to find out. I recommend this one.

I thought this was a clever story and although none of the characters were very likeable as good people, they were perfectly written as their flawed selves.

I’m rounding up to 4 stars, but feel this is a very solid 3.5 star book that I enjoyed.