My thoughts 💭

I really enjoyed the characters. Annie and the entire cast of the Ambassador’s club were funny and unique. The historical elements felt modern and refreshed and I am such a sucker for a story in Hollywood!

The mystery was very unique! I didn’t see the twists coming and the mystery was woven together well with the other elements of the story.

Overall, this was a really enjoyable read and I highly recommend if you enjoy stories about 1940’s Hollywood and/or historically set mysteries.

So, Annie's a writer new to LA, finding her way and getting adopted by a bunch of cynical Hollywood folks at a joint called the Hollywood Canteen. When someone from the crew kicks the bucket, Annie decides to play detective.

The story is packed with every salacious secret from old Hollywood - fake marriages, hidden queerness, racism, sexism, and even a throuple. It should've been a scandalous thrill, but it all fell flat. When the big reveal came at the end, it just seemed absurd, and since I never connected with the victim, it was easy to brush it off. This could've been a gripping read, but it never got there.

I was excited to read this story about old world hollywood, but had a hard time getting into the story. Something about it just didn't resonate with me as I tried again and again. Eventually I DNF, but perhaps I will try again later.
Thanks to #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you Netgalley and Landmark Sources for the chance to read Last night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James. I requested this ARC because I have always been a fan of old Hollywood, the glitz and glamour, which hid the dark and scandalous side most people had no idea about. The Hollywood Canteen was a place where servicemen could hang out with big stars and relax before heading off to war. Annie is a playwright who
travels to Hollywood and manages to connect with a circle of people, known as The Ambassador Club. When she becomes a suspect in a murder that is very similar to the plot of her recent hit play in New York, Annie decides to find the real killer. I enjoyed reading Last night at the Hollywood Canteen especially since it was a bit different than anything I have read recently but I had some issues with the characters. 31/2 stars rounded up.

Loved this book! The witty characters combined with the storyline was great. Annie Laurence and the Ambassadors Club are charming, funny drinkers that never cease to amaze and amuse.
A delightful story combined with a murder mystery set in glamorous Hollywood in the 1940’s.
Thank you to Sarah James who knocked it out of the park with this book and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this charming ARC.

This is a terrific novel if you like real life celebrities included in the mystery. There is a wonderful backstory starting in New York, ending with delicious karmic conclusion. Definitely will look for a sequel. I just reviewed Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James. #LastNightAtTheHollywoodCanteen #NetGalley
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I enjoyed the premise and time period that Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen was written in, however this book was really slow moving for me. It lacked intrigue and a spark to keep me interested in the story line. The book was not bad by any means, but there was nothing special about it either.

An intriguing look at the drama and irreverence of 1940s Hollywood. Loved the honest (yet disappointing) depiction of historical queer relationships. Has inspired me to take a closer look at wartime Hollywood.

Thank you so much @bookmarked and @netgalley for an advance copy of this book!

✨ 𝙈𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 ✨
Oh I love reading any stories about this time in history! This is 1943 Hollywood where the story centers around the famous Hollywood Canteen (yes a real place) which is a club for servicemen staffed exclusively by those in show business. How fun, right?!

This story centers on playwright Annie Laurence, new to town and determined to meet the right people and hopefully get a movie made. When a film critic ends up dead in the Canteen kitchen, fingers point to Annie and her new group of friends in the “Ambassadors Club”. Annie typically writes murder mysteries and thinks she can help solve the mystery of whodunnit before one of them gets the blame!

Did I mention I love this time period? The author did her homework on all of that for this story! The characters quick banter back and forth were very spot on for that time period and location. Most of these characters were very self-centered, which fits in with the Hollywood persona. They won’t hesitate to throw each other under the bus.

I also love a good murder mystery, so with that and the time period I was all for this story. I would love to read more stories like this one!

✨ 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚:
🖤 Old Hollywood Era Stories
🖤 Fictional Stories Based on Real Events
🖤 Historical Fiction
🖤 Murder Mystery Whodunnit

An historical murder mystery with a difference - this book will keep you guessing until the very end.

Perhaps the best place in 1943 Hollywood to see the stars is the Hollywood Canteen, a club for servicemen staffed exclusively by those in show business.

Murder mystery playwright Annie Laurence, new in town after a devastating breakup, definitely hopes to rub elbows with the right stars. Maybe then she can get her movie made.

But Hollywood proves to be more than tinsel and glamour. When despised film critic Fiona Farris is found dead in the Canteen kitchen, Annie realizes any one of the Canteen's luminous volunteers could be guilty of the crime. To catch the killer, Annie falls in with Fiona's friends, a bitter and cynical group―each as uniquely unhappy in their life and career as Annie is in hers―that call themselves the Ambassador's Club.

Solving a murder in real life, it turns out, is a lot harder than writing one for the stage. And by involving herself in the secrets and lies of the Ambassador's Club, Annie just might have put a target on her own back.

Thank you to @netgalley #sarahjames and @bookmarked for an advanced copy.

A fascinating look at the Hollywood movie star scene of the 1940s during the war through the lense of a murder mystery. I loved the author's note and background for this book. I knew some of the entertainment industry's war effort or contributions by entertaining troops but this very specific glimpse at the Hollywood Canteen a place for servicemen to have a night of free food, drinks, entertainment, and dancing with Hollywood celebrities was very intriguing. The Canteen was staffed by the local studios, as well as the stars themselves. You never knew who might be present either making sandwiches or up for a dance on any given night.
This book starts outin New York when Annie Laurence a mystery playwright finds herself out of a job when her highly acclaimed play comes to an end since her personal relationship also just ended she takes a leap of faith and takes an offer from one of the big Hollywood studios to write for them.
Off she goes to tinsel town.
Eager to find people she ingratiates herself with a group surrounding a film critic she knows by reputation from New York.
This critic, Fiona Farris, gets murdered and it seems like everyone had it out for her, did she have any real friends?
There's glamour and glitter, there's history and a twisty investigation, which Annie takes on since she has started befriending all potential suspects. She sets out to prove her own innocence and find the real killer.
I loved this historical murder mystery - this was fun to read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book - thank you @bookmarked - opinions are of course my own!

I absolutely love this era, and was so excited to read a murder mystery set amongst the glitter and glammer. This was such a magical read, and hard to put down.

In "Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen," by Sarah James, 1943 playwright Annie Laurence, is heartbroken and out of work, So, she moves to Hollywood and takes a job as a screen writer at Pacific Pictures. Annie quickly befriends a group of narcissistic hollywood insiders and feels that her life may be taking a turn for the better. This new life is quickly turned upside down as one of her new friends mysteriously dies. Although the police consider the case a suicide, Annie believes it to be a murder and convinces her new friends that they must find the perpetrator.

The only bad thing to say about "Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen" is that it eventually had to end. The reader sympathize for Annie and can get lost in the dynamics of this group of so-called friends. The story moves at a very healthy pace and continuously brings in new information and new dynamics to be considered. Although set in 1943, it's hard to ignore the intrigue and the gossip that seems to be more relevant in Hollywood now than back then. Last night at the Hollywood canteen is a solid book. A fun read and hard to put down.

Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.

I want to thank Netgalley for an advanced ARC and the publishers

In this book, we see through the eyes of the main character and other characters The truth about Hollywood behind the veil, because everyone or most people see Hollywood as glamorous, mysterious, and a great life with riches galore especially back in the day. But the truth is that behind the veil is much more horrific than suspected when we look back at famous figures of the period we find it entertaining because we have that separation.

The main character Annie Laurence gets caught up in the glamour and the lifestyle but over time she sees what the cost is for what she.

While I was reading this I enjoyed the writing and also was intrigued by what was happening and I see this as worth a read

Although differences in plot, location, and crime, this felt similar to The Spectacular. Annie moves to LA to write for movies when a new acquaintance, Fiona, dies by suicide. However, she believes it was murder and she enlists in Fiona’s friends (the Ambassador’s Club) to help solve the case.

It did not read like historical fiction, both in the vernacular used and the culture portrayed. This takes place in 1943/44 at a bar for servicemen, and yet almost no time is dedicated to discussing WWII. Fiona was in a throuple at one point, Vic, one of the members of the Ambassador’s Club is gay, casual sex is openly discussed, and pill pushing is common at the production companies. All of this was written about with little to no scandal and yet it was the 1940s. It felt disingenuous to the time. You could have told me this happened in the 1990s and I would have believed it.

A murder mystery full of the glamour and glitz of Hollywood during the 1940s. Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen is a fascinating dive into the difference between what characters want you to see and what actually happened. The book is filled with crime, suspense, romance and a huge pinch of fun as Sarah James leads her readers through a rollercoaster ride filled with twists and turns.

1940s Hollywood + murder? I was all in on this glamorous historical mystery set during Hollywood's golden age. It's a quick read that will keep you guessing until this last page and the zingy repartee is perfection!

Thanks to Sourcebooks for the copy to review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Sarah James and SOURCEBOOKS landmark for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I actually finished this book a while ago during my holiday and forgot to leave a review on here, then got in a reading slump and haven't checked Goodreads in over a month. Not really an excuse but I still want to apologize for that. 🙈

3⭐- this book was a little so-so. I was excited to read this book because of the murder mystery taking place in Hollywood during the 1940's. The characters are likeable, interesting and a little sarcastic. For me personally the story had too many side stories, which got me distracted from the main storyline that is solving the mystery of Fiona's murder

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery of this book and loved the time period it took place. The pacing was done so well and the end was great!

Quick and Dirty⁣
-LGBTQIA representation ⁣
-murder mystery ⁣
-WWII era home front fiction ⁣
-behind-the-scenes Hollywood studio info⁣
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Thoughts⁣
What a wild, fun ride this was! Not sure what I was expecting from this book, but I was certainly shocked to find it was NOT what I got. And I mean that in the best way possible. Having a passion for Old Hollywood I’ve read and watched a lot of non-fiction about the era and the most famous celebs of the time, and this book definitely represented the tawdry and scandalous behaviors of the celebs, writers, and studio execs of the time. From the love triangle to the copious prescriptions, Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen got it right! The antics of the core group of “friends” were certainly lots of fun, but even better was the Los Angeles setting which featured some of the most famous/iconic locations of the era (and even of today). Who doesn’t love a culmination at the Hollywood Bowl (my fav place to see a live concert)?!? I loved the mystery and was fully invested in the whodunnit plot, along with the core storyline of Annie’s lost love and self-growth. Overall this was a ton of fun that I recommend for historical fiction fans who enjoy a solid mystery and some unusual characters!