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⁣
⁣
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!

I had a hot and cold relationship with this book. It was very slow paced at times and then suddenly it would pace fast and become interesting and exciting just to double down to slow pace. It happened several times that I was totally engrossed in the book and wanted to know what happens next but it would just lose its pace and the excitement would die down.

The writing is good. It gave me some —the secret history or if we were villains's character vibes. All hateful, no one to like or feel for , so basically dark academia vibes.

It's classic who dunnit based in Hollywood in between 1940-1950s. It gives insight into the glamorous life which can make you blind and raises the question of if anyone is really happy in the Hollywood or if they even have any morals left.

Overall a good story but I did not like the ending. The reveal was meh. There were many things that did not make sense. Annie was too fast to get to the conclusions and the last clue she got which led her to the murderer was really dumb. For a such a smart book the ending was totally off.

Thank you Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS landmark for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James combines old Hollywood glamour with a murder mystery for a delightful, fun read! The plotline was creative and unique with well-defined morally questionable characters, lots twists and turns, dark humor and great dialogue! I highly recommend and can’t wait to read more from Sarah James.

I COULD NOT PUT THIS ONE DOWN! This had all the makings of a classic whodunit and I flipped through the virtual pages so quickly my Kindle almost broke. I loved the mingling of real life celebrities with fictional characters and James did a wonderful job of walking the line of fact and fiction - in my mind, this could have actually happened at the famed Hollywood Canteen.

That being said, I didn't particularly love any of the characters aside from Jack - he reminded me of my favorite male celebrities of today (think Harry Styles with his pretty boy looks and his fear of commitment). Aside from the characters, I felt like there were some elements thrown in that didn't add to the storyline whatsoever aside from being "progressive" or "scandalous." However, I did appreciate the queer representation as I feel like being queer was far more common than we realize yet far more taboo in the golden age of Hollywood.

Lights camera action!!! Murder mystery x Golden Age Hollywood, say less!

It's one of the few murder mysteries that i really quite enjoyed.

I really loved all the details about Hollywood at that time, the glitter, the cameras, the backstabbing and the secrets! Most of the characters were relatable in their own way!

The dynamic of this friend group is something else. I laughed a lot in certain scenes!

Thank you Netgalley and Sarah James for this ARC!

I really enjoyed Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen. I’m a big fan of mid-century historicals, and the mystery element combined with the Hollywood storyline was super fun. There was a great combination of romantic and platonic relationship building and the dialogue is fast-paced and well-written. The characters are fleshed out very well, especially in the core group of the Ambassador Club. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a Hollywood story or a good mystery. I didn’t figure anything out before the end and it was a treat until the final page.

My thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for an advance reader’s copy.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen by Sarah James was simply not my cup of tea.

After reading the premise I really thought that I would love this book but it unfortunatelly let me down.

First of all, I couldn't connect with any of the characters nor did I root for any of them. The main heroine was at times so annoying with her constant jumping to conclusions without any thinking.

There were a lot of red herrings, so many things were over the top, including the ending.
The story started strong and was engaging but slowly it started slowing down and dragging and it couldn't hold my interest.

What I liked about it was the fact that there was a lot of true facts about Hollywood of that time and it was was originally drew me to the story and that part didn't disappoint.

I absolutely loved the book. The suspense and the action was amazing.
The characters were too good.
The story is very interesting.
I liked Fiona's character - the most hated critic reviewer in Hollywood - giving anybody a reason to murder her.

I would like to thank the author arc.

Read if you like…
🎥 Old Hollywood
🎥 Damien Chazelle’s Babylon
🎥 Cozy-ish mysteries
🎥 New takes on WWII stories

I’m still dipping my toes back into the world of historical fiction, and have been trying to focus on books set in my favorite eras, or ones focused on my favorite subjects, and Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen, a mystery set in the Hollywood studio system during WWII, seemed like the perfect fit.

The book follows playwright Annie Laurence as she attempts to rejuvenate her career and become a screenwriter, but stumbles upon a murder within her new group of friends. It’s breezy and snappy and has the rhythm of an Old Hollywood film. I really enjoyed all of the details of the Hollywood Studio system and references to real life movies and stars, as well as the diversity of the characters. I also learned a lot about the Hollywood Canteen, which was a real place in the 1940s!

This would be a great book for anyone who is interested in exploring historical fiction or is looking for a fairly chill mystery that won’t leave you sleeping with the lights on.

Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen is available now. Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love the old Hollywood vibes!
Whodunit at its best! The murder mystery was ✨ twisty ✨
The ending >>>

The start of the book was a little slow but after that the story really picked up and i had a lot of fun reading it
Thank you netgalley for the arc

Strong 4 stars or 4.25. This book took me by surprise. The beginning was a little slow, but it picked up in the last half and really paid off.
Pros: The dialogue was so good; I laughed out loud several times; moderately paced murder mystery
Cons: Lots of characters to keep track of; wished the ending was slightly longer; ending felt too fast

This is a book that Fiona would declare, "A solid effort, with bright snappy dialogue, but the characters are sometimes painfully one-dimensional. The tapestry of the writing is like a knit piece, warm, great for long winter evenings, but full of holes when you lift it up to the light."

The Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen was a fresh twist to the typical murder mystery. I greatly appreciated the insight into 1940's Hollywood. Was this my favorite murder mystery? No. But it isn't one that I will readily forget either.

This book started out really great but the pace was off and it was really droney. I found myself getting distracted. The end was fine but the whole book lacked lustre. I guess I was expecting more but it totally missed the mark for me.

The characters were one dimensional and the book needed so much more

2.5 stars rounded to 3

This book is set in 1943 Hollywood. Main character Annie is a murder mystery Broadway playwright who gets hired to work at a Hollywood studio. Shortly after moving, she falls into a group of movie biz friends, and then one of them - Fiona Farris, a harsh critic whose review upended Annie’s life - dies. The police rule it a suicide, but Annie is convinced it’s murder, and begins investigating while also getting more caught up with the group.

After a bit of a slow start, this was a fun and different one. There was a great sense of place and time with the 1940s Hollywood setting, and I loved the zingy repartee of the group of friends. And the mystery was good too!

3.75 stars