Very sweet story about parallel romance happening in the vaudeville era and current day. I liked the ending, but wished there could have been a happy ending in both stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for this delightfully baudy book. I loved it. It's part history, part love story, has a very interesting cast of characters that are well developed, some you love, some not so much. This peak into the life of a famous vaudeville star is heartbreaking at times but also uplifting because of her big heart and undying devotion to her friends. On top of all of that, it is very well written. Vaudeville is coming to an end, women are still meant to play a very specific role, love is not highly regarded by the very rich and societal rules are not to be broken. Enjoy the ride.

I’m sorry to be the one writing a negative review, but this book left me disappointed and I wouldn’t recommend it.

First of all, I personally found the book way longer than necessary: it’s divided into multiple parts, but that division makes no sense, since the parts are (funny enough) way too short and they don’t need to be divided, as nothing important happens that needs to be highlighted or put into a different part of the book. Usually, different parts hold different steps of the story (beginning, development, conclusion), but this one was just putting chapters and parts for the sake of it, there was no sensible order or division. It didn’t help the reader, it was just…there.
The chapters are a few pages long and, once again, way too many. We have a ‘present day’ situation, a past one with the story of Evelyn and Thomas (with chapters alternating between the two characters’ pov), and a few pages long (or sometimes just a few sentences) ‘a note from the historian’.

The thing that annoyed me the most was the writing style, no doubt.
As I said, the book was way too long: that’s because the chapters are full of redundant and repetitive situations, with unnatural -and unnecessary- dialogues that do nothing for the plot.
The characters are dull, forced and I couldn’t empathize with them. Thinking about it, there’s not many of them: it’s just the two main characters from each timeline, the past and the present day, and I couldn’t connect with any of them.
Also, they are basically the same person, just in a different time. The story itself is the same for both couples, and basically the same things happen.
Reading this book, alternating between the two couples, was like reading the same thing but with different names, and it also followed the same development and order, too, so it was reeeeally boring.

The chemistry -again, for both couples- just wasn’t there.
Which is not a nice thing, since the entire book revolves around these two ‘falling in love’. I was expecting, as promised, something more about the showbiz, but it’s definitely just a background.

The ‘notes from the historian’ were supposed to be a fun break but I found them weird and out-of-a-wattpad-fanfiction kinda style. Here’s an example:

"A note from the historian:
Now, this is probably the part of the story where you're bracing yourself and wondering "Oh, God, wasn't the 'fingering her at Coney Island' thing bad enough? Is she really about to give us a fully realized sex scene between these two?"
And to your question, yes, fuck you, I'm writing a sex scene, and with God as my witness, if I hear one more peep of complaint, I'm going to make the rest of this story nothing but sex scenes.”

I didn’t connect with this book, I think it was just trying too hard to be fun -both through the writin style and the characters- and, personally, it achieved the opposite result.
But if that’s the kind of thing that you like, then go for it, this book is definitely for you.

I loved this book and found Evelyn Cross's story so relatable. A new trend of being skinny is threatening her career and she has to learn how to keep her spot against the new trend. How Evelyn navigates societal pressures of being thin, owning her own sexuality and body is inspiring to read and you can't help but root for her as she tries to figure out her next moves.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced pager turner of a reading experience! It has historical elements, plus it is incredibly sexy and romantic. I loved the dual timeline and the author's choice to rewrite the actual ending. Brava to this author for creating a work of art that is important as well as immensely enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

They had me at Moulin Rouge & Greatest Showman and Alice Murphy delivered!

What a fun and surprisingly emotional romp of a novel.

Phoebe Blair is a New York historian who is surprised and delighted to get a phone call from Armitage Gallier, billionaire heir to the Gallier Entertainment and Telecommunications Company. He has found some interesting personal papers from the desk of the founder of his family's company, 'The Emperor' Thomas Gallier, and wants Phoebe to help him go through them and write a report on their significance.

All signs point to a gorgeous love affair between Thomas and Evelyn Cross, the woman he hired to be the star of his show at his new hotel and entertainment Empire. But despite the love letters and other clues Phoebe uncovers, it is clear from the family history that Evelyn and Thomas' relationship ended and he went on to marry his wife Constance, furthering his business in the process.

As Phoebe keeps digging she develops her own romantic entanglement with Armitage, and can't help but notice the parallels between their relationship and Thomas and Evelyn's. Evelyn gives her the courage to ask for more from Armitage, even though it seems like his familial obligations will stand in the way of them being together for real, in public.

The way this was told as a book being written with the interspersed commentary and modern day musings from Phoebe was so unique and brilliant. Truly if you are a fan of the theatre, you'll love this one.

Oh boy, do I have THOUGHTS.

Let's get the obvious out of the way first, shall we? The cover art is absolutely *stunning* and 100% the reason this book caught my attention, so kudos to Decue Wu.

Evelyn is a firecracker of a character and, like Thomas, I loved her immediately. She felt complex and real (and a lot of that has to do with Murphy's wonderful writing. I can't tell you how many times I said to myself, "Oh man, what a LINE.) Evelyn's beauty, brains, and talent are - yes - undeniable, and it is so refreshing to see fatness be *celebrated*. As for the romance? Evelyn and Thomas...my silly, scared beloveds. Their falling in love and the slow burn of figuring out just what their mysterious pasts entailed was engaging throughout. I loved their quips back and forth as much as I loved their chemistry.

But Thomas and Evelyn's love story is also set against the backdrop of the nearly forgotten, and now more than ever I appreciate that. I want historical romance books that color outside of the lines and expand on the truth: that queer folks, people of color, immigrants, people with disabilities, etc. built so much of what's good in our country. Just because they're not in the history books doesn't mean they weren't there. By giving us Evelyn's theatre friends as side characters, Murphy paints such a loving homage to the people and places conveniently forgotten across time.

The ending wasn't conventional and I had FEELINGS. [Spoiler alert!] As soon as Phoebe tells us she's going to give Evelyn the fairy tale ending she didn't get irl, I was hoping I could fully enjoy it. But I wanted so badly, even though I suspected they wouldn't, for them to somehow still end up together. Despite that, I did love the editor's addendum and the hope that Phoebe and Armitage's story may not have ended the same way. I think I'm just so used to the conventional 'happy ever after', but this was different and I admire the author for taking that chance.

I wasn't initially sure if the dual timeline/historian retelling angle was going to work for me, but it was fascinating with the parallels -- and as a history nerd myself, I was absolutely living through Phoebe getting to explore all of the amazing treasures! It's clearly evident how much love, dedication and research went into this. (I also checked out Murphy's Instagram and one of the inspos being 'Ball of Fire'? LOVE THAT.)

I am absolutely looking forward to more from Alice Murphy. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.