I just finished the Last Lullaby by Roberta Kagan and it wasn't the book for me.
I'm giving it 3
A few key things stood out to me.
A lot of telling instead of showing.
A major incident that shifts the primary POV felt a bit jarring.
I wanted deeper character building.
The pacing was off. Some things took
way too long and others happened absurdly quickly.
As an ARC reader, I struggle with a review when I didn't love it. I know how hard authors work and that should be celebrated but I know honesty is the most important of a review. I hope my review of this work helps you!
Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

Although the book's cover would lead one to believe this is WW II historical fiction, it's an intense look at the desperate years between the two world wars. As tough as it was for veterans, it was worse for women, especially those with children.

Both Lily and Gloria become involved with men they hope will provide a decent life for their children, having failed to do so on their own. As the reader, you see the warning signs and want to scream at these women to stay far away from them. At the same time, you understand the choices they make, and it breaks your heart. Lily's choice takes her to the tenements of NYC, a far cry from Paris and not what she expected. "She was a ghost, present but unseen, except when Mimi's cries made her an inconvenience." Gloria's choice takes her to Munich in 1930, where this novel ends, but not before the author gives us some truly horrifying foreshadowing.

"If sometimes his passion for his new political movement seemed to burn too bright, well, all men needed a cause to believe in, didn't they?" See what I mean? Run away, Gloria! I loved that this book emphasized the dire economic straits of all the countries in the 1920s, as well as the extreme disparity between the industrialists and everyone else. Although Roberta Kagan's books are always emotionally draining, I never expected the shocking twist in this one. The Last Lullaby is a terrific beginning for a new series and I highly recommend it.

My thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC. The review and opinions are entirely my own.