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broe028's review against another edition
2.0
I found this book to be painful. The story itself is one of tragedy and just bad decisions. Here we have another story of a small town girl trying to make it big in Vegas, when the beast that is Vegas got the best of her. She just wanted to be a respected dancer and a dancer she became, but one with heavy headwear and a lack of clothing. We experience her struggles in depth, but I found this a story that I didn’t find peace with. This just wasn’t a book for me, and I definitely don’t think it’s for everyone. The story seems to struggle along until the end where I was left just with a strong desire to close the book and put it away forever.
jessemilac's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Rape, and Sexual assault
celticthistle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Although a good read, I felt author missed out certain bits, then wasted time expanding on other characters flaws. Not needed
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Body horror, Grief, Addiction, Alcohol, Child abuse, Body shaming, Blood, Car accident, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Drug use
Moderate: Cancer and Classism
bookswritingandmore's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so amazing. I cannot gush enough about it. This was a story of Lily Decker and how she survived the car accident that killed her whole family and made a life for herself in 1960s and 70s.
Lilly lost her family to a tragic accident when she was very young. She is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Here is where Lily learns that love isn't always given and control is sometimes more important than compassion.
As Lily Decker grows up she falls in love with dancing and she can't wait to leave her aunts home at 18 and pursue her dreams.
This is a carefully considered novel of this time and does such a great job of telling us the saga of Lilly's successes and tragedies through out her life. Writing is so superb and I loved the detail the author gives of the situations mentioned.
Overall this is a great read!!
Lilly lost her family to a tragic accident when she was very young. She is sent to live with her aunt and uncle. Here is where Lily learns that love isn't always given and control is sometimes more important than compassion.
As Lily Decker grows up she falls in love with dancing and she can't wait to leave her aunts home at 18 and pursue her dreams.
This is a carefully considered novel of this time and does such a great job of telling us the saga of Lilly's successes and tragedies through out her life. Writing is so superb and I loved the detail the author gives of the situations mentioned.
Overall this is a great read!!
laurazdavidson's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, three stars. I liked the novel - it kept my attention and was written well - but I didn't feel like there was anything "special" about the book. Much of it was predictable and convenient, and sometimes it felt like the author was trying to tell too many stories. However, it was an enjoyable, easy read that many other people would enjoy. (Thank you to Goodreads and Ballantine Books for the ARC of this novel.)
jgard73's review against another edition
2.0
I find myself somewhat torn about this book. The descriptions of 1960’s Vegas are lush and all of the scenes focusing on Ruby’s rise as a showgirl and career are so interesting and I loved reading them. However, they are bookended by the lengthy and graphically detailed sections about her childhood abuse and neglect and her later relationship abuse. The length and detail pulls you out of the immersive world that is created in Vegas. Her actions during the latter are particularly frustrating, and the childhood stuff is honestly just horrifying and the level of detail doesn’t really seem necessary for the plot or to establish anything about her character. If the book hadn’t been so short, I would have DNF’d once the focus started to be on her relationship. I don’t believe the ending was worth the sharp tonal shift.
marbooks88's review against another edition
4.0
Lily's life takes a tragic turn when she is just 8 years old & she is forced to live with her rigid Aunt and Uncle. From that moment on she finds it hard to trust and is desperate to get out of the small Kansas town. Dancing is her salvation and ticket out. After high school graduation she escapes to Las Vegas and searches for a job dancing. A story of a woman trying to find her way in the world and learn how to trust and love.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC for my honest review.
hkbryson's review against another edition
4.0
I wish we could do partial stars. I did not enjoy the first part of this at all. But I was drawn in enough to keep reading and then I was sucked in big-time. It does, thankfully, end with healing and closure, but yikes it is raw and unforgiving before you get there.
meredithserpa's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely five stars. I enjoyed every single page of this story. Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre, and this was truly a beautiful piece of that. As a reader, you are truly transported to the 60s and 70s. I appreciated how much research the author clearly put into the timeline of things. The character development, especially Lily and the Aviator, were so inspiring. What a great way to connect characters. Towards the end of the story, I found myself smiling as I read because I was just so happy for the two of them. This book also has a couple things that I can relate to personally, and that made it even more inspirational.
maggiemaggio's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. The only thing stopping me from giving this book 4 stars is the child sexual abuse. It's just so vivid and at the beginning came out of no where and then when I finally thought we moved past the descriptions of it there is a super vivid recap of it towards the end of the book. It's not like there's ever a good way to read about sexual abuse, but this was really bad. I wish I could just scrub my brain.
The rest of the story and characters I really enjoyed. I loved the look at Vegas during this time period and I loved all of the feminist messages. There are definitely frustrating situations throughout, but I found it very well written and really interesting.
The rest of the story and characters I really enjoyed. I loved the look at Vegas during this time period and I loved all of the feminist messages. There are definitely frustrating situations throughout, but I found it very well written and really interesting.