(I got this as an ARC through NetGalley – it will be published on June 13, 2023.) I’ve read a few books by Fiona Davis, and this one isn’t bad, but isn’t my favorite of hers, either. It’s set in the 1950s, and follows Marion, a dance teacher who is fired and decides to follow her lifelong dream of actually performing by auditioning to dance with The Rockettes. At the same time, there’s a series of bombings set off by the “Big Apple Bomber,” who claims to be targeting the Metropolitan Power Company where Marion’s dad and sister work. Marion finds herself (somewhat puts herself!) in the middle of the search for the bomber, and works to follow her leads when the police refuse to. There’s a split timeframe between most of the plot in the 50s and some in current day, looking back, and the story just added a lot in the last chapter that didn’t feel totally necessary (and was borderline ableist, in my opinion!). I did, however, love the description of Radio City and The Rockettes!

DNF @57%
I tried. I kept coming back to it over and over but it just didn’t hold my interest.
Maybe it will later and I can revise.

This was my first Fiona Davis book and I really enjoyed it! I was intrigued by the NYC setting and the main character being a Rocket. I loved the behind the scenes of what it would've been like to be a Rockette during this time period. It was a pretty easy and entertaining read that I would recommend!

I’m continually impressed by Fiona Davis’ books. This is the third one I have read and I really enjoyed it. I love that each of her books takes place in NY. I also really appreciate that there are usually dual timelines and a mystery aspect to the plot.

I loved following Marion’s journey amid the backdrop of the dancing world. Diving into what it might have been like to be a rockette during that time period was fascinating. It was hard enough to be a woman during the 50s with the pressure of an early marriage and children ever looming. It was refreshing to read about Marion who decided to go against what her father and society expected of her so she could follow her dream.

The mystery element was great and included seamlessly into the story. I just wish we had more time with certain characters. I feel like it would have made the story even more impactful.

Fiona Davis has become an auto-buy author for me from now on.

Fascinating historical fiction with well-drawn characters and beautiful writing. I adored it and rec to any lover of hist fic!

Fiona Davis' latest novel is much more than just historical fiction; it combines mystery, family drama and romance. I enjoyed reading about Marion's life and the decisions she faced as a young woman in the 1950s. Davis creates an accurate picture of the expectations and norms for women at that time. Both the family story/conflict and the search for the bomber were interesting and kept the narrative moving forward. I also appreciated the voice of future (older and wiser?) Marion (1992).

I love reading Historical Fiction, and look forward to every book that Fiona writes. Her books always include an iconic NYC landmarks and setting, and I love learning about each place.

The research was done so well, and I enjoyed the mystery included in the story too.

🎧I paired the audiobook with the physical book and loved getting to fully immerse myself this way. I would definitely recommend the narrator.

WHAT TO EXPECT
-Radio City/NYC setting
-1950s
-The Rockettes
-mystery surrounding a bomber in NYC area

*many thanks to Dutton and PRH Audio for the gifted copy for review

I LOVED this book! Fiona Davis is second to none at writing historical fiction that is female-centric and insanely entertaining, and this was absolutely no exception. The setting of Radio City and the bombings (inspired by true events, which I find crazy!) and the era were just a perfect match. The characters were wonderful too. I bought a hard copy of this one so I could give it to my mother, because I knew she would love it too.

I loved this story - in part because it was part historical fiction/part romance/part mystery; but also because my mother lived in NYC in the early 40's and wanted to be a Rockette (she was too short!). I love Fiona Davis' writing on any day, but enjoyed this glimpse into the past. Will be featuring on my blog, Beth's Book-Nook, soon.

This was another great story by Fiona Davis. So much history to enjoy, especially since I live close to NYC and have been to Radio City.
It’s the year 1956 and Marion Brooks is searching for her purpose in life. At 19, she decides to become a Rockett and leave all of her father’s dreams for her behind including the young man who was courting her.
When Marion discovers there is a bomber in NYC, what will this do to her decision to remain dutiful to her commitment to her aspiring career?
Fiona Davis has crafted a skillfully plotted historical drama that will keep you engrossed until the last page. I was thoroughly invested in these characters from the past. Especially Marion as a young woman from this era summons the courage to seek her truth.

The Spectacular by Fiona Davis centers around Marion Brooks in two different eras of her life: in 1956 as a 19-year-old Rockette and in 1992 as she heads to a Rockette alumni reunion.

In the 1950s, Marion lives with her father, Simon (an executive at an NYC Power company) and sister, Judy (her fathers secretary). Marion is a children’s dance teacher and gets fired for not being strict enough with the children.

Against her father’s wishes, Marion auditions for the Rockettes the day after she’s fired and gains a spot. Her father, furious with her decision to pursue arts and leave security behind, disowns her and so Marion moves to a boarding house for young women in the arts. Her roommate and fellow Rockette, Bunny, introduces her to a young psychiatrist named Peter while on a double date.

Peter, able to analyze the personality of anyone he comes into contact with, becomes an integral part of the story when there is a bombing at Radio City during one of Marion’s Christmas performances, killing an audience member close to her heart. Peter aids the police in criminal profiling to help find the bomber who has been terrorizing NYC for 16 years.

This story sweeps you away - the setting, imagery, and mood of the novel are transportive and I really felt like I was at Radio City Music Hall watching rehearsals and shows of the girls dancing in beautiful, mesmerizing unison.

This novel featured a good mystery, a budding romance, and deep character development from the main cast of characters. I felt like I got to know the characters as friends and really understand them.

Overall, I loved the book and am so sad it’s over. For an extra treat, listen to the audiobook: the two narrators are fantastic and truly bring the story to life.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Group Dutton for an e-ARC of The Spectacular in exchange for an honest review.

Fiona Davis can do no wrong. I have fond memories of Radio City Music Hall as I worked in it for 5 years while helping coordinate university graduation. It was a fun book to learn about Rockettes and the mystery.

Fiona Davis is quickly becoming a favorite historical fiction author for me after loving The Magnolia Palace and again with her new novel, The Spectacular! The way you feel as though you are in Radio City Music Hall with the characters and training with the Rockettes was amazing. I love when a book can transport you through time and space! Marion was such a likable main character and her tenacity to follow her dreams and be independent was really admirable. Her interactions with secondary characters were great and I thought her involvement in the Big Apple Bomber case was really interesting. The storyline had a nice balance between the case and her time with the Rockettes, in addition, to the few chapters that brought readers into present day Marion’s life to see where she ended up. This book had me intrigued until the very end and I was very satisfied with how everything wrapped up with the different storylines. It’s a five star read for me and I highly recommend!

The Spectacular was another winner from Fiona Davis! WOW! I had no idea of the Big Apple Bomber and I learned so much. I loved being on the "inside" of a dancers life for the Rockettes. So much NYC history packed into this fast paced novel. Well done!

Marion was struggling to find her place, in her family, in the dance studio she was teaching at, when she came upon the opportunity to audition for the Rockettes. Despite her father's stubborn insistence that the give it up, and her "almost fiancé's" confusion at her choice, Marion is determined to see what her life will be like if she pursues her dream. And Davis does a wonderful job giving an inside look at the lives of the grueling lives of the Rockettes, how hard they work and how they are there for one another.

Tying together the rich history of Radio City Music Hall Rockets, a fictionalized version of the mad bomber of the 1950's NYC, family dynamics and a touch of romance, Davis has once gain created an amazingly enjoyable novel.

Fiona Davis takes us back to 1950's New York City and the glamorous world of Radio City Music Hall and The Rockettes. The author does an excellent job of giving us a first hand look at the life of a Rockette, as well as allowing us a glimpse into the historic Rockefeller Center. As is her trademark, she incorporates fact with fiction, weaving an interesting tale of Marian, who leaves her family and boyfriend behind to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. A big part of the story involves an incident that actually happened in New York City, where a bomber went uncaptured for several years, planting pipe bombs in restrooms and phonebooths throughout the city and terrorizing the inhabitants. This is a thoroughly enjoyable well-written historical fiction drama that delivers an intriguing story with some true facts. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I always enjoy reading Fiona Davis's books! The amount of research and thought for historical accuracy that goes into each of her novels helps make her stories so captivating and real. I loved learning more about little Rockette traditions and quirks while also following as the field of forensic psychology really starts. Our main character was easy to root for and I think made solid decisions even when they were hard.

I will definitely be recommending this book to historical fiction readers, but also to true crime readers because I think that it has wide appeal!!

What an amazing book! I love historical fiction and when it covers subjects in NYC such as the Rockettes, I am all in. I have only read a couple of Fiona Davis’ books and they have both been fantastic so I need to read her others. This one focuses on Marion, who is 19 and newly selected to be one of the Rockettes, which happens to coincide at the same time a bomb explodes in the theater, which is the latest in a series that have been going off, and at Marion’s urging this starts the beginning of psychological profiling as this seems to be the result of one individual that cannot be caught. Marion is pulled into the investigation and as a result, is forced to make sacrifices that she never thought she’d have to make.

This was absolutely wonderful, and had so many layers to it that I was not expecting, mainly the true crime piece that was a fabulous surprise. Marion was such a strong character but vulnerable, as she was placed in so many situations and handled them well, where I would have went off on so many and not tolerated as much as she did, but it was a different time back then. I literally DEVOURED this in one day, it was so good.

If you have not read historical fiction and have always wanted to, I highly recommend starting here. If you need a good book to read, then here you go. This will be in my top reads for the year and the audio was wonderful, but I think the physical book would be great too.

Thank you to PRH Audio, DoubleDay Books, and NetGalley for the copies to review.

I always love Fiona Davis's books, and this one was no exception. I learned a lot about New York City, and the story itself was incredibly interesting. The characters were well written and I think they were true to the time period, and the story was exciting to read. It was a book that managed to do a lot in under 400 pages. As a reader you got to know the characters and you had complex feelings about them which changed during the course of the book, which is impressive considering the amount of things happening in the story. Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton for this ARC!

What an amazing story of the Rockettes, Bombers, Parkinson, dancers, and family struggles. Loved this book and Fiona Davis. This is my 3rd Fiona Davis book and I am already to read the next one. The way she makes you feel like you are truly part of the book is amazing.