3.5 stars. Well-done storyline about 4 women and their interconnecting stories beginning in the 1960s in Las Vegas. Started off a little slowly, but then picked up. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of this book.

4.5 stars

"Everything affects everything else."

I have waited some time before reviewing this book. In 2014, Laura McBride released We Are Called to Rise, a book I loved that ended up being my favourite read of that year. I would go so far as to say it is one of my favourite books of all time. McBride lives in Las Vegas. Both her debut and her sophomore novels are set there, and her work is so engaging that in both books Vegas itself becomes a character.

Ironically, I finished reading 'Round Midnight on the afternoon of the 1st October. I was going to review it the following morning, but woke to the news of the Las Vegas shootings. Like everyone else around the world, I was deeply saddened by the events and my heart went out to the people of Las Vegas. I immediately thought of Laura McBride because she is really the only person I have come across that lives there. I have always thought of Las Vegas as a place that people just visit. Before I became a fan of McBride's work, I never spared one thought for the people who actually live there; who work there; go to school there; teach there (McBride, herself, teaches writing at College of Southern Nevada). When I found her on Goodreads, I even asked her about her choice to set her novels there.

McBride brings Las Vegas to life. She gives it a heartbeat and pads it out with fully-fledged characters that will steal a piece of your heart. She did it with her first book and has done it again. She made me see Las Vegas as a home for so many people, when I thought it was just an empty and vapid shell of alcohol, loud music, bright lights and money. I think this made the Las Vegas events all the more tragic for me.

This novel takes place over 60 years and is set against the backdrop of race and class. It follows the intertwined stories of four women who are all linked through the Midnight Room nightclub in the El Capitan casino on the Las Vegas strip: June, who runs the casino with her husband; Honorata, a mail-order bride from the Philippines; Engracia, an undocumented Hispanic immigrant; and Coral, a teacher.

June's experiences in the 60s kick off our story and a particular shocking event in her life upends everything for the rest of our characters. The novel then jumps forward to the 90s when Honorata is living her new life in America as the housewife of a wealthy man until she wins the casino's jackpot. Coral is drawn to the casino through memories of her father, who was the best friend of June's husband, Del. Finally, in the last section, we move forward in time slightly to 2010, where Engarcia is working in El Capitan as a housekeeper, until she experiences a devastating loss. Stories weave together as we live life with this diverse group of women, all against the backdrop of Las Vegas as it changes through the decades.

Laura McBride's talents lie in her ability to create three dimensional and engaging characters, whose experiences of love and loss affect us greatly. She writes with such raw emotion and passion about the unexpected events in life and how people deal with them. While her first novel will always hold a very special place in my heart, 'Round Midnight captured my attention and my heart, and I enjoyed it immensely. It is one of my favourite reads of this year and I would highly recommend it.

A huge thank you to Kelsey Manning of Touchstone, Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read this book. It was a pleasure.

This book was a thrilling journey and enjoy that journey I did. I will certainly add this author to my favorites list.

I loved Laura McBride's We Are Called to Rise, but the description of her newest novel didn't bowl me over. I wasn't sure I cared about anything in a Vegas nightclub. So, it sat on my Kindle until I was heading out on a long trip and anything downloaded was getting read! I am pleased to say that 'Round Midnight did not disappoint. Much like We Are Called to Rise, McBride tells the stories of seemingly unrelated characters and then expertly weaves those threads together. Each woman in the novel has a unique and interesting story that will tug at your heart strings. Don't be like me, worrying about the nightclub. It may be the axis on which the stories spin, but this is a novel about women with heart, with courage, and with determination. I would recommend to anyone who likes character driven novels.

I love Vegas so that helped me enjoy this one but the trouble with a book that has 3 different story lines that are entwined is that I didn’t get enough of each of the leading lady’s story. It’s almost like short stories and I’m not a fan of short stories. So while this confirms that Laura McBride is such a talented writer and each storyline was good I was just a little disappointed in the reading experience overall. It could be my expectations were just too high after We are Called to Rise.

3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. It was interesting how each of the women's lives intertwined and how each decision affected the path that their lives would take. It was a little difficult for me to keep all the characters straight in my mind, but I was reading it in a hurry so perhaps that was just me. I would be interested to read other books by this author.

I can not fairly review this novel as I did not finish it. I tried several times to get into to it but could not even though as it vastly appealed to me based on the description.

Laura McBride has done a marvelous job creating the characters in her latest book “‘Round Midnight”! These four women will stick with you for a long time after finishing the book!

It is the fifties in Las Vegas, when June meets Dib and they end up running El Capitan casino. The casino nightclub, Midnight Room, hits it when the two of them hire Eddie, a charismatic African-American singer. His voice is that of an angel, his moves are the ones that bring all the women. June knows that in order to succeed in this business, they need to focus on the entertainment.

Honorata is from Philippines. She arrives in Chicago as an ordered bride to a businessman she never met. It was not her choice, so when she wins the Jackpot in El Capitan Midnight Room, she does not spend another minute thinking about it. With June’s help, the casino owner, she abandons the man she was forced to marry before even getting to the chapel. She is now free to live her life and see to her mother’s needs, without having to suffer.

Engracia is a Mexican immigrant. She had come to the States with her husband seeking for a better life, while she ends up alone working in Midnight Room, at the El Capitan casino in Vegas. After a heartbreak, she ends up doing housekeeping for Honorata. One day, as she answers the door, the Chicago businessman is there with a gun.

Coral is an African-American music teacher. She lives in the same street with Honorata. When Honorata asks her for a favor, she finds herself in the Midnight Room, where she finds the answer to a long lasting question.

The whole 50s atmosphere is described so vividly in the first part of the story. The location is Las Vegas. The attributes we get is the whole racism that was not really there in the beginning, but how it evolved as southerners came to work in the casino and hotel constructions. All the racism that was so tense in the south, is transferred in Vegas, where we see Black people singing in the nightclubs, worshiped in there, but not allowed to stay in the hotel rooms, not allowed to own a house in a decent area. There is also this mafia thing that existing in gambling business and how it affected the whole city life.

Then there is human trafficking some decades later. Girls that are shipped to US, as brides to men they never met. Not even agreeing to this whole transaction, but being blackmailed to do so. Grooms that actually believe they had a mail correspondence with the bride to be, when they were actually writing to the dealer. So much decay in this world and still nothing happens about it.

Then there are the poor immigrants, dreamers of a better life. Those still exist as well. The people that have to work several hours in a raw that exhaust them and they end up with very little time to spend with their families, to get some rest, to be good parents and look after their children.

Laura McBride is an amazing storyteller! There is more on to how the story ends, but there is no need to spoil the ending by providing insights on Coral’s story. Just go through it and you will realize the greatness of the book and the talent of the author!

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book.

Laura McBride has done it again. I loved We are Called to Rise. This book is similar in that it is also set in Las Vegas and features intertwining characters and their stories. I just finished it with tears in my eyes.

The story features 4 women - June, the one who fell in love; Honorata, the one who got lucky; Coral, the one who chose happiness; and Engracia, the one whose heart was broken.

It begins in the early days of Vegas, in a small club that featured a black singer. June and her husband Del, run the club and are fast friends. However, this is in the 60s, where race relations are a huge firestorm (similar to today?).

Honorata is basically sold and exploited by her uncle in the Philippines to a wealthy businessman from Chicago. When she strikes it lucky at the club in Vegas, her life begins to change.

Coral is a young woman raised by a strong black mother into a close family. She becomes a music teacher in Las Vegas but struggles to understand her past.

Engracia is a worker at the casino, who makes a lucky find that will rock her world and break her heart.

All of these women represent strong, resilient characters who want only the best for their families and communities. Their faith is important to them and they take care of each other. Their stories will remain with you - just as McBride's characters always do. With her magic, there is not an unlikeable character featured because there is always something redeeming in each of us.

Highly recommended!!

I admit to having difficulty with this book. It is out of my usual comfort zone and in fact I almost gave up on it about 25% of the way into it. But as the book continued, the interconnected stories of these women - surrounded by the excitement of Vegas - pulled me in. This was a wonderful book full of emotion and strong female characters. Lay your cards down and pick this book up - you won't regret it.

almost gave up on this book. I was about 1/4 through and was not really engaging in the story. In the author's defense, I think it was mostly my fault. I just think I wasn't in the mood to read (I'd read about a dozen books back to back. I set the book down and did something else for a while.

When I went back to it, I was thinking why was I going to put this down? I started reading and was instantly mesmerized and finished the rest of the book.

This was an awesome read about several women who were all somehow connected. Of course, you don't see it at first, but when you do, it's amazing. I loved how the author took these women showed their best and their worst, their hardships, their secrets and their lives. And, then to take all of that and put them together? This was a phenomenal weave of "stories" that centered all on the El Capitan Casino.

An amazing story that I am so glad I did not put down.

Thanks Touchstone and Net Galley for approving and allowing me to read and review this book.

I'm calling this now...FAVORITE COVER OF THE YEAR!! It's just gorgeous and I knew as soon as I saw it I had to read this. Well, that and the fact that it's wrote by Laura McBride whose first book, We Are Called to Rise, made my top 10 reads of 2016 list last year. This novel is similar in structure to her first and totally works just as effectively as it as well.

When the novel begins, we meet June, who seemed to me very much a free spirit, but also somewhat lost in terms of what she wanted in life. The year is 1960 and June ends up in Las Vegas where she and her husband, Odell Dibb, run the El Capitan hotel where the showroom The Midnight Room hosts the most popular singer in Vegas...one Eddie Knox. Let's just say June manages to stir up quite a bit of drama at the hotel and in her personal life and I loved reading about it. The author writes in such a way that I was completely drawn into June's life. Her writing style flows and is so engaging that I felt that I was a fly on the wall...privy to everything going on in and out of the casino.

I have to say the setting...Las Vegas in the 1960's to present day... was a character unto itself and I absolutely loved reading every detail about the casinos and life on and around The Strip. I remember visiting Vegas as a kid when there were still coins clinking non-stop out of the slot machines just like in the book. I've since visited Vegas every summer for the past 15 years and while the sounds in the casino have changed (paper has replaced coins), the vibe, lights and action of the casinos and The Strip sure haven't. Laura McBride captured all of this brilliantly.

Following June's section, the timeline jumps to 1992 and we meet Honorata, a Filipino girl who reluctantly (and somewhat bitterly) ends up in Vegas but whose luck may be changing. Then, there's Coral, a Vegas native and music teacher who longs to find her own kind of happiness. Finally, in the last section, beginning in 2010-present we meet Engracia, an immigrant woman from Mexico with a tremendous broken heart. The beauty of how these very different women's lives connect lies in the author's tremendous storytelling ability. There wasn't a time that I wasn't completely engaged with the story and intrigued about how the ladies' lives would intersect. That being said, I was definitely more invested in June's story and to a lesser extent Coral's. I really wished there wasn't such a huge time gap between when we first read about June and when she makes another appearance. She was the character that I was most connected to and compelled to understand and there just wasn't enough of her, in my opinion. I never really connected with Honorata and Engracia wasn't in the story nearly as much as the others so I didn't feel like I knew her as well. In the end, while I hoped for a little more 'wow' with the final scenes, I was very happy with how the author chose to end it. If you like vivid settings and charismatic characters, I encourage you to pick up this book. This is truly top notch writing and storytelling and all I can do now is impatiently wait for Laura McBride's next novel!

Round Midnight is the second novel written by Laura McBride, whose debut We Are Called to Rise was critically acclaimed and quite big success (and I still haven't read it!) I admit this was a case of cover love, pure and simple. Isn't it gorgeous? And then I saw it was set in Las Vegas and in the 50s... Sold!

The book was divided into three different parts, all set in Vegas. Firstly it's the 50s, with June, then the 90s with Honorata and Coral and then Engracia in the present time. But don't worry if you miss June, Honorata and Coral, as they will keep showing up in the future, although they won't be main characters.

My favorite storyline was June's, maybe because it was the first, or perhaps because it was the one we got to spend more time with. And her tale was a good one, as it featured racism, love, and sacrifice. I really liked reading about her life and I definitely twanted to know more, but then it was suddenly the 90s and she was not the center of the story anymore. I was a bit disappointed, although the other two sections were still interesting.

The writing was simply amazing in this novel. I loved how the author introduced every section (someone watching the main character from a distance) and the way the stories were told: it was beautifully written and easy to read at the same time. And those are the best ones in my humble opinion. When the writing doesn't feel simplistic at all and yet it flows.

Still, something weird happened with this book. I was thoroughly captivated by the story and the pages flew by, but at the same time, I wasn't feeling what I should. I think it lacked that essential ingredient that usually makes me fall in love with a book. I'm fully aware that it might only be me, as I've seen glowing reviews all around! It's a really good book, believe me. It just didn't touch me as I hoped.

Two children in Laura McBride's new novel have a conversation about a science lesson on quantum physics explaining that "Everything affects everything else". I don't know anything about quantum physics so I'll go with my heart and my gut and say that what makes everything in this story affect everything else is the wonderful way in which McBride tells a story connecting the lives of the four women she writes about. Each of these women has their own story which could stand alone, but place and circumstances bring them together in a way reminiscent of McBride's [book:We Are Called to Rise|18271235].

June you might say is the linch pin, whose life with her husband Del sets the novel in motion. They open a casino in the '50's in a Las Vegas that was in its early stage of development, in a time where racism kept black people out of the casinos except on the stage as musicians and singers and except if you were friends with the owners as Eddie Knox, an amazing singer was. And so the complicated relationships begin. Honorata, comes to Vegas with a man, who bought her, yes bought . It is in the El Captain casino that her life changes. Engracia is a maid at the hotel and further on in the novel connects with Honorata and their lives are forever changed. Then there is Coral, half white, half black, a music teacher, struggling with her identity and not knowing her birth parents. Their paths cross in ways that reflect the chance meetings that perhaps have affected all of us in our lives, chance meetings which affect their lives moving forward. Flawed characters who I came to love, serious themes of people wanting a better life, racism, and undocumented individuals, secrets of their pasts - there is so much here.

I have to admit that her first novel touched me in a deeper way perhaps because it was based on a true heartbreaking incident but I definitely recommend this one, especially if you loved her first novel.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Touchstone/Simon & Schuster through NetGalley and Edelweiss.

This was one of those books that I didn't want to end. Tracing the lives of four women in Las Vegas from the 1950s through the present. These are gorgeous, full-blown characters and McBride let us live in their minds and experience their hope and despair as if it were our own. Each woman's story is unique and captivating and McBride makes their path intersect with skill and grace. When I finished the book, I immediately purchased McBride's first novel WE ARE CALLED TO RISE and look forward to reading it.

This book is set in Las Vegas and is telling the story of for women through six decades. Early on we start with the story of June Stein who opens the casino El Capitan with her husband in the 1950s. They come to success by hiring the black singer Eddie who is singing in the casinos nightclub.
We also meet Honorata who leaves the Philippines as a mail order bride to a businessman from Chicago. Honorata then hits the Jackpot at a casino on a trip to Las Vegas.
Engracia is a Mexican immigrant who once worked at the El Capitan. Her story gets told when she after cleaning at Honoratas opens her employers door to a man with a gun.
And then there is Coral, an African-American teacher who struggles with her own past.
All these women have their own story but how does those come together? How are this women connected?

I honestly rarely have a book I have nothing to complain about, but this one is one of those.

Those characters are so well developed, it is so enjoyable to read their stories, see their lives unfold and how they deal with the ups and downs of life. How conflicts are presented. How real history is build into it and how all this is presented in this setting.

The fact that this describes life without sugar coating anything and being so realistic makes this so real and you feel so much for each of these women. Seeing how criticism to the society is so subtle packed into this story lightened the reading of more serious topics presented a lot up.

I felt it was perfectly balanced when it came to dialogues and thoughts and text and I am overall just impressed by this book.
It is for me a fast enjoyable and also socially educational read and I would lie if I would say I didn't know half way through it that this is a 5 star read for me.