First off, thank you to NetGallery for letting me read this book.

This was the first book by Elizabeth J Church that I’ve read, and it won’t be my last. It was devoured in a weekend.

It’s 1957, in Kansas, and eight year old Lily Decker has to move in with her mothers older sister. Her aunt and uncle don’t know much about raising and loving a child. Lily endures things living with them that a young girl should never have to go through. She’s a smart girl with dreams of one day becoming a dancer. She runs away to Las Vegas after graduating high school. It’s there that she becomes Ruby Wilde. She struggles with finding a job as a dancer, but ends up becoming a showgirl. Ruby is a smart woman and works hard for what she wants. She’s a trusting and kind soul, that just wants a better life. But she carries around dark secrets from her past that sometimes prevent her from becoming the person she wants to be. It’s people that she encounters along the way that help her, through good and bad.
As quickly as I read this book, I really didn’t want it to end.

I absolutely loved this book! I started to love the character Lily/ Ruby right from the beginning as she is taken in by her aunt and uncle in Kansas and then moves on to Las Vegas as a showgirl in the 60’s. Rich with detail of the time period, and beautifully drawn characters ( although some were hateful), the writing was was perfect. ( There was a part where the author described Sammy Davis Jr as he performed in Las Vegas, and for anyone who remembers him, you could absolutely picture him the way she described his appearance and performance,)
I was right there feeling it all right along with Lily. I was brought to tears at times for her vulnerability and all she endured. Can’t say enough about this book and I don’t want to say any more and spoil it for anyone, but I would highly recommend this to anyone who likes a good story and wants to get lost in Las Vegas for a few hours!
Thanks to Ballantine books and Netgalley for the digital review copy!

Elizabeth Church is now one of my favorite authors! Her writing is full of such rich, sensory description that on every page, I felt like I was right there. Kansas in the 50's. Vegas in the 60's. New Mexico in the 70's. From the very beginning, my heart was in sync with the main character, Lily who loses her parents and sister in a tragic accident. I felt protective towards her during the decade she spent with her abusive uncle and evasive aunt. I felt every move she made on that stage and beyond. My heart felt sorrow when things didn't go her way after a while in Vegas, and it felt full and grateful when... well, I won't spoil the ending and the fact that she had someone special looking out for her the whole time. The characters and setting were portrayed so vividly and with so much relatable emotion, I just couldn't put it down! For me, the ultimate theme of Lily's story revolves around the fact that childhood wounds stay with us until we take a few steps back and face them. Lily's journey is ultimately about healing. Highly, highly recommend.