Everything affects everything else.

Four ladies from different paths of life, each with their own lives and struggles come together in an exploration of how the world connects us.

This was such a beautifully written book with vivid details and interesting characters, an emotional must-read!

Book-ended with the life of June Stein, this novel dives into Las Vegas in the 1950's and a casino called 'The Midnight Room.'

This book feels a lot like the times where I went into a real casino in Vegas and Atlantic City; glitz, glamour, sadness, and desperation. Including June, the lives of four very different women collide together over the course of a lifetime in this book and we follow some hauntingly poetic stories. I'm not really one for historical fiction and this book managed to suck me in and I had trouble putting the book down.

I do have to say some of the point of view changed had me confused but the story managed to sort itself out in a few paragraphs; particularly in the end when it's suddenly all from June's perspective but as it's her life that frames the entire narrative, it's forgivable. An excellent period piece and I recommend. 3.9 out of 5.

Following 4 women spanning 5 decades, In the Midnight Room tells a tale of struggle, independence, fortune and change. As the story progresses, you see how these 4 unique women build their lives in Las Vegas, all tied together by June, a fiercely independent wife of a casino owner with a secret she’s lived with for over 50 years.

The story is heartfelt, earnest, sincere, but it did feel a bit too slow at times and a bit too heavy handed in other places. The fourth woman, Engracia, felt like an afterthought, someone meant to bookend one of the story’s themes, but served as more of a plot device than an actual fleshed out character. The end was a beautiful gut punch, a long time coming but well worth the time it took to get there.

I will admit this book was nothing like I expected. Instead of down on their luck chain smoking graveyard shift waitresses, over the hill cabaret dancers, and the ilk, I got mothers and daughters who did everything for the love of their families. This wasn't four women who had forged friendships over complaining about how down on their luck they were. This story really could have taken place anywhere. The women barely intersected with each other, but those moments of contact were so very valuable and so touching. Really, this is four separate stories that is held together by those rare interactions. Ms. McBride's character development was wonderful. The reader is able to see how they all interrelated and brought their own histories to the relationships. I wish I had more time to get to know them!

What an unusual story! McBride cleverly links the lives of four women, and we follow their individual journeys over the course of fifty years; near the end, we see how they are connected. My thanks go to Net Galley and Touchstone for the review copy. This book is for sale now.

June comes of age in 1960. She marries Del, and they move to the newly emerging city of Las Vegas, where property can be had cheaply; they purchase a casino, and their entertainers perform in “The Midnight Room.”

McBride uses setting like a pro, placing us within the context of the time period without resorting to the overuse of distracting pop cultural references that would tempt a less subtle writer. We see just enough of the ‘60s to remind us that women didn’t have the same range of choices that we have now; we see just enough of the Civil Rights movement— a glimpse—to remind us how awful life could be for mixed race families. The first section ends on something of a cliff hanger, and then we find ourselves reading about someone else.

The other three women are Honorata, Coral, and Graciela. The section dealing with Honorata’s life is a hard read at the outset, gritty and full of horrors: a mail-order bridal arrangement that is more like human trafficking, and the reader has to be prepared to read some upsetting passages involving sexual assault. Honorata is so powerless in all of this, and what’s more, she knows it, and I want to sit down and cry for her. Just at the point when I start to wonder whether it’s worth it or if maybe I should abandon this thing since we’re not having any fun here, everything changes, and in the end, Honorata is the character I love most.

How often do we see well written fiction in which all of the main characters are women, and the male characters only exist as scaffolding for them? This was a super cool book. I picked it up after the publication date after it was recommended to me, and I am so glad I did. I would read this author again in a heartbeat.

The one character I don’t entirely believe is Jimbo; toward the end of the story, I get new information that is meant to surprise me and it does, but I am shaking my head and not entirely believing it. However, Jimbo isn’t a main character. The four women that comprise this epic story are nearly corporeal, and I believe them absolutely.

Highly recommended to feminists, and to those that relish good historical fiction.

This book follows four different women as they deal with life's difficulties. It was a bit challenging to follow and slow to start.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I was enthralled with this story from the first page. I really enjoyed the stories of the four women and how their paths crossed over time. I wish there was less backstory about some of the characters and more related to the four women. I also felt like the book ended abruptly and with little closure. It seemed rushed toward the end. Overall, I think this author has much to look forward too!

I was intrigued by this novel from beginning to end. It's a book that tells four eerily similar stories of 4 distinctly different women. The premise of this book and how it's conceptualized is what kept me hanging on every word of Laura McBride's unique story. I refuse to say in this review that I loved this book, there were aspects that I didn't like at all. But the writing and the way the lives of these woman can resonate with any woman and how they interconnect really struck home and for that I was keenly aware of and invested in the book. Set in Las Vegas of the past, the city really comes alive as another player in the story and tells of these women's journey's spanning over the growth of the city, the growth of themselves, and the way we're all connected in big ways and small.

There are two women whose stories truly captivated out of the four. The one who fell in love and The one whose heart was brokenwere those two. I'm not getting into specifics because no spoilers but these two separate yet parallel journeys felt the most poignant to me. Most likely because I'm infatuated with how love effects, shapes, and changes us as humans. These women resonated most with me and are what I most took from the story.

In the Midnight Room hails as true women's fiction. And while I've never read Laura McBride's work I'm interested in her other stories. Her writing is unique and her story telling gives to the reader and allows a gambit of emotions to be felt. Lovers of women's fiction will really get into this one.

Loved the Vegas setting but I struggled to get into the first part of this book. It was difficult for me to connect to characters.

This is a wonderful read of human emotion, compassion, exploring a new life and friendship. I was entranced by this book from the first pages.
This is the story of four women who have very different backgrounds and differing lives. They all end up in Vegas with different goals away from the bright lights and shows.
For June, Honorata, Engracia, and Coral life is much different in this big city. They are all hiding from their the past and of the hope they can change their future with new lives in Vegas. They are indelibly sad and approach Vegas with trepidation of their futures. They all have their own plans yet they are drawn together as women are through their own personal experiences all taking place in the Casino's of Vegas.
I love this story and how each woman is on the road to change. The background of Vegas was written perfectly .with the debauchery and noise, feel of the smoky loud Casinos taking everyone's last dime. The charcters are strong women and charcters you enjoy spending time with. A excellent read and one I highly recommend.
Thank you for the ARC which did not influence my personal review.

Thanks for the early review copy!

I recommend this novel to fans of contemporary novels. It was well-written and interesting novel.

I received a free e-copy of In The Midnight Room by Laura McBride from NetGalley for my honest review.

In a Las Vegas nightclub named The Midnight Room, four women experience life-changing experiences. One gets lucky, one falls in love, one chooses happiness and one gets her heart broken. They all end up making choices they never would have thought they would make.

June leaves the East Coast and her marriage to marry another man who hopes to make it big in the casino business.

Honorata is a mail-order bride to a chi-town business man. She hits a big jackpot on a weekend trip with her husband at June’s casino.

Engracia leaves Mexico with her child and a broken heart. She decides to start a new life, and gets a job as Honorata’s maid.

Coral, is an African-American schoolteacher. She buys a house on the same street as Honorata. She discovers that she has a connection to the Midnight Room going back six decades.

All of these women find their lives entwined at The Midnight Room. A powerful and deeply moving read.

I have heard a lot of positive feedback on Laura McBride but could not get into this one. She seems like a good writer but the story and plot just didn't grab me. Sorry

Slow-ish start for me but not a bad book in the end! Nice to read on the beach.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book really crept up on me! It spans roughly fifty years and follows the lives of women who are somehow changed or influenced by the El Capitan nightclub and casino in Las Vegas. Each woman has a truly unique and powerful story that will stay with me for a long time.

I also loved seeing a bit of the history of Las Vegas. We get to witness the glitz and glamour, but also the housing crisis and recession. The characters are all under vastly different circumstances and have many cultural differences, but still somehow become connected in so many beautiful ways. I love it when a book can do just that, as it makes the reader feel so connected to the story.

I had a few issues with the flow and transition from one chapter to the next, and I thought certain areas could have been a bit more detailed, especially with the ease of the dialogue. My favorite chapters were the couple that were in first person from June's perspective. It made me wish that more of the book had been from first person. These minor issues did not affect how the book impacted me, and I think it is well worth the read!

Las Vegas. That glittery city in the middle of the dessert. In the Midnight Room takes us to this city and into the lives of four women. Spanning decades and cultural changes, this is a wonderful story about women and pain and gender and current events and struggle. This is a book to get lost in.

I’m probably in the minority, but I did not like this book. I thought it was too slow a pace and boring. I could not connect to the characters, though I tried hard to like them.

I love the setting of Las Vegas casino life in the 1950's. 4 very different women's lives intersect. Themes of racism, cultural, and financial differences come into play. Enjoyed the unfolding of their stories and the elements that draw them together. Thanks to Net Galley, the publisher, and the author, for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

Very entertaining book. Laura McBride can write a well told story that you will enjoy from the very first page until the last. Definitely pick up this gem of a book and prepare to spend a lazy Sunday afternoon curled up in your favorite chair with your preferred drink by your side savoring this wonderful book. Happy reading!

I’m not sure why the name of this book changed, but it’s being republished under a different name than ‘Round Midnight, the name under which it was published in hardcover. It’s a little ironic that I have ‘Round Midnight checked out from the library, and I didn’t even realize it was the same book as the ebook that I received to review.

There is just something about Laura McBride’s writing that I love — she really has a way of tapping into her character’s emotional state and building it into the plot, without making it seem sappy or manipulative. The plot unfolds slowly, without all the interconnections being immediately obvious, and in different hands, it could have seemed too unrealistic to work. But you’re rooting for each of these women, June, Honorata, Coral, and Engracia, and I very much enjoyed waiting to see how the story unfolded and their lives were brought together around the casino El Capitan.

I hope the re-release draws more attention to this book, because I think it was extremely well done as well as timely, in its examination of race and immigration status, the Las Vegas economy, and gender of course. The more things change, the more they stay the same, and this book illustrates it very very well.
I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.