This is a fun historical queer novel also centered on a love of Broadway musical theater. The older references will be lost on casual musical fans but great little easter eggs to big fans and the time period was richly used along with the stage.

I didn't think the romantic plot was really well done as it fell off the page around the middle, but it was decent enough. Mazie is driven and interesting so she was a fun character to follow, but I wanted it all to go a bit deeper. She was outpaced by the vibrant setting. That being said, I would read another book by Crowder because of her use of time period and setting was so well done!

After her grandmother's death and her own hight school graduation, Mazie leaves her Nebraska home and everything that surrounds it (including her long-term boyfriend, Jesse) to chase the lights of broadway. I did not expect to love this YA historical book as much as I did. The characterization is wonderful and the plot moved at just the right pace. Above all else, Mazie is a dynamic protagonist. Yes, she makes mistakes, but she learns from them. The ending was almost a little too sweet, but I loved the way everything worked out in the end.

This was a super cute book. I loved the characters and the plot. It reminded me of glee and I love theatre.

Thank you to Penguinteen Canada for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the story of Mazie. My favourite part of the story was the atmosphere and the late 50s early 60s vibe that was present throughout the story.

Mazie has a character was also very interesting. I really liked her ambition and drive to pursue her dream. Although I enjoy Broadway, I am not a huge musical fan and so a lot of the old-school Broadway references kind of went over my head. But if you are someone who really likes Broadway and musicals and the mid 20th century setting you’ll love this story.

The romance was good, but I found it to be a little absent in the second half. I understand it was hard to implement considering the characters were separated. It would’ve been nice if there was some other kind of love and trust.

Overall it was a good book and I think many people will enjoy it.

An enjoyable book with a good message about following your dreams and making choices. Very realistic characters. Loved all of the behind-the-scenes technical auditioning information. A good book for "theatre kids" with dreams of hitting the big time in legitimate theatre.

New 2021 favourite alert! I loved this SO much. It was nothing short of incredible.

From the first page, the reader is transported back to 1950s Nebraska, Mazie’s family farm, and her job at the local diner. Jesse was truly book-boyfriend material and I loved him and Mazie together. Mazie’s relationship with her entire family as well was something to love. I just loved the entire story and Mazie’s journey from Nebraska to New York to pursue her dream of acting and seeing her name up in the lights. Crowder successfully transports the reader back to Nebraska in the 1950s and this was just an utterly unputdownable book.

Rating: 5*

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review

When I requested this book, I expected it to be in verse like the other books that I have read from this author. However, I am not disappointed in the slightest that it wasn’t after I started reading this book. You felt transported back to the era it was written in and I don’t feel like having it written in verse would have been able to convey that as well.

Mazie is an amazing character, she has so much dedication to her dreams and that southern sass that makes her one of my favourite characters that I have ever read. She also has real doubts and fears that you cannot help but relate to. Her love for her family, friends, and Jessie is so genuine and sweet. She’s honestly just so well written that she leaps off the page.

I was also pleasantly shocked by the inclusion of the director trying to use his power to take advantage of Mazie. This is not something that you see a lot of in books but definitely needs to be talked about more. Men in positions of power, using that power to take advantage of women is just disgusting and how it is handled in this book is very well done. I applaud this author for including that aspect of show business in this book.

I will of course be reading more from this author in the future, I cannot wait to see what she does next.

I love historical fiction and this peek into 1950's Nebraska/ New York City was so cute. Bonus points for all the beautiful prose describing Broadway in those heydays.

This was everything I could want in a YA historical fiction story! I loved the writing and all of the characters, plus the setting was great, too!

I am an unabashed musical theater nerd.. So, no, it didn’t take much persuasion for me to pick up this story about a young girl from Nebraska coming to NYC to break onto the Broadway stage in the 1950’s at the height of classic musicals. But to my utter delight, this book explores the little-known world of industrial musicals which were a THING before television was in every American home. Add to this the pitch-perfect coming-of-age storyline where Mazie must learn to grow and change and toughen up to achieve her dreams while not losing her true self in the process. A love letter to the farms of Nebraska and the people who work there.

In 1950’s Nebraska, Mazie dreams of Broadway. But to follow her dreams, she’ll have to leave behind Jesse, the boy she loves who dreams of a career as a rocket scientist, but has accepted that his destiny is to run the family farm. Mazie doesn’t want a life as a farm wife, and runs off to NYC days before her high school graduation to see if she can make it on stage, breaking both their hearts.

Mazie’s got a heart of gold, and I was rooting for her to find her way. She has to learn to persevere through rejection and homesickness while dodging advances from sleazy directors.

It was a fascinating look at both 1950’s Broadway and the ties that bound girls like Mazie to their families and rural Nebraska. It also dove into the pressures the girls faced to have a certain “look” in addition to their talent, and Mazie’s struggle to figure out if she could stay true to who she was while still making it in show biz.

I recommend this book for anyone who’s ever dreamed of Broadway or a life beyond their small hometown.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Really liked this one a lot! Great YA historical fiction. We all know the classic "girl from the small town goes off to the big city to make it big" story and this book takes it in a new, different direction. There's a lot of heart in this story and it leaves you with a smile on your face.

Mazie was a great little book that to takes you back to the 50's, and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. Mazie is a small town girl from Nebraska who dreams of making it big in New York City on Broadway. The small town farmers wife of a life is not something she wants, even though she loves a farmers son named Jesse. Jesse is brilliant, and deserves more than being stuck on a farm he doesn't want to takeover. Even so, Mazie follows her dreams instead of heart, and makes a life for herself in New York. While losing herself, losing hope, finding it all again, and back, it's a good story that takes you back in time.