Last Dance on the Starlight Pier is a powerful, atmospheric journey through one of America’s darkest eras, spotlighting a woman’s struggle to forge a place in a world stacked against her. Sarah Bird’s attention to historical texture, Evie’s emotional journey, and the spectacle of dance marathons make for an unforgettable read—particularly for fans of historical fiction that doesn't shy from complexity.

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier was a very interesting historical fiction novel. The Great Depression isn't a time I've read a lot of novels set in, and so this was a bit of a change of pace for me. The focus on resilience was wonderful, though the story was definitely very emotional at times. I was rooting for Evie the whole time.

𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: Evie is a strong and powerful main character. However, there were too many other characters to care about.
𝗔𝘁𝗺𝗼𝘀𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲/𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: The setting is vast and spans various parts of the US. So much is happening at many of these locations, making it difficult to focus on where the story takes place.
𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲: It felt like four stories in one, which made it feel messy and disjointed.
𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁: I'm not sure if there was a plot that stood out. There were too many storylines that rendered parts of the story quite confusing. At times, I wondered what I was even reading.
𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲: I kept reading, hoping we would turn a corner and the story would make sense.
𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰/𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: This book lacked logic. Too many unnecessary storylines left you wondering how we got here and what could have been improved.
𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: Some parts were quite good, but it was a disappointment overall.
𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗲: 12/7 = 1.71, which gives it a 1/5. This book needed more thorough editing and better structure. It had promise, but didn't reach it.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Beautiful story, characters and setting. The writing was so well done. Loved this book! I will be recommending this book to my friends and family.

As much as I wanted to like this book it wasn't my favorite. Evie was a hard character to follow and the decisions she makes makes you frustrated. I had trouble staying with the story. There is so much to the story, too many characters and the story has a hard time flowing.

This novel is a reflection on what it means to let go. As a seaside town is fading, the characters gather for the last night on the pier. The books explores loss, memory, and love. Bird’s writing blends past and present creating an atmosphere that is both haunting and hopeful. I thank NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

LAST DANCE ON THE STARLIGHT PIER – by Sarah Bird

That Ending—My Heart!

I don’t think I’ve cried this hard while reading a book—to the point my soul aches—in a very long time.

All The Feels—Highly Recommend!

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press, for providing me with an eBook of LAST DANCE ON THE STARLIGHT PIER at the request of an honest review.

This was a great, but hard, read. It is very well written and really drew me in. I love historical fiction, but sometimes stories like this, that reflect such hard times in our countries history, are so tough to read. I learned a lot and am glad I took the time to read this one.

I loved this book! It's well-written, enjoyable, and a great read. Sarah Bird did a great job of writing in a way that captures the readers attention, and makes you not want to put it down until you're finished! I would highly recommend it!

4.5 stars. I loved this book. Once or twice it made me laugh, it broke my heart, is disgusted me, and taught me something. I enjoyed learning about the dance marathons of the 30’s. I found it very interesting.

This book grabbed me at the beginning and kept me interested throughout. I am so glad I read this book and I highly recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital arc in exchange for my honest review which is not affiliated with any brand.

During the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era in the 1920-1930’s, there were a lot of people struggling to make ends meet. It was a time when people were concerned about the country and the political changes they prayed would alleviate their suffering. Of course, history reveals that not everyone endured the financial hardships of the failing economy. In this story, the Amadeo’s were such a family who seemed to “own” Galveston with their lucrative illegal business transactions.

Unfortunately, there were families who struggled to survive, sometimes denying their present situation of loss. Evie Grace Devlin was raised in Vinegar Hill which was as acidic as the name suggests. Evie was raised with a father who made money dancing through vaudeville circuits when circumstances made him close his dance school. Evie holds on to memories of her father who died while she was young and helping him teach dance to students. Her mother was a distant, selfish wannabe actress concerned only in her own welling being.

Evie works hard and finally finds her way out of Vinegar Hill when she receives a charity scholarship to attend a nursing school taught by nuns in Galveston. It’s a dream come true for Evie who becomes instant friends with Sophie Amadeo in nursing school who also wishes to extract herself from her family’s high expectations. Although Evie studies hard and is at the top of her graduating class, she is denied her coveted title as nurse due to her upbringing within the vaudeville community. Embarrassed and needing a job, Evie finds herself being hired to work dance marathons where the dancers needed medical care from lack of sleep and being on their feet for hours on end. For some people this was a way for them to support themselves during these times of poverty as well as an inexpensive form of entertainment.

Evie is content attending to the dancers as a nurse until she is eventually brought in dance. She ends up being paired with Zave who coincidently was trained to dance by Evie's father. She becomes part of the dance duo who would attract crowds to the venue. They prepare for a major dance event at the Starlight Palace on the historic Starlight Pier until tragedy strikes. The story of survival, dedication and resilience dominate the theme. Recommended for historical fiction fans for its unique view of the time era.

Thank you NetGalley and St Martin's Press for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

It was interesting learning about dance marathons. The author clearly did a lot of research on them. They seem to have been popular, and very exhausting. I had some trouble getting a real sense of the main character, but a few of the supporting characters were colorful and varied.

It seemed as though present day takes on a specific political party, religion, and segment of law enforcement kept popping up throughout the book. No issue with people writing from where they stand, but the references kept pulling me out of the story and made it tough to forget I was reading a contemporary book.

One last thing. Spoiler alert:
There are two scenes that might cause some pain for certain people. One involves a female child in a bad situation, the other someone planning on...unliving themselves. Both scenes are brief, and I'm not saying how either one goes. Just mentioning it so people who want it have some warning.

I haven't read many books set during the Great Depression, so found Last Dance on the Starlight Pier to be captivating. Evie Grace Devlin, who always dreamed of becoming a nurse, finds herself sucked into the world of dance marathons (something I didn't know anything about!). I had such a soft spot for Evie and her journey, and absolutely loved the memorable secondary characters as well. It was a long book at over 400 pages, but I felt this allowed for the characters backstories to be explored more deeply and helped develop my connection with them as the reader.

Oh, how I wanted to love this book! Dance marathons, prohibition, mobs, etc? However, I quickly lost track of what the story was about by the author's attempts at virtue signaling and political posturing. It seems like she plucked characters from today's political climate and dropped them into the Great Depression, painting an incredibly inaccurate portrait of what people and life were actually like back then. I really wish we could save our political opinions for rallies and the polls and leave good storytelling alone.

Sarah Bird takes readers into the Great Depression with this story. Told through the point of view of Evie, I was immediately captivated and intrigued into her life as a nurse and a dancer. I found the other cast of characters to be interesting and a good addition to Evie's story. The setting and writing made me feel as if I was walking or dancing side by side, especially in Galveston. Thank you to NetGalley for a copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free eARC of this book to read in exchange for my review!

Last Dance on the Starlight Pier takes a look at life during the Great Depression and gives a feel for what it would have been like for many during this time. The book follows Evie as she sets out on a life of discovery, and we follow along as she experiences love, heartbreak, loss and adventure.

While I am not normally a historical fiction fan, Last Dance on the Starlight Pier did a great job of holding my interest and I had a hard time putting the book down. I would highly recommend if you like romance and self discovery novels. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Sarah Bird takes the reader back to the 1930's and when dance marathons were a source of entertainment and a job. We follow Evie into the world which she escapes and the one she wants to be in. After reading this book, I was drawn into finding more about the dancers of dance marathons and their culture. Highly recommend as I could not put down this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy.

One of the reasons that historical fiction is my favorite genre is that I can learn so much about things I never knew about. I had never heard of the depression era dance marathons before reading Last Dance on the Starlight Pier.

Evie Grace Devlin grew up on the Vaudeville circuit but she dreamt of something different. The story follows Evie’s journey and includes the interesting cast of characters she encounters.

I loved the family that Evie finds along the way, especially Zave. I also loved Evie’s character development.

She makes choices that made me cringe as a reader but then she learns from her mistakes.

The ending was a little too perfect and convenient.

But overall, this is a solid story about a relatively unknown piece of America’s history.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres, if not my favorite. I loved the title of this book so much and I really enjoyed reading it. Set during the Great Depression intrigued me because while I've read a ton of WWII books, I haven't really read a lot of books set during the Great Depression.

MC Evie Grace Devlin (love the middle name) is a dancer but somehow her dance partner Zane is MIA, so to speak. It's almost a fluke that she has become a dancer and involved in dance marathons. I've seen these only in movies but I can only imagine the strength, will-power, tenacity and passion to compete in a dance marathon.

I love a strong-willed female character and Evie certainly is that, so I liked her a lot. I liked the other characters too, but I think Evie was my favorite.