Rating: 3.5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley, Alice Murphy, and Union Square & Co. for a copy of this book.

Content Warning: Homophobia, Violence, Some Blood, Fatphobia/Body Shaming, Racism, Alcoholism, Police Brutality, Violence Against Women, Ableism, and The Late 1800's Negative Slang in General.

Have you ever finished reading a book and thought instantly, "Boy, this would make a great musical?" That was the exact thought I had once I had finished Alice Murphy's "A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love." It is a story told through multiple lenses--a modern day romance between a historian/narrator and a rich guy longing to learn more about his family's history; and then the romance between one Evelyn Cross and one Thomas Gallier, both of whom have chapters dedicated to their individual thoughts and feelings during their whirlwind relationship.

"A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love" takes place during the late 1800's when vaudeville acts are starting to be seen as unsavory, especially in high society. Evelyn has always had her luck stacked against her--not only is her weight considered distasteful for the time period, but her career as an alluring vaudeville starlet has come to a standstill. Enter Thomas Gallier, a rich man from across the pond looking to open a pleasure palace where patrons can be entertained on a daily basis. The moment he sets his eyes on Evelyn, he is done for. She doesn't think he's a bad catch, either, and so the two become so intertwined in one another that love can be the only proper ending--even if there are forces at work behind the curtains, playing Thomas like a puppet as his reputation hangs in the balance.

I really liked this novel. I thought the characters were well fleshed out (even if some felt forgotten after their introduction, only to make a comeback at the end). My main gripe is the gripe I have with most romance media--there is an unneeded tension. I understand that there must be some kind of misunderstanding or secret in order to keep the plot moving, but at some point it starts to feel overdone. Still, it is unfair for me to unload my ire of the genre onto "A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love." I do think it is a very good novel, especially with the representation of LGBTQ+, BIPOC, disabled, and body positive characters, and with the overall pacing of the story.

At the end of the day, "A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love" is a love story within a love story. Should it ever become a musical, count me as first in line to purchase tickets.

When I came across this on Netgalley and seen that fabulous cover, I couldn't resist requesting it. Moulin Rouge meets The Greatest Showman? Yes, please!

This was such a great read I loved Evelyn Cross as a character she was truly undeniable. I also loved the notes from Pheobe our historian as she was discovering more and more about Evelyn and Thomas. A strong romantic debut!

The vibes I got?! Immaculate!
Doesn't have the queer of Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, but we have a plus size FMC (two, of we count the two love stories we follow) and, as a plus size woman myself, I was OVER THE MOON seeing fancy men drooling over our FMC.

I was so ridiculously excited for this one. I mean look at the cover!

The dual timeline aspect of this one was an interesting approach. It did take me out of the historical aspect of it and felt a bit choppy. The fact that we don't get an HEA between Evelyn and Thomas was also frustrating, being that it's a trademark of the genre.

2.5/5

This was such a fun, romantic debut! One of my absolute favorite tropes is a frame narrative/split timeline, with a contemporary narrator discovering/researching the story of the past. Alice Murphy is a talented writer and I loved learning about her inspiration for this book, a real-life vaudeville dance troop of fat women. We need more romance with historically underrepresented characters!

**I will say that my arc formatting was abysmal, but that's not the author's fault

DNF ~26%. I’m sure others will like this book, but it’s not for me. I found the fatphobia expressed by villainous characters to be distasteful and distressing. The main characters are manipulative, and I just didn’t connect with them. I didn’t respect their goals, and ultimately, I didn’t care what happened to them.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

It was definitely and interesting and unique read. The cover was genuinely stunning and the love story was okay. I really wanted now from this book. But I am glad I read it.

A DELIGHT. This book beautifully weaves together contemporary and historical romance plotlines and I was completely hooked with both of them. The writing is witty and gripping; I found myself cheering for every character that crossed the page. A delicious must-read for every romance reader.

Wow. Wow. Wow. I finished the book about an hour ago and am still blown away by how smart it is. I seriously had trouble putting it down Structurally it's a dual timeline romance with two stories (one set historically and one set in modern time). But the two pair so well and intertwine (in ways I cannot talk about without spoiling what makes the book so freaking great!). I don't think I can fully gush about how brilliantly written this book is without spoiling the ending, but this book was a fabulous read. I have been telling everyone about it pretty much since I started but I'm pretty sure I'll end up shouting about it for a while now.

One of the things I really loved was how Murphy breaks the third wall with her contemporary heroine, and really sweeps us all into the story that she (the heroine) is weaving. I am always a sucker for a split timeline--but especially love it when a book successfully manages to marry the timelines so well it blurs the line between past and present. Anyway. I would give this ten stars if I could.

Thank you so much for an ARC of this book. I will share a review of the book on instagram in a reel format on May 13th. Additionally, I will review the book in my April wrap-up on YouTube. This will go out at the beginning of May.

Book Review: A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love by Alice Murphy

A Showgirl’s Rules for Falling in Love is a sparkling and empowering read that celebrates individuality, self-expression, and the courage to follow your heart. It’s one of those books that leaves you smiling—and, more importantly, feeling a little more confident in being yourself.

The novel unfolds through a dual timeline, following a modern-day historian, Phoebe, as she researches the life of 1920s showgirl Evelyn Cross. While the structure brought a unique twist and cleverly explored how the past continues to influence the present, I found myself much more emotionally connected to Evelyn’s story. Her voice felt vibrant and full of life, and I was completely drawn in by her journey.

Evelyn Cross is a standout character—bold, charming, and unapologetically herself. Her romance was fun and heartfelt, and I especially loved the element of mystery surrounding Tom Gallier. His backstory added depth and made him all the more likeable. While Phoebe’s perspective offered an interesting lens into the past, I didn’t feel I had quite enough time to fully connect with her character in the same way.

This book strikes a wonderful balance between fun, glitz, and a deeper message. The theme of self-acceptance is powerfully done, and the importance of friendship—particularly during life’s more difficult moments—is beautifully portrayed.

And of course, I have to mention the cover—it’s absolutely stunning and captures the glamour and charm of the story perfectly.

3.75 stars.

This book was such a vibe. I picked it up for the fat showgirl in the spotlight and stayed for the emotional tenderness, archival mystery, and layered storytelling that made my heart ache in the best way.

In the 1897 timeline, we follow Evelyn Cross, a fat, fabulous vaudeville performer who knows her worth and refuses to play small. There is so much joy in seeing fat characters take up space, especially in historical romance. Evelyn’s confidence, her wit, she is everything. And Thomas? Quietly intense, respectful, full of admiration. Their chemistry is a slow burn, but once it hits, it hits. I loved how he saw her, truly saw her, and how Evelyn never once gave up being herself.

The present-day POV belongs to Phoebe, a young historian working in New York who stumbles upon Evelyn’s story and slowly begins piecing it together through letters and records. As Phoebe uncovers Evelyn’s truth, she starts to face her own. I really connected with her-there’s something tender and raw about trying to understand your place in the world through someone else’s legacy. That sense of searching for belonging and finding it in unexpected places really hit.

This book is about love, yes, but it’s also about visibility. About whose stories get told and who gets remembered. It celebrates fat joy, longing, ambition, grief, and the power of claiming your story onstage and off.

If you love historical romances with depth, dual timelines that connect across generations, and heroines who take up space without apology, this one belongs on your shelf.

Someone please adapt this for TV so I can watch Evelyn slay the stage in a feathered corset. I will bring snacks and tissues.

A dual timeline story about vaudeville dancer, Evelyn Cross, and her love affair with Thomas Gallier. The story unfolds through the eyes of present day historical researcher, Phoebe, who is involved in a relationship with Gallier's grandson, Armitage. I loved the character of Evelyn. She was strong and brave, noble and so loyal to her friends. Phoebe is funny but lacking in the strength and fortitude of Evelyn, although their stories seem to parallel. Both male characters, Thomas and his grandson, Armitage, were meh characters for me. I wish there could have been a HEA, in which Phoebe developed self esteem and the male characters developed a backbone! Mostly, I wish the story could have finished with a wonderful ending for Evelyn!

I received this book through NetGalley, and I truly appreciate the opportunity to discover new authors and share my thoughts.

A Showgirl's Rules for Falling in Love is a delightful and heartwarming read. Alice Murphy has crafted a charming story with lovable characters and an engaging plot that kept me hooked from the first page. The mix of romance, humor, and self-discovery made for an enjoyable experience, and I loved following the journey of the main character as she navigated love, relationships, and her own personal growth.

Thank you again to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I look forward to reading more from this author!

Interesting and different setting. I liked the modern frame around the historical part more than I thought I would. It did feel a bit as though modern identities were shoehorned into the 1890s rather than reflecting how diverse people would have thought of themselves at the time. Some word use errors and possible historical inaccuracies in the window-dressing that hopefully will be addressed in edits--candelabras aren't bolted to the wall, those are sconces. And are they gas, candles, oil, or kerosene? Too many cases of things like this, it kept me from really engaging with the story in a believable way.

If you love romance with a sprinkle of theatrical drama, this is the book for you! I wasn’t familiar with the vaudeville era before reading this book but I thoroughly enjoyed these elements of the storyline. It’s a slow burn romance for sure but the tension that is built in the dual timelines keeps you reading.

Evelyn Cross is a great character and a pioneer when it comes to her craft. She’s unapologetically her until we get to know her a bit more and see a more vulnerable side to her nature. I love that she’s headstrong, knows her worth and isn’t afraid to be different. She’s also devoted and loyal to her friends and there’s a real sense of found family for all the mis-fits in a world of social status and riches.

The element of mystery throughout Evelyn and Thomas’s storyline really comes together and I was hooked when the characters started becoming more vulnerable with each other. This allowed them to reveal more of their past to one another and share a deeper connection to the reader. After a slower start, I think this is where the book really picked up pace and I became hooked. It took a turn I wasn’t expecting but it added more layers to the story, which I think was missing in the first half of the book. I’d definitely recommend this novel, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Very sweet story about parallel romance happening in the vaudeville era and current day. I liked the ending, but wished there could have been a happy ending in both stories.

Thank you to Netgalley for this delightfully baudy book. I loved it. It's part history, part love story, has a very interesting cast of characters that are well developed, some you love, some not so much. This peak into the life of a famous vaudeville star is heartbreaking at times but also uplifting because of her big heart and undying devotion to her friends. On top of all of that, it is very well written. Vaudeville is coming to an end, women are still meant to play a very specific role, love is not highly regarded by the very rich and societal rules are not to be broken. Enjoy the ride.

I’m sorry to be the one writing a negative review, but this book left me disappointed and I wouldn’t recommend it.

First of all, I personally found the book way longer than necessary: it’s divided into multiple parts, but that division makes no sense, since the parts are (funny enough) way too short and they don’t need to be divided, as nothing important happens that needs to be highlighted or put into a different part of the book. Usually, different parts hold different steps of the story (beginning, development, conclusion), but this one was just putting chapters and parts for the sake of it, there was no sensible order or division. It didn’t help the reader, it was just…there.
The chapters are a few pages long and, once again, way too many. We have a ‘present day’ situation, a past one with the story of Evelyn and Thomas (with chapters alternating between the two characters’ pov), and a few pages long (or sometimes just a few sentences) ‘a note from the historian’.

The thing that annoyed me the most was the writing style, no doubt.
As I said, the book was way too long: that’s because the chapters are full of redundant and repetitive situations, with unnatural -and unnecessary- dialogues that do nothing for the plot.
The characters are dull, forced and I couldn’t empathize with them. Thinking about it, there’s not many of them: it’s just the two main characters from each timeline, the past and the present day, and I couldn’t connect with any of them.
Also, they are basically the same person, just in a different time. The story itself is the same for both couples, and basically the same things happen.
Reading this book, alternating between the two couples, was like reading the same thing but with different names, and it also followed the same development and order, too, so it was reeeeally boring.

The chemistry -again, for both couples- just wasn’t there.
Which is not a nice thing, since the entire book revolves around these two ‘falling in love’. I was expecting, as promised, something more about the showbiz, but it’s definitely just a background.

The ‘notes from the historian’ were supposed to be a fun break but I found them weird and out-of-a-wattpad-fanfiction kinda style. Here’s an example:

"A note from the historian:
Now, this is probably the part of the story where you're bracing yourself and wondering "Oh, God, wasn't the 'fingering her at Coney Island' thing bad enough? Is she really about to give us a fully realized sex scene between these two?"
And to your question, yes, fuck you, I'm writing a sex scene, and with God as my witness, if I hear one more peep of complaint, I'm going to make the rest of this story nothing but sex scenes.”

I didn’t connect with this book, I think it was just trying too hard to be fun -both through the writin style and the characters- and, personally, it achieved the opposite result.
But if that’s the kind of thing that you like, then go for it, this book is definitely for you.

I loved this book and found Evelyn Cross's story so relatable. A new trend of being skinny is threatening her career and she has to learn how to keep her spot against the new trend. How Evelyn navigates societal pressures of being thin, owning her own sexuality and body is inspiring to read and you can't help but root for her as she tries to figure out her next moves.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable, fast-paced pager turner of a reading experience! It has historical elements, plus it is incredibly sexy and romantic. I loved the dual timeline and the author's choice to rewrite the actual ending. Brava to this author for creating a work of art that is important as well as immensely enjoyable.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and publisher, for an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.