Review: The Last Dance of the Debutante

The Last Dance of the Debutante by Julia Kelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

4.5 stars.

If you have read [book:The Last Debutantes|56026883] you will find this a uniquely different debutante book. This book deals not with the height of the deb era but what is most likely the last season.  I learned even more about how the  British came out with this book than I did with The Last Debutantes.  But what is even better, this book is filled with mystery and intrigue.  I was amazed at the ending and even did a little cheer for Lily, Katherine, and all of their friends.

The backstabbing and snarking were abundant; the descriptions of the clothes were mouth-watering, the parties sounded like I would have like to have been there.

All in all,  Ms. Kelley did a great job entertaining me, teaching me a bit of history, and giving me a mystery to solve.

I recommend this book highly to anyone who loves historical fiction, books about ambitious women and their mama's, and romance. 

*ARC supplied by the publisher Gallery Books, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SYNOPSIS: 'The author of the “sweeping, stirring, and heartrending” (Kristin Harmel, author of The Room on Rue Amélie) The Light Over London returns with a masterful, glittering novel that whisks you to midcentury Britain as it follows three of the last debutantes to be presented to Queen Elizabeth II.

When it’s announced that 1958 will be the last year debutantes are to be presented at court, thousands of eager mothers and hopeful daughters flood the palace with letters seeking the year’s most coveted invitation: a chance for their daughters to curtsey to the young Queen Elizabeth and officially come out into society.

In an effort to appease her traditional mother, aspiring university student Lily Nichols agrees to become a debutante and do the Season, a glittering and grueling string of countless balls and cocktail parties. In doing so, she befriends two very different women: the cool and aloof Leana Hartford whose apparent perfection hides a darker side and the ambitious Katherine Norman who dreams of a career once she helps her parents find their place among the elite.

But the glorious effervescence of the Season evaporates once Lily learns a devastating secret that threatens to destroy her entire family. Faced with a dark past, she’s forced to ask herself what really matters: her family legacy or her own happiness.

With her signature “intricate, tender, and convincing” (Publishers Weekly) storytelling, Julia Kelly weaves an unforgettable tale of female friendship amid the twilight days of Britain’s grand coming out balls."