Jude Watson

Am I ever loving this author! Just a great read all around. The historical detail was spot on, smooth and immersive. I loved the way the story unfolded. Its pacing, at least for the first two thirds of the book, was nearly perfect.

The characters were almost without exception deeply flawed and fascinating, except for maybe Hank, whose innocence we see through Kit's jaded, hungry eyes. I thought Billy -- angry, jealous, unpredictable -- and Kit's complicated history with him was really show more interesting. Not something you see every day in YA fiction, for sure.

The action at the end seemed rushed, and was definitely on the busy side, but I don't really have any other complaints. It hit the spot, and I'm sorry it's over.

Highly recommended for historical fiction readers in general, and fans of Ten Cents a Dance in particular.

Great audio, also. show less

When I lived in NYC back in the 80s/90s I met a friend for an early dinner and a show. This friend was from a wealthy family -- not billionaire rich, but I would guess high 8 figures. The money had been made in prior generations, and my friends in the family were now academics or silversmiths or documentarians or human rights champions. My friend asked if we could run into a shop and grab some cute lingerie for a 4 day weekend she and her boyfriend were taking and of course I said yes. I show more then watched her spend $4000 on bra and panty sets and a robe in a 20 minute spree. (The salesperson knew she was coming and had pulled things for her, so no browsing time.) I was astonished. But as time went on I met more monied NY people, and stopped being surprised, stopped even noticing...until those times I could not avoid noticing. In those times I was simultaneously appalled at the excess and frustrated I could not live the same way. This book reminded me of that feeling. Blundell captured the essence of artsy rich NY and summers in the Hamptons and on the North Fork. I try to read books about rich New Yorkers on occasion and nearly always abandon ship because the authors clearly know nothing about actual generationally wealthy people. Blundell did her research. She also wrote a wonderful book about women supporting women, about the wages of misogyny,, and about parenting. This is also a super fun read. Not perfect, she sometimes judges her characters too harshly and they end up ridiculous, but mostly a perfect beach read.

Listened to this while unpacking from a move, and the reader, Julai Whelan, was excellent. show less

In 1947, fifteen-year-old Evie Spooner travels from New York to Florida with her mother Beverly and stepfather Joe, believing this is a recreational trip. Not long after they arrive, Peter Coleridge shows up: young, handsome, charming, attentive to Evie. He served with Joe in the war, and they claim to be great buddies, but his arrival brings a creeping tension that clues in first the reader, then Evie.

This beautifully crafted book drops the reader into another time and place with original show more description, accurate dialogue (some of the slang is almost funny), and genuine (not forced) social issues. The prose evokes a dark loveliness that adds to the tension of events. Evie's first-person, retrospective narration provides suspense by slipping in just enough information for the reader to figure things out before she did. The moment that she finally understands all is truly sad.

Certain elements of the resolution left me disappointed, especially after the brilliant set-up and climax. And 23-year-old Peter's flirting-and-more with teenaged Evie has a "creepy" edge to it, even once his motives are revealed. Yes, this nearly wrecked my enjoyment of the book. However, what redeems this element (for me) is Evie's response. She has admired and relied on adults that are neither admirable nor reliable. They have let her down, even used her innocence to help achieve their goals. But in the end, she sees this, and she determines not to be like them.

Overall, despite dissatisfying resolution to some of the character threads, Evie's journey from New York to Florida and back again, from child to young woman, is worth the read. show less

This was fast paced and action packed and it was wickedly good. Unlike Alex Rider it's not overly sad and unlike Cherub - I like the main characters. As a reader, I relate to Amy but I love Dan's way of looking at things. They're a great team. Nellie, the au pair, is hilarious. She's laid back and loyal and can speak a seemingly million different languages. The rest of the Cahill family kind of suck, but what's an adventure story without a villain? Or ten? The plot is riveting - the mix of show more fiction and history is fascinating and I'm flying through the series. They're not particularly long - but then this kind of book never is - or at least never feels like it is. I can't wait to read the rest. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5.


Nellie is looking more and more like a traitor. I still didn't love Irina but I guess she has some redeemable qualities. I wonder if Ian will abandon his mother. She is kind of evil. Or like totally. Dan and Amy seem to have come out with a stronger relationship and it was nice that they got to meet an Uncle who isn't out to kill them. Unless he is. Poor Amy, thinking its her fault - it was good of Dan to reassure her.
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