"Dreamland" has a really interesting setting and I really liked how the novel started off, but it just went downhill from there.

The insta-romance felt rather out of place and the more interesting family dynamics were pushed to the side towards the end in favour of an almost cartoonishly evil villain.

The ending felt also rather rushed and too over-the-top for the first half of the novel. The last two pages of the novel somehow managed to feel even more rushed than the climax of the story and left me rather disappointed.

This book reminded me of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, in that I loved the world building and the characters but the actual culmination was a little lacking for me. That said, I know several people --staff, patrons, and friends alike-- who would be certainly much more into this book than I and I look forward to recommending it to them.

i really enjoyed reading this book, I found the mystery part of the setting and I loved Peggy as a character. I really look forward to more from the author.

HOW MAGICAL! This book reminded me a lot of The Night Circus. I felt like I escaped my ordinary life while reading this book.

Thanks to NetGalley.

I wanted to like this book since it was set in the early 1900s and then on Coney Island when they went on vacation. I only got to 15% (no idea how many pages that would be in a print book). It got boring very fast. I know I didn't give it a chance.

Set in the early 1900’s and centring on Peggy Battenberg who just wants to work for a living and experience real life. Her beloved sister has been invited to spend the summer in a hotel on the beach in Brooklyn with her controlling fiancé, right across from Coney Island, and the whole family has to go along with them.

Peggy is drawn into trying to solve a mystery when the body of a young washes ashore, while meeting the people of Coney Island and getting to know the difference between her pampered upbringing and real life.
The book is beautifully written and I really enjoyed it.


#Dreamland #NetGalley

Exploration of privilege, a mystery and romance with the setting of Coney Island. I enjoyed this atmospheric tale, however it was written a little young for me and lacked depth. The ending was also a bit rushed. Overall it was worth reading for the setting alone!

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book for review.

I'm hovering on the 2.5 stars side of 3 stars for this book. It was fine, buuuuuut I picked it up in January and it's only because I bought the audiobook for it this month that I actually finished it. I just wasn't particularly interested in the characters and the story, so nothing drove me to pick it up again when I put it down, even though there was nothing actively wrong with it.

Peggy Battenberg was a woman ahead of her times, coming from a rich family that think of nothing but their own interests. Peggy, however, works, falls in love with a poor man and wears a "short" bathing suit - scandalous. She was fine, interesting, and felt quite like Evie from The Diviners. In fact, this all felt like The Diviners, but less fantastical. Stefan was sort of an interesting character, but also felt like he was just there to show a different side to Peggy.
A stifling hot summer was the perfect setting for this (also a little close to home at the time of writing this). It all felt very close and claustrophobic, undoubtedly how Evie felt in her position. I also liked the intrigue of Dreamland, but felt like we only really got a glimpse of it given its prominence in the title.
And the mystery? Eh. I didn't really care for it. I think, because we (or at least I) didn't care for the victims, there was no drive to find out who did it. Plus, I guessed who it was from the start and my guess didn't really change, so the end was a little underwhelming.

I haven't been reading a lot of ya lately but i loved the idea of this one. I liked the way the lives of the wealthy were explored, and the descriptions of Coney Island, but it just read a little bit young for me and lacked the depth that would have made it an outstanding story

This was overall an okay book. It delivered what it promised.
Although it was flawed I enjoyed the story nevertheless. In my opinion, the ending was a bit rushed.
The characters were enjoyable and fun to read about. Unfortunately, the story didn’t leave me speechless, therefore the three stars.
But I loved the setting of this book!

Interesting story but you have to buy into the concept of privileged women having more freedom than we routinely imagine. Book is worth reading for a well researched peek into the Coney Island of the early 20th Century. If reading with a teen, could be a great conversation starter to discuss the rights of women then, compared to now.

Set in the early 1900’s and centring on an extremely affluent family in New York, this book is a beautiful blend of history and mystery. Peggy Battenberg just wants to be a modern woman, work for a living and experience real life. But she finds she can never escape the constraints of being a wealthy heiress. Her beloved sister has been invited to spend the Summer in a hotel on the beach in Brooklyn with her controlling fiancé, right across from Coney Island, and the whole family has to go along with them.
It doesn’t start off well as Peggy and her sister’s fiancé have an uncomfortable history and her family treat her like the black sheep but it gets even worse when the body of a young woman washes up on the beach.
Peggy is drawn into trying to solve the mystery while meeting the people of Coney Island and getting to know the difference between her pampered upbringing and real life.
The book is beautifully written and very atmospheric. I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to hear more from this author.

Dreamland is just a perfect title for a perfect book. The main character is a rich heiress and Coney Island is the backdrop. Interested? You should be! Come on and read this beautifully written book. You won’t regret it. A strong 5/5.

This book moved much slower than I expected, but it was still a great read. I will definitely be reading more from Nancy Bilyeau as her books have been highly recommended to me.

“Highly recommend-- kept me on the edge of my seat and I had a hard time putting it down-- Great characters and storyline-- I do want more!”

This was my first Nancy Bilyeau novel. Dreamland will pull you in. Mystery, murder, romance and early 20th century ambiance.
You’re not quite sure what’s going to happen and I loved that about this novel. Knowing Coney Island, Dreamland and HellGate are real, it makes the story more interesting. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read for an honest review.

received a copy of this ebook from netgalley in exchange for an honest review
This was such a fascinating read! Peggy Batternberg was such a... bohemian women who lives life her own way. It was such a thrilling read that I couldn't break away until I was finished!

It's 1911 and Peggy Batternberg is desperately seeking her own identity, something different than Peggy Batternberg- heiress to one of the wealthiest families in America. When she is dragged kicking and screaming to The Oriental Hotel, Brooklyn for the summer, Peggy resigns herself to a summer of hostile dinners and frosty conversation between herself, her aloof family and bitter ex-beau Henry (now engaged to her sweet and unassuming sister Lydia). What she didn't expect was to discover was the magic of Coney Island and its inhabitants. Though as bodies begin to show up on the Coney Island shores, Peggy is in for a rude awakening as she quickly begins to witness what life is like for the immigrants and lower classes living in America.

The premise of this book was entirely intriguing but the pacing was a real issue for me. The first 3/4 of the book moved at a glacial pace bogged down by insignificant details then the third act of the book was rushed significantly. Despite the characters being well developed and interesting, I found the relationships between characters odd, to say the least, the writer wrote about Peggy and her cousin Ben's relationship at length and yet we, the readers are to believe that she and Stefan fell in love after two brief encounters.

This book had a lot of promise, the beautiful descriptive writing and fully realised, interesting character but the pacing was a major issue for me.

3/5 stars

I received an e-arc of Dreamland from NetGalley on behalf of Endeavour Media in exchange for an honest review.

Peggy Batternburg is a young woman growing up under the restrictions of a wealthy family in 1911 New York. She longs for the freedom to make her own life, her own choices. She would prefer to spend the summer working her job at the bookshop, a job her family disapproves of, but is forced on a family vacation to the Oriental Hotel, near Coney Island. Family, in this case meaning aunts, uncles, cousins, her own family, and the worst, her sister Lydia's fiance Henry. Peggy and Henry had a brief relationship that ended badly, and he hasn't forgiven her. After a disagreement with her cousins, Peggy escapes into the Dreamland fairgrounds, where she meets Stefan, a struggling artist, and starts to fall in love. Knowing that her family would never approve of her new relationship, they decide to keep it secret. Then murdered women start being discovered in locations where Peggy and Stefan have been together. Is Stefan a killer, or is it her own family?
I love how Peggy is determined to buck the traditional female role and make her own decisions. She is considered shocking and unfeminine by the wealthy families of the day, who judged women by their manners and ability to breed the next generation. The part where she cuts up her bathing costume is hilarious. I really enjoyed the carnival atmosphere of this book. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Not the enchanting, sweeping tale either the cover or the blurb promised. Its characters are wooden, but 1920's Coney Island is even more so. Honestly, a small breath of wind would have been enough to knock down the poorly-crafted set design.