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All the Beautiful Girls
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
A powerful novel about a gutsy showgirl who tries to conquer her past amongst the glamour of 1960s Las Vegasand finds unexpected fortune, friendship, and love. It was unimaginable. When she was eight years old, Lily Decker somehow survived the auto accident that killed her parents and sister, but neither her emotionally distant aunt nor her all-too-attentive uncle could ease her grief. Dancing proves to be Lilys only solace, and eventually she receives a scholarship to a local dance academycourtesy of a mysterious benefactor. Grown and ready to leave home for good, Lily changes her name to Ruby Wilde and heads to Las Vegas to be a troupe dancer, but her sensual beauty and voluptuous figure land her work instead as a showgirl performing everywhere from Les Folies Bergere at the Tropicana to the Stardusts Lido de Paris. Wearing costumes dripping with feathers and rhinestones, five-inch heels, and sky-high headdresses, Ruby may have all the looks of a Sin City success story, but she still must learn to navigate the world of menand figure out what real love looks like. With her uncanny knack for understanding the hidden lives of women, Elizabeth J. Church captures both the iconic extravagance of an era and the bravery of a young woman who dances through her sadness to find connection, freedom, and, most important, herself. Advance praise for All the Beautiful Girls A riveting novel, at once raw and tender, of a womans struggle to heal the wounds of a devastating childhood . . . Elizabeth J. Church makes us feel Ruby Wildes pain and root for her to survive. This is a heartbreaking story, passionately told.Ellen Feldman, author of Next to Love Praise for Elizabeth J. Churchs The Atomic Weight of Love Oh, what an incandescent debut! Church follows one extraordinary woman who is brave to enough to challenge the times, take defiant wing, and chart her own extraordinary flight path. The Atomic Weight of Love is so engrossing I couldnt wait to read another page, and so alive I never wanted the story to end.Caroline Leavitt, author of Is This Tomorrow A tightly crafted novel.The New York Times Book Review Exquisite . . . the beautifully written story of a woman who must negotiate the tricky terrain of love, responsibility, ambition, and sacrifice. . . . It shows the impossible choices women facedand still facebetween family and self.Tara Conklin, author of The House Girl What does love require of us? How does one strike a balance between compromise and self-fulfillment? In her debut novel, Church writes to these issues in a style that is thoughtful and elegant. . . . Church hits the mark in this emotionally driven debut.Library Journal A striking story of a woman forced to choose between the future she desires or the path society insists she take.Harpers Bazaar An elegant glimpse into the evolution of love and womanhood.Kirkus Reviews
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Bookwormjillk
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

I promised myself I would pick something fun and read it outside today. This book had a lot of heavy themes, but the determination of Lily/Ruby made it a really good read. Trigger warnings galore here though, so proceed with caution.

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TheLibrarian
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

Lily is orphaned when she‘s young. She goes to live with her Aunt and Uncle which is not a great environment. One year, Lily gets a dance “scholarship” and thus begins her love of dance. After graduating high school, Lily moves to Vegas to pursue her dream of becoming a dancer. Due to her looks, Lily doesn‘t become the dancer she envisioned and instead ends up as a showgirl.

TW: sexual abuse, child abuse, domestic abuse

68 likes3 stack adds
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RosieBoo65
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

Taking place in the 1940s, Lily Decker loses her family in a car accident and finds herself now in the guardianship of her Aunt and Uncle. The story follows her life as a child orphaned and her sad life with her Aunt and Uncle, to moving to Vegas as a showgirl under the moniker of Ruby Wilde.
I received this ARC free from the publisher as part of a giveaway.

Reecaspieces I loved this one too... 6y
4 likes1 comment
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EKonrad
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

This novel, set in 60's Vegas, follows the life of Ruby Wilde, a showgirl who's trying to get over her tragic and disturbing childhood. Church does a fantastic job creating this memorable character, and I loved the sprinkling of historic events throughout the book. However, some of the content was difficult to read (definitely some trigger warnings there!), so I wasn't always excited to pick up the book. #arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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SassyBookworm
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

Trigger warning: child abuse and some domestic violence

Over all this was a great book about a very strong woman who had to overcome so many adversities. It seemed like just when things were going right the tables turned. I definitely enjoyed the parts about Lily/Ruby being a Vegas Showgirl and all the craziness that entailed. Great reminder that your past doesn‘t define you! You control your destiny.

#SassyBookworm 😏

Reecaspieces Great book. I loved it! 6y
103 likes1 stack add1 comment
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Kristy_K
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Bailedbailed

DNF early on. TW: sexual abuse

The abuse was too frequently described for me and I decided to bail. I will say the writing is good and the plot looked interesting. If you can stomach child molestation in detail you may enjoy this book.

#netgalley #historical fiction

Crewgurl Everyone is bailing in books today! This is the 4th post I‘ve seen! 6y
Kristy_K @Crewgurl Not a good start to the weekend. 6y
Crewgurl Definitely not. I hope the next one is better!!! 6y
JSW Thank you for the TW, I was considering this but will pass. 6y
Kristy_K @JSW Of course! I wish I known about in advance. 6y
51 likes5 comments
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Purplerosiepage
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

A story of an abused girl, Lily, who tries to follow her dreams and finds they aren‘t really what she wanted or needed. The book isn‘t without its faults (a few plot holes and unbelievable moments), and it dragged a little bit toward the end, but I loved Lily‘s spirit and resilience.

blurb
Purplerosiepage
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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1960s. Las Vegas dancer turned show girl. I can‘t stop listening.

15 likes1 stack add
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Reecaspieces
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭 Y‘all! This book is great! Visit my blog to find out more https://reecaspieces.com/2018/03/07/all-the-beautiful-girls-by-elizabeth-church/ #vegas #showgirl #netgalley

TorieStorieS Good to hear! I have the ARC on my nightstand at home! Im@a bit behind as it came out yesterday!!! 🤫 6y
Reecaspieces @TorieStorieS happens all the time!!! Let me know what you think! 6y
78 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Cats-and-Tea
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

I thought this was a wonderful little novel that surprisingly tackled serious issues too. It sort of felt like a mix of The Help, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Forrest Gump, which I know sounds strange, but it worked and I really enjoyed myself the whole time. Highly recommend if you‘re a fan of historical fiction or women‘s fiction

4/5 ⭐️

#allthebeautifulgirls
#elizabethjchurch
#historicalfiction

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ScrappyMags
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

When i first started reading i was afraid the book wouldn‘t be for me. Turns out i was soooo wrong. It‘s definitely not a “surface” boom of Vegas showgirl life. Instead, it‘s a deep perspective of Lily, aka Ruby Wilde, who escapes a life of horror and heads to Vegas. But life is indeed a wild ride and Lily has many lessons to learn ... http://scrappymags.com/2018/03/04/book-review-all-the-beautiful-girls-by-elizabe...

70 likes1 stack add
blurb
Reecaspieces
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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FINALLY! SUNSHINE! Outdoor reading is the best! #amreading #allthebeautifulgirls #netgalley. This book is sooooo good.

Tamra We‘re only at 41, but it feels amazing and the birds were happy campers this morning! 🌞 6y
Reecaspieces @Tamra 41! I would still be hiding. I am wuss! But if the birds are happy!!! Makes me happy! 6y
Tamra @Reecaspieces it feels super warm after our extended subzero periods. And it‘s glorious that it isn‘t dark at 5 pm anymore!! 6y
Reecaspieces @Tamra oh my!!! I agree with that. I hate it when it‘s dark at that time!!! 6y
Sharpeipup @Reecaspieces I understand. It‘s been about the same here (finally) & everyone - myself included seems happier! 6y
110 likes5 comments
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Cats-and-Tea
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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I received an arc of this book on Netgalley (my first time ever using Netgalley actually!) and I loved it! I can‘t wait to read more arcs now

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courtsandcastles
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Pickpick

This was such a cool book!

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Cconnolly
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
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Mehso-so

I was chosen by BOTM to read this and provide my feedback to them. I didn‘t enjoy this one as much as I had hoped. The writing seemed to lack something, too many gaps in the storyline, and the random dropping in of historical events got tiring. I didn‘t feel much for the main character, despite what she had been through, as she wasn‘t developed enough for me.

SilversReviews That‘s disappointing, but a compliment they asked you to read it. 6y
Cconnolly @SilversReviews , Yes, I was excited when I got the email invite. That‘s why I WANTED to like it...... 6y
40 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Mysterytome
All the Beautiful Girls: A Novel | Elizabeth J. Church
Pickpick

I absolutely loved Atomic Weight of Love and I was worried this would be as good. She knocked it out of the ballpark.