Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando.
Publisher: Dutton Juvenile.
Pages: 304.
Release Date: May 12.

Jane has traveled the world with her father and twin brother, but it's not until her fractured family–still silently suffering from the loss of Jane's mother many years before–inherits a house and a history in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home. With the help of a new community of friends, a mermaid's secrets, and a tattooed love interest with traffic-stopping good looks, the once plain Jane begins to blossom and gains the courage to explore the secrets of her mother's past.

Dreamland Social Club is another one of those books that kind of came out of nowhere and completely took me by surprise. Prior to receiving a copy, I hadn’t heard a word of this book. No reviews, no buzz, nothing. And considering I’ve had a handful of bad experiences with situations like this, I’ll be honest and admit that I wasn’t expecting much from this book.

But I don’t understand why there hasn’t been buzz surrounding this book. I absolutely loved it. I’m having a hard time trying to put into words how amazing I thought it was. It was one of the best novels I’ve read so far in 2011.

There are so many stories going on in this book at once; Jane’s hunt to discover the Coney Island that her mother grew up with and her hunt to know her mother, the rebellion against renovation for Coney, the odd friendship Jane has with Leo, her struggling attempts to fit in and her struggling attempts to find out who she really is. It sounds pretty crammed in 304 pages but it’s not. The author tackles all of this and tells all of these wonderful stories that end up tying together in the end.

The characters, Jane in particular, were amazing. I’ve never read a book with such a broad spectrum of personalities. Jane starts off as this quiet nobody and literally evolves through the pages into someone more brave and lively and spirited.

And the scenery. Don’t get me started on the scenery. Even if I ended up hating the book, I would’ve re-read it again and again just for the gorgeous descriptions of Coney Island and the circus-esque atmosphere that surrounds Jane both in school and at home, especially in the scenes where Jane is exploring the contents of the attic. More than once I just wanted to jump into the book to see it for myself.

Overall, I thought Dreamland Social Club was a brilliant novel that evoked a lot of emotions and left me thinking about it days and days after finishing it. Whenever I close a book with a grin on my face, I know it’s been a terrific reading experience, and Dreamland Social Club absolutely was. I definitely recommend you check this one out!

Other review(s) for Dreamland Social Club:
Birth Of A New Witch.