Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

Jane has traveled the world with her father and 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.


Colorful characters, beautiful writing, and a vibrant, embattled beachfront backdrop make this the perfect summer read for anyone who has ever tried to find true love or a place to call home.



My Thoughts/Review:

I really enjoyed this book, because, as I've said before, I love magic realism. I liked the characters of Jane, Babette, Leo and Marcus (not necessarily in that order), because it seemed so cool that they all had their own little quirks. Jane thought she was incredibly boring, so that meant she couldn't go by her given name, Luna, because she wasn't worthy of it. I have never had that problem, but my name isn't Luna. It was also interesting that Jane slowly grew to love herself throughout the book, until she was wearing what she wished (vintage clothes), and she finally decided that she was worthy of her name.

Marcus was kind of an ass, but just a little bit. Not really bad. I think that Babette was awesome, though. Anyone that is a goth dwarf gets a vote in my book. Give them something to stare at, right? (If someone's looking at you funny, you give them something to stare at, don't you?) I wish that Legs and Rita would have gotten more character development, because they could have been really great characters, if they were given the time. Leo was an interesting character, and I liked him, but he is just so....oblivious. It drives you a bit insane. He's in his own little world.

The plot moved quick enough, but not very fast. It was entertaining, but not a-million-things-are-happening-at-once. I kind of hate that in a plot. I don't want to read about a million different unconvincing scenarios within fifteen pages. It's just too much. So this was just perfect for my mood today. Slow, but entertaining. All in all, I'd say it was a perfect read for a rainy day. Light and entertaining.




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 Favorite Quote:"Sometimes I wonder." He lifted his elbows, and put his hands in his jeans pockets. "I wonder if maybe she was preparing us for something. For the bad stuff.""Well, it didn't work," Jane said. "I wasn't prepared.""Maybe you were and you just don't know it yet."