Review: The Last Dance of the Debutante

I first read Julia Kelly back in 2020 when I devoured her novel The Whispers of War. Her latest offering was The Last Dance of the Debutante which was released in Canada in November of last year. I didn’t have the chance to read it until earlier this year but it was a perfect book to read in a month that seemed like it lasted forever. It’s a slow paced historical fiction but it was a delight to read.

Here’s the book’s description:

When it’s announced that 1958 will be the last year debutantes are to be presented at court, thousands of eager mothers and hopeful daughters flood the palace with letters seeking the year’s most coveted invitation: a chance for their daughters to curtsy to the young Queen Elizabeth and officially come out into society.
In an effort to appease her traditional mother, aspiring university student Lily Nichols agrees to become a debutante and do the Season, a glittering and grueling string of countless balls and cocktail parties. In doing so, she befriends two very different women: the cool and aloof Leana Hartford whose apparent perfection hides a darker side and the ambitious Katherine Norman who dreams of a career once she helps her parents find their place among the elite. But the glorious effervescence of the Season evaporates once Lily learns a devastating secret that threatens to destroy her entire family.

I think this one will really appeal to fans of The Crown, especially the first couple of seasons. England has emerged from war and is rebuilding. Times are changing and the “way things have always been done” isn’t cutting it anymore. The way Lily and her friends view society is vastly different than how their parents look at the world and I enjoyed reading as the young women found each other and started to form (and vocalize) their own opinions.

I just know that some people will say that this book is boring and “nothing” happens. The story is a bit slower, to be sure, but this isn’t a historical fiction set in wartime. The tensions present in the plot are a bit different than fighting for your life. But that doesn’t make the story less important. Kelly provides an incredibly interesting and well researched look at what life was like at a very specific time and place in history.

The “devastating secret” that Lily learns was a bit…much, perhaps. I think this was Kelly trying to up the tension and I don’t know if it quite accomplished her goal. It allowed for Lily to get some answers which she desperately needed and there was a satisfying, “Oh!” moment as it all came together. It added to Lily’s growth, which I was really invested in. I loved her as a character and that really helped me enjoy the story overall.

If you want a historical fiction novel that offers a glimpse of a time in history that isn’t often explored, The Last Dance of the Debutante is for you. I enjoyed Julia Kelly’s novel and am so excited for what she writes next.

*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*