This book sounds really good and have added it to my to be read – I haven’t actually read anything by Nicholas Sparks although the name rang a bell and when I read in the bio about The Notebook and Dear John I remembered where I heard the name before as I have seen those movies. I have to be honest, this story turned out to be totally different than what I thought it would be. From the summary and the cover, I thought this novel's setting would have a huge impact on the story. I expected the novel to have an atmosphere that would be fantastical and magical, set in a historic Coney Island. I thought the setting would be something similar or akin to "Water for Elephants" or "Caraval" where it made the whole story feel somewhat whimsical and fascinating.

I have to admit that at some points I felt it is a little slow-paced, but it wasn't the book's fault. After some time I have realized that the not too slow not too fast pace of it, it was perfect for this kind of book, and it gave me time to sink in all the information and feelings. Peggy is told not to mix herself with the common folk of Coney Island, but never one to conform to her family’s expectations, she sneaks into the darkness to Dreamland. There are some distinctly unlikable male characters in the book including senior members of the Batternberg family who indulge in immoral behaviour whilst insisting on high standards of propriety from their own wives and daughters. Initially I found Peggy’s sister Lydia rather a wet blanket although I did feel sorry for the position in which she finds herself, promised in marriage to the rich and arrogant Henry as ‘the human glue between two families” rather as if she was a business asset the subject of a merger or acquisition. Later I warmed to her as Lydia proves her mettle in other ways.Coney Island - America's playground. It's 1911 and American Heiress, Peggy Battenberg has been requested (told/your better come or else) to spend the summer at the Oriental Hotel with the rest of her family. She would rather continue working at the Moonrise bookstore, but appearances are everything and she (and her family) must keep up appearances.

Dreamland: A Self-Help Manual for a Frightened Nation, a 2006 non-fiction book by Andri Snær Magnason Oh my, this was so much more than I imagined it would be. It was filled with temptation, lies, deception, and a touch of darkness. The tension abounds, and I was hooked into Peggy’s story from the start.The cover of Dreamland is beautiful. It reminded me of Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus which I really liked and I requested for this one without reading the summary. It's a completely different genre—Dreamland being a historical mystery and The Night Circus being fantasy. I don't know if it's just me but the cover seemed to promise magic and it was a slight disappointment when I read the summary and realized there would be none. This to me was both very interesting and enjoyable. the era and place make for a great read. The clothing, decor, and intrigue set up for a book that kept me interested from start to finish! Colby Mills once felt destined for a musical career, until tragedy grounded his aspirations. Now the head of a small family farm in North Carolina, he spontaneously takes a gig playing at a bar in St. Pete Beach, Florida, seeking a rare break from his duties at home. Thank you to Hannah Groves from Endeavor Media for providing me with an advanced copy. Opinions are my own. The author also adapts concepts and even technology from his earlier work for the Dreamland series. That doesn’t negatively impact the novel, though; the adoptions are organic to each story and allow Dale’s books, past and present, to feel like they all belong in one cohesive universe.

The story is a historical fiction/mystery that takes place in 1911 in Coney Island, with the main character being an American Heiress, Peggy Battenberg Now, Stefan. I didn't ship him and Peggy. Honestly, I had another prospect in mind for Peggy and was hoping for the interest to blossom until the very end, but alas, nothing happened there. Nevertheless, Stefan was an interesting character. The sneers and unkindness he received for being a Serb immigrant only made this story all the more accurate. The time that we're living in right now is a strange time where there are a lot of immigrants crossing Europe. And the media portrayals only make us more judgmental. We see them as a threat instead of regular people in search of a better future. And of course, the public is more than ready to point fingers at them when something bad happens. Like with Stefan. Also, it was quite refreshing reading about Dalmatia and Serbia given the fact that I'm Slovene and my parents were living in the Ex-Yugoslavia. This book more or less delivers what people have come to expect from Dale Brown. Dreamland is a facility in the desert where cutting edge aerospace technology is developed. First, a libertarian response. In his account of Ronald Reagan and his legacy, Leonhardt argues (correctly) that post-1970s neoliberalism did not deliver either the pace of growth or the seeming equality of opportunity that defined the pre-1970s American economy. And he offers America’s less libertarian, more social-democratic developed-world competitors as a different model, because “inequality has not risen as much in many countries as it has in the United States,” while “broad measures of national well-being, such as life expectancy, fared worse” in America than elsewhere.And with that... Peggy's life changes forever. "I love you, I do. Stefan, I've never...felt like this."And in the midst of the highest of highs, comes...murder. However, this novel didn't truly need to be set in Coney Island because I didn't feel like it truly was featured. Aside from mentions of the beach and various hotels, it didn't really have much importance to the story and because of that, I think the cover is kind of misleading. Unfortunately for Dale, his fanbase is somewhat constrained when it comes to the Dreamland series. The books are very technical in nature. Dale manifests very intimate knowledge about aerospace technology and that helps his books attain an authentic feel. When two women are found murdered on the beach, Peggy becomes interested in the cases. When Stefan is implicated in the murders she must clear his name.

Colonel Bastian is the last hope Dreamland has. And for Bastian, the only thing that could keep Dreamland afloat is ANTARES. The experimental program revolves around a method of blending a pilot’s senses with electronic data.What I really enjoyed about this book was that the women in the story are smart and strong-willed. Set during the suffragette movement, when women weren't even allowed to vote, Nancy Bilyeau articulately describes the discrimination faced by women and immigrants as well as the orthodox mindset of the older women and men in the story who believe a woman's place is in the kitchen. A mindset that the main character, Peggy, has no patience for! Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York, United States, known as Dreamland from the 1940s to the 1970s Imagine being on the cusp of your new life at a time that America was changing. Peggy in the novel is an heiress so think of the Vanderbilts and all that jazz and it’s a whirlwind ride. It’s a time of changing morals, women’s freedoms, how women were supposed to act and how rich heiresses were supposed to act in particular. Family dynamics are interesting! Overall, Dreamland is a suspenseful historical mystery set in an intriguing time and place with lovable, strong characters. I loved it! This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own