Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance by Kate Robb: Book Review

Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance is the latest release from Canadian author Kate Robb. Released on September 30, it takes readers to a small town in Ontario, Canada. Jules grew up on the shores of Lake Huron, and she’s always wanted to help her community. Reeve is a big city guy who wants more from life than he has. Could they possibly help each other?

I want to thank Dial Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance. All opinions presented here are my own.

Synopsis from Goodreads

When Jules finds out that Kitty St. Clair, a resident at the retirement home where she works, has passed away and bequeathed her a dilapidated dance hall in their quaint and picturesque lakeside community, Jules is surprised. Kitty St. Clair was as eccentric as she was glamorous, but Jules cannot figure out why Kitty left her an abandoned building. 

That is, until Reeve, a charming, successful developer, returns to town, looking for the new owner of the dance hall, intent on turning it into luxury vacation condos. Suddenly, Jules has a way to make her lifelong dream of going to med school a reality. But selling the dance hall will only add to the steadily rising real estate prices and make it harder for residents of her tiny vacation town to live there, not to mention, Reeve also happens to be the man who Jules shared a magical night with two summers ago– and never heard from again. 

Reeve wants a second chance with Jules and is determined to earn back her trust. But can she let herself fall for him again? Does he want her, or a guaranteed sale? 

Jules wishes she could talk to Kitty, who always seemed to have the best advice, so she turns to the diary she left her. But as Jules falls asleep reading, she wakes up in the world of the diary, fifty years ago, accompanying a young Kitty to the dance hall in all its glory. Her dream visits to Kitty’s past begin to parallel the questions plaguing her in her own world. Will Kitty’s past hold the keys to unlocking Jules’s future?

My Opinions

Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance is an excellent look at doing what’s right for oneself versus what’s right for everyone else. If you could become a doctor and help your community, would you? What if factors outside of your control prevent you from achieving that goal? You suddenly find a way to pursue those dreams, but it can harm those around you. Would you still do it? Even if it means missing out on true love?

Jules is a woman struggling to do right by herself. She loves her community and wants to become a doctor. But circumstances have prevented her from doing so. When she becomes the new owner of valuable property, Jules is torn between doing what’s right for her and what’s right for everyone else. Jules knows that if she sells, she can afford to go to school. But if she does, eventually none of her friends will be able to afford to live in town.

Reeve is a man searching for his place. He works for a property development company. But is that what he really wants out of life?

There were a couple of minor errors in the book that I noticed. Ironically, one didn’t come to my attention until a few hours after I read the passage. It may not be something that others would notice, but there is mention of two professional teams playing in Toronto on the same night. That is an issue as they both play in the same venue. Given the time of year, this would have been acceptable if the author had chosen a different team. The other was something that only a “local” would realize, and overall, did not impact my enjoyment of the book.

I enjoyed the parts where Jules found herself with Kitty when she was 18, and falling in love with two different men. My heart broke a bit when Kitty made her final decision, but you knew that would be her choice all along. And I am happy to say, I figured out who the other two people in those scenes were before being told near the end of the book.

Overall, Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance is a quick and easy read. Although it exceeds 350 pages, you will find yourself finishing it in no time. And when you do, you’ll want to go back and revisit West Lake time and again. If you enjoy reading Lynda Cohen Loigman, I believe you will enjoy reading Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance.

Are you looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.