I don't generally read YA but I couldn't pass this up (especially while in NYC). As a novel, it's a sweet coming-of-age story with themes of self-knowledge and acceptance. More than that, though, it's a love letter to Coney Island, and that is what I adored about it. I love Coney and I imagine teenage me would have been enamored of this book. There's a review farther down where the reader said she was confused as to whether we were supposed to see the old Coney attractions as fun and exciting or creepy and derelict. Yes dear, exactly. This section is where we get into grey areas, and I truly appreciate a teenage character dealing with a situation where there might not be a right or wrong answer. That's what coming of age is all about, isn't it? ( )

With an utterly absorbing sense of place, this book is an homage to Coney Island wrapped around the story of a girl discovering her mother's history. Jane and her brother have traveled the world with their widower dad, a rollercoaster designer, who's currently jobless. Jane hopes he'll be hired to revitalize Coney Island when the family unexpectedly inherits a house there from a grandfather the teens never knew. Soon, Jane is uncovering artifacts from her grandparents' carny past as well as her mother’s role in the local high school’s mysterious Dreamland Social Club. Recommend to readers who like unique settings and unusual characters, as the "typical teenagers" here consist of multi-ethnic carny kids: a goth dwarf, a seven foot giant, a legless boy, a bearded girl. Coney Island becomes the perfect metaphor for Jane’s exploration into her past and present, with a hint of romantic tension thrown in for good measure. ( )

Didn't actually pick this book out for myself to read, L picked it up and brought it to me AFTER checking it out. It was a very good read. Loved the setting of Coney Island the quirkyness of the entire story. ( )

I adored the setting in //Dreamland Social Club//. I have never been to Coney Island but I always imagined it to be magical and this book shows us that it is in fact very magical. Aside from the setting the family dynamics in the novel were quite interesting. They are a family on the brink of disaster, the mother has passed away and since that time it has been hard for the father to hold on to employment. He and the children have moved all around the world looking for work and a safe place when finally the only option left to them is to move to the mother's family home in Coney Island. The father promises they will only stay in the crappy house in this strange town for a year, but Coney Island may just be what this family needs to heal and make a new start at life.

Jane is immediately enamored by her new home. She thinks that possibly she will get to know a mother who was never very forthcoming by living in her room and living her young life. As soon as Jane steps foot on the island things heat up and Jane learns more than she ever imagined.

//Dreamland Social Club// is a fantastical book full of new beginnings, love and hope. ( )

This book intrigued me since it reminded me of the opening monologue of a Godspeed you black emperor! with an old man remembering what Coney Island was like. Random, I know, but the premise made me think of that man and his sad voice, talking about how much has changed.

Glad I picked it up. It was wonderfully done, atmospheric and was a great story about a girl trying to fit in while feeling different, your ideals vs reality and coming to terms with your past, present and future. It moved quite slowly, but that's not a complaint--the pace actually set up the atmosphere, in my opinion.

By the way, I loved Jane and her insecurities and I adored her interaction with Leo. I felt like their interaction and connection wasn't forced, but properly set up and both were characters in their own right.

Definitely something I would recommend to others and a book I really loved reading. ( )