Kate Robb’s latest offering weaves together past and present in a luminous tapestry of magical realism that feels both achingly familiar and wonderfully fresh. Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance is more than a romance—it’s a meditation on choice, legacy, and the courage to pursue our deepest desires when everything seems stacked against us.
Bottom Line Up Front: Robb delivers a sophisticated dual-timeline narrative that successfully balances contemporary romance with elements of magical realism, creating a story that resonates with anyone who has ever wondered about the road not taken.
The Heart of the Story
Jules, a young woman working at a retirement home in the picturesque lakeside community of West Lake, finds herself the unexpected inheritor of a dilapidated dance hall from Kitty St. Clair, an eccentric and glamorous resident who has passed away. This inheritance becomes both blessing and burden when Reeve, a charming developer—and the man who shared one magical night with Jules two summers prior before vanishing—returns to town with plans to transform the dance hall into luxury condos.
What elevates this premise beyond typical small-town romance is Robb’s skillful introduction of magical realism through Kitty’s diary. When Jules reads the diary before sleep, she finds herself transported into Kitty’s past, experiencing the dance hall in its 1970s heyday alongside a young Kitty navigating her own crossroads between love and ambition.
Where the Magic Lives
Robb demonstrates remarkable narrative sophistication in her handling of the dual timeline structure. The dream sequences feel neither forced nor fantastical—instead, they emerge organically from Jules’s emotional state and her connection to Kitty’s legacy. The author manages to make the magical elements feel grounded in emotional truth rather than mere plot convenience.
The dance hall itself becomes a character, serving as both setting and symbol. In the past, it represents possibility, youth, and the intoxicating power of music and movement. In the present, its deteriorated state mirrors Jules’s own sense of stagnation, while its potential transformation reflects her internal journey toward reclaiming her dreams.
Robb’s prose carries a lyrical quality that perfectly complements the magical elements without becoming overwrought:
Atmospheric writing that makes West Lake feel like a character in its own right
Authentic dialogue that captures both contemporary speech patterns and period-appropriate language for the flashbacks
Emotional depth that never sacrifices authenticity for sentimentality
Pacing that allows both romance and magical elements to breathe
Character Development That Resonates
Jules emerges as a compelling protagonist whose struggles feel genuinely contemporary. Her desire to attend medical school, thwarted by financial constraints and family complications, speaks to a generation grappling with educational costs and economic uncertainty. Robb avoids the trap of making Jules helplessly passive—instead, she’s a woman who has made practical choices that have gradually eroded her sense of possibility.
Reeve’s character arc proves equally satisfying. Rather than the typical wealthy developer destroying small-town charm, he’s revealed as someone equally trapped by expectations and family pressure. His genuine love for Jules and his eventual willingness to sacrifice his career ambitions ring true to his character development throughout the story.
The historical Kitty emerges as more than a plot device. Her youthful choices between security and passion create meaningful parallels with Jules’s contemporary dilemmas, while avoiding heavy-handed moralizing about “choosing love over money.”
The Romance That Anchors Everything
The romantic elements succeed because they’re built on genuine compatibility and shared values rather than mere physical attraction. Jules and Reeve’s relationship develops through authentic moments—their conversations about dreams deferred, their mutual understanding of small-town dynamics, and their recognition of each other’s fundamental decency.
Robb handles the sexual tension and intimate scenes with skill, creating heat without sacrificing emotional depth. The physical relationship feels like a natural extension of their emotional connection rather than a separate element.
Themes That Matter
The novel explores several interconnected themes with nuance:
The Cost of Dreams: Jules’s medical school aspirations versus her financial reality reflects broader conversations about educational access and economic mobility.
Community versus Progress: The dance hall’s potential conversion to condos addresses gentrification concerns without demonizing development entirely.
Legacy and Choice: Through Kitty’s story, Robb examines how our choices ripple through time and influence future generations.
The Power of Place: West Lake functions as more than setting—it’s a character that shapes its residents while being shaped by them in return.
Where the Story Stumbles
While largely successful, the novel isn’t without minor flaws. The magical realism occasionally feels underutilized—there are moments where deeper exploration of the mystical connection between Jules and Kitty could have enriched the thematic resonance. Additionally, some supporting characters, particularly Jules’s mother, could have benefited from more dimensional development beyond their plot functions.
The resolution, while satisfying, ties up certain threads perhaps too neatly. Real-life financial constraints don’t typically resolve as smoothly as they do for Jules, which may strain credibility for some readers.
Robb’s Growing Literary Voice
Following her previous works Prime Time Romance and This Spells Love, Robb demonstrates continued growth as a storyteller. She’s developing a distinctive voice that combines emotional authenticity with just enough whimsy to transport readers without losing them. Her ability to ground fantastical elements in recognizable emotions marks her as a romance author worth watching.
The writing style adapts beautifully to serve the story’s dual nature—contemporary sections feel immediate and urgent, while the historical portions carry a dreamier, more nostalgic quality that enhances the magical realism.
Final Verdict
Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance succeeds as both romance and magical realism, creating a story that honors the complexity of modern life while celebrating the transformative power of love and community. Robb has crafted a novel that works on multiple levels—as a love story, as an exploration of economic pressures on young adults, and as a meditation on how the past continues to influence the present.
This is a book for readers who appreciate romance grounded in real-world concerns, who enjoy a touch of magic in their storytelling, and who believe that sometimes the most important choice is deciding to fight for your dreams rather than simply accepting what life hands you.
For Readers Who Enjoyed
If Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance resonated with you, consider these similar titles:
Rebecca Ross’s Divine Might – For magical realism blended with romance
Emily Henry’s Beach Read – For contemporary romance with emotional depth
Sarah Addison Allen’s Garden Spells – For magical realism in small-town settings
Jenny Colgan’s The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After – For community-centered romance
Josie Silver’s One Day in December – For second-chance romance with heart
Kitty St. Clair’s Last Dance reminds us that sometimes the greatest magic isn’t in the supernatural elements of a story, but in the very human decision to believe that our dreams are worth fighting for, regardless of the obstacles in our path.