Last Night at the Disco

by Lisa Borders

“I may have ended up more notorious than famous, but make no mistake: long before Aura Lockhart began commodifying her feminist rage ballads, I was the best-known person to come out of Keyhole, New Jersey.”

In 1977, twenty-six-year-old Lynda Boyle is desperate for fame and a way out of New Jersey. After failing to make her mark as an East Village poet and rubbing elbows with stars at Studio 54, she discovers a new path to glory through two local musicians, Johnny Engel and Aura Lockhart. Lynda believes she alone can transform them into rock ‘ n’ roll legends.

Fast forward four decades: Lynda is in hiding after a series of events force her to flee the tri-state area. When she sees Aura inducting Johnny into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Lynda’ s rage ignites. Determined to reclaim her narrative, she sets out to tell her story and secure her rightful place in music history. If she settles a few other scores along the way, that’ s just a bonus.

Last Night at the Disco is a bold exploration of ambition, fame, and the often messy intersections of friendship and betrayal in the music world.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Music

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Lisa Borders is the author of The Fifty-First State and Cloud Cuckoo Land, a 2003 Massachusetts Book Awards honoree. Her third novel, Last Night at the Disco, will be published in October 2025. She also writes short humor and is a frequent McSweeney's contributor. A New Jersey native, Lisa now lives in Central Massachusetts with her partner and two rescue cats.

Reviews

[MicheleReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we meet Lynda Boyle, it's 2019, and she is writing an email to Jann Wenner, the founder of Rolling Stone. Following singer/songwriter Aura Lockhart's induction of Johnny Engel into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lynda, now 67 years old, wants to set the record straight about her true role in their history and success after a recent article in the magazine. The story takes us back to 1977. Lynda, who has yet to achieve success as a poet, lives in New Jersey, working as an English teacher at a junior high school. Aura Lockart is one of her students, and Lynda takes the young girl, who shows promise as a songwriter, under her wing. At a local club, they are both captivated by Johnny Engel, whose musical style is a blend of glam-rock and punk. Lynda wants to help make Johnny a star, and she also wants him in her bed. Through Lynda's email to Wenner, her journey unfolds, including the disastrous end of her relationships with Johnny and Aura. As we learn more about Lynda, it becomes clear that she is a troubled, narcissistic young woman. When the story shifts back to the present day, a mystery lingers about Lynda's whereabouts, as she appears to be in hiding with her unnamed husband. 

Author Lisa Border did an excellent job in her research for Last Night at the Disco. It truly captures the nightlife of the era, featuring New York City's Studio 54 and the gritty punk rock scene at CBGB (if you'd ever been there, you probably still remember the smell). Anti-hero Lynda, although an intriguing person, became increasingly difficult to root for. While the story includes humor, particularly in Lynda's ongoing assessment of her beauty and poetic talent, I felt a sense of sadness for her. My heart went out to her parents. Aura and Johnny were great characters, and I wish more focus had been given to their careers. Overall, this nostalgic trip back in time was appealing. 

Many thanks to Regal House Publishing for the advance.

3.75 stars.

Review posted on MicheleReader.com.

[Allison Grinberg-Funes · Rating 4 out of 5]

When we meet Lynda Boyle, it’s quite clear she has an inflated sense of self, but as we read on, we come intimately acquainted with one of the most narcissistic characters I’ve had the joy of knowing. Reading Last Night at the Disco gave me a view into the world of an unreliable narrator more delusional than most, if any, that I’ve met throughout my literary travels. The author takes us back and forth in time in a seamless manner that shows readers that despite decades having passed, Lynda Boyle is no less selfish or more mature. Learning about Lynda’s past with Johnny and Aura was akin to watching a car crash you can’t look away from, but even more entertaining (and with less harm impacting people, obviously).

If you’re a music fan interested in what is was like for a young woman to have delusions of grandeur while longing for New York City from over the New Jersey border, then curl up with this read and prepare to be entertained.

[Martin Maenza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Regal House Publishing provided an early galley for review.

As a child of the 70's, throw the word "disco" around and you have my attention. I love the music, the glamour, the vibe. If I had been born eight years sooner, I would have spent many nights on those dance floors. And while a bit of the story here does take place in the most famous disco in the world, there is so much more going on in this narrative.

Lynda is not your typical middle-school teacher, and her unpredicatable nature makes her an interesting character to observe. However, about a quarter of the way through, I came to suspect how unreliable she was as a narrator. The more the story went on, the more I saw her delusions. Is it wrong to say I was completely onboard to see how this tragedy played out? I hope not.

This is not a typical tale, so it might hit readers in different ways. Still, I am sure it will hit the mark with the right audience.

[lydia · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, rounded up to 4 stars because I just had a ton of fun with it. At first, I wasn't convinced I was going to like this book given that Linda was insufferable, but I ended up enjoying the fact that we had such a self-absorbed, unreliable narrator. While I do think things cooled down toward the end of the book, I generally enjoyed the story as Lynda told it and actually found myself engaging with the text a bit deeper than I think I would have if it was just a story about Aura and Johnny (I would've loved it as a book about Aura and Johnny specifically though). I'd say give it a try if you're like me and enjoy a story about fictional musicians set in the 6os-70s, but do be warned that it isn't the conventional, more biographical rise and fall of musicians that you're used to with Lynda holding the reins.

[isabella lola · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love a book about fake celebrities, especially musicians, although this wasn’t quite what i expected. i liked all the pop culture references especially to a time i didn’t live through and don’t know much about, and studio 54 has always intrigued me too
i really liked the structure of the chapters, having something recent at the start of each and then going back to the 70s for the main bulk of it, and the concept of it being written as an email was good too
i don’t think any of the characters were particularly likeable, which i do think is the point. the main character especially was very unlikeable and almost unbelievable, her delusion was both funny and cringe at the same time, i felt second hand embarrassment for her a lot throughout, again which i think is probably the point
overall i did enjoy this book but i do also think it was kind of just nothingy at the same time, i feel like nothing crazy or unexpected happened and it was kind of building up for something big to happen that just didn’t really. although again this might be the point of the main character and her delusion that she’s more important than she is

thank you to netgalley for this ARC!!

[Hayley Groom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book from the perspective of someone who is the human equivalent of 'delulu is the only solulu'.

I loved the 70's vibes and Studio 54 mentions, really encapsulating the era of New York at that time.
Lynda was a character you love to hate, unapologetically an awful person and so entertaining to read.
However, as much as I love a tell all from the view point of a self centred narcissist, towards the end it did get tiring.
I think I could have been satisfied with an ending where people mentioned in her story had some kind of response or even a little footnote to balance it all out.

Overall, a 3.5 which I will round to a 4.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher.

[Sarah Jensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: Last Night at the Disco by Lisa Borders

A Gritty, Glittering Ode to Musical Rebellion
Lisa Borders’ Last Night at the Disco is a visceral dive into the chaotic beauty of 1970s nightlife, blending punk rock’s raw energy with the disco era’s decadence. Through the lens of Lynda—a narcissistic yet magnetic protagonist—the novel explores identity, self-destruction, and the fleeting highs of youth against a backdrop of coke-dusted dance floors and existential yearning.

Key Strengths
-Unflinching Atmosphere: Borders nails the hedonistic glamour and grime of Studio 54-era nightlife, immersing readers in a world where music is both salvation and vice. The sensory details (strobe lights, sweat-soaked shirts, the thrum of bass) are intoxicating.
-Complex Protagonist: Lynda is a triumph of flawed characterization—equal parts infuriating and fascinating. Her journey from self-absorption to reluctant self-awareness feels painfully authentic.
-Thematic Depth: Beneath the glitter, the novel grapples with addiction, artistic ambition, and the cost of chasing ephemeral thrills. The punk vs. disco dichotomy mirrors Lynda’s internal battles.

Potential Considerations
-Pacing: The narrative’s frenetic style mirrors its subject matter but may disorient readers seeking linear storytelling.
-Emotional Distance: Lynda’s abrasiveness could alienate some, though her vulnerability peeks through like a crack in a leather jacket.

Score Breakdown (Out of 5)
-Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – A wild ride with emotional whiplash, but purposefully so.
-Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – Lynda alone is worth the price of admission.
-Setting: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5) – The disco-punk fusion is chef’s kiss.
-Originality: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4/5) – Familiar themes, electrified by fresh perspective.
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.5/5) – A shattered mirrorball of a novel—sharp, dazzling, and impossible to look away from.

Ideal Audience
-Fans of Daisy Jones & The Six or The Final Revival of Opal & Nev seeking grittier vibes.
-Readers who crave antiheroines and unvarnished portrayals of creative self-destruction.
-Music lovers who want to feel the bassline of a story.

Gratitude
Thank you to NetGalley and Lisa Borders for the advance review copy. Last Night at the Disco is a fever dream of a book—one that lingers like the smell of cigarette smoke on a vintage band tee.

Final Verdict
Borders’ novel is a love letter to the outliers and the nightcrawlers, pulsing with life even in its darkest corners. While its intensity isn’t for everyone, those who surrender to its rhythm will find a story as unforgettable as the last song played at dawn.

Note: This review reflects the ARC edition; minor changes may appear in the final publication.

[Terrible Timy]

This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum.

I received an eARC from Regal House Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Since I DNFd the book at the 50% mark, I decided not to give a rating.

I requested Last Night at the Disco on a whim, because 1) I’m a sucker for books with a music theme and 2) my TBR is sorely lacking books with music-related themes. I also have a Daisy Jones & The Six-shaped hole in my heart that needs to be filled. Unfortunately, Last Night at the Disco won’t be that book. And even though I decided to DNF at the 50% mark, I’m still left with a lot of mixed feelings.

But first things first. Last Night at the Disco tells the story of Lynda Boyle in a dual timeline – past and present. In the past, she is 26 years old, works as a teacher in her hometown after she failed to make a living as a poet in New York. That does not stop her from going back to her favorite place, Studio 54, at least once a week, but preferably twice. In the present, she is in her late sixties (I think?) and lives with her husband, hiding their identities, getting into trouble with their neighbours.

The reason Lynda decides to tell her story is that her old student, Aura, who had become a famous musician herself, seemingly erases Lynda’s influence in a speech, regarding a mutual friend of theirs, Johnny Engel (also a famous musician). In typical Lynda fashion, she feels slighted and wants to set the record straight.

Lynda is…an unreliable narrator at best, but she is also very unlikeable. She definitely has a narcissistic streak, as much as she denies it. She is conceited, she is never at fault, she never does anything wrong, but everyone is either jealous of her, wants her, or wrongs her. In her opinion, anyway. Sometimes it’s hard to decide whether she is telling the truth or blowing up her own importance to fan her own ego. Especially at the parts where she hangs out in Studio 54 and makes the reader think how important she is for being a regular (certainly nothing to do with the fact she is not above giving a blowjob to the bouncer if needs must), being friends with the owner, hanging out with celebrities. But these are also the best bits – even if they are only flashes – because Borders manages to give back the atmosphere of this rightly famous establishment. You can certainly imagine the dancing, the endless use of drugs, and the sex. If you’ve ever seen the movie 54, you probably get the idea (although I have to admit, it’s been a very long time since I watched it, so my memories are super fuzzy). At the very least, you should listen to the soundtrack to get in the right mood.

Last Night at the Disco is very easy to read, and I loved the cultural references. And I would have loved reading more about Studio 54 and the budding rock scene Aura and Johnny become a part of. But the thing is, it’s hard to connect with any of the characters if you are forced to see them through the eyes of a character who is way too full of herself. And while you know every coin has two sides, after a point, it becomes a chore to force yourself through the story. Lynda Boyle herself is not an interesting character – unless you are a psychologist, in which case, she is the perfect study material – and as such, it’s hard to get invested in her story, when you’d rather read about any other aspect of the story.

The thing is, Borders captures Lynda’s character perfectly, and I applaud her for choosing her as the narrator of this story. But at the same time, I wish there were at least another POV character, maybe Aura herself, to offer a counterpoint, so we could see the events from both of their perspectives, forcing us, the reader, to decide who was right or wrong. Maybe then I would have been more invested in finding out why Lynda and her husband have to live incognito and what actually happened between the characters.

Last Night at the Disco offers a glimpse into the 70s’ drug, music, and sex-fuelled art scene. If you can get over the MC’s unflattering personality, that is. Sadly, I couldn’t.

[Melissa Davy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Borders’ delightfully disturbing new novel, Last Night at the Disco, opens in 2019, when its larger-than-life main character, Lynda Boyle, addresses an e-mail to Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner from an undisclosed location. She wants to clarify everything for the record.

The real story emerges within the frame of that e-mail. Lynda takes us back to her youth in 1977, when disco took center stage in American musical life, and Studio 54 had just opened in Manhattan. Throughout the book, Lynda is a charming unreliable narrator with big dreams, trapped in a world far too small for her. When she looks at herself in the mirror at 26, she sees one of the world’s great beauties, but many other people see trouble. Lynda wants to be famous, but what she really needs may be something different: someone who really understands her.

When frustrated by life’s limits, Lynda has been known to take prisoners and break things. When an unpleasant rupture in her relationship with a well-known poet forced her to abandon the New York poetry scene, she moved in with her annoying, earthbound parents. They imagine a conventional future for their daughter, which for Lynda means death by a million tiny cuts. She survives this prison by living a double life. During the day, she teaches English in her sleepy hometown of Keyhole, New Jersey. After dark, she dons a gold lamé jumpsuit and slips out like the Twelve Dancing Princesses in the Grimms’ fairy tale, dancing the night away at Studio 54. Her visible assets and legendary charm let her to skip long lines to hobnob with celebrities like Bianca Jagger and Andy Warhol, dance to Donna Summer and the Bee Gees, and do cocaine while hooking up with potential beaux in the bathroom. Mornings find her back in Keyhole, powering through the occasional headache to turn Middle-School education on its head. She challenges students and their parents, while perplexing or enraging her colleagues.

Lynda’s carefully orchestrated double world changes when she meets two young people whom she cannot control the way she can manage everybody else. 14-year-old Aura Lockhart is a new member of Lynda’s eighth-grade class who is being bullied mercilessly by other children. Lynda takes a shine to her, leaping to her defense and embracing her as a protégée. When she finds out Aura is also the daughter of one of Lynda’s former lovers, another famous poet now deceased, Lynda hopes to make helpful connections through the relationship. Aura soon learns that the spot under Lynda’s wing is not a safe space: its price is undying loyalty.

Lynda encourages Aura to develop her talents, accompanying her to an “open mic” event, where they meet the second person destined to change both their lives. The aptly named Johnny Engel is a rising rock star with a beautiful face and physique, clad in a magnificent costume with feathery wings. Lynda does not care that she can’t understand this man’s music: she is smitten. She allows him to open her horizon to “glam” and punk rock, while pursuing her real goal: making Johnny her partner and taking him with her to Studio 54. When he pays less attention to Lynda than to young Aura’s original music and writing, Lynda feels thwarted by the universe because she is not at the center of things, while an uncomfortable triangle of the affections is born.

Sometimes Lynda’s best-laid plans fall through spectacularly, but this is when readers begin to find real sympathy for her. They’ve kept reading to find out what shocking thing she’ll do next, but now they will also start to care about her. The part of her journey where she finally bumps her nose against reality lays the groundwork for her unique path forward, where she may finally choose someone who “gets” her. Readers who struggle with Lynda will warm to her at the end. They will have to turn the pages to find out how she is possibly going to reinvent herself to stay one step ahead of her own mischief.

[Julie Maleski (juliereads_alot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚 E-ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Last Night At The Disco
By Lisa Borders
Publication Date: October 7, 2025
Publisher: Regal House Publishing

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you so much to Regal House Publishing and NetGalley for this gifted e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

📚MY REVIEW:

Initially, I grabbed this book simply because the eye-catching cover design and title piqued my interest. The synopsis pulled me in too: I've had a years-long obsession with all things Studio 54 -- so much so that my friends joke I must have been a frequent visitor there in a past life (even though I was already a young child in its heyday).

This book was everything I hoped for and didn't even know I wanted. Part music fiction, part satire, part pop culture history, part rock-n-roll. This is the story of Lynda Boyle, narrating her life in the form of a letter to Jann Wenner, the editor of Rolling Stone, written to "correct the record" after an article about a rocker's recent induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame was published in the famed magazine.

In 1977, Lynda is a narcissistic and self-absorbed 26-year-old, living with her parents in New Jersey after a failed attempt to be a famed poet in NYC's East Village. Lynda longs to leave New Jersey behind forever and become part of the world of glamour and luxury she experiences when she visits Studio 54, her fleeting connection to the opulent world she longs for. In New Jersey, she connects with two people who are blooming rock icons in their own right, and she's convinced she can help them make it big. Forty-ish years later, Lynda becomes incensed when she feels like she's been written out of the narrative -- and she wants to be sure her part of the story is told.

The details of the stories shared about the wildly frenetic nightlife in Manhattan in the late 1970s had me practically salivating as I read, as Borders's writing made me feel like I was right there with Lynda. Between her drug-fueled dancing and over-the-top encounters with the who's who of 1970s pop culture at Studio 54, to seeing bands like The Ramones at CBGB and Devo playing in tiny little bars, I felt like I could see the glitter falling from the ceiling, smell the cigarette smoke in the air, and feel the stickiness of the beer-covered bar floors.

As narcissistic and self-absorbed as Lynda was, I loved her and the confident badass she was. There was something so endearing and captivating about her stories that made this book unputdownable for me. There's quite a bit of quick jumping back and forth in timelines, between the 1970s and 2019, which could be confusing to some readers. The more I read, though, the more I grew to really love the quick switches between the past and the present. And I loved every minute of her whirlwind life.

If you're a fan of books like Daisy Jones and the Six or movies like Almost Famous, or if you love immersive reads with details that will make you feel like you're a part of a wild time and place in pop culture history, you're going to love this book. Maybe it's my love of disco, my connection with 1970s pop culture, my obsession with all things Manhattan, or a combination of all three -- but I gotta be honest, I freaking LOVED this book. Available on NetGalley now and coming in October 2025!

#LastNightAtTheDisco #LisaBorders #RegalHousePublishing #ARC #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #fiction #satire #bookreviews #bookrecs #booklover #bookaddict

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC Received from NetGalley

Chances are, you've met the narrator of Last Night at the Disco. Maybe not during the actual 70s, but somewhere in the course of your life you've come into contact with the co-worker, the distant relative, or the child of a friend of your parents' who thought they were Hot Shit. They were better than everybody else, they dropped celebrity names like a litterbug, and they demanded flowers without first purchasing the seeds. They dreamed big and likely manifested what luxury came to them, but at the end of the day you could tap their sternums and hear the Tin Man echo.

Lynda Boyle is that person. She's an A-lister in her mind when in reality she's not even a pop culture footnote. As Last Night at the Disco opens in the present day she's determined to set straight a Rolling Stone article about the recent induction of a rock legend to the Hall of Fame, delivered by her former eighth grade English student. If Lynda gets anything correct in her diatribe, it's that she did facilitate the meeting between 90s feminist rocker Aura Lockheart and Johnny Engel. Pretty much everything after that is history purposely skewed in Lynda's favor.

And it's freaking hilarious, right up to the last few pages of the book when Lynda's epislatory demand for credit concludes with a sitcom worthy womp-womp. But I won't spoil it.

As you read Last Night, you probably won't like Lynda, and that's okay. At the height of the 70s Me Generation she's conceited, vain, manipulative, and myopic. She aspires to fame as a poetess but rarely writes, using her time to schmooze people with actual talent during weekend jaunts to Studio 54. In a way she is like Gatsby's Nick if Nick were petulant and demanded credit for getting Jay and Daisy to hook up. She's convinced everybody loves her, that gay men will turn for her, when it's a sure bet that in the present day she's completely forgotten.

Lynda isn't Hot Shit, she's a Hot Mess, an unrealiable narrator who would normally inspire me to close a book. I didn't, however, because the mess is such a fascinating train wreck I wanted to know if she got either comeuppance or a clue. That, I also won't spoil.

I did hesitate on reviewing the book here, because while there are music themes within the book, Last Night at the Disco doesn't focus wholly on music. Lynda is surrounded by amazing people - a gifted guitarist, student prodigies, shifty New York types and a cameo from 54's Steve Rubell - and she manages to make the entire story about her. That's the point, of course, but bless her, she isn't dull.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

We start with an irate Lynda Boyle who, upon reading an article about Johnny Engel's induction into the rock and roll hall of fame, and the speech given by Aura Lockhart, decides that, enough is enough. It's time to set the record straight. To give her side of the story. It is time to spill it, warts and all...
And so begins the longest email in history... going way back to when Lynda first met Aura when she was a pupil at her school and she wanted to help her get away from her bullies. How she introduced her to Johnny, who she was desperately in love with. And how Aura took him away from her. Even though she actually didn't. But I can't go into that here! We also learn about her other conquests and relationship with her family and work life. And what she did when she perceived she had suffered injustice. Again, leaving you to discover all those juicy shenanigans for yourself.
All of which is deliciously toxic and salacious, and so over the top to be almost incredible...
But then... we also learn that Lynda is actually no longer Lynda. Cos of reasons. But that she is married and in hiding. Living quietly in suburbia. Quite how we get from teacher to groupie, to infamy, to here.... well, that's a story in itself...
And then that ending. I was wondering how the author was ever going to be able to wrap it up. But boy did she do it well. And badly. And it's going to be controversial. But I blooming loved it! The cheek...
I've never been to NY and I have absolutely no knowledge of any of the music scene there back in the day, so I have no idea whether any of the places depicted herein are real and, if so, well represented. I just know that, for the story I was reading, they felt real to me.
And Lynda... oh my days. What a character. What a woman. What an anti-hero. I am still not sure whether I should love her or hate her. I think I both love and hate her at the same time. She is one of those people... She's definitely bonkers and worthy of several labels plucked from the DSM-5...
But boy does she have a story to tell. Both in the past and, to a slightly lesser degree, in her present. And I absolutely LOVED meeting her, warts and all. In fact, I'm quite sad to have left her behind now the book is done. Maybe we can meet again on Audiobook...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[SmallPressPicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve long been a fan of escapist entertainment, never more so than in these deeply troubling times. So I was delighted to learn about–and read–LAST NIGHT AT THE DISCO, a rollicking and hilarious thrill trip of a novel helmed by anti-hero extraordinaire Lynda Boyle. Lynda’s core desire is to leave her New Jersey hometown behind for good and to escape once and for all to New York City. She imagines that, once there, she’ll assume a central place in the East Village poetry scene and party for as many nights as she’d like at her beloved celebrity-magnet disco, Studio 54. These dreams are exceeded only by the size of Lynda’s ego, which is in constant need of feeding.

Although this novel, told entirely from Lynda’s point of view, delivers much-needed escapism, its pleasures are far from simple thanks to its insider perspective on her constant, and often brilliant, scheming. To say that she’s a beauty with brains is a gross understatement. It would be more accurate to say that she’s a beauty with war-room-level strategizing powers, and she deploys these powers ruthlessly.

Despite her determination to fulfill her dreams, and often because of it, Lynda doesn’t always get what she wants, a reality that chafes against her sense of entitlement, and against her boundless ego. And when she doesn’t get what she wants, she acts out, sometimes leaving destruction in her wake.

Having had the pleasure of following along on Lynda’s many adventures, misadventures, and schemes, I can confidently say that in the pantheon of literary anti-heroes, she deserves a Studio 54-worthy banquette–preferably, one amply provisioned with cocaine. It was loads of fun to be immersed in her world.

You can read my full review of the novel here: https://smallpresspicks.com/last-nigh....

[Lori L (She Treads Softly) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last Night at the Disco by Lisa Borders is a recommended humorous drama mainly set in the 70s.

In 2019 after singer/songwriter Aura Lockhart's induction of Johnny Engel into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Lynda Boyle, 67, writes a long email attempting to set the record straight about her role in their fame. She's been in hiding for four decades but now she wants to secure what she sees as her rightful place in music history.

In 1977 failed East Village poet Lynda Boyle, 26, is teaching English at a junior high school when she has new student Aura, 14, in her class. When Aura is being bullied, Lynda takes on the role of a mentor and discovers that Aura has musical talent. She brings Aura to an open mic night in the city where she can perform and the two meet musician Johnny Engel. Lynda is sure Aura and Johnny can help her achieve the fame and accolades that she deserves.

This is a well-written novel that is successful in capturing the 70's and it's music, as well as the general mess that are junior high school students. The chapters open with what is going on in 2019 before jumping back in more detail to 1977. Lynda is an unlikable, unreliable narrator who is a completely vain, self-absorbed, delusional narcissist and this is clear right from the start. She is really very loathsome throughout the entire novel. While parts can be humorous, mostly with Lynda extolling her many self described assets, it also feels really repetitive through much of the narrative.

Last Night at the Disco will appeal to those who enjoy novels about the 70s. Thanks to Regal House Publishing for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2025/0...

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional stuff.

Last Night at the Disco, which I received from NetGalley and Regal House Publishing, is one of those novels that won't please everyone; the lead character is either wildly delusional or the cleverest person in, at the very least, Keyhole, New Jersey.

Lynda is not exactly where she wants to be. She once lived in the East Village and was a poetry student. Somewhere along the line she moved in with her parents and ended up in Keyhole, New Jersey. But Lynda's not quite ready to throw in the towel yet. She dreams of being a poetic pioneer and being discovered, with the help of a gifted student in her class.

How do you channel the great Lynda Boyle (an excellently mundane name)? Well, you need to provide sexual favours liberally, be sexy, know how to dress, be ready to take drugs at the drop of a hat, have unlimited self-confidence, ensure that you have a boyfriend, two, possibly three at the same time in your pursuit of a #1, #2 and #3 kind of guy, love the East Village, continue to find inspiration and poetry and make sure to be on the guest list at Studio (if you need to say 54, you're probably from New Jersey). Obviously, loving disco is right up on the list based on that criteria.

Lynda is also a master of human psychology. She knows, she always knows. It's as fresh a catchphrase as Maree's - You're right, you're right, I know you're right. Borders writes her with great gusto, narrating her sequence of events with great comic patter. Her partnership with Patti is delightful, as is her relationship with Aurora's grandmother. I would make the error of summarising the story, but I think you have to sink into Lynda's delusional energy. She refers to Fleetwood Mac as the white noise of the '70s. Don't be delusional, love.

In a nutshell, she wants to leave Keyhole, her suburban parents, become a muse for an artist, party at 54. Live life vicariously. Have a read while listening to Donna Summer and shake your groove thing.

[Paula P · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Night at the Disco by Lisa Borders is a gloriously unhinged dive into the glittering chaos of 1980s New York, and the messy interior world of one woman trying to rewrite her legacy.

Lynda, an aspiring poet stuck teaching in New Jersey and living with her parents, spends her nights chasing inspiration and identity on the disco floors of Manhattan. Decades later, she decides it’s time to reclaim her place in the spotlight, especially after two musicians she discovered become household names.

I genuinely enjoyed this book. Lynda is undeniably narcissistic, occasionally awful, and completely magnetic. I couldn’t stop reading, caught somewhere between horror and admiration, wondering what her next delusion or scheme would be. The dissonance between her self-image and her reality is both unsettling and weirdly delightful, especially as the mystery of her husband’s identity unraveled.

Themes of reinvention, unreliable memory, and female ambition pulse through the story like a dance track. Lynda’s voice is delusional yet fascinating, she’s not trying to be lovable, and that’s what makes her so compelling. The author paints the nightlife and artistic fringes of the era with just the right amount of grit and glitter, and the setting practically hums with atmosphere.

It’s unpredictable, over-the-top, and funny in a way that feels both wild and intentional. I’d absolutely recommend it to anyone who loves a protagonist you can’t quite trust but can’t look away from either.

[Aex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Night at the Disco is a wild ride through the 70s disco and rock culture, following the insane, wickedly brilliant Lynda Boyle as she narrates her part in the rise of fictitious rockstars Aura Lockhart and Johnny Engel.

Part Daisy Jones & The Six, part American Psycho, Last Night at the Disco thrives in its unreliable narrator, who assures us she can do no wrong and then sets out to prove it, taking back what she assumes the world owes her.

I found it insanely fascinating: like watching a trainwreck, but one that I didn’t want to get off! Lynda is narcissistic and really, really awful, but so charming that I couldn’t help but keep reading, wondering what she was scheming about next. The disconnect between her and the realities of her situation kept me on hook, and the mystery of who her husband actually was did provide me some sort of glee when I figured it out.

An unpredictable journey full of ups and downs, Last Night is funny, insane, and over-the-top in all the best ways.

Thank you to Regal House and Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Amber B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Net Galley and Lisa Borders for an advanced copy of “Last Night at the Disco”.

I have a thing for novels that take place in decades of the past and really enjoyed diving into the chaos of 1970’s NYC from the perspective of Lynda Boyle. Lynda so desperately wants to be someone of importance and she will literally do whatever it takes to rub shoulders with whoever she needs to in order to create the life she thinks she wants to live. She works as an English teacher during the day and then spends her wild and crazy nights at Studio 54.

Ultimately, we have a sort of coming of age story of someone who truly is trying to figure out who they are. Lynda’s a bit too confident in all the wrong ways and it most often leads to disaster. She somehow manages to weasel her way out of it all every single time! Chaos follows Lynda wherever she goes until finally that turns into something entirely different than what she thought she wanted or needed.

[Louise Hall · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Lynda Boyle is a strangely fascinating character because she’s seriously delusional. I definitely don’t condone her actions but I think the world would be a better place if every woman had even a smidgen of her self-confidence. She literally can do no wrong in her own eyes.

There have been so many stories about women of that era, particularly on the periphery of the music industry, being objectified by lecherous men and yet Lynda turns the tables and weaponises her sexuality to get what she wants.

This story could’ve been told from Aura and/or Johnny’s perspective but it would’ve just been a pale imitation of so many other stories about this era.

It was difficult to review Last Night at the Disco because it’s cleverly written and Lynda is unlike any other character I’ve read about before but her actions were so abhorrent. It’s a dilemma because I can appreciate the writing but did I enjoy it? It was just OK.

[Devorah Blachor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last Night at the Disco is highly entertaining, smart and funny with one brilliant line after another ("their essences held together by Coppertone, canned beer, and Jersey swamp water" and "I looked around for something to smash, but all I saw was the passed-out form of Peter Frampton on a nearby couch" were two of my faves. I loved the way the author captures this exceptional point in history, when punk met disco and celebs regularly rubbed shoulders with randos at Studio54. The way the narrator slowly reveals herself is also so clever - I don't want to give too much away, but it's the same way a certain personality type might reveal themselves to you in real life, slowly and with red flags popping up intermittently and then increasing as you get to know them. Read this book - you won't regret it!

[Sharondblk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last Night at the Disco is a really fun romp through the early 80s disco scene. I love reading about the music scene of the 70s and 80s (think Daisy Jones & The Six and The Songbook of Benny Lament ). This book is told from the point of view of someone who was there at the beginning and thinks she should get more credit than she does. In fact, Lynda thinks she should be the centre of everything. Her narcissism is generally funny, although her lack of character development made me sad. She's like that friend we all have - fun to visit with, but you wouldn't want to live there. This book played with (at least I think it was okaying with) the trope of 'New York is the only place to be'.
I just really enjoyed reading this - escapist, funny, sometimes uncomfortable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

[Tammy Morton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgallery for this ARC.

This was a good read gave it a 4.75 mostly as Lynda is just an unlikeable person a narcissistic sociopath who feels she is better than everyone else but also paints herself as a victim being cruelly tossed aside by Jonny and Aura when you see that she tried to use themas a means to getting back into the fame she felt she deserves. She also can't accept Jonny not wanting her, you see many examples of her sociopath and narcissistic behaviour through the story also the fact she is writing this as a email to someone in wanting to give her version shows her need to be the main character in the story and not a footnote in someone else's tale. This was a good story but didn't really engrossed me.

[Crystal King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lisa Borders takes a bold swing in Last Night at the Disco by giving us Lynda Boyle, an unapologetically self-absorbed and gloriously delusional narrator, and somehow makes us relish every disastrous minute of her story. It’s no easy feat to craft a character this unlikeable on purpose and still make her compulsively readable, but Borders does it with aplomb. Through Lynda’s razor-sharp voice, the book captures the desperate shimmer of late-1970s ambition and the grim hilarity of looking back decades later, still convinced you were the star. Witty, audacious, and unflinchingly honest about ego and fame, this novel is a glitter-streaked fever dream of bad decisions and misplaced confidence, and I loved every second of it.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book so much until about 60% or so and then it just started to feel really repetitive. I love an unreliable narrator with a strong, unique voice and this was a great one. A 26 year old narcissist in the late 1970s, Lynda was so fun to me. I laughed a lot at her perspective of the interactions around her.

But eventually the book just ended up feeling really long. Her antics felt similar, repeated over and over, and I got tired of reading the same situations with different men.

The concept was great and I thought the author did a fabulous job creating Lynda’s voice, I just wished for a little more variety in the plot.

[Sheri Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, just start reading and you’ll see. This novel is so much fun. It’s structurally compelling, drawing the reader into the mystery of past wrongs committed by our exceptionally awful anti-heroine who views herself as flawless, even as she engages in more present-time wrongs. A subtle beauty of the novel is the way the famous-musician story/scandal develops in the background, as through a screen, since Lynda is too self-absorbed to pay it real attention or tell it with accuracy. Yet we can piece it together fully around her efforts. She’s a classic unreliable narrator to hilarious extremes, one whose intense desires almost tempt us into rooting for her.

[judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

i do not think this book is for me.

i love an anti-hero but the "protagonist" in Last Night at the Disco is not that. lynda boyle is delusional narcissist that clings to other people's fame like a remoray eel.

there is pacing and funny scenes but the POV is so self-congratulatory & grating, i found myself not enjoying the read.

perhaps this is a testament to the quality of the writing; lynda boyle is a singular but also identifiable personality (as are the rest of the characters) that i can see what the author is achieving here. i'm sure there are plenty of readers who will enjoy this. it's just not for me.

[rameenlovesbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the publisher for the e-ARC!

This book is as if Daisy Jones from ‘Daisy Jones and the Six’ is an awful person.

Lynda Boyle is an absolute crazy person, the whole book is an essential lie on how she was involved in creating the rock legend Aura Lockhart.

She is an incredibly awful person which is entirely the point of the book and I enjoyed it immensely for that.

However I think that’s pretty much all I liked about it, something about this book is all build up no pay off, but it’s definitely enjoyable to read.

2.75/5

[Kirah M’Lyssa Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 rounded to 3

The 70s setting, Studio 54 references, and email-style structure were creative and fun, and the writing really captured the energy of the era. Lynda is intentionally unlikable — self-absorbed and delusional in a way that’s both entertaining and frustrating. After a while, it started to feel repetitive and fell flat for me. Still, it’s a well-written look at fame, ego, and how far people will go for attention.

**Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher, for an advance copy for an honest review**

[Mickey Dubrow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Last Night at the Disco tells the story of a woman who is a legend in her own mind as she attempts to set the record straight about how she discovered two rock n' roll stars. Lynda Boyle is the type of narcissist that other narcissists aspire to be. The novel is laugh out loud funny at some parts and jaw dropping at others. Borders does an excellent job of making a truly terrible person entertaining. I never rooted for Lynda but I couldn't wait to see what she would do next and how she would justify her actions. Highly recommended.

[Kalliopy Paleos · Rating 5 out of 5]

An engrossing, fast-paced book that’s also a love-note to glam and a salty, much-needed tongue-sticking-out to literary pretension. Every sentence is polished like a prism, bringing together humor, depth and action and propelling the reader headlong into the next one. I really marvel at Borders’ crafting of this mindbendingly unstable narrator - narcissistic, sociopathic, violent - because even while I was reading and yelling out loud at the other characters who give in to her time and again, I myself was avidly along with her for the ride. Along similar lines, I think one of the most compelling elements of Lynda Boyle’s nature is how (oddly, and disconcertingly) relatable she is at times. And the characters surrounding her are a perfect blend as well - tenderly drawn, ever-so-lightly retouched with caricature - and therefore all the more real and palpable.

I kept going back to the intriguing opening letter as I progressed forward; I really like how the ‘outcome’ of this book is expertly woven throughout the unfolding action itself. We piece together what happens to Lynda (no spoilers, just read the book!) from the small details she lets fall as she tells her story. This technique leaves room for lots of mystery even as we see where this rollercoaster of cause and effect has tossed her. It also maintains the breathless aspect of the pacing, where it’s happening so fast it’s fresh on every page.

Often ribald, sometimes scathing, always hilarious and ever-haunting - Lynda Boyle’s journey is far from over!