When sixteen-year-old aspiring photographer Charlie Bloom receives the invitation of her dreams - to take backstage photos for chart-topping boyband Fire&Lights - it's an offer she can't refuse. Overnight she is launched into a world of bloggers, paparazzi and backstage bickering and soon becomes caught between the dark charms of the band's lead singer and songwriter, Gabriel West, and his boy-next-door bandmate Olly Samson.
Charlie's growing notoriety makes her a daily target for bitchy bully Aimee Watts and her clique, and though she seeks comfort in her best friend, Melissa, her life spirals ever further out of control.
As her connection with Gabriel deepens, Charlie stumbles upon a spine-tingling truth: all the songs he has written for Fire&Lights' debut album are, impossibly, linked to her and her past. How can this be? What dark secrets has he uncovered? Why is Melissa acting so strangely all the time? And will this rivalry between Gabriel and Olly eventually tear the band apart?
Boy-next-door band member Olly used to go to Charlie's school so when he emails and asks her to photograph the band behind the scenes at their next show, she isn't sure what to think. Almost manhandled into it by best friend Melissa, Charlie is whisked into the band's world of reporters, groupies, screaming fans and massive shows. As we get into it, we see more about the inner workings of the band, how they balance their friendship and the work.
This book is all about that fantasy of saying "I'm with the band". Much like Love Song, it's about a girl who gets tangled up in the messy inner workings of a budding boy band but with a twist: this band's new album has songs about her. Not in a "we're meant to be together even though he's never met me" way but in a "these lyrics are written in my dead mother's notebook" way. Spooky huh?
So while Olly is the one to ask Charlie into their world, Gabriel is the one that everyone talks about and draws hearts around. A strange love triangle develops, Charlie getting stuck between heart throb but trouble Gabriel and sweet and unassuming Olly. Honestly, I wanted Gabe to take a hike, he was way too much trouble but I can see the appeal. But of course if Charlie hadn't stuck around and gotten to know him, he wouldn't have opened up and they definitely wouldn't have figured out this link to their pasts.
It wasn't all about the band either, which I really liked. We saw Charlie's home life, struggling with her relationship with her dad, getting unwanted attention from bullies and then trolled when her name comes out as the band's photographer. Between the school yard bully and loads of randoms off the internet, Charlie was in over her head but I think she handled it as best she could.
I can really see why this book has kind of blown up the blogosphere. It has everything from romance and boy bands to dealing with paparazzi and internet bullies. I loved just about every second of it and that cliff-hanger? Boy, bring on book two!
Published 26th July 2016 by Hodder. Thank you to the publisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
Geeky girl meets famous boy . . . what could go wrong?
Tuesday Cooper is happy being normal -doing her a-levels and indulging in her twin obsessions: buying weird vintage clothes in charity shops and writing her beloved music blog (which nobody ever reads). Her love for music started when she was thirteen and had a massive crush on Jackson Griffith, teen rock god and SUPER HOT LOVE OF HER LIFE. Now Tuesday's eighteen and has moved on to fancying boys in real life and Jackson went off the celebrity radar years ago.
So it can't be him that's messaging her on her blog, can it?
From one girl's computer to the pyramid stage at Glastonbury Festival, this is a love story for anyone who has ever wished that someone would sing a love song just for them.
Dreams can come true . . .
This is a really sweet and funny story about fate and famous crushes. Tuesday writes a music blog. Nothing impressive, just musings on life and 80's rock, so she is surprised when a random comment appears to be from Jackson Griffith, rock star and front runner to Chew's favourite band.
Chew feels more comfortable online, has always wanted to write - could really relate! Her story was fun to read and very funny, as she finds herself in extraordinary positions with Jackson. But of course the dream eventually comes crashing down, which was quite sad. But Jackson had one too many problems and Chew couldn't fix him, no matter how much she wanted to.
Supporting cast included Chew's boyfriend Seymour, who was nice but kinda bland. He played in a band too but wasn't anything special. I did feel sorry for him as Chew was too scared to tell him how she really felt but then by the end, he did something that was a little too harsh. Then there were Nishi and Anna, Chew's best friend and her girlfriend. Surprising but really nice to have a gay couple, especially as their relationship problems were just normal; way to demystify lesbian couples!
All in all, a fun read about the love of music and writing, and the dangers of getting caught up in the celebrity world. Chew learns her lesson and becomes better off for it, so does Jackson I think. A good and realistic look at relationships, friendships and A-levels, with some mad music references thrown in.
Published 4th June 2015 by Macmillan Books.
Meet Jay. Summer. And Dylan.
Jay plays guitar, writes songs and dreams of being a rock star. But his ambitions are stifled by seven siblings and a terrible drummer.
Summer works hard at school, looks after her nan and has a one-in-a-million singing voice. But can her talent triumph over her nerves?
Dylan is happiest lying on his bunk smoking, but his school rugby coach has other ideas, and Dylan reluctantly joins a band to avoid crunching tackles and icy mud.
They're about to enter the biggest battle of their lives. And there's everything to play for.
The blend of music and teenage drama, from a hyperactive classmate to boarding school troubles, from taking care of an ill grandmother to tackling seven siblings, made for a great story, leading up to a fantastic opportunity for all of them. The stories of the three protagonists were told with alternative perspectives, switching between the three of them, which built tension very effectively. Even though they were so far apart, spread across the country, their love of music united them before they even met.
Jay was pretty scrawny, especially compared to his much tougher older brothers (and even one of his younger brothers) but he was passionate about his music so when his band's drummer is not getting any better, he risks his friendships to find a new one. Jay was the typical middle child, although there were a lot of children either side! He was quiet, didn't like to make a fuss, but stood up for his family and his music. Summer was really sweet and I immediately fell for her and her tough life; parents gone and left to look after her ill grandma, Summer was reluctant to join a band, especially with little money and an annoyingly crazy band mate but you could tell it did her good. She starting standing up for herself, allowed herself to have a life of her own and even gained some really good friends in the process.
And finally Dylan; bit of a loser, lazy, bad attitude and all that, but once you get to know him, generally a good guy. He is his father's son and loves music so he jumps at the chance of joining a band to avoid rugby - cannot blame him for that! He uses his sweet-talking skills and knowledge of the music industry to help the band get a better sound and even manages to make friends in them.
Although I like music, the technical playing-an-instrument knowledge went over my head but I still fell so effortlessly into the world of the three of them, with all their little dramatics and difficulties. All three protagonists and their supporting characters were well built-up, from parents to band mates, and this was a great introduction to the series.
Published 27th February 2014 by Hodder Children's Books. Thank you the the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
Bailey wasn't always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn't sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…
It had only been a week after Bailey's family had dumped her on her granddad and it took me a while to understand the time lapse, as her sister had been away for a year but only not speaking to her for a week. Little confusing but I got the gist. So we're inside Bailey's head as she tries to come to terms with her absent family and not being allowed to play music publicly for fear of ruining it for her sister. Sam plays the bad-boy role here as he entices Bailey to play fiddle in his band and they are really good. Like, we could get a record contract good! But between Bailey's family rules and Sam's commitment issues, they are destined to be either at each other's throats or attached at the lips. Guess which won wins most of the time?
This came highly recommended, as Jennifer Echols is a great New/Young Adult writer and her books are apparently amazing. Having now read my first one, I can now confirm that to be true! The first thing I have to mention is the setting. I really liked Nashville, the country music scene leapt off the page and even though I am not musically inclined, so some information went over my head, it helped to understand Bailey and Sam's characters and motivation for their love of music.
Speaking of Bailey and Sam, I loved them both. Bailey was spiky and on-edge but melted into her music, whereas Sam was instantly love-able but had hidden issues. Even though Bailey was over-dramatic, I really felt for her. Her family had essentially dumped her for her sister and that wasn't fair. The whole situation wasn't handled well, be anyone, but as it was from Bailey's perspective, I was more likely to sympathise with her. And while I instantly liked Sam, the more I learned about him, the more wary I was. I really wanted to just fall for him, but he was so complicated and gorgeous that I was worried about what he was going to do next. Or at least, what he was going to say that sounded stupid and ridiculous.
Echols effortlessly intertwines seductive first loves and making it big in the music industry. Add in a hot guy that play guitar and a happy ending, and I'm sold!
Published 16th July 2013 by Gallery Books. Thanks to netgalley for my e-copy.
