Saturday, June 3, 2017

Review: Songs About a Girl - Chris Russell

Songs About a Girl
Chris Russell
Series: Songs About a Girl, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Charlie Bloom never wanted to be 'with the band'. She's happiest out of the spotlight, behind her camera, unseen and unnoticed. But when she's asked to take backstage photos for hot new boy band Fire&Lights, she can't pass up the chance.

Catapulted into a world of paparazzi and backstage bickering, Charlie soon becomes caught between gorgeous but damaged frontman, Gabriel West, and his boy-next-door bandmate Olly Samson. Then, as the boys' rivalry threatens to tear the band apart, Charlie stumbles upon a mind-blowing secret, hidden in the lyrics of their songs...
Charlie Bloom was not your typical teen. Therefore, when she was contacted by a member of the current-hottest-boy band to photograph them for their fan site, she declined. Due to interference from her technologically savvy best friend, she found herself a reluctant part of the Fire&Lights world. With each concert, she found herself more attached to each member of the band, but there was something different about her attachment to Gabriel, the brooding bad boy of the band. As they got to know each other, they found they had a connection, and this connection was a lot more meaningful than they initially anticipated.

This is a debut, so I really didn't know what to expect, but you know me, I love a contemporary romance. That coupled with a boy band sold me on reading the story, but this was not simply a contemporary romance. It was made a little more interesting with this thread of mystery, which was woven into the story.

I really like Charlie. She was this ordinary girl, who was thrust into an extraordinary situation. She was quite unprepared for all the negative and positive things that resulted from her work with Fire&Lights, and I found her reactions quite honest and authentic. She was nursing wounds that ran quite deep too. Her mother was dead, her father was somewhat disconnected, she was bullied at school and online. All these difficulties could get a girl down, yet, Charlie kept going. I attribute some of that to her support system next door - her best friend, Melissa, and Melissa's mom, Rosie, but also to her fortitude of character. **Side note: Melissa was a hilarious fangirl of epic proportions, and made me laugh almost every time she opened her mouth. Example:
"It's impossible to be sad when you're eating marshmallows. That's a scientific fact."
I really enjoyed being back stage with the band. They charmed the pants off of me. Russell captured the boyish camaraderie perfectly, and their antics were quite fun to read about. Another thing I loved was that he made the characters so age appropriate. Charlie is 15-years-old at the book's onset, and the band members are all around 18, so their behaviors and reactions really fell in line with normal teens of similar age.
"'Carla's famous. She's on TV. Me, I'm just...'
Gabriel looked at me, amber light shining in his eyes.
'Charlie, trust me. You're not just anything.'"
When Charlie and Gabe met, there was this pull, they were drawn to each other. They keep talking about a connection, and as they started to break down each other's wall, they learn that there is indeed a reason for this connection. This little mystery is present throughout most of the story, and I thought I knew where is was going, and I was really wrong. Then, I thought I knew where it was going again, and I was wrong again. And then with the cliffhanger, I thought I had it figured out, but I will be unable to confirm until the next book.

This book is so much more than a contemporary romance. It explores ideas about friendship, family, aspirations, the impact of online media, bullying, love, and loss.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.









Do you have a favorite boy band?
Let us know in the comments!

16 comments:

  1. I was into the boy band thing back in the day - I was an N'Sync girl!I hadn't heard of this one before but sounds good. Great review!!

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    1. NSync was after my time. 🤣 I think the big boy band of my time was Duran Duran, but was all about The Smiths back then

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  2. This one is new to me but I love how it sounds! A cliffhanger in a YA Contemporary Romance? I have to admit that has me very curious. Adding this to my TBR now!

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    1. I was shocked by that too, but it hinges on how the characters' pasts are intertwined

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  3. I don't a lot of YA books but this sounds interesting. I am not too sure about the cliffhanger though.

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    1. It's cute. This book is apparently from last year, and the sequel comes out next month. So, at least I don't have to wait too long.

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  4. I did not realize that this was to be a series. I don't know if I could do the whole music thing, but I DO love that it is more than just a regular old romance. I like when a contemporary has a lot of different components. Oh, and I definitely don't have a favorite boy band- my friends back in the day didn't understand how that was possible, but they just never appealed to me ;) Great review!

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    1. We were just talking about the whole boy band thing at work on Friday, and I was not really a fan of the traditional boy bands. Though, when I was in middle school, I really loved New Edition. Hey! Wait! I liked the Jackson 5 a whole lot as a kid too. Maybe I did like boy bands. =O

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  5. Too bad about the cliffhanger. I don't really care for those but otherwise this sounds like a really cute read. Great review!

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    1. It was cute and I found it odd that there was a cliffy in a contemporary. When I saw it was part 1, I was thinking companion, but nope, this very interesting piece of information surfaced right near the end of the book.

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  6. I love the sound of this one! Sounds right up my alley.
    I don't remember boy bands being a thing when I was a teenager but I was a huge fan of Duran Duran. And Depeche Mode. Crazy how both are still around (to some degree)!
    Tanya @ Girl Plus Books

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    1. I was never a Duranie, but I still love DM. I was into The Cure, The Smiths, Tears for Fears, The Pixies in my later teens.

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    2. Ah, The Cure. I had a photo of Robert Smith (in all his wild-haired, lipsticked glory) taped to my bathroom mirror and it drove my mother crazy. LOL

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    3. Isn't it crazy that he's still sporting that look. 🤣

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  7. This one looks good too! I enjoy YA Contemporary and I love that it has a little mystery thrown in. I also love that the author really kept the characters in the right age range. Great review!!

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    1. I am hoping to read part 2 when it comes out, because I definitely want to know how these two are connected

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