I’m going off the beaten path with this review, so just bear with me. I really, really, really enjoyed this book. Normally, I go into reading a “New Adult” book with trepidation and I’ll admit that I had some with this one. But I forgot one very important thing… this book takes place in my own “new adult” years. In 1992 – 1997 (I was an August grad) and I was knee deep in flannel, Doc Martens, Pearl Jam, Nirvana, and some of the greatest music ever written. I’m also a music nerd, I always have been. My parents exposed me to every kind of music you can imagine and to this day, I always have something playing.
Now, I went to a university in the mountains of North Carolina, so the music scene was different than say, Atlanta, where I grew up. In Atlanta, music was everywhere and I wasn’t that far from Athens, the epicenter of one of my all time favorite bands, R.E.M. So, we had kind of Southern Rock thing going on in Georgia and North Carolina. I saw bands like The Connells (LOVE) and Drivin’ N’ Cryin'(listening right now as I type) when I was in high school. Hell, the Indigo Girls went to my high school and they performed there for us my Junior year. I don’t think I truly realized how lucky I was. Then there was that time in college that Kevin Kinney (of Drivin’ N’ Cryin’) performed at a club where my now husband was a bouncer, after imbibing at least a bottle of Jack Daniels. That was not pretty but he managed to make it through the set and it was entertaining.
Anyhoo, I apologize for the music detour but I do have a point. This book worked for me, the music and the time period. It’s the first book I’ve read where I could identify with a character in her twenties. There was no texting and bullshit about social media and you had to call someone on a landline and leave a message on an answering machine (where you may have a custom leave me a message featuring Sophie B. Hawkins song requesting…. “Damn… I wish you’d leave your number.”) and if you couldn’t get them on the phone, you drove over to their house in your CRX!!! (I totally laughed my ass off over that) (Emmy drives a CRX..not me because my Dad referred to them as “rolling coffins”)
I hear you, ok Mandy, that’s great but what about the characters? All of the member of Emmy’s band- Stars on the Floor were fun and interesting. They all took the band seriously and they were a great band. Emmy knows they have potential and therein lies the rub. In Emmy’s mind, nothing is more important than THE BAND, until her attraction to Travis, her guitarist and best friend, finally bubbles over.
Let me say, Ms. Brown can seriously write some smokin’ hot sexy times. WELL DONE! Now, I loved Travis. He was the even-keeled head of this bunch and he was secure in his feelings for Emmy. For me, Emmy’s back and forth where Travis was concerned annoyed me. When she gives in to her feelings for him and pushes him away, it’s frustrating for the reader and for Travis. I’d like to give Travis an award for hanging in there with Emmy. But to his credit he tells her how much she frustrates him. It’s almost a Brokeback “I wish I could quit you” situation. So yeah, you may want to shake Emmy and even she knows that she is jerking him around but, to be honest… I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a relationship at that age where that back and forth occurred. Just sayin’. When Emmy and Travis write together, it’s magic and I want to hear them perform. The life they lead in the band is fun and crazy and they aren’t complete and utter jerks. They want their band to succeed and they all work at it, even though they are also in college.
I’m so glad I took the chance on this book. It was soooo funny and sweet and sexy and I loved the time period. I’m certainly looking forward to the next book in the Hub City series- Stay Until We Break (Add to Goodreads TBR) (Pre-order). I’m VERY interested in the featured characters and I’m always interested in seeing how an author’s work evolves from their first book.
And because I can’t NOT make another music reference, thanks to this book, I give you The Pixies.- Surfer Rosa, one of my all time favorites.
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