[Review: Song Of Summer by Laura Lee Anderson

"Song of Summer"
Author: Laura Lee Anderson 
Series: None
Pages: 250
Genre: YA, Contemporary
Date Published: July 7th, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via NetGalley) for honest review

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Summary:

The thirteen qualities of Robin’s Perfect Man range from the mildly important “Handsome” to the all-important “Great taste in music.” After all, Westfield’s best high school folk musician can’t go out with some shmuck who only listens to top 40 crap. When hot Carter Paulson walks in the door of Robin’s diner, it looks like the list may have come to life. It’s not until the end of the meal that she realizes he’s profoundly deaf.

Carter isn’t looking for a girlfriend. Especially not a hearing one. Not that he has anything against hearing girls, they just don’t speak the same language. But when the cute waitress at Grape Country Dairy makes an effort to talk with him, he takes her out on his yellow Ducati motorcycle.

Told in first person alternating perspectives, language, music, and culture go along for the ride as Carter and Robin find their song.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Song For Summer,

Cute and adorable are two words that I think describe you. You reminded me of an episode of "Switched at Birth," with all of your teen drama and hearing challenged characters. I liked you a lot, but you weren't perfect. Thanks for being a fun summer read though!

-The White Unicorn

This is the story of a girl who can hear, and a boy who can't. It's a story about summer loves, first loves, and figuring out how to love yourself. There is a lot of love happening up in these pages, that's for sure. 

I really liked this book. It's one of those stories that is perfect for summer. Plus, Anderson adds some interesting characters into the mix. Robin is a shy music junky, and Carter is a hunky, motorcycle riding, deaf kid. Throwing those two into a relationship is a great plot device, and I enjoyed it a lot. 

Both main characters were fun to read. They both had major flaws, which irritated me as a reader, but those are just based off personal preference. The fact that the plot relied on people not saying what they meant is also a pet peeve of mine, but that's what form books like this normally take. Add in the fact that Robin and Carter actually had a hard time chatting, using that as a plot point seemed a bit redundant. Hence why I only give this book 3 unicorns, even though I really did enjoy it.

The secondary characters were also pretty cute, and added a secondary romance into the mix. Like I said before, love was in every particle of air surrounding this book. 

I do not know much about deaf culture, but from what I could tell, it seemed like Anderson really did her research there. I liked that she added that element into her novel. It made it feel fresh, and it made it feel educational. 

If you're looking for a cute summer romance with some added cool factor, this might just be the right book for you!

Rating:

3 Unicorns = I liked it a lot, but it had it's issues!  

[Review: Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John]

"Five Flavors of Dumb"
Author: Antony John
Series: None
Pages: 338
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Music
Date Published: November 11th, 2010
Publisher: Dial
Format Read: Hardcover from the library

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Summary:

The Challenge: Piper has one month to get the rock band Dumb a paying gig.

The Deal: If she does it, Piper will become the band's manager and get her share of the profits.

The Catch: How can Piper possibly manage one egomaniacal pretty boy, one talentless piece of eye candy, one crush, one silent rocker, and one angry girl? And how can she do it when she's deaf?

Piper can't hear Dumb's music, but with growing self-confidence, a budding romance, and a new understanding of the decision her family made to buy a cochlear implant for her deaf baby sister, she discovers her own inner rock star and what it truly means to be a flavor of Dumb.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Five Flavors Of Dumb,

I'm in love with you. There, I said it. You're the kind of book that I can get lost in. A book about music, that is about the emotion and the feeling that it gives you. A book that about strong family dynamics. A book that has other issues then the drama of a high school band. And a swoony love story that doesn't take over the rest of the plot. You book, are a great one!

-The White Unicorn

I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much when I started reading this book. I knew it would be fun and I thought the premise was promising, but I never would have guessed how amazing the story would be. John has written a book that is truly special. It's an ode to the music that came out of Seattle, and the grunge era that I personally love. There are whole passages about music and the feelings it gives the characters that made me teary eyed, and not many "music books" can do that for me. 

I adore Piper. She's a total smart-ass and she knows it. In fact that's how she ends up as Dumb's manager. She mouths off a bit and next thing you know she's in charge of a three person band (which quickly turns into a five person band). Thing is, she's deaf. It's a brilliant plot device and John uses it to really bring us into Piper's almost silent world. The thing is, you never feel cut off, because she can feel the feelings of music better than most people with full hearing. It also brings us a lot of family drama, the kind that is realistic, not the soap opera kind. The band and the people Piper meets a long the way help her lighten up a bit (okay, more than a bit) and find out who she really is. 

The book even delves into the culture of Seattle's music scene. The band ends up at Kurt Cobain's house, as well as Jimi Hendrix's (even though his isn't standing anymore). I loved that John made sure to dive into the music history of the book setting. It makes me excited that the younger generations are reading about these music greats in a way that makes sense to them. Also, I loved how much Piper's dad was a closet music buff.

The dynamics between the band itself were well played out. A lot of drama happens, but it was cool to see that in the end they were just a family of misfits that all fit together perfectly. Or almost perfectly, if we're being picky. It was also fun to see Piper become friends with the other girls in the band and to see her come to the realization that one of the fellows had been in love with her for years.

On top of all of that, I loved Piper's family. Her relationship with each member was different and interesting to watch. I really loved how Piper and her younger brother Finn interacted. He seemed like a really cool dude. 

If you love music and interesting characters that deal with big issues in realistic ways, this is the book for you!

Rating:

    5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Girl Defective by Simmone Howell]

"Girl Defective"
Author: Simmone Howell
Series: None
Pages: 320
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Music
Date Published: September 2nd, 2014
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

In the tradition of High Fidelity and Empire Records, this is the literary soundtrack to Skylark Martin's strange, mysterious, and extraordinary summer.

This is the story of a wild girl and a ghost girl; a boy who knew nothing and a boy who thought he knew everything.

It's a story about Skylark Martin, who lives with her father and brother in a vintage record shop and is trying to find her place in the world. It's about ten-year-old Super Agent Gully and his case of a lifetime. And about beautiful, reckless, sharp-as-knives Nancy. It's about tragi-hot Luke, and just-plain-tragic Mia Casey. It's about the dark underbelly of a curious neighborhood. It's about summer, and weirdness, and mystery, and music.

And it's about life and death and grief and romance. All the good stuff. 

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Girl Defective,

There are those things that connect with you in ways you can't describe. There are books that spill words, strung together, made out of your heart and soul and when you read them you can't believe the connect that you have with them. Girl Defective, you're one of those books for me. I connected with you on a level that I can't even begin to understand, and I don't really want to. I want to be able to share you with everyone, but I know that some people just won't get you at all. I pity those people, because you're pure, unadulterated magic. You're kooky 60s and 70s music reference spoke to me on so many levels and your characters are some that I won't be forgetting, ever. You're gonna stay with me for the rest of my life and I hope that you enjoy that ride as much as I enjoyed you!

-The White Unicorn

I'm just gonna say it. Girl Defective is work of art and Howell has created a world that feels odd and kitschy and magical. Nothing is main stream, everything is off kilter and this book is perfectly unapologetic, just like it needed to be. It pulled me right in and I felt like I knew these people and I loved living in their little, odd world for as long as I got to. 

The music, guys, the music references in this book are pure gold! As a self proclaimed music junkie I was thrilled with the albums, songs and artists that Howell chose to highlight within these pages. She could have fallen into using bands that most of all know. The Beatles, AC/DC, Queen, The Rolling Stones, but instead she tossed out references that are less known and I loved it. The Martin's record store is named after a track called Wishing Well by The Millionaires that I'd never heard of, but then I looked it up and I understood why she used it as such a meaningful part of her story. I suggest you YouTube it! She also gives us references to songs that I grew up with that I have collected on vinyl for myself over the years. Any book that talks about Janis Joplin, Carly Simon, Incense and Peppermints, Jan and Dean and Secret Agent Man is a friend of mine. I'm stoked that a younger generation will be able to learn about some of these tunes and artists that I love so much.

The other thing I loved about this book was the pacing. It was like a fantastic Indie film. Something was always just a little off in the perfect way. It highlighted the big moments, but wasn't afraid to slide off into tangents that felt like they would have nothing to do with the story. Don't doubt Howell's storytelling, she uses everything in all the right ways.

No perfect book is perfect without great characters and these ones are spot on. Skylark is seriously lost and looking for a place to belong. I loved that I still found so many ways to connect with her. I'm notorious for having issues with characters like Skylark, but there was something so endearing about her angst that I instantly became a fan. Her music knowledge helped, but it was the way she put her feelings into words that really connected with me.

Gully was awesome. He's so smart and so unhinged at the same time. In his case, it's a winning combination and I loved the relationship that he and Sky had. You felt it. That big sis looking out for her brother vibe was strong and perfect. Through a out of the picture, rock star mom and a drunk dad in the mix and The Martins are a family that works. I honestly loved their dynamic, even though sometimes it got touchy, they loved each other, no matter what.

Luke, Nancy and Quinn also add so much to the music infused tale. These three characters really amp up the mystery of the novel. Because on top of the great family dynamics and the music, Howell also throws a mystery into the plot. I loved this because all the puzzle pieces surrounded these characters and helped Sky figure out what was going on, both in the world and in herself. Nancy self-destructive nature bled into her life. Luke became the perfect love interest, with a dead sister. And Quinn became the friend that every person needs in their life.

I can't say enough about this book. I want to tell everyone about it. I want to tell everyone to read it. I want it to be the next big thing. Who knows? Maybe people will connect to it on the same level that I did and we can all fan-girl over this book together! Now go get yourself a copy!

Rating:

      5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!

[Review: Exile by Kevin Emerson]

"Exile"
Author: Kevin Emerson
Series: Exile #1
Pages: 320
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Music
Date Published: April 29th, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format Read: eARC provided by publisher (via Edelweiss) for honest review

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Summary:

Catherine Summer Carlson knows how to manage bands like a professional—she’s a student at the PopArts Academy at Mount Hope High, where rock legends Allegiance to North got their start. Summer knows that falling for the lead singer of her latest band is the least professional thing a manager can do. But Caleb Daniels isn’t an ordinary band boy—he’s a hot, dreamy, sweet-singing, exiled-from-his-old-band, possibly-with-a-deep-dark-side band boy. And he can do that thing. That thing when someone sings a song and it inhabits you, possesses you, and moves you like a marionette to its will.

Summer also finds herself at the center of a mystery she never saw coming. When Caleb reveals a secret about his long-lost father, one band’s past becomes another’s present, and Summer finds it harder and harder to be both band manager and girlfriend. She knows what the well-mannered Catherine side of her would do, but she also knows what her heart is telling her. Maybe it’s time to accept who she really is, even if it means becoming an exile herself. . . .

On sale in April 2014, Kevin Emerson’s EXILE is a witty and passionate ode to love, rock and roll, and the freedom that comes in the moment when somebody believes in you, even if you’re not quite ready to believe in yourself.

-Goodreads 

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Exile,

Oh hey there book.  Just one question, have you been hiding in my closet and watching my life for the past couple of years?  I mean, sure, you're not an exact copy of my life, because that would mean that I would be like Summer (no thanks) but they're were some parallels.  It made you a really fun read.  I knew some of  the venues and areas that were mentioned, I loved the legitimacy of the band and how it worked and that vinyl library made me want to weep.  Talk about heaven for hipster Belle's everywhere.  You weren't perfect but you were one heck of a ride.

-The White Unicorn

It's no secret that I've been running my own Indie music blog for the last 5 years or that I've grown up around and with musicians my whole life, so Exile was one of those books that felt like home to me.  Emerson paints a fairly legit picture of what it's like to be in a band and what it's like to be on the outside looking in.  My favorite parts of the book were all the bits that had to do with the band.  Coming up with a terrible name, hammering out the dynamics (both in the music and with the players), the craziness of gigs and tours and the insider look into musicians totally worked for me.  

I loved the use of a teenage, female band manager.  Summer was really likable to begin with and I really connected with her early on.  Sadly as the book progressed I became less of a fan.  Maybe it's just because I'm over the whole "girl gets jealous of guy and thinks that he wants to be with all the other girls all the time" trope?  And all the truth withholding got a little old too.  So many of the issues I had with the story would have gone away if Summer would have actually acted like the 18 year old she was supposed to be.  I think I just found her to be juvenile and I didn't want that.  I'm hoping that since this is a series she will get over her issues and be able to kick some butt in the next book.  But I guess I'll have to wait and see if that happens.

The romance (mainly due to my issues with Summer) wasn't one of my favorites.  Caleb is definitely a winner, but he became a little tainted.  It was cool to see all the mess his dad had created piling up on top of him.  It created a lot of tension and a lot of questions for the band to deal with as a whole.

The other part of the novel that I found highly entertaining was the mystery that Emerson manages to weave into the book.  It adds this extra layer that keeps things fresh and also gives us a music driven subplot that doesn't focus on the band and the band alone.  But it still has it's hooks in rock n roll and the crazy world of fame.

In the end, Exile was a really fun ride.  If you're a music junky or if you are a part of the music world in any capasity I say check this one out.  It's got a lot going for it and who knows maybe other readers will connect with Summer more than I did?

Rating:

   3 Unicorns = I liked it a lot but it had it's issues!

[Review: The Sound of Us by Ashley Poston]

"The Sound of Us"
Author: Ashley Poston
Series: Radio Hearts #1
Pages: 202
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
Date Published: December 19th, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark
Format Read: Purchased eBook

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Summary:

America's favorite pop band, Roman Holiday, is done, dead, and so totally last year. For eighteen-year-old rockoholic Junie Baltimore, this is music to her ears. But when she discovers their sexy ex-lead singer hiding out on the boardwalk, her summer vacation becomes the cover story of the year.

She's willing to keep him a secret, but when a sleazy paparazzo offers her the cash she needs to save the bar her father left behind, could she sell out for the chance to save her future? Who is she kidding? That's a no-brainer...but she never planned on falling head over heels for the lead singer.

-Goodreads   

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To The Sound Of Us,

Oh book, how conflicted you leave me.  On one hand you're one of the most quotable things I've ever read.  The highlights in my Kindle edition prove this.  Plus, you were super readable and fast and fun and music filled.  You made me think of song guessing games my dad and I still play and gave me some hilarious characters.  On the flip side you were just a bit much for me.  You were edgy and I give you props for pushing some envelopes (cause who doesn't love an envelope pusher?) but it was just a little too "in your face" with some things for my personal taste.  That being said, when you were good, you were better than great and who doesn't love that?

-The White Unicorn 

The Sound of Us is a lot of things.  It's a pop culture piece, it's a ode to classic rock, it's a story about broken people and it's got a lot of laugh inducing moments.  It also has lightsaber battles on pirate ships.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Lighsaber battles on pirate ships!  

As an author Poston really knows how to write a beautiful passage of words.  She has a way with bending them into the perfect sentence and she has a deep connection with music, you can tangibly feel her love of the stuff.  You can also feel what her characters feel, whether they are talking about something meaningful or just shooting their mouths off.  This ended up being both one of the strongest things about the book and the weakest, all in one package.  On one side we had dialogue so beautiful it would almost make you wanna shed a tear and then on the other side we had so many swear words that it was a little overwhelming.  I get that sexual references and cuss words can be funny, but it seemed to be a little overkill to me this time around.  And this is coming from a girl who usually doesn't care about this kind of stuff.

I loved the whole idea that Junie was a classic rocker at heart.  She could tell you everything about any rock song on the radio, she had a slew of band shirts and she knew her stuff.  She was healing and she was a mess.  It's always interesting to see a character who is dealing with something big, like a death in the family, and see how they react.  Junie does it all with a flare.  She goes and puts a box of neon pink dye to her hair and ends up hanging out with rock... I mean pop stars.  In the beginning she had a bit of martyr syndrome going on, but by the end she grows a pair and stands up for herself!  She turns into someone you can root for.

Perhaps my favorite characters were the guys in the book.  Roman and Boaz were awesome.  Roman was haunted and sweet at the same time and the way he treated Junie (most of the time) was dang darling to watch.  He lost his best friend and he's trying to hide from all the girls who love his band.  He's layered, he's evolving and he's got a lot of unresolved issues.  Top it all off with the lead singer vibe and you have Junie's perfect leading man.

Boaz is just a ball of crazy and he's so much fun.  He's also really rough around the edges, but it keeps things interesting.  Maggie, Junie's best friend was hilarious on so many levels.  Seriously, that girl had a mouth on her.  Really all of the secondary characters had big personalities, which worked for the book. 

Add in the fact that there is a bit of a mystery in the story and it's on point execution and you have a really cool extra layer.  The fact is no one really knows what happened to Roman Holiday's female band member Holly, but they do know that she's dead.  It adds needed tension to the plot.  It gives Roman a reason to hide (even if he doesn't do it well) and it gives Junie a reason to find him.  Which leads us to an epic game of cat and mouse!

If you're looking for a music filled, romance tinged, New Adult novel be sure not to miss out on this one.  Every classic rock lover will appreciate it, I'm sure of that.

Rating:

     3 Unicorns = I liked it a lot but it had it's issues!    

[Waiting On Wednesday: Exile]

Waiting On Wednesday happens every week on Wednesdays (hence the name) and is hosted by Breaking The Spine.  It's were people talk about the books they want to read about that aren't out yet.

My pick this week is...

"Exile"

Author: Kevin Emerson

Release Date: April 29th, 2014

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Summary:

Catherine Summer Carlson knows how to manage bands like a professional—she’s a student at the PopArts Academy at Mount Hope High, where rock legends Allegiance to North got their start. Summer knows that falling for the lead singer of her latest band is the least professional thing a manager can do. But Caleb Daniels isn’t an ordinary band boy—he’s a hot, dreamy, sweet-singing, exiled-from-his-old-band, possibly-with-a-deep-dark-side band boy. And he can do that thing. That thing when someone sings a song and it inhabits you, possesses you, and moves you like a marionette to its will.

Summer also finds herself at the center of a mystery she never saw coming. When Caleb reveals a secret about his long-lost father, one band’s past becomes another’s present, and Summer finds it harder and harder to be both band manager and girlfriend. She knows what the well-mannered Catherine side of her would do, but she also knows what her heart is telling her. Maybe it’s time to accept who she really is, even if it means becoming an exile herself. . . .

On sale in April 2014, Kevin Emerson’s EXILE is a witty and passionate ode to love, rock and roll, and the freedom that comes in the moment when somebody believes in you, even if you’re not quite ready to believe in yourself.

-Goodreads

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This book sounds like the perfect early summer gift to myself!  As a music lover and music journalist, this one sounds like a winner to me.  Fingers crossed that I'll be singing it's praises when I get around to reviewing it, as I already have an ecopy sitting on my Kindle.

 What are you waiting on this week?  I wanna know!   

[Top Ten Tuesday: Beach Reads]

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly linkup hosted by The Broke And The Bookish!

I love Beach Reads!  I tend to read different books during the summer than the rest of the year.  For awhile I would tackle one large classic every summer, one summer I read music related biographies and one summer I read a few series that I had been wanting to get through.  So, I'm gonna give you a few of my favorites in each of those categories.  It looks like this summer will be a bit different as I want to get through a lot of fun girly summer books.  So here are my favorites in the three categories that I already mentioned.

Favorite Classic Beach Reads:

"Gone With The Wind" by Margaret Mitchell:  This one actually took me a whole summer to get through back in my teens, but it was so worth it!  I mean the book is almost 1,000 pages long and not contemporary language.  I fell in love with this book so much that I now have three old school hardback editions of it!

"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte:  I love me some Gothic lit and this is one of my favorites!  It's got so much mystery and some really screwed up and yet lovable characters.  Honestly, if you haven't read this one yet, you should get on that!   

"The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald:  I read this one summer on the beach and I know that I didn't get everything about it, but I've revisited it and also watched the resent movie (which I LOVED!)  It's so much darker than I was expecting and I think that one of the things that I liked most about this story.  Plus it's set in the 1920s!

Biographies For Music Nerds Who Also Like The Beach:

(I'm obsessed with classic rock and musical theater)

"Love, Janis" by Laura Joplin:  I love Janis Joplin and her solo music as well as her years with Big Brother and the Holding Company.  I have their album on vinyl and it's one of my favorite things!  This book was awesome and told Janis's story in her sister's words as well as her own.  It was so cool to read about her life through the letters that she wrote to family and friends.

"A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love and Faith in Stages" by Kristin Chenoweth:  This book made me laugh and laugh and laugh.  I'm such a huge fan of Kristin's work and this book.  She talks about everything.  Beauty Pageants, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Pushing Daisies and Wicked!  And that's not all.  Her wit shines through in this book too!  

"Wilderness" by Jim Morrison:  Jim was the lead singer of The Doors.  The man died at the age of 27, same as Janis.  This book of poetry is wack, but genius as well.  Sometimes I want to read something that's really wack and this is what I go to.  

Series To Beach About:

(I'll link you guys to the first book in the series)

"The Gemma Doyle Trilogy" by Libba Bray:  It's Victorian.  It takes place at a boarding school.  It has sexy gypsies.  It's got loads of humor (which we all expect from Libba).  It's epic and full of some of the craziest plot twists that made me want to scream and cry and also give out high fives to Libba for having the guts to write them.

"The Darkest Power Trilogy" by Kelley Armstrong:  These books are spooky and have a slew of known paranormal creators and yet it's an odd mixture which adds some new elements to the story.  These are super fast and fun reads.  The perfect kind for sitting on the beach or by a pool.  

"The Wicked Lovely Series" by Melissa Marr:  There are 5 books in this series and they're all out.  So you don't even have to wait for the next books like I did.  I happen to love these books a whole lot, even though that third one almost didn't get read all the way through.  The rest of the books are awesome!

"The Flappers Trilogy" by Jillian Larkin:  In all honesty I have only read the first book in this series so far, but I have the other two and loved the first one so much!  I'm really excited to get to the other ones and I think they will happen this summer!

Well there's my list!  What's on yours?  I wanna know.  Leave your link below or tell me in the comments!