⭐️⭐️⭐️💫3.5 STARS💫⭐️⭐️⭐️
Don’t let the 3.5 rating score you into thinking this wasn’t a good book because it really was. The only reason it’s 3.5 STARS instead of 4 STARS is because of the age of the characters for me. If I was a tad bit younger, I may have given this book a solid 4 STARS.
Songs About A Girl by Chris Russell held my attention pretty well considering my ADHD mind bores pretty easily.
I’m going to keep this one pretty, pretty with a wee bit of mess mixed it here and there.
Now, let’s start with a quick word from the author. . .
Synopsis
Heartbreak, romance, fame and pop music – for anyone who’s ever dreamed of saying ‘I’m with the band’. From a Zoella Book Club friend.
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 mindblowing secret, hidden in the lyrics of their songs …
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If I had a teenager or young adult, this is the type of book I would want them to read. It is not only is a beautiful love story but it also deals with many social issues that people are faced with today. Cyber bulling, school bullies, and finding yourself when the world wants you to be like everyone else.
The writing itself wasn’t extraordinary but it was pretty damn good. I believe this is the authors debut novel and his writing will continue to get better with time.
Now that we got those bits out of the way, let’s get into the review. . .
I really liked Charlie, the main female character, a lot. She was sweet, funny, loyal, and very self aware – all of which is hard to find in a typical teenage girl. I loved her style and hidden confidence. She is a year eleven, sixteen year old who is offered the chance to photograph one of the hottest boy bands in the world on their U.K. tour. Every teenage girls dream, right? It so wasn’t mine at sixteen but I know most would jump at the chance.
Me?. . . Not so much because celebrities annoy me but that’s beside the point.
I’m not a teenage girl but I could totally see the appeal of these guys.
Even with the normal insecurities teenagers have, Charlie had the maturity to understand who she was and what type of person she wanted to be.
The boy band, Fire&Light, has four hot and down to Earth members.
Can I say one quick thing about them?. . .
Their connection and friendship was beautiful to read. I believe the way the author portrays them helps the reader see the boys as regular people and not just celebrities. I loved that. I’ve been around my fair amount of men in the music industry and it is not a very common thing to find. Let me not mislead you into thinking that everything is peachy keen with all the members of the band because it is not. I’m not going to tell you why though, your going to have to read it for yourselves.
So, now let’s get messy with it. . .
Like I said before, Charlie was different from most girls her age which appealed to both Olly and Gabriel. Both guys also appealed to Charlie by their humble ways, as well. For being a girl on tour with a famous rock band and having two of those members with a thing for you, her humble behavior made me love her even more.
“I knew it.” he said.
“Knew. . . what?”
“You are, far and away, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.”
On one hand you have Olly, Charlie’s old schoolmate who is the one who invited her to be their photographer. Then you have Gabriel with all his sex appeal and beautiful skin and gray eyes. I mean come on. How is a girl supposed to choose? Especially if Olly and Gabriel have a rocky relationship.
This book gave me the feels when it came to thinking about how one’s entire life is taken away when stardom hits.
“I just want one little piece of me to stay private, y’know? People expect you to give up everything just because you’re famous, but I won’t give them this.” – Gabriel
I currently live in America but I lived in England and Scotland for many years. During my time there I realized how American based celebrities should thank their lucky stars it’s not as bad here – it’s still bad enough and pretty shitty. The paparazzi in the UK are bat shit crazy. It’s like a free for all fucking zoo there. I personally couldn’t handle it. Did I forget to mention that this story is based in the UK? My bad. Oh, wait! I did mention it!
Even though Charlie wanted to stay out of the public eye, some things can’t be avoided and the consequences can be dire. I really felt bad for the chick when the cameras were turned on her. Again, you’re going to have to read it to find out.
My biggest problem with this story is the whole insta-love thing. It wasn’t believable. It was too cliche. It was a been there, done that, kind of thing. I do wish the characters could have spent more time together before love was mentioned. I think that would have taken the book to the next level. The insta-love thing can and has worked in many books but I just didn’t feel it in this one.
Do I recommend this book? I do. I think it’s a really good book for those into YA and rock stars.
Will I read another book by this author? Fuck yeah! I need to know how this damn story ends.
My absolute favorite part of the book didn’t technically exist. There were no sex scenes or over indulgence of sexual content. It would have been kind of creepy if a grown man wrote about teenagers having sex. I don’t think I could have rocked with that. Let’s see if he keeps up the good work in the next two books of the series.
I didn’t really get messy at all.
TTYL, lovers. . .
Stalk all things messy. . .
