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molliebrarian's review
4.0
I liked this one a lot! It seems like there are generally more children's books about music that star boys, especially when it comes to rock music, so it's great to have a female protagonist. I felt like Melly was pretty relatable and the voice sounded authentic. Plus it's set in Michigan!
ladygetslit's review
4.0
This book has a lot to love: a baby bisexual main character, complicated best friendship, music as a metaphor for life, dealing with your parents divorcing... and on top of that, this is one of the few books I can think of where the protagonist is 13, in that awkward age between MG and YA, and the writing really straddles that transition well. Definitely check this one out, even if you are on the fence about reading MG.
Rating Breakdown
Storytelling: 7
Characterization: 9
Artistry: 6
Lasting Impact: 8
Emotional Connection: 8
Bonus
Teachability: +1
Representation: +2
Rating Breakdown
Storytelling: 7
Characterization: 9
Artistry: 6
Lasting Impact: 8
Emotional Connection: 8
Bonus
Teachability: +1
Representation: +2
dotty_emu's review against another edition
4.0
3.75 stars
It's a good book. I personally didn't connect deeply with any of the characters, but that could be because I read it so quickly. I was very interested in the story and loved the characters despite not becoming super attached to any of them.
The book is about a thirteen year old girl named Melly (short for Melissa) who is going to a two week sleepaway rock and roll camp in Michigan. Her parents recently announced they were getting divorced, basically immediately before she leaves for the camp. She and her friend Olivia are in separate bands in the camp, which is bad at first, but as Olivia drifts away in favor of her new crush, Melly begins to drift closer to Adeline, a member of her band. ooooh woah
I'm really bad at summarizing books.
Anyways, it was especially interesting for me to read because Melly has a more introverted personality than mine, and it's interested to get a different perspective than that I usually would.
It's a good book. I personally didn't connect deeply with any of the characters, but that could be because I read it so quickly. I was very interested in the story and loved the characters despite not becoming super attached to any of them.
The book is about a thirteen year old girl named Melly (short for Melissa) who is going to a two week sleepaway rock and roll camp in Michigan. Her parents recently announced they were getting divorced, basically immediately before she leaves for the camp. She and her friend Olivia are in separate bands in the camp, which is bad at first, but as Olivia drifts away in favor of her new crush, Melly begins to drift closer to Adeline, a member of her band. ooooh woah
I'm really bad at summarizing books.
Anyways, it was especially interesting for me to read because Melly has a more introverted personality than mine, and it's interested to get a different perspective than that I usually would.
nwlyon80's review
5.0
This is a beautiful book that tackles big issues like confidence, a first love and parents getting divorced. I just adored it.
jackelz's review against another edition
5.0
Melly is a very relatable character, and I loved the journey of her figuring out how to express herself during her two weeks at Camp Rockaway. There are a lot of powerful messages jam packed into this story.
dostojevskijs's review against another edition
4.0
"Music isn't just playing notes on a page. You've got to put your heart into it. I'm not saying lost control. I'm saying let what's happening inside you come out."
Okay, so. This one was really, really good. It deals with a lot of topics at the same time but does it successfully. I could really relate to the main character, or perhaps it was more my own middle grade self who could relate to her a lot. But either way, it was well-written, it made me both happy and sad and it was really hard not to care for the characters. Except Noel. Noel is a jerk.
Okay, so. This one was really, really good. It deals with a lot of topics at the same time but does it successfully. I could really relate to the main character, or perhaps it was more my own middle grade self who could relate to her a lot. But either way, it was well-written, it made me both happy and sad and it was really hard not to care for the characters. Except Noel. Noel is a jerk.
evanbernstein's review
5.0
(Full disclosure, the author is a friend of mine.)
This book was fantastic. I loved living in Melly's world and I was sad that Camp Rockaway only lasted 2 weeks. I wanted to spend more time with Melly and her friends and their bands.
At the end of the book, I had tears in my eyes and on my cheeks. Lisa did a great job of making Melly's life, problems, and mistakes engaging and captivating.
The writing itself was fantastic. I would forget that this was my friend's book and I was sucked in. Passages like this captivate me, I like the way that everything doesn't have to be spelled out, and you get the full embarrassment of the character.
Melly, her friends, and her parents are complicated, as we all are. They make mistakes, and they have to learn from them. A passage at the end of the book really struck with me as a core theme of the book:
The book, to me, is about the mistakes we make. The trials and tribulations of being a teenager and learning to deal with our emotions, our friends, and our crushes and love. And how, these trials, don't really go away. We are always making mistakes and learning from them.
All of that wrapped up in a charming story of a woman starting to learn about her sexuality, how to be a drummer, how to communicate (with friends, with bandmates, with her parents, and with herself).
I highly recommend this read.
This book was fantastic. I loved living in Melly's world and I was sad that Camp Rockaway only lasted 2 weeks. I wanted to spend more time with Melly and her friends and their bands.
At the end of the book, I had tears in my eyes and on my cheeks. Lisa did a great job of making Melly's life, problems, and mistakes engaging and captivating.
The writing itself was fantastic. I would forget that this was my friend's book and I was sucked in. Passages like this captivate me, I like the way that everything doesn't have to be spelled out, and you get the full embarrassment of the character.
We each had to make up a jingle to help everyone remember our names. Let’s just say when your name only rhymes with jiggly words like belly and jelly, it’s bad news.
Melly, her friends, and her parents are complicated, as we all are. They make mistakes, and they have to learn from them. A passage at the end of the book really struck with me as a core theme of the book:
How was anyone supposed to figure out this stuff? It was depressing to think I could live another twenty-five years and still be clueless. I felt sorry for my hypothetical kids.
The book, to me, is about the mistakes we make. The trials and tribulations of being a teenager and learning to deal with our emotions, our friends, and our crushes and love. And how, these trials, don't really go away. We are always making mistakes and learning from them.
All of that wrapped up in a charming story of a woman starting to learn about her sexuality, how to be a drummer, how to communicate (with friends, with bandmates, with her parents, and with herself).
I highly recommend this read.
rayna13's review
5.0
For some reason, the moment I found this on Goodreads, saw the cover and read the synopsis, I REALLLLLLLY wanted to read it. I was INCREDIBLY excited about it, and ordered it like an hour later. It took about three weeks to come (anyone wanna storm Amazon with me for the unfairness of that?), but when it finally did, I finished it in two (possibly three) sittings.
Was I disappointed? Welllllllll it would've been fun to write that I was, indeed, disappointed with such an anticipated read, but thankfully, it wasn't actually.
Was I disappointed? Welllllllll it would've been fun to write that I was, indeed, disappointed with such an anticipated read, but thankfully, it wasn't actually.
alexfromistemor's review against another edition
4.0
Cute little book all about expectations and self-confidence. Melly spends so much of her time ricocheting around in her head, fighting with her self-confidence issues (I can relate), and eventually learning to speak up for herself. It has to be so hard to be at a camp that's so much about being seen when you're an introvert, even when you're 'just the rhythm section'.
Speaking of the camp, Rockaway sounds soo cool! I did have flashes of memories to my own camp experiences as a kid. I'm not a musician in any sense of the word, but I so wanted to go to this camp.
Melly's friendship with Olivia feels natural and honest, both when they are in and out of sync with one another. They argue, Melly worries about their friendship, but in the end, they are so close to one another. When Melly tells Olivia about Adeline, and she's just so completely supportive...ahh, it's wonderful.
And Adeline, wonderful, supportive, positive-against-almost-all-odds Adeline. She's such a wonderful, refreshing character who connects with Melly immediately, and yet is never pushy. The two girls' feelings for one another are genuine and very well handled, and it's nice to see both a character for whom this is all new and she's figuring herself out, and one for whom knows exactly who she is and where her preferences lay.
Speaking of the camp, Rockaway sounds soo cool! I did have flashes of memories to my own camp experiences as a kid. I'm not a musician in any sense of the word, but I so wanted to go to this camp.
Melly's friendship with Olivia feels natural and honest, both when they are in and out of sync with one another. They argue, Melly worries about their friendship, but in the end, they are so close to one another. When Melly tells Olivia about Adeline, and she's just so completely supportive...ahh, it's wonderful.
And Adeline, wonderful, supportive, positive-against-almost-all-odds Adeline. She's such a wonderful, refreshing character who connects with Melly immediately, and yet is never pushy. The two girls' feelings for one another are genuine and very well handled, and it's nice to see both a character for whom this is all new and she's figuring herself out, and one for whom knows exactly who she is and where her preferences lay.
honeypossum_reads's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25