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hailey_miller's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
5.0
What a wondrous debut! Fearless captured my heart. I loved Relly, April, Monica, and Hudson from the moment I met them. This story snatched my attention and kept me hooked throughout all the time reading it.
I especially loved this because I’ve done some preforming of my own, but that is definitely not necessary to enjoy this.
And what a beautiful cover!
Don’t miss this! It is truly beautiful and stunning. Definitely something I plan to reread.
Recommended for fans of Sharron Creech.
I especially loved this because I’ve done some preforming of my own, but that is definitely not necessary to enjoy this.
And what a beautiful cover!
Don’t miss this! It is truly beautiful and stunning. Definitely something I plan to reread.
Recommended for fans of Sharron Creech.
myeshatiara's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Favorite Quote: “When darkness comes, hold it, love it, learn to understand it.”
I haven’t read a ya book about a child actor and I’m glad I finally picked one up. I love the level of love and support Monica’s family gives her with her dreams. They don’t discourage her is which is a great thing to read about as often times poc families can feel that art isn’t the best things to get into due to money. I’m glad her family doesn’t hold those views.
I also enjoy the other kids characters that round out the book and the description of how it is to be on Broadway and the stress, challenges and rewards that come with it.
I haven’t read a ya book about a child actor and I’m glad I finally picked one up. I love the level of love and support Monica’s family gives her with her dreams. They don’t discourage her is which is a great thing to read about as often times poc families can feel that art isn’t the best things to get into due to money. I’m glad her family doesn’t hold those views.
I also enjoy the other kids characters that round out the book and the description of how it is to be on Broadway and the stress, challenges and rewards that come with it.
kimiloughlin's review
3.0
This book definitely has some great elements that I adored but overall, fell a little flat for me. Monica Garcia excitedly comes to NYC to make her Broadway debut as an understudy with her Abuela. She leaves behind a hardworking family with a struggling farm and a younger brother with medical issues that cause financial strain. She joins the cast of a new musical hoping to best the curse that is said to haunt it's theater, the Ethel Merman. Mysterious occurrences keep riddling the production though so Monica and her cast mates team up to save the day.
My favorite parts were the relationships: between Monica and her Abuela (and how her Abuela loves musicals too and always helps Monica forward in her career), between Monica and her best friend (the long distance support was so sweet), and the budding relationships between Monica and her cast mates. Gonzalez also tears down the walls and gives a little backstage info about Broadway like no matter how grand the lobby and seats are, the backstage is old and smelly. However, the general overview of "how it works" on Broadway is very idealized and I'm not sure if that was done intentionally to dumb it down for kids (something I hate) or if Gonzalez herself has an idealized version because she is an actor (this is coming from someone who works in theater management so I very familiar with the minutiae, good and bad). For instance, opening night is not the first performance... that's first preview. And reviewers come to performances leading up to opening night but are very rarely at opening night itself. Also, there is no way a group of kids can perform numbers from a super hush-hush upcoming Broadway musical in public, let alone on TV, without permission and contracts from a whole host of people.
The plot as a whole felt too broad and unformed. While I really enjoyed Monica's arc as a young actor getting her first gig, I felt like we very quickly veered into a weird ghost story, mystery solving gang plot that I felt wasn't as strong. It also ended way too easily and in my opinion, dumbly. There was an attempt to connect Monica's family history and lore with what was happening with the theater which didn't land very well and just convoluted the plot even more.
Gonzalez narrates the audiobook though and does a fabulous job (now I need her to narrate more!). Despite it's shortcomings, it's still a fun juvenile novel and is great for fans of theater and mysteries. and
My favorite parts were the relationships: between Monica and her Abuela (and how her Abuela loves musicals too and always helps Monica forward in her career), between Monica and her best friend (the long distance support was so sweet), and the budding relationships between Monica and her cast mates. Gonzalez also tears down the walls and gives a little backstage info about Broadway like no matter how grand the lobby and seats are, the backstage is old and smelly. However, the general overview of "how it works" on Broadway is very idealized and I'm not sure if that was done intentionally to dumb it down for kids (something I hate) or if Gonzalez herself has an idealized version because she is an actor (this is coming from someone who works in theater management so I very familiar with the minutiae, good and bad). For instance, opening night is not the first performance... that's first preview. And reviewers come to performances leading up to opening night but are very rarely at opening night itself. Also, there is no way a group of kids can perform numbers from a super hush-hush upcoming Broadway musical in public, let alone on TV, without permission and contracts from a whole host of people.
The plot as a whole felt too broad and unformed. While I really enjoyed Monica's arc as a young actor getting her first gig, I felt like we very quickly veered into a weird ghost story, mystery solving gang plot that I felt wasn't as strong. It also ended way too easily and in my opinion, dumbly. There was an attempt to connect Monica's family history and lore with what was happening with the theater which didn't land very well and just convoluted the plot even more.
Gonzalez narrates the audiobook though and does a fabulous job (now I need her to narrate more!). Despite it's shortcomings, it's still a fun juvenile novel and is great for fans of theater and mysteries. and
mrsclarkcatlady's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
caitann's review
4.0
I saw the brilliant Mandy Gonzalez in Wicked on Broadway ages ago in April 2010, back when I was as wide-eyed and awed by New York City as Monica is in this book, so I knew this was automatically going to be special (also I eat up any books about Broadway with a spoon) - and it absolutely is! I highly recommend the audiobook, because as you might expect, Gonzalez reads this story so beautifully - you can just hear the smile in her voice the whole time - and AH I just CHERISHED the moment Monica sang the lullaby in Spanish to her brother, because Gonzalez truly sang it for us on audio too (gorgeous)! I’ve been on such a Broadway kick lately, missing theatre enormously, so this arrived at the perfect time, and the fact that it comes packaged in middle grade fiction is so lovely - kids’ books can be so warm and so wise, and this was no exception.
endlesstbr's review
3.0
A cute novel pulling back the curtain on Broadway theaters, playing on the tradition of the Ghost light and the narration by the author is pure joy.
charireads's review
5.0
I was given a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is delightful! The Ethel Merman Theater is cursed. No one is sure how or why, but the evidence speaks for itself. Show after show has flopped and the theater is about to close. Enter twelve-year-old Monica Garcia, who has been cast to star in a Broadway musical revival of The Goonies, the theater’s last chance to produce a hit before it shutters its doors for good. Filled with adorable characters you'll love. Highly recommend. #Fearless #NetGalley