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loesm's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Toxic friendship, Racial slurs, Racism, Physical abuse, Violence, and Murder
mandireads's review against another edition
emotional
3.0
I liked this alright! I liked the interview style it was told in — and I loved that the audiobook had a full cast. It really brought the characters to life. I liked that it spanned decades and we got to see Opal & Nev from the beginning all the way through to the end. I really enjoyed the social, cultural, and political commentaries that weaves throughout the book. It made it all feel very real. I had to regularly remind myself this was a fiction novel!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Racial slurs, Hate crime, and Racism
jashanac's review against another edition
3.75
I quite enjoyed this -- more than I initially suspected, simply because historical fiction about a made-up rock band just doesn't strike my fancy, as a concept.
The audiobook is fantastic -- definitely recommend reading it that way if possible!
I thought the story was interesting and had a lot of nuanced conversations surrounding race and gender, throughout several decades in American history. The characters were compelling, and even the side characters were compelling and I thought really added a lot of depth to the overall story.
Ultimately though, I'm NOT really "into" rock music like that, so those elements of the story didn't captivate me as much as they probably captivate other readers. And I honestly found a lot of Sunny's portion of the story to be a bit unnecessary, as it stood. I guess I wish we had actually gotten more in-depth with her perspective and her own story. I know that wasn't exactly the point here, but it made it so that any time we stepped out of the Opal and Nev history and into Sunny's current life, I didn't care all that much.
I also did think that the ending was a bit rushed, but not enough to "ruin" the ending for me.
Overall I felt like this was immersive (it's true what everyone says -- you forget that these are NOT real people and events...!) and covered some really good conversations and themes, but ultimately it isn't a book I ever see myself re-reading, simply because while I enjoyed my time with it, I didn't LOVE my time with it, probably because I'm just not that "into" rock music and band stories in general!
The audiobook is fantastic -- definitely recommend reading it that way if possible!
I thought the story was interesting and had a lot of nuanced conversations surrounding race and gender, throughout several decades in American history. The characters were compelling, and even the side characters were compelling and I thought really added a lot of depth to the overall story.
Ultimately though, I'm NOT really "into" rock music like that, so those elements of the story didn't captivate me as much as they probably captivate other readers. And I honestly found a lot of Sunny's portion of the story to be a bit unnecessary, as it stood. I guess I wish we had actually gotten more in-depth with her perspective and her own story. I know that wasn't exactly the point here, but it made it so that any time we stepped out of the Opal and Nev history and into Sunny's current life, I didn't care all that much.
I also did think that the ending was a bit rushed, but not enough to "ruin" the ending for me.
Overall I felt like this was immersive (it's true what everyone says -- you forget that these are NOT real people and events...!) and covered some really good conversations and themes, but ultimately it isn't a book I ever see myself re-reading, simply because while I enjoyed my time with it, I didn't LOVE my time with it, probably because I'm just not that "into" rock music and band stories in general!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Racial slurs, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Drug abuse
Minor: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
spookyaz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
this book was written in such a convincing/interwoven way that I had to stop myself at several points and be like "no, opal & nev was not an actual musical duo"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
crodgers90's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Racial slurs
katewhite77's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really recommend consuming this novel via audio if at all possible as I should imagine it's the best way to differentiate between all the different colourful characters featured.
On one level this is very entertaining and upsetting in equal measure spoof aural history of a spoof of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo and on another it says something important about racism sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic.
I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are similar in both Audio and print. I would say The Final Rival of Opal And New has another strand to it though.
On one level this is very entertaining and upsetting in equal measure spoof aural history of a spoof of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo and on another it says something important about racism sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic.
I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are similar in both Audio and print. I would say The Final Rival of Opal And New has another strand to it though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Sexism
naturally's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
all of the characters (bar sunny) are so fleshed out and rich in detail that i felt as though i was reading a non-fiction piece in a magazine publication or a documentary transcript. opal, pearl, rosemary and virgil were standout voices to me. i adored opal's POV in particular, her story feels like an ode to all the black musical legends who have been used and thrown aside by the music industry and whom haven't been given the opportunity to tell their own stories.
typically, i find song lyrics in books cringey, but nev's knack for songwriting and lyricism come across well on the page, and further illustrate his quirks.
the commentary on race, gender, politics and the music industry are real and raw without coming across as preachy.
my only criticisms are that i would have liked to have read more about how nev handled the fallout of his and opal's reunion concert. i also felt that, despite having such a personal stake in the story, sunny's editor notes felt very distant and impersonal? as a character, her personality just felt a lot flatter than everyone else's...
overall, this is an amazing debut by dawnie walton - i'll definitely be reading another book by her!
typically, i find song lyrics in books cringey, but nev's knack for songwriting and lyricism come across well on the page, and further illustrate his quirks.
the commentary on race, gender, politics and the music industry are real and raw without coming across as preachy.
my only criticisms are that i would have liked to have read more about how nev handled the fallout of his and opal's reunion concert. i also felt that, despite having such a personal stake in the story, sunny's editor notes felt very distant and impersonal? as a character, her personality just felt a lot flatter than everyone else's...
overall, this is an amazing debut by dawnie walton - i'll definitely be reading another book by her!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, and Violence
Minor: Sexual content, Drug abuse, and Drug use
kimveach's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was amazing! I loved it. Please listen to it. I'm sure it's good in print, but the full-cast audio makes this a performance. The book is in a similar documentary style as Daisy Jones & The Six, but it's also different in so many ways. I loved this one a little more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, Death, Drug use, Medical content, Cursing, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Addiction, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Medical trauma, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
melchncookies's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs and Addiction
jkens's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism