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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
A really great book about learning to really open up to people and accept yourself, as well as family relationships. Although the main character could be a little too negative sometimes, I still really enjoyed this book. I'd definitely recommend this to any one of my friends.
4.5/5
4.5/5
4.5 stars.
I really really enjoyed this book. Jasmine has graduated high school but has decided that the path her father has planned for her isn't what she wants right now. Her hope to convince him to let her put off college for now isn't working and he's kicked her out of his house. She has found herself stranded with a broken down car, a backpack of belongings and her guitars and an amp. She comes from a well-to-do area but that has no impact on her life, her father is no longer supporting her desire to see where music takes her. Her limited savings isn't going to go very far either so she lies her way into a band that is looking for a live-in roommate.
I really enjoyed the path this story took. There was no easy resolution and things didn't suddenly fall into place for Jasmine when life started getting too hard. Her lies came back to bite her in the ass, and she had to own up to them.
While this book is really Jasmine's story, and I loved her story, I really enjoyed all the secondary characters as well. The chemistry between Jasmine and Sean was so well written. Sean is the bassist in the band and also happens to work at the garage where her car is being repaired. From the get-go he comes across as a jerk, but as he realizes Jasmine really isn't the person he thought she was and even acknowledges that he hasn't been in the best frame of mind, their relationship evolves. Every other character in this book has their own things going on and Kelly weaves the story together so it is seemless and well paced. This group of late teen and early twenty year old's all are learning that you can't depend on others to make it... all in different ways, and most likely it isn't going to be easy. Admittedly there were times I felt such anger for her father and where I really sympathized for the way she was raised, and while I wanted to make him the bad guy and shake him while screaming "this is your 17 year old daughter" I can see past all that and it makes it all the more apparent that we can make our own families. They don't necessarily have to be the people we were born with.
The thing that kept me from giving this a full five stars... I found myself skimming over the heavy descriptions of the guitar/band stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love music, but I don't know a thing about bands and guitars and so those parts kind of took me out of the story a bit. I tried to understand it but there were some things that I just kind of skimmed over when it got to be too much.
But here... here is one of my favorite passages:
My lips moved along with hers as I whispered every word, my mind giving each one personal meaning. I may not have written the song, but I could add my story to it. Everyone out there could. That was what made music so powerful.
So... the writing was engaging, fresh and the story was realistic and believable with characters that had me invested. If you're looking for a wonderfully written coming of age story, then this just might be it for you.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
I really really enjoyed this book. Jasmine has graduated high school but has decided that the path her father has planned for her isn't what she wants right now. Her hope to convince him to let her put off college for now isn't working and he's kicked her out of his house. She has found herself stranded with a broken down car, a backpack of belongings and her guitars and an amp. She comes from a well-to-do area but that has no impact on her life, her father is no longer supporting her desire to see where music takes her. Her limited savings isn't going to go very far either so she lies her way into a band that is looking for a live-in roommate.
I really enjoyed the path this story took. There was no easy resolution and things didn't suddenly fall into place for Jasmine when life started getting too hard. Her lies came back to bite her in the ass, and she had to own up to them.
While this book is really Jasmine's story, and I loved her story, I really enjoyed all the secondary characters as well. The chemistry between Jasmine and Sean was so well written. Sean is the bassist in the band and also happens to work at the garage where her car is being repaired. From the get-go he comes across as a jerk, but as he realizes Jasmine really isn't the person he thought she was and even acknowledges that he hasn't been in the best frame of mind, their relationship evolves. Every other character in this book has their own things going on and Kelly weaves the story together so it is seemless and well paced. This group of late teen and early twenty year old's all are learning that you can't depend on others to make it... all in different ways, and most likely it isn't going to be easy. Admittedly there were times I felt such anger for her father and where I really sympathized for the way she was raised, and while I wanted to make him the bad guy and shake him while screaming "this is your 17 year old daughter" I can see past all that and it makes it all the more apparent that we can make our own families. They don't necessarily have to be the people we were born with.
The thing that kept me from giving this a full five stars... I found myself skimming over the heavy descriptions of the guitar/band stuff. Don't get me wrong, I love music, but I don't know a thing about bands and guitars and so those parts kind of took me out of the story a bit. I tried to understand it but there were some things that I just kind of skimmed over when it got to be too much.
But here... here is one of my favorite passages:
My lips moved along with hers as I whispered every word, my mind giving each one personal meaning. I may not have written the song, but I could add my story to it. Everyone out there could. That was what made music so powerful.
So... the writing was engaging, fresh and the story was realistic and believable with characters that had me invested. If you're looking for a wonderfully written coming of age story, then this just might be it for you.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
This book was so freaking good and to say I'm shocked about that would be an understatement. I went into the book a few hours ago thinking I'll read a few pages, instead I ended up skipping lunch and most of my social duties to finish it in one sitting because it was THAT good.
The author of Harmonic Feedback returns with another book that centers around music. Jasmine has decided that she doesn’t want to attend Stanford in the fall, so that she can follow her dream of becoming a musician. She finds herself homeless when her father kicks her out for her decision. Jasmine’s car breaks down in Santa Cruz. She finds a listing for a place that she can almost afford but the kicker is that she needs to audition for a band and get picked as their guitarist in order to get the room. All she has to do is convince three jaded, ultra-cool guys and one amazing girl that she can do it. The problem is that she’s never played for anyone except her best friend. Can Jasmine fool them all and for how long?
This book sings. The character of Jasmine is complex, haunted, frigid, closed off, wide open, and entirely human. The other band members are equally fascinating, often veering away from what you would expect from them, making them all the more intriguing. Though it would have been easy to make Jasmine’s father a cardboard stereotype, Kelly didn’t. One of the conversations with her father shows that both Jasmine and her father are trying yet unable to connect.
Music is difficult to write about in novels, but Kelly manages to invite readers into a band, allow them to experience the hard work, the drive, the crap and the intensity of the relationships that music creates. The music in this book is not subtle, this is not another book about a quiet pianist or violinist. Instead this book thrashes and rocks.
Impossible to put down, readers will thrum to the rhythm of disaster, recovery, lies and truth. It is a compelling and remarkable combination. Appropriate for ages 15-17.
This book sings. The character of Jasmine is complex, haunted, frigid, closed off, wide open, and entirely human. The other band members are equally fascinating, often veering away from what you would expect from them, making them all the more intriguing. Though it would have been easy to make Jasmine’s father a cardboard stereotype, Kelly didn’t. One of the conversations with her father shows that both Jasmine and her father are trying yet unable to connect.
Music is difficult to write about in novels, but Kelly manages to invite readers into a band, allow them to experience the hard work, the drive, the crap and the intensity of the relationships that music creates. The music in this book is not subtle, this is not another book about a quiet pianist or violinist. Instead this book thrashes and rocks.
Impossible to put down, readers will thrum to the rhythm of disaster, recovery, lies and truth. It is a compelling and remarkable combination. Appropriate for ages 15-17.
3-3.5 stars
Fun at times, awfully convenient at others. Didn't care for a lot of the setup (EVIL!PARENTS!, Craiglist of Convenience!) but I pretty much read it all in one sitting, so...
Fun at times, awfully convenient at others. Didn't care for a lot of the setup (EVIL!PARENTS!, Craiglist of Convenience!) but I pretty much read it all in one sitting, so...