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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it’s a tashie book so i obviously loved it
the dynamic between the band members was super cute and fun
it made me think though. i fear i might be outgrowing ya. i loved the protagonist and definitely related to her in moments but she did some things that i disagreed with/would have done differently/found silly. this book made me realize that in technically an adult now
the dynamic between the band members was super cute and fun
it made me think though. i fear i might be outgrowing ya. i loved the protagonist and definitely related to her in moments but she did some things that i disagreed with/would have done differently/found silly. this book made me realize that in technically an adult now
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
medium-paced
i think tashie and i are the same person. if i list out all the similarities it would actually be a bit alarming. really the only difference is that id replace every mention of stray kids with bts. in another life we would have been family friends. frankly, it’s possible that she knows someone that knows someone that knows my mother.
this book is dedicated to chloe gong, which is extremely adorable, and also wild to realize that all your fave authors are all each others favorite people lmao.
aside from all that, this was a very sweet love letter to music. some story points were a bit heavy handed and i couldn’t tell the four boys apart all the time, but liana is living my dream life (aside from the trauma) and i wish this is how my life had gone with the teeny bopper band i was obsessed with from 2018-2020.
this book is dedicated to chloe gong, which is extremely adorable, and also wild to realize that all your fave authors are all each others favorite people lmao.
aside from all that, this was a very sweet love letter to music. some story points were a bit heavy handed and i couldn’t tell the four boys apart all the time, but liana is living my dream life (aside from the trauma) and i wish this is how my life had gone with the teeny bopper band i was obsessed with from 2018-2020.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like Tashie Bhuiyan’s books, I felt so many emotions. I related to Liana’s struggles with trying to do the right thing despite past mistakes and fears about connecting with people. For that reason, it was endearing seeing her connect with Third Eye (reminded me of my relationship with certain musical acts… esp Treasure and ATEEZ! Except Liana actually actually got to know them face to face and mine is more parasocial lmao) I also loved her diverse music choices! It supported the whole idea that she loves music. I also really liked getting to know Third Eye, but I do feel that some characters were more fleshed out than others. I also appreciated the thoughtful discussions of grief, emotional abuse/neglect, and mental health… it is so important to acknowledge them and how they affect people’s lives deeply. ALSO ALSO THE ROMANTIC MOMENTS in this book as was the case in her other books were very satisfying, especially those towards the end… but we could’ve had more romantic moments between Sky and Liana in my opinion to make their romance more developed. BUTTTTT to be fair this all happen over the course of a summer… you can only have so much happen.
However, I did struggle with a few things about this book. The pacing felt a bit off sometimes… like for instance, the beginning could’ve gone a bit faster? I wish more of the time in the beginning section could have been dedicated towards the middle where she was getting closer to the band. I do understand that all that context was needed to establish the starting point for Liana’s character, but that friendship development felt incomplete to me. That leads into my next point. I could see her spending so much time with this group and getting to know them, but I feel like the moments showing their friendship rather than work relationship was shown in a few instances towards the end. I can’t properly articulate it, but I just feel like the friendship somewhat came out of nowhere. ALSO the resolution of the plot felt rather sudden??? I was shocked- grateful my heart could chill but shocked nonetheless. I think it worked because of the kindness embedded in all of the characters despite rough exteriors. I would have liked the forgiving to take a little longer because that feels more realistic BUT in a way it’s good that it turned out this way bc the whole book, Liana was stressed about how her secrets would spiral and ruin everything permanently despite her best efforts when in reality, it did not turn out that bad, offering hope.
Being honest, this book stressed me out at several points. I had to put it down at several points because the way events were happening was stressing me out. I think that this reading experience might’ve made it hard for me to absorb everything well? For all these reasons, I appreciate this book and do not regret reading it, but it’s not my favorite of all her books. I am excited to see what else Tashie Bhuiyan has in store!!!
However, I did struggle with a few things about this book. The pacing felt a bit off sometimes… like for instance, the beginning could’ve gone a bit faster? I wish more of the time in the beginning section could have been dedicated towards the middle where she was getting closer to the band. I do understand that all that context was needed to establish the starting point for Liana’s character, but that friendship development felt incomplete to me. That leads into my next point. I could see her spending so much time with this group and getting to know them, but I feel like the moments showing their friendship rather than work relationship was shown in a few instances towards the end. I can’t properly articulate it, but I just feel like the friendship somewhat came out of nowhere. ALSO the resolution of the plot felt rather sudden??? I was shocked- grateful my heart could chill but shocked nonetheless. I think it worked because of the kindness embedded in all of the characters despite rough exteriors. I would have liked the forgiving to take a little longer because that feels more realistic BUT in a way it’s good that it turned out this way bc the whole book, Liana was stressed about how her secrets would spiral and ruin everything permanently despite her best efforts when in reality, it did not turn out that bad, offering hope.
Being honest, this book stressed me out at several points. I had to put it down at several points because the way events were happening was stressing me out. I think that this reading experience might’ve made it hard for me to absorb everything well? For all these reasons, I appreciate this book and do not regret reading it, but it’s not my favorite of all her books. I am excited to see what else Tashie Bhuiyan has in store!!!
I always look forward to a new Tashie Bhuiyan YA romance even though I barely read YA romance anymore. She writes with such a sweetness and always has great music recommendations throughout the story. In this one, Liana accidentally dooms a local boyband and is determined to make it up to them, particularly the band's leader, Sky. This is super adorable, and I love the epilogue of therapy. Also, Liana's dad SUCKS and the whole situation is handled in a very emotionally intelligent way where I totally understood all of her outbursts. Love!
slow-paced
This book didn't have to be anywhere near this long.
There's barely enough story for a novella a third of its size, but the storytelling is also an issue: everything gets telegraphed from the first few chapters and then takes ages to get to where it set out to go without wavering from the course in any way.
It was so predictable that the only reason I finished the book was the futile hope that surely there must be some twist to this painfully slowly unfolding plot. But no such luck, so the book ended with me regretting finishing it.
The drama is very young and teenage, which is age appropriate for the characters and the first person POV through which we see this story. But it also made everything flat and lacking any nuance.
I did appreciate the message that leaving abusive parents behind is a positive thing. It can be seen as controversial and many authors shy away from expressing it fully. But it is very often a healthier option and something that is helpful to hear and affirm, especially for the younger audiences.
I also appreciated that this book called out neglect and emotional abuse as abuse and illustrated the damaging rippling effects it can have on the child's behavior and other relationships, even (and sometimes especially) when the abuse doesn't start in early stages of childhood.
But the slog to get to these more meaningful parts was not pleasant. Hence I can't in all honesty give this book more than 2*s.
There's barely enough story for a novella a third of its size, but the storytelling is also an issue: everything gets telegraphed from the first few chapters and then takes ages to get to where it set out to go without wavering from the course in any way.
It was so predictable that the only reason I finished the book was the futile hope that surely there must be some twist to this painfully slowly unfolding plot. But no such luck, so the book ended with me regretting finishing it.
The drama is very young and teenage, which is age appropriate for the characters and the first person POV through which we see this story. But it also made everything flat and lacking any nuance.
I did appreciate the message that leaving abusive parents behind is a positive thing. It can be seen as controversial and many authors shy away from expressing it fully. But it is very often a healthier option and something that is helpful to hear and affirm, especially for the younger audiences.
I also appreciated that this book called out neglect and emotional abuse as abuse and illustrated the damaging rippling effects it can have on the child's behavior and other relationships, even (and sometimes especially) when the abuse doesn't start in early stages of childhood.
But the slog to get to these more meaningful parts was not pleasant. Hence I can't in all honesty give this book more than 2*s.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes