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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a sweet love story set around the school theater. I enjoyed learning the ins and outs of what it takes to make a production successful or sometimes unsuccessful as well as what the cast and crew’s responsibilities are. The story was quite predictable, but all-in-all an enjoyable read!
Fun, high school theatre drama!! With bonus extra queerness.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this book. As someone who fell in love with stage management in college, I thought there was a ton of authenticity to the documents and the set up of the book. While there were moments where the tech versus actor beef got on my nerves, I really loved everything about this book. I will definitely be reading it again.
I definitely felt the stress of being a stage manager and it’s a good thing Melody didn’t have to actually go to class ever, but overall the book is almost entirely in Mel’s head. The other characters all felt so flat so me, it was hard to tell them apart. There were zero interactions with her supposed best friend or any friends for that matter.
medium-paced
This book reminded me so much of my theater days. Being the youngest head of the costume and makeup department, I could definitely relate and was brought right back to high school.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins for providing me an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review
This is the first contemporary fiction book of Robin Talley’s that I’ve read and it may actually be my favorite. Which says a lot because I have a total Thing for penpals and there was Music from Another World earlier this year…
BUT this book was awesome! I can see it having wide audience appeal. Yes, it’s a queer YA novel but it’s 2020 and a lot of teens are pretty open-minded. I’d even recommend this one to the straights if they’re at all active in their school’s theater department because it’s totally a novel for drama kids and I don’t know that crew members really have that many to choose from. This book took me right back to the incredible fun, pride, and stress of high school musical season. If Talley wasn’t a theater kid it certainly seems that she’s done her research. She’s even got me wanting to pick up a(n abridged) copy of Les Misérables. The Love Curse… made total since without knowledge of Les Mis but it was so good, it made me curious.
There were so many details of the book I liked. The protagonist, Melody McIntire, is bisexual and has had both boyfriends and girlfriends. She’s dated a lot and while some characters try to shame her for it the overall message is that it’s fine to have dated widely. The current love interest, Odile, has relatively little dating experience and that’s fine too. And while Melody McIntire is very 16 in some of her decisions (as she should be in a book for 16 year olds!) she has also cultivated great friendships and working relationships with her exes which I feel is an important behavior to see modeled.
Overall a great book and I can’t wait to read Talley’s next one.
This is the first contemporary fiction book of Robin Talley’s that I’ve read and it may actually be my favorite. Which says a lot because I have a total Thing for penpals and there was Music from Another World earlier this year…
BUT this book was awesome! I can see it having wide audience appeal. Yes, it’s a queer YA novel but it’s 2020 and a lot of teens are pretty open-minded. I’d even recommend this one to the straights if they’re at all active in their school’s theater department because it’s totally a novel for drama kids and I don’t know that crew members really have that many to choose from. This book took me right back to the incredible fun, pride, and stress of high school musical season. If Talley wasn’t a theater kid it certainly seems that she’s done her research. She’s even got me wanting to pick up a(n abridged) copy of Les Misérables. The Love Curse… made total since without knowledge of Les Mis but it was so good, it made me curious.
There were so many details of the book I liked. The protagonist, Melody McIntire, is bisexual and has had both boyfriends and girlfriends. She’s dated a lot and while some characters try to shame her for it the overall message is that it’s fine to have dated widely. The current love interest, Odile, has relatively little dating experience and that’s fine too. And while Melody McIntire is very 16 in some of her decisions (as she should be in a book for 16 year olds!) she has also cultivated great friendships and working relationships with her exes which I feel is an important behavior to see modeled.
Overall a great book and I can’t wait to read Talley’s next one.
emotional
funny
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:
Complicated