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3.83 AVERAGE
3.83 AVERAGE
No substance, felt like it was just a bunch of random facts about music and I didn’t really understand the story at all.
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was electrifying to read a book where the author captured so much of the emotional energy and power great music has on our lives. Joe + Percy's dynamic of nerding out and finding intimacy over their shared passion for music reminds me of many a friendships I've had over the years, though similarly it is hard to bridge that intensity into a sustainable relationship over time. Percy's essays/blog entries, her evocative descriptions of nights out with music, and the way music bookmarks her life all resonate deeply with me. The writing over the course of the book has a nice balance between details/scene setting and interiorities of its characters, with a lot of authenticity to the eras and scenes that most books about these subjects can lack.
While I enjoyed this read immensely, I have to agree with many other reviewers that it is frustrating to be strung along the primary will-they-won't-they relationship for so long, especially when neither of the characters seem to talk about their issues. I do see the subtle change over the years where Percy gets over being only a bystander to music and gains more confidence in her own voice, while Joe makes his musical dreams happen so he is no longer in a position of codependency to the woman that he has in his life. However, there could've been more powerful conversations had between these two characters who keep misunderstanding and missing each others' needs, before they just have a little spicy tension and subliminate their isues in a few lines of lyrics they chart for a new song
While I enjoyed this read immensely, I have to agree with many other reviewers that it is frustrating to be strung along the primary will-they-won't-they relationship for so long, especially when neither of the characters seem to talk about their issues. I do see the subtle change over the years where Percy gets over being only a bystander to music and gains more confidence in her own voice, while Joe makes his musical dreams happen so he is no longer in a position of codependency to the woman that he has in his life. However, there could've been more powerful conversations had between these two characters who keep misunderstanding and missing each others' needs, before they just have a little spicy tension and subliminate their isues in a few lines of lyrics they chart for a new song
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh I really wanted to love this but couldn't get past the annoying characters and the unsatisfying "will they or won't they" resolution.
Pros: Loved the parts in the 90s. The author perfectly captured that college feeling of meeting someone on campus and immediately becoming best friends, laying around doing nothing together but somehow it still feels meaningful. I loved the music references too, I appreciated the critical eye that the characters lent to familiar songs. It's so familiar and nostalgic to be obsessed with a topic and obsessed with a person.
Cons: These characters were really flat. Even though we followed them over a decade, they didn't become any more redeemable - if anything they were more insufferable as they aged because they didn't grow into adults. When these characters were physically together, the argument for why they couldn't be together romantically wasn't convincing. They almost got together at one point when he was suddenly interested in her out of no where, but they didn't because she found out he'd slept with other women before her? When these characters were physically apart, they weren't doing anything interesting to move the plot along, and also weren't doing anything to grow into people that might one day be together. At the end of the book when they finally got together, they were no different people than at the beginning.Also, they didn't get together until the last page, with no explanation about the barriers that previously kept them apart.
Pros: Loved the parts in the 90s. The author perfectly captured that college feeling of meeting someone on campus and immediately becoming best friends, laying around doing nothing together but somehow it still feels meaningful. I loved the music references too, I appreciated the critical eye that the characters lent to familiar songs. It's so familiar and nostalgic to be obsessed with a topic and obsessed with a person.
Cons: These characters were really flat. Even though we followed them over a decade, they didn't become any more redeemable - if anything they were more insufferable as they aged because they didn't grow into adults. When these characters were physically together, the argument for why they couldn't be together romantically wasn't convincing. They almost got together at one point when he was suddenly interested in her out of no where, but they didn't because she found out he'd slept with other women before her? When these characters were physically apart, they weren't doing anything interesting to move the plot along, and also weren't doing anything to grow into people that might one day be together. At the end of the book when they finally got together, they were no different people than at the beginning.
emotional
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
adventurous
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I would not say that I was a hipster by any stretch of the imagination but I did see myself in a lot of the story. While that helped make the characters relatable, it also created an issue where most of this story felt like a well-worn path with nothing new to explore. I think this will make a better movie than book if the details like fashion etc. are nailed.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content
Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes