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A review by amym84
Six Ways to Write a Love Letter by Jackson Pearce, Jackson Pearce
4.0
3.5
Remy Young and his brother Val left their oppressive home in Florida to make it with their music careers. After a one-hit wonder, their band Quiet Coyote is going nowhere. Remy makes money by being a session drummer and producing on the side. When an opportunity to tour with the famous - and famously cold - Vivi Swan presents itself, Remy can’t turn it down. He’s prepared to play some big-ticket gigs and get a suitable payday. But when he and Vivi get stuck on the bus en route to their next show, Remy begins to see what other people don’t. When they start to collaborate on a new song, a song that could take Vivi’s career in a new direction, things begin to get muddled with their changing relationship and the possibility of being scrutinized by the entire world.
It's rare that I've read a romance told entirely from the male's perspective, but that is what we get with Six Ways. It's an interesting idea, and it kind of keeps this mysterious idea of Vivi Swan intact throughout. We only see her character through Remy's eyes. Yes we see her actions and the things she does (or doesn't) do, but it's somewhat clouded by the fact that it's only Remy's perspective.
It paints the entirety of the story in an often muddled light because Remy himself is not very forthcoming with his own feelings and emotions. There were times when it almost felt like he was a passive character. Kind of just letting life slide by not wanting to shake things up too much. Even when Vivi and Remy begin to collaborate, he takes the producing role which means he's basically enhancing her ideas. She's at the forefront. He's in the background.
All this is kind of almost a commentary on how much Vivi is in the spotlight. She's a not-so-secret stand-in for a real-life currently very famous pop singer with country roots. I thought that the portrayal of the things Vivi has to deal with because of that fame on a daily basis was very sympathetic. I could understand why she's painted as cold and removed from those around her, she's been burned too many times by people wanting to get ahead.
I like the dynamic of Remy and Vivi together. I just kind of wish we had gotten more in-depth in regards to their relationship. It all felt very surface level. Without the added layer of Vivi's perspective, and with Remy's character being pretty stoic most of the time, I never felt that connection that I needed to feel between them to make me really want them together at all costs.
I'll say the ending was pretty satisfying if the momentum of that build-up had been going strong throughout the whole book, I probably would have given higher marks. But as it stands, the story was satisfying and sweet and gave a raw kind of look into life as a popular musician.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Remy Young and his brother Val left their oppressive home in Florida to make it with their music careers. After a one-hit wonder, their band Quiet Coyote is going nowhere. Remy makes money by being a session drummer and producing on the side. When an opportunity to tour with the famous - and famously cold - Vivi Swan presents itself, Remy can’t turn it down. He’s prepared to play some big-ticket gigs and get a suitable payday. But when he and Vivi get stuck on the bus en route to their next show, Remy begins to see what other people don’t. When they start to collaborate on a new song, a song that could take Vivi’s career in a new direction, things begin to get muddled with their changing relationship and the possibility of being scrutinized by the entire world.
It's rare that I've read a romance told entirely from the male's perspective, but that is what we get with Six Ways. It's an interesting idea, and it kind of keeps this mysterious idea of Vivi Swan intact throughout. We only see her character through Remy's eyes. Yes we see her actions and the things she does (or doesn't) do, but it's somewhat clouded by the fact that it's only Remy's perspective.
It paints the entirety of the story in an often muddled light because Remy himself is not very forthcoming with his own feelings and emotions. There were times when it almost felt like he was a passive character. Kind of just letting life slide by not wanting to shake things up too much. Even when Vivi and Remy begin to collaborate, he takes the producing role which means he's basically enhancing her ideas. She's at the forefront. He's in the background.
All this is kind of almost a commentary on how much Vivi is in the spotlight. She's a not-so-secret stand-in for a real-life currently very famous pop singer with country roots. I thought that the portrayal of the things Vivi has to deal with because of that fame on a daily basis was very sympathetic. I could understand why she's painted as cold and removed from those around her, she's been burned too many times by people wanting to get ahead.
I like the dynamic of Remy and Vivi together. I just kind of wish we had gotten more in-depth in regards to their relationship. It all felt very surface level. Without the added layer of Vivi's perspective, and with Remy's character being pretty stoic most of the time, I never felt that connection that I needed to feel between them to make me really want them together at all costs.
I'll say the ending was pretty satisfying if the momentum of that build-up had been going strong throughout the whole book, I probably would have given higher marks. But as it stands, the story was satisfying and sweet and gave a raw kind of look into life as a popular musician.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.