Book Review: Dirty Little Secret

Dirty Little Secret
Jennifer Echols
Format: hardback from library
Good Reads

Summary:

Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

Review:

Dirty Little Secret has been on my to read list for a long time now. I finally found it at the library the last time I went and just had to get it even if I was already getting 3 books in addition to the countless others I had already checked out (I love the library). The story centers around Bailey an awesome fiddle player whose parents have banned from playing. However her Grandfather gets her a minor gig at a local mall. From there she gets re introduced to the music world that she used to love and lived in until a year before. Bailey’s life becomes compartmentalized between her family life and her music life. My initial reactions to the situation with here family was how could her parents choose the fame of one daughter over the other. Instead of negotiating for a way for Bailey to keep playing. I also thought that her sister was messed up for being okay with the situation and not talking to her sister, who was also her best friend. However, Bailey finds escape in the world of music where she can do the thing she truly loves. I loved watching her relationship with Sam develop as she spends more time with him. I also loved the other members of the band. While in the beginning  I found Charlotte to be a little possessive of Sam, even though they had broken up I still wanted her to succeed. I loved Ace, the Bassist, he was super down to earth but still provided the necessary reflection that the other characters needed. While sometimes the plot was a little predictable it was still enjoyable and unexpected at certain points. It was similar to other books to be comfortable. While still being different enough to keep me interested.
Overall, What I loved about the story was the unique idea of a fiddle player in Nashville. I also loved the believable and complex characters who had you on the edge of your seat hoping everything worked out in the end. I would recommend this to anyone who loves contemporary romances or music stories. This book will definitely have me seeking out more books to read by Jennifer Echols.

Book Review: Dear Mr. Knightley

Dear Mr. Knightley
Katherine Reay
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

Summary:

Dear Mr. Knightley is a contemporary epistolary novel with a delightful dash of Jane Austen.

Samantha Moore survived years of darkness in the foster care system by hiding behind her favorite characters in literature, even adopting their very words. Her fictional friends give her an identity, albeit a borrowed one. But most importantly, they protect her from revealing her true self and encountering more pain.

After college, Samantha receives an extraordinary opportunity. The anonymous “Mr. Knightley” offers her a full scholarship to earn her graduate degree at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. The sole condition is that Sam write to Mr. Knightley regularly to keep him apprised of her progress.

As Sam’s true identity begins to reveal itself through her letters, her heart begins to soften to those around her—a damaged teenager and fellow inhabitant of Grace House, her classmates at Medill, and, most powerfully, successful novelist Alex Powell. But just as Sam finally begins to trust, she learns that Alex has secrets of his own—secrets that, for better or for worse, make it impossible for Sam to hide behind either her characters or her letters.

Review:

I first heard about this book when Peace Love Books reviewed it. I have wanted to read it ever since, so when I saw it at the library I grabbed it up right away.

One of my favorite things about the book was the format. The story is told though Sam's letters to Mr. Knightley. I am a total sucker for books that are a collection of letters, diary entries, or emails. I love that it breaks up the normal story telling and tells you what the narrator thinks of the situation.

The book is chalk full of references to classic literature, mainly Jane Austen. While the book reference books I have yet to read (like Jane Eyre) I could still understand what was meant by the reference. I especially loved that even Sam's anonymous benefactor is a reference to Jane Austen. Another thing I loved about the book was the premise of the book. I loved getting to see Sam change as she went through the Journalism program and struggle with the real world. Most of all what I loved about the book was the characters, especially Alex Powell. He is a real down to earth person despite being a best selling author. He genuinely cares about the people in his life including Sam. As he and Sam continue to become friends and sam gets to know him he become more and more perfect. I also loved the other characters in the book including Sam's classmates at Mendill who help to keep her honest and build new friendships outside of her books. Overall I thought this book was a great read. I would recommend it to anyone who loves Jane Austen or books about college life.

Book Review: Fangirl

Fangirl
Rainbow Rowell
Format: Hardback from the library
Good Reads

Summary:

A coming-of-age tale of fan fiction, family and first love.

Cath is a Simon Snow fan.

Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan . . .

But for Cath, being a fan is her life — and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath’s sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can’t let go. She doesn’t want to.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this?

Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories?

And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

Review:

I have heard great things about Fangirl and Rainbow Rowell for along time especially when Eleanor and Park was really popular. Then when I read the summary on good reads I knew I had to read it.

I love the basic premise of the story. As a girl who loves several fandoms especially Harry Potter. This book was right up my alley. Add to that the awkwardness that is the first year of college and I loved the book before I had even read it. That being said the book did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters in it. I especially enjoyed Cath and how she seemed genuine in all her emotions. I also loved Cath's roommate, Reagan. She was exactly the kind of roommate I would have wanted in college and was a great catalyst for the transition Cath goes though in the book. She has a great sense of humor without feeling like she was only there for comedic relief. I also loved Cath's Dad and the whole storyline between Cath and him. I thought it really helped explain Cath's past and what her life was like before college.

Besides the characters of the book, I also loved how the book portrayed internet fandoms. I think their are a lot of active fandoms on the internet and that they are generally a really awesome place where people from all over the world can connect and talk about their love for a specific thing. I think in pop culture they are often portrayed as only for socially inept nerds and generally pretty lame. It was refreshing to see a book really bring out the positive light and true nature of fandoms.

The one thing I didn't enjoy about the book were the excerpts of Simon Snow books and Cath and her sisters fanfics at the beginning of each chapter. I thought they were unnecessary and didn't really add much to the story since there was no context for the scenes and they were from all over the books. They didn't really add anything and the book would have been the same without them.

Overall, I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more books by Rainbow Rowell. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in fandoms or books about college life and coming of age stories.