Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books
Publication Date: July 16, 2013
Pages: 288
Source: NetGalley
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: So this is my second time reading this before actually getting around to reviewing it. The first time I think I definitely enjoyed it more than the second. It's been a few years since I read it the first time so I reread it paying more attention to certain things. There was some good, but mostly bad.
So the good. This pretty much revolved around country music. I grew up with country music and its still one of my favorites. I loved how we followed a band that played country music and were trying to make it big in Nashville. And being the home of country music, I'm sure that's incredibly difficult since so many people are there trying to do the same thing. I enjoyed knowing a lot of the songs and artists mentioned, knowing what the Grand Ole Opry is, the CMT festival. Reading about a lot of stuff that was familiar to me in some way. I really liked that.
Now the bad. There was hardcore instalove. Our main character Bailey is working a mall gig for the summer performing with some tribute bands. People performing as Elvis, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, etc. And that's where she meets Sam on her I think 4th day on the job. And its like she immediately falls for him. After playing with him at the mall gig, he suddenly invites her to play with his band because he thinks they need a fiddle player to really pop. It's after this that Bailey just can't seem to stop thinking about him. And she feels this intense pull towards Sam. Now, this entire book takes place in the span of like the next week after they met. And somehow, they fall so in love with each other in that week that they have sex, tell each other some of their more intimate secrets about their families, fight as if they've been together years, and make up as if they've been in love for ages. It was just ridiculous to be honest. A week?? It was just a cringeworthy instalove.
Second, was Sam, our love interest. He was just using Bailey for most of the book. It started off with having her play with his band. He said one time, then continues to push her into playing with them again and again because suddenly everyone wants the band to play only if she's in it because of what she added. He uses her want to rebel against her parents for what they did to her and her love of music to push her into playing with the band. And then he uses her like every other girl he's dated. As some type of fling since he can't seem to get over the death of his ex who died in a car crash after driving drunk. His bandmate Charlotte also went through this with Sam. The third thing he tries using her for is her connections. Bailey tried so hard to not let anyone know who her sister was because of how big she was getting with her record deal. But then Sam finds out just exactly who her sister is and then demands Bailey talk to Julies record company for the band and has the nerve to say if you wont do this then we can't be together. And how could you do this when we're this close to hitting the big time?? Like wtf! It's not Bailey's job to get them a deal, and second, her sisters record company wanted to make her feel as if she didn't exist to give Julie such good publicity, you really think she wants to talk to people who tried to make her disappear?? I just couldn't with this. Sam was trying to use Bailey way more than actually want to be with her genuinely. Not cool. And then suddenly by the end of the book he realizes what a tool he's been and that he genuinely does like her and wants to be with her?? I just can't with this. And again, this is after knowing each other like a week.
Third, Bailey's family. Bailey and Julie were an inseparable duo as kids. And then they just blatantly bowed down to the record company that wanted Julie and destroyed their other daughters dreams and life just so the other one could hit the big time. What kind of parents do that?? Honestly. What kind of parents tell one of their children to disappear pretty much and not allow them to do anything that might make them happy or even treat them like a human being just to give the other a leg up. And then they constantly had the nerve to put Bailey down for anything she did because of how it would look for Julie. Threatening her college money just to keep her in her lowly place. Maybe, just maybe if you hadn't pretty much told Bailey she wasn't allowed to have a life or follow any of her own dreams so Julie could become big, she might not have rebelled so much and actually wanted to be a part of this family, not just toss it aside like you did to her. And the fact that Bailey had perfect pitch and was incredibly talented herself. Why would you not try and help her become successful with that?? Why would you try to snuff something like that out? I was just so angry about Bailey's family the entire time reading this. What really burst my bubble with them though is the fact they expected her to come running and convince Julie go on stage after they all treated her like dirt and then had the nerve to come at Bailey for trying to pull stuff when she was just trying to stand up for her sister and what SHE wanted. Seriously, Bailey's parents were garbage. They were just incredibly bad at actually being parents.
The only thing that redeemed part of this book for me was Bailey standing up to people. Telling Sam off for saying she's never allowed to come back to the band if she left to go help her sister. Telling her parents off for not listening to Julies wants and wishes. Telling them off for diminishing her and her dreams. For trying to make her life so miserable that she couldn't do a single thing regarding music. I was so happy that Bailey finally got her nerve with the people in her life playing games with her. And I loved her for the fact she refused to move back in with her parents once they came home from touring because she liked living with her grandfather and he at least tried to help her keep music in her life somehow.
Unfortunately, the bad outweighed the good with this book, so after my second, more thorough read, I'm only giving this a 2 stars.
So the good. This pretty much revolved around country music. I grew up with country music and its still one of my favorites. I loved how we followed a band that played country music and were trying to make it big in Nashville. And being the home of country music, I'm sure that's incredibly difficult since so many people are there trying to do the same thing. I enjoyed knowing a lot of the songs and artists mentioned, knowing what the Grand Ole Opry is, the CMT festival. Reading about a lot of stuff that was familiar to me in some way. I really liked that.
Now the bad. There was hardcore instalove. Our main character Bailey is working a mall gig for the summer performing with some tribute bands. People performing as Elvis, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, etc. And that's where she meets Sam on her I think 4th day on the job. And its like she immediately falls for him. After playing with him at the mall gig, he suddenly invites her to play with his band because he thinks they need a fiddle player to really pop. It's after this that Bailey just can't seem to stop thinking about him. And she feels this intense pull towards Sam. Now, this entire book takes place in the span of like the next week after they met. And somehow, they fall so in love with each other in that week that they have sex, tell each other some of their more intimate secrets about their families, fight as if they've been together years, and make up as if they've been in love for ages. It was just ridiculous to be honest. A week?? It was just a cringeworthy instalove.
Second, was Sam, our love interest. He was just using Bailey for most of the book. It started off with having her play with his band. He said one time, then continues to push her into playing with them again and again because suddenly everyone wants the band to play only if she's in it because of what she added. He uses her want to rebel against her parents for what they did to her and her love of music to push her into playing with the band. And then he uses her like every other girl he's dated. As some type of fling since he can't seem to get over the death of his ex who died in a car crash after driving drunk. His bandmate Charlotte also went through this with Sam. The third thing he tries using her for is her connections. Bailey tried so hard to not let anyone know who her sister was because of how big she was getting with her record deal. But then Sam finds out just exactly who her sister is and then demands Bailey talk to Julies record company for the band and has the nerve to say if you wont do this then we can't be together. And how could you do this when we're this close to hitting the big time?? Like wtf! It's not Bailey's job to get them a deal, and second, her sisters record company wanted to make her feel as if she didn't exist to give Julie such good publicity, you really think she wants to talk to people who tried to make her disappear?? I just couldn't with this. Sam was trying to use Bailey way more than actually want to be with her genuinely. Not cool. And then suddenly by the end of the book he realizes what a tool he's been and that he genuinely does like her and wants to be with her?? I just can't with this. And again, this is after knowing each other like a week.
Third, Bailey's family. Bailey and Julie were an inseparable duo as kids. And then they just blatantly bowed down to the record company that wanted Julie and destroyed their other daughters dreams and life just so the other one could hit the big time. What kind of parents do that?? Honestly. What kind of parents tell one of their children to disappear pretty much and not allow them to do anything that might make them happy or even treat them like a human being just to give the other a leg up. And then they constantly had the nerve to put Bailey down for anything she did because of how it would look for Julie. Threatening her college money just to keep her in her lowly place. Maybe, just maybe if you hadn't pretty much told Bailey she wasn't allowed to have a life or follow any of her own dreams so Julie could become big, she might not have rebelled so much and actually wanted to be a part of this family, not just toss it aside like you did to her. And the fact that Bailey had perfect pitch and was incredibly talented herself. Why would you not try and help her become successful with that?? Why would you try to snuff something like that out? I was just so angry about Bailey's family the entire time reading this. What really burst my bubble with them though is the fact they expected her to come running and convince Julie go on stage after they all treated her like dirt and then had the nerve to come at Bailey for trying to pull stuff when she was just trying to stand up for her sister and what SHE wanted. Seriously, Bailey's parents were garbage. They were just incredibly bad at actually being parents.
The only thing that redeemed part of this book for me was Bailey standing up to people. Telling Sam off for saying she's never allowed to come back to the band if she left to go help her sister. Telling her parents off for not listening to Julies wants and wishes. Telling them off for diminishing her and her dreams. For trying to make her life so miserable that she couldn't do a single thing regarding music. I was so happy that Bailey finally got her nerve with the people in her life playing games with her. And I loved her for the fact she refused to move back in with her parents once they came home from touring because she liked living with her grandfather and he at least tried to help her keep music in her life somehow.
Unfortunately, the bad outweighed the good with this book, so after my second, more thorough read, I'm only giving this a 2 stars.
UGH THIS SOUNDS AWFUL. I read two Jennifer Echols books this summer, and they were both FILLED with toxic relationships, insta-love, unlikable characters...I really don't think I'll be reading more of her books!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe how bad the insta-love is. The love interest and the parents sound awful too! *facepalm*
Seriously. There was just so much wrong with this book. And I've just heard more of her books are like this so it's definitely turned me off them.
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