Publisher:
Bloomsbury
Spark
Release
Date: 19th
December 2013
Edition:
e-proof,
review copy
From
Bloomsbury Spark, the hilarious and heart-warming story of a classic-rock girl
and a pop-star boy...
America’s
favourite pop-band, Roman Holiday, is done, dead, and so totally last year. For
eighteen-year-old rockaholic Junie Baltimore, this is music to her ears. But
when she discovers their sexy ex-lead singer hiding out on the boardwalk, her
summer vacation becomes the cover story of the year.
She’s
willing to keep him a secret, but when a sleazy paparazzo offers her the cash
to save the bar her father left behind, could she sell out a chance to save her
future? Who is she kidding? That’s a no-brainer...but she never planned on
falling head over heels for the lead singer.
The
Sound of Us is
fun, sweetness and pure escapism from beginning to end; a lovely way to spend a
train ride or a rainy afternoon!
With a newspaper article
detailed suspected details of the death Holly Hudson, member of famed pop-rock
group Roman Holiday, and the subsequent demise of the band, intrigue and juicy
gossip through me straight into the heart of the story. I loved how Roman and
the world’s struggles with Holly’s death compared to Junie dealing with her dad’s
death. Her grief and strength when it came to ploughing on with running his
bar, The Silver Lining, made my heart ache. Everything she felt in connection
with him felt so visceral. Every time Ashley Poston wrote about Junie’s feelings
about the situation I was shocked by how weirdly wonderful it was writing-wise;
she got some of the feelings down to a tee and described them gorgeously.
Junie herself is a fantastic
heroine: spunky, brave and so alive. Her love of classic rock felt a little
cheesy and obvious at first but it eventually developed, with the help of
background stories and a real connection to the songs and bands, into something
that resonated and felt truly a part of her character. I also think that harder
edge to her gave her feelings for Roman and their relationship an added depth.
Roman himself is a brilliant,
and slightly unconventional, hero. He is nowhere near perfect and he had a bit
of a punky hipster thing going on that would have been perfect in Vivienne
Westwood’s 70s London. Roman is unapologetically himself, good and bad, he has
a refreshing sense of humour and outlook for a young celebrity. I also loved
his bromance with former-bandmate Boaz. So adorable!
The
Sound of Us is
a debut that’ll speak to your musical heart and rock-star pining heart with
spades of humour, fun and warmth.
Thanks to Bloomsbury Spark and
NetGalley for the review copy.
Sophie
This sounds brilliant, fab review Sophie :)
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds ace, will pre-order!
ReplyDeleteSounds awesome, and I adore that cover! Wish it was in print :)
ReplyDelete