Casey Barnes Eponymous

by E.A. Rigg

Three weeks into the school year music junkie Casey Barnes gets a second chance with the mysterious ex-boyfriend whose name she has not even been able to say. In hopes of saving studentkind from the hell that is high school, Casey has been slipping song playlists to fellow students while working in the library. When she gets another chance with her ex, she schemes to win him back by giving him one of the lists. Her plan works, but not quite in the way she hopes, and she realizes that truly winning him back will be a lot harder than choosing some killer songs. Namely, she will need to get the attention of the whole school in a way no one has ever done before.Casey Barnes Eponymous is the debut novel by award-winning writer E.A. Rigg. For songs of the day and more follow the book on twitter, @CaseyBarnesEpon, or at the Casey Barnes Eponymous page on Facebook.

Genres: Young Adult, Humor

168 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2013

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hallelujah. Neither the original Leonard Cohen song that regardless of its title was melancholic, nor the Jeff Buckley cover that despite a more harmonious feel was still less than jubilant. Just simple, old-fashioned, let's par-tay, hallelujah.

There is something always satisfying about finishing an entertaining contemporary Y.A book. I really did enjoy this.

Casey Barnes is a girl who likes to make playlist's for people, even people she's not friends with. Just people in her school. I found this quirk of hers to be both endearing and obnoxious. And I think in a way, Casey is a character who is both endearing and obnoxious. Obnoxious in a she-probably-means-well-but-shes-being-a-bit-of-an-idiot kind of way, which ends up being endearing.

She took out a box of double stuff Oreos, brought them to the kitchen table, and began eating one in the only manner any human should ever eat a double-stuff Oreo: by licking out the white stuff and tossing the half-eaten chocolate bits in the kitchen sink.

Casey loves music and plays guitar. She writes songs about everything and has a great sense of humour. She spends a couple of days with a boy named Alex Deal before he calls her up and says they shouldn't really hang out anymore. When school starts up again, she has to deal with seeing Alex. Which she does with a strange coolness and slightly awkward conversations. I think my favourite conversation is when she says she's seen "A Clockwork Orange" and immediately thinks it's a lame thing to bring up and when he says "What?", she says she's seen a porn called "A Cockwork Orange", in an attempt to sound cooler.

Casey's hand slipped. She gulped and looked up. It was her library period and Alex Deal was, suddenly, standing in front of her. "I'm sorry but there will be no autographs today," she said. "If you're desperate you can try going through the label or management."

I liked that this book was actually funny. It got genuine smiles out of me and almost-giggles, which rarely happens to me while reading. I also liked that Casey wasn't a complete idiot when it came to boys. She's a normal kind of idiot but she's not one of those crazy ones who fall madly in love. I liked how the book reminded me of "My so-called life", with a character than reminded me of Juno.

The Mother Fuckers. That was not their real name. But it was what Casey called them.

I really enjoyed this and think it deserves to be published as an actual book. I even love that ebook cover! (Even though I've recently bought a pair of lo-top chucks which have been giving me blisters. Hi-tops my feet love but for some reason, lo-tops make me feet angry). So yeah, I'd recommend it to any kindle readers looking for a contemporary Y.A with personality.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start? How about with the fact that this book is so funny. I found myself laughing out loud quite a lot as I read through this book.
There are so many great characters in this book. I loved Casey, she’s hilarious, and I loved Yull. Yull was probably my favourite character. Leigh seemed pretty cool too. In fact, a large majority of the characters seemed so awesome.
The storyline is similar to a lot of books out there but I feel that this one was done really well. It had amazing characters, all characterised brilliantly, entertaining and witty dialogue and it had a few moments of sweetness to be enjoyable.
Overall, I highly recommend Casey Barnes Eponymous, it’s so good and I wish I could tell everyone to read this book. Fans of contemporary fiction will adore this book and even if you don’t like contemporary fiction, give this one a go because it’s such a great book that I would hate for anyone to miss out on reading it.

[Katelyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book this past summer and really enjoyed it! It is a really cute coming of age story which happens to include one of my favorite things, music!

Our main character is Casey and she is all sorts of fun, quirkiness, and spunk! Right from the beginning I was able to relate to her love and passion for music. She likes to make up three-song playlists for random people as a way of enhancing their day and musical knowledge. If I wasn’t such a shy recluse in high school, I most certainly would have been doing something like that, it’s just so fun! Her flat-out love for music was what really made me connect to Casey. However, Casey’s love for music, and the fact that she is a fellow band t-shirt, jean skirt, converse wearing girl, are not the only things I liked about her. I also really enjoyed the fact that she was not your normal, gawky, and mostly awkward sophomore. She was brave, confident, a bit of a rebel, and marched to the beat of her own drum. Basically the type of person I try to be now and wish I would have been in high school! She had her own sense of style and she really didn’t let what others thought of her hair, clothes, or musical preferences dictate her life. She was also quite snarky for lack of better word. Her spunk was fun but some of the time it was a little over-bearing and made it hard to like her. I get that most teenagers are all angst-y and “OMG adults are so freaking annoying” but I feel like she pushed the attitude just a bit too much, talked back to adults just a bit too much, and cared about her education/responsibilities just a bit too little. Even though this facet of her personality made her a little hard to take sometimes, I still enjoyed her as a main character.

Other characters were introduced throughout the book which added a lot of variety and fun to this book! Casey’s best friend, Leigh was all sorts of funny! She definitely had her own quirks that made the story so entertaining. We also meet Casey’s brother Yull. Their relationship was definitely believable with all their banter back and forth but at the end of it all, they still had each other’s backs.

The guy that Casey is trying to impress is Alex Deal and he is….eww, just eww. I did not like him a single bit (but that’s okay, you’re not really supposed to like him)! Through my experiences as a teen and heck, even as a near-adult, I TOTALLY get the whole fall-for-the-bad-boy thing. Most every girl goes through that stage where she wants the hot, tough guy to fall for her. Alex Deal is the one bad relationship we all go through, and even though I didn’t like how crappy he treated Casey and how desperate Casey was for his attention, he was very important to the story. His presence, and lack thereof, really helped Casey to grow as a person and eventually learn to move on.

This story is full of things that are relevant to what most high schoolers are dealing with today. There’s getting over bad relationships and learning to notice the good guys for a change. It’s about being unique and brave and learning to fight through your fears. It’s also about finding confidence and learning to stay true to yourself. I just think there were many wonderful, little messages that readers can take from this story!

Overall this was a cute book! There were certainly a few things I could have done without, like the overly snarky attitude of our main character, but for the most part it was a great coming of age story. Most of the characters, the premise, and the things you can take from this book are all fantastic. But if I’m being 100% honest, the music is easily my favorite part! If you’re looking for a quick, fun, and musically-infused book to read, I definitely suggest Casey Barnes Eponymous!

[Lulie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my reviews at looking for seattle

For me, Casey Barnes Eponymous was a quick spontaneous read that I found, bought, and read all in the span of a couple hours. Which is weird because I'm usually really cautious about "music" novels. Mostly because they have let me down in the past. But Casey Barnes Eponymous was very charming. And the cover is so cute. I love it.

Casey Barnes is one of those characters that you wish you had for a friend. She's this indie kind of girl who is very original and unique, and generally wonderful to be around. She's hilarious. She had me laughing out loud several times throughout the course of this novel. Her vocabulary is very advanced for a teenager - she doesn't ever say anything that makes you, as an adult, think, what the hell is she talking about - yet she doesn't know what a narcissist is when the idea of one presents itself. I thoroughly enjoyed interacting with her.

The novel was a bit predictable, at least where Leigh was concerned, but then again it wasn't. And I think that's my biggest complaint with it. Like every other character known to man, Casey makes mistakes - because I guess the novel wouldn't be interesting if someone didn't make mistakes, right? (I beg to differ) - but Casey's mistakes are so out of character for her. So much that they are unbelievable. I found myself thinking, why would she do that? I mean, I see Casey as this strong, independent girl, and yet she let's this asshole manipulate her time and time again. I could see once - fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me kind of thing - but she keeps running back to him and jeopardizing her other friendships. It's just so unlike her that I found myself disliking her at these points in the story rather than reveling at her development as a character.

She makes up for it in the end, thankfully, and the story ends on a good note. Other than the aforementioned shortcomings with Casey's character, I really did love this novel. I enjoyed reading about all the supporting characters (except the asshole of course), and loved how strong and independent they all were. They never ventured from their true selves and I really felt like I could connect with them. Everyone was unique, yet were all very normal. I could definitely picture myself being a part of this world.

In a sense, the playlists seem like an added bonus, but I don't think this novel would have been the same without them... Casey wouldn't have been the same without them. They made Casey and this novel charming. Though I didn't know of all the bands mentioned, I was able to connect with a lot of them which made this novel that much more relatable.

I could probably go on about the independence of this novel and its characters and how much it stood out for me from all the similarities found in YA today such as terrible vocabulary, over the top teen angst, or personality-less characters, but I think you all get the point. It really was a great book.

[Clara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey Barnes Eponymous had to be the closest book I've ever related to and at the same time shown me this whole other side. I'm a musician to some degree and the area that this story took place in really made me giggly to no end.

E.A. Rigg how I worship at your feet for writing the most epic playlist novel with the best main character there could possible be. All the playlists in this novel made me really proud and some what downgraded what I thought good music was and the epicness that I have been missing in the punk/rock community. I love the dialogue written in the story and the characters were completely life like.

At one point I almost told a friend that I knew these people and was going to tell my friend a scene front the book. That's how much I believed in the characters and setting was even better for moi. Furthermore the pacing of the novel really flowed and I never had a moment where I wanted to put the novel down.

I feel like I say this often and again not enough. Casey is my favorite main character of almost all time. Maybe there are some that I can't think of right away but the point is that she's amazing. The novel is told in her point of view and her wittiness and love/hate of everything really makes me love her. Sometime on her journey I did want to slap her in the face with a dagger-I know that sounds weird- but I never thought she was a weak willed or couldn't support the story because oh boy did she really move the plot along.

All the minor characters had a strong background and I could always clearly see where someone was in the aspect of their school life and at home. There was enough back story to all of the characters that they felt real and I think that's what made the novel it's best. My favorite characters were Ben of course and Maxine French somewhere along the way touched me. I have to admit that I never liked Casey's ex who I can't even recall his name now. That's all I'm going to waste this review on for him.

The humor in the story is spot on. There were many times where I literally laughed out load and had to hide a smile when I was reading during class. Sometimes Casey really brings it home with her wit. Also the irony in this story is chaotic to a point that its the most hilarious thing. For me irony is the best way to make me laugh.

For me this novel couldn't have come into my life at any better time. I also love the fact that it's not a series- as of what I've known-because I've read too many of those lately I needed a palate cleanser and this is the next best thing to perfect. So it shouldn't be a surprise to you that I'm giving Casey Barnes Eponymous by E.A. Rigg a head nods, thumbs up, and smiling like there's no tomorrow.(5 out of 5).

If you liked my review please head over to my blog @ http://readrw.blogspot.com/

[Erin Forson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casey is a connoisseur of all things musical; she takes her knowledge of music and creates short playlists for individuals at her school. Her goal?—To Help her classmates develop much-needed coolness or character; give them a “musical fish” so to speak and help those uncool peers of hers “feed…for a lifetime.” Her ability to diagnose the shortcomings of her classmates with obscure, yet typically spot-on, musical medication is eerie and ironic, especially since Casey has a thing for the highly toxic Alex Deal, and he’s rife with shortcomings. Alex isn’t exactly a prescription for the straight-and-narrow, but he’s hot, and he’s a rocker, just like Casey. How can she possibly resist him?

I must say that I didn’t find myself completely invested in this novel until the end of chapter four, when the reader learns about Casey’s previous hook up with Alex Deal and how it all went horribly wrong. That being said, the beginning chapters do give the reader a glimpse of Casey’s saucy and irreverent attitude, and introduce Casey’s best friend, Leigh, who is clearly a foil to Casey and Casey’s better half. Once the Alex/Casey conflict heats up, however, I was hooked. I love how the novel examines the age-old question of why we gals seem to fall for jerks who only care about themselves. Given her sass you’d think Casey could see that Alex has the depth of a mud puddle, but alas, like most of us gals, she’s enamored by his pure hotness and gives him a shot (perhaps one time too many). The dialogue is exceptional, especially the dialogue between Casey and her brother Yull, and Casey and Leigh, so good that at times I found myself snickering out loud. Casey’s sarcasm is textbook teen, and I enjoyed her one-liners. Yull is perhaps my favorite character, protective big brother with a sophisticated, Yoda-like wisdom; and that’s a good thing, since Casey’s connection with and respect for authority is shaky at best. She doesn’t realize it, but she needs Yull. Some of the scenes throughout the novel seem rushed and could be fleshed out more with dialogue and action rather than a summary of conversations or events, but chapter transitions work well and renew the readers’ interest with appropriate “teasers” that make the reader want to know what happens next. Some references to musicians and actors (i.e. Charo) may be foreign to readers, but it seems getting a musical education is a byproduct of reading this novel. In fact, I dare the reader to make it to the end without having to look up at least one band reference. While not a first pick for me, I think hard-rockers, wanna be band-members and those who love to enjoy less mainstream music will enjoy this novel and should give it a try—and certainly every girl can relate to the story, because there is an Alex Deal’s littering every high school landscape.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent an e copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I decided to accept this book because it sounded different, I also love it when there are song lists in books and this promised to have music throughout and on that aspect it definitely did not disappoint, I had heard of some of the songs but others were new to me. I am going through them to see what the music is like and see if I can find any new good tunes, so that's cool.
Casey Barnes likes to make 3 song lists and slip them into peoples books, I htink it's a way of spreading new and different music into their lives. I think that's quite cool, I would love to find a personalized song list in my book. However Casey did annoy me quite a bit, she is bright and bubbly and could do well in school but decides she can't be bothered and would rather back-chat at her teachers. She seemed a bit of a spoilt brat and if I was her mother I would have grounded her long ago. Granted she does have drive and ambition with her music and I loved how into it and passionate she was, I really enjoyed the bits where she was talking about her music, but at other times I wanted to slap her.
Alex Deal - her ex/current/possible boyfriend throughout is a pig, so full of himself and I was screaming at Casey to see some sense and just dump him.
I really liked her friend Leigh who was quirky and funny and Ben, the bands drummer was a sweetheart, bit mysterious but a softy.
Overall the characters had real life and exuberance, I just didn't like all of them, shame one of those was the main character. But there can be no doubt they were well written.
The book is quite short at 220 pages and the dialogue is easy to read and flows. I sat down tonight with 125 pages left to read, thought I would get through about 50 of them before shutting down but I ended up finishing it, didn't realize how far I had got until it ended.
I will say I love the cover though, it's one of those that would always catch my eye and I would definitely pick it up off the shelf.
This is a sweet little book and really shows the authors knowledge of music, easy to read and flows well, but it didn't wow me. I think I lacked a connection with Casey which made it harder for me to really care what happened with her, for me Ben saved the story, in the end it was him I was reading for, I wanted him to get that happy ending.
Worth a read if you want a quick, lazy day read.

[Dani · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was also posted at The Cozy Armchair!

I accepted this contemporary YA novel for review because a) the combination of music and high school drama totally appealed to me at the time and b) that cover is so freaking awesome, and I’m definitely glad I did! Clocking in at 220 pages on the Kindle, Casey Barnes Eponymous was a fun, short read that felt like watching a teen movie.

Our protagonist Casey is a witty, impulsive, and sometimes selfish high school sophomore; despite consistently making mistakes with her social life, her general attitude was certainly appealing. While I couldn’t empathize with her situation, it was certainly fun to read about.

The story had an overall snappy tone tone and quick pacing. In a way, the dialogue was exaggerated for teens, but for some reason it worked. I was never annoyed by the overabundance of sarcasm and hyperbole because everything seemed to fit the cast of characters, who were a varied bunch.

I do wish there had been more character development as a whole, especially with the secondary characters, and would have appreciated more variation between the characters’ voices. I was somewhat irritated by the 2D representation of some high school stereotypes, especially with regards to Sukh.

Alex Deal, on the other hand, was definitely realistic. As annoyed as I was with Casey for constantly chasing after this gigantic douchecanoe, it felt true to her character’s naivety, that it would take her maturing in other areas to realize that this isn’t the dude for her. Between this and the lack of insta-love with the other main guy Ben, I was sold on the relationships in this book.

As I mentioned, it definitely came across like your typical high school movie, although there were certain aspects to it that rang true to life, like the interactions between the characters. The moral of the story is pretty obvious, but the way it comes across is sweet (maybe too much so), so it works with the overall atmosphere of the story. Everything is short, simple, to the point, especially with the way conflicts are resolved (see: Maxine French).

In general, Casey Barnes Eponymous is a pretty sweet, lighthearted book to read when you’re not looking for anything that will weigh on your mind. As a bonus, this book namedrops bands and songs all over the place, which will probably lead you to discover some new music!

[Book Twirps · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very entertaining, fresh YA contemporary novel. I really enjoyed the story. Casey is a character I could definitely relate to. She’s cool, laid-back, a smart-ass and totally driven. She’s also a music junkie, and her love for music is almost infectious. I found myself smiling frequently, and I had to go online and listen to the music that comes up as the story plays out. It definitely heightens the mood of the story that way. I loved how Casey would stick a playlist with three songs in a library book after scouting out her “victim” du jour. Each playlist consisted of three songs to help guide the recipient through their day. It starts off with a pop song for a “feel good, everything is going to be fabulous” start to the day. The second song is a rock song which either energizes you when you hit the afternoon slump, or punctuates your frustration if your day isn’t going so well. The third and final song of the day is the brooding, existential “college” song (not to be confused with the beer-bong, frat boy, partying college song) which brings you back to reality and grounds you.

I liked all of the characters in the book, and I felt like Casey’s relationship with each one of the supporting characters was realistic and heart-felt. There is plenty of humor in the book as well as a few touching moments. I especially liked the dynamic between Casey and her brother, Yull. It’s a very believable love/hate relationship between siblings.

The author tells a wonderful story which is engaging enough to keep the reader going. I, personally, wish there had been less “telling” and more “showing”. While the music helped punctuate the mood, I think without it, the book may have felt pretty flat. I’m a very organic reader and I like a lot of descriptors to really place me inside the story. I want sounds, smells, feelings, etc. Despite a wonderful story, I was left feeling like I hadn’t been able to fully immerse myself into the book like I wanted to.

All that aside, I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light and fun read. A word of caution for more sensitive readers: The book does contain references to sex and drug use. I didn’t feel that it was gratuitous or shocking and it fit with the characters, but I wanted to throw that out there.

[Rochelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very, very, very rarely do I accept DIY books from authors for review. Call it personal preference, everybody has 'em. But when E.A. Rigg emailed me about a book she's having trouble getting published, I couldn't bring myself to say no. And I'm glad I didn't.

I really liked the main character, Casey, she's a teen girl who's a bit love-struck for a hot yet unattainable, yet all-so-wrong-for-her guy. They had a flash fling at the end of summer and she's determined to grab his attention again through lies, playing games and going against his band in the school talent show. She can come off as naive sometimes but I enjoyed her funny, sarcastic and rebellious ways. I loved the way she flies under the radar at school, not mixing with cliques but still pretty known, particularly because of her signature way of slipping random people three-song playlists everyday. It's her way of trying to improve their day...and their personalities. She kind of lives in her own little world, completely immersed in music. This girl is a serious music-a-holic. And not just any mainstream, over-played radio jumpers, she's serious about music having impact and meaning in a person's life, which I can really relate to. I'm always discovering unheard bands on the web that none of my friends have heard of or old songs before my time that are so good I can't believe I wasn't born when they came out. This whole book revolves around music, so if that's your thing, you should definitely read it.

My only issue with this book was the writing. There weren't smooth transitions between Casey in the present to Casey talking about something that happened in the past, then going back to the present and vice-versa. So at times you felt like you were completely lost or missed a page section. It makes reading the book kind of awkward.

Other than the writing, Casey Barnes is a fantastic little contemporary about two things that most anyone can relate to: music and love. E.A. Rigg has enormous potential as young-adult author and I hope she continues trying to get this book into the traditional publishing world and keeps her writing going.

Cover Story: I love the cover, it relates to the book 100%.

[Lulu (The Bookworm is Here!) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Casey Barnes Eponymous is made for music lovers. Everything in this book is connected to the music, it all comes back to the basics: music. It was a real treat and trust me, your playlist will get a whole lot longer!

Casey Barnes is the main character and boy is she ever one! It's hard to describe her and she definitely made this book great. Casey always has a comeback, she's wordy (trys to distract the listener by veering off topic - very funny), sarcastic, and a rock-star in the making. She IS a total teenager. I did doubt her thinking a bit, I guess just because I don't really think that way. I would have liked to see more fleshed out characters though. I was definitely able to put a personality to a name - which I liked very much - but just more connection to some of the other characters (even the main) would have made it better. On that note, Yull and Ben were awesome. Yull and Casey's relationship (brother and sister) was so darn hilarious - and so touching! I loved their bicking and bantering (I give brownie points to the author for the witty dialogue). Ben was the drummer in Casey's band and their connection through music was rock-tastic.

The biggest problem for me was the writing style. Not the writing itself - like I said the dialogue was witty, funny, and realistic. Let's face it: I'm not used to the "she did this (talking about the MC)" and "he did that". It was just hard to follow, because I had to figure out who "she" was. And the flashbacks confused me sometimes, I didn't realize we had jumped back into a previous situation and then once we left the flashback, I'm like "whoa, wait what happened". But, if I have one thing to say, its this: E.A. Rigg knows her music. The references and just the knowledge behind everything was fantastic. Needless to say I was impressed.

I would recommend Casey Barnes Eponymous to music (seriously if you love music pick it up!), romance, and witty character lovers!

[Alissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

As excited as I was for this book, and as much as I wanted to like it, I could never fully immerse myself in the story. I had the most extreme lack of connection to the main character, Casey. It didn’t help that the story is told in the third person – this only created even more detachment, in my case.

I appreciate Casey’s devotion to and passion for music. The playlists thrown into the story are really neat and a nice touch for her character. But between her random babblings, music references, and strange trying-to-be-too-cool phrases, I became lost – and not just with her, but with the story as well. I understand that she is not, in any way, going to be labeled a “good girl,” but I definitely wasn’t expecting her to be so ready to hook up with her ex (going out on a limb here and relying on my memory, but I’m pretty sure it happens not even 50 pages in). I wasn’t able to get used to the idea of them being together. As a reader, I barely even knew who he was, exactly. There’s very limited details given, and they don’t offer much. However, there is a background story for almost every character, no matter how minor they may be – which, while at first seemed like it helped me get a feel for the story and setting, ended up making me utterly lost with the abrupt changing between the past and present, especially in the beginning.

The flow of the novel just didn’t work for me. I could never settle into the story, which made for a very rocky reading pattern.

While I understand that Casey is only a Sophomore in high school, I wasn’t quite prepared for the read to be so juvenile, both in its writing and plot and characters. That said, it’s a very light, feel-good read. It’s definitely not weighed down by emotional baggage, and Casey’s voice keeps things entertaining and humorous.

Casey Barnes Eponymous is a story that will keep you on your toes, purely from its strangeness.

(www.thegrammariansreviews.com)

[Michelle (FabBookReviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a veritable fun read. It's got some ingredients that I adore in contemporary YA: a kick-ass and snarky protagonist, awesome music references, and seriously quippy dialogue. Casey Barnes is one of those out-of-the-mold characters; I think she's the kind of girl in high school that would have been awesome to know. And she could have introduced me to some amazing music.

Casey Barnes is still in lust with Alex, the sexy high school musician of her dreams. He very unceremoniously dropped her after they hooked up, and now she has to see him strutting around school with the resident glossy mean girl. Now, we all know that Alex is bad news, but of course Casey still wants him- or thinks she wants him back. And how does she propose to win him back? By forming a band and impressing the hell out of him at the school concert. The only thing is, while putting together a band, gaining confidence in her singing, and meeting some cool people along the way, Casey comes to realize that Alex may not be the thing she needs in her life.

This book has not been published in hard copy; it is self-published it is only available as an ebook. It's a short read and one that I might never have read if not for the author's email, but I am so glad I had the chance to read it! There are some minor issues I had with certain transitions between chapters, for example, clearer breaks between past and present events would have helped. There were a few sections that could have benefited from some editing, and a plot line with Casey's best friend that doesn't quite jibe with the rest of the story. That being said, though, I really enjoyed this read. I would recommend it for fans of music-heavy contemporary reads or humorous YA. This read is something along the lines of Don Calame's Beat the Band with a little bit of young and jaded Jessica Darling thrown in.

[Meghan]

Review also posted at my blog, Books and a Cup of Tea

Casey Barnes Eponymous is an awesome music lover read with talk about various bands big and small, rocker clothing, and a talent show. Being a music lover myself, I of course enjoyed this novel.

Casey was a great character. She's such a refreshing, snarky, out of the box character. I enjoyed her character immensely and found myself laughing out loud at some of the things she would say. That being said, she was also incredibly naive about things, especially when it came to Alex and sex.

Being a female rocker, she assumes she must lose her virginity to be an "official" rocker. She doesn't see it as a precious thing you don't give away to just anyone. This was a flaw I enjoyed reading, though, because you got to read about her growing more mature.

The plot was better than I expected. Casey forms a band to try out for the talent show (gone by as just "talent show" instead of "the talent show" which bugged me BIG TIME, for some reason) to make Alex jealous/like her. This provided for even more laughs, with some of the songs her band came up with.

The writing was simple and had surprisingly good grammar and spelling. Sometimes it would get confusing, though, like when there was a flash back, it would take me a second to realize that what was going on wasn't currently happening. This could be fixed if some things were moved around a bit or even taken out, but it wasn't that much of an issue for me.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Casey Barnes Eponymous. It was a very quick read, only about 3 hours, so I'd say give it a shot, especially if you love music!

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I'll admit I'm a person who will think you're just a tad bit more cooler if you have awesome musical taste or if you introduce me to something new musically. Having said this, I adore Casey Barnes for this very reason. She was able to do a bit of both! She isn't your usual teenage character. She's definitely reckless and a bit naive at times, but I also think she has a lot of characteristics that are really admirable for someone her age. Without giving too much away, she has her mind set on things that are more important. Her future in music being one of them.

I don't even know how I'd really explain this book to someone, but if I had to come up with a description I want to say it's like if Gilmore Girls and Juno decided to come together and somehow have a baby with Glee, this book would be it.

One of the many things I loved about this book was the writing style. It completely fits with the way that Casey Barnes acts. I truly felt like I was in her head at all times. Even though this book was fairly short, E.A. Rigg was able to give almost every character that was introduced their own personality and storyline without it feeling underdeveloped. The book is full of fun characters you'll love and hate, all while you're bopping your head to really obscure music you're likely to not be familiar with.

If you're looking for a musical treasure trove wrapped up in a witty package, Casey Barnes is definitely the girl for you. High five to the author for providing me a copy for review. Even MORE epic high fives for having two eBook copies to giveaway to you guys! All you gotta do is fill out the form below! This contest will end on Sunday, May 20 at 11:59 p.m. Keep a look out for the Casey Barnes character interview and playlist next week!

[Hot Stuff Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://freak-ya-tastic.blogspot.com/2...


This book is a one shot, a novel really quick to read thanks to a feisty main character really into music which is winderful when you're a music lover like I am.

I have to thank the author who gave me a free e-copy of this novel. I discovered an amazing and funny story that I'll recommand without further thoughts.

First thing, the writing style conveys perfectly the personality of the main character - Casey Barnes - which is feisty and brings to life this high school atmosphere. It's like I was back to my sixteen.

Also, I laughed a lot with how Casey behaves and reacts which is a requirement in this kind of story. But, it's not all about funny plots because there's also family issues with her bestfriend and about this important part of everybody's life during which we're looking for our "identity" and our point of view.

I like how the author writes about first love and everythings that's going on with that and it's never judgemental or boring or even cheesy. It's totally modern and never out of Casey's character.

And, what can I write about all the music references? I love them! I can't resist to a novel about music in the plot. It's just impossible and even more impossible when it's so well done. All these playlists give texture, life and fun both to the character and the story.

So, in my opinion, this novel is a must read because everybody can identify themself to a character or a situation in the book and because you'll love to discover the playlists made by Casey Barnes.

Seriously, you should rush and buy this ebook! Or participate to my giveaway!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hey you Come check out my Blog :) http://booknerdrambling.blogspot.com/

Casey Barnes is a typical high-school sophomore she's blunt,impulsive and a bit of a mess at times.She likes to make 3 song lists and slip them into peoples books, I think it's a way of spreading new and different music into their lives.This is probably the one redeeming thing about Casey otherwise I found her character to be annoying and naive.She did have her moments and all in all she was alright.

The ex she wants back is Alex Deal who is the sexy high school musician of her dreams.They had a brief-and I mean really brief-thing in the summer and she wants him back despite that every about him screams bad news.So she uses song lists,lies,and her charm to attempt to get him.Eventually she puts a band together to impress him at the talent show.Thanks to her band mates-espeacialy Ben- and her friends, Casey starts to wonder if Alex is all that great.The characters are pretty likeable but seem flat and predictable.My favorite was Casey's brother Yule I would love to read his story.

I absolutely love the cover it almost seems like a photograph.Looking at it I can just picture Casey working on her rock star vibe standing on the amp.The book was quick witted and fast paced it definitely came across like your typical some what cliche high school movie. Casey Barnes Eponymous is a pretty sweet, lighthearted book to read.Perfect for any music lover who will enjoy finding new songs to listen too.Also it is self-published it is only available as an ebook,thanks to the author emailing me I had the chance of reading Casey Barnes Eponymous and I'm glad I did.

[Precious Mae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot in this book - from life, youth, curiousity, society and family. One might think that this is one of the many mushy-yet-lovely chick lit, but I beg to disagree. It was more than that. It may not include really big climax events but it has life turning events that will left you in awe. One thing that I really like about it is that it includes songs that may or may not give meaning to your life in general.

Casey Barnes - sophomore, closet rock artist, loaded with problems, determined and a teen with full of opinions. In her journey in her life in high school, she got to meet a lot of people that will change her outlook in life. Those people also help her in dealing with certain events that occurred in her life. She may be too frank and opinionated with how she deals with her and other people's problems but you will think once in a while that she has a point and that is how she sees things in her eyes.

There are few secondary characters that really caught my attention and that would be Ben and Yull. They really made Casey's life in school and home a colorful one. They also helped her realize things - things that changed casey and her opinions.

I definitely love the songs that are included in the book. One thing that you should do while reading this one? Listen the songs! It will lift your mood up while reading and also you will feel why those songs affect Casey and her answers in life.


What I like:
* the playlists
* Casey's opinions
* Casey's determination

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed from e-book provided by author.

Sophomore Casey Barnes sees it as her mission, maybe even duty, to alleviate the misery that is high school one three-song playlist at a time. She leaves the lists in library books for her unsuspecting victims--three perfect songs to boost them through the day. Her killer taste in music makes her confident that her lists can make all the difference...and maybe even get her back the guy she sort of dated over the summer, Alex Deal. They have so much in common, too. He's in a band, and she wants be a rock star. She's got the guitar playing and song writing down, but she's not too keen on playing in public, but she will if that will help her get Alex Deal back....

Casey Barnes rocks--in all the right ways. Sharp, sarcastic, passionate, daring, slightly self-enthralled, obsessed and obsessive, yet a bit naive and vulnerable, she makes a great YA protagonist. While the plot focuses mainly on Casey's plan to get Alex Deal back (in spite of his obvious-to-the-reader flaws), Casey propels the story and makes it well worth reading, especially her supreme devotion to music and spreading the love of obscure bands to her fellow students; it's her own music ministry. She has a great cast of supporting characters, too, including her perfect (gay) older brother Yull, her best friend Leigh, the enigmatic new guy Ben (who happens to be a drummer), and the despicable Maxine French. Highly recommended for ages 13 & up. Language, alcohol, plus sex(ual situations), drugs (mentioned), and rock & roll.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

See more of my reviews on my blog Thoughts At One In The Morning.

My Thoughts:

It took me a year to finally get to this one after winning it in a giveaway. I’ve been wanting to get to it since the story interested me because of my love of music.

In the beginning, I’m not sure how to think about Casey. She is bizarre in her train of thought and manner of speaking. The way she interacts with people makes it hard to understand where she stands. She was really funny, although quite irritating at the same time. It was hard to follow her thinking since she bounces around in her thoughts and feelings often. But, this is her personality after all, so there’s nothing wrong with that. It was just hard to keep up with as a reader sometimes.

I thought the music references and her playlists were pretty cool. I’ll have to go back through and jot down some of the song titles to look them up sometime. Otherwise, there’s not too much else to say. The side stories were a little off the wall, and a few of the things Casey did were thoroughly confusing. The romantic element to the story was all over. I had no idea what to expect in the end.

Casey Barnes Eponymous was a crazy novel. I’m not even sure what the central plot was supposed to be in the end. I thought E.A. Rigg did a great job when it came to the humor and music. The possibility of confusion aside, it is a pretty good read.

My Rating: Pretty Good

[Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read. I loved the main character Casey, she's got spunk.
She's in high school. Wants to play in a band and having some boy troubles. She likes to cheat on tests and always speaks her mind. Getting in trouble with the school is the least of her problems and she dresses with a rock star style.
Trying to get over a little heart ache that Alex has caused her, she finds out that he's broken up with his girlfriend, but she still tries to feign interest. There is a new boy in school, Ben who she tries to cheat off of one day and notices that he carries around drummer sticks in his pocket.
Ben and Casey eventually end up forming a group to play at the school talent show and for the try-outs writes a song about the school bitch and calls her out on it in front of the whole audience. There is always a constant pull towards Alex for her, even though she knows deep down inside that he's not right for her, but he's hot and shows interest.
What caught my attention most about this story is that the main character. There is not a lot of scenes that are overly angsty and actually handled pretty well in my opinion. Most of the conflicts are actually settled through honesty and talking to each other. The story flowed with kind of a laid back mellow feel to it, great contemporary teen read that rocks.

[Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love books with/about music and Casey Barnes Eponymous is a book with REALLY good music. Casey clearly knows her sh*t when it comes to good music. And I love how she makes playlists for random people in the hopes of making them widen their musical tastes.

Ergo, I should've fallen in love with this book - no brainer, right?

I would've, except for the fact that Casey is so naive and shallow and often, downright mean. I hated how she treated everyone around her. She wasn't likable AT ALL. Her only redeeming quality was her superb musical taste but even that is marred by her elitist snobbishness about other people's musical preferences. Hello, good music is good music regardless of the number of people who sing along to it. For example, her moment of clarity about what a prick the guy she was pining for was came only after he made her a playlist. Said playlist included Peter Bjorn and John's Young Folks, a relatively famous The Shins song (owing to the fact that it was on the soundtrack of Garden State) and a well-known Rolling Stones song. And she loathed the playlist, not because it had crappy songs but because a lot of people KNOW the songs, thus, lessening their coolness factor. After Alex Deal treated her badly multiple times, said playlist is what made her realize that he's not really the guy of her dreams. In my opinion, she's as much of a poseur as Alex was.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Casey Barnes Eponymous was a quick read about Casey Barnes, a quick talking sophomore who is learning the ropes of high school. She's accompanied by her best friend, Leigh, who doesn't do anything her parents wouldn't approve of; and her brother, Yull, a gay theater addict who outshines Casey in school and at home.

Casey is a music expert, and she enjoys making playlists for other, more unfortunate people who aren't exposed to such glamourous tunes as she. She plays the guitar, and is all around a cool, knowledgeable young lass who is just trying to get the attention of Alex Deal, music god. They hooked up before school started and now she's trying to win him back, much to the dismay of Yull, Leigh and all the girls who can't get Alex's attention.

I wasn't expecting Casey Barnes Eponymous to be so short (220 pages). When I was halfway through this novel, I was really disappointed because I was really getting into it. But the dialogue, the descriptions, and the storyline made this book fly by. I was really growing attached to the characters, and I will surely miss my little music extraordinare, Casey.

Read the entire review at Books from a Shelf.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It read very quickly and was very entertaining. It was realistic for the most part. I loved the way the main character, Casey interacted with others, and how she changed as the book progressed. I also liked the music.

I don't really consider myself a music person, but I could definitely appreciate the music in this book. It was a central part of it, and the author definitely knows music. If you're someone who loves music, this is a good book for you.

The characters were all really well put together. I especially liked the way Casey and her brother interacted. It was very realistic. I think the average high school student-body was pulled off very well.

The only thing that I didn't particularly love about the book was how narrow the setting was. I didn't really feel like I got a big picture.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it, especially to music lovers!

[Marybeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew that the moment I heard about this book I would like it.

Casey was nothing I expected and everything I could imagine. I thought I would be annoyed with her as one of those girl's who is just looking for attention from a guy, but I was surprised by how much she wasn't like that. Or at least the way I saw her.

I found myself having a lot of fun reading it. Rigg brings a unique character (with amazing taste in music) and sends readers into a great story.

I feel like I should have a lot to say, but honestly this is just one of those books that someone has to pick up in order to fully enjoy. The writing is wonderful, the characters are real; I found myself laughing and getting angry.

There was somethings that bothered me though, but it was something that I could easily overlook in contrast to the rest of this tale.

A truly wonderful read!

[K.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

You gotta love a book that has the word “eponymous” in its title. And you gotta love Casey Barnes, the eponymous heroine of this novel. Casey is a teenager living in Bethesda, Maryland and she has a full plate of problems to deal with. I won’t detail them here, since part of the pleasure of this novel is discovering for yourself how inventive the plot is. As for Casey, she is a one-of-a-kind character—driven, acerbic, opinionated, and forever human in the painful gap between what she knows and what she has yet to experience. The novel chronicles, in hilarious and heartbreaking detail, the people Casey meets, the choices she makes and, ultimately, the responsibilities she forces herself to live up to. A great new addition to the field of YA literature.

[Czarina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel like this was written by a 15-year old. It was quite obvious that this was the author's first novel through her writing. Casey Barnes wasn't even a very likable character. She was rude, impulsive, and irresponsible. All she ever thought about was herself and how to piss people off. Also, I think it would've been better if this was written in the first POV instead of the third, that way the reader would've known what goes on inside Casey's fucked up mind.

Oh well, this was a random okay read. It's got a lot of good songs, though.

[Dianedelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great young adult novel -- especially for a girl into music. Takes place in my hometown!

[Paige · Rating 2 out of 5]

Check out my review here: http://thepaige-turner.blogspot.com/2...