Angels Wept Tonight

by Hope Bolinger

Tina is just a homeschooled high school senior trying to get into a good music program for next fall-and trying with her best friend Raphael to snap some senior pictures at northeast Ohio's famous mansion built in the 1920s.

Little does she know that she's stumbled across a family gathering of the Daaés. A famous musical empire with a dark not so well kept their son, Eric.

Eric, who has climbed the ranks of video-sharing platforms on social media, hides half of his face. And any girl who has happened to get close enough to get a date has fled at the sight of what hides underneath the mask.

When the Daaés hear Tina's angelic voice, they strike a deal. She'll go on tour with them-and if she can keep her silence about the family secrets the whole time-they'll help her find her way into a good musical program with a full scholarship.

But she doesn't anticipate falling for Eric, nor for falling waist-deep into a tangled web of the family's dark history. And that could not only cause her to lose her scholarship, but get her killed in the process.

Genres: Young Adult, Romance

282 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 5, 2025

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

YA mystery in the world of opera. A good read. It was fascinating to step into this world and get a glimpse of how it all may work. I loved learning more about it and how it worked. I met some interesting characters. Very cool how it tied into Phantom of the Opera story but yet held it's own. The mystery was pretty good, however the relationships tied off very quickly as soon as the culprit was discovered. What happened to Raph? I didn't love how often the main character talked about how she deceived her mum. She was 18 anyway. It was unnecessary and didn't add to the novel. Not the best role model for YA fiction, so that is why it lost a star.

[Kelsie Carlson (Alaskan.BookDragon) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way this book incorporates both the Phantom book and movie. It brought both together in such a neat way! The mystery aspect had me second guessing until the end. This murder mystery does not have any gorey details, which I appreciate! I love a good mystery but some of them get to grotesque for me. Angels Wept Tonight hits the right amount of detail. The backdrop of Opera is something I have very limited familiarity with, it was fun to read about! The characters are well developed and keep you guessing at the same time.

All in all I enjoyed this book, the reason for 3 instead of 4 stars is solely because it is marketed as YA. Below are my reasons for that and it does contain minor spoilers. The below has to do with teen readers, things I thought fellow parents might like to know since this book is in the YA category.

My reasons are twofold.
The MC talks about going behind her mom's back a lot, she often deceives her as well. There is talk of circumventing her moms phone and internet rules. Now the MC is not rebellious, she is also 18. I do think her Mom is overboard given the MC's age. As a adult I can chuckle to myself like yup, as the MC does not do anything that is not really normal for her age. Not sure I would want a 16yo to read about how to circumvent thier phone controls thu.

THIS BIT CONTIANS SLIGHT SPOILERS
My second hesitation is the BF/GF relationship that develops. The relationship is not fleshed out so it almost seems like the MC is going a boy actually likes me! yay! and does not know much about him. I think the author just did not intend it to be a major plot point, again as a adult I can see that. But do I want it to be a example for my teen???

My biggest reason for hesitation is one line in the book. The BF gets in a fight with the MC's best friend who is a boy and says he will bash his head in. That's it. Just that one bit, and it is used in the plot later on so it has a purpose for the book. My problem is it is excused away, boys will be boys haha. Once the book ends it's just all ok again. I never ever ever want my daughters to think that is OK for a BF to say. I have known women who were victims of physical abuse from boyfriends and husbands so perhaps I am being overly sensitive. Saying something like that is a huge red flag I would never want my daughters to ignore. As a adult I get it, I get the way it's being used and that he is at a better and changed mental place by the end of the book, that when he said that it was a extremly high stress time. I do not think it is appropriate in a YA novel however.

I was given a copy by the publisher. My opinions, as always, are my own.

[Rachel Schoenberger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Angels Wept Tonight is an enthralling young adult contemporary retelling of The Phantom of the Opera that seamlessly blends a gripping murder mystery with a romance subplot. When Tina, an eighteen-year-old singer, sneaks into a party of a famous opera family known as the Daaés, she is given a chance to audition for the lead soprano role for a three-month opera tour and wins over the audience with her voice. As she is hesitant to accept the offer due to the family's mysterious reputation, even for the enormous sum of $100 000, Tina tells her controlling mother, expecting a "no." Instead, her mother insists that Tina do the tour, along with her best friend Raph, to chaperone. Things on the tour quickly go awry, with Tina receiving ominous letters from an unknown person, not to mention the mysterious deaths. Plus, Tina begins falling for Eric Daaé, the lead male singer in the opera, who hides half of his face under a mask. She must figure out who the murderer is before she or Raph end up getting hurt, all while learning and performing three different operas around the country.
I loved this book so much that I read it all in one day, as it definitely made me want to keep reading. The opera aspect was very interesting, as I love music but have never seen an opera, so I learned some things about it! As with many of Hope Bolinger's books, this one does poke a bit of fun at the conservative evangelical subculture by subtly criticizing certain aspects of it, which I find amusing as someone who was also raised in that world. And even though I have never read or watched The Phantom of the Opera, this novel is such great fun that you do not have to be familiar with the story to enjoy it.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As you all might know I love fairytale retellings. But I also love musicals/opera and Phantom of the Opera is one of them. So when I came across this Phantom of the opera retelling I couldn’t pass it off.

While secretly snapping her senior pictures with her best friend, Tina accidentally gets into the room where auditions are being held by the famous Family of the Daaés. This Family is famous for their musical empire and their son Eric who hides half of his face underneath a mask in all his video’s and performances. She gets hired for a lot of money but during the tour she discovers the money isn’t just for her performances but also to buy her silence since strange things are happening and people are dying. Can she find out what’s really happening in time to escape or at least survive?

I enjoyed reading this book and it reads easily. It’s not a thriller but has some suspense suitable for the young adult target group.
As you can expect for a retelling of the Phantom of the Opera, there is mystery. Main character Tina acts like a little Sherlock and her best friend Raphael as her Watson. They follow leads and try to find the one causing all the mayhem. I don’t really think the main character evolves during the book but you do get to know her better.
I liked reading the book but I would had loved a “that many years later” part where we could read what happened after the original ending.

[Charissa James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a nice read. In the right place at the right time, Tina, a recently graduated homeschooler, gets invited to join the mysterious and exclusive Daaé family on their annual summer opera tour as the Prima Donna. I was intrigued by the hints of The Phantom of the Opera. I mean, any story featuring an MMC with a mask will grab my attention. But there's also a lot more relating to the famous story. I don't remember all the specifics since I'm writing this a few days after reading... 🫣 I kinda felt like the romance and the mystery were pushed just a little bit aside in favor of the details of opera life. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy learning what the life of an opera singer looks like. I just would've preferred a deeper romance and more build-up in the mystery. Overall, it was an interesting read.

[Nospicereads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the mystery action and romance side plot. The story was engaging and you don't have to have read Phantom of the Opera to understand what is happening, which was really appreciated. I do now want to read Phantom of the Opera because if this book 😂. The characters were well developed and things were slowly revealed so you can't guess what's going on from the beginning. I enjoyed the suspense, but feel like things were left a little unclear between Eric and Tina at the end and also how and if Tina and Raph made amends. I would have liked to see more of a resolution on that aspect. The ending just felt a bit rushed after you found out who dunnit.

[Becca · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this book, as I loved the premise of taking a beloved musical and book and creating a modern YA mystery. Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. The story's initial buildup was ok, but certain characteristics of the main character (and her reactions and responses to situations, especially if it involved her mother's restrictions) were irritating to the point of distraction. I scanned through to read the conclusion, but it was close to a DNF.

I know others loved it, so I don't knock it for the quality of writing or potential story. If the storyline sounds good, I encourage you to try it! I think there is a solid market for this book; I'm just not in it.

[Sarah L · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you watched The Phantom of the Opera (2004) as a kid and wanted Christine to get with the Phantom at the end, this book is for you! Not only is there romance, opera, prima donna’s, and conflict- but there’s also a murder mystery.

When Tina stumbles upon auditions for the Daae family accidentally while taking senior photos, she’s throw into the lead female role, and starts falling for her fellow lead, Eric. But suddenly suspicious deaths keep occurring. Who’s behind it? And who can she trust?

This book was so good! Even though I didn’t know much about opera nor Phantom of the Opera, I was so excited to read it and kept trying to figure out who was the killer with Tina. If you’re a fan of the movie or the book, there’s small inside jokes in this book.

[Kristen N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this Phantom of the Opera retelling

I love how is retelling molds the book and the play together in a modern spin. I love how it is a clean read and devoid of smut but has enough swooney spice to keep it moving. I love that the MC isn't an empty headed girl, but has depth and charisma. I only wish the ending gave us an epilogue in the characters lives.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The opera was an interesting backdrop. There were tons of Phantom of the Opera references and yet there were creative things done as well so it wasn't just a retelling. They mystery itself was entertaining. On the whole, it was a fun read!

Thank you to the author for an ecopy.

[A.J. Skelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this contemporary YA retelling of The Phantom of the Opera! Such a fantastic job in a modern setting.

[Alyssa Skaggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice retelling of phantom of the opera. The authors writing was good and the book flowed nicely!

[Melissa Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a LONG time since I've seen Phantom of the Opera, and I have never read it, so I appreciated the summaries at the back (which I read before I started, as well as the opera terms). :)

For me, it was a little slow the first quarter or so, but then I couldn't read fast enough. I was relieved that the killer was not who I first thought it was. It was nice to see the relationship develop slowly - sharing details about their lives naturally before they became an official "thing."

There were several allusions to Tina's upbringing - homeschooling, strict - and a planned-out, predictable future (marriage and babies). While I know this happens, it felt like a caricature of those families, rather than a realistic picture.

Overall, I enjoyed it. And honestly, I loved the Pirates of Penzance references, as it is a show I've performed. I would define this as "cozy mystery" as there was no gore or "onscreen" violence. No profanity or bedroom scenes. (Thank you!)