What do you think?
Rate this book
All the Wrong Chords
Scarlett Stiles is desperate for a change of scenery after her older brother, Liam, dies of a drug overdose. But spending the summer with her grandfather wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Luckily, Scarlett finds something to keep her busy--a local rock band looking for a guitarist. Even though playing guitar has been hard since Liam died, Scarlett can't pass on an opportunity like this, and she can't take her eyes off the band's hot lead singer either. Is real happiness just around the corner? Or will she always be haunted by her brother's death?
280 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2017
8 people are currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Christine Hurley Deriso
14 books73 followers“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.”—William Wordsworth
One thing that strikes me about my writing is that the process has changed very little since I first started jotting down stories around age six. An idea fills my head and whines, cajoles, begs or bullies until I pay attention. Sometimes the ideas are so charming that I scoop them up in a hug. Other times, they’re so annoying that I snap, “What?” at their insistence. But either way, I can no more walk away from one than I could walk away from a child in need.
The ideas originate in my head, but they seem to have a mind, an essence, an existence of their own. I feel more like a vessel than an owner. Succumbing to these ideas’ insistence to flow through me is profoundly joyful, but also utterly involuntary. And that hasn’t changed since I was six.
What has changed, I hope, is my wisdom, my insight, my courage . . . my head’s ability to make enough sense of these ideas to shape them into something meaningful, even the ones that scare me. Especially the ones that scare me.
I’m guessing you’ll glean from my books that I love all words, any words.
Whether I’m writing for a young child, a tween, a young adult or a Ph.D., I try hard to move my reader . . . to make his world a little bigger or his heart a little fuller. Hopefully both.
So there you have it: I love words and I love ideas, and if I didn’t love them, they’d badger me anyhow.
Thanks for sharing the experience with me.
One thing that strikes me about my writing is that the process has changed very little since I first started jotting down stories around age six. An idea fills my head and whines, cajoles, begs or bullies until I pay attention. Sometimes the ideas are so charming that I scoop them up in a hug. Other times, they’re so annoying that I snap, “What?” at their insistence. But either way, I can no more walk away from one than I could walk away from a child in need.
The ideas originate in my head, but they seem to have a mind, an essence, an existence of their own. I feel more like a vessel than an owner. Succumbing to these ideas’ insistence to flow through me is profoundly joyful, but also utterly involuntary. And that hasn’t changed since I was six.
What has changed, I hope, is my wisdom, my insight, my courage . . . my head’s ability to make enough sense of these ideas to shape them into something meaningful, even the ones that scare me. Especially the ones that scare me.
I’m guessing you’ll glean from my books that I love all words, any words.
Whether I’m writing for a young child, a tween, a young adult or a Ph.D., I try hard to move my reader . . . to make his world a little bigger or his heart a little fuller. Hopefully both.
So there you have it: I love words and I love ideas, and if I didn’t love them, they’d badger me anyhow.
Thanks for sharing the experience with me.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 111 reviews
![Profile Image for Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1746468325i%2F66224803._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
November 25, 2017
Actual rating: 3.25⭐️
Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a typical Girl-falls-for-the-wrong-boy-only-to-realize-the-right-guy-was-always-right-there-story. But with bands, music 🎶🎵🎶, tragic losses and illnesses.
Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️
What can I say? I hated the “wrong guy” from the beginning. How could Scarlett not see that he was an a*hole from the start? How?
I really hated her stupidity in this situations, but she’s young (kind of) and “love” (or rather “attraction”) makes you stupid.
My favorite characters were her grandfather and Zach. Zach was a real gentleman and so so cute and her grandfather was super funny and really cool.
Relationships ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, I don’t want to spoiler things.
So, I can only say it had some cute moments and a happy ending (no surprise 😅).
I liked Scarlett’s relationship with her sister, with her best friend and her grandfather. There were my favorite parts.
And I felt really sad when I read what a good and strong relationship she had with her brother before he died. 😢
Writing style ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed the writing and it had some beautiful parts which I really liked.
Story ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was a typical Girl-falls-for-the-wrong-boy-only-to-realize-the-right-guy-was-always-right-there-story. But with bands, music 🎶🎵🎶, tragic losses and illnesses.
Characters ⭐️⭐️⭐️
What can I say? I hated the “wrong guy” from the beginning. How could Scarlett not see that he was an a*hole from the start? How?
I really hated her stupidity in this situations, but she’s young (kind of) and “love” (or rather “attraction”) makes you stupid.
My favorite characters were her grandfather and Zach. Zach was a real gentleman and so so cute and her grandfather was super funny and really cool.
Relationships ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, I don’t want to spoiler things.
So, I can only say it had some cute moments and a happy ending (no surprise 😅).
I liked Scarlett’s relationship with her sister, with her best friend and her grandfather. There were my favorite parts.
And I felt really sad when I read what a good and strong relationship she had with her brother before he died. 😢
Writing style ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed the writing and it had some beautiful parts which I really liked.
December 9, 2017
Title: All The Wrong Chords
Author: Christine Hurley Deriso
Genre: Young Adult
Publication Date: December 12, 2017
This is my first Christine Hurley Deriso book and so far I'm not convinced.
But having said that this isn't the worst book out there.
This book by the end was pure and simple. After the month I've had with all the mafia books, after all the angst and the unneeded yet craved roller coaster of emotions, this was comparatively calmer, lighter and relaxed.
I love the Young Adult genre, you never know what you sort of Gem you'll find, sadly All The Wrong Chords wasn't it. At times, it was predictable.. I could literally see myself saying "oh oh... I can totally see that this is going to be a disaster!".
But having said this was a relaxing read.
For more reviews and giveaways follow my blog at www.jemimajamir.com
July 24, 2017
Trigger Warning: gay character make comments that are offensive to straight ppl
Well I am joking of cuz. What's the fun in life living in trigger warnings. But yes I am definitely pissed when Varun the gay character said he had it worse than a straight white boy. Not something I usually get upset about but with the usual trend of bashing straight ppl for no other reason other than they are straight and white , I can't help being triggered.
My annoyance with the character doesn't impact my reading experience. I am very glad that I picked All the Wrong Chords. Our heroine Scarlett is spending her summer with her grandpa, what happened when she joined a band, have to juggle between 2 hot boys and band drama?
I enjoy the mystery vibe within the book. Scarlett got torn between 2 boys Zach and uhmm I can't rmb his name. These 2 boys are sending Scarlett mixed signals? What is the deal with them? What are they hiding? I rack my brain trying to guess
Aside from the romance, this book is just sooo heart warming and sweet. A perfect blend of Romance, Family, Friendship and Mystery
ARC received via NetGalley
Well I am joking of cuz. What's the fun in life living in trigger warnings. But yes I am definitely pissed when Varun the gay character said he had it worse than a straight white boy. Not something I usually get upset about but with the usual trend of bashing straight ppl for no other reason other than they are straight and white , I can't help being triggered.
My annoyance with the character doesn't impact my reading experience. I am very glad that I picked All the Wrong Chords. Our heroine Scarlett is spending her summer with her grandpa, what happened when she joined a band, have to juggle between 2 hot boys and band drama?
I enjoy the mystery vibe within the book. Scarlett got torn between 2 boys Zach and uhmm I can't rmb his name. These 2 boys are sending Scarlett mixed signals? What is the deal with them? What are they hiding? I rack my brain trying to guess
Aside from the romance, this book is just sooo heart warming and sweet. A perfect blend of Romance, Family, Friendship and Mystery
ARC received via NetGalley
September 20, 2017
Rating: 3.5/5
(I received a free copy from the publisher, Flux, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Available for request at https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...)
***Minor spoilers***
Scarlett's family is going through a rough time. Her brother died of a drug overdose, and everyone is dealing with it differently. Scarlett is spending the summer with her grandfather, both to help deal with the tragedy and to keep her grandfather from driving, due to his failing vision. After nearly hitting a guy with her car, she discovers that he's part of a band and sees him perform. Upon discovering that Scarlett herself was previously in a band, she's invited to go to their practice, where she quickly becomes torn between two members. Declan is the hot lead singer, who seems to go through girls like it's nothing, and who isn't very reliable at all, but she's infatuated regardless. Zach, the guy she almost ran over, is the lead guitarist and songwriter, and has been nothing but good to Scarlett, but her obsession with Declan remains. But is Declan really good for her?
To start off, this book had a love triangle that was pretty predictable and at some times frustrating. Usually I end up hating books that feature love triangles, but I didn't mind all that much in this book. For one, I liked Scarlett as a character, so that made it more tolerable. She also recognized that maybe Declan wasn't good for her, she just had a hard time getting over him. There was also enough stuff happening in the book (dealing with her brother's death, and also the relationships between Scarlett, her best friend, and her sister) where the focus wasn't solely on the love triangle, so it didn't become exhausting to read.
As I mentioned, this book was extremely predictable. From the get go you can tell that Zach is the nice guy and Declan is the bad boy and Scarlett wants Declan but Zach is there and blah blah blah, I'm sure you can predict the rest. And you predicted correctly. But the journey there was actually pretty fun and satisfying. There was also another element that I found pretty predictable, which was . Hints were thrown here and there that were pretty easy to catch on to, but it didn't really ruin the experience for me anyway.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty fun and easy read. The writing flowed really well, and it was easy to sit down and read for a long time without getting tired. It dealt with some hard hitting topics, but in general I found it pretty relaxed. The story was predictable, but the writing, characters, and relationships kept me interested enough to not mind that too much. I'd definitely read another book by this author, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, albeit predictable, romance.
(I received a free copy from the publisher, Flux, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Available for request at https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...)
***Minor spoilers***
Scarlett's family is going through a rough time. Her brother died of a drug overdose, and everyone is dealing with it differently. Scarlett is spending the summer with her grandfather, both to help deal with the tragedy and to keep her grandfather from driving, due to his failing vision. After nearly hitting a guy with her car, she discovers that he's part of a band and sees him perform. Upon discovering that Scarlett herself was previously in a band, she's invited to go to their practice, where she quickly becomes torn between two members. Declan is the hot lead singer, who seems to go through girls like it's nothing, and who isn't very reliable at all, but she's infatuated regardless. Zach, the guy she almost ran over, is the lead guitarist and songwriter, and has been nothing but good to Scarlett, but her obsession with Declan remains. But is Declan really good for her?
To start off, this book had a love triangle that was pretty predictable and at some times frustrating. Usually I end up hating books that feature love triangles, but I didn't mind all that much in this book. For one, I liked Scarlett as a character, so that made it more tolerable. She also recognized that maybe Declan wasn't good for her, she just had a hard time getting over him. There was also enough stuff happening in the book (dealing with her brother's death, and also the relationships between Scarlett, her best friend, and her sister) where the focus wasn't solely on the love triangle, so it didn't become exhausting to read.
As I mentioned, this book was extremely predictable. From the get go you can tell that Zach is the nice guy and Declan is the bad boy and Scarlett wants Declan but Zach is there and blah blah blah, I'm sure you can predict the rest. And you predicted correctly. But the journey there was actually pretty fun and satisfying. There was also another element that I found pretty predictable, which was . Hints were thrown here and there that were pretty easy to catch on to, but it didn't really ruin the experience for me anyway.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty fun and easy read. The writing flowed really well, and it was easy to sit down and read for a long time without getting tired. It dealt with some hard hitting topics, but in general I found it pretty relaxed. The story was predictable, but the writing, characters, and relationships kept me interested enough to not mind that too much. I'd definitely read another book by this author, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a cute, albeit predictable, romance.
August 26, 2017
This book started out pretty well and then it took a sharp left into DNF territory which encompasses; predictable, boring and annoying. I didn't like any of the characters aside from the grandfather whose nonchalant attitude matched my own towards the book.
January 29, 2018
"My tattered heart is hanging by a thread.
So many of my words have gone unsaid.
I'd tell them to you now...but I just don't know how...."
So many of my words have gone unsaid.
I'd tell them to you now...but I just don't know how...."
December 26, 2017
Poignant and sweet, ALL THE WRONG CHORDS is heart-stinging story of family, grief, and self-discovery.
The family dynamics in this story are so well written. I loved seeing them interact with one another, and they read very genuinely. I thought the author also did a great job of highlighting the way that each of the different members of the family was grieving in a different and personal way, and it was really interesting to see how the different ways in which each of the characters grieved was reflected in their different personalities. It really brought them to life for me and made them feel like real people.
The romance was, admittedly, a bit predictable yet still enjoyable. I thought that Scarlett’s immediate infatuation with Declan was very relatable and the romance throughout was really very sweet.
The plot was very tight and concise, and the story moved along quite quickly while still incorporating plenty of heartrending moments for readers. For me, this story is really about how Scarlett discovers truths about herself and the world around her as she works through her grief over the loss of her brother, and the romance and music was really the icing on the top.
Scarlett’s relationship with the band was a lot of fun and definitely balanced some of the heavier content in the story.
This is a great read for fans of YA Contemporary novels that make you put you through the emotional ringer!
The family dynamics in this story are so well written. I loved seeing them interact with one another, and they read very genuinely. I thought the author also did a great job of highlighting the way that each of the different members of the family was grieving in a different and personal way, and it was really interesting to see how the different ways in which each of the characters grieved was reflected in their different personalities. It really brought them to life for me and made them feel like real people.
The romance was, admittedly, a bit predictable yet still enjoyable. I thought that Scarlett’s immediate infatuation with Declan was very relatable and the romance throughout was really very sweet.
The plot was very tight and concise, and the story moved along quite quickly while still incorporating plenty of heartrending moments for readers. For me, this story is really about how Scarlett discovers truths about herself and the world around her as she works through her grief over the loss of her brother, and the romance and music was really the icing on the top.
Scarlett’s relationship with the band was a lot of fun and definitely balanced some of the heavier content in the story.
This is a great read for fans of YA Contemporary novels that make you put you through the emotional ringer!
November 29, 2017
DNF'ing at 32%
Right from the start, I struggled to get into the story, and it just got worse and worse and worse for me. I couldn't handle reading about Scarlett going for a douchebag and blaming her own (really nice) sister for stealing his attention even when her sister actively tried to dissuade him. I think it does teenagers a massive discredit to make Scarlett "boy crazy" to this extent.
By the way, I did a Twitter poll asking how people would react if a guy they were interested in only showed interest in their uninterested sister, and 0% said they would blame their sister. Because, ya know, that sounds a lot like blaming the victim.
It didn't help that the author was clearly trying to push grief into the story, but I couldn't feel any of it. It sounds terrible, but I couldn't bring myself to care.
This is such a shame, as I was genuinely hoping to like the book. I actively requested it on Netgalley; this wasn't me agreeing to someone's review request. But alas, an interesting concept but not an execution I could enjoy.
I requested a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the chance.
Right from the start, I struggled to get into the story, and it just got worse and worse and worse for me. I couldn't handle reading about Scarlett going for a douchebag and blaming her own (really nice) sister for stealing his attention even when her sister actively tried to dissuade him. I think it does teenagers a massive discredit to make Scarlett "boy crazy" to this extent.
By the way, I did a Twitter poll asking how people would react if a guy they were interested in only showed interest in their uninterested sister, and 0% said they would blame their sister. Because, ya know, that sounds a lot like blaming the victim.
It didn't help that the author was clearly trying to push grief into the story, but I couldn't feel any of it. It sounds terrible, but I couldn't bring myself to care.
This is such a shame, as I was genuinely hoping to like the book. I actively requested it on Netgalley; this wasn't me agreeing to someone's review request. But alas, an interesting concept but not an execution I could enjoy.
I requested a review copy in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher for the chance.
December 14, 2017
I honestly don’t understand how this book doesn’t have a higher rating! I personally really liked it. It’s real, deep, cute, and funny, so what else could you possibly want? I would definitely recommend it, especially to music lovers. I don’t play music, but I still really enjoyed how much Scarlett enjoys being part of the band. Overall, this was exactly the YA novel that I wanted to read during finals!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 28, 2017
// I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review //
"I'm thinking perfect is overrated"
This started out pretty great okay. The ending touched my heart too.
But I had such a huge problem with the inconsistency of the plot, the characters and the theme of the story. I mean, Liam's death was suppose to be the focus of this book but it was gone completely by the middle of the book but revived again by the end. It turned more into a love story when I think the love story should just be a part of it and not the focus of everything all together. It made the book more generic and it really lost its potential rather than if the author just focused on how Scarlett gets over her brother and meets this one guy on the way or something. This book turned to be more on Scarlett getting over a guy she got romantically involved in.
in a detailed conclusion. . .
Speaking of Scarlett, I was so annoyed of her character. I think this was a weak point of the book as well, the characters. I did not get hooked with them as I usually do and I think character connection to the readers is really what keeps the readers of a certain book hooked to the story.
this book also had some technical mistakes that might need fixing. the cover could be better. . . ? maybe changing the color scheme and some minor things could make it so much better.
BUT PLEASE DO KNOW THAT I ENJOYED THIS!! It does not mean I rated it 2 stars it means I don't like it. There were parts that I liked a whole lot but the negative comments outweigh the positive ones. It just needs a lot of improvement.
"I'm thinking perfect is overrated"
This started out pretty great okay. The ending touched my heart too.
But I had such a huge problem with the inconsistency of the plot, the characters and the theme of the story. I mean, Liam's death was suppose to be the focus of this book but it was gone completely by the middle of the book but revived again by the end. It turned more into a love story when I think the love story should just be a part of it and not the focus of everything all together. It made the book more generic and it really lost its potential rather than if the author just focused on how Scarlett gets over her brother and meets this one guy on the way or something. This book turned to be more on Scarlett getting over a guy she got romantically involved in.
in a detailed conclusion. . .
Speaking of Scarlett, I was so annoyed of her character. I think this was a weak point of the book as well, the characters. I did not get hooked with them as I usually do and I think character connection to the readers is really what keeps the readers of a certain book hooked to the story.
this book also had some technical mistakes that might need fixing. the cover could be better. . . ? maybe changing the color scheme and some minor things could make it so much better.
BUT PLEASE DO KNOW THAT I ENJOYED THIS!! It does not mean I rated it 2 stars it means I don't like it. There were parts that I liked a whole lot but the negative comments outweigh the positive ones. It just needs a lot of improvement.
October 27, 2017
3.75⭐️
Thank you so much to Flux via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of All the wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso. All the wrong chords will be released on December 12, 2017.
The cover drew me in with its bright cover and guitar stings running down the middle. Being a musician i am drawn to anything dealing with music.
Scarletts life is pretty screwed up, her brother died of an overdose and he rparents shipped her off the her grandfathers house for the summer. Scarlett and her sister,Sara are staying with their 85-year-old grandfather for the summer, what could go wrong. He treats them like little kids and they treat him like an incapable old man. They are rarely on the same page, especially when it comes to driving. But thats to be expected considering Scarlett almost ran over a guy.
Zach, the guy Scarlett almost ran over with her car and aspiring guitarist, he has a band with his friends and they play local bars and restaurants. Zach has been nothing but nice to Scarlett even after the accident.
Declan, the gorgeous lead singer and Scarletts obsession.
Their family is very real and raw, which I really appreciate. If you watch the middle or speechless you know what kind of families they have. Real situations, real arguments and real drama. I didnt just feel like I was reading a story I felt invested in their life. It's refreshing to see writers make the characters not perfect/have faults.
There is the obvious love triangle but I enjoyed both boys dynamics and their personalities/interaction with Scarlett.
The story was predictable but it was a quick, enjoyable read. The writing flowed nicely and the book has some hard topics but the author wrote it well.
Thank you so much to Flux via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of All the wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso. All the wrong chords will be released on December 12, 2017.
The cover drew me in with its bright cover and guitar stings running down the middle. Being a musician i am drawn to anything dealing with music.
Scarletts life is pretty screwed up, her brother died of an overdose and he rparents shipped her off the her grandfathers house for the summer. Scarlett and her sister,Sara are staying with their 85-year-old grandfather for the summer, what could go wrong. He treats them like little kids and they treat him like an incapable old man. They are rarely on the same page, especially when it comes to driving. But thats to be expected considering Scarlett almost ran over a guy.
Zach, the guy Scarlett almost ran over with her car and aspiring guitarist, he has a band with his friends and they play local bars and restaurants. Zach has been nothing but nice to Scarlett even after the accident.
Declan, the gorgeous lead singer and Scarletts obsession.
Their family is very real and raw, which I really appreciate. If you watch the middle or speechless you know what kind of families they have. Real situations, real arguments and real drama. I didnt just feel like I was reading a story I felt invested in their life. It's refreshing to see writers make the characters not perfect/have faults.
There is the obvious love triangle but I enjoyed both boys dynamics and their personalities/interaction with Scarlett.
The story was predictable but it was a quick, enjoyable read. The writing flowed nicely and the book has some hard topics but the author wrote it well.
July 20, 2017
I received a digital copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and voluntary review
Rating: 2,5 stars
The first few chapters of All The Wrong Chords really got me hooked. Our main character, Scarlett, is grieving and struggling with the death of her brother, Liam. In those chapters we get some insight of both Liam and Scarlett's relationships between the rest of her family and I. Loved. It.
But then the band came into play, and all Scarlett would do was whine about the incredibly hot guy who barely even notices her existence like mygoodness and how it was unfair because "she just wants the hottie for once" instead of the usual: them (the 'hotties') drooling over her sister, Sara.
Honestly, could someone's personality take a worse downfall than that?? I think not. Like seriously, every time she spoke and thought about Declan, I wanted to bash my head into a wall repeatedly and I rolled my eyes so often I think they could've gotten stuck in the back of my head and it only went downhill as the story progressed.
What I liked about All The Wrong Chords - because there were things I liked despite the rant - were the family interactions that occured in the book. I'm a sucker for a good sibling and parents relationship, and also Scarlett and her grandpa? Awesome.
ALSO ZACH. I really, really liked Zach.
Rating: 2,5 stars
The first few chapters of All The Wrong Chords really got me hooked. Our main character, Scarlett, is grieving and struggling with the death of her brother, Liam. In those chapters we get some insight of both Liam and Scarlett's relationships between the rest of her family and I. Loved. It.
But then the band came into play, and all Scarlett would do was whine about the incredibly hot guy who barely even notices her existence like mygoodness and how it was unfair because "she just wants the hottie for once" instead of the usual: them (the 'hotties') drooling over her sister, Sara.
Honestly, could someone's personality take a worse downfall than that?? I think not. Like seriously, every time she spoke and thought about Declan, I wanted to bash my head into a wall repeatedly and I rolled my eyes so often I think they could've gotten stuck in the back of my head and it only went downhill as the story progressed.
What I liked about All The Wrong Chords - because there were things I liked despite the rant - were the family interactions that occured in the book. I'm a sucker for a good sibling and parents relationship, and also Scarlett and her grandpa? Awesome.
ALSO ZACH. I really, really liked Zach.
December 17, 2017
I’ve just finished “All The Wrong Chords” by Christine Hurley Deriso, and it was okay! It certainly isn’t on my top reads list of the year but I didn’t completely hate it.
3 Stars!
“All The Wrong Chords” is written in first person. I liked this because we could see what our main character, Scarlett was thinking throughout. She was sometimes a little annoying but all characters have their flaws as well as good points. Scarlett is staying with her Grandpa. I loved reading about their relationship. Her grandpa reminded me of my Grandad a little, too.
The title of the book, “All The Wrong Chords”, is a take on the music scene, which the book is very much about, but it’s also about life in general, I think. It’s about watching young people grow up, making wrong decisions and seeing how they resolve their issues.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this arc. All The Wrong Chords has just released, according to Goodreads.
Spoilers Below...
Most of the story follows Scarlett who’s in love with Damon, lead singer of The Beestings, the band she joins. She’s infatuated with him, it’s that bad! If you don’t like instalove this might not be for you. I like and yet, I was put off by this relationship. The author writes,
“It’s really insane how good looking he is”
This is what Scarlett thinks about the lead singer of the Beestings. I don’t think many girls fawn over guys like this. I know I certainly didn’t. It’s just so unrealistic. Scarlett has known Damon for a matter of weeks one summer and she’s already so in love with him. It’s tacky writing from the author.
A good part of “All The Wrong Chords” was representation for sibling loss. Scarlett has lost her brother to a drug overdose. This is reflected upon throughout “All The Wrong Chords”. She still has a sister, Sara, who she’s close too but Scarlett’s brother is who got her into music. This brother died of a drug overdose. She really joins the band for him, to carry on his memory.
Also there’s a parental figure that suffers with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which Kyle, one of the bandmates tells Scarlett is a
“horrible deal where your body freezes up inch by inch”.
It’s Zach’s mom who’s suffering. Zach is another band mate. He’s actually the one that invites Scarlett to join The Beestings. I’d never heard of this disease before reading All The Wrong Chords, and although it’s only a side character that has it, it’s again good for the representation.
There are gay characters as well. One of whom is Scarlett’s best friend, Varun. I don’t want to spoil who the other one is, but it was a surprise, to learn who’s also gay.
Another thing that I didn’t like about “All The Wrong Chords” was the pacing. It felt really off all the way through. One minute the characters would be practicing for a gig and the next Scarlett and Zach would be at the swimming pool, where Scarlett is working for the summer. It didn’t read smoothly at all.
What did I like about “All The Wrong Chords”?
I liked all the different forms of representation that were brought up in All The Wrong Chords.
I liked most of the relationships between the characters. The only one I didn’t like was Scarlett and the lead singer of the Beestings.
What didn't I like about “All The Wrong Chords”?
I didn’t like how the pacing of the story jumped around. One moment we were following Scarlett and band practice, and the next we were at a gig. It made the story hard to follow and keep up with.
I didn’t like how Scarlett was obsessed with the lead singer of the band. I don’t think it’s good to have characters like this in the books young adults read, as they could want to be like Scarlett.
Will you be reading All The Wrong Chords?
3 Stars!
“All The Wrong Chords” is written in first person. I liked this because we could see what our main character, Scarlett was thinking throughout. She was sometimes a little annoying but all characters have their flaws as well as good points. Scarlett is staying with her Grandpa. I loved reading about their relationship. Her grandpa reminded me of my Grandad a little, too.
The title of the book, “All The Wrong Chords”, is a take on the music scene, which the book is very much about, but it’s also about life in general, I think. It’s about watching young people grow up, making wrong decisions and seeing how they resolve their issues.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with this arc. All The Wrong Chords has just released, according to Goodreads.
Spoilers Below...
Most of the story follows Scarlett who’s in love with Damon, lead singer of The Beestings, the band she joins. She’s infatuated with him, it’s that bad! If you don’t like instalove this might not be for you. I like and yet, I was put off by this relationship. The author writes,
“It’s really insane how good looking he is”
This is what Scarlett thinks about the lead singer of the Beestings. I don’t think many girls fawn over guys like this. I know I certainly didn’t. It’s just so unrealistic. Scarlett has known Damon for a matter of weeks one summer and she’s already so in love with him. It’s tacky writing from the author.
A good part of “All The Wrong Chords” was representation for sibling loss. Scarlett has lost her brother to a drug overdose. This is reflected upon throughout “All The Wrong Chords”. She still has a sister, Sara, who she’s close too but Scarlett’s brother is who got her into music. This brother died of a drug overdose. She really joins the band for him, to carry on his memory.
Also there’s a parental figure that suffers with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, which Kyle, one of the bandmates tells Scarlett is a
“horrible deal where your body freezes up inch by inch”.
It’s Zach’s mom who’s suffering. Zach is another band mate. He’s actually the one that invites Scarlett to join The Beestings. I’d never heard of this disease before reading All The Wrong Chords, and although it’s only a side character that has it, it’s again good for the representation.
There are gay characters as well. One of whom is Scarlett’s best friend, Varun. I don’t want to spoil who the other one is, but it was a surprise, to learn who’s also gay.
Another thing that I didn’t like about “All The Wrong Chords” was the pacing. It felt really off all the way through. One minute the characters would be practicing for a gig and the next Scarlett and Zach would be at the swimming pool, where Scarlett is working for the summer. It didn’t read smoothly at all.
What did I like about “All The Wrong Chords”?
I liked all the different forms of representation that were brought up in All The Wrong Chords.
I liked most of the relationships between the characters. The only one I didn’t like was Scarlett and the lead singer of the Beestings.
What didn't I like about “All The Wrong Chords”?
I didn’t like how the pacing of the story jumped around. One moment we were following Scarlett and band practice, and the next we were at a gig. It made the story hard to follow and keep up with.
I didn’t like how Scarlett was obsessed with the lead singer of the band. I don’t think it’s good to have characters like this in the books young adults read, as they could want to be like Scarlett.
Will you be reading All The Wrong Chords?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2017
➳ Rate: 4,2 / 5 stars
“Go have fun tomorrow,” Sara finally says in barely a whisper. “Let’s lead fabulous lives and make our brother proud.”
This is a book about moving on with your life after loosing someone you love. It was a beautiful story, full of life and death in a way. It was sad of course, because Scarlettt and her family are grieving her brother but it was also fun and vibrant and super sweet.
It's a short read and very enjoyable. Scarlett is a having hard time with her brother's death and we get to see her move on and get her life on track, getting back into music and working on her future.
She has a few bumps in the road, mainly her bad judgement but she soon sees what's right in front of her.
He smiles at my response, and we stand silently for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. Whoa, his eyes are beautiful . . . so warm and silky and chocolaty and. . . . . . and he kisses me. Just like that. He just leans in and kisses me. It’s a soft, gentle kiss, as natural and effortless as the summer breeze.
➳ARC kindly provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
➳ Pre-Order at: Amazon UK ⁕ Amazon US
➳ Follow me on: Blog ⁕ Instagram ⁕ Facebook ⁕ Twitter
“Go have fun tomorrow,” Sara finally says in barely a whisper. “Let’s lead fabulous lives and make our brother proud.”
This is a book about moving on with your life after loosing someone you love. It was a beautiful story, full of life and death in a way. It was sad of course, because Scarlettt and her family are grieving her brother but it was also fun and vibrant and super sweet.
It's a short read and very enjoyable. Scarlett is a having hard time with her brother's death and we get to see her move on and get her life on track, getting back into music and working on her future.
She has a few bumps in the road, mainly her bad judgement but she soon sees what's right in front of her.
He smiles at my response, and we stand silently for a moment, gazing into each other’s eyes. Whoa, his eyes are beautiful . . . so warm and silky and chocolaty and. . . . . . and he kisses me. Just like that. He just leans in and kisses me. It’s a soft, gentle kiss, as natural and effortless as the summer breeze.
➳ARC kindly provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
➳ Pre-Order at: Amazon UK ⁕ Amazon US
➳ Follow me on: Blog ⁕ Instagram ⁕ Facebook ⁕ Twitter
March 27, 2018
Ended on a high note! Full review to come.
All the Wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso is an emotional, but heartfelt story about family, love, loss and learning how to move forward.
Within the first few chapters, this book had me feeling all kinds of happy. The writing style was smooth, easy to read and had a sense of sincerity and heart which I really appreciated. I absolutely loved the family dynamics and reading about the other relationships in the story was positively heartwarming. The interactions between the characters and the way the author demonstrated them grieving felt incredibly realistic. Real life situations, real pain, real heartbreak and just real everything. Those were definitely the best parts and totally gave me the feels.
The romance wasn’t particularly my favorite. I didn’t expect there to be a love triangle. Not that there’s anything wrong with having more than one love interest. Sometimes, love triangles just work and make the story more interesting and fun. The one in this book though…just irritated me. Scarlett’s infatuation was understandable, but I thought she was a little too whiney. I mean she’s a great character – smart, determined, and talented. I really liked her and rooted for her the entire time. But, seeing her outrageously lovestruck and continually chasing after the wrong guy was not only annoying, but also disappointing. I guess I was expecting more from her -- but when I think about it, she's just being a love sick teenager. I've been there before so in the end, I did get it. That being said, I'm so glad that Scarlett did go through a change of heart. Oh and the romance wasn’t a complete dud. There were some cute and swoony moments - like the ending which was surprisingly adorable and really romantic.
There were some minor misses here and there, but all in all, this was an absolute joy to read and ended on a high note! The characters were great and I did liked them all. Even if some were frustrating, I thought they acted their age. Zach was amazing. He’s kind, sweet, charming and just a really good guy. I adored Scarlett’s Grandfather and his relationship with her was so endearing. Like I said, the relationships were the best parts of this book and I honestly enjoyed getting to know all the wonderful characters and their stories.
This is a fantastic YA contemporary story that will make you smile, fall in love, hope and have an amazingly good time. Definitely recommend you check this book out if you're in the mood for something quick, fun and also emotional.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Flux (Imprint of North Star Editions, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
To read more of my reviews, visit Sincerely Karen Jo
All the Wrong Chords by Christine Hurley Deriso is an emotional, but heartfelt story about family, love, loss and learning how to move forward.
Within the first few chapters, this book had me feeling all kinds of happy. The writing style was smooth, easy to read and had a sense of sincerity and heart which I really appreciated. I absolutely loved the family dynamics and reading about the other relationships in the story was positively heartwarming. The interactions between the characters and the way the author demonstrated them grieving felt incredibly realistic. Real life situations, real pain, real heartbreak and just real everything. Those were definitely the best parts and totally gave me the feels.
The romance wasn’t particularly my favorite. I didn’t expect there to be a love triangle. Not that there’s anything wrong with having more than one love interest. Sometimes, love triangles just work and make the story more interesting and fun. The one in this book though…just irritated me. Scarlett’s infatuation was understandable, but I thought she was a little too whiney. I mean she’s a great character – smart, determined, and talented. I really liked her and rooted for her the entire time. But, seeing her outrageously lovestruck and continually chasing after the wrong guy was not only annoying, but also disappointing. I guess I was expecting more from her -- but when I think about it, she's just being a love sick teenager. I've been there before so in the end, I did get it. That being said, I'm so glad that Scarlett did go through a change of heart. Oh and the romance wasn’t a complete dud. There were some cute and swoony moments - like the ending which was surprisingly adorable and really romantic.
There were some minor misses here and there, but all in all, this was an absolute joy to read and ended on a high note! The characters were great and I did liked them all. Even if some were frustrating, I thought they acted their age. Zach was amazing. He’s kind, sweet, charming and just a really good guy. I adored Scarlett’s Grandfather and his relationship with her was so endearing. Like I said, the relationships were the best parts of this book and I honestly enjoyed getting to know all the wonderful characters and their stories.
This is a fantastic YA contemporary story that will make you smile, fall in love, hope and have an amazingly good time. Definitely recommend you check this book out if you're in the mood for something quick, fun and also emotional.
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from the publisher, Flux (Imprint of North Star Editions, via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and fair review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
To read more of my reviews, visit Sincerely Karen Jo
July 9, 2017
* I received an ARC in E-book form from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*
I liked this book. It was a short easy read, and kept my interest. I did feel at times the main character got a little winy but still she was ok. There is representation of someone with ALS along with gay representation and drug abuse in this Novel. I can't say if any the representation was accurate because I'm not familiar with ALS all to much. That being said I really enjoyed this book. Our main character is dealing with the death of her older brother. She's spending the summer with her grandfather. She meets new people and plays some music. There wasn't really anything with the story that really stood out to me but I would recommend as a very easy to read contemporary.
I liked this book. It was a short easy read, and kept my interest. I did feel at times the main character got a little winy but still she was ok. There is representation of someone with ALS along with gay representation and drug abuse in this Novel. I can't say if any the representation was accurate because I'm not familiar with ALS all to much. That being said I really enjoyed this book. Our main character is dealing with the death of her older brother. She's spending the summer with her grandfather. She meets new people and plays some music. There wasn't really anything with the story that really stood out to me but I would recommend as a very easy to read contemporary.
September 24, 2019
*3 Stars*
Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was an alright book. I wasn't overly invested in the story, and I can say the only character who I truly liked the most was Zach. And probably Grandpa. Deals with a few interesting topics, but a bit too young feeling for me, with how Scarlett whinges/fantasises and deals with the boy situations.
Not terrible, but not fabulous either.
Follow me on:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Copy kindly received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This was an alright book. I wasn't overly invested in the story, and I can say the only character who I truly liked the most was Zach. And probably Grandpa. Deals with a few interesting topics, but a bit too young feeling for me, with how Scarlett whinges/fantasises and deals with the boy situations.
Not terrible, but not fabulous either.
Follow me on:
April 25, 2018
This book did bring various issues to the forefront like bullying, ALS, and sexual orientation but for me it was the same old, same old. Talented girl always passes on the good guy and picks the douche which wouldn’t have been too bad but it was all the cluelessness associated with Scarlett in all aspects of her life. Also the writing format was hard to follow since the author did not use breaks where needed.
I did like the closeness between Scarlett and her grandfather and the great heart that Kyle showed along with the song lyrics that the author gave us.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for a freely given and honest review.
I did like the closeness between Scarlett and her grandfather and the great heart that Kyle showed along with the song lyrics that the author gave us.
I received this ARC from NetGalley for a freely given and honest review.
March 4, 2018
Great back story, the love story, however... meh. This really struck all the wrong chords in me, I don't even know why.
ps: Zach is swoon-worthy
ps: Zach is swoon-worthy
August 18, 2017
Since I love myself some rock music and, well, add a good-looking musician to it. Yup, sold! I was completely ready to dive into this story.
And I ended up being... disappointed, honestly. This story had the potential of being so much more. Really, it hurts.
Let's start with the obvious. I really had a giant problem with the insta-love going on in this story. Actual over-the-top insta-love. "Oh, that lead singer is hot. I'm in love." That's how it went, literally. Then we go to "Okay, nope. Not in love. Just drooling." before "Maybe I am in love with him after all." Does it end there? No! "Oh. Of course! I'm in love with that guy!"
Honestly, Scarlett, could you be even more all over the place? Probably not.
Apart from that, our MC, Scarlett, is a self-absorbed girl who keeps switching from feeling pretty fine to depressive because she lost her brother. Okay, I lost people in my life. I know it's a struggle and you can go from feeling one thing to the other and back again. But in All The Wrong Chords it just felt wrong, dishonest and fake.
Maybe I'm being too harsh here, but it's how I felt while reading and I can't seem to shake it.
She also doesn't see what's happening right in front of her. I was about 20% along - I think it was even sooner than that - and I already knew exactly what was going to happen, what "big twists" were going to be revealed during the story. Save to say it was very predictable.
If the author had just dug a little deeper, gave more depth to her characters and incorporated the hints in a more subtle way, we could've had a winner here.
I loved the idea of the book, I did. But when it came to the execution.. I really am disappointed.
For this, I'm only giving this book 2 / 5 because in some weird-ass way I still kind of enjoyed it. At least I was when I was able of ignoring all the negatives.
Kathy
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.
And I ended up being... disappointed, honestly. This story had the potential of being so much more. Really, it hurts.
Let's start with the obvious. I really had a giant problem with the insta-love going on in this story. Actual over-the-top insta-love. "Oh, that lead singer is hot. I'm in love." That's how it went, literally. Then we go to "Okay, nope. Not in love. Just drooling." before "Maybe I am in love with him after all." Does it end there? No! "Oh. Of course! I'm in love with that guy!"
Honestly, Scarlett, could you be even more all over the place? Probably not.
Apart from that, our MC, Scarlett, is a self-absorbed girl who keeps switching from feeling pretty fine to depressive because she lost her brother. Okay, I lost people in my life. I know it's a struggle and you can go from feeling one thing to the other and back again. But in All The Wrong Chords it just felt wrong, dishonest and fake.
Maybe I'm being too harsh here, but it's how I felt while reading and I can't seem to shake it.
She also doesn't see what's happening right in front of her. I was about 20% along - I think it was even sooner than that - and I already knew exactly what was going to happen, what "big twists" were going to be revealed during the story. Save to say it was very predictable.
If the author had just dug a little deeper, gave more depth to her characters and incorporated the hints in a more subtle way, we could've had a winner here.
I loved the idea of the book, I did. But when it came to the execution.. I really am disappointed.
For this, I'm only giving this book 2 / 5 because in some weird-ass way I still kind of enjoyed it. At least I was when I was able of ignoring all the negatives.
Kathy
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.
July 26, 2017
Original review
All the Wrong Chords tells the story of Scarlett Stiles. Scarlett's lost her brother due to a drug overdose. She wants to feel better and move on, so she spends the summer with her grandfather. She's lifeguarding at the pool but also playing in a new band. She used to play in her brother's band so playing in this new band is kind of hard, but also something she really wants. Besides lifeguarding and playing in the band, she's also falling for a guy...
All the Wrong Chords is such an enjoyable and easy contemporary. I love reading contemporaries when I'm in a reading slump because they're so good and not that difficult to read. All the Wrong Chords was such a nice story about loss, music and love. It was so beautiful, but also sometimes heartbreaking. In my life I also experienced loss and the 2 things that make me feel better are
music and the love of my boyfriend, friends and family. It was also cool that there was a gay character in the book. I love that authors are creating characters that are not all straight!
I really recommend All the Wrong Chords to those who need a light and enjoyable read about loss, music and love!
All the Wrong Chords tells the story of Scarlett Stiles. Scarlett's lost her brother due to a drug overdose. She wants to feel better and move on, so she spends the summer with her grandfather. She's lifeguarding at the pool but also playing in a new band. She used to play in her brother's band so playing in this new band is kind of hard, but also something she really wants. Besides lifeguarding and playing in the band, she's also falling for a guy...
All the Wrong Chords is such an enjoyable and easy contemporary. I love reading contemporaries when I'm in a reading slump because they're so good and not that difficult to read. All the Wrong Chords was such a nice story about loss, music and love. It was so beautiful, but also sometimes heartbreaking. In my life I also experienced loss and the 2 things that make me feel better are
music and the love of my boyfriend, friends and family. It was also cool that there was a gay character in the book. I love that authors are creating characters that are not all straight!
I really recommend All the Wrong Chords to those who need a light and enjoyable read about loss, music and love!
August 6, 2017
BANGOR BELLE BOOK BESTIES
2.5*
I received an arc copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for nothing but an honest review.
This story takes place after Scarlett Stiles, a young 17 yr old musican, has been left mourning the sudden death of her older brother Liam, who after a sports inury got addicted to the pain medications and passed by an overdose. Scarlett is spending the summer with her grandpa and i have to say i loved the relationship between both. During this time she meets a group of hot guys who have their own band, and Scarlett is instantly attracted to one in particular. Even though Declan is hot, he is totally unlikable and a player. The friction between him and other band members is obvious and becomes more so when Scarlett joins the band. The relationships with the family and dealing with their loss, was at times quite emotional.
This book started well for me, i was intrigued as to how it would go and i really enjoyed the first few chapters. Unfortunately once the band came into the story it also went a little downhill for me. Scarlett became a whinney little girl. Although at times there were some good elements to the book, it just seems to have a lot of missing elements. Conversations between Scarlet and others, were at times difficult to navigate and jumped from one scene to another. At one point Scarlett was talking to a friend in hospital and the next sentence she was in Zach’s car and talking to him. This happened many times, and i am hoping that maybe before publication some good editing might occur. What started out for me, being an emotional story about love and loss, turned into a jigsaw. I was quite disappointed, but i think the basics of a super story are there, but unfortunately for me in its present form it just didn’t work for me.
2.5*
I received an arc copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for nothing but an honest review.
This story takes place after Scarlett Stiles, a young 17 yr old musican, has been left mourning the sudden death of her older brother Liam, who after a sports inury got addicted to the pain medications and passed by an overdose. Scarlett is spending the summer with her grandpa and i have to say i loved the relationship between both. During this time she meets a group of hot guys who have their own band, and Scarlett is instantly attracted to one in particular. Even though Declan is hot, he is totally unlikable and a player. The friction between him and other band members is obvious and becomes more so when Scarlett joins the band. The relationships with the family and dealing with their loss, was at times quite emotional.
This book started well for me, i was intrigued as to how it would go and i really enjoyed the first few chapters. Unfortunately once the band came into the story it also went a little downhill for me. Scarlett became a whinney little girl. Although at times there were some good elements to the book, it just seems to have a lot of missing elements. Conversations between Scarlet and others, were at times difficult to navigate and jumped from one scene to another. At one point Scarlett was talking to a friend in hospital and the next sentence she was in Zach’s car and talking to him. This happened many times, and i am hoping that maybe before publication some good editing might occur. What started out for me, being an emotional story about love and loss, turned into a jigsaw. I was quite disappointed, but i think the basics of a super story are there, but unfortunately for me in its present form it just didn’t work for me.
October 15, 2017
I received an Advanced Review Copy from Flux publishing and Netgalley.
I picked this book up based on the description. I have lost many loved ones due to addiction, so I was able to relate to Scarlett rather easily. At times this book helped me see things from a different light, from the perspectives of those who don't really understand addiction. I was glad to be able to see that point of view as sometimes it is really hard to understand the thinking of those who don't truly understand.
This was a quick, fluffy YA romance. All the Wrong Chords captured the essence of young adult love. Making mistakes, over thinking and questioning your actions and also not yet being completely comfortable in your own skin. But it isn't all light hearted as it does show how pain can help bring people together to comfort one another and try to heal.
One of the other things that I really loved was the lyrics written for the band. I felt as if this book was serenading me. Not only do you get a cute YA romance, but you also get some cool lyrics. All the Wrong Chords is the complete package of a fluffy teen romance. It is a novel full of love, loss, heartache and healing. I would recommend this book to almost anyone, especially since it doesn't paint the addict as a villain.
I picked this book up based on the description. I have lost many loved ones due to addiction, so I was able to relate to Scarlett rather easily. At times this book helped me see things from a different light, from the perspectives of those who don't really understand addiction. I was glad to be able to see that point of view as sometimes it is really hard to understand the thinking of those who don't truly understand.
This was a quick, fluffy YA romance. All the Wrong Chords captured the essence of young adult love. Making mistakes, over thinking and questioning your actions and also not yet being completely comfortable in your own skin. But it isn't all light hearted as it does show how pain can help bring people together to comfort one another and try to heal.
One of the other things that I really loved was the lyrics written for the band. I felt as if this book was serenading me. Not only do you get a cute YA romance, but you also get some cool lyrics. All the Wrong Chords is the complete package of a fluffy teen romance. It is a novel full of love, loss, heartache and healing. I would recommend this book to almost anyone, especially since it doesn't paint the addict as a villain.
December 11, 2017
Do you ever read a book where you spend most of it internally screaming at the main character(s) for being complete imbeciles? Well that was my experience through all 280 pages of this.
90% of the storyline follows the main character, Scarlett, fawning over the bad boy lead singer of a garage band she happens upon during the summer. Of course, we as readers know that she is being a massive idiot with a fair few of her actions to try entice said ‘bad boy’ and have to suffer through all of that taking place. We learn, or can take a pretty educated guess, as readers one of the biggest reveals of Scarlett’s life pretty early on in the book but it doesn’t get presented as an actual thing until the end. I’d have perhaps liked to have seen more of that angle (with Liam’s life pre-overdose) just to give the character a bit more of a fleshing out but it read nicely anyway.
The book itself touches on some topics that you rarely, if ever, see represented in young adult literature so that was a definite plus factor of the entire experience; we see gay characters, drug abuse (leading to overdose) and ALS all factored pretty strongly into the storyline. I cannot say for certain on some of these angles for obvious reasons but I do think that they were featured in a very realistic light (if I’m wrong, please let me know!) which added something to the book as a whole for me personally.
All in all, it was a quick fluffy read and I’d recommend it if anybody fancied something light hearted with a side of some more serious subjects touched upon.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
90% of the storyline follows the main character, Scarlett, fawning over the bad boy lead singer of a garage band she happens upon during the summer. Of course, we as readers know that she is being a massive idiot with a fair few of her actions to try entice said ‘bad boy’ and have to suffer through all of that taking place. We learn, or can take a pretty educated guess, as readers one of the biggest reveals of Scarlett’s life pretty early on in the book but it doesn’t get presented as an actual thing until the end. I’d have perhaps liked to have seen more of that angle (with Liam’s life pre-overdose) just to give the character a bit more of a fleshing out but it read nicely anyway.
The book itself touches on some topics that you rarely, if ever, see represented in young adult literature so that was a definite plus factor of the entire experience; we see gay characters, drug abuse (leading to overdose) and ALS all factored pretty strongly into the storyline. I cannot say for certain on some of these angles for obvious reasons but I do think that they were featured in a very realistic light (if I’m wrong, please let me know!) which added something to the book as a whole for me personally.
All in all, it was a quick fluffy read and I’d recommend it if anybody fancied something light hearted with a side of some more serious subjects touched upon.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
July 22, 2017
A YA with a protagonist who acts her age. The plot is mostly realistic and pretty sweet, though there is some darkness here too, tackled believably.
April 9, 2018
I think what I like most about this book is how everyone handles grief and information sharing differently: Scarlett insists on telling people her brother OD'ed on drugs because she's not ashamed of him, she misses him; her grandfather insists on telling people it was heart failure because he doesn't trust them not to judge his grandson unfairly. I love that they talk about it and respect each other's viewpoints, even while sticking to their own opinions.
October 24, 2017
**First off, big ups to Netgalley for providing me with a electronic copy of this book for review***
I tend to be severely interested in books to do with music. No I don't mean the ones involving some hot rockstar who's trouble with a capital 'T', but characters who live and breathe music. Characters who've got music ingrained into the fibres of their souls. Mostly this is because I love music myself and because of the awesome playlists and that feeling you get when a song you know and love's featured too.
This book didn't have a lot of that. In fact the story's about a girl named Scarlett who goes to stay with her grandad over summer, to keep an eye on him on her parents behalf. Scarlett's also coping with the loss of her brother Liam, who died of overdosing on prescription medication he got for an injury he got. Scarlett soon finds herself being recruited to a new band(she used to play in her brothers old band before he passed away) and getting herself involved in some serious band drama.
I like the fact that for once that it's a female character whose the one in a band. As a reader I got so engrossed in how Scarlett would describe how playing and singing made her feel you'd get pulled along with her as she described certain things. I've also got to give it to the author for writing lyrics to the songs, and how she perfectly put into words the loss one feels when you lose somebody you love.
However, what irked me the most about this book was that pathetic excuse for a love triangle. this lowered my liking of the book a lot. First off, Declan was hot. no point in denying that. But everyone, I mean everyone knew this fact. Even Zach. Even Scarlett. So what I didn't get was why she kept letting him use her and treat her like trash. Obviously Scarlett knew there wasn't a future for the two of them, I mean he hit on her sister for goodness sake!!! Plus don"t even get me started on her being "in love' with Zach. Sorry to say but Zach was just a default. I mean she used to seriously not pay any attention to him and then wham! She's just suddenly in love with him?!?!
This made Scarlett come off as being seriously self centered. She never even bothered to tell Mia what was going on between her and Declan, I mean where did girl solidarity go?(side note; why the hell would Mike ever want to go back to dating Mia again? she cheated on him) Plus don't even get me started on the whole Varun thing. Prior to Varun spilling the tea on his love affair with her brother, Scarlett used to act like her problems mattered way more than Varun's.
This book was great but what made it lose marks to me was that whole love drama. I mean Scarlett wasn't an airhead, she could really sympathize with and give helpful advice to people in her life but that whole drama made her seem way too shallow. Overall I'd give this book a 4 out of 10.
I tend to be severely interested in books to do with music. No I don't mean the ones involving some hot rockstar who's trouble with a capital 'T', but characters who live and breathe music. Characters who've got music ingrained into the fibres of their souls. Mostly this is because I love music myself and because of the awesome playlists and that feeling you get when a song you know and love's featured too.
This book didn't have a lot of that. In fact the story's about a girl named Scarlett who goes to stay with her grandad over summer, to keep an eye on him on her parents behalf. Scarlett's also coping with the loss of her brother Liam, who died of overdosing on prescription medication he got for an injury he got. Scarlett soon finds herself being recruited to a new band(she used to play in her brothers old band before he passed away) and getting herself involved in some serious band drama.
I like the fact that for once that it's a female character whose the one in a band. As a reader I got so engrossed in how Scarlett would describe how playing and singing made her feel you'd get pulled along with her as she described certain things. I've also got to give it to the author for writing lyrics to the songs, and how she perfectly put into words the loss one feels when you lose somebody you love.
However, what irked me the most about this book was that pathetic excuse for a love triangle. this lowered my liking of the book a lot. First off, Declan was hot. no point in denying that. But everyone, I mean everyone knew this fact. Even Zach. Even Scarlett. So what I didn't get was why she kept letting him use her and treat her like trash. Obviously Scarlett knew there wasn't a future for the two of them, I mean he hit on her sister for goodness sake!!! Plus don"t even get me started on her being "in love' with Zach. Sorry to say but Zach was just a default. I mean she used to seriously not pay any attention to him and then wham! She's just suddenly in love with him?!?!
This made Scarlett come off as being seriously self centered. She never even bothered to tell Mia what was going on between her and Declan, I mean where did girl solidarity go?(side note; why the hell would Mike ever want to go back to dating Mia again? she cheated on him) Plus don't even get me started on the whole Varun thing. Prior to Varun spilling the tea on his love affair with her brother, Scarlett used to act like her problems mattered way more than Varun's.
This book was great but what made it lose marks to me was that whole love drama. I mean Scarlett wasn't an airhead, she could really sympathize with and give helpful advice to people in her life but that whole drama made her seem way too shallow. Overall I'd give this book a 4 out of 10.
April 16, 2018
So just like what the majority of what people are saying about this book, it could have been sooooooo much better. It had a really good plot and surrounding characters. And that was the only reason why I finished it.
The problem was the writing. From the description, Scarlett’s supposed to be mourning the sudden loss of her brother, dealing with the fact she was in denial about his drug abuse for too long, and not wanting to play music because it reminded her of him. She spends the summer with her grandpa to help him out with driving and to help herself with the grieving process. So it begins when she accidentally almost runs over the guitarist Zach of a band and he invites Scarlet and her grandpa to come see his band play. Somehow he invites her to practice and becomes involved with the band. There’s no hesitation really when she picks up the instrument so I guess she got over her grieving with not playing music pretty quickly.
And then there’s Declan, the good looking player bad boy of the band. Scarlett is immediately attracted to him, just based on his good looks. She invites him home for a family dinner and she gets angry that he seems to be absorbed by her sister, who she’s jealous of because she thinks her sister’s beauty and charm steaks any good looking guy away from Scarlett. And while her sister swears up and down that she wasn’t trying to steal Declan, that doesn’t stop Scarlett from becoming furious with her.
Now we see Scarlett obsessing over Declan, who won’t give her the time of day when suddenly he does. And it’s because he’s drunk! But it’s barely acknowledged other than Scarlett describing she could taste beer on his lips. It takes Scarlett more than a few times of him blowing her off for her to realize that her sister was right, Declan is a player. And finally starts to pay attention to sweet Zach, who she should have been pursuing in the first place.
The other problem of this book is that the romance is all that is talked about. Hello, she’s supposed to be grieving about the loss of her dead brother right? This author does not know how to write characters who are grieving. Because later on, her gay best friend and her sister come forward to let her know that her brother was gay and secretly dating her best friend. Like hello, that was supposed to be the major plot bomb of the story. But it didn’t feel like that. Yeah, she got angry with them for not telling her, and she had this moment where she felt like an idiot cause her brother kept her in the dark, but it lasted maybe four pages. And then suddenly things were okay.
Overall, the one thing I didn’t like about this book what this main character. She was so absorbed in her feelings between Zach and Declan that the bigger picture was being missed - she’s supposed to be grieving the sudden loss of her brother. And I feel like I have to keep repeating myself in this review because her character seems to forget that. She became so irrationally jealous of her sister. It’s normal for any sister to be jealous of the other - I should know, I have five - but to be that irrationally jealous is a little ridiculous. I really wanted to say to this character “come on girl and get your head out of your ass.”
This book could have been so good but the writing flopped so hard. It reads like a high schooler’s first nanowrimo novel. Two stars from me.
The problem was the writing. From the description, Scarlett’s supposed to be mourning the sudden loss of her brother, dealing with the fact she was in denial about his drug abuse for too long, and not wanting to play music because it reminded her of him. She spends the summer with her grandpa to help him out with driving and to help herself with the grieving process. So it begins when she accidentally almost runs over the guitarist Zach of a band and he invites Scarlet and her grandpa to come see his band play. Somehow he invites her to practice and becomes involved with the band. There’s no hesitation really when she picks up the instrument so I guess she got over her grieving with not playing music pretty quickly.
And then there’s Declan, the good looking player bad boy of the band. Scarlett is immediately attracted to him, just based on his good looks. She invites him home for a family dinner and she gets angry that he seems to be absorbed by her sister, who she’s jealous of because she thinks her sister’s beauty and charm steaks any good looking guy away from Scarlett. And while her sister swears up and down that she wasn’t trying to steal Declan, that doesn’t stop Scarlett from becoming furious with her.
Now we see Scarlett obsessing over Declan, who won’t give her the time of day when suddenly he does. And it’s because he’s drunk! But it’s barely acknowledged other than Scarlett describing she could taste beer on his lips. It takes Scarlett more than a few times of him blowing her off for her to realize that her sister was right, Declan is a player. And finally starts to pay attention to sweet Zach, who she should have been pursuing in the first place.
The other problem of this book is that the romance is all that is talked about. Hello, she’s supposed to be grieving about the loss of her dead brother right? This author does not know how to write characters who are grieving. Because later on, her gay best friend and her sister come forward to let her know that her brother was gay and secretly dating her best friend. Like hello, that was supposed to be the major plot bomb of the story. But it didn’t feel like that. Yeah, she got angry with them for not telling her, and she had this moment where she felt like an idiot cause her brother kept her in the dark, but it lasted maybe four pages. And then suddenly things were okay.
Overall, the one thing I didn’t like about this book what this main character. She was so absorbed in her feelings between Zach and Declan that the bigger picture was being missed - she’s supposed to be grieving the sudden loss of her brother. And I feel like I have to keep repeating myself in this review because her character seems to forget that. She became so irrationally jealous of her sister. It’s normal for any sister to be jealous of the other - I should know, I have five - but to be that irrationally jealous is a little ridiculous. I really wanted to say to this character “come on girl and get your head out of your ass.”
This book could have been so good but the writing flopped so hard. It reads like a high schooler’s first nanowrimo novel. Two stars from me.
October 18, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this novel we follow Scarlett, an eighteen-year-old girl that decides to spend the summer before going to college with her grandfather, just a few months following her brother's death. Scarlett's bond to her brother Liam was very strong and she's still struggling to accept the loss. As she puts it herself: "I have a feeling the rest of our lives will be divided into Before and After." I loved the exploration of the familial bonds, which is often missing from contemporary literature, and the acknowledgment that family dynamics inevitably change because of the grief that engulfs them all. It also becomes evident that different people deal with the loss of a loved one in different ways, but they still need other to get through it and move on.
Another major part of this book, as the title suggests, is music, as Scarlett joins a local rock band. The idea of creating music for this novel was very intriguing and, in a way, made the read more interactive. Through the music the reader gets a glimpse of not only the connection between the main character and her brother, but of a potential love interest as well. As to how that goes, I'm only going to say this: we have a love triangle, insta-love ad slow burn romance all in one novel! I mean, it is all quite predictable, but I enjoyed reading about it nonetheless. Plus, we become acquainted with all the boys that comprise the band and their relationship to Scarlett. One word:Zach! He is such a sweetheart (ficitonal boyfriend goals)!
I was quite skeptical when it comes to the main character. She came off as insecure and antagonistic towards her sister and at certain times oblivious to other people’s situations, like her best friend Varun going through a rough time or the other members of the band and their difficulties , bordering on self-centered. She also seems to be questioning her words and actions the entire time, though I am not sure whether that is a character trait or if it has to do with her being a teenager. However, by the end of the story we see character growth, which reminds us that the point in not avoiding mistakes altogether but realizing you have made them and learn from them.
The writing style was at first compelling and quite easy to get into, however as the story progressed I found myself drifting away from the story. I think that the dialogue is the main reason for that, as it seemed somewhat forced and always touched on such heavy subjects, which did not seem natural or plausible when recreating discussions between young adults or acquaintances, therefore lacking the effortlessness that you might expect from a contemporary novel. Towards the last 60 pages or so, however, I was once again gripped by the events and the narration, in a way that made me feel like I was reading from a different perspective.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, although the middle part was a bit of a struggle to get through.
In this novel we follow Scarlett, an eighteen-year-old girl that decides to spend the summer before going to college with her grandfather, just a few months following her brother's death. Scarlett's bond to her brother Liam was very strong and she's still struggling to accept the loss. As she puts it herself: "I have a feeling the rest of our lives will be divided into Before and After." I loved the exploration of the familial bonds, which is often missing from contemporary literature, and the acknowledgment that family dynamics inevitably change because of the grief that engulfs them all. It also becomes evident that different people deal with the loss of a loved one in different ways, but they still need other to get through it and move on.
Another major part of this book, as the title suggests, is music, as Scarlett joins a local rock band. The idea of creating music for this novel was very intriguing and, in a way, made the read more interactive. Through the music the reader gets a glimpse of not only the connection between the main character and her brother, but of a potential love interest as well. As to how that goes, I'm only going to say this: we have a love triangle, insta-love ad slow burn romance all in one novel! I mean, it is all quite predictable, but I enjoyed reading about it nonetheless. Plus, we become acquainted with all the boys that comprise the band and their relationship to Scarlett. One word:Zach! He is such a sweetheart (ficitonal boyfriend goals)!
I was quite skeptical when it comes to the main character. She came off as insecure and antagonistic towards her sister and at certain times oblivious to other people’s situations, like her best friend Varun going through a rough time or the other members of the band and their difficulties , bordering on self-centered. She also seems to be questioning her words and actions the entire time, though I am not sure whether that is a character trait or if it has to do with her being a teenager. However, by the end of the story we see character growth, which reminds us that the point in not avoiding mistakes altogether but realizing you have made them and learn from them.
The writing style was at first compelling and quite easy to get into, however as the story progressed I found myself drifting away from the story. I think that the dialogue is the main reason for that, as it seemed somewhat forced and always touched on such heavy subjects, which did not seem natural or plausible when recreating discussions between young adults or acquaintances, therefore lacking the effortlessness that you might expect from a contemporary novel. Towards the last 60 pages or so, however, I was once again gripped by the events and the narration, in a way that made me feel like I was reading from a different perspective.
All in all, I enjoyed this book, although the middle part was a bit of a struggle to get through.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 111 reviews