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When I Was Summer
A relatable novel about unrequited love, rock ’n’ roll, and what you find when you go searching for yourself.
Sixteen-year-old Nora Wakelin has always felt like an outsider in her own family. Her parents and older sister love her, but they don’t understand anything about her: not her passion for music, not her all-encompassing crush on her bandmate Daniel (who is very much unavailable), not her recklessness and impulsiveness. Nora has always imagined that her biological mother might somehow provide the answer as to why she feels like such an outsider.
Through internet stalking and leaps of logic, Nora identifies three women living elsewhere in California who seem like they could be her mother. So she sets out to track them each down, one by one, under the pretense of a statewide tour with her rock band, Blue Miles. Three cities, three gigs, three possible birth mothers—it sounds so easy.
But once they’re on the road, of course, it’s anything but easy. Nora wants to be with Daniel, she wants to find her birth mother, she wants to keep her parents happy, she wants the band to stay together, and she wants to know why she is the way she is. But she won’t be the first musician to find out that, while you can’t always get what you want, sometimes you get what you need.
Sixteen-year-old Nora Wakelin has always felt like an outsider in her own family. Her parents and older sister love her, but they don’t understand anything about her: not her passion for music, not her all-encompassing crush on her bandmate Daniel (who is very much unavailable), not her recklessness and impulsiveness. Nora has always imagined that her biological mother might somehow provide the answer as to why she feels like such an outsider.
Through internet stalking and leaps of logic, Nora identifies three women living elsewhere in California who seem like they could be her mother. So she sets out to track them each down, one by one, under the pretense of a statewide tour with her rock band, Blue Miles. Three cities, three gigs, three possible birth mothers—it sounds so easy.
But once they’re on the road, of course, it’s anything but easy. Nora wants to be with Daniel, she wants to find her birth mother, she wants to keep her parents happy, she wants the band to stay together, and she wants to know why she is the way she is. But she won’t be the first musician to find out that, while you can’t always get what you want, sometimes you get what you need.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published April 30, 2019
15 people are currently reading
602 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
May 29, 2019
I love a good rock'n'roll book! Nora's love for music and her talent shine through this story about finding your place. This was also a very realistic portrayal of teens in crisis. All too often, YA books present kids with their shiz together, who know who they are and what they want, and have these mature, communicative relationships. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Nora and her friends have a fairly successful band, but they still have questions about what they really want, and who they really are.
January 6, 2023
As an adoptive mom, the adoption storyline was fairly obvious, but It touched on some important points and I appreciated it. The angsty teenage love drama was done well and I honestly loved how it concluded. I thoroughly enjoyed Cameron and would have liked to learn more about his story.
May 9, 2019
This is a solid read - well-written, compelling, and insightful. I'm glad I found it.
September 2, 2022
Best book-I-purchased-from-the-dollar-store yet! This one is getting a surprising four (borderline five) stars from me. I'm not sure what would have bumped it all the way up to five stars; regardless, it was still quite good.
The main reason for this high rating is the realism. This book deals with a search for the protagonist's biological mother and a teenage band on tour, but unlike many (if not most) of the YA books that I have read, not everything is tied up with a bow. The main characters act their ages, making very teenage mistakes, and the ending of it all is bittersweet, but satisfying. I think that's what I loved most — just like real life, the story can end without everything going our way. More often than not, the results that we get are the ones that we need to grow, not necessarily the ones that we wanted or had in mind.
An unexpectedly profound and satisfying summer read!
The main reason for this high rating is the realism. This book deals with a search for the protagonist's biological mother and a teenage band on tour, but unlike many (if not most) of the YA books that I have read, not everything is tied up with a bow. The main characters act their ages, making very teenage mistakes, and the ending of it all is bittersweet, but satisfying. I think that's what I loved most — just like real life, the story can end without everything going our way. More often than not, the results that we get are the ones that we need to grow, not necessarily the ones that we wanted or had in mind.
An unexpectedly profound and satisfying summer read!
January 29, 2019
* Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review *
ACTUAL: 4.5/5 stars
This story follows Nora, an adoptive daughter, a talented bass guitarist, and is currently in love with someone who is in love with someone else. Along with her fellow band mates, she's on a road trip across the state to not only play music (and maybe even get scouted), but to find out information on her biological mother. With three stops for three gigs, and three addresses of potential parents, it's going to be a hectic week!
In this contemporary adventure, Nora learns that love is not always a fairy tale, but also that she is stronger than she thought. Her development as a character was smooth but dynamic, and despite feeling more lost and confused than when she began, she never gave up. The writing style is easy to read, and the realistic challenges they face were well written too.
Honestly, my favourite part of the book, beyond Nora's character, was the ending. While it could be bittersweet for some readers, I thought it was the perfect situation Nora needed to find herself, and her own perseverance to accomplish her dreams. Every contemporary novel does not need to have a 'happily ever after' ending, and I think this is a perfect example of how true friends will stick by you, no matter what.
ACTUAL: 4.5/5 stars
This story follows Nora, an adoptive daughter, a talented bass guitarist, and is currently in love with someone who is in love with someone else. Along with her fellow band mates, she's on a road trip across the state to not only play music (and maybe even get scouted), but to find out information on her biological mother. With three stops for three gigs, and three addresses of potential parents, it's going to be a hectic week!
In this contemporary adventure, Nora learns that love is not always a fairy tale, but also that she is stronger than she thought. Her development as a character was smooth but dynamic, and despite feeling more lost and confused than when she began, she never gave up. The writing style is easy to read, and the realistic challenges they face were well written too.
Honestly, my favourite part of the book, beyond Nora's character, was the ending. While it could be bittersweet for some readers, I thought it was the perfect situation Nora needed to find herself, and her own perseverance to accomplish her dreams. Every contemporary novel does not need to have a 'happily ever after' ending, and I think this is a perfect example of how true friends will stick by you, no matter what.
May 13, 2019
I love this novel and read in one sitting. Besides the stunningly beautiful and warm book cover/jacket, I loved following 16-year-old protagonist Nora on her journey to pursue a career as a bass guitarist despite her parents’ protests, to have a relationship with her love interest and bandmate, Daniel, and to find her birth parents. The interactions and dynamics between Nora and her bandmates, the pacing of the novel, and the musical scenes (and Nora’s thoughts as seen through the lens of music) were especially satisfying. The novel touches on so many things that teens (and adults, too!) grapple with and can relate to—unrequited love, complicated relationships with family and friends, and learning about oneself and what makes you who you are and who you want to be. (Spoiler alert) Although Nora gets some of what she wants, the book ends in a realistic yet satisfying way, showing her—and teens everywhere—that sometimes you get what you want but realize it might not be what you need.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2019
From the perspective of a thirty-something mother who is pretty far removed from her own young musician days, I couldn’t have enjoyed this book more. Nora’s description of her interactions with people through music was really beautifully done, and while these days I mostly relate to the parents in a YA story (and I couldn’t help but scream “Call your mother!” at the end), it was so easy to get invested in each of the band mates. I enjoyed this so much and was pleasantly surprised that I was so drawn into a book that I initially thought was going to center around young love. A really great read for all.
August 19, 2019
LOVED this book! It’s a page-turner and a fun, thoughtful exploration of what it’s like to be an artist chasing a dream, the tumultuous magic of first loves, and the complex relationships of modern families - both biological family and the family we choose. Highly recommend this book for all audiences, as the content is appropriate for tweens and teens, but the story is really compelling even as an adult.
May 24, 2019
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me an ARC of this book to read and review!
2/5 Stars
I have so many questions...
This started out really well, I was set to give it a solid 3/3.5 stars. It was never incredible, but I enjoyed reading it and was interested in the future of these characters' band. But then it took a drastic turn...
The main character, Nora, clearly had a very strong love for music, which was incredibly interesting to me, I wanted to see her thrive in her musical career, but that was all overshadowed by the decisions she made. Nora seemingly spent the entire book lying to everyone around her that cares for her. She misled her bandmates and strung them along on a journey that they never agreed to. Every time it was revealed that she did something behind their backs, her friends were never angry but instead supported her no matter what. Kudos to those friends, because I would be sick of her behaviour real quick.
This was a bit of a theme throughout the book, her friends constantly did nothing but support and help her. Yet, she did nothing in return for these people. Over and over again her friends took risks for her and went along with her lies, and Nora never once returned any favours for them, not once. It really feels like she took all of their support and love for granted.
And then, to top it all off, she lies to her family about a MAJOR decision: to search for her birth parents. A 16-year-old took advantage of her bandmates to use their trip to a VERY good opportunity for the future of their band (a major gig), to make extra stops along the way (under the ruse that they could play more gigs in smaller cities) to check out whether her online research for her birth parents would lead to her finding them, and she did not inform anyone in her family about this.
I got very frustrated with Nora when When she planned this "excursion", she spoke that maybe she wouldn't come back, and then booked a one-way ticket. I cannot imagine someone, who has a positive relationship with their family, would think to go all that way, cut off communication with their parents, just to search for women who never knew her, and THEN say that maybe she just won't go back home??? And the cherry on top? Her leaving meant she missed her final exams.
More times than once she took a lot of money from one of her friends (but to her it's okay because her friend has parents that don't seem to care about him, even though this fact is something that causes her friend to fall into a depression, so she takes the money with no regrets??) I just don't understand how anyone around her can deal with her.
This turned into a rant review really quickly, and I'm sorry for that, I really wanted to enjoy this. I wanted to root for this band and for this group of friends to succeed, but instead, I spent the whole book hating Nora and everything she did to the people around her. The audacity she had to just completely abandon her family to go find someone she had no info about, no idea where she really was and no clue if what she was walking into was going to be safe, I just can't get over that. The fact that she wanted to look for her birth parents to know who she really is biologically is understandable, but she should have included her family in this decision and done it properly.
Before this gets WAY too long, I'm going to stop there. I'll probably have a bit of an extended review up on whatwrenreads.com, so head over there if you are interested in my full thoughts.
2/5 Stars
I have so many questions...
This started out really well, I was set to give it a solid 3/3.5 stars. It was never incredible, but I enjoyed reading it and was interested in the future of these characters' band. But then it took a drastic turn...
The main character, Nora, clearly had a very strong love for music, which was incredibly interesting to me, I wanted to see her thrive in her musical career, but that was all overshadowed by the decisions she made. Nora seemingly spent the entire book lying to everyone around her that cares for her. She misled her bandmates and strung them along on a journey that they never agreed to. Every time it was revealed that she did something behind their backs, her friends were never angry but instead supported her no matter what. Kudos to those friends, because I would be sick of her behaviour real quick.
This was a bit of a theme throughout the book, her friends constantly did nothing but support and help her. Yet, she did nothing in return for these people. Over and over again her friends took risks for her and went along with her lies, and Nora never once returned any favours for them, not once. It really feels like she took all of their support and love for granted.
And then, to top it all off, she lies to her family about a MAJOR decision: to search for her birth parents. A 16-year-old took advantage of her bandmates to use their trip to a VERY good opportunity for the future of their band (a major gig), to make extra stops along the way (under the ruse that they could play more gigs in smaller cities) to check out whether her online research for her birth parents would lead to her finding them, and she did not inform anyone in her family about this.
I got very frustrated with Nora when When she planned this "excursion", she spoke that maybe she wouldn't come back, and then booked a one-way ticket. I cannot imagine someone, who has a positive relationship with their family, would think to go all that way, cut off communication with their parents, just to search for women who never knew her, and THEN say that maybe she just won't go back home??? And the cherry on top? Her leaving meant she missed her final exams.
More times than once she took a lot of money from one of her friends (but to her it's okay because her friend has parents that don't seem to care about him, even though this fact is something that causes her friend to fall into a depression, so she takes the money with no regrets??) I just don't understand how anyone around her can deal with her.
This turned into a rant review really quickly, and I'm sorry for that, I really wanted to enjoy this. I wanted to root for this band and for this group of friends to succeed, but instead, I spent the whole book hating Nora and everything she did to the people around her. The audacity she had to just completely abandon her family to go find someone she had no info about, no idea where she really was and no clue if what she was walking into was going to be safe, I just can't get over that. The fact that she wanted to look for her birth parents to know who she really is biologically is understandable, but she should have included her family in this decision and done it properly.
Before this gets WAY too long, I'm going to stop there. I'll probably have a bit of an extended review up on whatwrenreads.com, so head over there if you are interested in my full thoughts.
April 14, 2019
MY OPINION: ***
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set to release pretty soon and I'm excited to hear other opinions about it! I feel like I had fairly high expectations, which is unusual for me and ARCs because it's so close to its release.
Nora lives by music. She's in a band called Blue Miles with her three friends, Daniel, Cameron, and Flynn. She has a crush on Daniel but he's madly in love with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Darcy (who was honestly AWFUL). They embark on their first tour with the ultimate destination of the Magwitch, an amazing venue in good ol' San Francisco to sing with a HUGE band. Nora has received some clues about where her birth mother could be located and throughout the tour, they stop in places where she thinks she might find her mother (with the help of some fairly-deep and sorta-realistic sleuthing).
The ending of this book is bittersweet and may not please readers (I was not entirely happy with it). However, the book sends readers on a wild ride with characters, romance, music, and the question of family and finding those who you belong to. I feel as if everybody has had some experience with not fitting in: Nora has never fit in with her Stanford-headed adopted family, which I think really helps her want to find her birth mother. Although her family is really good to her and helps her, she constantly talks about the fact that nobody understands her musical language.
Her actual family is honestly a mess with fathers all over the place. It's a little bit crazy but I mean, I guess all families have a little mess in them. Nora learns that her mother initially called her Summer and I think that after a while, we understand that Nora and Summer are basically two different people, hence the title.
I would recommend this book to readers looking for a middle-grade/young-adult novel about finding friends, love, and family.
Main Character: Nora
Sidekick(s): Daniel, Flynn, Cameron, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, family, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set to release pretty soon and I'm excited to hear other opinions about it! I feel like I had fairly high expectations, which is unusual for me and ARCs because it's so close to its release.
Nora lives by music. She's in a band called Blue Miles with her three friends, Daniel, Cameron, and Flynn. She has a crush on Daniel but he's madly in love with his on-again, off-again girlfriend Darcy (who was honestly AWFUL). They embark on their first tour with the ultimate destination of the Magwitch, an amazing venue in good ol' San Francisco to sing with a HUGE band. Nora has received some clues about where her birth mother could be located and throughout the tour, they stop in places where she thinks she might find her mother (with the help of some fairly-deep and sorta-realistic sleuthing).
The ending of this book is bittersweet and may not please readers (I was not entirely happy with it). However, the book sends readers on a wild ride with characters, romance, music, and the question of family and finding those who you belong to. I feel as if everybody has had some experience with not fitting in: Nora has never fit in with her Stanford-headed adopted family, which I think really helps her want to find her birth mother. Although her family is really good to her and helps her, she constantly talks about the fact that nobody understands her musical language.
Her actual family is honestly a mess with fathers all over the place. It's a little bit crazy but I mean, I guess all families have a little mess in them. Nora learns that her mother initially called her Summer and I think that after a while, we understand that Nora and Summer are basically two different people, hence the title.
I would recommend this book to readers looking for a middle-grade/young-adult novel about finding friends, love, and family.
Main Character: Nora
Sidekick(s): Daniel, Flynn, Cameron, etc
Villain(s): Misunderstandings, family, etc
Realistic Fiction Elements: This book is all very real to life.
August 3, 2022
3.5 stars. It's something I think I would have like as a teenager, but not so much as an adult. The writing was mediocre. Whenever Nora would say something that the person she was talking to didn't know, all they would say is "what?" Every. Time. It had a decent storyline though
May 26, 2019
Picked this up looking for something easy and breezy. Not sure this book scratched that itch since it gets into some heavier subject matter but it was still a pretty decent read.
May 25, 2019
This was a good book I really enjoyed it from page 1!!
Lots of family problems but everything gets resolved. Really entertaining
Lots of family problems but everything gets resolved. Really entertaining
March 1, 2022
3.5 stars!! A cute, quick read about coming into your own and staying true to yourself
May 21, 2019
Sweet and poignant. I see mixed feelings about the ending but I can’t imagine it ending any other way. Beautiful story about belonging and unrequited love.
May 17, 2019
*4.5 Loved all the little elements in this book, although the author seems to have a fixation on "Blackbird" haha
July 25, 2019
I wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t work for me. For a sixteen year old girl she acted immature. She just expected her band mates to go along with this crazy road trip while lying about the reason she wanted to go. Admittedly finding about her birth parents is a natural thing to wonder about and/or do, this seemed like wrong way to go about it.
February 12, 2020
This book was recommended to me when I asked for a book about music/a band. The premise sounded really promising to me, and I really wanted to love it, but by the end of it, I think the things that annoyed me outweighed the elements that I liked.
Things I didn't like:
- Nora's relationship with Daniel. In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a cute situation. He's heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend, who he's been on-again-off-again for three years with. Nora tells Daniel about how she likes a guy but refuses to tell the guy how he feels, all without letting on that this guy is Daniel himself. This started a super awkward At the beginning I shipped them, but not by the end.
- Flynn. He seemed so contradictory and incredibly rude. He essentially expected the rest of his bandmates to be perfect, and threatened multiple times to In general, Flynn really annoyed me.
- Nora's parents were terrible. Essentially, both her parents are attorney's and are forcing Nora to do a summer internship within the legal field. They're always telling her that her grades must come before the band, and assuming that the band will dissolve after high school is over. Yeah, parents in YA often get a bad rap, but seriously, they were not supportive of Nora's dreams at all, constantly thinking they knew what was best for her, rather than allowing her to trust her instincts and follow her own passions. I disliked her parents even less after, in the end when Nora's mom tells her that they were also super controlling. They called her all the time to check in on her, but they also freaked out majorly when her location tracker was turned off. Seriously, they needed to trust her a little bit, that she was safe and being responsible.
- As you may know, the plot of this book is Nora is setting out on a 4-stop tour with her band, and while they do the tour, she has set out to search for her biological mother (she is adopted) It’s quite a big journey to her finding her mother, and
- One last thing that really bothered me was that it really felt like Flynn and Daniel didn’t have any character development. I started out the book liking both of them, but they grew more annoying and frustrating as the book went on, however by the end, neither had grown out of their ways or changed at all to be more likeable.
Things I liked:
- the way Nora connected to music, the way the concerts were described. I thought I wouldn’t be able to connect with her as much since she plays bass, which I think isn’t as interesting of an instrument, however, she just had such a strong love and connection to the songs that it was infectious. There were several times where she described the way the band played together and the way she related to songs she loved was really powerful.
- her friendships with the guys in the band (although less near the end of the book). In the beginning, they all seemed like good friends that all wanted the same thing out of the band, and I thought they all got along quite well.
- Cam. He seemed like the most genuine character in the book. He had real issues that he wasn't sure how to get out of, and he needed his friends to help him out of it. Not to mention the fact that
Things I didn't like:
- Nora's relationship with Daniel. In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a cute situation. He's heartbroken over his ex-girlfriend, who he's been on-again-off-again for three years with. Nora tells Daniel about how she likes a guy but refuses to tell the guy how he feels, all without letting on that this guy is Daniel himself. This started a super awkward At the beginning I shipped them, but not by the end.
- Flynn. He seemed so contradictory and incredibly rude. He essentially expected the rest of his bandmates to be perfect, and threatened multiple times to In general, Flynn really annoyed me.
- Nora's parents were terrible. Essentially, both her parents are attorney's and are forcing Nora to do a summer internship within the legal field. They're always telling her that her grades must come before the band, and assuming that the band will dissolve after high school is over. Yeah, parents in YA often get a bad rap, but seriously, they were not supportive of Nora's dreams at all, constantly thinking they knew what was best for her, rather than allowing her to trust her instincts and follow her own passions. I disliked her parents even less after, in the end when Nora's mom tells her that they were also super controlling. They called her all the time to check in on her, but they also freaked out majorly when her location tracker was turned off. Seriously, they needed to trust her a little bit, that she was safe and being responsible.
- As you may know, the plot of this book is Nora is setting out on a 4-stop tour with her band, and while they do the tour, she has set out to search for her biological mother (she is adopted) It’s quite a big journey to her finding her mother, and
- One last thing that really bothered me was that it really felt like Flynn and Daniel didn’t have any character development. I started out the book liking both of them, but they grew more annoying and frustrating as the book went on, however by the end, neither had grown out of their ways or changed at all to be more likeable.
Things I liked:
- the way Nora connected to music, the way the concerts were described. I thought I wouldn’t be able to connect with her as much since she plays bass, which I think isn’t as interesting of an instrument, however, she just had such a strong love and connection to the songs that it was infectious. There were several times where she described the way the band played together and the way she related to songs she loved was really powerful.
- her friendships with the guys in the band (although less near the end of the book). In the beginning, they all seemed like good friends that all wanted the same thing out of the band, and I thought they all got along quite well.
- Cam. He seemed like the most genuine character in the book. He had real issues that he wasn't sure how to get out of, and he needed his friends to help him out of it. Not to mention the fact that
August 28, 2019
I LOVED THIS STORY. Music, romance, and some friendship drama? Great story, truly magnificent. The best part though, was the expertly presented idea that some boys just aren't worth the trouble they put girls through. Of course, that truth isn't anything new but the way Howard builds this idea shines forth as an exuberant spotlight into the harsh reality I needed to face. And I'm better for it now. Thank you, J.B. Howard, for the encouragement and insightful wisdom I needed so desperately to hear. Can I rate it higher than 5 stars?
June 2, 2019
The first few chapters of the book really pulled me in, but I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.
The intertwining of music and family secrets was a great idea for a story, but the whole story was very fluffy, full of passive-aggressive or vague dialogue between many of the characters.
Nora's band wasn't as cohesive as they appeared to be initially- it seemed like they all loved music, but not each other as bandmates, and that really turned the story sour. Although it turned out to be a positive lesson towards the end of the story, when Nora and Cameron started Good People, it just felt like an ending that you wish was anything but what it was.
Also, I was so exhausted and irritated by Nora's decision to be Daniel's FWB. She perpetuated a relationship (if you can even call it that) that I would never wish for myself, or encourage other girls to entertain. Daniel's personal life was so draining, and I have no idea why Nora wanted to be a part of it.
If the story had started with Nora and Cameron in Good People, and they had come from a better place relationship-wise, this story would have been so much better.
The intertwining of music and family secrets was a great idea for a story, but the whole story was very fluffy, full of passive-aggressive or vague dialogue between many of the characters.
Nora's band wasn't as cohesive as they appeared to be initially- it seemed like they all loved music, but not each other as bandmates, and that really turned the story sour. Although it turned out to be a positive lesson towards the end of the story, when Nora and Cameron started Good People, it just felt like an ending that you wish was anything but what it was.
Also, I was so exhausted and irritated by Nora's decision to be Daniel's FWB. She perpetuated a relationship (if you can even call it that) that I would never wish for myself, or encourage other girls to entertain. Daniel's personal life was so draining, and I have no idea why Nora wanted to be a part of it.
If the story had started with Nora and Cameron in Good People, and they had come from a better place relationship-wise, this story would have been so much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2022
Loved this book. Kept me entertained the whole time and had a nice upbeat feel the whole time while still tackling deep issues. The perfect summer read.
May 11, 2020
Nora has always known she was adopted. And, to her, it makes sense that she doesn't always feel like she fits with her type-A, lawyer parents and older sister. She is a musician. A dreamer in a group of realists. And when she finds out her birth mother gave her the name Summer, she finds a new way to search for her birth parents. With a few leads, and the possibility of a road trip with her bandmates on the way to a huge gig opening for one of their favorite bands, she figures she will be able to finally find some answers about who she is. Of course, she isn't completely honest with her family. Or her band. Or herself. But the chance to find out answers is something she can't give up.
I ended up really liking this book. It is a fun road-trip, coming of age story about a girl who needs to leave home to find herself and figure out what she really wants in life. Packed into the span of a long weekend, this was a fast paced read I ended up finishing in one sitting. Highly recommend. Appropriate for grades 7 and up (there is a little language and some kissing, but that's it).
I ended up really liking this book. It is a fun road-trip, coming of age story about a girl who needs to leave home to find herself and figure out what she really wants in life. Packed into the span of a long weekend, this was a fast paced read I ended up finishing in one sitting. Highly recommend. Appropriate for grades 7 and up (there is a little language and some kissing, but that's it).
June 15, 2024
This was a solid, non-threatening read for me. I was intrigued by the adoption part of the story. Almost a family drama with the center around a group of high school friends in a band, although the main character's family plays a peripheral role. The musical connections that were added were interesting. Some I didn't understand but they weren't distracting from the flow. This might be the first YA book I have read so I'm not familiar with how characters are portrayed. But I found the kids more mature than 16 year olds in their conversations with one another. So I would have probably found things more believable if they were in their early 20s and in college. Part of the reason I read is to gain insight and perspective. This isn't just a fun or fluffy book. There were solid messages about truth, honesty and self-acceptance. I reflected on the idea that we can get what we want by playing a part but to get what we need, authenticity is necessary. So kuddos for the story providing some unexpected depth and meaning.
November 7, 2019
A thoroughly enjoyable book about life, relationships, teamwork and discovering what matters. The teenage protagonist Nora, lives in CA with her adopted family. Although it is clear that her adopted parents and siblings care for her very much, Nora drafts a plan to find her birth parents under the guise of touring with her band -- three guys who have been her friends through high school and with whom she shares an unusually collaborative flow as the band's bass player. Their band, Blue Miles, has been asked to open for legendary band Horoscope, and must get themselves to a well-known rock concert venue in San Francisco.
Though Nora trusts her band mates, Daniel, Flynn and Cameron, almost like family, her quest to find out why her biological parents gave her up for adoption reveals some emotional fissures in her relationships with those she's known the longest. A good read about the roles we take on for others and the risks of honesty.
Though Nora trusts her band mates, Daniel, Flynn and Cameron, almost like family, her quest to find out why her biological parents gave her up for adoption reveals some emotional fissures in her relationships with those she's known the longest. A good read about the roles we take on for others and the risks of honesty.
July 29, 2019
review) 4
What did you like about the book? When her band gets a chance to play in San Francisco, Nora decides to use the trip to search for her birth mother. Nora is a bassist in her high school band Blue Miles who dreams of pursuing music. She sometimes feels like an outsider in her family as her parents want her to follow in their corporate footsteps along with their biological daughter Irene. Nora has always known she was adopted, but now going into her senior year of high school she begins to wonder about nature versus nurture. As the band sets out cracks appear in the group and romantic feelings further confuse Nora. In the end, Nora comes of age and realizes that she needs to be herself no matter who that might be. A wonderfully told story with great characters.
What did you like about the book? When her band gets a chance to play in San Francisco, Nora decides to use the trip to search for her birth mother. Nora is a bassist in her high school band Blue Miles who dreams of pursuing music. She sometimes feels like an outsider in her family as her parents want her to follow in their corporate footsteps along with their biological daughter Irene. Nora has always known she was adopted, but now going into her senior year of high school she begins to wonder about nature versus nurture. As the band sets out cracks appear in the group and romantic feelings further confuse Nora. In the end, Nora comes of age and realizes that she needs to be herself no matter who that might be. A wonderfully told story with great characters.
August 9, 2021
I finished this book feeling unsatisfied. I hadn't just read a terrible book but I had not read a good or even decent one either. Howard set up a decent plot and started with seeds of interesting characters with room to grow. None of them really grew although some actions Nora took could be considered some slight growth. (Side note: Daniel as a character disgusts me. I hated to see her give her heart to him.)
This book also had some major holes with some of the events in the plot like the fact that if you are not 18, as Howard establishes clearly for Nora, you cannot get on a plane by yourself without filling out and verifying a whole lot of information. Does Howard go into any of that? Nope.
I think many people would like this but I did not and cannot recommend it.
This book also had some major holes with some of the events in the plot like the fact that if you are not 18, as Howard establishes clearly for Nora, you cannot get on a plane by yourself without filling out and verifying a whole lot of information. Does Howard go into any of that? Nope.
I think many people would like this but I did not and cannot recommend it.
December 24, 2020
You know for this book only costing a dollar when I bought it, I liked the story. I wouldn’t call it a real page turner. I never felt excited to read the next chapter, what I mean is I liked what I read in the previous chapter but I never read something that kept the book in my hands for another chapter. I am happy I read this book. I think it was a nice story about enjoying the journey to find out who you are as a person and why you shouldn’t worry so much about fitting in. I’d recommend this book to anyone who A) likes music and B) is looking for a quick and easy read. Under different circumstances, I’m sure I could’ve finished this book in a week tops.
July 16, 2019
This is a lovely novel about a girl named Nora, trying to discover her biological parents and how much of herself is influenced by their genes. She feels so different from her adoptive family. Nora is in a band and harboring secret feelings for the lead singer. All these complicated issues come to a head as the band does a mini road trip together. This is a solid teen novel- the type that is sorely missing nowadays..I enjoyed it, especially the natural ending.
July 24, 2019
Nora is part of a garage band. She's also adopted. When her band gets a chance to open for a major talent they go on a road trip to get there, playing gigs along the way. Her friends don't know she has another agenda. She's planned their stops to investigate possible biological mothers. If that's not enough, there are issues with love triangles, unrequited love, and personality conflicts. This is a teen novel that will appeal to music-lovers and those who enjoy personal issues. I found it a little too "angsty" and didn't appreciate the occasional bad language, but I'm clearly not the demographic at which this book is aimed.
August 4, 2020
Nora is in a band called Blue Miles. She is also adopted. When her band gets a touring gig, she sees it as an opportunity to try to track down her birth mother.
I think there are things in here that will really resonate with teens - both the music aspect and the searching for something aspect. Realistic? Maybe not so much but that's ok, sometimes fiction let's us explore those things vicariously.
Can't remember for sure but pretty sure there was swearing possibly teen drinking?
I think there are things in here that will really resonate with teens - both the music aspect and the searching for something aspect. Realistic? Maybe not so much but that's ok, sometimes fiction let's us explore those things vicariously.
Can't remember for sure but pretty sure there was swearing possibly teen drinking?
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