The Edge of Great

Julie and the Phantoms #1

by Micol Ostow

Learn how Julie and the Phantoms bring their rock-and-roll dreams to life in this novel based on season one of the new Netflix show!
Season one novelization

After the passing of her mom, Julie has lost her passion for music and is on the verge of being kicked out of her performing arts high school. That is, until she makes the ultimate comeback with her new band, Julie and the Phantoms. There's only one catch: all of her bandmates are ghosts.

Back in the 1990s, Luke, Reggie, and Alex were on the cusp of rock stardom with their band, Sunset Curve, before an unfortunate encounter with Los Angeles street food brought their rock band dreams-and lives-to an end. Now, with Julie as their lead singer, the guys have a second chance to make it big and to help Julie discover the real power of music.

This novel based on season one of the hit Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms is told in alternating points of view and includes a full-color photo insert and exclusive story content not seen on the show!

Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Paranormal, Contemporary, Ghosts, Fiction, Music

209 pages, Paperback

First published December 29, 2020

About the author

Micol Ostow has been writing professionally since 2004, and in that time has written and/or ghostwritten over 40 published works for young readers. She started her reign of terror with Egmont with her novel FAMILY, which Elizabeth Burns named a favorite of 2012 on her School Library Journal-syndicated blog, A Chair, a Fireplace, a Tea Cozy. Micol's graphic novel, SO PUNK ROCK (and Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother), was named a 2009 Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth Selection, a Booklist Top Ten Religion Books for Youth Selection, and a Sydney Taylor Notable Book for Teens. She received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Her young adult horror novel, AMITY, will release from Egmont in August 2014, and her first chapter book series, LOUISE TRAPEZE, will debut in Spring 2015 from Random House.

She lives and works in Brooklyn, NY, alongside her Emmy Award-winning husband, their daughter, and a finicky French bulldog. Visit her at www.micolostow.com.

Reviews

[Cindy Pham · Rating 2 out of 5]

The synopsis said that the book would have exclusive story content not seen on the show, so I was disappointed to find out that the book didn’t add anything new at all :( Everything was lifted from the script with no additional scenes or in-depth thoughts from the characters. Even beloved scenes and songs (Perfect Harmony, Edge of Great) were omitted from the story. When you don’t have the actors or music to rely on, and the book is exactly the same as the script without any additions to make it stand out, the story loses its charm. A JATP fan would definitely be better off turning to fanfiction instead.

[Nour (FREE PALESTINE) Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

finished october 8, 10.44 pm
2.43 stars -> God, my eyes hurt from crying
I want to rate this so much higher, because the show was 5 stars all the way, but unfortunately the book was just not up to par 💔
i still really enjoyed it tho, and honestly, its been a long time since I was able to focus on one book and be really invested so I’m overall happy.
looooooong review coming asap <3

pre read
i just finished this show and OMG IT WAS AMAZING. i need to read this asap 😭
flipping netflix why didnt they make a s2 omg

update: BABVIBVIYBIRBIUREBA ITS MULTIPLE POVS GUYS AHH
but someone tell me why only FOUR out of the THIRTY NINE chapters are luke's (aka loml). I NEED MOREEEEEEE

WELCOME TO julie ✨ NOUR AND THE PHANTOMS ✨
I BELIEVE, I BELIEVE (me belting the song out)
THAT WE'RE JUST ONE DREAM (epic luke electric guitar in background)
AWAY FROM WHO WE'RE MEANT TO BE (alex comes in with the drums)
THAT WE'RE STANDING ON THE EDGE OF
SOMETHING BIG, SOMETHING CRAZY, OUR BEST DAY ARE YET UNKNOWN (reggie joins in on bass)
THAT THIS MOMENT IS OURS TO OWN
CAUSE WE'RE STANDING ON THE EDGE OF GREAT (I see chemistry 🤭😆)
we're Nour and the Phantoms, tell your friends 😉

[Alexandra Elend Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

“This was what music was about – it was about feeling, believing, connecting.”

When I started The Edge of Great I was very anxious to see the inner-most thoughts of all these characters with whom I had fallen in love over the course of the show. To revisit my favorite moments of the show and get a fresh new look at them and their meaning. And though I got some of that, most of this book stayed in a very lukewarm area for me.

Though I did have some of the characters I adored, and that was absolutely fantastic, the fact that all the characters sort of felt the same was less fun. Something I think had a lot to do with the fact that everything in the book was very shortened and rushed.

I suppose that the idea was to not bore anyone with just the same things that we had already seen, which is a fair concern, however, I wanted to read this book exactly because of that. So, removing that so much also removed most of my interest.

“It wasn’t what we expected. Or planned. And I didn’t have any idea what was next for us. But in that moment, the truth of the song was all I needed. The band – my family – was back. And for now, it was enough.”

Regardless of all that I just said. I did have enjoyable moments and I did have fun reading this book.

I mean, it was so short that I just flew through it all... despite the occasional awkwardness with the script-y feeling of the dialogue, it was easy to read and had great humor.

Getting some of those "inside moments" that I wanted to get was really rewarding as well. It made me feel closer to the characters and understand some things much better. Which is a win-win situation for me.

Though I won't be revisiting this work it entertained me and made me see some things in a different light. So I'm glad I read it.

“We looked at one another and my heart swelled. This moment was complete. We all felt it. We made one another whole again.”

______________

This was both more and less fun than I thought it was gonna be.

I know, I make tons of sense.

Regardless, I enjoyed it enough and I think that matters.

RTC.
______________

Considering I said I needed to read this the moment it came out, I sure took my time XD

Anyway, I AM very excited about it because I did love the show a lot and, considering what this is, having a closer look at all the inner thoughts of the characters is gonna be really fun.

It's also really short so I'm sure I'll fly through it.

And, well, it is not a fantasy book so hopefully, it will prove my point that I just don't want to read fantasy right now.
_______________

Are you kidding me? I NEED THIS ASAP!!!!!

Considering the fact that I loved the first season - and I have faith we'll get a second season - there is no way I'm missing out on the opportunity to read about it.

I just... I need it. That's it. I need it.

[Phylisag · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars ONLY because I am JATP trash.

[dani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh I loved this. The multiple perspectives were such a great touch! Wish it had more key scenes, but it was still a great read. Desperately need a season 2

[julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was SO disappointing. i love this show and figured it would be fun to read the book to get some more insight on my favorite scenes, but it skipped over almost all of the musical performances and took away from what makes the show so great. :(

[Kimmy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. Key scenes were completely omitted, such as Perfect Harmony and Edge of Great. It also felt like the writer hated Julie and Luke's relationship and cut out a lot of that and focused on Nick and Julie instead. I'd recommend giving this a pass and just using the time to rewatch the show instead.

[liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

y’all know i love the show but.... come on...

[lily ✿ · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a very comforting book for me - i read a chapter or two whenever i was anxious, and i fell in love with this show all over again. there’s something comforting about knowing exactly what is coming next, exactly what each character will say, and be able to picture and hear them as they do. i am so happy to own this book, and i know that i will read it again and again.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE the show, and I LOVE the book. I loved it all, and I only finished it in less than 24 hrs lol
It made me feel like I was watching the show again, but yes it was worth it to read the book. LOVED IT!!!!

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5/5✨

Julie and the Phantoms quickly became one of my favorite shows when it came out a few months ago and I’ve watched it 5+ times since😅 so it’s safe to say I was excited when I heard that a novelization was coming out.

Firstly, I loved this!! It felt like rewatching the show except this time it was just in my head. The only complaint I have is that the second half felt a bit rushed. The first half was perfect and had almost every detail (and more) from the show but towards the end the author didn’t write some scenes *cough* Unsaid Emily *cough*. There was the before and after but not the actual scene. The lyrics for almost all the songs were in the book but they missed some songs in the end which disappointed me a bit. If those were included, this would’ve been a perfect 5 stars!

It also included some beautiful pictures of Maddy, Charlie, Jeremy, Owen and Jadah while filming the show!

Overall would recommend to any JATP fan!! Also recommend listening to the soundtrack while reading 🥰

HUGE thank you to the lovely person at Scholastic who sent me a finished copy 🤞🏼💖

[Tessa Herondale~Carstairs]

WHAT IS THIS???

WHY DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS???

I NEED THIS ASAP!!!

TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET IT, PLEASE!!

[Annabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

two stars because i feel guilty giving it less.

julie and the phantoms is literally my favorite show. i discovered it a month ago, yet ive already binged it 5 times. its meant so much to me. when i found out they were coming out with a novelization i was ecstatic! my favorite show! and a book! what more could i need?

ive never been more disappointed.

for one thing, it was nearly the exact same script which i didnt really mind but the author took out the most iconic lines? like? what happened to the sarcastic band ive fallen in love with? the lines me and my friend quote back and forth? it just wasnt there or it was changed.

second, the characters were written so bland. i definitely wasnt getting nearly the same dynamic from them as i get from the show. i was happy that they really show cased alex, but that was basically it. everyone else was merely an afterthought and didnt get nearly as much attention. especially my main man carlos who i love to pieces as the most iconic little brother. he was in probably one scene and that was all. and reggie! literally my favorite, had one chapter in his pov? and it was a few pages at most. and with the author changing scenes he was barely seen at all.

third, the performances were weird and didnt really make since and ill never forgive the author for cutting out MY THREE FAVORITE PERFORMANCES LITERALLY FOR WHAT. all in all the layout of the plot was weird because its a really short book but at the halfway point its only halfway theough flying solo (the third episode). it was almost like the author had a certain amount of pages it had to be so she just sped through the second half cutting out scenes except... she cut out the important ones? or at least my personal favorites so i count them as important to me. it was also weird cause the story had the whole julie and luke relationship (that i will literally die for, mind you) but she cut out almost all their moments or made them not alone so to incorporate the relationship made no sense cause there really wanst anything there. at least, praise the lord, she really had the willie and alex ship going.

now i must say, i know novelizations arent ever perfect and theres always gonna be things changed but i just felt this would be much better. i was hoping for a deeper dive into my favorite show with more detail and extra scenes but i didnt get any of that. it was just the same story... with fewer scenes... and not one thing special about it. this book had the potential to be great, but it just wasnt taken.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was this book a little bit ridiculous? Yes. Did it suffer from the stilted dialogue that plagues every screen-to-book novelization? Yes. Did I care? Fuck no. This book is as adorable and heartwarming as the nine episodes that literally saved my life and my sanity this winter, and I appreciate the fact that it exists.

[Dymonique · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually cannot bring myself to finish reading this... im so disappointed with the writing. Its inconsistent, combines dialogue unnecessarily, cuts out/ alters key moments...I just can't do it. And I only got to the part where they perform "Bright". That's my FAVORITE moment in the show and it's horrible in the book. Im not expecting it to be a word for word retelling of season one...but this just isnt it. I do like how they added more Spanish lines with Julie's family, that was great. I recognize that this is a children's book.... but it still deserves to be better than this.

[kornik · Rating 4 out of 5]

jak ktoś lubi serial to spoko książka.
uwielbiam bohaterów i ich historię, więc cieszyło mnie czytanie tego
jest to przepisany serial, dialogi są praktycznie 1:1.
sceny niektóre są usunięte - akurat moje ulubione!!!!, więc to trochę na minus.
jednocześnie jest tu pokazane więcej ich emocji, ale też nie ma tych, na które liczyłam, bo znałam je z serialu.
kocham zdjęcia na końcu.

[Slaa!!! · Rating 2 out of 5]

LOL I’M MAD. I went into this knowing that it was a novelization, so basically exactly like the show, right? WRONG. I understand that not everything can make it into the book, but so much dialogue was changed FOR NO GOOD REASON as far as I could tell. And so much of what makes the show so special, and the characters so lovable, was just entirely messed up or left out entirely. This book is fine as a stand alone thing for kids... even if they’re into the show, they probably won’t be bothered. But for teen and adult fans, this is a NOoOoOoOo unfortunately. I feel like if the writer, editors, etc, had put in the time to immerse themselves in the fandom, they would have seen what the fans love most about the characters, and their favorite lines and moments and what makes it all so special, and they would have chosen to leave all of that in. But they did nOt. So. I’m annoyed. Bye.

[katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

VERY quick read (less than an hour and a half). i’ve had this book since the moment it came out. i was OBSESSED with the show so this really brought it back. i so wish i could experience this story for the first time again because it is truly so so so good and i will forever curse netflix for not renewing it for a season 2. i also kind of like that kenny never had julie and luke kiss even though there is a hint to their romance. i really like that touch. i def want to read the other ones and im glad i finally read this book!!

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Needed more Reggie.

[Monika Seidlová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Já jsem si strašně přála tuhle knihu ohodnotit pěti hvězdičkami, a dokonce jsem v to po prvních pár kapitolách i věřila, ale bohužel... Začalo to slibně, bylo to hodně věrné seriálu, ale s postupem času autorka začala hodně zestručňovat a vynechávat důležité momenty a písničky (Edge of Great - to je docela paradox, když se ta kniha jmenuje podle ní, Perfect Harmony, Unsaid Emily,...), což za mě byla fakt škoda a mrzelo mě to. Ale jinak to bylo fajn čtení, kterého rozhodně nelituju. Mělo to jednoduchou angličtinu a bavilo mě objevovat některé myšlenky a pocity postav, které v seriálu nebyly.

[Verena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man muss dafür leider wirklich die Serie geguckt haben, um alle Zusammenhänge im Buch zu verstehen.
Es wurde einiges ausgelassen und viele Witze, die den Charme der Geschichte ausmachen, wurden komplett weggelassen.
Wenn man die Serie jedoch kennt und liebt, ist es ein solides Buch.

[julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay. so. i honestly didn't expect much from this book. i was fine with it being literally the same as the netflix series but on paper. i had *no* expectations at all except for hoping that it'd bring me as much joy as the show did.
and im also aware that i, a 26 year old woman, was not the target audience for this content.

with that being said, i was sadly let down by the book. as i said, i expected it to be the same as the series, but it was less than that. almost every scene was cut short or slightly altered (which was okay for the majority of them) and even a few of the important ones were just ??? not included (such as perfect harmony and edge of great??). that was really disappointing to me!!!!! i just want to spend more time with my babies!!!!!

anyway, i loved the multiple povs in the book, specially alex, luke and julie (i think flynn and willie were a bit unnecessary) and getting to know their thoughts and feelings "first handedly" was amazing AND HURTFUL. the first chapter really hits too hard when you start reading knowing what's gonna happen next. and the last one was also one of the saddest, even though the ending made me really hopeful for a potential season 2 lol (hi netflix where you at). alex and Willie's pov allowed us to know more about their relationship, like the fact that they hang out a lot more than what's portrayed on the show, which i also loved. getting to know the story through the lenses of each of the characters gives us a little more depth than the show, but I think it could've been explored better.

to sum up, it was a fun, light and heartwarming read and it gave me the least of what i expected, but I don't regret reading it since i really really love these characters.

the book isn't worth the price though (at least not here in Brazil), cause the pages are really thin and the paper used isn't that good, and there were a few grammar mistakes on the text.

[|3reezey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this believing that there would be additional scenes not in the show as that is what I read early on from storefronts. Little did I know that the book actually did the opposite.

As a fan of Julie and the Phantoms, this book would be good for anybody who likes the show. But as many reviewers have mentioned, some scenes are omitted entirely from the book such as the Edge of Great, Perfect Harmony, and Unsaid Emily performances. Unsaid Emily isn’t even mentioned until Julie goes to Luke’s parent’s house.
Some scenes are altered or combined to fit the plot and I even noticed some dialogue being altered a tiny bit. Plots from the show such as Carlos ghost hunting have been completely excluded.

The book is a short read as it’s intended audience seems to be pre-teen to teen. But other than that I enjoyed going through the show’s story again even if it was brief.

[Miley · Rating 5 out of 5]

i like beans

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've been following me for a little longer now, you know that I'm one of the few people in the world preferring a book over Netflix. I don't know what it is, but watching television rarely works as well as just reading a story. A friend of mine was fangirling on Twitter over this series and I was getting curious and then I discovered that there was a novel version! I ordered it right away and I was quite excited to get started.

Let me start this review with saying that in every way possible this story surprised me in the best way possible. Maybe my expectations weren't that high, but this story had a little bit of everything. It was exciting, it was funny and witty, it had some thrilling mysterious elements and it also managed to touch me and really made me tear up. I of course can't say if the book does the series justice, but the book really worked for me at least!

That's partly because Julie is an amazing character. In this book we spend quite some time in her head, since the book seems to focus on her mostly, and I think it's almost impossible not to like her and not to root for her. Julie didn't have an easy year and she has a hard time figuring out how to live again. Her pain and struggles are shown really well in the beginning and therefore everything happening to her after has such a huge emotional impact.

And of course there's the band. I loved how the prologue gave us a great impression of everything that happened and although not everything is answered I liked how as a reader it was easy to connect the prologue with the rest of the story. Since we also spend some time in the heads of the band I also connected with all the band members, although I didn't have the same intense click with them as the one I had with Julie.

The ending also is perfect. It's satisfying enough in case there won't be a next season, but open enough to leave room for there to be one. I hope we get a sequel. I want and need more!

[Ailla Magcamit · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Step into your Greatness"

It's no secret how much I OBSESS over Netflix's Julie and the Phantoms. So when I learned that there's a novelization of the first season, I just knew I had to get a copy - and I did!

While there's no new content in the book (in fact, a lot of scenes were cut to squeeze everything within 200 pages, including some of my favorite ones 😭) and the story really is best told through live action media, it was still fun to read about the band shenanigans and get into the heads of other characters. Alex's POV is top tier!⠀

Obviously, my #Willex and #Juke heart THRIVED because 💜⠀

If you enjoy great music, solid friendships, healthy family relationships, and cute ghosts but haven't seen this absolute gem yet, what are you waiting for? Stream it today and TELL YOUR FRIENDS 👻🌭⠀

BRB, waiting for season 2 renewal announcement. Your move, Netflix 👀⠀

[Katiepertee · Rating 3 out of 5]

With 2021 coming to an end, I am catching up on some books i’ve been meaning to read for a while, I got this book around January of last year although I started it I never finished it, so I thought this was the best time to do so. The story and plot were amazing just as it is in the Netflix show, along with the characters, but this book promised to give us new content when it rarely did, yes we did get multiple POVs but only of the main cast; I wish we got some POV of Carrie, Nick, Emily and so on. This book also promised new scenes that weren’t in the Netflix show but didn’t provide any within the book, it instead left some scenes from the show out! It did the same with songs, promising new ones but not only not providing new songs but cutting some of the songs from the show in the book! I’d recommend the Netflix show more than I would recommend this book.

[twkwayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just watch the television series. I loved so many songs especially "The Other Side of Hollywood", "Finally Free" and "Unsaid Emily".

The book fails to encapsulate the best part of the fiction universe – the music. Small parts of songs were inserted into the storyline in the book, without the music, it added nothing to the experience.

Everything happens in snapshots (each chapter averaging 5 pages), so nothing was developed. Stories (especially Luke’s family relationship) and characters that could be fleshed out were absent. Having multiple perspectives just add to the mess, since everyone feels similar. The only redeeming quality is Julie’s family dynamic. The book made it seem like a conglomerate of petty drama and meaningless rivalry. Maybe film-to-book adaptations should not exist.

☆1.5 Stars☆

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun and exciting read perfectly suited for the target audience! That said I am definitely not the target audience 🙈 I still had fun though reexperience the show through another medium. It was really interesting to get to know the characters from their point of view.
However I felt like they missed a distinguished voice, especially Reggie's POV. Even Alex's felt a little bland though he got the most chapters from the boys.
Some scenes got cut but the story still works. It is very fast paced! So fast that the ending felt really rushed which I was a little sad about since it's so meaningful in the show. Great songs were also cut during the end (how could you leave out great?!). The most dissapointig thing though is that there were no extra scenes as promised on the cover of the book. It's basically the script.

[Sophi · Rating 2 out of 5]

La verdad que me re decepciono. Julie and the phantoms es de las series que mas me gustan y la verdad esperaba encontrarme con escenas extras y descripciones de lo que pensaban los personajes en determinados momentos (especificvamente luke y julie). Pero termine encontrandome con una historia llena de huecos, con una escritura pesima, partes en las que parecia que la autora ya queria terminar de escribir el libro y nomas entregarlo, hasta hubieron escenas que ELIMINARON y que despues explicaban por encima (las escenas musicales). Ademas no se ve un desarrollo de personajes pero ni ahi.
Creo que lo unico qud me gusto del libro fueron los capitulos de alex y luke, punto.