As most of us are sheltering in place, we are finding lots of time for reading. Each day we read sobering news about new COVID19 deaths and I, for one, am looking for some romantic escapes in my reading. The enemies to lovers trope, common in romantic literature, is cleverly employed in the four novels I am recommending this month. Tweet Cute by Emma Lord pits Jack and Pepper, the children of restaurant owners, against each other, when they enter into a battle on social media over a grilled cheese recipe Jack's family accuses Pepper's mom of stealing. In Lucky Caller by Emma Mills, Nina and Jamie, best friends who had a misunderstanding that left them at odds, reunite when they collaborate on a radio broadcasting project. Meet Me at Midnight by Jessica Pennington introduces Sidney and Asher, frenemies whose parents force them to spend summers together. They spend their time pranking each other until a prank gone wrong gives them a common enemy. 4 Days of You and Me by Miranda Kinneally follows the relationship of rivals Lulu and Alex, over four years of ups and downs in this opposites attract story.
In Tweet Cute high achieving Pepper Evans, daughter of the owner of Big League Burger, gets into a Twitter war with Jack Campbell, whose family owns a deli named Girl Cheesing. The deli claims Big League has stolen the recipe for the Campbell family grilled cheese classic. Jack, an aspiring programmer, whose father expects him to take over the deli, tweets a snarky comment about the theft and Pepper's mother instructs her to respond. They get into a public battle that goes viral. Meanwhile, they are confiding in each other anonymously on a messaging app that Jack created. This reimagining of You've Got Mail, focuses on two teens, whose personal aspirations conflict with their family loyalties, unwittingly finding solace in one another.
Lucky Caller introduces Nina, an Indiana teen, whose absentee dad is a semi-famous radio host in California. She signs up for a radio broadcasting class during her senior year, hoping to connect with him. She is grouped with Sasha, Joydeep and Jamie, a random group with whom she is at odds, for the class project. Complicating matters, Nina and Jamie live in the same building and used to be friends until a misunderstanding makes things awkward between them. The group decides on a 90s music theme, but have a hard time finding listeners until they capture the attention of fans of a 90s band known as the Existential Dead. To attract more listeners, they advertise a mystery guest interview, whom Nina promises will be her father. However, the hints they have been tweeting have people convinced the guest is either the reclusive frontman of Existential Dead or a member of a hit boy band. As Nina works through issues with her dad, her mom's new fiance, her growing attraction to Jamie, and the radio broadcasting class project disaster, she learns important life lessons through her mistakes. Transcripts from her father's radio show and various class recordings add spice to this fun rom/com.
Meet Me at Midnight focuses on Sidney and Asher, competitive swimmers who have spent summers together with their families since they were 13. They should be friends, but instead they are enemies who spend their summers pranking each other. When a prank gone wrong gets both families evicted from their rental homes, their parents rent a house together for the remainder of the summer. The close proximity forces Sid and Ash to communicate, and they decide to join forces to get revenge against their former landlord. As their cooperation leads to undeniable attraction, they struggle to put their feud behind them and give in to love. Many of the pranks are recounted in hilarious detail and alternating voices give the reader insight into their evolving feelings for each other.
Four Days of You and Me refers to four class trips high schoolers Lulu Wells and Alex Rouvelis go on each May with their classmates. Lulu, an aspiring graphic artist, and Alex, a baseball player and class heartthrob, start off freshman year as enemies. When they both run for student council president, Lulu's campaign speech is about things she will do to make the school greener, whereas he tells jokes and says, "Vote for me, I already told my mom I won." Of course, he is the victor. On the first class trip to a science museum, they end up locked in an escape room and by the time they solve the puzzle, they are kissing instead of bickering. Sophomore year their romance is deep, but Alex's packed schedule leaves little time for Lulu and she breaks up with him. As the school years unfold, they go through the ups and downs of teenage romance. They reunite on the junior year trip to Manhattan and then senior year they focus on what life will be like when they head off to separate colleges. Things come to a conclusion on the senior trip to London. The narrative alternates between the trips and flashback chapters that fill in the gaps chronicling the relationship of these two engaging characters.This book comes out May 5th.
Showing posts with label Jessica Pennington. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jessica Pennington. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 22, 2020
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Stories with a Soundtrack
Just as many movies have music soundtracks, more and more young adult authors are focusing on musicians and include music references that inform the plot and the setting of their books. Whether the author is referencing real life musicians, sharing lyrics for the book's musicians, or giving the reader insights into the music industry in general, the reader learns a lot about a variety of music genres while enjoying the story that unfolds. I am recommending four such novels this month. Let Me Hear a Rhyme by Tiffany D. Jackson explores hip-hop in the era of Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G. Spin by Colleen Nelson focuses on an aspiring female DJ, whose estranged mom is an international star. Love Songs and Other Lies by Jessica Pennington is about a band "Your Future Ex" which competes in a reality TV show Battle of the Bands. Finally, Impossible Music by Sean Williams introduces a young heavy metal musician, who tries to redefine himself and his music after having a stroke which causes cortical deafness.
Let Me Hear a Rhyme focuses on rap music and explores the impact the publication of Biggie Small's music after his death had on the music business. After their best friend Steph is murdered, Quadir and Jarrell, two teens in the 1998 Bedford-Styvesant neighborhood in NYC (where Biggie lived and died) discover his music hidden under his bed and decide to make him a rap star beyond the grave. With the help of Jasmine, Steph's younger sister, they promote his music under the name "The Architect" and attract the attention of a powerful music label rep. As Steph's music becomes more and more popular, the three teens struggle to keep his death a secret, as well as find out who murdered him. The story is told in first-person from the alternating perspectives of the three protagonists and includes flashbacks to life before Steph's death. Lyrics from Steph's songs, as well as Jasmine's own burgeoning talent, make this a lyrical read, filled with tension and mystery. The story is very personal to the author who grew up in Bed/Sty in the 90s. She call the book "a love letter to hip-hop, to Brooklyn and my childhood..."
Spin introduces Dizzy Doucette, an aspiring DJ, who lives with her father and older brother above their used record story, The Vinyl Trap. Her father once toured with her mother, Georgia Waters, an internationally known singer, who left the family to pursue a music career. Dizzy, who is learning to spin records from her brother's best friend, is gaining a reputation as a real talent and wonders if her mother will hear about her. Then signs advertising a Georgia Waters performance in town appear, intriguing Dizzy. Will her mom want to see her? Can she help Dizzy's career? When her relationship to Georgia becomes public knowledge, Dizzy's life spins out of control. The story is told from various family members' points of view. Although the story involves the music industry, it is ultimately a story about family. The author prefaces the story with a letter to the reader about her research on DJing and the music she discovered in the process.
In Love Songs and Other Lies, Vee, a talented song writer and musician, goes on a reality TV show competition tour with her best friend Logan's band, "Your Future Ex." Formerly their manager and primary songwriter, she is excited to exercise her skills in public relations, until she discovers Cameron, her ex-boyfriend, has joined their band. Their breakup issues are unresolved; she can't quite forgive him for not telling her about a horrible accident he was involved in a year before they met. Told in alternating points of view, the story switches between the present and two years prior when she and Cam were a duo on and off stage. As Cam tries to win her back, the reality show producers are thrilled with the sexy subplot to the Battle of the Bands competition and spin it as a love triangle between Vee, Cam and Logan. Vee, who is a reluctant performer, gains confidence as the band begins to include Cam and Vee duets in some of their performances. The novel is filled with poetic band lyrics, romance and intrigue, as the reader wonders what led to Vee and Cam's breakup and ultimately roots for their reunion, as well a victory for the band. The story feels like an inside look at reality TV and how the contestants are manipulated to create drama for audience buy-in.
Impossible Music focuses on Simon, an Australian teen who suffers a stroke and wakes up with cortical deafness. He refuses to believe his dreams of a career in music are dead. Formerly a heavy metal guitarist in a band with his best friends, he begins to explore a new kind of "impossible music" based on the relationship between sound and silence. He creates a performance series to alter the way the audience experiences music and at the same time uses it as an audition for a music composition program at the university. As he struggles to deal with his diagnosis, he connects with George, a girl in his Auslan (Australian sign language) classes, who is deaf due to extreme tinnitus. As Simon moves from anger and despair to reinvention, he is supported by George and his friends and family. This is a thought-provoking examination of sudden hearing loss and how a young musician navigates what it means for his future. Although the author is not deaf, he, too, was interested in majoring in musical composition. He references many real life musicians and lists albums that inspired him, including Arcadian Rhythms by Brendon Moeller and Skeleton Keys by Steve Roach, in his end notes.
Let Me Hear a Rhyme focuses on rap music and explores the impact the publication of Biggie Small's music after his death had on the music business. After their best friend Steph is murdered, Quadir and Jarrell, two teens in the 1998 Bedford-Styvesant neighborhood in NYC (where Biggie lived and died) discover his music hidden under his bed and decide to make him a rap star beyond the grave. With the help of Jasmine, Steph's younger sister, they promote his music under the name "The Architect" and attract the attention of a powerful music label rep. As Steph's music becomes more and more popular, the three teens struggle to keep his death a secret, as well as find out who murdered him. The story is told in first-person from the alternating perspectives of the three protagonists and includes flashbacks to life before Steph's death. Lyrics from Steph's songs, as well as Jasmine's own burgeoning talent, make this a lyrical read, filled with tension and mystery. The story is very personal to the author who grew up in Bed/Sty in the 90s. She call the book "a love letter to hip-hop, to Brooklyn and my childhood..."
Spin introduces Dizzy Doucette, an aspiring DJ, who lives with her father and older brother above their used record story, The Vinyl Trap. Her father once toured with her mother, Georgia Waters, an internationally known singer, who left the family to pursue a music career. Dizzy, who is learning to spin records from her brother's best friend, is gaining a reputation as a real talent and wonders if her mother will hear about her. Then signs advertising a Georgia Waters performance in town appear, intriguing Dizzy. Will her mom want to see her? Can she help Dizzy's career? When her relationship to Georgia becomes public knowledge, Dizzy's life spins out of control. The story is told from various family members' points of view. Although the story involves the music industry, it is ultimately a story about family. The author prefaces the story with a letter to the reader about her research on DJing and the music she discovered in the process.
In Love Songs and Other Lies, Vee, a talented song writer and musician, goes on a reality TV show competition tour with her best friend Logan's band, "Your Future Ex." Formerly their manager and primary songwriter, she is excited to exercise her skills in public relations, until she discovers Cameron, her ex-boyfriend, has joined their band. Their breakup issues are unresolved; she can't quite forgive him for not telling her about a horrible accident he was involved in a year before they met. Told in alternating points of view, the story switches between the present and two years prior when she and Cam were a duo on and off stage. As Cam tries to win her back, the reality show producers are thrilled with the sexy subplot to the Battle of the Bands competition and spin it as a love triangle between Vee, Cam and Logan. Vee, who is a reluctant performer, gains confidence as the band begins to include Cam and Vee duets in some of their performances. The novel is filled with poetic band lyrics, romance and intrigue, as the reader wonders what led to Vee and Cam's breakup and ultimately roots for their reunion, as well a victory for the band. The story feels like an inside look at reality TV and how the contestants are manipulated to create drama for audience buy-in.
Impossible Music focuses on Simon, an Australian teen who suffers a stroke and wakes up with cortical deafness. He refuses to believe his dreams of a career in music are dead. Formerly a heavy metal guitarist in a band with his best friends, he begins to explore a new kind of "impossible music" based on the relationship between sound and silence. He creates a performance series to alter the way the audience experiences music and at the same time uses it as an audition for a music composition program at the university. As he struggles to deal with his diagnosis, he connects with George, a girl in his Auslan (Australian sign language) classes, who is deaf due to extreme tinnitus. As Simon moves from anger and despair to reinvention, he is supported by George and his friends and family. This is a thought-provoking examination of sudden hearing loss and how a young musician navigates what it means for his future. Although the author is not deaf, he, too, was interested in majoring in musical composition. He references many real life musicians and lists albums that inspired him, including Arcadian Rhythms by Brendon Moeller and Skeleton Keys by Steve Roach, in his end notes.
Tuesday, June 18, 2019
YA Beach Reads: The Rest of the Story, Fame, Fate and the First Kiss, Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee, When Summer Ends
Summer is here and it's time for beach read recommendations. Several popular authors have new books out, including Sarah Dessen (Once and For All 2017), one of my all-time favorite authors. Her latest, The Rest of the Story, focuses on a young teen, who finds herself staying with her deceased mother's family, whom she hasn't seen for years, at their low budget lakeside motel. Fame, Fate and the First Kiss by Kasie West (Love, Life and the List) follows Lacey Barnes, an aspiring actress who has just been cast opposite a teen heartthrob in a new zombie film. Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee by Jeff Zentner (The Serpent King) introduces Josie and Delia who host a public access cable TV show featuring hokey horror movies. Finally, When Summer Ends by Jessica Pennington (Love Songs and Other Lies) explores the relationship between Aiden, a star pitcher who is losing his vision, and Olivia, an aspiring journalist with an absentee mother, as they work together at his family's boat rental business for the summer.
In The Rest of the Story anxiety-ridden Emma Saylor Payne is thrown for a loop when she is sent to stay with her dead mother's family on North Lake, while her dad is on his honeymoon with his new wife and her paternal grandmother is on a cruise. Emma's parents met on North Lake when he was teaching sailing lessons at Lake North, the ritzy side of the lake. Her mother, who grew up on the working-class side of the lake at her family's low budget motel, was a beautiful, but troubled woman. She had never gotten over the accidental death of her best friend Chris, and after years of struggle with addiction, died of an overdose. Emma, who is called Saylor by her mother's family, finds herself enjoying working at the motel and flirting with Roo, Chris's son who was her childhood friend. As she gets to know her cousins, she realizes that the class conflict between the kids on the two sides of the lake hasn't changed much since her parents were there. Learning about her mother's wild teenage years and the time she herself spent at the lake before her mother died, Emma enjoys a summer of self-discovery, uncovering family secrets and experiencing first love. This terrific addition to Dessen's repertoire of books exploring social class, family relationships and budding romance is a must read this summer.
Fame, Fate and the First Kiss introduces Lacey Barnes, who gets a shot at stardom, when she is chosen to co-star with action-hero Grant James in a zombie movie. Grant, whose last film received vicious reviews, is looking to redeem his reputation with a solid hit. Lacey moves to LA to live with her dad, who is not as supportive of her career as she would like. He hires Donavan Lake, a straight-laced judgmental peer tutor, to make sure she is doing her homework. Meanwhile, her onscreen chemistry with Grant is lackluster. (Could it be all the zombie makeup she has to wear?) and someone on the set seems to be sabotaging her on social media. When she tries to figure out who it is, she turns to Donavan for help finding the saboteur. Her female co-star Amanda, who is coaching her on kissing techniques, tells her to imagine kissing someone she likes when shooting scenes with Grant, and much to her dismay Lacey finds herself thinking about Donavan. Excerpts from the Dancing Graves movie script are peppered throughout the story to give the reader insight into the film. This fun romantic comedy, filled with West's trademark witty repartee between Lacey and Donavan, is sure to be a hit with fans of wholesome teen romance.
Josie (Rayne) and Delia (Delilah) are the hosts of Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee, a public access cable TV show in Jackson, Tennessee, which features hokey horror movies, interspersed with the girls' humorous banter and silly skits. Josie, who hopes to pursue a career in television, has an opportunity to take an internship with the Food Network, but struggles with her feelings of loyalty to Delia. Delia is passionate about resurrecting the old horror movies she watched with her absentee father as a kid. She secretly hopes he will someday see the show and reconnect with her. When Lawson, a young MMA fighter, guest stars with his beagle on the show, Josie finds herself falling for him. The three head to Orlando for the ShiverCon festival, where they plan to meet with legendary horror host Jack Devine, who might help them gain a wider audience. Delia also hopes to find her father, who is supposedly in Orlando. Written from alternating perspectives, the novel paints a picture of two colorful characters, whose witty banter and heartfelt angst about the future makes them an unforgettable pair.
Told from dual first-person perspectives, When Summer Ends follows the lives of high school star pitcher Aiden, who is secretly dealing with a vision impairment, and aspiring journalist Olivia, who did not get the summer newspaper internship she was hoping for and is nursing her first heartbreak. Securing a job at his family vacation boat rental store on Lake Michigan, Olivia begins to heal as she and Aiden work side by side and begin an innocent flirtation. Then her absentee mother arrives in town, just as her custodial aunt tells her they are moving to Arizona for her senior year. Aiden, who quit the baseball team at the end of their junior year without any explanation, confides in Olivia that he is losing his vision, which puts an end to his pitching aspirations. He now is focusing on his passion for art, but his high school teammates, including Olivia's ex, who are unaware of his diagnosis, won't stop pestering him about rejoining the team. Olivia and Aiden decide to live summer by chance, using coin flips and rock, paper, scissors to make important decisions. They begin to fall in love as they each explore new possibilities, including a life together. These two sympathetic characters will keep readers engaged and rooting for them until the very last page.
In The Rest of the Story anxiety-ridden Emma Saylor Payne is thrown for a loop when she is sent to stay with her dead mother's family on North Lake, while her dad is on his honeymoon with his new wife and her paternal grandmother is on a cruise. Emma's parents met on North Lake when he was teaching sailing lessons at Lake North, the ritzy side of the lake. Her mother, who grew up on the working-class side of the lake at her family's low budget motel, was a beautiful, but troubled woman. She had never gotten over the accidental death of her best friend Chris, and after years of struggle with addiction, died of an overdose. Emma, who is called Saylor by her mother's family, finds herself enjoying working at the motel and flirting with Roo, Chris's son who was her childhood friend. As she gets to know her cousins, she realizes that the class conflict between the kids on the two sides of the lake hasn't changed much since her parents were there. Learning about her mother's wild teenage years and the time she herself spent at the lake before her mother died, Emma enjoys a summer of self-discovery, uncovering family secrets and experiencing first love. This terrific addition to Dessen's repertoire of books exploring social class, family relationships and budding romance is a must read this summer.
Fame, Fate and the First Kiss introduces Lacey Barnes, who gets a shot at stardom, when she is chosen to co-star with action-hero Grant James in a zombie movie. Grant, whose last film received vicious reviews, is looking to redeem his reputation with a solid hit. Lacey moves to LA to live with her dad, who is not as supportive of her career as she would like. He hires Donavan Lake, a straight-laced judgmental peer tutor, to make sure she is doing her homework. Meanwhile, her onscreen chemistry with Grant is lackluster. (Could it be all the zombie makeup she has to wear?) and someone on the set seems to be sabotaging her on social media. When she tries to figure out who it is, she turns to Donavan for help finding the saboteur. Her female co-star Amanda, who is coaching her on kissing techniques, tells her to imagine kissing someone she likes when shooting scenes with Grant, and much to her dismay Lacey finds herself thinking about Donavan. Excerpts from the Dancing Graves movie script are peppered throughout the story to give the reader insight into the film. This fun romantic comedy, filled with West's trademark witty repartee between Lacey and Donavan, is sure to be a hit with fans of wholesome teen romance.
Josie (Rayne) and Delia (Delilah) are the hosts of Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee, a public access cable TV show in Jackson, Tennessee, which features hokey horror movies, interspersed with the girls' humorous banter and silly skits. Josie, who hopes to pursue a career in television, has an opportunity to take an internship with the Food Network, but struggles with her feelings of loyalty to Delia. Delia is passionate about resurrecting the old horror movies she watched with her absentee father as a kid. She secretly hopes he will someday see the show and reconnect with her. When Lawson, a young MMA fighter, guest stars with his beagle on the show, Josie finds herself falling for him. The three head to Orlando for the ShiverCon festival, where they plan to meet with legendary horror host Jack Devine, who might help them gain a wider audience. Delia also hopes to find her father, who is supposedly in Orlando. Written from alternating perspectives, the novel paints a picture of two colorful characters, whose witty banter and heartfelt angst about the future makes them an unforgettable pair.
Told from dual first-person perspectives, When Summer Ends follows the lives of high school star pitcher Aiden, who is secretly dealing with a vision impairment, and aspiring journalist Olivia, who did not get the summer newspaper internship she was hoping for and is nursing her first heartbreak. Securing a job at his family vacation boat rental store on Lake Michigan, Olivia begins to heal as she and Aiden work side by side and begin an innocent flirtation. Then her absentee mother arrives in town, just as her custodial aunt tells her they are moving to Arizona for her senior year. Aiden, who quit the baseball team at the end of their junior year without any explanation, confides in Olivia that he is losing his vision, which puts an end to his pitching aspirations. He now is focusing on his passion for art, but his high school teammates, including Olivia's ex, who are unaware of his diagnosis, won't stop pestering him about rejoining the team. Olivia and Aiden decide to live summer by chance, using coin flips and rock, paper, scissors to make important decisions. They begin to fall in love as they each explore new possibilities, including a life together. These two sympathetic characters will keep readers engaged and rooting for them until the very last page.
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