Review: Songs About a Girl - Chris Russell

Songs About a Girl
Chris Russell
Series: Songs About a Girl, #1
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Hodder Children's Books
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads

Charlie Bloom never wanted to be 'with the band'. She's happiest out of the spotlight, behind her camera, unseen and unnoticed. But when she's asked to take backstage photos for hot new boy band Fire&Lights, she can't pass up the chance.

Catapulted into a world of paparazzi and backstage bickering, Charlie soon becomes caught between gorgeous but damaged frontman, Gabriel West, and his boy-next-door bandmate Olly Samson. Then, as the boys' rivalry threatens to tear the band apart, Charlie stumbles upon a mind-blowing secret, hidden in the lyrics of their songs...

Charlie Bloom was not your typical teen. Therefore, when she was contacted by a member of the current-hottest-boy band to photograph them for their fan site, she declined. Due to interference from her technologically savvy best friend, she found herself a reluctant part of the Fire&Lights world. With each concert, she found herself more attached to each member of the band, but there was something different about her attachment to Gabriel, the brooding bad boy of the band. As they got to know each other, they found they had a connection, and this connection was a lot more meaningful than they initially anticipated.

This is a debut, so I really didn't know what to expect, but you know me, I love a contemporary romance. That coupled with a boy band sold me on reading the story, but this was not simply a contemporary romance. It was made a little more interesting with this thread of mystery, which was woven into the story.

I really like Charlie. She was this ordinary girl, who was thrust into an extraordinary situation. She was quite unprepared for all the negative and positive things that resulted from her work with Fire&Lights, and I found her reactions quite honest and authentic. She was nursing wounds that ran quite deep too. Her mother was dead, her father was somewhat disconnected, she was bullied at school and online. All these difficulties could get a girl down, yet, Charlie kept going. I attribute some of that to her support system next door - her best friend, Melissa, and Melissa's mom, Rosie, but also to her fortitude of character. **Side note: Melissa was a hilarious fangirl of epic proportions, and made me laugh almost every time she opened her mouth. Example:

"It's impossible to be sad when you're eating marshmallows. That's a scientific fact."

I really enjoyed being back stage with the band. They charmed the pants off of me. Russell captured the boyish camaraderie perfectly, and their antics were quite fun to read about. Another thing I loved was that he made the characters so age appropriate. Charlie is 15-years-old at the book's onset, and the band members are all around 18, so their behaviors and reactions really fell in line with normal teens of similar age.

"'Carla's famous. She's on TV. Me, I'm just...'
Gabriel looked at me, amber light shining in his eyes.
'Charlie, trust me. You're not just anything.'"

When Charlie and Gabe met, there was this pull, they were drawn to each other. They keep talking about a connection, and as they started to break down each other's wall, they learn that there is indeed a reason for this connection. This little mystery is present throughout most of the story, and I thought I knew where is was going, and I was really wrong. Then, I thought I knew where it was going again, and I was wrong again. And then with the cliffhanger, I thought I had it figured out, but I will be unable to confirm until the next book.

This book is so much more than a contemporary romance. It explores ideas about friendship, family, aspirations, the impact of online media, bullying, love, and loss.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

Do you have a favorite boy band?

Let us know in the comments!