Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? - Thompson Square



*This book was an advanced reading copy sent to me, free of charge, for my honest review and opinion.  All comments in this review are the honest opinion of the blogger.


It's no surprise that I am a country music fan, just check out my Tuesday Tunes. I'm a reader, through and through, and country music is really good at creating stories, so I love it.

I was really excited, therefore, when I got the opportunity to review Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not? by Thompson Square - a popular country music wife/husband duo, who's big hit is a song of the same title.

Daniel, a rocker teen turned rocker adult, is second guessing his (minimally successful) efforts to make his way in the music business. His high school sweetheart, Casey, is an intelligent, good girl with bad taste in men who dreamed of being a poet. The book skips back and forth from memories of their younger years to present day.  In high school, the two pair up to write a song together at a teacher's suggestion and eventually fall in love (after obligatory dislike of one another). The relationship doesn't last, because Daniel sees himself as big-dreams, little promise and wants Casey to have all the opportunities she deserves. Eventually, they have to work through their fears and hurt feelings to end up together

...blah, blah, blah. Been there, read that.

Music, unrequited love...  I really expected to like this book.  The writing is good (though the banter between the two-supposed teens is hard to follow at times and unrealistic) and I was even sort of invested in the characters. I just wasn't invested enough to buy the formulaic, cheesy plot. At one point I thought, "Maybe the book was written for fifteen year old Taylor Swift fans...?!"  It doesn't really read like a young adult novel though, but perhaps I'm wrong.

I wanted to like this book. I really, really did!  Sadly, I was left unimpressed.


2/5- Just okay.  Choose with extreme prejudice.


 


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