Title: More Than Music (Chasing the Dream #1)
Author: Elizabeth Briggs
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Release Date: June 17th 2014
Publisher: Self-published
Age Group: New Adult
Source: eARC for blog tour
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Music major Maddie Taylor just finished her junior year of college and has a summer internship lined up with the LA Philharmonic, yet every night she practices guitar and secretly dreams of a louder life. But geeky girls like her don't get to be rock stars. That is, until tattooed singer Jared Cross catches her playing guitar and invites her to join his band on The Sound, a reality TV show competition.
Once on the show, Maddie discovers there’s more to Jared than his flirty smile and bad boy reputation – and that he’s just as big a geek as she is. With each performance their attraction becomes impossible to ignore, but when the show pressures them to stay single they’re forced to keep their relationship secret.
As the competition heats up, Jared will do whatever it takes for his band to win, and Maddie must decide if following her dream is worth losing her heart.It's been months since I last read an NA novel, and with its geekiness, sexiness, and humor, More Than Music has everything I want from the genre - or in any book, for that matter. If you've ever had dreams of being in a rock band, then I can't imagine why you wouldn't enjoy this read.
Maddie is a pianist in her third year of college, but when she's alone in her apartment with her two best friends, she lets out the real her and rocks out with her seafoam green Fender. One night, while checking out her friend Kyle's band's studio, she gets caught playing the guitar and singing by none other than Jared Cross, lead singer of Villain Complex and the guy Maddie's been lusting for for so long - so she dashes the hell out of there. The next day, Jared's waiting for her outside her classroom and begs that she join their band temporarily for an audition, and before she knows it, she's on TV and living the dream... except that means she can't be with Jared.
Reading this book was like watching an entire season of The Voice within a few hours, but with an in-depth look into what happens when the cameras stop rolling: unenthusiastic mentors, manipulated votes, and all the drama. But More Than Music is so much more than that. It's about Maddie learning to go after what she wants, and even Jared learning that his idea of success isn't all there is to it.
"I thought of Aerosmith's 'Love in an Elevator'," Kyle said.
"That's a good one, too," Jared said, and belted out the lyrics.
Hector shook his head. "Not me. I heard that Nelly song 'Country Grammar'."
"What?" Kyle gaped at him. "I think we might have to kick you out of the band."Aside from the tense and steamy romance between Maddie and Jared, another thing I enjoyed about this book was watching the friendship form between Maddie and the guys in Villain Complex. With their bassist quitting because of drama with Jared, the two other members feared a repeat of the incident and were against Maddie joining at first, but in time, she proved herself and her kickass guitar-playing skills. I can't help but think that even if things didn't work out between her and Jared, I still would've loved More Than Music as long as she got to be in the band. Alone, they were lovers, but with Kyle and Hector, they really were like siblings.
A sweet, fast, and easy read, More Than Music should appeal to music lovers out there. And if you're not, well, I can assure you that you'll fish out a ton of great music recs from this book, so what are you waiting for? Me, I'm waiting for the next books!
MY FAVORITE PART is Maddie returning after a brief, uh, break.
RATING:
About the author:
Elizabeth Briggs is a Young Adult and New Adult author who lives in Los Angeles with her British husband and a bunch of fluffy white rescue dogs. She's a guitar-playing geek who loves books, rock music, and video games, goes to Comic Con every year, and is still hoping to be a Jedi when she grows up.
Elizabeth Briggs is a Young Adult and New Adult author who lives in Los Angeles with her British husband and a bunch of fluffy white rescue dogs. She's a guitar-playing geek who loves books, rock music, and video games, goes to Comic Con every year, and is still hoping to be a Jedi when she grows up.
Elizabeth currently works with WriteGirl to mentor at-risk or pregnant teen girls in writing, to help them get through high school and into college. She also volunteers with Bichon FurKids to help rescued dogs find a new, loving home. She previously worked as an intern for literary agent Jill Corcoran of Jill Corcoran Literary Agency, an intern for Entangled Publishing, and an editor for Curiosity Quills Press.
Elizabeth is represented by Kate Schafer Testerman of KT Literary and is a member of SCBWI and RWA.
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