Books I've Loved: For the Record

I really enjoyed this book. Having lived a lot of my life with people who are constantly on tour, the whole experience felt really authentic and the problems Chelsea had with fitting into an established band were realistic ones. She was realistically naive and I loved that she let the relationship with Lucas drag on long after even she knew it was not working out.

I also really liked the focus on friendship and how even close friends can hurt one another, sometimes intentionally, but more often unwittingly.

Even though a lot of what happened was predictable, there were enough twists and surprises to keep me turning pages, and really, who doesn't dream of getting plucked from obscurity and given the chance to shine on stage in front of the whole world? 


If you don't believe me, here's the blurb:

If Almost Famous were a YA novel... a raw, honest debut celebrating music, friendship, romance, and life on the road.

Chelsea thought she knew what being a rock star was like... until she became one. After losing a TV talent show, she slid back into small-town anonymity. But one phone call changed everything

Now she’s the lead singer of the band Melbourne, performing in sold-out clubs every night and living on a bus with three gorgeous and talented guys. The bummer is that the band barely tolerates her. And when teen heartthrob Lucas Rivers take an interest in her, Chelsea is suddenly famous, bringing Melbourne to the next level—not that they’re happy about that. Her feelings for Beckett, Melbourne’s bassist, are making life even more complicated.

Chelsea only has the summer tour to make the band—and their fans—love her. If she doesn’t, she’ll be back in Michigan for senior year, dying a slow death. The paparazzi, the haters, the grueling schedule... Chelsea believed she could handle it. But what if she can’t?