Full review on Nerdy By Nature Blog

I absolutely loved this book. I just couldn't put it down and flew through it. I just wanted more and more. It gave me such Fleetwood Mac/Behind the Music vibes. The narrative style is set up as an oral history with each band member, or person who worked with the band, basically telling their own story. I wasn't sure how I'd get on with that, but it turned out to be the best way for this story to be told. It really played out like a transcript from a music documentary. You get to see a perspective from each member, and it's super interesting to see how one moment can be construed differently for each person. Billy and Daisy get a lot of focus being the front people, and you see what toll that takes on the rest of the band. You really get the sense of the tension that was building throughout the group.

Reid does an amazing job at fleshing out this band and really makes you forget that it's fictional. I spent the entire time wishing I could hear these songs, or pull up a video of a performance on YouTube. I loved how she even included the lyrics to the album at the end of the book. The contrast between the characters was also intriguing. Here you have seven people, each with their own opinions and addictions, and Reid does such a fabulous job showcasing all the ups and downs and in-fighting that comes along with the pressures of fame.

The setting was also done amazingly well. You feel transported to the '70s music scene, almost as if you could smell the smoke and whiskey wafting about. I also felt a lot of the influences at that time weaved throughout. Especially with Daisy. I got such a Pamela Des Barres turned Janis Joplin vibe from her that was so intoxicating. I also really enjoyed the twist of who turned out to be the "author" of the bands story, it really made everything come full circle. All in all, I had such high hopes for this book and it more than delivered.