Book Review #bookreview #contemporaryromance #juliestone #entangledpublishing #entangledaugust #heswiththeband #netgalley
This novel was a well written, nicely paced novel, told through first person present. Overall the read was enjoyable, but I found that I was reading a different book than I expected which make my overall enjoyment just mediocre. I think Julie Stone's writing is very well executed and that her heroine was compelling and interesting to read about, but the overall expectation of a romance was really lacking for me.
This novels focus is on Campbell, and her journey to rediscovering herself after her divorce. We spend the novel in her head while she rediscovers who she was before she was married and who she now wants to be now that she is not feeling stifled by her ex-husband. Campbell, through the help of her best friend, decides to take matters into her own hands and becomes a photographer (and commemorative book author) on a Band reunion tour. This is the same band that she has loved since she was in her late teens and early twenties and spent a year as a third tier groupie. During this new tour with the band, Campbell learns who the band and the people close to the band truly are, while learning that maybe childhood crushes and who she should really be considering might not be the same person.
Overall, this was a really lovely journey of discovery for Campbell. I found her to learn to be strong and independent. She learned to rediscover her love of photography, she learned to examine and understand how this band's music effected her and still does, and she learns to stand up for what she deserves. But, because this is not exactly what I was expecting I found myself a bit disappointed and left with a lack luster feeling. I was hoping to read a romance novel with a strong hero and heroine both at the center. While there is a romance, the main focus of the story is not on this romance. So, I really felt like I was missing out on many of the romantic elements I was hoping to get out of this story.
If you are looking for a novel about a women's rediscovery of herself, this is a great option. It has the fun background of a band on tour and it has a bit of liveliness because of the rock'n'roll life style while having a nice level of maturity. If you are looking for a story that has a slight romantic element but that is not the main focus, this is also a great option for you. Julie Stone's writing is definitely worth reading and her characters and charming and compelling.
OUT January 17, 2022
Thank you to Entangled: August and NetGalley for an eARC, all thoughts and opinions are my own.