Goodreads | Amazon | Google Books | BAM | Indigo
Indiebound | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks | Netgalley
From the Publisher
The second Jenna Quigley turns eighteen, she’s headed to L.A. to extend the timer on her fifteen minutes of fame. Too bad her dad made her promise to graduate high school first. Silver lining? Her new school has a serious talent competition with a $25,000 cash prize, which would go a long way in L.A. Jenna’s got plenty of talent—she didn’t almost win America’s Newest Sensation for nothing. But it’ll take everything she’s got to bring down the music nerd with a stick up his butt…no matter how cute he is in those glasses.
Miles Cleveland needs to win that talent contest. When some hot girl stole his audition spot on America’s Newest Sensation, his chance to study music flounced off to New York with her. Now, not only can he win enough money to pay for his education, he can get revenge on that very same girl. He can’t start to question his plan, though…no matter how deep Jenna buries into his heart.
My Review
Jenna Quigley just got back to Tennessee after competing in the last season of America’s Newest Sensation. She didn’t win, but she was a fan favorite, and now she’s determined to take advantage of her popularity by moving to L.A. the minute she turns eighteen. Her father has other plans, though, and enrolls her in the Nashville Academy of Creative Arts so that she can develop her talent.
Miles Cleveland is the best musician at NACA. He’s that kid that nobody wants to go up against because he just wins everything. Although Miles comes from a very wealthy family, his father does not support his passions and refuses to pay for anything but Emory’s business school. If Miles wants to study music, he’ll need to find a way to pay for college himself. He had a chance on America’s Newest Sensation, but some girl stole his audition slot while he was in the bathroom.
Luckily for Miles, NACA hosts a talent show with a $25,000 cash prize every year. And Miles is guaranteed to win… that is, until Jenna enters the competition. Now, these fierce rivals will move their competition to a new arena. But after they get paired up in their songwriting class and find that they have a lot in common, can they stick with the plan and compete against each other, or will their mutual attraction get in the way?is, until Jenna enters the competition. Now, these fierce rivals will move their competition to a new arena. But after they get paired up in their songwriting class and find that they have a lot in common, can they stick with the plan and compete against each other, or will their mutual attraction get in the way?
Last year, I read (and loved) Melissa Chambers’ The Summer Before Forever. Chloe and Landon were one of my favorite book couples of 2016, and I was really excited to read the next book in the series. Jenna and Miles were great, but not quite as great as Chloe and Landon. While I’m talking about the first book in the series, I should probably mention that it is not necessary to read TSBF before starting this book. It will, however, give you some background information on Jenna and introduce you to her world. (It’s also a really good book.)
Jenna is, quite simply, your typical high school senior. She likes pop music, cute boys, and performing for adoring crowds. She’s kind of oblivious to the consequences a lot of her behavior – she didn’t even realize why Miles was mad at her – but she means well. I was a little put off at the beginning of the book when Jenna went on her whole “I can never be friends with girls because girls are terrible and catty” crusade, but I was pleasantly surprised as the book went on and she became friends with a good number of girls (and boys). Jenna grew as a person and as a musician so much throughout this book, which was really great to see.
If ever there was a boy from a book that should exist in real life, it would be Miles. Where were the boys like Miles when I was in high school? Sure, he’s a little weird, but honestly, who isn’t when they’re that age? In addition to being a musical prodigy, Miles is an incredibly loyal friend and an all-around good guy. He’s not afraid to go after what he wants while still being cognizant of Jenna’s wishes and comfort level with everything they’re doing.
Now I’m going to back away from the review for a second with a quick message.
Despite reviews that might have you believe otherwise, while the characters do discuss various sex acts over the course of the book, Jenna and Miles never go further than a good kiss. In high school especially, it’s easy for rumors to fly around about who’s done what with whom. This book makes the very important point that just because those rumors exist doesn’t mean that they’re true, and even if they are true, it doesn’t mean that the people involved are bad people. I think it’s a very good thing that the characters in this book discuss the truth behind the rumors and are open about how far they’ve gone and how far they’re willing to go. Both Miles and Jenna had a very grown-up attitude toward that aspect of their relationship, and I don’t think that the fact that they’re in high school makes that a bad thing. Teenagers should know that it’s okay to discuss their past experiences and what they’re currently looking for with a new partner.
Okay, rant over. Back to the review.
One thing that I loved – and that also broke my heart – in this book was the relationship between both main characters and their parents. Jenna is a total daddy’s girl. She adores her father, and in return, he has always been there for her. He’ll support her regardless of what she decides to do with the rest of her life but still pushes her to be her best. Her relationship with her mother, on the other hand, is rocky at best, and that’s all I say about it. For Miles, his family situation is flipped. His mother is unfailingly supportive of everything he does. She’s a very loving and nurturing parent, while his father is more stern and inflexible. Even though Miles’ father is often shown to be unreasonable in his plan for Miles’ life, I really liked that he wasn’t made out to be the bad guy. He still loves Miles fiercely, he just has a different way of showing it.
This book was great. I actually stayed up reading until the wee hours of the morning! That never happens! I loved that we got little snippets of Chloe and Landon throughout this book. I hope that Chambers will continue on with this series. I would love to catch up with Jenna and Miles six months or a year into the future to see how they’re doing.
Final rating: ★★★★☆
About the Author
Melissa Chambers writes contemporary novels for young, new, and actual adults. A Nashville native, she spends her days working in the music industry and her nights tapping away at her keyboard. While she’s slightly obsessed with alt rock, she leaves the guitar playing to her husband and kid. She never misses a chance to play a tennis match, listen to an audiobook, or eat a bowl of ice cream. (Rocky road, please!) She serves as the president-elect for the Music City Romance Writers and is the author of The Summer Before Forever and Falling for Forever (Entangled Teen).
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads
I was given a free advance copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway!
The Bibliophagist 