Author: Angie StantonPublication: September 24, 2013
By: Harper Teen
3 Stars
When you fall in love with a rock star, anything can happen. . . .
Libby In an instant, Libby's life went from picture-perfect to a nightmare. After surviving a terrible car accident, Libby is abandoned by her father and left with her controlling aunt. A new town, a new school, no friends—Libby is utterly alone. But then she meets Peter.
Peter The lead singer in a rock band with his brothers, Peter hates that his parents overly manage his life.
Constantly surrounded by family, Peter just wants to get away. And when he meets Libby, he's finally found the one person who only wants to be with him, not the rock star.
But while Peter battles his family's growing interference in both his music and his personal life, Libby struggles with her aunt, who turns nastier each day. And even though Libby and Peter desperately want to be together, their drastically different lives threaten to keep them apart forever.
Thank you to Julie at A Tale of Many Reviews and Author Angie Stanton for providing ARC's of both books in exhange for an honest review.
What I Liked: I'm not gonna lie, I felt like I was reading about the Jonas Brothers in the beginning of this. (I happen to enjoy the JoBros, so this wasn't a bad thing.) The story was a bit cliche, however, Angie Stanton creates enough interest in the characters that I HAD to know what happened between Peter and Libby and finished this in about three hours.
We see quite a bit of Peter's parents, especially his Mom in this book which can be unusual even in a book about teenagers. Rock and a Hard Place has a balanced mix of drama, romance and swoon, but what I found really refreshing was that this is a clean read. No sex, no explicit language but still plenty of kissing.
What Left Me Wanting More: The feel of the dialogue seemed to swing from one extreme to the other. (I had to remind myself a few times that Peter and Libby were teenagers and not middle school or college age). The ending felt a bit abrupt too.
Final Verdict: Rock and a Hard Place is a swoony star-crossed love story that can be enjoyed by various ages.
A Jamieson Brothers Novel Publication: September 24, 2013
By: Harper Teen
3 Stars
One kiss will change Marti's summer . . . forever.
Marti
Marti just wants a normal life. After dealing with her irresponsible rock-legend father and absentee mother, she only wants some peace . . . and fun. And that includes a summer at an exclusive arts camp.
Adam
For Adam, a normal life is not possible—not when he is the lead guitarist in a rock band with his brothers. So he's thrilled to finally have an opportunity to disguise himself and live like a normal teenager at summer camp.
And when Adam meets Marti, sparks fly. Between romantic bonfires and stolen kisses, they are inseparable.
Then Marti discovers who Adam truly is, and her world is turned upside down. Ever since her father nearly ruined her life, she vowed never to fall for a rocker. But when tragedy strikes, Marti is forced to look within. And she discovers that maybe falling in love with a rock star is not so crazy after all.
What I Liked: I think Adam is my favorite Jamieson bother. He's the perfect blend of snarky and sweet and I enjoyed the easy banter between he and Marti despite feeling like they jumped into a relationship way too fast. This companion to Rock and a Hard Place has more steam than it's predecessor and some of the choices Adam and Marti make had me sighing in frustration, but they are teenagers and teenagers are stupid sometimes. (I know, I used to be one.)
Angie Stanton doesn't let Adam and Marti get away unscathed, however, she holds them accountable, and makes them face the consequences. There is one scene in particular where Adam's mother puts him in his place and I wished I could have slapped her a high five!
It was nice to get a glimpse of what was going on with Peter and Libby especially after the way A Rock and a Hard Place ended.
What Left Me Wanting More: I am not a fan of Garrett at all.
Final Verdict: Makes a great companion to Rock and a Hard Place!
*Both reviews also posted at YABC (Young Adult Books Central).
About the Author
Angie
Stanton never planned on writing books, she wanted to be a Rockette. However,
growing up in a rural setting with her brothers' 4-H pigs as pets, dance didn't
work out. Instead she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting
stories in her head she began to write them down and the rest is history.Angie writes Young Adult and New Adult contemporary novels that sweep readers on a magical journey of discovering true love. When not writing, she loves dipping french fries in chocolate shakes, natural disaster movies and Broadway Musicals.
Angie’s Love ‘em or Leave ‘em was a double finalist of the National Readers Choice Awards, as well as a finalist for the Golden Quill Awards.
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