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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Much Better Beginning Than Ending, August 14, 2009
This review is from: Band Geek Love (Paperback)
WARNING: this review contains spoilers!
In a nutshell: it has some interesting and unique aspects (like Connor), the main character has very limited emotional control, the ending felt short and kind of like a cop out, and what at first promised to be a new kind of love story ended up falling back into the timeless rut of generic puppy love, tears and drama - it just had a new cover.
I bought this book because the beginning was so quirky and fun-sounding. A band girl who falls for a cute, pretty awesome guy who is only a sophomore. The book has a quick pace, due to its short length. Sometimes it feels rushed. The beginning promised something different than the endless rounds of socialite drama and obsessive vampire love than is normally offered in books for people my age.
While the beginning grabbed my interest, the end left me wishing the book was about a hundred pages shorter than its approx. 270 pages. The main character, who at first seems a bit intense and different, turns out to be a rather stereotypical high school girl in a rather stereotypical high school book. The only difference is the band setting rather than cheer leading or sports or something.
The end wraps everything up in a bow so neat and easy that I was left wondering, "What just happened here?" She cheated on her boyfriend - he's basically fine with it after 25 pages and she barely feels any regret. Her friends are secretive and sleep-deprived and avoiding her - turns out it's really no big deal. In the end, everything is happy sunshine unicorns and rainbow ponies. And there is SO much crying. Some of it was appropriate, some of it made me want to roll my eyes and walk away from the book.
I stuck with it and hoped vainly that it would improve. It was two hours of my life that I'm not sure were worth spending on it.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Band Geek or Not, You'll Definitely Enjoy This Book, September 27, 2008
This review is from: Band Geek Love (Paperback)
All band, all the time. That's how trumpet goddess Ellie Snow has made it to senior year. No drama, no dating. Just keeping lock-step within the safe precision of the Winslow Marching Band. She's a fierce section leader now, and so over the heart-crushing social disaster of her freshman year. No boy is going to ruin Ellie's shining moment--her senior solo performance at the homecoming game.
And then Connor Higgins shows up. Not even Ellie can resist the trumpet player who could be a model for Abercrombie & Fitch. It's a hook-up made in band-geek heaven! But Ellie's not ready to publicize their romance, not even to her best friends. After all, Connor's just a sophomore. What would everyone say? Breaking formation and revealing her true self would be like . . . marching on the field completely naked!
Then Ellie discovers the flipside of secrets and how it feels to be shut out by the ones she loves.
(Summary taken from website)
Band Geek Love is a fun, quirky, summer read that everyone, whether they're a band geek or not, will enjoy. The characters are easy to relate to and very entertaining. The only complaint I have is that while the plot moved forward quickly, it seemed that more time was spent on the smaller, less important events, instead of the big ones that held the plot together. Other than that, the plot will keep you surprised and entertained.
Band Geek or not, I recommend picking this up today!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Music to My Ears, June 28, 2008
This review is from: Band Geek Love (Paperback)
When practicing or performing with her high school's marching band, Ellie feels comfortable, happy, and respected. She cannot wait to perform the big trumpet solo at Homecoming. She's been waiting for this moment since freshman year. Now a senior, she's also the director of her section.
When a new kid named Conner waltzes onto the field and into her section, he throws the usual steady Ellie for a loop. She finds herself crushing on him, even though he's only a sophomore, and even though she's sworn off dating because of something that happened during her freshman year. Soon, though, the two start seeing each other outside of school.
Ellie asks Conner not to tell anyone that they're dating. She even keeps the relationship a secret from Jake and Kristen, her best friends, who are also in band. Jake is the drum major, while Kristen rocks the alto sax. Jake and Ellie have always been close, even after his older brother Nathan humiliated Ellie three years earlier. Now Nathan's back in town, and Ellie's feeling all jumbled up. Meanwhile, Conner wants to tell everyone that they're dating, but won't tell Ellie about his family or his home life. In order to clear her head and knock 'em dead at the big Homecoming performance, Ellie will have to play the different movements of her personal symphony very carefully.
A quick read, Band Geek Love hits all of the right notes. If you like clean romantic comedies, and if you liked the book Major Crush by Jennifer Echols, then Josie Bloss's debut novel will be music to your ears. The author is currently working on the sequel, which is tentatively titled Band Geeked Out. I look forward to reading that as well.
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