Good Times, Bad Boys (Red Dress Ink Novels) [Paperback]

Melanie Murray (Author)

Book Description

Series: Red Dress Ink Novels | Publication Date: November 1, 2006

Love in the time of Top 40 . . .

Echo Brennan's life is stuck on pause, instead of chasing her dream job at Disc, music's hottest magazine, she's still writing for a small-time paper. And helping her boyfriend, Matt, who's had a record deal for years, get through his writer's block. Knowing she needs a life makeover, she kicks Matt out and vows to live her life to a new beat -- one that includes professional success and a sensible boyfriend.

Then, overnight, Matt jumps from wannabe rock star to the nation's Next Big Thing. All thanks to his hit single . . . about his horrible ex.

The most hated woman in rock since Yoko, Echo can't get a job or a date. Was she really as unsupportive as the song suggests? If she's going to have any career -- any life -- at all, she's going to have to rebuild her rep, one lyric at a time . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Echo Brennan is a music writer hoping to get an interview with the hottest band in the country, the Butter Flies, so she can finally land her dream job writing for Disc, a popular music magazine. But when her boyfriend, Matt, a one-hit-wonder who has suffered writer's block for years, has a breakdown before a show and causes her to miss out on the interview, she decides she's had enough of his problems and tells him it's over. Little does she expect that the breakup will be just what Matt needs to get back to songwriting, and she is shocked when she hears his new single, "Echo Only Broke Me." Suddenly, everyone in the music industry knows her as the girl who broke Matt's heart, and a cover story on Matt may well take precedence over her hard-won exclusive with the Butter Flies. Murray's clever novel is a fun look at the music industry. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"With a lovable heroine at its center, Murray's debut is a delightful romp through New York's theater world." -- Booklist on Miss Bubbles Steals the Show

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373895941
• ISBN-13: 978-0373895946
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,663,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Good Times, Bad Boys' will rock your world!, December 30, 2006

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Times, Bad Boys (Red Dress Ink Novels) (Paperback)

Twenty-seven-year-old Echo Brennan feels as if the life she's dreamed of since she was in her teens is slowly slipping away, as her life is stuck on pause. For instance, instead of chasing the job of her dreams at DISC Magazine, Echo is stuck writing for the small-time Brooklyn Art & Times (aka the BAT) Newspaper, where she spends her days listening to indie albums, searching for an up-and-comer who can truly take the world by storm; and her nights helping her struggling musician boyfriend, Matt, overcome his four-year long writer's block. Matt Hanley was once the hottest newcomer on the scene, but since he began dating Echo, the most he can do is compose music. Now, with a record deal hanging over his head, Matt knows that he needs to produce something ASAP to please the head honchos at the label, and make his name chart-worthy once more. But things just aren't working out as he planned. Which is why Echo kicks him out, and decides that it's time to put herself first for once, and work on finding some personal success, as well as a boyfriend who brings some stability to the table. However, once Echo and Matt split, Matt suddenly finds exactly what he was looking for all these years: a muse. Echo's quick turnaround feelings about him have left him broken-hearted, so he does something unforgivable...he writes a collection of songs claiming what a horrible, unsupportive girlfriend Echo was - using her name in each and every one of them, and making her the most hated woman in rock and roll. Now, Echo's life is being showcased for the world to see. Suddenly, guys are scared of her, and she can't find a job anywhere. As if that weren't bad enough, Matt's music begins making her question exactly how supportive of his career she truly was; and rethink how she's going to survive in this Echo-hating world. After all, when your reputation in New York becomes tarnished, the only thing you can do is create a new one.

As a music lover and writer, as well as a chick lit fan, I was absolutely ecstatic to stumble upon Melanie Murray's GOOD TIMES, BAD BOYS, which took the best of both worlds, and blended lyrics together with shopping, partying, and New York nightlife, to create a refreshing new addition to the world of chick lit. Echo is a hilarious character, whose mixed feelings for Matt and his music is relatable, while her complaints regarding her big hips, and penchant for over-eating anything sweet is hilarious. The secondary characters, from Matt himself, to Echo's glamorous older sister Thalia, and her Park Avenue Princess best friend, Alicia, bring their own dimensions to the hard rock fairytale, and offer a nice contrasting bit of dialogue. Murray has proven that she has quite an ear for music, and knows her oldies rock and roll quite well. Her descriptions of writing for a magazine, the inner-workings of a record studio, and the nervousness some musicians experience before a show are not only in-depth, but prefer a nice backdrop to the various situations Echo is forced to suffer through on an almost daily basis. GOOD TIMES, BAD BOYS will rock your world!

Erika Sorocco

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Eh..., August 31, 2007

By 

Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Good Times, Bad Boys (Red Dress Ink Novels) (Paperback)

This book is okay, but it's not as good as Melanie Murray's first novel, "Miss Bubbles Steals the Show."

In "Good Times, Bad Boys," Echo Brennan is a 27-year-old aspiring music writer who is desperately trying to land an interview with the lead singer of the Butter Flies, the hottest band in the country. Echo's boyfriend Matt, who had a one-hit-wonder several years ago before losing all his creative inspiration, causes Echo to miss out on the interview, which in turn pushes Echo over the edge. She breaks up with Matt and kicks him out of their apartment.

At first it looks like Echo's career finally starts to take off, and she begins to move on with her life...that is, until Matt's new hit single, "Echo Only Broke Me," takes the radio airwaves by storm. Matt's anti-Echo album quickly becomes a sensation, and Echo suddenly finds herself with a lot of unwanted attention from her ex-boyfriend's new fans. Echo ultimately launches a revenge plot against Matt, despite the fact that she's never really stopped loving him.

This book is amusing and has a colorful cast of characters. However, the story kind of drags in the beginning. I think there was just too much build-up: "Echo Only Broke Me" doesn't factor into the story until halfway through the book, which is way later than it should. Also, the ending is completely predictable, very rushed, and also downright ridiculous. After everything Matt and Echo put each other through, the ending is not at all realistic. Actually, most of the book is completely unrealistic, but the ending is what annoyed me the most.

There's better chick lit out there than this, but if you want something light and fun to read and you enjoy reading about the music industry (albeit a very unrealistic take on the music industry), then this book is probably worth checking out.

5.0 out of 5 stars Rockin' Read!, January 10, 2007

By 

Camptalk (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Good Times, Bad Boys (Red Dress Ink Novels) (Paperback)

A sometimes hilarious, sometimes heartbreaking ride on the rock-and-roller-coaster of an aspiring music journalist. Echo Brennan is convinced she's made a wise career move when she finally kicks out her boyfriend, a burned-out rock star with writer's block. Little does she know that the breakup will inspire his next hit song, one that establishes Echo as the most infamous ex-girlfriend since Sharona. Immortalized as a man-eater, but motivated by a colorful array of well-meaning friends and wacky foes, she manages to rise above her humiliation to give life a makeover and love a second chance.

The writing is fresh and funny, quick-paced and clever. It's "Seinfeld" meets "Sex in the City" with a driving rock-and-roll back beat!