I have greatly enjoyed all of Heather Wardell's books. This one is no different.

Amy's a hobbyist songwriter with big dreams, but not the usual 'making it as a musician' kind. No, Amy wants to honor her late best friend by finally starting the support center for teenage girls they'd dreamed of when they were just girls themselves. She doesn't know where to start, but when one of her songs becomes an overnight internet sensation she sees a quick path to the money she'll need to make the center a reality.

As white-hot pop sensation Misty Will, Amy finds a whole new world opening to her and realizes she loves being on stage holding an audience spellbound. She also loves how her young fans look up to her and draw strength from her songs, but of course they don't know the awful thing she did after her friend died and how badly she could have used a support center herself. She knows, though, and also knows that she simply has to leave her new pop princess identity behind and become Amy the center director as she's dreamed of for eight years.

Doesn't she? ( )

I thought that the synopsis of the book was intriguing, but I was not expecting to be as deeply moved as I was. I was expecting a fun, light read based on the premise that the main character was a rising rock start. That is exactly what I got and I mean that in the best way possible.

The story follows Amethyst “Misty Will” as she struggles with her rising fame and how to become the singer that she wants to be vs. the singer her teams wants to market her as. I loved the “behind the scenes” feel of this book. I think it was a great alternative to what young girls are bombarded with in the media that fame is pretty much shopping and sex tapes.

Underneath it all the rock star are the message that it’s important to be yourself, follow your true passions and stand up for yourself. I don’t think I see all that compiled into one novel often enough. But what I was moved by the most was that there was no insta-love. In fact, perhaps the most important message throughout the book was that when it comes to sexytimes, wait until you’re in love and like the right thing to do because then it really means something.
The pacing of the novel is great. The story moves fairly quickly, and most of the characters are likable. I loved that the plot kept you guessing in parts. While this book probably isn’t for everyone (sadly, no book ever is) I think that there are some very important themes that aren’t discussed enough. This is the kind of book that I would expect to show up during banned book week.

If you like chick-lit or rock stars who wear crazy costumes (Lady Gaga or Katy Perry anyone?) Or are just looking for a strong female character, this would be a wonderful book to get lost in for the afternoon. I would definitely read more from this author.