Four & 1/2 STARS--Don't you enjoy a book that keeps you up at night? Then you wake up early to go finish reading, not caring if you're the least bit tired. That's what Sound Bites" was for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, how they met (hilarious car accident though I'm sure they didn't think so), Renee's back story as to why she moved (best friend sleeping with her boyfriend) and Dylan.

Dylan.

I enjoyed his character especially when Renee acted pigheaded and he let her stew on her own and didn't give into her sometimes immature behavior. He enjoyed his non-response to her antics. Renee was not a TSTL heroine but a young adult still finding her way and sometimes she made some poor choices. But she did not annoy me while reading.

I found the story to be pretty realistic and heartwarming. I definitely would recommend to other romance readers.

P.S. (SPOILERISH) My only complaint was Walter telling Renee he was at the concert in NYC to support his brother's band. And then later that evening he said he was the only boy in his family. Weird detail but it stuck out to me." ( )

I have to say that I was sold when I saw the cover of this book. I mean the Converse tennis shoes, the title Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story, what's not to love. Renee and Justine have been best friends since they were 14 years old. They have done everything together. They even move to Los Angeles together and are roommates. Everything is going great. Renee, now 25, has the job she's always dreamed of, she's met a great guy, and she has her best friend with her. After returning to California from a visit home, she walks in to find Justine and David, her best friend and her boyfriend, in bed together. Renee's world is shattered. She leaves LA, her best friend, and her boyfriend behind and heads back home to Boston. After finding an apartment she could afford, and landing a job that she hates, she ends up backing into a van at her apartment complex, and this van is owned by Dylan Cavallari. Renee thinks Dylan is a big jerk. He's rude and outspoken, seems to think he is God's gift to women, and he has a trashy girlfriend. Then one night she hears music and singing, really great singing, and she has to find out where it is coming from. When she knocks on the door to the apartment where the music is coming from, who answers? You guessed it, Dylan. It turns out they have a lot more in common than they think, especially regarding rock and roll. Renee finds herself falling in love with Dylan, but does Dylan feel the same way? This is their story. A story of love, heartbreak, misunderstanding, forgiveness, and rock and roll.

I really enjoyed this book. It is an entertaining contemporary romance. Renee, who is the main character in the book, faces several crises in her life, most of which are centered around relationships. Her relationship with her best friend, her relationship with her boyfriend, her relationship with her family, and her relationship with Dylan. They go through good times and bad times, laughter and tears, heartbreak, forgiveness, and learning to trust again. While I would like to have seen a little more romantic moments, the story was really compelling. It is an adult romance, but also has the feel of an older YA book. If you are a fan of contemporary romance with the added bonus of a rock and roll element, you will love Sound Bites. ( )

You can also read my review here: http://www.turningthepages.ca/2012/05/review-sound-bites.html

Do you love him? Want to be his friend? Or do you just plain HATE him? These are all the questions that Renee asks herself as she works out what she really wants to do about the man that ditched her (for her best friend, no less) and the man who lives above her.

Being a huge fan of chick lit and cheesy romance stories, the synopsis for Sound Bites really made it seem like a book that I would enjoy and boy, was I ever right. From the beginning, I knew that the read would be quick as it was a very short story but as I dove in, I found that I couldn't STOP reading and that by the end, I wished there were another 100 pages so I wouldn't have to stop.

The characters in this book were so engaging. I found myself being a true cheerleader for Renee and as she began to turn her life around, my heart would feel more full for her. While her story wasn't all roses and it really seemed like two steps forward, one step back, the overall flow of the story was very well written. Dylan was, by far, my favourite character. I loved how he was able to show his true feelings even though he may not have been trying to. Even though you have a feeling where the story may be leading, the bumps in the road are so unexpected that I was left guessing how things would turn out until the VERY LAST PAGE.

Overall, this was a very well written, thoroughly enjoyable story and I definitely hope that there will be more of Renee and Dylan in the future. ( )