Yes, it is that time of the week. The day we dread and wish would never come- Mondays. *Wipes tear* But have no fear, Memory Lane Monday is here! Every Monday, here at TheYABookworm, I'll do a special post called Memory Lane Monday. What's that you ask? Memory Lane Monday is a once-a-week post where I (or any other bloggers that wish to participate) choose one book that I've previously read to be featured on that day. From the book chosen, I will pick two of my favourite quotes and write a little blurb containing my quick thoughts on the book. The books that I choose will not be books I've reviewed- since I've read so many books, I want to share with you my opinions on ones that I won't get the chance to fully review (because seriously, rereading dozens of books would take a year...or two)! Be sure to participate by leaving your "Memory Lane Monday" in the comments, or a link to your blog post with the hash-tag #YAMemoryLaneMonday on twitter :D
This Week's Memory Lane Monday...
Dirty Little Secret By: Jennifer Echols
Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…
Top Two Favourite Quotes...
#1 “Deana Carter sings about it. Lady Antebellum sings about it. Eric Church. Gosh, not just country artists. Katy Perry. Everybody has a song about it because everybody's been through it. You find that person at eighteen and you lose yourself. And the tragedy is, it's the person who's completely opposed to everything you've ever wanted. You bond with that person, and that person breaks your heart. I'm that tragedy for you, and you're mine.”
#2 “Anybody who knows him, even all the girls, will tell you he's a great guy, and they'll do anything for him, right up until they want to kill him.”
~~~~~
When I saw Dirty Little Secret displayed on one of the many shelves at my local bookstore, light beams shot out from the sky and illuminated this book in a, "Buy me, buy me!" kind of way. Jennifer Echols' novels, specifically Such A Rush, are some of my favourite contemporary reads and I was hoping Dirty Little Secret would follow suit. Unfortunately, I can't say I was blown away-- Dirty Little Secret is a quick, musical filled contemporary that I just found "meh."
Since I want to keep this short, I'll focus on the romance aspect of Dirty Little Secret between Bailey and Sam. When Bailey and Sam first meet, I instantly thought that they would be such an adorable couple due to their common passion for music. Despite the fact Bailey was warned about Sam's "new-girlfriend-every-week" ways, I was convinced Bailey would be the one to change him (Sounds pathetic, but 99% of the time that's how these YA novels play out). As the plot moved forward though, I started to see things within their relationship that made me start to lose the initial excitement I had. Both Bailey and Sam have some intense emotional baggage that made me begin to see their relationship as a tad unhealthy. There's one instance in which Sam basically shoves Bailey aside because she won't use her sister's connections in the music industry to help get Sam and his band recognized.....I remember thinking how selfish I thought he was being and how I was on the verge of cringing when Bailey just went back to him. *Sigh* It's safe to say that I just couldn't get behind this couple by the time I reached the end.
Overall, Dirty Little Secret isn't my favourite Jennifer Echols novel but that doesn't mean I won't be just as excited for her next novel's release. Dirty Little Secret just wasn't my cup of tea. Have you read Dirty Little Secret? Do you ever find yourself dissatisfied with love interests after finishing a book? Be sure to let me know in the comments below! Keep Reading!
Your Y.A. Bookworm,
Caitlin <3
Sounds like a pretty good read!I like the idea of your meme!
ReplyDelete