Shannon C’s review of Just a Girl by Ellie Cahill
Contemporary New Adult Romance published by Loveswept on 21 Jun 16
If you’re looking for a perfect summer read with likable, engaging characters, this book may be just what you need. Unlike most of the stereotypes about new adult romances, this one is lighthearted and fun. The characters felt real and vibrant, like people you might actually run into in real life. I read this during a day that was shaping up to be fairly terrible, and it still managed to leave me with a smile on my face.
Presley Mason has returned to her hometown after a stint in L.A. She was the lead vocalist for a metal band called the Luminous Six, and her boyfriend, who was also in the band, kicked her out because he claimed she was holding them back. Presley had been fielding offers from record producers who wanted to sign her on as a solo act, but she loves the music, and the feeling of performing in a band, and she doesn’t want to be just another pop princess. So now Presley’s feeling hurt and angry and resentful of the fact that she’s back at her parents’ music store, where she was literally born and raised.
Things look up, though, when she meets Paul, who teaches guitar at the store. Though Paul knows exactly who Presley is, he’s remarkably cool about it, and soon she is drawn into Paul’s life and orbit. He plays with a local band, but he has intense stage fright, which makes playing gigs difficult. When Paul’s band, and Presley, are offered an opportunity to take their music to the next level, that may be more than Paul can take.
Just a Girl is told in first-person entirely through Presley’s point of view, and she’s an easy character to like. She’s got loads of talent, and she’s not self-deprecating about it. She knows what she wants, both from life and from Paul, and she goes for it. After a spate of reactive, virginal heroines who don’t know how their own bodies work until their heroes come along, having Presley ask for what she wants from Paul was a breath of fresh air, and I love their sex scenes together. They also feel sufficiently realistic; there are interruptions. There are moments when they need to be mindful of how thin apartment walls are. And yet, they are hot, too.
Paul feels just as realistic. I like that, for a change, it’s the hero who seems to need a bit of rescuing and caretaking. I think his stage fright is handled in a realistic way, and, by the end, it’s something he’s still going to have to manage, so there is no easy cure with the power of love. At the same time, he isn’t a martyr about it. It is an aspect of his life he obviously hated, but he isn’t solely “the guy with stage fright.”
The rest of Ms. Cahill’s world feels nicely lived in. Presley’s parents, who used to be folk singers when they were younger, are a delight to read about. They are loving and supportive. Presley has a great, supportive best friend, and there isn’t a whiff of the evil other woman in sight. And it’s clear that Ms. Cahill knows her way around music. I love that real bands and songs are referenced, and the bits at the end of several of the chapters where Presley gives us her playlists for whatever mood she’s in are delightful and inspired me to go to You Tube and listen to everything she referenced.
This is a relatively quick read, with relateable characters that could be hanging out at your local music store, and a great romance I found captivating. I haven’t read anything else Ms. Cahill has written, but I am going to correct that quickly and will definitely be up for whatever else she writes.
Grade: B+
Summary:
In this pitch-perfect novel from the author of When Joss Met Matt (“One of those books that make you forget everything around you.”—Sophie Jordan), a rock
’n’ roll diva must choose between her career and her heart.After getting kicked out of her own band—by her own boyfriend—Presley Mason finds herself back in Wisconsin, helping her parents run their renowned music
store. Instead of belting out powerhouse vocals to sold-out crowds in L.A., she’s stocking shelves and inspecting rental violins. But the shop isn’t all
bad: When she’s vacuuming up late one night, she bumps into the guitar teacher with the smoldering amber eyes and the killer tattoo. And that’s when things
take an interesting turn.Presley soon finds that Paul Kellerman is as good in bed as he is on guitar. So why isn’t he stoked to share his band, Jukebox Bleu, with her? Turns out
Paul has crippling stage fright, which he’s been self-medicating without much success. But when Jukebox Bleu’s lead singer gets called for military service,
the other members beg Presley to front them. Even though she swore never to mix men with music again, the temptation to perform is almost as intense as
her chemistry with Paul. Now Presley must decide what’s more important: a second chance at love . . . or rock stardom.
No excerpt available.
