Monday, April 7, 2014

Review: Open Road Summer by Emery Lord

Open Road Summer
Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
After breaking up with her bad-news boyfriend, Reagan O’Neill is ready to leave her rebellious ways behind. . . and her best friend, country superstar Lilah Montgomery, is nursing a broken heart of her own. Fortunately, Lilah’s 24-city tour is about to kick off, offering a perfect opportunity for a girls-only summer of break-up ballads and healing hearts. But when Matt Finch joins the tour as its opening act, his boy-next-door charm proves difficult for Reagan to resist, despite her vow to live a drama-free existence. This summer, Reagan and Lilah will navigate the ups and downs of fame and friendship as they come to see that giving your heart to the right person is always a risk worth taking. A fresh new voice in contemporary romance, Emery Lord’s gorgeous writing hits all the right notes.

”add

Publishes in US: April 15th 2014 by Walker
Genre: YA Contemp
Source: Bloomsbury via Netgalley
Series? No

Buy it: Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

Author stalk away: ~site
Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket Photobucket
~book trailer

    I wanted to read Open Road summer because it sounds like a great book for summer, and even though it is just now spring in US, I am longing for the warmer days, and it sounded like this book would be perfect. I was hoping for a good mixture of light and heavy, friendship and romance, and the wonderful cover for the book also drew my attention. 
    You got a sense of the characters pretty quickly in Open Road Summer, Reaghan has been in some trouble, and made some bad choices, and Dee with stage name Lilah is the shy inside sweet girl that fame hasn't changed yet. They balance each other out, and while they have a long standing friendship, we clearly see how it plays out for them. The support and how they are just there together is wonderful to read about. I loved the focus on their friendship, how they are there for each other no matter what and they can transition from deep and meaningful to hilarious like zipping one in a suitcase in seconds flat.
     I am a hit or miss with roadtrip stories, as well as stories with the musician as main character or romance interest, but the combos in this one worked out for me and avoided some of the cliches and troupes that usually can turn me against them.  
      Matt is the romantic interest, and I felt the attraction and chemistry between him and Reaghan right away. I think he found it refreshing that she told it like it was and was more interested in her friendship with Dee than being a fangirl over him. Matt is a genuine good guy, and he's funny, takes Reaghan's sarcasm and the walls she has built up around herself to keep from being hurt again. At first they have to keep everything secret because Matt and Lilah are "dating" in the eyes of the public and paparazzi because they twisted a picture and it was taking down Lilah's clean and wholesome image, and a relationship could make that from taking over publicity. It gives an interesting look into the life of a celebrity, how their lives can be twisted and as a consumer it is just easy to believe what we are fed. It also shows the fragility at times of life in general, how one seemingly inconsequential choice can make such huge waves, but also the strength of human spirit to overcome what keeps being thrown at us. 
     Matt and Reaghan both have some hard things in the past and it is nice to see them finally let down some walls and let each other in. 
     Matt and Dee have this sibling type relationship, they tease each other, are comfortable with one another, and they manage to use their long time friendship to help bolster the impression of their relationship to the media. But it is hurting Reaghan knowing that her and Matt share something. But she struggles a lot with the effect it would have on her friendship and the perception of her best friend, and I so appreciate that this is a huge thing for her, and she has learned from her past and is trying to make better choices and decisions. It was good to know that Dee has her own love interest at home, and that thread makes the story even more layered. Even though Dee and Jimmy had broken up because he thought it was better for her career, we see that Dee has held onto her deep feeling for him, and she loves that he saw her before she became a star and was an awkward and gangly girl instead of poised and together country singer.  
    The ending was well done. It wrapped things up well for the characters but it still kept a realistic ending. There were hopes and dreams yet to be fulfilled but that is life for a teen. I like that it gave a glimpse of what could be for the characters but also wrapping up the themes and threads from this one. This turned out to be just the read I needed, a great balance of light with emotions, and a warm summer read. 

Bottom Line: Open Road Summer manages the perfect blending of light and fun, flirty to serious romance, strength and beauty of friendship and all that I hoped it would be.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Do you go on roadtrips?

21 comments:

  1. You sometimes don't like roadtrip books? How so? :D I always love them. I'm glad you enjoyed this one a lot. I always wonder about celeb couples if they're real or not since PR tricks are almost always in it somewhere and it's nice to have a look at the other side of things even if it's not.. real :D I'm glad this deals with many topics and I can't wait to read this. Ha! I don't go on many roadtrips myself, but I never turn one down since they're so freakin fun. Great review, Brandi!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pretty cover. <3 It sounds like a great book. I'm glad you enjoyed it :D And that you liked the ending. That is always good. Awesome review sweetie. <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. This does sound like such a great story. I typically enjoy road trip books, and love that there's a strong friendship at the center. Thanks for the helpful review!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm like you and definitely have a hit or miss thing with musician focused novels. But it sounds like this one was done really well! That cover is gorgeous, isn't it? The friendship and how it can go from serious to funny fast is awesome and something I would enjoy. Great review! Will have to pick this one up when it releases

    ReplyDelete
  5. This sounds like a good read and I love that the friendship seems just as important as the romantic relationship. Great review!

    Teresa @ Readers Live A Thousand Lives

    ReplyDelete
  6. Open Road Summer sounds like a light and fun romance and I love the pretty cover. I'm glad that this was the right combo of roadtrip story, music, and romance :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. I like everything you mentioned as far as the themes. I didn't grab too many summery reads this year, but I did get this one and I am very much looking forward to it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I like if it's a mix of serious, light and all the rest :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love this type of book! Adding it to my list :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I like coming of age stories and the idea of a roadtrip sounds like fun!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This does sound like a great summer read. I'm with you, road trip books are either a hit or miss. I'm glad this one was good! I also love the romance aspect of the book and that it felt real! Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh I'm looking forward to summer too, Brandi! Every time I hear "cold front" I grimace and put another layer of clothes on!! This book sounds like a great summery read. I've been looking at it and yours is the first review I've read. It's definitely going on the TBR.

    As for your question- Our roadtrips are just getting from point A (home) to point B (either my mom's or my husband's mom's). When you live away from family, vacation is almost always spent going to visit them.

    ReplyDelete
  13. This one sounds pretty good. I often like books that focus on friendships. And I cannot wait for summer!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I also think this seems like the perfect read for the days when you're longing for the warmth of summer. So glad you liked it! Definitely one I'll be reading this summer. Thanks for the review!

    Taylor @ Reading is the Thing

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm hit or miss when it comes to stories that involve musicians as well, but this book sounds pretty interesting. Reaghan and Dee sound like pretty good characters. Great review!

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

    ReplyDelete
  16. This sounds sweet and I love road trip books. This would make an excellent beach read :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Reaghan and Dee's friendship sounds like such a great one and well lined out in the book. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it :D Jaclyn @ JC's Book Haven.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I've been in the mood for summery reads too and this one sounds wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  19. It's pretty hot here in AZ so I think this would be perfect ;) I love taking road trips so I love road trip books, this one seems so fun!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Love when you introduce me to new reads. This sounds good. happy you enjoyed it.

    ReplyDelete
  21. So happy you liked this book because I'm excited to read it. Also happy you found the ending realistic!

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you! (I always try to visit your blog back) I love links, so feel free to link to your blog or a post you like.
Sorry, but I am award and tag free zone, I do not have the time to return. Comments are reward enough :)