Thursday, July 11, 2013

Dirty Little Secret Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway!

Title: Dirty Little Secret
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publication Date: July 16th, 2013
Genre: YA - Contemporary
"From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.
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…" ~See it on Goodreads!
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My Review:

Dirty Little Secret is the first book by Jennifer Echols that I’ve read, it’s a shame I know! I’ve been meaning to read some of her previous work but I never seemed to get around to it, but I’m really glad I finally did. It’s no secret that I’m a Contemporary lover, and this one satisfied that itch I’d been having lately to read a good Contemporary!

I really liked Bailey’s character, she was a really dedicated and talented musician. Her parents really neglected her and let her fall to the wayside in order to support her sister Julie as soon as she got signed to a record label. She had her flaws and was a nit bitter about the whole situation and how they treated her, but who wouldn’t be? I like when I can see a character change and grow/mature in a story and we definitely got to see that with Bailey. I kind of had a love/hate relationship with Sam, there’s no denying he’s pretty swoon-worthy and quite the charmer, and not to mention really dedicated to his music like Bailey. But there were times when honestly I just wanted to smack him one good time for how he was acting. As the story continues you see that he really is a good guy and a gentleman at heart but there were definitely times when it was questionable, but I think that added some realness to the story.

I really liked how Ms. Echols portrayed the Nashville setting, as a country music fan myself I thought it was realistically done and I thought the mall impersonator circuit was an interesting and unique twist on it! I think the author did a really good job of bringing that element of southern charm to the story and there was a good deal of focus on the actual musical aspect of the book and since that’s what the book is mainly based around I’m glad to say it didn’t fall short in my expectations.

This was a fun and enjoyable read and I’m really glad I got the chance to pick it up. If you love Contemporaries then Dirty Little Secret is definitely worth the read, especially if you happen to be a country music fan! I’ll definitely be picking up more books by this author in the very near future!

3.5 Stars!

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About The Author:

Jennifer Echols was born in Atlanta and grew up in a small town on a beautiful lake in Alabama—a setting that has inspired many of her books. She has written nine romantic novels for young adults, including the comedy MAJOR CRUSH, which won the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the drama GOING TOO FAR, which was a finalist in the RITA, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Book Buyer’s Best, and was nominated by the American Library Association as a Best Book for Young Adults. Simon & Schuster will debut her adult romance novels in 2013, with many more teen novels scheduled for the next few years. She lives in Birmingham with her husband and her son.

Official Links:
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1 comment:

I love getting your comments, they make me happy! I read all of them and reply as soon as I can :) Thanks for stopping by and thanks so much to everyone for all of your support!! :)