Renee Evans has a knack for trouble. After walking in on her best friend and boyfriend in bed together, twenty-five year-old Renee flees sunny Los Angeles and her dream job as a music journalist and returns to her hometown of Boston – only to meet Dylan Cavallari, the mysterious, aspiring musician who lives in her apartment building. Dylan’s piercing gaze and womanizing demeanor make him exactly the type of guy that Renee should steer clear of – which is most likely the reason she falls for him. But when Renee’s troublesome ex comes back and threatens to drive her and Dylan apart, Renee is forced to face her past and save her relationship with Dylan before it’s too late.
Sound Bites dramatizes what happens when Renee finds herself caught between a painful past and an uncertain future. Happiness turns out to be within her grasp, but it all depends on whether she can trust herself enough to make the right decisions. Sound Bites is a novel about love, friendship, betrayal, forgiveness, and the power of music to help you find your way.
Review: Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story
Romance and music – what’s not to like? Well, that was my rationale behind agreeing to review Sound Bites: A Rock & Roll Love Story. It feels a bit like a ‘coming of age’ story, with the characters finally having to grow up and face difficult choices – but yet at the same time the characters feel a bit beyond that stage already.
Renee is the main character and faces several dilemmas/crises during the book – the key one being her cruel betrayal by her best friend and boyfriend. She has to walk away from the comforting familiarity of her life and return to an even more familiar locale in her hometown of Boston. It’s a chance to pick up the pieces and maybe embrace love, as long as she doesn’t let the scars from her previous life overwhelm her.
Sound Bites was an interesting story, with pretty well written characters but it felt a little lacking for me in some areas. At once it seems to be trying to be tender and touching and gritty and shocking and I didn’t always feel the mix came off. I think I also expected there to be a touch more rock and roll and perhaps the book could have been marginally longer to encompass that.
That notwithstanding, Burke has produced a good story with some touching moments – I think for readers who enjoy romance this is certainly worth checking out. Burke writes well and convincingly and I’m absolutely certain that future novels will only see her go from strength to strength and produce even more enjoyable stories.
Verdict 3/5
(Book source: reviewer received a copy from AToMR Blog Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review)
About the Author:
By day a publicity assistant, by night an avid blogger and reader. I'm happiest when I'm surrounded by books and cats, with my husband by my side. Luckily, that's a pretty apt description of most days!
Donna Brown – who has written 623 posts on Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dave.
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May 28, 2012 @ 20:35:30
Ohhhh she did not. Stories like this and books like this are the ones I read when no one is looking and relish at the fun of it! Thanks for the chance to win a new sneaky romance attack book. HEH
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