So I won an ARC of this book from the author during a twitter giveaway and I read like a fiend to finish it so I could get a review up on the day it came out. Success!
Happy release day to Under the Dusty Moon and enjoy my review!
Under the Dusty Moon by Suzanne Sutherland
Publisher: Dundurn Press
Publication Date: January 23th, 2015
Page Number: 272
Format Read: Paperback (ARC)
Goodreads Synopsis:
She’s with the band, whether she likes it or not.
Victoria Mahler is the sixteen-year-old only daughter of rocker Micky Wayne, whose band, Dusty Moon, took the world by storm when Micky was just a teenager. The band broke up under mysterious circumstances, but, after years spent off the road being a mom, Micky’s solo career is finally starting to take off.
When an offer to tour Japan falls into her mom’s lap, Vic is left to spend the summer under the care of her distant grandmother, and without her built-in best friend. Fortunately, a boy with a secret geek side and a group of feminist game-makers save the season, and Vic starts to see herself as her own person, out from under her mother’s shadow.
But when Micky finally comes home — with a poorly chosen boyfriend in tow — all bets are off. Will Vic be able to maintain her newfound sense of self amidst the building thunder of Micky’s second chance at stardom? And through it all, will Micky still really be her best friend?
Review:
This book was a highly enjoyable read and I totally understood where Vic’s anger was coming from, going through the same teenage phase as she.
The writing was easy to read and I flew through the book.
About halfway I began to wonder when a conflict would really be present because though the synopsis makes it sound like there’s going to be this big problem, there really isn’t one.
Because of this I thought the plot was a little lacking. The plot was very contemporary-ish and really the whole book just felt like I turned to a diary entry of Vic’s because it really did feel like just one chapter of Vic’s life (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing)
I did have a problem that Shaun smoked…and that he influenced Vic to smoke. The goody goody in me was screaming ‘no!’ whenever anything about pot or smoke came up.
Like when Vic was describing how she liked Shaun…and the way his clothes smelled like pot sometimes! What!? How is that a turn on!?
I did love how close Mickey and Vic were and what was the point of Ken? Really, the only purpose he served was to drive a wedge between Mickey and Vic.
I did love that Shaun never pressured Vic to have sex and that Vic was very firm whenever she went over that she would not have sex with him. That was very mature of her.
Discussion:
Vic’s family situation could not be more different from my own. If I ever said a curse word or said shut-up to my mother, I would get slapped. That is not how you talk to your mother. I suppose the reason Vic did was because her mother and her are more like best friends I guess, but still.
It was also strange seeing from the point of view of a girl my age that has so much freedom. It’s summer time and Vic could bike anywhere she wants. Of course, the town she lives in is very different from my own.
But Vic and her mom don’t own a car and they take a street car to get to places…mind blown. And when Vic went to her gran’s house and could just leave whenever she wanted and had her own money to spend…
Vic just seems so much more independent than I could ever be.
I’m just waiting for a car next year for my birthday so I could finally have a life outside of sitting home and doing homework.
Verdict:
A different kind of book that gives teens a different perspective on how other teens live. Though the band aspect was cool, there was also character diversity and a sense of adventure. Overall a quick enjoyable read.
My Rating:
Despite the personal problems I had with this book, I cannot deny that it was fun to read so 4 out of 5 stars it is.
Have you read this book?! Probably not since it just came out today in Canada, but I highly recommend you to read it when you need a quick pick me up.
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