Aimee and the Heartthrob (Backstage Pass, #1)

by Ophelia London

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

I was hesitant going into Aimee and the Heartthrob, because I absolutely hated the first book I read from this author. But it's a totally different story, sounded cute, and I figured I'd go into it with an open mind. Plus, the following book is written by a favorite author, and I won't knowingly read a series out of order. Well, I certainly wish I didn't have that reading a series in order compulsion, because my instincts were correct. I seriously just cannot stand the author's characters. They drive me batty!

So, I had some issues with how Aimee and the Heartthrob started. Am I suppose to believe that Aimee's parents, who will not let her stay home alone despite being 16, would rather her go on tour with a rock band for three weeks? Seriously? Of course, they had to mention that the band's parents will be chaperoning, but Miles admitted that he's the only band member who doesn't drink or do drugs, so obviously things aren't as squeaky clean as Aimee's parents were led to believe. And they should know that, or at least be suspicious.

Then, I had a hard time believing that Miles didn't recognize Aimee at all. I can understand that she had a bit of a growth spurt since he last saw her, but she cannot be totally unrecognizable. He had no clue at all that this girl could possibly be Aimee, even though he knew she was going to be going on tour with him. Like, hey there's this mysterious new girl who is obviously not one of our back-up dancers, and I haven't see Aimee yet, I wonder who this girl could be?! Um no. Also, it's only been two years since he saw her, and keeps talking about her like she was some little kid when he left. He referred to her as a "rug rat." Um, she was 14 and you were 15. She's not that much younger, and she probably doesn't look that different at 16. I have a feeling this was done to make their reunion awkward, and to have Aimee feel even more invisible to him. I just didn't buy it.

Another thing that bugged me about the characters was that they didn't really sound like teenagers to me. It's been quite awhile since I've been one, but Miles and Aimee read more like how the author thinks teenagers talk. At a few points Miles actually sounded like a 40 year old creep trying to hit on a teenage girl. I couldn't imagine those words coming out of a real 17 year old boy. Plus, there was that "rug rat" comment. Really. And Aimee sounded twelve at times. "Nut-burger." Are you serious? Also, is "dafuq" actually something teens say, and not ironically? And is it really so hard to say Instagram instead of shortening it to "Insta." That was super annoying, since Aimee is like an Instagram addict so it's said quite a bit.

There were a few more things in Aimee and the Heartthrob that made zero sense. Apparently, girls only wear their hair in a ponytail if the shower is broken and they can't wash it. Or maybe, she just felt like wearing her hair in a ponytail! I always wear my hair up, because I hate the feeling of it on my neck. Not because the shower is broken. That's a really weird conclusion to jump to. Then Miles is checking out Aimee's shoulders, which she's showing off in her pink dress. Except that he literally just pointed out that she's wearing a sweater because it's cold. Inconsistencies bother the crap out of me! Finally, Miles manages to compose an entire song on the piano within a few hours, even though he doesn't know how to play and isn't some kind of musical savant. I don't think so.

Finally, there was the inevitable fight. It was the most ridiculous and hilarious thing ever! And just like the characters, it made no sense! I totally get why Miles was mad at what he found, but the events leading up to it were completely unbelievable. He wanted to surprise Aimee with something, so he had to do some research. Well, he somehow finds something he's not suppose to see and gets upset. Except that his research did not require that much digging! It was so forced! Then we learn something about this from Aimee's BFF, and I had to roll my eyes, because no one would do that! Like, really. There was no reasoning behind that! It was all so stupid.

Thankfully, Aimee and the Heartthrob is a really quick read. I definitely can't say that I enjoyed it. Although there probably would have been a cute romance here if the characters hadn't been annoying. The only thing I can say I actually liked was all of the Prince references, since he's Miles' favorite muscian.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.