There are too many secrets in eighteen-year-old Bailey's life. Not just the obvious one: that she told her grandfather she was going on a date, and instead is playing fiddle in a Nashville bar. There's all the stuff that makes it worse. Like how her younger sister, Julie, was offered a recording contract, and her family is terrified that Bailey is going to mess the deal up. Like the way that Bailey has been acting out. Like the way they're all mad at her, even Julie.
Bailey's parents don't want her playing any gigs at all, but when they leave her with her grandfather in Nashville for the summer so they can tour with Julie, he lands her a music job that's beneath the radar, playing old country songs in cheesy costumes at a local mall. That's where she meets Sam…
Sam's got big plans that don't include playing backup while his alcoholic dad scratches out a living as a Johnny Cash sound-alike. He intends to take his high school garage band to the big time, and as soon as he hears Bailey play, he knows she's just what he wants. That really ticks off Charlotte, the drummer for the band and Sam's ex-girlfriend, while bassist Ace just wants to keep everyone happy.
Bailey isn't at all sure where she stands with this boy who has a lust for music and life, and who may or may not have a lust for her. Something tells her that with Sam, there could always be a catch. And yet, suddenly, her life is no longer about what might have been, and a whole lot about where she will choose to go.
I really liked this book. I loved the Nashville setting, the country music scene and the romance that blossomed between Sam and Bailey and I really liked when Bailey finally spoke up for herself. It’s really disappointing for me as a parent to see parents portrayed so selfishly and displaying favoritism toward their kids. I’m not perfect but my daughter’s happiness is important to me and I try to make her as happy as I can be and it’s sad to me that not too many parents are portrayed as good parents in the books that I’ve been reading lately. Bailey’s parents fall into this selfish category and they pissed me off in this book.
So Bailey joins Sam’s band and the band really takes off. There’s a lot of drama between the bands because Sam used to date the drummer and she hasn’t gotten over him but he’s trying to keep the peace even though he really likes Bailey. So that was interesting and I really liked that they played songs that I actually know and like. It’s not very often that I know the songs that are mentioned in the books that I’m reading but I love me some Zac Brown Band and I loved Sam and Bailey’s band because they covered their songs.
What I really liked about this book is that the story came alive through the words on each page. I was so wrapped up in the story that I felt like I was a part of the book and not just reading it. I think Echols excels at this and when I closed the book, I had a goofy smile on my face because the book ended just the way that I wanted it to and I felt the resolutions in the book were dealt with in a realistic way and I really liked that.
There were times when I wanted to strangle both Sam and Bailey because they fought so much and usually they found about things that in the grand scheme of things were just not important. But you can see the growth between not just them but each character in the book and I really liked that.
