Facing the Music (The Rosewood)

by Andrea Laurence

[KitsuneBae]

This review first appeared on Thoughts and Pens.

The premise of Facing The Music screamed of “Cliché” but it didn’t stop me from hitting the request button. The thing with this book is that the synopsis has reminded me of Taylor Swift and how she uses her music to vent out her anger for her ex-boyfriends. Plus, I have this crazy fascination about characters that use their musical talents to ruin their exes. If you have read Tracey Martin’s Another Little Piece of My Heart, then it has the same premise with this one. I enjoyed Martin’s work but it needed more polishing so I was hoping that Facing The Music will deliver. Well, it did and it didn’t.

How so? All was well and good until the reconciliation part. Basically, Taylor Swift Ivy Hudson became an international Rock Star after she released her first song, Size Matters, a single that clearly conveyed her contempt for her asshole of an ex-boyfriend. While the song propelled Ivy’s career to the top, it did the opposite to Blake’s.

There was nothing new when they met again as it followed the same lines of those other romance stories about exes seeing each other after so many years. Drama was aplenty but there was humor and some thought-provoking issues here. Humor and thought provoking issues can sometimes save a story from flopping completely. Indeed, it rescued Facing The Music.

Facing The Music made me wonder whether I would resort to what Ivy did if any of my exes cheated on me. The story of this book certainly revolved around the “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” saying. Naturally, I expected that the reconciliation part is going to be mindblowing or at least, realistic considering the kind of damage Ivy has inflicted to Blake’s life. What I got instead is a hastily done resolution and the next thing I know, our characters are already kissing and eventually, having sex. I am not a relationship guru but these people have been hurting for over 6 years and just like that, they magically made up? I am at a loss for words. @_@

And then, here comes another conflict which didn’t actually help the plot evolve but rather it made things redundant. Please, the story is already clichéd enough as it is, why not seek for a new avenue to keep the story going?

The characters were likable enough. They acted true to their age and owned up their mistakes. I must say that Blake has impressed me in the end as he really matured from being a jerk to someone who is worth rooting for.

I’m so close to giving Facing The Music a 2-star rating but luckily, I had fun reading it. The characters and the picturesque setting, Rosewood, were also additional reasons why this book managed to scrape a passable rating and possibly, a follow from me. To conclude, if you are looking for a quick fix to your contemporary cravings, then consider picking up this one.