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| TITLE: Dirty Little Secret AUTHOR: Jennifer Echols PUBLISHER: MTV Books PUB DATE: Jul 16 2013 |
Bailey wasn’t always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…
Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn’t sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…
- Source: Goodreads
Rating:
"When every other facet of my life was a mess, music stayed true as math."
I tried out a few pages of this book around 2013. I kept getting distracted and things just would not click. It felt like it was not the right time to read it so I put it back on my TBR pile. Fast forward to 2014, I finally sat down and read the entire book. It wasn't so bad, but honestly, it's not a favorite of mine.
Dirty Little Secret was a book I chose to request on Netgalley when I saw the author's name. I don't absolutely love all of Jennifer Echols' books but I've read enough that made her one of my go-to authors when it comes to YA contemporary romance/chic lit titles.
One of the main reasons a book would click for me is when I get to relate to the characters in the story. Of course, there is not always a chance for that to happen, but I find something of the characters that I like or makes me curious enough to want to know more about them. Sadly, my problem with Dirty Little Secret is that I don't find any of the characters pleasing or interesting enough to make me want to read on. Bailey was a so, so character (her perfect pitch was the only thing I found notable about her. Meh!). Her parents were questionable (What kind of parents would choose one of their children's career over the other?) And Sam is just a complete arse! (Very hypocritical of him to say things about her parents when he wants to make use of Bailey's 'connections'. Yeah, no!)
Dirty Little Secret has characters that are just too immature for my taste. The only character I seem to find likable was Bailey's sister, Julie. However I can't be 100% sure of that since I barely got the chance to read about her. Although, that part's understandable considering this is Bailey's story.
So what's the verdict? Dirty Little Secret is a typical chick-lit. There's not much going on that makes it astoundingly special. But if you're looking for a story that's light and bubbly, give it a shot. There's love for music, finding romance and discovering new dreams in this book after all. Otherwise, find something else.
*Thank you, MTV Books and NetGalley for granting my request to view Dirty Little Secret.
