So, funny story I accidentally read this in one sitting. I feel as though Jen Wilde has improved since Queens of Geek (even if I gave both books 4 stars). The story was fun, extremely diverse, and dealt with celebrity issues as well as regular life issues respectfully.

Emmy is living a life most teens would die for. She's almost 18, is part of a wildly popular internationally known (and loved) band, and has money & fame, but for Emmy, things aren't always as they seem. She's got a girlfriend who is manipulative and living off Emmy's name, she's recently decided to come out a bi-sexual, her parents are perpetual losers whose lives are like one neverending party, and it seems like every decision Emmy makes land her in hot water. With the support of her surrogate family - bandmates Alfie & Ryan, cousin Kass, and a cast of other friends - Emmy is planning her next big hit, and this one will not let anyone down!

This was an easy read, but the unrealistic nature of the characters' lives just didn't ring true to me. The fact that a YA book finally embraces the queer community is awesome, but I felt that Wilde tried to tackle too many issues in one story (LGBTQ issues, anxiety, family dysfunction, etc.)

I didn't love this one as much as Queens of Geek, but I think it will still be appreciated by queer teens so I'm sure there will be some I'll recommend it to. Loved the diversity and representation, and that cover is just so cute. It just seemed a little overdramatic and kind of cheesy for me.

We need more books like this one. In all the ways. Jen Wilde's "The Brightsiders" gives us a dose of LGBTQIA+ acceptance, lady rockstars, friendships the likes of which we all wish we had, finding ourselves, and self-love and acceptance. There are also hard doses of reality, so this book isn't showing a fairy-tale world. We see the good with the bad, but there is more hope than despair, which is what we truly need. 5/5 stars.

I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has definite charm. The diversity of the characters is significant- people of color, people from all different backgrounds, and people with a variety of sexual orientations. What I LOVE about this is that any LGBTQ person could pick up this story and identify with someone within the pages. The romance is charming and following rockstars around for a few hundred pages is a fun ride. There are strong themes of self care, choosing quality people to be in one's life, acceptance, and family (the kind that we choose through our friends). This is a book I plan to carry in my high school library because I feel that the LGBTQ characters are well written and represent the community well- it's extremely important that my students can find themselves on the shelves of my library. For overall tone, concept, characters, and morality, I give this book thumbs up.

I realize the main character is barely legal and at that age, we are all more prone to drama. Add that to the premise that our main characters are rock stars and of course the hysteria will go through the roof. Still, it was a bit much for me. Emmy is a lovable protagonist but she's constantly berating herself and jumping to the worst conclusion. The description of life as a rock star is also spoken of more like a teenage garage bander's fantasy than an actual rock star living her dream. Much of Emmy's inner monologue just felt...overdone.

Overall, I enjoyed the read and hope that the author continues writing diverse characters to whom the most isolated of my students can relate.

According to my Kindle, I'm 49% through this. I put it down about a week ago and just can't seem to pick it back up. This is probably a fantastic book for some people, but I am not the audience this was aimed at. This wasn't necessarily poorly written; it just wasn't written for me and I'm ok with that. I hope others read and enjoy this.

It felt like reading fanfiction, which can be delightful or less so depending on the reader or mood, so YMMV on this one.

I really wanted to like this, but partying and excessive alcohol use aren't really something I like to read about. I would still recommend this to others because the writing was good and so were the characters, but for me I am uncomfortable with reading about that content.

There was a lot I liked about this book. I loved that the characters represented such a wide spectrum of the LGBTQAI+ community. The teen characters for the most part felt authentic in their emotions and the choices they made (which were sometimes impulsive). As an adult reading this book, I think the rock star part felt like pure fantasy, and it was the part I found the least interesting about these characters. But I think a lot of teens will enjoy that aspect. The book did a great job of capturing the feelings of first love, self-acceptance, self-discovery that a lot of teenagers experience.

A great book about fame, sexuality, gender identity and figuring out who you are. I greatly enjoyed the treatment of the LGBTQIA+ characters in the novel, and the frank way that the relationships between LGBTQIA+ children and their parents changes and deeply effects the child. Emmy's worries about bi erasure and "being a good bisexual' rang true, and are something that even other members of the LGBTQIA+ community needs to see.

Apologies in advance because 1) my copy is digital, so it's difficult to flip through and 2) the synopsis here on Goodreads isn't providing character names. I read enough books that it is difficult to keep characters and their names straight on occasion, and this is one of them.

The main character is the drummer in a teen band called the Brightsiders. Her band is enjoying a stint of popularity, and she has embraced her life as a party girl. In this, she takes after her parents, who themselves were musicians and frequently party the night away, often to the neglect of their daughter. After a disastrous incident after a party, the main character decides to straighten up her life and quit drinking, etc.

As this is a romance, the story isn't really plot-driven at all. We follow the MC as she appears on talk shows, gives concerts, goes on vacation, etc. The focus is definitely more on her relationships with those around her.

What I liked: Lots of diverse voices in this story! There is a bisexual, nonbinary, black character who uses they/them pronouns. There is a genderqueer character who uses he/him. The main character identifies as bisexual. The other band member comes out as bisexual as well. The queer rep is wonderful! My teen patrons can also identify with the idea of parents not living up to expectations and wanting to form your own identity apart from your family, etc. etc.

What I didn't like: It will be hard for most of my patrons to completely sympathize with a character who has enough money to pay off her parents' mortgage and take an impulse trip to Hawaii. That's simply not a lifestyle most teens can relate to. Also, this teen is under 18 for the beginning half of the book, yet is out partying and drinking at clubs. There is a small discussion of saying no to offered drinks at some point, but the MC ends up accepting alcohol from people anyway. While it's obvious the MC would not have received the "don't drink or do drugs" message from her parents, it would have been nice for there to be more emphasis on this theme in a book aimed at teens.

Overall, this is an entertaining story and my teens will enjoy it, particularly for the wonderful queer representation, but it was not my cup of tea.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, underage alcohol use
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Under the Lights, Tash Hearts Tolstoy, Sister Mischief