Chasing Eveline by Leslie Hauser is a young adult contemporary read that is full of emotion and heart. Sixteen year old Ivy Higgins wasn’t even born in the 80s but she holds onto so much from that decade to remind her of her mother who left Ivy and her father a couple of years before. Ivy is especially obsessed with her mother’s favorite 80s band Chasing Eveline.

After Ivy’s mother left Ivy withdrew from her friends and she and her father both struggle to cope with her departure. One night however Ivy hears some loud music outside her home in their quiet neighborhood. Curiosity gets the better of Ivy so she goes to investigate and finds Matt serenading Ivy’s neighbor in a scene right out of Say Anything…. the problem, it’s the wrong song!! To save this strange boy from embarrassment Ivy stops his serenade and explains the problem and the two become instant friends from their love of the 80s and both battling loss in their lives.

Even with Matt in her life and a father that adores her Ivy still is not ready to give up the memory of her mother and struggles between anger and regret. One day Ivy comes up with the idea that if she can just get her mother’s favorite band back together then she might run into her mom at one of their shows. Ivy enlists Matt’s help in doing anything and everything the two can to raise money and recruit the band in Ivy’s grand plan.

Seeing the synopsis of Chasing Eveline I really couldn’t resist picking up this wonderful little gem. From the cover to the plot this one just screams read me to someone who is a fan of the 80s references and music in general and imagine my surprise when beginning to read that the cherry on top of it all was this is set in my state. Ivy was such a fun and likable character too, a bit of an outsider with her friend Matt she’s naive but oh so hopeful, a born dreamer. The story is full of ups and downs for Ivy as she tries to execute her crazy schemes that you can’t help but feel for her and root her on. Great little story that I’d recommend to all the YA contemporary readers.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

The Quick Cut: A teen girl attempts to hold onto the memory of her mother through a long broken up band named Chasing Eveline. She attempts to get the band's fanbase going again in an attempt to get a reunion tour going. Chaos ensues when things do not go as planned.

A Real Review:
Thank you to Pen Name Publishing for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I picked this book up, the story I thought it would be definitely turned out to be something else entirely. While it seems like everyone else who has read this book loves the story and all of its characters, I had the opposite reaction. In fact, the farther in I read the more horrified I became.

Ivy Higgins has a quirky way of life. She isn't into the typical pop music that everyone else listens to and her references are firmly placed in the 80s culture. All of this is very much influenced by her mom, who up and left her family two years ago - leaving Ivy and her father behind. Their family hasn't been the same since with shells of holidays and awkward dinners when accidental memories of her mother get brought up. Ivy can't move on until she's dealt with the past tragedy of her mother disappearing. She decides to hatch a plan where she gets their favorite band Chasing Eveline back together for a reunion tour, in the hopes of locating her once again.

This isn't done alone though. Ivy does most of the reunion plotting work with her friend Matt - who is hopelessly obsessed with his ex-girlfriend Charlotte. The two of them continue to do one thing after the next to try and bring the band back into style and absolutely faceplant until one of Ivy's letters to the band brings her success. The band agrees to play one more show if she's ever in Ireland.

The story itself is cute, but the problem I have is the behaviors throughout this book from both Ivy and Matt. Its disturbing just how obsessive, manipulative, and destructive they can be not only for their own mental health - but also for healthy relationships. Ivy makes it crystal clear that she's willing to do anything and sacrifice anyone to get that band back together and see them. The only exception to the rule is her father here, which provides the opportunity for a wakeup call but is never properly utilized. Matt is a low level stalker for his ex Charlotte by knowing where she is and when to the point where even Ivy points out that she doesn't want to know how he knows Charlotte's whereabouts. Its creepy, frightening, and absolutely not the type of behavior that should be outlined in the book. By the end the whole story, Ivy and Matt's behavior ends up being justified as a way of moving on with their lives when it should have been pointed out as an inappropriate way to deal with a personal tragedy.

With too many mental health issues to count, you should skip this book and its very questionable behaviors - no matter how cute the core story itself is.