In The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, we meet these two as they are about to embark on a tour after 20 years of being apart. The story takes you back and forth from the present to the past to get to meet these characters from the beginning of their careers up until the end. There is a lot they have to go through to be the people they are today. They made music during the height of the civil rights movement. Nev a white British male and Opal a black woman from the south. The way things were handled when they were together was a lot of miscommunication and turmoil.

Overall the book was good. It was hard to follow along with this style of book as it was done like multiple interviews with several people. It took me about half way through the book to get used to it. I think my rating may have been different if the story was told in a different way.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is written like a real account. It's the type of book that I think would shine best in audio form, after all, it's a story about music and listening to it adds a much needed layer to the experience.

This was an enjoyable read and a fun twist on the oral history music format (like Daisy Jones). The author did a great job highlighting the racism Opal faced and social issues of the era (and today). I look forward to reading her other work.

I really liked this book, but I felt that there were lulls in the story that needed some help.. However I found this to be really enjoyable and entertaining and would recommend.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev follows the rise of a 1970s rock duo, their split, and their reunion for a final tour, years later. Nev Charles is a white British musician who comes to NYC seeking to build his career. Opal Jewel is a Black woman from Detroit, performing at an amateur night when Nev sees her. Despite their differences, Nev knows they’re a musical match and Opal agrees to join him.

The story, told largely in interview format to a journalist, with her own connection to Opal & Nev’s career, details the duo’s music, issues with racism including another band on their same label, addiction, tension, and secrets.

I’m drawn to fictional music stories with Daisy Jones & The Six set as my high bar — The Final Revival of Opal & Nev gave me similar vibes yet was different enough to still feel original. It did not shy away from intense topics, in the 70s and in current times. The audiobook includes a full cast, among them, Bahni Turpin who narrates Opal. I enjoyed this format.

SUCH AN INCREDIBLE BOOK!! I cant believe it took me this long to read it. I wish it was real and so many times I thought it was! I wanted to google search this story so many times!

So much better than Daisy Jones. Highly recommend!

In an unusual twist, readers of this book seem to have taken away differeing viewpoints and opinions on what the book is trying to say. That truly is the mark of an accomplished author. Instead of feeding their own opinion to the crowd, he/she allows the story to sink into the collective minds and become a legendary experience. The 1970's and 80's were very different from the current time. I know, I lived through all of them. Protests for protests sake were common so when Opal pushed back against the ingrained racism and sexism, she started to change her own corner of the world, which in turn broadcast the change outwards.
A great read for me but I would hesitate to classify it as any specific genre. I'd consider it more of a hard, frank look at how music can and has changed the world for the better.

This was a good book, but I was under-enthused reading this on the heals of Daisy Jones and the 7 Husbands.

I really recommend reading this novel along with audio as it brings up all the imaginative descriptions to live.

On one level this is a very entertaining and upsetting of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo thst depicts important topics such as racism, sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic.

I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are similar in both Audio and print.

I've tried reading this book three times, but can never make it past the first few chapters. I'm not willing to call it a hard DNF right now, because the writing is good and the storyline is interesting, but for some reason, I find that I am unable to connect with the characters. I think, for me, it felt too similar to Daisy Jones & The Six, which I also found to be just okay. I definitely think this is a case of me not being the right reader for this book, as the book itself is not bad at all and I can definitely see it being a compelling read for someone else. I have seen other reviewers recommending the audiobook, so I may choose that format if I decide to try reading this one again in the future.

This book was so hyped up and I felt like I was so lucky to get an early copy.
I waited until the hype died down to read it and I'm glad I did... because I have an unpopular opinion.

Unfortunately this story missed it's mark with me. I found it hard to connect with the characters, hard to keep up with all the people right from the start and it just didn't grip me as I thought it would..... I even gave it a second chance with a full cast audiobook version - and that was even harder to listen to.
Perhaps it was my frame of my mind... but sadly this was not a favourite story for me.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my complimentary eARC in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. Please excuse my tardiness in posting my review. My TBR list is continuously growing and I keep finding so many amazing books being requested + added to my pile! I have so much gratitude for this copy that has been shared with me.

If you like Daisy Jones and the Six, then this should be your follow-up read. This shows a different experience of fame, music, and the 70s because it's told from the POV of a woman of color, and as such, provides a much-needed different voice to tell a story like this.

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be found here: https://youtu.be/Vhsxktm3fWU

A much tougher, deeper rock story ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Similar to Daisy Jones and the Six, this book takes interviews and editor’s notes to tell this surprisingly well-rounded and important story of race, life, and rock n’ roll. Thoroughly enjoyable and an easy read.

First of all, I really like the cover to this novel. I think Opal’s face with Nev’s guitar is fitting for the cover. At first, this novel reminded me of Daisy Jones & The Six. It soon made a name for itself, though. This book is political and the issues that the world was facing in the 70s – unfortunately, we are still facing in 2023. The fictional events that happened in the novel could easily have occurred in the same time period in America.

Opal is a black American woman and Nev is a white British man who come together to make music. They come from very different worlds, but they strive to make meaningful music. They are not perfect people, which the author shows. They felt like real people with real issues and hangups, which I appreciated. It helps the reader identify with the characters and understand why they did the things they did. I wish Opal Jewel was a real person – she would be a force to reckon with, for sure! I would love to listen to Opal & Nev’s music.

I am glad that this novel wasn’t afraid to talk about racism against black people, especially black women. It happened in the 70s, and it is still happening today. The more people are aware of it, hopefully they will recognize the damage it causes and will act to stop it.

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The format of the book is primarily interviews between journalist Sunny Curtis and all of the players involved in the bringing together of Opal & Nev. Every once in a while, Sunny brings in what happens in her personal life, and that helps the reader immerse themself in the story. I liked this format. It works for this novel very well.

During the second half of the book, it did get kinda slow. It felt like I was reading the same thing over and over. However, it picked up near the end and redeemed itself. I am glad that I read this, but I probably won’t reread it (I won’t reread Daisy Jones & The Six, either for the same reason). Maybe books about fictional musicians aren’t exactly my cup of tea, and that’s okay. I recommend this novel.

I have to say it…this is everything that I wanted but didn’t get from Daisy Jones and the Six. Opal and Nev was so much richer and had characters that I cared about. I loved the atmosphere and strong sense of time. I think I’d like to listen to this as an audiobook sometime as these kinds of documentary books seem to lend themselves well to that format.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: Audio

4🌟 - I liked it!

This gave such Daisy Jones vibes! I didn’t connect to it in the same way I did for Daisy, but I loved the commentary on race in music during the 70s and how the author handled those themes.

This was hard to get into. I was very excited to read it because it presented like Daisy Jones and The Six, which I loved! But, it had a slow start that didn’t keep me as intrigued. Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy!

This is a bit of a slow burn but ultimately worth the time to wait it out. An obvious reference would be to Daisy Jones & Six of course but I believe that Walton had far better execution here. This isn’t an entertaining book but it sure is enlightening. Definitely recommend.

After reading Daisy Jones & The Six, I couldn't wait to embark on another musical journey. Unfortunately, I don't think I was in the correct headspace when picking up The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. It's its own story, which it should be, but it wasn't what I was looking for in the moment.

I've heard great things about this book. I plan to pick it up again in the future. I believe I can be a bit of a mood reader at times, so I know I will get a chance to read this book again when my heart and mind are ready for it.

At that time, I'll happily update my review here. Thank you so much to the author and publisher for granting me access an ARC of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.