This was a surprise for me. I had no expectations on this book, and when i got the ARC of the audiobook, i started without knowing where it was going to go. It was a very positive surprise. The story was deep, characters had a strong backstory and i really enjoyed the musical aspect of it. It sounds weird to say but i felt the musical energy, I was totally engaged, unlike some other books about musical acts that i've just not felt the passion. This is the type of book that I feel would be perfectly adaptable to TV.
Only thing i really didnt get is the title. For me, Toni was the girl with no stars in her eyes, the title i felt was the complete opposite of how i interpreted the character. Also I would have liked more high school rememberances, a little bit more about what made Seb and Toni so connected.
Thouhts on the audiobook per se, although i really enjoyed that the toni narration was done by a woman and seb's ny a man, the males other voices whilst reading were a bit weird. However the dual narrator helps much more with the storyline than when two narrators are read by the same person.

O.M.G. This book just blew me away! I had no idea what to expect, but if I had any expectations, it exceeded them! This book is a romcom, but is so intertwined wit the music and story of the band, it's perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and The Six, Twice in a Blue Moon, and romcoms alike!

Toni and Seb had been best friends as kids, after Toni's mom dumped her in small town PA to chase her dreams of stardom. But when Seb left town without a word, despite their promises they would escape and makes names for themselves in music together, Toni was shell-shocked. Now, nearly a decade later, Toni is working as a session musician when Seb reenters her life. Toni has the opportunity of a lifetime--to play guitar for a girl group with amazing potential--and it's unclear whether Seb will be an asset or a hinderance.

I listened to this book on audio, and I especially enjoyed the female narrator. I actually didn't realize the book was dual POV until I got to the third chapter and heard a male voice, startling me. The male narrator does a pretty poor job with women's voices (especially Candy's), but it's not the worst I've heard, and I still think the audio was pretty stellar overall. It was a little awkward when lyrics/singing was done, because the narrator reads it a little bit like spoken word, but it's unavoidable.

I think this book has everything you could ask for--second chance romance, girl rock band power, crazy antics, lovable characters, and characters with depth and history. There's a sub-issue of a non-fraternization clause included in some of the character's contracts, which I think could have been dropped from the storyline and not really changed anything, but I overall loved this book. Would definitely recommend, especially for music lovers!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casa and Dreamscape Media for my eARC and ALC of this book! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

5 stars - 9/10

This was an interesting listen. I enjoyed the female narration more than the male one who kind of droned on at times especially if listening to this at regular speed. I spent a lot of this story simple confused about my thoughts on this book. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't a must listen story that I was fully engaged throughout. At times I just felt like I was along for the journey.

CW: child abuse, drug/alcohol addiction and abuse

If I hadn’t committed to writing this review, I likely wouldn’t have finished this book. I was really intrigued by the cover, by the tropes - second chance! childhood best friends! - and by the fact that the author of this book is herself a musician, so I could trust that the industry as portrayed in the book would be accurate and exciting.

However, I felt like the romance got muddled down in the plot of the book and was ultimately underdeveloped, leaving me unsatisfied. The romance didn't read as central to the plot - we didn't even really get to see the characters interact substantively until over 25% of the way through the book. And even then, the characters weren't particularly likeable. Now, I understand the virtue of an "unlikeable" heroine/hero, however there was nothing particularly endearing, relatable, or even interestingly flawed about these characters.

As far as the audio is concerned, I love a dual narration. However, I had a few issues with both sides of this narration. I had to listen on 2x speed t0 get the pacing that worked best for me (which isn't raree for me). There were times when her audio had a tinny quality to it, and his narration felt overperformed at points. All things being equal for you, I'd recommend reading the book over listening to it.

I did find the ultimate climax of the plot compelling, cinematic, and gripping, and the resolution of the external conflict to be oh so satisfying.

It is clear that Xio Axelrod knows what she’s talking about (even if I don’t!). This book is perfect for music lovers with a sneak peak into the inside of the music industry.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ARC.