I had fairly low expectations for Cynthia Starts a Band knowing that it’s a debut. I did think some of the writing, particularly dialogue, was stilted—does no one use contractions when they speak? There were also a few continuity errors that I’m sure will be fixed with a final edit. The concept itself was a little bit farfetched to me in a way. How famous was Eleanor supposed to be if she was People’s best-dressed celebrity but she could walk around Seattle for a month and not be recognized? I also didn’t love that a white member of the band put on a trucker hat and hoodie to rap a verse of “Gold Digger” or the J.K. Rowling shout out. Finally, I feel like the emotional abuse and gaslighting should he alluded to in the marketing. It was a very different book than what I was expecting. Overall, I liked it and I think I would recommend it. Content warning: emotional abuse, gaslighting, mention of J.K. Rowling & H*rry P*tter

My thanks to NetGalley and Morgan James Fiction for an advance reader’s copy.

The story introduces us to Eleanor, our MC who is a singer/songwriter in a band. The story centers around Eleanor being forced to do things for the sake of her band. While Eleanor is fleshed out with a nice story arc along with Jenny, other supporting characters lack depth. The story highlights Eleanor’s struggles but doesn’t delve deep enough into her difficulties. We are told on a number of occasions that Eleanor is strong willed and will stand up for herself, but we aren’t actually shown many instances of her doing so.

The story is narrated from the point of view of Eleanor and Cynthia. Eleanor chapters are misleading because they are actually a third person POV and should instead maybe be labeled as The Band so readers understand it’s viewpoints of multiple people. I actually enjoyed these chapters as I felt it gave me a fuller picture of everyone involved. Cynthia chapters seemed a little light and didn’t strike me as someone trying to figure out their next move. Even relationships forged at this time as Cynthia felt very superficial.

I was most excited for the new band as I wanted to see her pick herself back up and maybe find a new genre or new style of writing and prove to the world that she still had it. This part was a let down because it was underwhelming and just not at all what I was expecting. The ending wraps things up in a decent manner but still leaves some things unanswered. Overall, I would say this was a good read. It didn’t dig as deep as I would have liked but it definitely brought up an important subject and I would recommend others check it out.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC.

CW : Domestic abuse

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of the this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a cute, empowering read - the main character, Eleanor, is a popular musician who wants to take back her lives - her professional and personal lives. On the evening of her engagement to what everyone thinks is the perfect guy, Eleanor takes off following a performance and ends up in Seattle with her cousin. Eleanor is an easy character to identify with. While her decisions were often impulsive or viewed as immature, I tended to see these as reflections of the environment she was in and the fact that so much of her world was controlled by other people.

While I enjoyed the story and its focus on empowerment (specifically finding the strength and courage to sever ties with toxic people and situations), I found the switching between first and third person to be a bit difficult to follow. This is not a knock of the story, but rather something I don't really care for in a novel and makes it difficult for me to enjoy the story.

Please check TWs before reading this book!

It's been done - a few times. This book could use a few rounds of editing but it's a good concept.

I think there is a market for this book - I just don't know that it's me.

I spotted this book on Netgalley and requested it on a whim. Luckily it was approved.

This was an easy, and classic feel good read. I really enjoyed Swindler's protagonist, Eleanor/Cynthia and the story was easy to follow. By liking the main character I empathised with her for what she had to endure, particularly because no one was in her corner.

There isn't much chance to get to know or like the surrounding characters who weren't in the band which was a shame. But Art and Jenny were really brought to life.

Fab, happy read 😊

Though pleasant with sweet strengths, *Cynthia Starts a Band* hovers around flatness, never venturing too deep into itself. 
In the novel, Eleanor Quinn (a successful singer in one of America's top bands — think Taylor Swift level of fame) finds herself trapped in a life that is not her own. Breaking away from everything, she attempts to create a new life to find herself and her own voice again. 
As for the book, there are certainly charming moments; the story concept is compelling, as is the message around finding support and healing. The method of overlapping two timelines together is really cool — leading up to a point and away from it at the same time. However, so much was so visible right away, that unfortunately this method didn't add much to the reading experience. There was so much repetition, hitting the same points; the whole story really is available right in the blurb. 
It really is a lovely story with lots of possibility... that just wasn't fleshed out. We never were submerged into the emotions and relationships that were presented. It was the same information presented in different ways. There were so many things that could have been given so much more space — like the relationship between Eleanor and her sister. (Additionally, some of the (male) characters were so one-dimensional that a couple times I shook my head with a rueful chuckle.) 
This was an amiable read at times, but it just didn't give much for me to hold on to in the end.

CW: Domestic abuse

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book! This is my honest review, all views are my own.
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Cynthia Starts A Band is about pop singer Eleanor Quinn who runs away from her band’s tour after a proposal by a man whom she hates. She flees to a cousin’s house in Seattle, where her new identity signs up for a college class and tries to start over. But of course, starting over is not as easy as it seems in the movie, and her old life haunts her.
This was a really good book! I had my doubts about it at first—especially the shifts between first and third person points of view—but as the story progressed, I really began to connect with Eleanor/Cynthia. I will admit, this read more like a novella than a novel; Either parts needed to be cut or parts needed to be elaborated upon. It falls into this weird in-between area and takes some of the impact out of the story. There were also many changes in narrator, which was good because the reader got to peer into the mind of the other characters, but not so good because it muddled the story a bit for me. The writing was very dialogue heavy, which I really enjoyed, but I also would have loved to linger a bit more on the scenes in the present day to contrast Eleanor’s new life with her old one. This story leaned heavily on describing her toxic and abusive fake relationship with Art, so I would have loved to see her expressing herself without that weight or constant fear. I’m glad that Eleanor was able to still pursue music, even in her new life, and I thought that the characters who helped her did a good job of supporting her without pushing her too much. Countering that support, it was really heavy to see even Eleanor’s close friends in the band turn against her, even unintentionally. I was heartbroken for her, and I really resonated with her feelings of isolation and hopelessness. Her relationships weren’t thoroughly fleshed out, but it was unspoken how connected the different side characters were to Eleanor, and I enjoyed how effortless it felt to know their different impacts on her life. In addition to an expansion on Eleanor’s new life as Cynthia, I do wish there was more buildup to the conclusion, or a different conclusion… or maybe even an epilogue? The story’s end came too quickly for my taste. In the end, though, I think this is a solid story about a woman who takes the necessary measures to break herself out of a toxic situation and find herself. 4 stars.

I think this is a good concept and it shows what really happens to some women behind the scenes of their famous lives. I liked Eleanor/Cynthia and liked how her story was told but I think overall the writing needs some tweaking. I also felt that Cynthia needs some lessons in growing up.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

I think the concept of this book had a lot of potential. It's super dialogue based though, so I feel as if the writing could've been better, or felt a little more realistic. It was a little hard to keep track of all the characters at first, especially since a lot of the names seemed similar (James, Jess, Jenny). I appreciate that the crux of the story touched on the importance of listening to women's experiences and brought light to abusive relationships, however, I just don't think the story was as well developed as it could've been.

First of all, I would like to thank Morgan James Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read this book before its official release. It’s been a pleasure.
So... where do I get started?
In Cynthia starts a band, we meet the protagonist, Eleanor Quinn, who is a sort of a Taylor Swift (if she had a band, of course) inside this fictional universe, just after she runs away at the end of a concert to begin a new life as an incognito. Yeah, you might be asking: why would Taylor Swift give up an exaggeratedly successful musical career? And most importantly: how is it possible that ABSOLUTELY NO ONE FREAKING KNOWS FREAKING TAYLOR SWIFT’S WHEREABOUTS? I know, I know. The idea is a kind of difficult to buy. Even I struggled to comprehend the situation, but once I went on and on into the story, I came to understand such a radical decision. And once I did it, I could only think: same.
S A M E.
It turns out that poor Eleanor was being exploited by one of her bandmates and their manager, and it turns out that everyone (and I mean, everyone) is extremely supportive when she finally breaks her silence. Yay! Go, Ellie!
…
Here’s where the good part ends. Don’t get me wrong: I don’t think this novel is bad (or well, just a little). I liked the plot, and I liked Eleanor as the main character. But that was it, and frankly, it’s frustrating as hell, because it had SO. MUCH. POTENTIAL. And it was all wasted. As someone who is a big fan of Taylor Swift (Omg. For real?), I would have loved to get more context and know the characters better, because abuse of power in the music industry is actually pretty common and people don’t talk about it as much as they should. You don’t get to see someone like Taylor, re-recording her entire discography, or like Ellie, speaking her truth, every day, and I believe that Olivia could have taken advantage from it.
She could have written a more pages, more interactions, more thoughts… She could have put more heart on telling this story. That’s the biggest flaw of the book: the lack of heart, of emotion. Yes, I empathized with Eleanor (how couldn’t I?), but to be honest, I couldn’t care less about the rest (specially Gabe. Like, he was SO unrealistically perfect that it made me sick sometimes).
As I said: I don’t think Cynthia starts a band is a bad book. The author’s pen is really simple, so the plot flows effortlessly, it’s pretty entertaining, and I’m thankful for Olivia bringing such an important topic into discussion. My only problem, as I tried to make clear (I apologize if I didn’t express myself correctly) is only that the novel didn’t actually do this last thing any justice.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Cynthia Starts a Band in exchange for an honest review!

I think Cynthia has a good barebones plot, it just probably should go through a few more rounds of editing because this is a novella accidentally labeled to a novel. This is a very dialogue heavy book, but every conversation shows each step of interaction which logically should make it seem more realistic, but since books as a medium tend to summarize and only show key details, it actually makes this book seem less real because the over-explaining and repetition violate reader expectations. I'd love to read this as a novella though were a lot of the redundancy cut out.

Olivia Starts a Band was great!
I will be posting my full review on Instagram, Facebook, and other outlets on October 18th as part of the virtual blog tour.
In the meantime, I can say that the book is wonderful!

Eleanor Quinn captured the public's heart with her songs and her fairytale romance. But after her show-stopping engagement, Eleanor disappears and Cynthia appears. As Cynthia, Eleanor can escape and rediscover who she is without the pressures of her old life. But as her label and "fiancé" try to explain her disappearance, can she find her voice and the freedom to tell her side of the story?

Cynthia Starts a Band is a powerful story about a girl who's caught in the toxicity of the music world. It's #MeToo message is an important one. I really enjoyed the emphasis on Cynthia taking control back in her personal and professional lives.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of Eleanor's songs. I loved the lyrics and really wish Cynthia Starts a Band had a soundtrack so that I could hear what they would sound like. The songs, their meanings, and their lyrics were my favorite part of this novel and I could not get enough of them!

While I did like the plot and the alternating chapters (Eleanor & Cynthia), I didn't love Cynthia Starts a Band. I felt like this book had the characters take a back seat and focused on the main plot and story instead. Characters are extremely important to me when reading and there were so many in this book that were criminally underutilized, especially Kristy, Jess, and Gabe.

Also, I'm really not sure what the target age demographic is for this. Cynthia/Eleanor is 27, but a few things like her attending college for the first time and taking control of her life feel more like the themes traditionally associated with 18-21 year old protagonists. Some parts of this novel feel young adult, but the overall plot and themes are more new adult. However, Cynthia's age is more traditionally associated with adult novels; I really thought she was 21-ish, so I was pretty surprised by her being in her late twenties instead of early twenties.

All in all, this was a decent read. If you enjoy narrative-driven novels that are about a woman finding her voice and telling her story, than this is a book for you! Olivia Swindler has crafted an interesting debut that is sure to find many fans.

TW/CW: sexual harassment/abuse, harassment, pressure to stay in an unsafe situation

Thank you to NetGalley and Morgan James Fiction for an eARC of Cynthia Starts a Band. I really appreciate it! All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Who knew that even pop stars felt trapped and restless?

Eleanor Quinn is a twenty something pop star who is forced to share the spot light with her narcissistic bandmate Art. They are apart of a small town band of teenagers that actually made it big. Over 10 years later, the label deems it necessary for record sales that Eleanor fake a relationship with egotistical Art. We’ve all seen the fake-dating trope, and the even more popular celebrity fake dating trope, but this isn’t that. This is not a love story, or at least not one between Eleanor and Art. It’s a story about breaking free from the trappings of an emotionally abusive relationship and starting over. The book is a really solid freshman debut from Swindler that conveys a strong message, but the writing and characterization is a bit shaky in certain areas. The main character Eleanor has some really good character development but the other characters fall flat and were pretty dimensional, especially when their perspectives are given. The manager and Art are extremely hyperbolic and come across as the stereotypical evil villains who will do whatever it takes to get what they want. It was a really fun read and I do recommend it but don't expect a serious and nuanced version of the #metoo movement.

Cynthia Starts a Band tells the story of Eleanor Quinn, lead singer of the highly successful band Kittanning. She is also dating her bandmate, who happens to be the most beautiful man in America. Despite her success in her career and ‘love life,’ she decided to walk away from it all. Eleanor’s life is in turmoil behind the scenes, and she knew that she had to leave while she can.

Free from her band and’ fiance,’ Eleanor decided to change her name to Cynthia, moves in with her cousin in Seattle, and enrolls in a local university’s writing class. Everything seems to be going well until her past started to creep its way into her new life.

This novel was a quick read for me. I thought it has a great concept and a fantastic protagonist in Eleanor/Cynthia. She’s likable enough for someone who’s 27, naive, and just literally based everything on what she’d seen in films. Usually, that would annoy the living crap out of me, but I liked her personally.

The book reads like a YA novel, or maybe many instances show Cynthia’s immaturity and naivety. I feel that that aspect of the story will be a hit or miss for the readers. I don’t mind it that much, but I wished it was more realistic rather than a mere copycat of the movie scenes she’s been referencing throughout the story.

I liked that the author talked about something relevant now but has been taboo in the past. It has the #MeToo movement, the #FreeBritney movement aspect, and just the ugly side of fame that we know but don’t usually get talked about more often. I love the whole narrative of claiming your power, claiming your voice, and I think it is an important topic discussed in the book but is glossed over by the hasty pacing of the storytelling.

The book really has great potential, and I could even see it as a film in maybe, Hallmark Channel or, I don’t know – Disney adult version if there is one. That being said, I would be happy to read more stories from Olivia Swindler in the future.

Oh man, this book had so much potential. Alright, let's start with the good: it is an incredibly interesting and insightful critique on the corruption and greed that is rampant within the music industry. Watching a PR technique grow into an abusive situation showcased the really nasty side of celebrity that isn't often touched on in fiction. I also think it was a good representation of the story of a woman coming forward with her negative experiences involving powerful men. It felt like a real situation that might be encountered in today's world, with the Me Too Movement.

However: it felt as though the story was rushed, none of the characters were truly fleshed out, and much of what happened served no real purpose. For example: Eleanor joining a writing class had no impact on the story other than her meeting Gabe. Gabe was a boring and one-note love interest; we never got to see their relationship develop after the first kiss. The dialogue was corny and unrealistic, and the whole thing honestly read like a 2012 Wattpad fic.

Also, this book committed one of the major cardinal sins for me personally: switching character POVs for a couple paragraphs in the middle of a chapter. My god I hate that.

Overall this book was not very captivating and poorly paced, but it provided some interesting insight that I really enjoyed reading about. Thank you to Morgan James Fiction for sending this my way!

A story with a great concept. Perfect for fans of stories about music and musicians. However, Cynthia Starts A Band falls flat. The biggest issue is the story doesn’t seem to have a target audience. At first glimpse, this could be a charming YA novel about a teenage superstar who is desperate to break out of the clutches of fame, but Cynthia- or Elenor- is 27. The book doesn’t quite fit into New Adult either as Cynthia at times comes across as juvenile with her impulsivity and immaturity. The novel sits somewhere in between the two genres without committing to either one, making the book a confusing conundrum. Overall, this had the potential to be a good book. It just can’t seem to decide who it is for.

I really enjoyed this story. It follows Eleanor/ Cynthia on her journey to figure out what she wants and find her voice. Eleanor felt like a friend to me. I felt angry for her. This story does deal with some verbal abuse. Overall it has a great message and left me feeling empowered and hopeful.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

I received an eARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Eleanor is in her late 20s but has been part of a successful band since high school. For some reason, her manager believes that the only way the band will continue to be successful is to release a love song and concoct a story that she and her bandmate, Art, are dating. The characters could be really interesting, but I wish they were fleshed out more. Art is apparently known in the music industry as being a bad dude and yet, Eleanor's own band mates and family don't believe that they're in anything less than a real relationship where he truly loves her. When he proposes on stage, the only thing she can do is get on a bus and run away to Seattle, changing her name to Cynthia. Art goes on television and tells the world that she's unstable and asks for help finding her. I can suspend belief and accept that changing her hair and name would make no one in Seattle recognize her. Even when she starts taking a college class or sings at karaoke. But surely someone who was on the bus from Denver to Seattle with her, in her full sequined fresh from stage costume, would have known who she was and spilled the beans way before a reporter called her out after performing at an open mic with her classmate.

I think the concept of this book is an interesting one but think that it could benefit from going through a few more rounds of revisions. I struggled with the chapters switching back and forth from first person to third person, especially since they were labeled either Eleanor or Cynthia (aka the same person), but the third person chapters were inside every character's head. The book was also very light on diversity. I think we're to assume every character is white except one because literally the only person who had their race described in the book was the large man with "dark chocolate skin" she hired to be her secret bodyguard in Seattle. Yikes. Also, you're in the music business and everyone is straight?

Overall, the plot is interesting and I can tell it has an important message to share; it just didn't hit the marks for me.