The Lillys are back and I just want more more more!

Girls With Bad Reputations is the second book in The Lillys series and can be read as a standalone within the series if you choose to. This book is about the drummer, Kayla of an all-girl rock band. We were introduced to her in the previous book, but this one centers around her, her family, her band family (The Lillys), a love interest and a past that is catching up with her. I really liked that we got to see where Kayla came from and how that influenced who she became. It was like she was living a dual life because of family obligations and as a reader, you knew that was going to play into her story. I really felt like I got to know her character deeply and I could understand her actions and why she did what she did. She's the heartbeat of the band, but she also keeps to herself a lot and doesn't feel like she always fits in, except with The Lillys. Because she is one KICKA$$ drummer!

Enter Ty. He's also a quiet, unassuming guy that mostly just keeps to himself and is a major book nerd (can we say swoon??). When he is hired on to become their driver for their tour bus, you immediately feel the connection he has with Kayla. Two characters that are dealing with pasts and family in very different ways, but when they come together it's natural, it's sweet and it's 100% consentual.

This book was all about building who Kayla and Ty were and how that played into the band. Family was definitely important for both of the characters, but you could also feel that the band was a very centering found family for them both as well. The way they traveled together and supported one another was perfection. They truly complimented one another as people. At times I felt like the story dragged on a little bit, but then again, getting so much backstory was helpful in seeing who Kayla and Ty were as individuals and how they developed as individuals as well as a couple. I just loved them together so much even if their relationship was more subdued.

"Haven't you ever met someone, and the moment you met them, your heart suddenly made sense to you?"

I'm an absolute goner for this book, the characters and the creator. If you love music, the life of working musicians and all the drama that comes with touring, this is THE book to pick up. Axelrod did a phenomenal job of bringing the audience into the story and making us feel like we became a part of the band and their tour. You could feel the love that Axelrod has for music all throughout. But most of all, you'll feel like you became part of a family.

With all that said, I want more rockstar books. I want more rockstar books that center around women musicians. I want to feel like I was at a festival enjoying the music all around me. I want to tour with the bands and I want to see the drama unfold and the band all come together like the family they are. Because that's exactly what The Lillys are and Xio Axelrod delivered! Definitely recommend.

This one is for the fans of the TV show "Daisy Jones and the Six". It has the rock star vibes but also a lot of heart and character driven storylines.

I found the romance to be absolutely swoon worthy! It was everything I wanted and needed from this book. It was sweet, romantic and also surprisingly sexy. Everyone who picks this up is going to lose their minds over the romance.

I enjoyed the tour stuff and being in a tour bus. It was something different that I hadn't read before and found interesting. I also thought it brought a lot to the relationships of all the characters. It was a great setting.

A fun female rock band with a fantastic romance!

I loved everything about this. There is minimal time between the first and second book which I appreciated because it feels like we're on the journey with this band in becoming the next best thing. I thought I would miss Toni as the FMC, but it was a natural progression for Kayla to be the FMC and I loved learning about her. I'm guessing Tiff will be the next FMC, but I am READY for Lilly's book. She's still an enigma even though she's a main character. I want to know what's going on inside her head.

Ty was the CUTEST EVER. I loved his soul. He's a reader and has piercings and wears kilts and I love him so much.

Since I was reading an arc, I am hoping this book went through more rounds of edits before it was finalized because some of the details didn't add up. For example, at one point we're told a character is 26 but later on they're 25. Or they say they're staying somewhere for 4 days but then the next page they say they're staying for 2 days. And a couple of the conversations were all over the place--like I could tell changes had been made but it hadn't been read through again for clarity. Or the body positions didn't make sense with what was happening. But don't get me wrong--I LOVED this book. These things were trivial, but they should be fixed before publication.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest review.

OMG! The motherfucking Lillys are amazing! Axelrod has written this all women's rock group that just keeps getting better! And I swear I could hear the music, feel the excitement of the festival crowds, tap my foot with Kayla's drum rhythm, and have my heart beat faster each time she and Ty looked at each other.

There is much more than the music going on with this one, though. Just like in the prior novel, the readers follow one main character, while the rest of the band is very important as well. And it is clear that both knowledge of the music scene and knowledge of music is very strong thanks to the author.

The little bit of drama in The Girl with Stars in her Eyes could still be felt a little bit, but the emphasis here was more on the budding romance between Kayla and Ty, and how the group is on the verge of becoming not only BIG but <b>BIG</b>. Of course, it's not smooth sailing only, but when it is, it is oh so sweet.

If you enjoy stories about women who go after what they want - and what they deserve - music, friendship, love, fighting for what's right - Girls with Bad Reputations should quickly make it on to your virtual shelf, and maybe try to make sure you get the novel on February 6th ;) It really is worth it. Axelrod rocker!

Axelrod takes readers on the ultimate road trip across the country in the follow up to “The Girl With Stars In Her Eyes” in “Girls with Bad Reputations”, as The Lillys begin touring ahead of the release of their album. If tour bus romance is your jam, this is going to be 100% the book for you. I personally loved the fact that both the hero and heroine both came with stuff they had to figure out for themselves and they each supported the other in their paths to getting to their best selves. It is both fast and slow paced at the same time and because of that, it is the perfect pace for this couple’s romance. While technically, this could be read as a stand alone, I would highly recommend reading with the first book in the series for maximum enjoyment.

Thank you to netgalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read this book. This was such a great romance and great plot.

Do you like stories about rock bands? Before reading The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes (The Lillys #1), I honestly can say they’re not for me. But Xio Axelrod changed my mind. She has an uncanny ability to lure readers into her world of rock stars and badass female leads. I’m so impressed with her knowledge of the ins and outs of the music world. I got invested with The Lillys since the first book, and now with book 2 — Girls with Bad Reputations, I am even more in love with the characters!!! This is one of them series that I never want to end!!! I want each character to have their own book!😂

Aside from the sizzling (and nerdy) love story between Ty and Kayla, I really liked the BIPOC and bisexual representation. This book also touched on racism, family and social expectations, female empowerment and found family. Maybe because there were a lot of issues tackled, but I did find the conflict resolution between Kayla and her mom to be a bit rushed and not realistic. I also would like Ty’s issues with his past to have more “screen time”.

Though I recommend reading book 1 first, going straight to this book will also suffice as it explains the events that happened previously. I’m really happy that I got to read this book before the year ends. Definitely recommending the series!

Pub date: Feb. 6, 2024

***Thank you @netgalley  @xioaxelrod and @xiobooks for my eARC. I sure hope that there will be book 3!!!! 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

Being a woman in music is a fraught experience. Women, especially women of colour, have to be so much better to even be taken remotely seriously than their white male counterparts who are automatically granted space. 'Girls with Bad Reputations' - the second of Xio Axelrod's series about up-and-coming all-female band The Lillys, tackles racism, sexism and the pressures of parental expectations, along with a beautiful, slow-burn tender romance.

'How is it that we've known each other for no time at all, and yet you understand me so well?'

Drummer Kayla Whitman, taught by her late-brother Zach, wrestles with hiding her rock career from her disapproving academic parents, particularly her mother. Kilt-wearing Ty Baldwin, kicked out of university after false accusations of plagarism and assault finds himself driving The Lilly's bus. There's an instant connection between these book and music nerds. Both recognise in each other a kindred spirit, along with a growing attraction. But as the band's profile rise grows, so too does the spotlight on their personal lives. How far will Kayla and Ty go to protect their pasts from becoming public?

What elevates this book is Axelrod's level of authenticity to depicting band life. All the joy and passion the band have for each other and their music, as well as the downright horrible bits are so well depicted. Too often I read 'rock star' books which are straight out of a cliche Hollywood movie. Its clear Axelrod is a musician or close to them as she shows the finer details, such as jamming, writing and recording. I really felt like I was there in the studio with them.

I also adored all of the characters and their unconditional love and support for each other. The mother-daughter conflict was also well resolved (and I was glad Kayla finally stood up for herself). I had a lot of empathy for why Kayla's mother pushed her to be excellent and perfect - because black women aren't granted space to be anything but that.

Overall, this is the story about a found family, the power of music and a celebration of women of colour taking up space in a male dominated world. 'Girls with Bad Reputations' is like one of The Lillys' songs - raw energy, slightly chaotic, but harmonious with a driving beat and a lot of heart. Encore!

Thanks to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the ARC.

What an awesome addition to the story of the Lillys. This is the second book in the series following the female rock band The Lillys. In The Girl With Stars in Her Eyes, we meet the band in the verge of stardom if they could only get their star guitar player to stop making more headlines for her behavior off stage than she does playing on stage. As a result we meet Toni and her magic fingers on the guitar.

In this sequel, we get to know more about Kayla, the heartbeat of the band literally and figuratively because she is the drummer. Just like the first book, there’s a peek behind the curtain of the music industry that’s woven into a really good story. I love that Kayla’s love interest, Ty is soulful, smart, and just as quirky as Kayla. They each give an alternative to expected gender and race roles as they find their way to being completely comfortable with themselves in a world that would want them to conform. I especially enjoyed that Ms. Axelrod wrote them as avid readers with them naming many books and authors I’ve read and loved. It allowed me to connect with them in unexpected ways. I look forward to reading the next installment of the band’s story.

This book was honestly just SO GOOD!! I adore Ty and Kayla and their love story was just everything I wanted. I honestly had a hard time writing some highlight down because I really just loved this whole book and so wholeheartedly recommend it (I do highly recommend reading The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes first because I think you need to know what happens in that book to fully appreciate this one).

Kayla is the drummer for the up-and-coming band, The Lilly's, and is struggling with parental expectations. She's hidden her life from her high achieving and exacting mother, whose high expectations only increased after the death of her brother. Ty picks up the gig of driving the band's tour bus while trying to figure out what to do with the rest of his life after being unjustly accused of plagiarism and assault and being kicked out of college. Both Kayla and Ty have a lot in common - they love books and are huge nerds - and find themselves starting a friendship that bleeds into more.

Though Ty and Kayla are both relatively young, they never feel young or immature, which is something I so appreciate as I get older. Their relationship is really built on respect and kindness and they actually communicate with each other and are unquestionably there for the other. Ty in particular just really got my heart - he is so sweet, his relationship with his grandpa is just absolutely so lovely, and I love how he is so unapologetically himself!

I really felt for Kayla and the expectations her mom has - I was so glad to see her stand up to herself and try to explain her experience to her mom and work to rebuild their relationship. It's incredibly clear that the author really knows her stuff in regards to the music industry and it was truly a delight to read about. I'm obsessed with the Lilly's and their friends - I'm really excited for a Tiff book and then maybe Lilly's?? I'm so intrigued by her in particular.

Read this for:
- BIPOC Characters
- Queer and Gender nonconforming Rep
- Rock star
- Found Family
- Dual POV

I could not recommend this series enough and I can't wait to see what happens with the Lilly's next!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

5/5 Stars 2/5 Spice

Tropes:
Rockstar Romance
Friends to Lovers
Forced Proximity
Forbidden
Hidden Identity
Found Family
Bi Character Rep

okay well i absolutely loved this. kayla & ty had such a whirlwind but steady romance. the two meet when ty is the tour bus driver for the band kayla plays drums in & from there the two have a cute (flirty) friendship & as their lives intertwine they go from friends to lovers 🥰 both characters have their own story arc journey & the way it connects them was just so well woven into the over arching story of the lilly’s band journey. i loved the inclusive rep of not only bipoc characters but different social classes/financial classes as well as bi character rep. i loved these two & i can’t wait to see what’s next for the lilly’s!

2.5

This book was just okay. Unfortunately I did not really think that it was anything spectacular, especially since I was excited to read it. The characters are very unforgettable and I skimmed a little bit because of the pacing issues that I had with this. 

I do recommend checking trigger warnings before going into this. 

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heeeeeey book hangover! Cue the goosebumps! This book was EVERYTHING! I seriously loved Ty! He is so kind and caring and life hasn't been kind back to him. But he's putting one foot in front of the other and finding a new path. And Kayla is a badass!
She's making her own way, in a life that has wildly different expectations for her. She's trying to come out from under the shadow her mother has created. And she's a fantastic drummer. I enjoyed the chemistry between them and seeing how their relationship developed. It felt realistic and genuine.
I loved getting more of The Lillys! These girls mesh well together and they have created a family among them. It was so fun seeing them tour and feeling like you, the reader, were getting a behind the scenes look at this up and coming band on their festival tour! This book held my attention and I didn't want to put it down! I couldn't read this fast enough and I can't recommend it enough!

I first fell in love with Axelrod’s work through “The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes”, the first book in the Lillys contemporary romance series, all featuring absolute rock star women. In this book, we follow the best drummer around—Kayla—as she tries to stay one step ahead of her secret identity getting out, and their booknerd, kilt wearing tour driver—Ty—as he tries to reclaim his life after being falsely accused of a crime. Both of them are trying to live their truth, while still hiding aspects of themselves that don’t represent the people they are. It was that connection—plus an absolute love of literature and the same taste in alt-rock music—that became the basis for this instant attraction, and slow burn romance where authenticity and consent are key.

There’s a lot going on in this book beside just the romance. You have Kayla, worried that the bands’ success is going to oust her as the inspiration for America’s perfect child—Little Miss Yolanda—and thus ruin her mother’s career, alongside working through her identity free of her mother’s domineering plan, plus the drama around the band courtesy of Candi (who you meet in the first book, but if you don’t read that one it’s fine, you still get the gist of what happened), and that’s just Kayla’s side of things. With Tyrell, you have his fear born from the false accusations and trying to move on from that, on top of him trying to rediscover the path he wants to take in life now, and managing his loyalty to his grandfather that is so deep and sweet that it sometimes holds him back from moving forward. The story is told in dual POV so you see both of these characters grow—together and separately—but there was a lot going on in between the tender moments. So much so that, at times, I wish the story was a bit tighter so we could focus a bit more on their romance. I say that mainly because I just adored Ty; he’s such a sweet and marvelous character—a kilt wearing bisexual and demisexual man? Uh, yes please!

I love the premise of this series though. All the members of the Lillys are so distinct and I can’t wait to see where their band goes and to get more of their stories. Right now, Toni and Seb’s story (the first in the series) is still my favorite mainly because Axelrod writes phenomenal second chance and friends to lover’s romances. I also thought Ty’s struggles were a bit more gripping than Kayla’s, but that’s probably just because we needed more time to unpack Kayla’s family drama which would have further taken the emphasis away from the romance, and that wouldn’t have been good, either (hence the 4 stars). It’s a tough place to be, for sure, but Axelrod still managed to tell a sweet love story with just enough steam to keep the reader warm at night. If you’re a fan of contemporary romances with a rock n’roll flare (Axelrod knows her stuff when it comes to the music industry and it’s always a treat to read) then you’re definitely going to want to read “Girls with Bad Reputations” and all the Lillys books, honestly. And thanks to Netgalley for providing an eARC for review!

Thank you so much for the ARC opportunity! This book comes out February 6th! A moment of silence for this cover please. Welcome to the 2nd stop of the Lillys Tour. I couldn’t wait to jump right back into this world after The Girl with Stars In Her Eyes. The Lillys are an all girl rock group & Girls with Bad Reputations features Kayla the drummer and Ty the tour bus driver 🤭 Ty has been through a lot lately so he’s still slowly processing and recovering through his own trauma. Kayla has been keeping her rockstar life a secret to remain the “perfect daughter”. Xio always knows how to write an amazing story. I can’t wait for more books!! 4/5 ⭐️

In this sequel to A Girl with Stars in her Eyes, I was anticipating what happened to my girl Toni and her new band. I was not expecting my heart to be pounding and to be filled with adrenaline while I accompanied this all female rock band as they navigated the highs and lows of achieving their musical dreams. Xio Axelrod weaves together a fantastic inside scoop into the festival music scene and a budding romance of two beautifully imperfect human beings, Kayla and Ty, and she does it so well in this book. I loved learning more about the band and everyone entangled in their pursuit, while also moving forward with them. I was excited, angry, happy, and devastated. This book kept me engaged and excited to find out what's next!

Do yourself a favor and queue up the music of The Lillys and bring this book to life! It will be a long time before I have either song out of my head and I cannot wait to get back into The Lillys' world in the next book and hopefully with more awesome music!

Thanks to the publisher & Netgalley for the complimentary e-ARC. All opinions provided are my own.

This powerhouse of a cover matches the vibe of these books by Xio Axelrod so well. Girls with Bad Reputations & the former, The Girl with Stars In Her Eyes, focus on members of the all-girl rock band The Lillys.

These books have such musical presence, you all. I feel like I’m at their concert during the musical scenes, only without the crush & stress of having to leave a crowded parking lot after ;) .

Girls with Bad Reputations, this upcoming release, features drummer Kayla, who's actually managed to keep her rocker life a secret from her demanding, reputation-focused mother, a prestigious professor & writer.

But The Lillys’ success is growing in this book, thanks to their talent & their hard work, & not only are those scenes really fun & magnetic to read, they also amp the stakes with Kayla emotionally. We know eventually everything will come out.

As Kayla travels the US with her band, she gets to know Ty, their bus driver who’s still processing trauma from being recently falsely accused by a classmate.

This friends to lovers story is a slow burn, with plenty of conversations & support & understanding to really cement their connection, & I love how they genuinely appreciate each other.

I wish the book had been a bit tighter in spots, but I’m such a fan of this premise & The Lillys & Axelrod really makes me feel the authenticity of it all. The experience of them.

4⭐️. Out 02/06.

[CWs: Ty was falsely accused by a classmate of plagiarism & assault. Death. Grandfather experiences a stroke.]

[ID: Jess’s white hand holds the ebook in front of many plants in a greenhouse. A brick wall is to the left and a path is underneath.]

An excellent second stop on The Lilys tour! Axelrod’s ability to drop readers into the music world is unmatched: whether we’re in the studio; on a tour bus; or watching the band from the pit (or the wings), it’s impossible not to get caught up in the musicality, the hard work and the excitement of it all. And then to throw found family, evil record industry execs, toxic friends, and ROMANCE into the mix!?!? It’s a recipe for success. I’d like to add that I really appreciated the care that Axelrod gives to Ty and Kayla - both are traumatized by experiences that continue to follow them around like ghosts, and in less experienced/empathic hands, this trauma could’ve been further exploited to ratchet up the drama. Thank you for giving them a safe place to heal. Can’t wait for the next stop on the tour.

A great follow up to a girl with stars in her eyes. I loved seeing the band dynamic again and fell in love with this couple as well.

I read the first 10% last night, but when I picked it up today and started reading, nothing came back to me. Unfortunately, the book and the characters are forgettable. I skimmed over briefly, and it’s easy enough to read and follow along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the ARC.