If you came to Hot Wax hoping for a campus novel, or a follow up to Villains, you’ll be in for a bit of a shock. But if you came for Rio’s gorgeously rich writing and gift for character building, Hot Wax will delight you.

With her ever delicious writing, Rio takes you on winding roads through America, A sides and B sides, in a love letter to music, and the heady power of rock and roll.

As ever, characters are as richly grey as in reality, yet somehow you hope against all odds for a happy ending just out of reach. Suzanne and Gil and Skelly come to life without you needing to love them to devour the pages of their story.

A novel you in turns won’t want to put down, but need to slowly savour, Hot Wax is a triumph.

This book is very different than Rio's other two works, but it has her trademark style and voice.

I'm not a huge fan of contemporary books with "modern" life references (social media, pop culture etc.), but it works here. I didn't realise how his book would feel more like a memoir of a fictional character than anything.

It's an emotional story that jumps back and forth through time. It was interesting reading about the same character at two different ages and seeing her life unfold in bits and pieces, slowly putting the messy tapestry of her life together.

I read the bulk of this book in one long sitting (laying in bed, staying up late into the wee hours of the morning) and I think that made the experience so much better. I shed tears, but I also felt my heart race with adrenaline as if I was on stage with the Kills.

It occured to me after finishing this one just how much time plays a factor in Rio's writing. Both Hot Wax and If We Were Villains switch back and forth between the present and the past, and Graveyard Shift takes place all in one night, with timesamps to track the chapters. I find this a fascinating authorial mark, and would love to ask Rio about it (one day!). Someone else referred to it as a sort of 'coming-of-age' story, and I think that fits well too.

This book is for die-hard Rio fans (who will read her grocery list), those who enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six, those who are music buffs, those looking to rediscover a spark in their life, enjoyers of stories about disfunctional family, family trauma, and anyone looking for a summer standalone.

One of my absolute favourite books I've read this year - I can't recommend this one enough! I am a fan of M.L. Rio's If We Were Villains, didn't love Graveyard Shift. but this one was near perfect to me.

The POV from Suzanne's childhood is moody and atmospheric, you really feel like you're on the road with Suzanne on an off kilter, not entirely kid-friendly joyride with a rock band that is exploding in popularity and always dangerously close to falling apart at the seams. Suzanne's adult POV had such a lovely arc of self-recognition, freedom and love, and a revenge plot that is by turns infuriating and satisfying. M.L. Rio is great with descriptive language and I thought this was perfect for a book where a love for music and rock and roll is so palpable, the descriptions jump off the page. I also adored the complex daughter-father relationship Suzanne has with Gil, from her idol to near-strangers. I can't wait for this to hit shelves so I can give it to as many people as I can!

Thank you to the publisher for the arc and the e-arc! I'm so happy I got to read this one.