“There is no ‘somebody’ until somebody tells their story.”

If you’re looking for a book that encompasses the grit, glory, and darkness of rock and roll, this is the book for you. Taking place in the late 80s, Hot Wax explores a specific period in rock and roll and uses its characters to familiarize the reader with the rock and roll scene during that time.

M. L. Rio over the years has solidified herself as the visceral descriptions queen. I never feel more immersed in the sights, smells, and sounds of a scene than when I’m reading something she has written. It’s easy to get lost in the story, even with the dual timelines.

Suzanne is an interesting character, and I really enjoyed watching her relationships develop in the past and the present with her family, friends, and lovers. The novel felt like a slow and meandering unraveling of details that connected to one another over time. The pacing was a little slower around the middle, but overall I really enjoyed this novel, and Rio continues to be an auto buy author for me.

Let me tell you, I atteeeeeeee this up! I am such a sucker for anything (books, movies) set in the 70s & 80s and if you throw some Rock & Roll in there? Give it to me.

This story did not disappoint. From the very start, I was hooked. M.L. Rio’s writing is already captivating, but the eerie sense that something bad was coming only grew as the pages went on, keeping me glued to the book. The chemistry between Gill and the Kills was extraordinary. Half the time I had to remind myself I wasn’t watching a movie, because it truly felt like I was right there, live at their shows.

The back-and-forth between Suzanne’s past and present was so well done. In both timelines she’s facing struggles, but her past really hit me. She was just a kid! I had to keep reminding myself of that. And I loved how Rio would dropped reminder in there, like how excited she was over crayons or how much she still needed her dad. Yet everyone around her treated her like she was older, and I felt for her over and over again.

In her present, she’s still dealing with those ghosts. She spent so long trying to escape her past, and now she’s forced to confront it. I think the friends she made along the way really helped her heal. And then there’s Rob… her ex-husband. I have not words for that man.

I have to take a moment to talk about on of my favorite characters, Skelly. This one on the most well written characters I have come across. This man is a mystery, one minute you’re rooting for him, the next he’s giving you a pit in your stomach for a reason you can’t exactly pin point. Like a train wreck you couldn’t look away from. This story wouldn’t have been the same without him.

Back to the main plot.. there were so many moments where my heart was racing, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And when it finally did, it wasn’t as explosive as I expected. But honestly, I think that was the point. Every character got so lost in the chaos of the rock and roll lifestyle that they lost sight of everything else.

By the end, I think Suzanne finally found a little peace. But also, in many ways, became exactly like her dad. Just like she said she always would.

HIGHLY recommend snagging this one when is comes out in Sept (2025)! Also a big thank you to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for the eARC!

What better environment to raise a child than amidst the life of sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll?

Suzanne’s life hasn’t gone the way she expected, but to be fair, it never has. How could it when your father was a rock star? Now grown, her life has become dull and routine, with a husband who doesn’t quite understand her and is desperate for a family. Suzanne leaves it all behind after learning her father has died. Road tripping across the country alongside a polyamorous mechanic and thrifting couple, Suzanne craves the excitement and recklessness of a touring band, but she finds it may be more than she bargained for. Presented with dual timelines, Rio’s full-length follow-up to her acclaimed If We Were Villains, takes a decidedly different turn, less a thriller and more of a literary character study. Excelling in presenting fully realized characters, readers will feel that they know Suzanne, loathing her, loving her, and understanding her generational trauma as they would an old friend. However, fans of Villains may be disappointed with the pacing and meandering plot as the story gives itself plenty of time to breathe, but reaches a breakneck pace in the final third that may not feel fully earned. Still, those looking for a grittier alternative to Daisy and Jones and the Six will delight in the Rio’s skill for drama and the familiar 1980s rock archetypes throughout the novel's flashback sequence.

Unafraid to move at its own tempo, Hot Wax is a nuanced depiction of the ripple effects of childhood trauma.

It is so obvious that ML Rio knows music. It was fun to read. I will say that at times it felt repetitive and redundant during the concert scenes. This isn't a topic that I particularly care about, and I much prefer If we were villains but it was cool and different.

Oh this book is just... cool. It's punk rock, 80s hair band nostalgia. I felt like I was reading Lisa Marie Presley's story in a way. Maybe it was because of the Elvis references, but damn growing up in a rockstar family has to be rough. This is going to get compared constantly to Daisy Jones and the Six, and I think that does a disservice to the absolute trauma our FMC went though from her parents. What happens when you're brought up in a rock'n'roll family riding the waves of getting famous? And then it all stops. What are you even left with? This is such a unique story about finding your way, overcoming your grief, and respecting but letting go of your trauma. I want to be friends with Suzanne. I want to give her a hug and tell her she's not difficult. AND I want to throat punch both of her parents. Ugh. This is a visceral story. I felt like I was living these moments thanks to ML Rio's superb writing and character development. I "loved" the flashbacks, and it's clear Rio has a deep love of music. Good read if you're a music buff.

M.L. Rio’s Hot Wax is a dual-timeline novel that follows Suzanne’s life in two distinct eras: her childhood during the 1980s rock scene and her present as a nearly 40-year-old adult trying to find her footing.

The novel’s structure is a clever nod to vinyl records, with “A Side” chapters following the 1989 timeline and “B Side” chapters set in 2018. As a child of divorce, Suzanne lives a stable life with her mother but longs for a closer relationship with her father, Gil, an aspiring rocker often on the road. Her love of music becomes a way to maintain their connection. When her mother remarries and goes on her honeymoon, 10-year-old Suzanne finally gets the opportunity to join her dad on tour, just as his band, Gil and the Kills, begins to gain momentum and popularity.

Twenty-nine years later, Suzanne is amid a divorce and has just learned of her father’s death. We quickly discover they have been estranged for a long time, but the reason remains a mystery. It’s clear that Suzanne is unhappy living a quiet, suburban life and has lost herself along the way. After inheriting her father’s beloved car, she embarks on a cross-country road trip. The journey becomes a desperate search for answers and a way to confront her shattered childhood.

This is my third book by M.L. Rio, and it's a compelling departure from her previous work. While her other novels lean into gothic-tinged mysteries, Hot Wax feels more like a raw, literary exploration of trauma and identity, all set to the authentic soundtrack of the 80s rock scene.

Fair warning: this one had a bit of a slow start for me, but things really pick up midway through. The story gets gnarly and gritty, full of drama and trauma, and the ambiguous ending has stuck with me long after I finished. Be sure to check your triggers before you dive in!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing an early copy for review! All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC.

Hot Wax was a story that was both nostalgic and tragic. The book is definitely an ode to music lovers. And while the “rock ‘n roll” lifestyle does seem romanticized, which in the eyes of an 11 yr old it definitely is, M.L Rio also does not hold back from the harsh realities that so often plagued the touring musician.

I do feel like the marketing missed the mark as I came into this thinking it was a thriller. While there are some “mystery” elements, overall I would say this is a coming of age story for our main character, Suzanne. Suzanne is a flawed and struggling middle aged woman, trying to make sense of her life after growing up with an unconventional childhood. Left to deal with the complexities of growing up too fast and no doubt with unresolved trauma, Suzanne sets out to find herself and answers about her father.

I unfortunately did not find our FMC likeable and really only liked one side character. The story is told with two timelines, past and present. I found myself enjoying “young” Suzanne’s story more. I personally felt like the character development was lacking in certain areas and made some of the choices the characters made seem rash and unrealistic.

Overall this was an entertaining read and I would recommend it to any one who enjoys a coming of age story, and those who love Rock and Roll. 🤘🏼

Many thanks to Simon and Schuster for the e-ARC via NetGalley!

Wow. I. Wow. Did this take me like two months to read? Yes. The mood was never right for me to finish it but I locked in between yesterday and today and I'm so so glad I did. I like this even more than IWWV. And I LOVED IWWV. Suzanne trying to find herself is honestly relatable. Also like FUCK ROB. FUCK ROB. That guy sucks so much ass.

Good thriller--I knew something bad happened but not to who until about 78% of the way through. Honestly? I'd love to hear Gil and the Kills' music. It sounds like my kinda jam.

M.L. Rio is back and she came swinging. Hot Wax is simultaneously the dreadfully gorgeous prose you remember from IWWV, but with a hot, dirty, sweaty twist. The way that Rio writes this story puts you right there in the moment. There were so many times where I could vividly see through Suzanne's eyes, feel the heat, hear the guitars... That was the true rock 'n roll magic of Hot Wax.

The beginning of this novel is slow, unfortunately almost painfully so, flipping between two main timelines (and a few more vignettes). While the writing is gorgeous, you really have to trust that Rio is going to bring the story back around. And does she? Mostly. Again, the first 60% of this book is achingly slow. Much of this novel is a character study of Suzanne, a 40 something queer woman who is finally figuring out who she is and what kind of life she wants while un-burying and beginning to process her childhood trauma. In the past, she's along for her dad's tour, watching him fly closer and closer to the sun. Once the story really kicks in, you've gotten to know Suzanne so well that you can't stop reading about the final shows (in the past) and the final leg of her journey (in the present).

I say "mostly" because there is one element of Hot Wax that brought it down from a 5 star read to 4. Suzanne's ex husband. Suzanne's ex-husband, Rob, is the worst. He has a POV that comes up way too often throughout Hot Wax, and for what? I genuinely do not think that Rob's POV added to this story in any way, but it did detract from it. Being in Rob's head was not fun in any way and all of the information about Suzanne and Rob's marriage could easily have been fed to us through Suzanne's own POV. So why do we get Rob's POV? In my opinion, this is just to fill out page count & take a longer time building up to the shocking climax. But I think the climax(es) would have been better without it. This book could've been 50-100 pages shorter (however many pages Rob's POV took up) and it would've been better off for it. Without Rob's POV, this is easily a 5 star read.

I really enjoyed Hot Wax, especially in how different the setting was to Rio's previous work. The writing puts you right into this world and I can still see the desert when I close my eyes.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for this e-arc of Hot Wax.

This book has so many elements that I love. Multiple plot points, multiple timelines, music, fame, and roadtrips. Hot Wax is atmospheric and emotional, tense, and a book that smacks you in the face when you least expect it. Really loved this one and look forward to reading more from M.L. Rio.

i was not expecting this from ml rio! consider me pleasantly surprised. it took me some time to get into the story, but after about 100 pages i was connecting to the plot, the characters, and curious about where it would go. i love music so much and i feel like there's a bit overconsumption going on right now but i think if you enjoy deep cuts, daisy jones or sounds like love, this one's for you.

I've previously read one thing from this author, Graveyard Shift, and didn't really love it, so I'm interested why I was so intrigued by this book. Its not really my type of novel, and I don't have a good record with this author, so I blaming the fact that I didn't like it up to those two points. This isn't necessarily a bad book, its got good writing, an interesting plot, and a hell of a main character, so I expect it to be a hit for so many people when it releases, which I look forward to as I'll broadly recommend it, but it just was not for me. I will look out for backlist and future releases from this author.

Love it. Vibes are amazing. M.L. Rio knows how to WRITE. it’s whimsical, lyrical, and vibrant. It’s not too wordy, but insanely immersive. It’s witty, poetic, a tragic story of childhood trauma and growing up in the world of rock n roll.
I felt fully immersed and apart of the chaos.

Thank you Simon and Schuster and Net galley for the ARC of Hot Wax! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

In Hot Wax, M. L. Rio spins a gritty, immersive tale of memory, music, and metastasized trauma. We toggle between two timelines:
1989: Suzanne, ten years old, escapes her suburban life when her father’s band, Gil and the Kills, hits the road—and everything spirals from there.
Present Day (41): Suzanne is trapped in a dull suburban marriage. Her father’s sudden death pulls her back into his world—and onto the highway—for a quest to reclaim her past. Driven by dual timelines, rock music’s gritty allure, and simmering violence, the narrative crescendos into a bloody double-climax.

Hot Wax is a seductive, edgy road-trip thriller that pulses with rock-and-roll energy and emotional volatility. Rio channels If We Were Villains–level prose into a new, carnal terrain. This one’s for you if you crave:
Moral ambiguity, complex characters, and slow-burn reveals,
Descriptions that overwhelm your senses with grit and sound
Stories where trauma, obsession, and desire crash into one another

But keep your patience ready: this is a mood piece first, and a plot-driven thriller second. If you want speed, skip it—if you want to feel every note, Hot Wax will sear into you.

M.L. Rio's storytelling is unmatched every single time. In combination with the atmospheric and immersive writing, it is no doubt that she is an incredible author. I felt as though I was in the book during the 80s and 90s on the road with my rockstar father. All of the small details contributed to an accurate depiction of this time period which can sometimes lack with this genre.

Another aspect of this novel that I truly appreciated was the pacing. It was perfection. There was a dual timeline, following Suzanne at 11 years old and at 40 years old. They were referred to as "Side A" and "Side B." I adored this minor detail because it incorporated the music themes. Having both child and adult viewpoints made me understand Suzanne so much more.

I want to preface that this is NOT a bad book. I just did not resonate with the characters and this storyline. This might not have been a book for me, but it definitely will be a book for many. I don't completely love this type of storyline because I find it lacking at some times. This is the reason for the 3 star rating. Even though I did not love this book, I will continue to read this author's works because no matter what, the writing style never lets me down.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and M.L. Rio for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! Hot Wax is published on September 9, 2025!

This slow burn, character driven journey into our MC’s childhood trauma at the hands of her father’s rock band and her mother’s misunderstanding was definitely a compelling and immersive read, but something about it didn’t totally click for me. The dual timeline was really interesting and by the end I definitely felt deeply for our MC Suzanne. I love the theme of reclaiming your past, but I just wish this one would have had a bit cleaner of an ending.

I think the real downfall of this book was my own too-high expectations truthfully. I wish I could put my finger on what exactly I didn't love about this, but all I know is that I felt like I was separated from the story by a glass pane and wanted to feel more immersed.

3.5 stars rounded up

I went into this book with a unique perspective. I was not a fan of M.L. Rio’s If We Were Villains, which I think was a benefit to me as I would not be comparing the two as I read this one. I also didn’t really read the description before I read this so I had no idea what I was in for.

So I’m going to say it: as far as books chronicling rock bands go, I do think this one was more successful than Daisy Jones & the Six. This book really captured the grit and chaos that goes on during a tour better than Daisy Jones I think. That being said I had the same gripe with this book that I had with Daisy Jones: the present day sections just don’t work for me. The sections during the tour are just so compelling that when we switch to van life and marital problems in the present day, I just can’t bring myself to care.

That being said I think the A side sections are so strong. A problem I had with If We Were Villains was I thought the cast of characters were underdeveloped to the point where they just felt like stock characters. This was not a problem in this book. I love all the rich and complex characters of the band and how we see them through Suzanne’s eyes as they fall from grace. Overall, very strong character work.

This book was great and I’m looking forward to reading more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the eARC!

I went into this expecting a thriller but it is a dual timeline coming of age and slice of life story. It heavily leans literary fiction.

I felt like there was too much set up for not enough pay off. There doesn’t feel like any character growth really, as the characters seemed to be set from the start, we are just figuring out how they got to that point.

None of the relationships felt satisfying to me so it was difficult to hold onto anything. I found Suzanne to be an interesting protagonist but there was nothing about her character that made me feel like I want to know more or go deeper.

Not sure if it was the confusing marketing, or the fact that I read some great LitFic recently and this didn’t hold up to that. It wasn’t bad, but I don’t know that I would have read it, had I understood what I was getting.

Disclosure: I received a gifted ARC and eARC from the publisher. No review was required and all thoughts were my own.

How do you reconcile the trauma of childhood when the rock 'n' roll stops and you're left alone in silence?

Book Stats:
📖: 383 pages
Genre: Adult Fiction
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Format: Physical Arc from publisher
Series: Standalone

Themes:
💫: Reclaiming your past
💫: Reckoning with your childhood
💫: Discovering yourself

🥵: Spice: 🚫
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.

General Thoughts:
Based on the marketing for this novel, I went into this novel expecting a thriller/suspense novel. But really what I got was more of a literary fiction. That's not to say there wasn't some mystery surrounding the plot line, because there definitely was. but the way it was written really did not unfold like a mystery novel.

This is a dual timeline format that really worked for me with this novel. I really like the way the timelines gave information on each other as they were told. I really liked the title chapters and I wish more people would go back to that instead of just simple numbers.

This book definitely had an air of 80s rock 'n' roll. With a splash of punk to add to it. I did kind of guess Suzanne's major problem with her childhood partway through the book just based on interactions with various people in the past timeline. But it didn't ruin the book for me overall, and I felt the way everything unraveled was still well really well done.

The author did leave some parts of the ending a little ambiguous so that you may draw your own conclusion, but it still felt wrapped up to me at the end. I feel like this book will be one that stays with me for a while because it felt so emotional Throughout for all the characters. And that really got into my head.

It is hard to describe how this book made me feel because I did not feel overly emotional while reading the novel, but emotions definitely flooded me at the end when I realized the amount of emotional trauma that Suzanne went through throughout her life. And how deeply scarred she was from it. It was upon reflection that I really felt the gravity of the novel.

Honestly, if I was asked, I would say the real villain of this novel is Nora. And I stand by that.

WhileI still think If We Were Villains is my top read by this author, this book was definitely worth the pages and will be a recommended novel from me. I can't wait to see what else the author comes up with.

Disclaimer: I read this book as a physical ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I desperately wanted to love this. A love letter to music and billed as a thriller, I was sold. While it may be the first part, a thriller it is not. I’d say it’s closer to a coming of age story, but our protagonist is in her early 40s. And yes, music is center stage in this novel, it’s more like a college radio station. Just enough of a few familiar bands to interest you and a whole lot of fringe that doesn’t quite fit and you’re left feeling awkward and out of the loop.

All of those things I could give a pass to, if the pacing had worked. I’m all about a slow burn, but this seemed to languish on going nowhere. At almost halfway though I still didn’t know what was going on. The time jumps helped enlighten a few things, but we spent so long in the past, I’d forgotten the present day story. It just came out disjointed. Even now I’m not entirely sure what Suzanne was trying to achieve. It’s written beautifully, mind you. It’s that absolutely nothing is happening.The majority of time I spent reading I was asking (and begging) for something, anything to happen.

If you are a fan of a slow burn, deeply introspective mission to find yourself, I think you’d enjoy this. Perhaps if I’d read this at a different time in my life, I would have enjoyed the song.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing this ARC for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.