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Battle of the Bands
Fifteen young adult authors and one real-life rock star band together for one epic—and interconnected—take on a memorable high school rite of passage.
A daughter of rock ’n’ roll royalty has a secret crush. A lonely ticket taker worries about his sister. An almost-famous songwriter nurses old wounds. A stage manager tires of being behind the scenes. A singer-songwriter struggles to untangle her feelings for her best friend and his girlfriend. In this live-out-loud anthology, the disparate protagonists of sixteen stories are thrown together for one unforgettable event: their high school’s battle of the bands. Told in a harmonic blend of first- and third-person narrative voices, roughly chronological short stories offer a kaleidoscopic view of the same transformative night. Featuring an entry from Justin Courtney Pierre, lead vocalist of Motion City Soundtrack, Battle of the Bands is a celebration of youth, music, and meeting the challenges of life head-on.
A daughter of rock ’n’ roll royalty has a secret crush. A lonely ticket taker worries about his sister. An almost-famous songwriter nurses old wounds. A stage manager tires of being behind the scenes. A singer-songwriter struggles to untangle her feelings for her best friend and his girlfriend. In this live-out-loud anthology, the disparate protagonists of sixteen stories are thrown together for one unforgettable event: their high school’s battle of the bands. Told in a harmonic blend of first- and third-person narrative voices, roughly chronological short stories offer a kaleidoscopic view of the same transformative night. Featuring an entry from Justin Courtney Pierre, lead vocalist of Motion City Soundtrack, Battle of the Bands is a celebration of youth, music, and meeting the challenges of life head-on.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 7, 2021
About the author
Lauren Gibaldi
8 books317 followersPublic librarian and author of THE NIGHT WE SAID YES, MATT'S STORY (a Night We Said Yes novella), AUTOFOCUS, and THIS TINY PERFECT WORLD, all with HarperTeen / HarperCollins. Fan of dinosaurs and cheesy jokes. And you.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 104 reviews
August 26, 2021
I have a story in this, but it’s still an excellent book.
October 15, 2021
This was a lot of fun. The conceit to these interconnected stories is that they all occur at the same high school battle of the bands which leads to the reappearance of characters, callbacks to earlier stories, and viewing of events from other perspectives (sometimes handled cheesily, sometimes well). It does give the impression that this high school has SO. MUCH. DRAMA.
But y'all it was good drama; YA stories about love, and friendship, and family, and betrayal, and self-betrayal, and self-discovery, all of the drama that you get into in your teen years (and never really stop getting into if you keep growing, to be honest. Maybe a little less messy and with less cheese as you get older. But maybe not.).
With different authors for each chapter (and different POVs and different main bands / characters) there are some big shifts in tone (and presentation and characterization of some people like the music teacher MC) but it's a nice reminder that different people see the world very differently. And in general the editors did a good job keeping things from getting too out of whack. A good read if you are a teen, know a teen, are in a band, know a band, or enjoy music and stories of self-discovery.
**Thanks to the editors, authors, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
But y'all it was good drama; YA stories about love, and friendship, and family, and betrayal, and self-betrayal, and self-discovery, all of the drama that you get into in your teen years (and never really stop getting into if you keep growing, to be honest. Maybe a little less messy and with less cheese as you get older. But maybe not.).
With different authors for each chapter (and different POVs and different main bands / characters) there are some big shifts in tone (and presentation and characterization of some people like the music teacher MC) but it's a nice reminder that different people see the world very differently. And in general the editors did a good job keeping things from getting too out of whack. A good read if you are a teen, know a teen, are in a band, know a band, or enjoy music and stories of self-discovery.
**Thanks to the editors, authors, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Read
January 31, 2022so i was very impressed with the level of interconnectedness and i thought it was very cool and well-done but it did mean many of the stories blurred together, especially the ones revolving around dating/crushes/romantic relationships
--pre-read
You had me at "interconnected stories" because (shockingly, I know) I have a weakness and it is
get this
interconnected stories
--pre-read
You had me at "interconnected stories" because (shockingly, I know) I have a weakness and it is
get this
interconnected stories
Read
March 12, 2021Unofficially: This was so. Much. Fun. It brought me waaaay back to going to shows with friends, both little and big, in high school, and reminded me how much life benefits from a soundtrack. The ways some of the stories tie together is SO cute, and honestly I could've read another ten of them. Love to see both some familiar faves in here and some authors I've never seen tackle short form before!
Officially: Empowering, hilarious, romantic, and wildly fun, Battle of the Bands perfectly captures both the magic of music and the drama of competition. It’s hands down my new favorite playlist.
Officially: Empowering, hilarious, romantic, and wildly fun, Battle of the Bands perfectly captures both the magic of music and the drama of competition. It’s hands down my new favorite playlist.
September 20, 2021
So... I have been seeing this book literally EVERYWHERE. It has been all over my feed for weeks.. and from the moment I saw the title I KNEW it would be right up my alley.
Before I was obsessed with books, I was obsessed with bands..I grew up in the Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore, Boys Like Girls, The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, Warped Tour scene..
This book BROUGHT me back to those days. Back to going to shows with friends, spending all of our money on merch, standing for hours in line to make it to the barricade, that feeling when the lights went dim just before the bands took the stage..
It was incredible to get such a great line up of authors, coupled with so many great references...
It's incredible to me that so many authors were able to craft such a seamless story with such few pages per story.
Overall this book was a lot of fun, with some really incredible heartfelt and empowering moments. I loved how character based and relatable every single story was, and how each story felt unified, yet so distinct.
Highly recommend adding this to your reading queue!
Before I was obsessed with books, I was obsessed with bands..I grew up in the Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco, Paramore, Boys Like Girls, The Academy Is..., Cobra Starship, Warped Tour scene..
This book BROUGHT me back to those days. Back to going to shows with friends, spending all of our money on merch, standing for hours in line to make it to the barricade, that feeling when the lights went dim just before the bands took the stage..
It was incredible to get such a great line up of authors, coupled with so many great references...
It's incredible to me that so many authors were able to craft such a seamless story with such few pages per story.
Overall this book was a lot of fun, with some really incredible heartfelt and empowering moments. I loved how character based and relatable every single story was, and how each story felt unified, yet so distinct.
Highly recommend adding this to your reading queue!
August 21, 2021
Individual story ratings:
Miss Somewhere by Brittany Cavallaro: 3⭐️
Cecilia (You’re Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston: 4⭐️
Sidelines by Sarah Nicole Smetana: 3.5⭐️
Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian: 3⭐️
Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson: 3⭐️
You Found Me by Ashley Woodfolk: 3.5⭐️
Adventures in Babysitting by Justin Courtney Pierre: 3⭐️
Peanut Butter Sandwiches by Jasmine Warga: 4.5⭐️
Reckless Love by Jay Coles: 3⭐️
The Ride by Jenn Marie Thorne: 3⭐️
Three Chords by Eric Smith: 4⭐️
Merch to Do About Nothing by Preeti Chhibber: 4.5⭐️
All these Friends and Lovers by Katie Cotugno: 5⭐️
A Small Light by Jenny Torres Sanchez: 4.5⭐️
Set the World on Fire by Lauren Gibaldi: 4.5⭐️
The Sisterhood of Light and Sound by Jeff Zentner: 4⭐️
General thoughts:
This anthology was such a fun collection of interwoven short stories for music lovers or anyone looking to enjoy the drama and romance of a night spent at a high school production.
I’ve never read a story collection like this one before! I loved that the stories were interconnected and they each pulled small elements from each other. It made for one whole cohesive story with so many different voices. I’d love to know what the writing process was like and how the authors pulled this off! Each story was good on its own but the way they all created a larger narrative together was so special.
Everything came really full circle in the end which was fitting for the theme and inclusion of feel-good stories with happy endings. I also really appreciated the diversity within the stories from race to gender identity to sexual orientation. This is always so important in literature, especially in a coming of age book like this one.
This was such a fun read and I hope to find more books and anthologies like this in the future!
Miss Somewhere by Brittany Cavallaro: 3⭐️
Cecilia (You’re Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston: 4⭐️
Sidelines by Sarah Nicole Smetana: 3.5⭐️
Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian: 3⭐️
Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson: 3⭐️
You Found Me by Ashley Woodfolk: 3.5⭐️
Adventures in Babysitting by Justin Courtney Pierre: 3⭐️
Peanut Butter Sandwiches by Jasmine Warga: 4.5⭐️
Reckless Love by Jay Coles: 3⭐️
The Ride by Jenn Marie Thorne: 3⭐️
Three Chords by Eric Smith: 4⭐️
Merch to Do About Nothing by Preeti Chhibber: 4.5⭐️
All these Friends and Lovers by Katie Cotugno: 5⭐️
A Small Light by Jenny Torres Sanchez: 4.5⭐️
Set the World on Fire by Lauren Gibaldi: 4.5⭐️
The Sisterhood of Light and Sound by Jeff Zentner: 4⭐️
General thoughts:
This anthology was such a fun collection of interwoven short stories for music lovers or anyone looking to enjoy the drama and romance of a night spent at a high school production.
I’ve never read a story collection like this one before! I loved that the stories were interconnected and they each pulled small elements from each other. It made for one whole cohesive story with so many different voices. I’d love to know what the writing process was like and how the authors pulled this off! Each story was good on its own but the way they all created a larger narrative together was so special.
Everything came really full circle in the end which was fitting for the theme and inclusion of feel-good stories with happy endings. I also really appreciated the diversity within the stories from race to gender identity to sexual orientation. This is always so important in literature, especially in a coming of age book like this one.
This was such a fun read and I hope to find more books and anthologies like this in the future!
Want to read
August 8, 2019this is everything i could ever want????!!!!!!
September 13, 2021
⭐⭐⭐. 5
Because sometimes, even a small light matters.
Because sometimes, even a small light matters.
September 15, 2021
I enjoyed the theme of this book, centering around a battle of the bands competition. Some characters are members of the band, some are stage crew or ticket takers, one is even a judge. There are cute romances, terrible exes, and some pretty good songs. Each story interconnects with the others, showing us the bands in the show and who wins it all.
I think there were too many stories in this, making each one very short. Some didn't seem to have a lot going on and I wanted to get to know the characters more. It was difficult keeping track of so many people and how they all fit in to the story. If there were half the stories, they could have taken more time to develop and I would have enjoyed this more.
I did love that so many of the stories had LGBTQ characters. Some of them got together with someone they'd been crushing on and it was pretty adorable. There's also a theme of going for what you want, not letting others hold you back, and living your true self. This is a fun book and super quick to get through.
The audiobook has several narrators to help differentiate each story, which helped a lot. There's also some music which fit the theme well and brought a bit of rock into the book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy
I think there were too many stories in this, making each one very short. Some didn't seem to have a lot going on and I wanted to get to know the characters more. It was difficult keeping track of so many people and how they all fit in to the story. If there were half the stories, they could have taken more time to develop and I would have enjoyed this more.
I did love that so many of the stories had LGBTQ characters. Some of them got together with someone they'd been crushing on and it was pretty adorable. There's also a theme of going for what you want, not letting others hold you back, and living your true self. This is a fun book and super quick to get through.
The audiobook has several narrators to help differentiate each story, which helped a lot. There's also some music which fit the theme well and brought a bit of rock into the book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy
September 26, 2021
Full Review on The Candid Cover
Battle of the Bands edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith is an upbeat anthology of interconnected stories about a battle of the bands competition. I loved the wide range of perspectives, featuring characters with differing relationships to the event, and each of the works within it are strong. The audiobook version is equally engaging, and the full cast makes the world of the contest feel like a real community. This is a great read for those looking for something quick that will leave them with a smile on their face.
This anthology features interconnected stories all centred around a high school battle of the bands contest. As a big fan of books about music, and an even bigger fan of books about competition, I was so excited to see 15 different stories with common themes of finding your place and working hard to achieve your dreams. I loved the way the stories are in dialogue with each other, with some characters making appearances in multiple authors’ contributions, and the wide range of perspectives and relationships to the competition, from a lead singer to a judge to a stage manager, is well-executed. While each story is about the same event, they all feel unique as all angles of the competition are included.
❀ AN ENJOYABLE ANTHOLOGY
I always find anthologies difficult to review since there are always a few stories that are inevitably a miss for me. However, this is one of the rare cases where I genuinely enjoyed each one, and I came away a list of new authors to check out. I especially enjoyed Preeti Chhibber’s contribution, following two people in charge of the merch table, and Lauren Gibaldi’s story, which stars the stage manager who is sick of being in the background. Out of all of them, Katie Cotugno’s work, “All These Friends and Lovers,” might have been my favourite. The characters are so well-written, and she packs so much into such a short space, somehow making the short story feel fully developed.
❀ NARRATED BY A FULL CAST
Listening to the audiobook version of this book was a surprising and enjoyable experience. The anthology is narrated by a full cast, which each story read by someone new, and I found that each narrator suited their section so well. I wasn’t expecting so many different voices, and I loved the way this makes the world of Battle of the Bands feel like a real community. The variety of narrators also helped me keep the stories separate, and I would definitely recommend this format.
❀ WIDE RANGE OF STORIES
Battle of the Bands edited by Lauren Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith is a unique and entertaining anthology about the titular battle of the bands competition. I loved the wide range of stories within it, and I had many favourites. The audiobook version is also well-produced, with a full cast that captures the community of the event. Everyone, whether a music fan or a music hater, is sure to find something for them in the pages of this book.
Battle of the Bands edited by Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith is an upbeat anthology of interconnected stories about a battle of the bands competition. I loved the wide range of perspectives, featuring characters with differing relationships to the event, and each of the works within it are strong. The audiobook version is equally engaging, and the full cast makes the world of the contest feel like a real community. This is a great read for those looking for something quick that will leave them with a smile on their face.
This anthology features interconnected stories all centred around a high school battle of the bands contest. As a big fan of books about music, and an even bigger fan of books about competition, I was so excited to see 15 different stories with common themes of finding your place and working hard to achieve your dreams. I loved the way the stories are in dialogue with each other, with some characters making appearances in multiple authors’ contributions, and the wide range of perspectives and relationships to the competition, from a lead singer to a judge to a stage manager, is well-executed. While each story is about the same event, they all feel unique as all angles of the competition are included.
❀ AN ENJOYABLE ANTHOLOGY
I always find anthologies difficult to review since there are always a few stories that are inevitably a miss for me. However, this is one of the rare cases where I genuinely enjoyed each one, and I came away a list of new authors to check out. I especially enjoyed Preeti Chhibber’s contribution, following two people in charge of the merch table, and Lauren Gibaldi’s story, which stars the stage manager who is sick of being in the background. Out of all of them, Katie Cotugno’s work, “All These Friends and Lovers,” might have been my favourite. The characters are so well-written, and she packs so much into such a short space, somehow making the short story feel fully developed.
❀ NARRATED BY A FULL CAST
Listening to the audiobook version of this book was a surprising and enjoyable experience. The anthology is narrated by a full cast, which each story read by someone new, and I found that each narrator suited their section so well. I wasn’t expecting so many different voices, and I loved the way this makes the world of Battle of the Bands feel like a real community. The variety of narrators also helped me keep the stories separate, and I would definitely recommend this format.
❀ WIDE RANGE OF STORIES
Battle of the Bands edited by Lauren Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith is a unique and entertaining anthology about the titular battle of the bands competition. I loved the wide range of stories within it, and I had many favourites. The audiobook version is also well-produced, with a full cast that captures the community of the event. Everyone, whether a music fan or a music hater, is sure to find something for them in the pages of this book.
October 25, 2021
Overall rating based on my gut: 4 stars 🌟
Not every story was a winner for me but none were horrible, just "meh/okay" . A couple writers I may check out down the line:)
I think a recorded soundtrack is an interesting idea 💡 for this *hint hint* ;-)
---
Individual story ratings:
Cecilia (You're Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston : 3 stars 🌟"
Miss Somewhere by Brittany Cavallaro : 3 stars 🌟
Sidelines by Sarah Nicole Smetana: 3.5 stars 🌟"
Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian - 3 stars 🌟
Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson- 3.5 stars 🌟"
You found me by Ashley Woodfolk - 4 stars 🌟
Adventures in babysitting by Justin Courtney Pierre - 4 stars 🌟"
Peanut butter sandwiches 🥪 by Jasmine Warga - 3 stars 🌟
Reckless Love by Jay Coles - 4 stars 🌟"
The Ride by Jenn Marie Thorne - 3 stars 🌟
Three Chords - 3.5 stars 🌟"
Merch to do about nothing by Preeti Chhibber - 2.5 stars 🌟
All these friends and lovers 3 stars 🌟"
A Small light by Jenny Torres Sanchez - 3.25 stars 🌟"
Set the World on Fire by Lauren Gibaldi - 4 stars 🌟
Sisterhood of Light and Sound by Jeff Zentner- 4 stars 🌟"
Not every story was a winner for me but none were horrible, just "meh/okay" . A couple writers I may check out down the line:)
I think a recorded soundtrack is an interesting idea 💡 for this *hint hint* ;-)
---
Individual story ratings:
Cecilia (You're Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston : 3 stars 🌟"
Miss Somewhere by Brittany Cavallaro : 3 stars 🌟
Sidelines by Sarah Nicole Smetana: 3.5 stars 🌟"
Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian - 3 stars 🌟
Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson- 3.5 stars 🌟"
You found me by Ashley Woodfolk - 4 stars 🌟
Adventures in babysitting by Justin Courtney Pierre - 4 stars 🌟"
Peanut butter sandwiches 🥪 by Jasmine Warga - 3 stars 🌟
Reckless Love by Jay Coles - 4 stars 🌟"
The Ride by Jenn Marie Thorne - 3 stars 🌟
Three Chords - 3.5 stars 🌟"
Merch to do about nothing by Preeti Chhibber - 2.5 stars 🌟
All these friends and lovers 3 stars 🌟"
A Small light by Jenny Torres Sanchez - 3.25 stars 🌟"
Set the World on Fire by Lauren Gibaldi - 4 stars 🌟
Sisterhood of Light and Sound by Jeff Zentner- 4 stars 🌟"
September 14, 2021
I received this book free from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
I gave this book 4.25 stars
This book had it all! Cute/funny stories and some a bit sadder stories. I'm glad both the authors and the characters are diverse. With some new to me authors as well as some new authors I'd never heard of but now want to check out their other works. The stories wove together beautifully, and everything came full circle which I enjoyed. Though some of the stories I wish were longer or made into their own books!
An overall a great anthology!
I gave this book 4.25 stars
This book had it all! Cute/funny stories and some a bit sadder stories. I'm glad both the authors and the characters are diverse. With some new to me authors as well as some new authors I'd never heard of but now want to check out their other works. The stories wove together beautifully, and everything came full circle which I enjoyed. Though some of the stories I wish were longer or made into their own books!
An overall a great anthology!
October 21, 2021
This was one of the best short story collections I read in a while. There wasn’t a story that I didn’t enjoy, some I liked more than others, but I think that’s fair with so many different stories combined in one book.
What I liked most is, that all the stories take place on the same evening and the same event, a battle of the Bands. We met some characters in different stories and, even though they were totally different stories, there was a final story with a conclusion to everything.
If you, like me, want to read more anthologies, I really recommend this book.
What I liked most is, that all the stories take place on the same evening and the same event, a battle of the Bands. We met some characters in different stories and, even though they were totally different stories, there was a final story with a conclusion to everything.
If you, like me, want to read more anthologies, I really recommend this book.
September 3, 2021
Thank you to candlewick press for sending me this book!
Initial Thoughts: I never know how to rate or review anthologies but overall I really enjoyed this!
Initial Thoughts: I never know how to rate or review anthologies but overall I really enjoyed this!
August 30, 2021
I don’t rate my own books so please consider this a rating for the other stories in here and know I HAD to give it 5 stars because this collection is a pure delight. Every story is wonderful in its own right, but how they meld together is both a feat and a treat. So many kudos go to editors Lauren Gibaldi and Eric Smith for making it so.
And as for me, I just feel honored to be part of something so viscerally joyful.
And as for me, I just feel honored to be part of something so viscerally joyful.
Want to read
January 29, 2021This is reminding me of the old YouTube series "Little White Lie" and I need it more than anything.
December 22, 2021
This probably deserves more of a 2 star, since I find it more and more difficult to keep reading. After the first few stories I lost intrest. The 'interconnected' stories feels a bit gimmicky since nothing is really in chronological order (which is a personal pet peeve - I'm not a fan of flashbacks either).
Anyway, I took pretty good, detailed notes until the last 4 or so stories, by that point I just didn't care. None of these stories left a lasting impression (eccept the one about everyone being strung out on LSD - that was a bad choice of a story) and I remember more details from stories I read over a decde ago on fictionpress.
Anyway. Here we go. Please forgive any of my spelling mistakes.
Miss Somewhere - Brittany Cavallaro
Beckett is annoying and I don’t think she understands how instruments work. Beckett and her family are moving to New Jersey and she’s trying to fit a snare drum into the moving truck and is playing furniture jenga. No. Snare drums are small. There are plenty of places you could slip that thing into. Stop.
Beckett is invisible at her school until she puts on a Zildjian tee (that’s a brand that makes cymbals primarily - since the book refuses to make the clarification) and then everyone is falling over her to get her to play in their stupid band.
Things to note. Beckett plays a Rush drum solo at double speed. I guess this is supposed to show us how talented Beckett is. For those of you who don’t know (or have never heard of) Rush, they are a Canadian rock band who is basically known for complicated drumming. I’m not even sure if Neil Peart (the actual drummer for Rush) could have played his drum solos in double time - that’s how intricate they are.
Really the only redeeming thing is a shoutout to Jimmy Eat World.
Bennett is annoying and I HATE that her sister calls her 'loverpants'. It's weird.
Cecilia (You’re Breaking My Heart) - Ashley Poston
(Does anyone in the ACTUAL age range of YA get the reference in the title? I’m serious. I really want to know)
Sadly, this is the only author I recognized and I disliked the book of hers I read, so I didn’t have high hopes going into this one. And, I was right.
Cecilia is annoying - beyond your typical introverted loser. I found her whiny and annoying. She hates her dad because he’s famous (and there’s really no other reason).
Most of this story is ‘I am romantically attracted to my best friend, but keep telling everyone we’re just friends because she has a crush on some random dude’
The whole point of this book is it’s centered around a Battle of the Bands at the high school. So why this reaction:
‘Cecilia sees enough people from her school that she wants to crawl into the bathroom, lock the door, and not come out for the entirety of the show.’
Did I miss something???
Does no one in this story know what ear-plugs are? Ceci whines about how the loud music at concerts gives her a migraine and some random kid manning a merch book has wadded up tissues in her ears. Go buy some $1 foam earplugs you absolute idiots.
I’m sorry, but no one is so obsessed with musicians that they know what their kids look like. I couldn’t even tell you the names of any of the kids of any of the musicians I listen to. I hate this stupid trope. No one honestly cares about famous people’s kids unless they are also famous.
Do you want to know what doesn’t work in written stories? Jokes that rely on a specific tone of voice of inflection or other things like that. Here’s the joke in question: What is Beethoven’s favorite fruit? BA-NA-NA-NAAAAA! (Yes, that’s how the answer was written out). If you’ve heard this joke before, or know enough about Beethoven’s music you probably got the joke. If you didn’t. It’s okay. It’s a dumb joke to make on paper. A better one would have been a pun (Or just not making a joke at all). Don’t feel bad if you don’t get it. It’s a play on one of Beethoven’s works and would have been much easier to understand had someone spoken the joke to you. Here’s the joke in visual form if you want to ‘get it’: YouTube Link
Why is this entire school so scandalized by a boy not wearing a shirt?? If this is some politically correct thing then I’m not getting it.
Sidelines - Sarah Nicole Smetana
Ex-boyfriend joins the band. Is this going to be a get back together, or what story?
This is a good line though: ‘...I prayed to the gods of rock and roll (Are you there, Joan? It’s me, Mina).’ That’s a good play on Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret. I can appreciate that.
‘The way she tapped her pen against her cheekbone in what I thought, even then, was deliberately ¾ time.’ This makes no sense. Unless she was tapping the 1 beat with an accent or something you would not be able to ‘deliberately’ tap out a time signature that someone else could recognize. Time signatures are a steady beat, so again, unless she was purposefully putting some kind of deliberate movement on the 1 beat this is a stupid line.
This story really didn’t do anything for me. Too much erratic drama. Not enough backstory or character development.
Battle of the Exes - Sarvenaz Taghavian
There’s supposed to be a funny joke here, but I missed it. See if you can catch it before I did.
“We’re still not totally in sync,” I reply, and then look to Charlotte and Vivienne for backup. I can hear raucous whistles and applause coming from the auditorium just down the hall. Another band must have just finished their set, and from the sound of it, they’re stiff competition.
“We’ve not even the Backstreet Boys,” Charlotte says, and then gives herself a ba-dum-cha on her drum set.
Did you catch it or was the joke and the punchline WAY TOO FAR APART for you too? It could have been clever had we not had so much unnecessary rambling between the two bits of spoken dialogue.
This story was also not really my favorite. Vendettas as songs are usually pretty stupid.
Also, this band gets in trouble for saying 'heartsh*tter' but the all guy band before has a lyric: 'You are h*ll'. Seems a bit hypocritical to me.
Love is a Battlefield - Shaun David Hutchinson
(More lyrics/title references - yay??)
“I can’t vote for Breakfast of Champions just because you look good in your underwear.” He does. Don’t ask how I know. (I think we all know exactly how you know. This line irritates me)
‘...postindustrial absurdist electronic punk pop’ That is apparently a genre. I don’t even know where to begin with that or even how to relate that to ANYTHING. So, thanks, I guess.
‘I can’t tell Fiona Apple from Princess Fiona, I’m still not convinced ska is an actual music category and not a prank that got out of hand, and my favorite beetle is Jamie Reyes’ Dude. Why on earth is this idiot a judge for a Battle of the Bands. (also for those no in the ‘know’ like me, Jamie Reyes is a comic book character ‘Blue Beetle’ or a skateboarder (but that reference doesn’t make sense)
This story is just some dumba$$ kid sh*tting on music in general and name dropping a bunch of bands/artists. Because he works at a music store. I’m not impressed. Also, Grunge doesn’t need to ‘make a comeback’ PLENTY of people still listen to Nirvana.
This kid also hates Star Wars (he’s trying way too hard to be a ‘not like other boys’ boy).
This entire story is about this boring dude’s relationship with two different people. Next to nothing about MUSIC or BANDS. BORING.
And this dude learns nothing and immediately gets himself into ANOTHER relationship. This is BY FAR my least favorite story so far. Boo!
You Found Me - Ashley Woodfolk
(More song title references)
Never mind, this is a reference to a fictional song by a fictional band (I still thought of The Fray, so whatever).
This one was kind of cute, but also way too rushed. The build up of the romance felt really, really flat.
(The above are my notes from reading the story, I know absolutely NOTHING about this story from my own memory).
Adventures in Babysitting - Justin Courtney Pierre
This is the Motion City Soundtrack guy I think…
Definitely thought KC was a guy, so I’m a bit thrown off by learning she’s a girl. But okay.
This writing is … bad. ‘...she quickly whipped her wild head of curls into a top bun that resembled an abstract ice sculpture.’ I legitimately don’t understand this visual. Hair is soft and moves and ice doesn’t… Bad comparison.
This writing is REALLY bad. ‘The inside of the gym was typical. The school prided itself on sportsball, and they had clearly dropped a bundle on this joint.’ Oof. What exactly does a ‘typical’ gym look like? I’ve seen a wide range of high school gyms and I couldn’t call any of them ‘typical’.
This story is also character soup. What are all these people doing here? What about the Battle of the Bands? I’m so confused. Everything else seemed to be in some kind of order of events. This seems to be a group of students who just want to get high and hide in the school gym????
‘His eyes were intoxicating, like two black holes that held secret kinds of sadness and had seen things.’ I hope his eyes had seen things. This is seriously rough writing.
‘I was into bands that were still in their twenties and hadn’t broken up and gotten back together to tour for the twenty-fifth anniversary of whatever bullsh*t record came out before I was born.’ Big yikes.
Good freaking heck, KC is annoying. She asks for an explanation to a thing and when the guy starts explaining interrupts to say ‘How long is this story going to take? Because I’m on the verge of unsubscribing.’ HE TOLD HER IT WAS A LONG STORY AND HE’S ONLY LIKE THREE SENTENCES INTO IT. CALM DOWN.
Why on EARTH would anyone think to look in the locked gym for a member of a band? That makes no sense at all. This whole story is bad. My new least favorite one. Especially since it’s insta-love in full force.
WHY DOES SOMEONE NEED THEIR CAR KEYS TWO DRIVE TWO BLOCKS? This story is so bad.
Okay. I’m sorry. This story should have been cut. Illegal drugs. Putting 3 teens, all high as a kite into the back of a pickup truck and driving off? This is just no. This was by far the worst story and I hate it and everything about it.
Peanut Butter Sandwiches - Jasmine Warga
I hate it already. The smell of peanut butter makes me gag.
Gordon is an ass. ‘And Gordon was a creative genius. Amina knew this because Gordon told her so.’ Gross. This dude thinks he’s ‘creative’ because he graffitis sidewalks. So creative.
Good crap. This boy-child is insufferable. He’s going to start a band, but has no idea what kind of music he wants to play and CAN’T EVEN PLAY AN INSTRUMENT.
Amina’s parents are ‘suspicious’ of public water? LIke the stuff that comes out of the taps? Good crap. Everyone in her life is psychotic.
This was too short and pointless. No real character development and overall boring. Also, very little ‘band’ content. Just some girl trying to prove something and imo failing pretty badly.
Reckless Love - Jay Coles
‘She has us sign in and then points us to the backstage area where we can listen to some of the bands until it’s our time to shine, bright like the disco ball suspended from the ceiling.’ WHAT?
Content warning for this one: secondary character calls someone a h*mo. (twice)
What on EARTH was the point of Fin in this? This whole story feels so disjointed. The dialogue feels so forced and stiff.
‘He starts walking backwards away from us until he turns around and meets up with some bigger girl who’s definitely making out with a chick holding a can of Dr. Pepper.’ The amount of unnecessary detail here is astounding.
‘Trey and Charity start going back and forth between the two of them about who’s more problematic, like that even matters right now.’ Yet the author chose to keep it in the story. Also, what crappy friends if they WANT to be the more problematic person. Get better friends. Ones who act like friends and not complete idiots.
‘Their lead singer is some really muscular Asian guy with spiky hair and a sleeve of tattoos. He clears his throat into the mic, and I can tell that he’s chewing gum, like he’s the textbook definition of a punk kid.’ WHAT? Someone clears their throat and you can tell they’re chewing gum? And is chewing gum now a trademark of being ‘punk’? WHat is this terrible writing??? I guess we need to let every ‘punk’ know they’re only a punk if they have spiky hair, a sleeve (tattoos) and chew gum. Oh, and I guess you need to also be a muscular Asian man. (I can’t roll my eyes hard enough right now).
Can we also STOP having teens smoke. It’s not ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ or whatever it’s gross.
And now MC is stabbing the tires of his former friend/lover/person because that’s a healthy way to resolve things. There’s no reason for this. It’s stupid. Also, I don’t think it would be that easy to stab a tire with a pocket knife. I’m not going to test this theory.
Okay. NO. You can’t just pee on someone’s car door. This is NOT APPROPRIATE AT ALL and you’re going to end up on a sex offender registry if you get caught. I hate this story so much.
This is ACTUAL dialogue. I’m copying this WORD FOR WORD: “So, you’re telling us that you’re bisexual? That’s actually kind of dope. Give me a hug. Thanks for telling me.” Trey opens his arms and I meet him in a hug.
Does ANY of that feel like authentic dialogue?
Thank goodness that’s over. That one might actually be worse than the druggy kids.
The Ride - Jenn Marie Thorne
Somebody is a bit too in love with their thesaurus/dictionary: languidly, stultifying, asinine, languishing, exultant.
Ugh. Technically she didn’t break up with her boyfriend, just ditched him, so TECHNICALLY she’s cheating… So, not a fan of this one.
Three Chords - Eric Smith
Here’s the thing. If you’re going to drop ‘big’ name musicians, then some random person I’ve never heard of, I’m already doubting your musical knowledge. Then when you drop a REAL BAND and then EFF UP the name of their song. I doubt you completely. The Starting Line is a real band. Their song is ‘The Best of Me’ not ‘Best of Me’ as stated in this story. Also The Best of Me DOES NOT start with whisper singing. The dude is singing in a normal voice, maybe a bit softly, but NO ONE would say that’s whispering. What a freaking trainwreck. THIS IS WHY YOU EFFING RESEARCH THINGS. I’m sorry for anyone who is a fan of The Starting Line who was personally victimized by Eric Smith (sorry, I watched Mean Girls last night). Honestly, pull up the song and see for yourself if the lead singer is 'whisper' singing'
The fact that this author is one of the editors of the anthology is concerning.
I’m really annoyed by the mixing of ‘real’ musicians and bands with fake bands and pretending they’re real. It rubs me the wrong way more than anything else I’ve read. It’s also kind of a slap in the face to the real musicians named in the story to then be overshadowed by a musician that doesn’t even exist.
This dude is an ex-member of Field Notes and NO ONE RECOGNIZES him, but they all love his song? I’m not sure I believe that even for a second.
Good hell. That was painful. Wah wah wah. I’m an ex band member and I’m SAD. I’m over it. Also, who the hell references Karen Carpenter in a book aimed at teens??? Wow.
Merch to do About Nothing - Preeti Chhibber
I really, really, really disliked this story too. All the weird scene breaks lining up with the bands playing on stage was pretty pointless.
The weird obsession with the fake book series also rubbed me the wrong way. People can not like popular things. Okay. Get over it.
There’s some casual racism addressed here, which was a nice change I guess.
All These Friends and Lovers - Katie Cotugno
This one just seemed chaotic. A band breaking up because of a love triangle type thing. Assuming a guy who kissed a girl is a ‘sex pervert’ like Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen. Really weird choices. The whole thing felt a bit over the top in dumb dramatics.
There was a lot of unnecessary information about Mom and Teacher and none of it really mattered.
This girl seriously mistook a candy cane for a Juul? She should get her vision checked.
“This is gonna make me sound like a total boner” Does the word ‘boner’ has a different meaning that what I know it as?
The candy cane thing at the end was kind of cute.
A Small Light - Jenny Torres Sanchez
This story felt too heavy and out of place with the more light-hearted and silly plots of some of the other stories.
Set the World on Fire - Lauren Gibaldi
Also not my favorite. Lilly is annoying and stupid. Any why is a student in charge of an entire production like this with no adult help or mentor or something.
The Sisterhood of Light and Sound - Jeff Zentner
‘Hailey made sure to say ‘I rock’ instead of ‘I’m sorry’, which Sarah mandated because young women were expected to apologize too much. Good work #GirlBoss
Girl Boss is going to sabotage another band because ‘His stage volume is a pain in the ovaries.’
Oh. Hey. ‘Loverpants’ is just a cute pet name thing. Gross.
Tell me you know nothing about music without telling me you know nothing about music: “... if you’re gonna have the same drummer in four bands, consistency would be nice.” Yes, all bands now must have the EXACT SAME drum set ups despite being DIFFERENT BANDS because the poor tech girls are having sad-sads adjusting mic volumes.
ALSO. We learned in an earlier story that Beckett (the drummer from the above quote) has breaks between the bands, so even if the ‘settings’ were all the same, they’d have to change them every time. Stop being dumb.
The ‘argument’ dialogue here is painful. I take it back. All the dialogue is painful.
Event he not-dialogue is painful to read: ‘...her face incandescing a baboon’s-ass vermillion. He laugh sounded like a vibrating cell phone chittering across a glass coffee table.’ …. ‘Katrina laughed again. This time it sounded like a spoon caught in a garbage disposal.’
‘Since humankind’s adoption of symbolic language, there has not been a more devastating compliment than being told you sound like a drama kid.’ I’m sorry to all drama kids. You should be offended by this.
I want to type out the ‘short in your jack’ conversation but I can’t subject anyone else that form of sexual harassment. (I’m not kidding, that conversation could 100% be considered sexual harassment in some states in the US).
This entire story is so cringy. The whole thing reeks of Girl Boss vibes and I’m out.
The ‘make up’ between the twins felt pretty blah.
But at least it’s over.
I kept track of all the bands mentioned throughout the story but don't have enough room to make notes on that. See comments.
Anyway, I took pretty good, detailed notes until the last 4 or so stories, by that point I just didn't care. None of these stories left a lasting impression (eccept the one about everyone being strung out on LSD - that was a bad choice of a story) and I remember more details from stories I read over a decde ago on fictionpress.
Anyway. Here we go. Please forgive any of my spelling mistakes.
Miss Somewhere - Brittany Cavallaro
Beckett is annoying and I don’t think she understands how instruments work. Beckett and her family are moving to New Jersey and she’s trying to fit a snare drum into the moving truck and is playing furniture jenga. No. Snare drums are small. There are plenty of places you could slip that thing into. Stop.
Beckett is invisible at her school until she puts on a Zildjian tee (that’s a brand that makes cymbals primarily - since the book refuses to make the clarification) and then everyone is falling over her to get her to play in their stupid band.
Things to note. Beckett plays a Rush drum solo at double speed. I guess this is supposed to show us how talented Beckett is. For those of you who don’t know (or have never heard of) Rush, they are a Canadian rock band who is basically known for complicated drumming. I’m not even sure if Neil Peart (the actual drummer for Rush) could have played his drum solos in double time - that’s how intricate they are.
Really the only redeeming thing is a shoutout to Jimmy Eat World.
Bennett is annoying and I HATE that her sister calls her 'loverpants'. It's weird.
Cecilia (You’re Breaking My Heart) - Ashley Poston
(Does anyone in the ACTUAL age range of YA get the reference in the title? I’m serious. I really want to know)
Sadly, this is the only author I recognized and I disliked the book of hers I read, so I didn’t have high hopes going into this one. And, I was right.
Cecilia is annoying - beyond your typical introverted loser. I found her whiny and annoying. She hates her dad because he’s famous (and there’s really no other reason).
Most of this story is ‘I am romantically attracted to my best friend, but keep telling everyone we’re just friends because she has a crush on some random dude’
The whole point of this book is it’s centered around a Battle of the Bands at the high school. So why this reaction:
‘Cecilia sees enough people from her school that she wants to crawl into the bathroom, lock the door, and not come out for the entirety of the show.’
Did I miss something???
Does no one in this story know what ear-plugs are? Ceci whines about how the loud music at concerts gives her a migraine and some random kid manning a merch book has wadded up tissues in her ears. Go buy some $1 foam earplugs you absolute idiots.
I’m sorry, but no one is so obsessed with musicians that they know what their kids look like. I couldn’t even tell you the names of any of the kids of any of the musicians I listen to. I hate this stupid trope. No one honestly cares about famous people’s kids unless they are also famous.
Do you want to know what doesn’t work in written stories? Jokes that rely on a specific tone of voice of inflection or other things like that. Here’s the joke in question: What is Beethoven’s favorite fruit? BA-NA-NA-NAAAAA! (Yes, that’s how the answer was written out). If you’ve heard this joke before, or know enough about Beethoven’s music you probably got the joke. If you didn’t. It’s okay. It’s a dumb joke to make on paper. A better one would have been a pun (Or just not making a joke at all). Don’t feel bad if you don’t get it. It’s a play on one of Beethoven’s works and would have been much easier to understand had someone spoken the joke to you. Here’s the joke in visual form if you want to ‘get it’: YouTube Link
Why is this entire school so scandalized by a boy not wearing a shirt?? If this is some politically correct thing then I’m not getting it.
Sidelines - Sarah Nicole Smetana
Ex-boyfriend joins the band. Is this going to be a get back together, or what story?
This is a good line though: ‘...I prayed to the gods of rock and roll (Are you there, Joan? It’s me, Mina).’ That’s a good play on Are you there, God? It’s me, Margaret. I can appreciate that.
‘The way she tapped her pen against her cheekbone in what I thought, even then, was deliberately ¾ time.’ This makes no sense. Unless she was tapping the 1 beat with an accent or something you would not be able to ‘deliberately’ tap out a time signature that someone else could recognize. Time signatures are a steady beat, so again, unless she was purposefully putting some kind of deliberate movement on the 1 beat this is a stupid line.
This story really didn’t do anything for me. Too much erratic drama. Not enough backstory or character development.
Battle of the Exes - Sarvenaz Taghavian
There’s supposed to be a funny joke here, but I missed it. See if you can catch it before I did.
“We’re still not totally in sync,” I reply, and then look to Charlotte and Vivienne for backup. I can hear raucous whistles and applause coming from the auditorium just down the hall. Another band must have just finished their set, and from the sound of it, they’re stiff competition.
“We’ve not even the Backstreet Boys,” Charlotte says, and then gives herself a ba-dum-cha on her drum set.
Did you catch it or was the joke and the punchline WAY TOO FAR APART for you too? It could have been clever had we not had so much unnecessary rambling between the two bits of spoken dialogue.
This story was also not really my favorite. Vendettas as songs are usually pretty stupid.
Also, this band gets in trouble for saying 'heartsh*tter' but the all guy band before has a lyric: 'You are h*ll'. Seems a bit hypocritical to me.
Love is a Battlefield - Shaun David Hutchinson
(More lyrics/title references - yay??)
“I can’t vote for Breakfast of Champions just because you look good in your underwear.” He does. Don’t ask how I know. (I think we all know exactly how you know. This line irritates me)
‘...postindustrial absurdist electronic punk pop’ That is apparently a genre. I don’t even know where to begin with that or even how to relate that to ANYTHING. So, thanks, I guess.
‘I can’t tell Fiona Apple from Princess Fiona, I’m still not convinced ska is an actual music category and not a prank that got out of hand, and my favorite beetle is Jamie Reyes’ Dude. Why on earth is this idiot a judge for a Battle of the Bands. (also for those no in the ‘know’ like me, Jamie Reyes is a comic book character ‘Blue Beetle’ or a skateboarder (but that reference doesn’t make sense)
This story is just some dumba$$ kid sh*tting on music in general and name dropping a bunch of bands/artists. Because he works at a music store. I’m not impressed. Also, Grunge doesn’t need to ‘make a comeback’ PLENTY of people still listen to Nirvana.
This kid also hates Star Wars (he’s trying way too hard to be a ‘not like other boys’ boy).
This entire story is about this boring dude’s relationship with two different people. Next to nothing about MUSIC or BANDS. BORING.
And this dude learns nothing and immediately gets himself into ANOTHER relationship. This is BY FAR my least favorite story so far. Boo!
You Found Me - Ashley Woodfolk
(More song title references)
Never mind, this is a reference to a fictional song by a fictional band (I still thought of The Fray, so whatever).
This one was kind of cute, but also way too rushed. The build up of the romance felt really, really flat.
(The above are my notes from reading the story, I know absolutely NOTHING about this story from my own memory).
Adventures in Babysitting - Justin Courtney Pierre
This is the Motion City Soundtrack guy I think…
Definitely thought KC was a guy, so I’m a bit thrown off by learning she’s a girl. But okay.
This writing is … bad. ‘...she quickly whipped her wild head of curls into a top bun that resembled an abstract ice sculpture.’ I legitimately don’t understand this visual. Hair is soft and moves and ice doesn’t… Bad comparison.
This writing is REALLY bad. ‘The inside of the gym was typical. The school prided itself on sportsball, and they had clearly dropped a bundle on this joint.’ Oof. What exactly does a ‘typical’ gym look like? I’ve seen a wide range of high school gyms and I couldn’t call any of them ‘typical’.
This story is also character soup. What are all these people doing here? What about the Battle of the Bands? I’m so confused. Everything else seemed to be in some kind of order of events. This seems to be a group of students who just want to get high and hide in the school gym????
‘His eyes were intoxicating, like two black holes that held secret kinds of sadness and had seen things.’ I hope his eyes had seen things. This is seriously rough writing.
‘I was into bands that were still in their twenties and hadn’t broken up and gotten back together to tour for the twenty-fifth anniversary of whatever bullsh*t record came out before I was born.’ Big yikes.
Good freaking heck, KC is annoying. She asks for an explanation to a thing and when the guy starts explaining interrupts to say ‘How long is this story going to take? Because I’m on the verge of unsubscribing.’ HE TOLD HER IT WAS A LONG STORY AND HE’S ONLY LIKE THREE SENTENCES INTO IT. CALM DOWN.
Why on EARTH would anyone think to look in the locked gym for a member of a band? That makes no sense at all. This whole story is bad. My new least favorite one. Especially since it’s insta-love in full force.
WHY DOES SOMEONE NEED THEIR CAR KEYS TWO DRIVE TWO BLOCKS? This story is so bad.
Okay. I’m sorry. This story should have been cut. Illegal drugs. Putting 3 teens, all high as a kite into the back of a pickup truck and driving off? This is just no. This was by far the worst story and I hate it and everything about it.
Peanut Butter Sandwiches - Jasmine Warga
I hate it already. The smell of peanut butter makes me gag.
Gordon is an ass. ‘And Gordon was a creative genius. Amina knew this because Gordon told her so.’ Gross. This dude thinks he’s ‘creative’ because he graffitis sidewalks. So creative.
Good crap. This boy-child is insufferable. He’s going to start a band, but has no idea what kind of music he wants to play and CAN’T EVEN PLAY AN INSTRUMENT.
Amina’s parents are ‘suspicious’ of public water? LIke the stuff that comes out of the taps? Good crap. Everyone in her life is psychotic.
This was too short and pointless. No real character development and overall boring. Also, very little ‘band’ content. Just some girl trying to prove something and imo failing pretty badly.
Reckless Love - Jay Coles
‘She has us sign in and then points us to the backstage area where we can listen to some of the bands until it’s our time to shine, bright like the disco ball suspended from the ceiling.’ WHAT?
Content warning for this one: secondary character calls someone a h*mo. (twice)
What on EARTH was the point of Fin in this? This whole story feels so disjointed. The dialogue feels so forced and stiff.
‘He starts walking backwards away from us until he turns around and meets up with some bigger girl who’s definitely making out with a chick holding a can of Dr. Pepper.’ The amount of unnecessary detail here is astounding.
‘Trey and Charity start going back and forth between the two of them about who’s more problematic, like that even matters right now.’ Yet the author chose to keep it in the story. Also, what crappy friends if they WANT to be the more problematic person. Get better friends. Ones who act like friends and not complete idiots.
‘Their lead singer is some really muscular Asian guy with spiky hair and a sleeve of tattoos. He clears his throat into the mic, and I can tell that he’s chewing gum, like he’s the textbook definition of a punk kid.’ WHAT? Someone clears their throat and you can tell they’re chewing gum? And is chewing gum now a trademark of being ‘punk’? WHat is this terrible writing??? I guess we need to let every ‘punk’ know they’re only a punk if they have spiky hair, a sleeve (tattoos) and chew gum. Oh, and I guess you need to also be a muscular Asian man. (I can’t roll my eyes hard enough right now).
Can we also STOP having teens smoke. It’s not ‘cool’ or ‘sexy’ or whatever it’s gross.
And now MC is stabbing the tires of his former friend/lover/person because that’s a healthy way to resolve things. There’s no reason for this. It’s stupid. Also, I don’t think it would be that easy to stab a tire with a pocket knife. I’m not going to test this theory.
Okay. NO. You can’t just pee on someone’s car door. This is NOT APPROPRIATE AT ALL and you’re going to end up on a sex offender registry if you get caught. I hate this story so much.
This is ACTUAL dialogue. I’m copying this WORD FOR WORD: “So, you’re telling us that you’re bisexual? That’s actually kind of dope. Give me a hug. Thanks for telling me.” Trey opens his arms and I meet him in a hug.
Does ANY of that feel like authentic dialogue?
Thank goodness that’s over. That one might actually be worse than the druggy kids.
The Ride - Jenn Marie Thorne
Somebody is a bit too in love with their thesaurus/dictionary: languidly, stultifying, asinine, languishing, exultant.
Ugh. Technically she didn’t break up with her boyfriend, just ditched him, so TECHNICALLY she’s cheating… So, not a fan of this one.
Three Chords - Eric Smith
Here’s the thing. If you’re going to drop ‘big’ name musicians, then some random person I’ve never heard of, I’m already doubting your musical knowledge. Then when you drop a REAL BAND and then EFF UP the name of their song. I doubt you completely. The Starting Line is a real band. Their song is ‘The Best of Me’ not ‘Best of Me’ as stated in this story. Also The Best of Me DOES NOT start with whisper singing. The dude is singing in a normal voice, maybe a bit softly, but NO ONE would say that’s whispering. What a freaking trainwreck. THIS IS WHY YOU EFFING RESEARCH THINGS. I’m sorry for anyone who is a fan of The Starting Line who was personally victimized by Eric Smith (sorry, I watched Mean Girls last night). Honestly, pull up the song and see for yourself if the lead singer is 'whisper' singing'
The fact that this author is one of the editors of the anthology is concerning.
I’m really annoyed by the mixing of ‘real’ musicians and bands with fake bands and pretending they’re real. It rubs me the wrong way more than anything else I’ve read. It’s also kind of a slap in the face to the real musicians named in the story to then be overshadowed by a musician that doesn’t even exist.
This dude is an ex-member of Field Notes and NO ONE RECOGNIZES him, but they all love his song? I’m not sure I believe that even for a second.
Good hell. That was painful. Wah wah wah. I’m an ex band member and I’m SAD. I’m over it. Also, who the hell references Karen Carpenter in a book aimed at teens??? Wow.
Merch to do About Nothing - Preeti Chhibber
I really, really, really disliked this story too. All the weird scene breaks lining up with the bands playing on stage was pretty pointless.
The weird obsession with the fake book series also rubbed me the wrong way. People can not like popular things. Okay. Get over it.
There’s some casual racism addressed here, which was a nice change I guess.
All These Friends and Lovers - Katie Cotugno
This one just seemed chaotic. A band breaking up because of a love triangle type thing. Assuming a guy who kissed a girl is a ‘sex pervert’ like Harvey Weinstein and Woody Allen. Really weird choices. The whole thing felt a bit over the top in dumb dramatics.
There was a lot of unnecessary information about Mom and Teacher and none of it really mattered.
This girl seriously mistook a candy cane for a Juul? She should get her vision checked.
“This is gonna make me sound like a total boner” Does the word ‘boner’ has a different meaning that what I know it as?
The candy cane thing at the end was kind of cute.
A Small Light - Jenny Torres Sanchez
This story felt too heavy and out of place with the more light-hearted and silly plots of some of the other stories.
Set the World on Fire - Lauren Gibaldi
Also not my favorite. Lilly is annoying and stupid. Any why is a student in charge of an entire production like this with no adult help or mentor or something.
The Sisterhood of Light and Sound - Jeff Zentner
‘Hailey made sure to say ‘I rock’ instead of ‘I’m sorry’, which Sarah mandated because young women were expected to apologize too much. Good work #GirlBoss
Girl Boss is going to sabotage another band because ‘His stage volume is a pain in the ovaries.’
Oh. Hey. ‘Loverpants’ is just a cute pet name thing. Gross.
Tell me you know nothing about music without telling me you know nothing about music: “... if you’re gonna have the same drummer in four bands, consistency would be nice.” Yes, all bands now must have the EXACT SAME drum set ups despite being DIFFERENT BANDS because the poor tech girls are having sad-sads adjusting mic volumes.
ALSO. We learned in an earlier story that Beckett (the drummer from the above quote) has breaks between the bands, so even if the ‘settings’ were all the same, they’d have to change them every time. Stop being dumb.
The ‘argument’ dialogue here is painful. I take it back. All the dialogue is painful.
Event he not-dialogue is painful to read: ‘...her face incandescing a baboon’s-ass vermillion. He laugh sounded like a vibrating cell phone chittering across a glass coffee table.’ …. ‘Katrina laughed again. This time it sounded like a spoon caught in a garbage disposal.’
‘Since humankind’s adoption of symbolic language, there has not been a more devastating compliment than being told you sound like a drama kid.’ I’m sorry to all drama kids. You should be offended by this.
I want to type out the ‘short in your jack’ conversation but I can’t subject anyone else that form of sexual harassment. (I’m not kidding, that conversation could 100% be considered sexual harassment in some states in the US).
This entire story is so cringy. The whole thing reeks of Girl Boss vibes and I’m out.
The ‘make up’ between the twins felt pretty blah.
But at least it’s over.
I kept track of all the bands mentioned throughout the story but don't have enough room to make notes on that. See comments.
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April 21, 2022Battle of the Bands (Candlewick Press, 2021) is sixteen interrelated stories by young adult authors revolving around the annual Battle of the Bands contest at Raritan River High School. Contestants include bands, duos, and solo acts, but some of my favorite stories involve off-stage characters, such as the stage manager, tech crew, and merch sellers. Battle of the Bands features diverse perspectives and voices in these stories involving the romantic entanglements and disentanglements of the musicians, as well as their families and friendships. Although uneven in quality, the collection’s most memorable contributions include Ashley Woodfolk’s “You Found Me,” a story about a musical duo and the girl who matters to both of them; Sarvenaz Taghavian’s “Battles of the Exes,” a punk story about a band who lives out its lyrics on stage; and Jeff Zentner’s closing story “The Sisterhood of Light and Sound,” a celebration of tech crew kids. I also liked Preeti Chhibber’s “Merch to Do about Nothing.” It was barely about music at all, but the way Chhibber uses dialogue to convey attitude makes me want to keep an eye out for more of her work. Battle of the Bands is a good reading choice for artsy kids, indie music fans, and those who are far from the center of their school’s popularity trends.
August 29, 2021
This is an interconnected series of short stories about a concert and a competition: the titular Battle of the Bands... and it was ADORABLE. Despite having entries from 16 different authors, tonally, "Battle of the Bands" felt like one cohesive story: a snapshot of a single night from many different perspectives. This collection is fun, loose, diverse, funny, occasionally sad, but altogether it gets wrapped up in a perfect bow of optimism and charm. I honestly can't prefer any single stories out of this collection; they were all strong (but I did have a soft spot for Cecilia and Roxy). I recommend this book for any music-lover wanting to relive those moments in high school when anything and everything seemed possible. "Battle of the Bands" was a wonderful palette cleanser between heavier works, and utterly sweet to enjoy.
Thank you to Candlewick for my ARC!
Thank you to Candlewick for my ARC!
August 29, 2022
I will preface this review by saying: I don’t like anthologies. But I always get suckered in by an author I love (or in this case two) that forces me to read the whole thing. Because FOMO.
This one at least has a cohesive event they all centre around, which arguably makes for a mush stronger collection. But there’s so many of them that they’re too short to really tell you much of anything. One twelve page story took place over an entire year. There’s a lot of crushes and falling in love in here, but it’s a diverse range of couples and crushes, not all heteronormative. It was better than I expected and good for what it was.
This one at least has a cohesive event they all centre around, which arguably makes for a mush stronger collection. But there’s so many of them that they’re too short to really tell you much of anything. One twelve page story took place over an entire year. There’s a lot of crushes and falling in love in here, but it’s a diverse range of couples and crushes, not all heteronormative. It was better than I expected and good for what it was.
July 7, 2021
4 1/2 stars
RTC
Thank you to candlewick for my review copy.
RTC
Thank you to candlewick for my review copy.
September 15, 2021
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'll admit that I was pretty excited to dive into Battle of the Bands once I got accepted. It just seemed like it was going to be a fun book to dive into. With a little bit of rock 'n' roll, and a whole dash of drama toppled over this, you are constantly questioning what the heck is even going on here. Or maybe that's just me?
Now I will also say that I liked the whole battle of the band theme throughout this. Each story was woven so perfectly that it was pretty easy to figure out who the next story was going to be about. Or at least which point of view would be next. Some of the bands were a hot mess though and I honestly had no idea how they were even a band to begin with.
Other than that, I thought some of them were hilarious like the adventures of babysitting. Not sure what I would do with a bunch of kids high on acid but it did seem like everyone was having a blast. I also agree with what was said towards the last two stories about how bands didn't care about starting/having drama before the show. It happens and they deal with it right then and there. Which, in this case, meant lots of bands breaking up.
In the end, I'm glad that I got the chance to dive into this audiobook but it definitely had potential to be a little bit better. Mostly because in some stories it felt like nothing really happened and we were just meeting people that I would never remember down the line.
October 26, 2023
I guess I don't love anthologies.
September 23, 2021
This is an anthology revolving around a Battle of the Bands competition and each story focuses on different characters at said competition. It's different from any anythology I've read before; all the stories interconnected so well. I would highly recommend this if you're a huge music lover.
But despite me enjoying the majority of the stories, there were just some I didn't care for. So I have to dock down a rating for that. Some of my personal faves were: "Peanut Butter Sandwiches" and "Reckless Love." "Advenutres in Babysitting" was a story I felt uncomfortable with at first, but I will admit got better as it progressed.
Individual ratings: Miss Somewhere 2 ⭐️'s
Cecilia (You're Breaking My Heart) 3.5 ⭐️'s
Sidelines 2 ⭐️'s
Battle of the Exes 4 ⭐️'s
Love is a Battlefield 4 ⭐️'s
You Found Me 3.75 ⭐️'s
Adventures in Babysitting 3.75 ⭐️'s
Peanut Butter Sandwiches 4.5 ⭐️'s
Reckless Love 5 ⭐️'s
The Ride 4 ⭐️'s
Three Cords 3 ⭐️'s
Merch to Do About Nothing 4 ⭐️'s
All These Friends and Lovers 3 ⭐️'s
A Small Light 3 ⭐️'s
Set the World on Fire 3 ⭐️'s
Sisterhood of Lights and Sound 3.5 ⭐️'s
I recieved an audio-galley from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
But despite me enjoying the majority of the stories, there were just some I didn't care for. So I have to dock down a rating for that. Some of my personal faves were: "Peanut Butter Sandwiches" and "Reckless Love." "Advenutres in Babysitting" was a story I felt uncomfortable with at first, but I will admit got better as it progressed.
Individual ratings: Miss Somewhere 2 ⭐️'s
Cecilia (You're Breaking My Heart) 3.5 ⭐️'s
Sidelines 2 ⭐️'s
Battle of the Exes 4 ⭐️'s
Love is a Battlefield 4 ⭐️'s
You Found Me 3.75 ⭐️'s
Adventures in Babysitting 3.75 ⭐️'s
Peanut Butter Sandwiches 4.5 ⭐️'s
Reckless Love 5 ⭐️'s
The Ride 4 ⭐️'s
Three Cords 3 ⭐️'s
Merch to Do About Nothing 4 ⭐️'s
All These Friends and Lovers 3 ⭐️'s
A Small Light 3 ⭐️'s
Set the World on Fire 3 ⭐️'s
Sisterhood of Lights and Sound 3.5 ⭐️'s
I recieved an audio-galley from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2021
I’m giving this a 5/5 not because it was flawless, but because reading it was a blast. Ever since a lesson on it in middle school, I’ve been a sucker for the interconnected anthology format. I barely read the first sentence of the summary before buying this book, I needed next to no convincing. It had everything I like, teenage shenanigans, concerts, and an out of the box concept beautifully executed by a diverse group of contributors that all share a common love of writing and music. By the end of the book I found I didn’t even care who won the contest the entire book was based around. But then again, I think that was the point.
Is this book “perfect” in a technical sense? Probably not, but I haven’t taken an English class since 2015 and I admittedly don’t know how to properly use a comma making me one unqualified critic.
Might some people think Battle of the Bands feels disjointed and inconsistent? Maybe. There are 16 authors involved here with all varying degrees of experience in writing. I personally find that to be a beautiful thing, but there are always people who will find something to nitpick.
TL;DR- While some might not find this collection of stories to be a technical 5 star piece of literature, this is my account and I make the rules. What isn’t to love about a revolving door of fun characters through the perspectives of a bunch of music lovers? Bonus points for amazing references ranging from great bands to great anime and multiple jokes poking fun at ska.
Is this book “perfect” in a technical sense? Probably not, but I haven’t taken an English class since 2015 and I admittedly don’t know how to properly use a comma making me one unqualified critic.
Might some people think Battle of the Bands feels disjointed and inconsistent? Maybe. There are 16 authors involved here with all varying degrees of experience in writing. I personally find that to be a beautiful thing, but there are always people who will find something to nitpick.
TL;DR- While some might not find this collection of stories to be a technical 5 star piece of literature, this is my account and I make the rules. What isn’t to love about a revolving door of fun characters through the perspectives of a bunch of music lovers? Bonus points for amazing references ranging from great bands to great anime and multiple jokes poking fun at ska.
November 17, 2021
3.5 ★
“Maybe that’s the big secret of success — going out there and just making it happen.”
Me animé a leer este libro para el #TotallyTeenBuddyRead, y me he dado cuenta que no disfruto mucho leyendo compilaciones o historias cortas ya que hay algunas donde no me interesa lo que sucede con los personajes y otras que me gustan y quiero saber más, qué pasará después.
Lo que sí me gustó fue la representación en cada historia y pude descubrir nuevos autores que espero darles una oportunidad, pero ya con sus propios libros.
Sin embargo, había mucho drama para mi gusto y cosas que no tenía sentido en algunas historias y a veces me perdía con los pronombres porque la mayoría estaba contada en primera persona y los nombres de los protas me confundían un poco.
Pero bueno, si les gustan los libros de música y drama escolar, este es su libro.
“Maybe that’s the big secret of success — going out there and just making it happen.”
Me animé a leer este libro para el #TotallyTeenBuddyRead, y me he dado cuenta que no disfruto mucho leyendo compilaciones o historias cortas ya que hay algunas donde no me interesa lo que sucede con los personajes y otras que me gustan y quiero saber más, qué pasará después.
Lo que sí me gustó fue la representación en cada historia y pude descubrir nuevos autores que espero darles una oportunidad, pero ya con sus propios libros.
Sin embargo, había mucho drama para mi gusto y cosas que no tenía sentido en algunas historias y a veces me perdía con los pronombres porque la mayoría estaba contada en primera persona y los nombres de los protas me confundían un poco.
Pero bueno, si les gustan los libros de música y drama escolar, este es su libro.
September 9, 2021
Battle of the Bands is an anthology of several stories that all revolve around a high school Battle of the Bands. Because these stories are all written by different authors, they're not all created equal. Most of them are good though. My favorite of the stories was "Reckless Love". I loved the bi-positive message in it. The worst of the stories was Adventures in Babysitting which is a dumb story about teenagers doing acid. Mostly this book is a bunch of teenage drama with musical undertones.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. The narrators, too many to list here, all did an amazing job at bringing the stories they narrated to life.
Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. The narrators, too many to list here, all did an amazing job at bringing the stories they narrated to life.
April 18, 2023
An anthology of short stories connected through characters that are participating, organizing, or judging the anticipated annual Battle of the Bands in Raritan River High.
There were stand outs in this collection but overall, reading sixteen short stories is too much. I got bored when I reached the 10th piece.
Still a nice read if you enjoy fiction involving music and musicians + YA stories featuring different view of coming-of-age.
RATING: 2.5stars (mid)
There were stand outs in this collection but overall, reading sixteen short stories is too much. I got bored when I reached the 10th piece.
Still a nice read if you enjoy fiction involving music and musicians + YA stories featuring different view of coming-of-age.
RATING: 2.5stars (mid)
June 8, 2023
This book was actually quite brilliant! A number of authors come together and each writes one chapter of the book. It's not just a book of short stories, though. There is a narrative thread that weaves through the book that makes you realize how closely the authors must have worked together to maintain the overall integrity of the plot. Each chapter introduced a different narrator and set of primary characters along with the band playing at the particular moment. Throughout the book characters and bands show up from different viewpoints. I enjoyed it thoroughly.
There's some tough topics in this book, although I think most teens can relate.
There's some tough topics in this book, although I think most teens can relate.
October 17, 2022
Honestly, this book had me at Motion City Soundtrack. I love it when a short story anthology has stories that connect with each other and have overlapping characters. I especially liked Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson, A Small Light by Jenny Torres Sanchez, and Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian.
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