ARC Review of Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

Rockoholic

By: C.J. Skuse

Review by: Kaede

 

Publisher: Scholastic

Pages: 358

Source: ARC via NetGalley

 

She's got it bad, and he ain't good -- he's in her garage?

"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me..."

Gonna have to face it: Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, and after her best bud Mac scores tickets, she's front and center at his sold-out concert. But when she gets mashed in the moshpit and bodysurfs backstage, she's got more than a mild concussion to deal with. By the next morning, the strung-out rock star is coming down in her garage. Jody -- oops -- kind of kidnapped him. By accident. With a Curly Wurly candy bar. And now he doesn't want to leave.

It's a rock-star abduction worthy of an MTV reality series...but who got punk'd?!

First off, my lovelies, I must give props to Ms. Skuse for nailing the obsessiveness and slightly scary factors of being a female fan of a rising idol. Especially a hot male idol. Jody, our main character, as much as I may try (but I won't) to deny it, is a lot like quite a few people I know.

 

Quite a few One Direction obsessed friends I know, to be exact. And if I said that Jody's lack of sense and brain cells annoyed the hell out of me, and I couldn't stand her as a character - I'd also be saying that to 99% of the female population.

 

99% of the female population of obsessive girls in love with One Direction currently, or any other band.

 

And I have to say, in all honesty, I don't belong in that 99%. Sure, I like One Direction's songs and I may on occassion play one of their songs and maybe even sing along, but I'm not obsessed like Jody is. And I certainly would. NOT. Kidnap. A. Boy.

 

Not even a popular boy.

 

Nope.

 

And I also have no problem handing that insult of lack of sense and brain cells to every One Direction fan I know. So HA. Cause I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAY THE BOY IS GONNA BE YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A DAMN AND IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. But yeah...

 

So you can only imagine all the thoughts and little talks I could think up for Jody on the spot the moment she said DECLARED screamed to the world, "I MUST GET JACKSON TO DATE AND MARRY ME."

 

Or something along those lines...

 

I didn't like it. I didn't understand it. I didn't care for it. But oh, was she realistic. And I give credit where credit is due. And Jody's character deserves some sort of messed up credit. Because while I didn't understand where she was coming from (Me being from the 1% of the female population that does not appreciate One Direction and their noisy annoying fans), I'm sure many of my friends - and even fellow bloggers - could and would relate to Jody's obsession with Jackson. Obsession is becoming a very common word in this review, isn't it? *sighs* But it is what it is. And what Jody's connection with Jackson is as simple as it can be:

 

OBSESSION.

 

No, it is not love. And yes, I do think the only character who had some sense (Not including the parents) was Mac, who was my favorite character. And no, I do not approve of Jody's conclusion that her best friend was gay because he likes to sing and dance. And yes, I admit this book did make me laugh often and appreciate it's honesty.

 

Rockoholic, which may seem light and silly, and depending on your reading tastes, may seem like a book to dismiss - it is actually so much more than that.

 

This book explores what fame can do to people, and the stress it can have on regular people. How it can easily alter a boy who used to love to sing and perform to a boy who needs to take drugs to perform and then calm himself down afterwards. Jackson's feelings and the reasons behind his refusal to return to his band was understandable, and after the initial experience and idea I had of him (which was nothing more than JERK, JERK, JERK), I began to grow accustomed to him and wanted to learn more.

 

But Jody has a story of her too, one that doesn't just include Jackson and her infamous boy kidnapping, that's worth telling. One that isn't so obvious to the eye, one that may be overshadowed by the general plot but is still a tale of loss, search, and realization. One that includes a grandpa who Jody loved dearly that just couldn't stay with her. And just because of one little gift that was left to her from him, a moonstone, Jody is able overcome many difficulties and trials. 



 

Funny as it was senseless and without story at times, I still think that this is a story you won't want to miss. Do I recommend throwing this to the top of an already way too big TBR pile? Probably not. Do I recommend reading it eventually.

 

Without a doubt.

 

4 coffee cups!

 

An advance copy was provided from the publisher for review via NetGalley. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.

 

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Contact Kaede: kimberlyho75@yahoo.com