Rock and a Hard Place by Angie Stanton
Paperback, 224 pages
Published September 24th 2013 by HarperTeen
Age Group: Young Adult
Series: The Jamieson Brothers #1
Source: ARC from publisher
Summary:
Perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Jenny Han, and Susane Colasanti, Angie Stanton’s swoon-worthy romance–about an ordinary girl and a young rock star–will keep readers on the edge of their seats . . . and leave them wanting more.In an instant, Libby’s life went from picture-perfect to a nightmare. After surviving a terrible car accident, Libby is abandoned by her father and left with her controlling aunt. A new town, a new school, no friends–Libby is utterly alone. But then she meets Peter.
The lead singer in a rock band with his brothers, Peter hates that his parents overly manage his life. Constantly surrounded by family, Peter just wants to get away. And when he meets Libby, he’s finally found the one person who just wants to be with him, not the rock star.
But while Peter battles his family’s growing interference in both his music and personal life, Libby struggles with her aunt, who turns nastier each day. And even though Libby and Peter desperately want to be together, their drastically different lives threaten to keep them apart forever.
Angie Stanton certainly knows how to write a powerful book. I even shed a few tears while reading Rock and a Hard Place. This is the story of a first high school love. It’s powerful and real and raw and I loved every second of it. There are a lot of characters that have it rough. They get cut a bad hand in life, but holy cow, I don’t think they hold a candle to what Libby had to go through. This poor girl! Her mom and sister died in a car accident. Her dad couldn’t deal with his grief so he dropped her off at her awful aunt’s house, where she lives in filth and can’t do anything except try and stay out of her alcoholic aunts way. And that is just the beginning of the book. That doesn’t even begin to cover all the stuff that happens to her throughout the story. I just wanted to give her a hug!
Libby is a strong girl. She has to be to survive. And then she meets Peter. They are so sweet together. Their relationship was so cute and adorable and pure. It was all consuming, just like so many first loves are. They would rush home to try and talk to each other, and stay up late into the night and their whole worlds seemed to revolve around each other. Except that unlike normal high school love, Peter is a rock star. I thought Peter was a breath of fresh air. He seemed so unaffected by his fame. I really liked him.
What I liked about Rock and a Hard Place is that the progression of their relationship felt so realistic to me. There were plenty of bumps in the road but nothing felt forced, nothing seemed contrived. It was just two people trying to be together against everything they were each dealing with. This is just the kind of story that you have to read to appreciate the beauty of it. At first glance it seems like a cute love story that you would take to the beach, but it is far from a light read. There is depth and so many raw emotions that make this a much deeper book. It deals with tough issues. I think Angie Stanton is such a bold writer. I loved that about Rock and a hard Place. Romance fans need to read this book and realistic contemporary fans need to check it out too. I think there is something in this book that will appeal to so many different readers.
Angie Stanton never planned on writing books, she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in a rural setting with her brothers’ 4-H pigs as pets, dance didn’t work out. Instead she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head she began to write them down and the rest is history.
She loves dipping french fries in chocolate shakes, all natural disaster movies and Broadway Musicals. Angie is a proud double finalist of the 2011 National Readers Choice Awards for Love ’em or Leave ’em, as well as a finalist for the Golden Quill Award.
When not writing, Angie is concocting ways to make more dreams come true, whether it be tickets to a Broadway show or convincing her family they should rent an RV and travel the country.
Please “Like” Angie on Facebook at facebook.com/AngieStantonAuthor.
kimbacaffeinate
Oh wow, first love. *sigh* This sounds so intense and wonderful and sad and happy..eep. Lovely review Michelle 🙂 I am so delighted you loved this.
Brianna C
This sounds like such a good book! I must add this to my TBR list immediately! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Ashley @ Book Labyrinth
I’ve heard mixed things about this one, but the way you’ve described it makes me think I would probably enjoy it. Thanks for the review! =)