Release Date: October 18, 2011Publisher: Simon Pulse
Pages: 304
Series: n/a
Review Source: S&S GalleyGrab
Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?
Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.
Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....
My Thoughts:
This book offers an incredibly interesting look at the world of classical music: the seedy side of competition, the stress, the rivalries, and how important every little note can be.
Carmen is just a girl loving music, trying to deal with the horrible pressure from her mom, her teacher, the music community, and herself. Carmen’s addiction to pills is a very interesting aspect of the story, and her mother’s role in this was terrible. Carmen’s mom upset me greatly: it makes me so sad and upset that there are show parents like this.
In the end this is definitely Carmen’s story, but there is definitely a smouldering romance angle to the book as well. Jeremy was incredibly appealing, and forbidden to Carmen because he is the competition.
I flew through this book, anticipating the ending and also not wanting it to end. I loved the writing, the subject, the characters: everything.
The Cover:
Not really feeling it. At all.
Rating:
[4.5/5]Find Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.
Oooo that's a very high rating Ashley, I think I need to pick this one up! I love a good smoldering romance:)
ReplyDeleteI kind of like the cover, mostly because I really like pink. And black. I can't wait to read this one -- I have it on my computer but have such a hard time reading books on it (no Kindle doc, darn it!). Going to have to purchase, I think. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteI just read this one too! :)
ReplyDeleteI didn't like it as much but I found it interesting! Thanks for the review :)
I agree with you about the cover...it doesn't seem to fit at all with your description of the book.
ReplyDeleteThis story sounds similar to a movie I saw years ago - The Competition - with Richard Dreyfus and Amy Irving I think.