Summary
The middle school dance is a HUGE event for the seventh graders in this story:
- Carmen is missing it – and the TV debut of her band, Heart Grenade – for a family wedding.
- Genevieve is going to be the lead singer for Heart Grenade in Carmen’s place. And she’s terrified.
- Ellie is going with a date.
- Ellie’s soon-to-be step-sister, Ashlyn, is grounded, so she’s going to do Ellie’s babysitting gig so Ellie can go the the dance.
- Ryan is there with his best friend, Mariah, but he wishes there was more between them. But she asked Leif to the dance instead.
- Tess, the drummer for Heart Grenade and Mariah’s nemesis, also asked Leif to the dance. He said “whatever” to both girls which they took as “yes.”
- Jade doesn’t even go to this school. But she thinks Heart Grenade stole her band’s chance at the Battle of the Bands. She’s at the dance for revenge.
Seven authors. Seven perspectives on one eventful night. All kinds of fun.
Review
So many of the authors for this book are MIX authors, and I have many of their books on my TBR. That made this a must-read for me, and I was not disappointed.
It’s not unusual any more to read books that tell one story from different perspectives. But this is different because 7 authors got to dig into one character each and tell that character’s version of this story.
There’s a lot going on in this story. There’s the band piece and the dating piece. Then there are the kids not at the dance and the things going on outside the school. And everything comes together so well!
I loved the characters. I think Ellie is my favorite. I would love more story from her perspective.
In general, I felt like the kids seemed like 15-year-olds more than 7th graders. At least. they didn’t “sound” or act like the seventh graders I know. But I think this story is a great bridge story that would work for upper elementary and middle school readers. The themes of friendship, family, and dating work for teens while also keeping things “clean” for younger readers.
Thanks to Netgalley and Aladdin for an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.