Tuesday, July 30, 2019

REVIEW: Drummer Girl by Ginger Smith



We're celebrating the release of DRUMMER GIRL by Ginger Scott! One-click your copy on all platforms today!


Drummer Girl by Ginger Scott
Mature YA/New Adult Contemporary Romance
Release day: July 30, 2019
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2KBZLLn

OUR REVIEW:

Shel: I don't think it's news to anyone who follows our blog that I consider Ginger Scott a friend of the blog. We 'met' online very early on in her Waiting on the Sidelines days and we've been following her  and reading her ever since (and are so glad so many of you are too!). So it's with pleasure that we heartily recommend Drummer Girl. Court: YES! Ginger Scott is a brilliant writer, and is an even better person and writes stories with so much heart and detail and obvious love for her characters that we have not been able to get enough ever since we first "met." 

Shel: This novel hits so many of our sweet spots: music and teen romance and it does so with an eye to staying very true to the teen experience. It's one of the things we admire about Ginger's writing--she just gets it when it comes to teen voices. Her characters never feel contrived or too young/old for the experiences they're having; they feel authentic. I often feel that I've taught students like her characters and I can definitely say that my students find her novels so appealing that oftentimes they borrow them, never to return them (*sobs*). Drummer Girl continues with that authentic feel with Ari and Jesse. There's that sometimes sweet, sometimes slightly tortured existence that comes right off the page. I love their whole romance--the awkward pauses and conversations to the first kiss and the spats and HEA--it all hits just the right note (that epilogue!!).  Along with that the parents, side characters, and other adults add drama and comedy at just the right spots. 

Court: YES! Yes! I really wasn't sure exactly what all of this book would entail...I just knew that it would be brilliant and slay my emotions...and it did. These characters blew my mind and at the same time sucked me into their world and still haven't let go. I loved the music, and their journey so much...and where they've been...I related to Ari and Jesse until I have a special place in my soul for these two...and have a good idea. 

Shel: And the whole music aspect of it is ....ahhhh....my kryptonite! I mean I married a musician/artist, so it's no wonder that I'd love this, right??!! Seeing a band take shape and experience gigs just makes you feel like you're a fly on the wall in the novel and I loved how Ginger captured those moments so much so that I may have mentioned to her that I would love to see minor characters get a book from this novel (*insert praying hands here*). Court: AMEN, sister. I agree, and my love for music and the creation of it from musicians who are so talented is my kryptonite too! Blend in some serious emotional and beautiful moments, and this book will stick with you forever! 

Shel: I sped through this novel because I couldn't put it down, even though I knew I'd hate myself for not savoring more. Grab this novel, y'all, and enjoy! Court: I KNOW! Definitely a re-read asap! 

BUY IT



Drummer Girl
A mature YA/New Adult contemporary rock star romance by Ginger Scott

Arizona Wakefield was a beat without a melody. Living a half-breathing life in a half-finished neighborhood with parents who always wore half-hearted smiles, the high school senior only had one thing that let her color outside her family’s perfectly drawn lines—her drums.

Jesse Barringer was a song without a chorus. The son of a washed-up rock star who’s also one hell of a deadbeat dad, he was given two things from his father—musical genius and a genetic link to the bipolar disorder that drives him mad.

One night in a garage at the end of a cul-de-sac in the middle of a bankrupt California neighborhood, Jesse’s melody found Arizona’s rhythm. An angry boy with storm-colored eyes found a blonde angel in Doc Martens with missing lines in her own story. Where her rhythm stopped, his words took over, and together, they wrote one hell of a story.

** Drummer Girl is a mature YA/New Adult romance that touches on mental health, drug abuse and includes mature sexual situations.

EXCERPT:
Drummer Girl, Copyright Ginger Scott 2019

“That’s the first time I’ve played that song. I like it. We should add it to our set,” he says, pulling the strap from around his neck before setting his guitar at the foot of his bed. “What do you think?”
He twists so our knees are touching and our shoulders are squared.
“I think you’re a showoff, one. And two…I totally think we should close with that at our gig. People love retro shit like that at shows.” I don’t really know what people like at shows because the only kinds I’ve ever been to have been for high school marching nerds or jazz geeks. I probably don’t even deserve to utter the word gig yet. I’m a gig virgin. I do know movies, though, and if this life was a movie, our band would close with that.
Jesse’s eyes linger on my face, making me warm.
“Okay then,” he says, finally. “And I’m not a showoff.”
His lips pucker with his smirk and mine follow suit until a laugh seeps through.
“You so are!” I shove at him playfully, and his hands wrap around my wrists and shove back gently but don’t let go.
“No, I’m a great example. That’s a totally different thing,” he says, pulling me toward his chest until my fingertips meet the hard surface of his pecs under a well-worn white T-shirt.
“I’m pretty sure it’s just a synonym for showoff how you’re using it. In fact, now you’re just being arrogant!” I gripe back through laughter, a wry smile playing at one side of my mouth. Jesse remains quiet, though. His head leaned a tick to the right. My lips vibrate with this sudden change in atmosphere, and without even helping myself, I bite my bottom lip. There is just enough light in the room to see these small things we’re doing, these…signs. At least, I’m giving a sign. I hope I’m not imagining Jesse’s.
At least three full breaths pass between us without words. I count mine, and I guess how many he takes because really, I can’t see much beyond the dark centers of his eyes and the top curl of his lip. I wait for him. Even though I’m dizzy and happy and excited, I don’t want to be eager and desperate. I wait for him to move closer…to do something.
I wish for him.

“Would it be okay if I kissed you now?”






About the Author:



Ginger Scott is an Amazon-bestselling and Goodreads Choice Award-nominated author of several young and new adult romances, including Waiting on the Sidelines, Going Long, Blindness, How We Deal With Gravity, This Is Falling, You and Everything After, The Girl I Was Before, Wild Reckless, Wicked Restless, In Your Dreams, The Hard Count, Hold My Breath, and A Boy Like You.

A sucker for a good romance, Ginger’s other passion is sports, and she often blends the two in her stories. (She’s also a sucker for a hot quarterback, catcher, pitcher, point guard…the list goes on.) Ginger has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Ginger lives in Arizona and is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

Social Media Links:
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/GingerScottAuthor
Twitter: @TheGingerScott
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/thegingerscott/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/GingerScottAuthor
Google: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+GingerScottAuthor/posts
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/GingerScott
Website: http://www.littlemisswrite.com

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