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leahegood's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Summary
Seventeen-year-old Blade can't wait to escape the life of the rich and famous. The son of a washed up rock star, he's tired of broken promises, broken trust, and the sordid details of his families brokenness on tabloid headlines. His desperate quest for peace takes him all the way to Ghana, but half way across the world might not be far enough.
My Thoughts
I read this book to fulfill a prompt in a reading challenge, and it definitely exemplified the tendency of reading challenges to get you out of a reading rut. Solo isn't the kind of story I typically gravitate to. The writing style is more stylistic than I tend to prefer and the story itself wouldn't have caught my attention if I wasn't seeking a book about a musician. That said, I enjoyed the story a lot more than I thought I was going to ask I read the first quarter of it.
Other reviewers have indicated that this book is for an upper teen audience ... 15 or 16 and up ... since it has some mature content. I'd agree with this (leaning towards 16 and up). See more details into content.
I didn't love the relationship with the girlfriend at the beginning of the book. The story in general didn't really pull me in until truth bombs starter shaking Blade's already messed up world.
What I did like. I'm always intrigued by stories that show the less glamorous sides of celebrity life. I also enjoyed the depiction of Ghana that acknowledged (and mildly mocked) the well-intentioned but often short-sighted ways westerners often interact with other countries and cultures. The author keeps all of the characters real and relatable.
Content
Romance: One or two times, explicit wording was used to express kissing. Handsy making out expressed in poetic (not explicit) terms. Blades father shoes up a few times drunk with scantily clad women much younger than himself in tow ... much to Blade's disgust.
Language: Minor swearing using throughout. Can't remember anything more explicit than d*mn or h*ll, but I was distracted a few times while listening to the audio, so there may have been words used that I missed.
Violence: Minimal to non-existent.
Religion: Blade has some unpleasant encounters with his girlfriend's father who is a pastor or a bishop.... something like that. Blade's family is generally non-religious, but his father exclaims "maybe there is a God!" when observing a spectacular view.
Seventeen-year-old Blade can't wait to escape the life of the rich and famous. The son of a washed up rock star, he's tired of broken promises, broken trust, and the sordid details of his families brokenness on tabloid headlines. His desperate quest for peace takes him all the way to Ghana, but half way across the world might not be far enough.
My Thoughts
I read this book to fulfill a prompt in a reading challenge, and it definitely exemplified the tendency of reading challenges to get you out of a reading rut. Solo isn't the kind of story I typically gravitate to. The writing style is more stylistic than I tend to prefer and the story itself wouldn't have caught my attention if I wasn't seeking a book about a musician. That said, I enjoyed the story a lot more than I thought I was going to ask I read the first quarter of it.
Other reviewers have indicated that this book is for an upper teen audience ... 15 or 16 and up ... since it has some mature content. I'd agree with this (leaning towards 16 and up). See more details into content.
I didn't love the relationship with the girlfriend at the beginning of the book. The story in general didn't really pull me in until truth bombs starter shaking Blade's already messed up world.
What I did like. I'm always intrigued by stories that show the less glamorous sides of celebrity life. I also enjoyed the depiction of Ghana that acknowledged (and mildly mocked) the well-intentioned but often short-sighted ways westerners often interact with other countries and cultures. The author keeps all of the characters real and relatable.
Content
Romance: One or two times, explicit wording was used to express kissing. Handsy making out expressed in poetic (not explicit) terms. Blades father shoes up a few times drunk with scantily clad women much younger than himself in tow ... much to Blade's disgust.
Language: Minor swearing using throughout. Can't remember anything more explicit than d*mn or h*ll, but I was distracted a few times while listening to the audio, so there may have been words used that I missed.
Violence: Minimal to non-existent.
Religion: Blade has some unpleasant encounters with his girlfriend's father who is a pastor or a bishop.... something like that. Blade's family is generally non-religious, but his father exclaims "maybe there is a God!" when observing a spectacular view.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, and Classism
calamitywindpetal's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Death, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence
passionatereader78's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I love the way this book is written! The song lyrics and poetry style of writing is one of my family. Blade is a high school senior who is having problems with his father. He finds out a family secret and sets out to find the truth. The true journey is within himself. I will definitely be rereading this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Grief
inp9extra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Characters: 4.8/5
Depth: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing Style/Voice: 5/5
Romance: 4.5/5
People who might be interested this book:
People who like inspiring personal journey/development stories, people who like diverse characters, people who like music or poetry, people who like stories about difficult family relationships.
Overall Review:
This book is beautiful, both in writing style and musical conveyance. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, as it is read by the author who sings songs the main characters write as they come up in the plot. Solo was easy read and fast to get through. I ended up falling in love with the unique and relatable characters—each with their own flaws and sense of humor. The narrative is intertwined with soul, culture, and the dialogue is full of texture as we follow a journey of hurt on its way to being healed.
Complaints:
1. I almost wish the book had gone deeper and darker in relation to the side characters and their backstories. It feels sometimes as though the side characters exist for the sake of the main character and that their lives just revolve around him.
2. I’m not a huge fan of the”going to Africa and everything is solved trope” though I do feel like the author handled the setting well and some topics around it with nuance, I felt that it could have delved deeper with less clichés.
3. I think the story could have been more blunt and graphic with its descriptions of addiction. The book mainly describes the father’s actions as a result of drug use but not the usage itself. However, especially from the perspective of a son of a drug addict, I think that more intense descriptions would have added more pull and realism than the “rock n’ roll baby!” depictions of the main character’s father.
Depth: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Writing Style/Voice: 5/5
Romance: 4.5/5
People who might be interested this book:
People who like inspiring personal journey/development stories, people who like diverse characters, people who like music or poetry, people who like stories about difficult family relationships.
Overall Review:
This book is beautiful, both in writing style and musical conveyance. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook, as it is read by the author who sings songs the main characters write as they come up in the plot. Solo was easy read and fast to get through. I ended up falling in love with the unique and relatable characters—each with their own flaws and sense of humor. The narrative is intertwined with soul, culture, and the dialogue is full of texture as we follow a journey of hurt on its way to being healed.
Complaints:
1. I almost wish the book had gone deeper and darker in relation to the side characters and their backstories. It feels sometimes as though the side characters exist for the sake of the main character and that their lives just revolve around him.
2. I’m not a huge fan of the
3. I think the story could have been more blunt and graphic with its descriptions of addiction. The book mainly describes the father’s actions as a result of drug use but not the usage itself. However, especially from the perspective of a son of a drug addict, I think that more intense descriptions would have added more pull and realism than the “rock n’ roll baby!” depictions of the main character’s father.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Vomit
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Death of parent
brookey8888's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I did enjoy this, but I just felt like a lot of the plot was rushed and a lot was just left hanging. I did like Blade as a character even though he was a little clueless. I really did not like any of his family to be honest. I do highly recommend the audio book because the songs are actually songs and are sung and have music.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
peachmoni's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death and Grief
Minor: Infidelity