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saintstorm's review
1.0
dnf @ 30%
Between the MC barely being able to hold a conversation with… anyone, it seems like, the LI being too broody even for me, and the secondhand embarrassment I got from the letters I just couldn’t do this one.
Also if I ever heard someone earnestly say “holy granola” irl I’d probably give myself a migraine from the side eye I’d give them.
After reading the other reviews I have to say I’m glad I stopped when I did, it doesn’t seem like it improves.
Between the MC barely being able to hold a conversation with… anyone, it seems like, the LI being too broody even for me, and the secondhand embarrassment I got from the letters I just couldn’t do this one.
Also if I ever heard someone earnestly say “holy granola” irl I’d probably give myself a migraine from the side eye I’d give them.
After reading the other reviews I have to say I’m glad I stopped when I did, it doesn’t seem like it improves.
lmrivas54's review
5.0
Intriguing and different! You’d imagine a rockstar romance would involve a guy steeped into drugs and booze but this time, it’s not so. Callum Rose, bassist in The Seasons Change band, is aloof and quiet, many times he’s not even present in the moment and that got him the Stone Cold nickname. His dissociative nature didn’t gain him any friends until Wren emailed him a fan letter and it intrigued him enough to answer it. Eventually they became firm penpals and were writing regularly, sharing their thoughts, feelings and hopes.
Wren thought he was shy because she was shy. As she herself would say, she was shy to the point that she shrinks in social situations. He would tell her:
When you stop shrinking, someone will follow you. Let’s hope it’s someone you want as your shadow.
Eventually, we know he wanted to be her shadow and be with her, except he had his own demons to deal with.
One day, when I get my shit together, I’m going to ask for your address and show up for our walk.
I loved Callum because he was not your normal rockstar nor your normal boyfriend. He was stalkerish and possessive and excessively protective of Wren. And it was good that Wren was shy and timid so she was good with him being like that. His demons calmed when Wren was with him, and Wren felt seen when Callum was near. They had a beautiful love story and a wonderful relation.
They had a three year period when they were apart. During that time, Wren had a baby from a one-night stand and Callum’s band went into fame. When she started working in Good Music Records, they met again, Wren knows who he is to her, but thinks he doesn’t know. She’s in for a world of surprises!
What I loved about this romance is that the author throws crumbs (like Hans and Gretel) while she develops the plot and the characters. As you read and discover the secrets, you realize that the hints were there from the beginning, you just hadn’t realized. And of course, this required a re-read to find those crumbs!
I loved this nuanced, multi-layered book and the fascinating characters. Shy and introverted Wren, dissociative Callum who only came to focus with Wren, unique and wonderful!
Wren thought he was shy because she was shy. As she herself would say, she was shy to the point that she shrinks in social situations. He would tell her:
When you stop shrinking, someone will follow you. Let’s hope it’s someone you want as your shadow.
Eventually, we know he wanted to be her shadow and be with her, except he had his own demons to deal with.
One day, when I get my shit together, I’m going to ask for your address and show up for our walk.
I loved Callum because he was not your normal rockstar nor your normal boyfriend. He was stalkerish and possessive and excessively protective of Wren. And it was good that Wren was shy and timid so she was good with him being like that. His demons calmed when Wren was with him, and Wren felt seen when Callum was near. They had a beautiful love story and a wonderful relation.
They had a three year period when they were apart. During that time, Wren had a baby from a one-night stand and Callum’s band went into fame. When she started working in Good Music Records, they met again, Wren knows who he is to her, but thinks he doesn’t know. She’s in for a world of surprises!
What I loved about this romance is that the author throws crumbs (like Hans and Gretel) while she develops the plot and the characters. As you read and discover the secrets, you realize that the hints were there from the beginning, you just hadn’t realized. And of course, this required a re-read to find those crumbs!
I loved this nuanced, multi-layered book and the fascinating characters. Shy and introverted Wren, dissociative Callum who only came to focus with Wren, unique and wonderful!
vanishedknights's review against another edition
4.0
Callum is a walking red flag that I have to say yes to every single time. That man that man that man, is perfection
javalenciaph's review
5.0
Oh, my word. Julia Wolf has surpassed every single expectation I had for this second novel in The Seasons Change, and I've got a psycho kind of love for Callum Rose and Wren Anderson and their intense romance. Stone Cold Notes is the newest standalone in Wolf's rock star romance series, and while I loved Falling in Reverse, I'm a wee bit--cough, absolutely, cough--obsessed with Callum and Wren's love story. It's got love and music, rock stars and a single mom, best friends who've never met, and maybe a bit of stalking, too.
When seventeen-year-old Wren decided to send twenty-one-year-old Callum an email, she was honestly not expecting a reply. After all, he was part of an up and coming rock band and she was just...Wren, or Birdie, as she signed her email. But The Seasons Change bassist, indeed, answered, and thus began an unexpected friendship between the two. And then they went and broke each other's fragile hearts. Five years since that first email, Wren is working at the studio where Callum and the band are recording. He has no idea that she's his Birdie, but he may surprise her when he claims her as his.
This book! Goodness, but how Julia Wolf kept the twists coming. I loved that she did so in a subtle manner, not needing to knock readers over the head with revelations, instead leading me to whisper "whoa" or inaudibly gasp with each one. Callum and Wren may have had to endure a few years of misunderstanding, but those thoughts, feelings, and emotions they had of and for each other remained. Yes, Callum's love may have been obsessive and possessive, but there was an honesty and dedication to it that made it clear how much Wren meant to him. Plus Wren's love, which was more understated in comparison yet just as committed, brought balance to their devotion to each other. Stone Cold Notes was EVERYTHING! Five-plus stars.
When seventeen-year-old Wren decided to send twenty-one-year-old Callum an email, she was honestly not expecting a reply. After all, he was part of an up and coming rock band and she was just...Wren, or Birdie, as she signed her email. But The Seasons Change bassist, indeed, answered, and thus began an unexpected friendship between the two. And then they went and broke each other's fragile hearts. Five years since that first email, Wren is working at the studio where Callum and the band are recording. He has no idea that she's his Birdie, but he may surprise her when he claims her as his.
This book! Goodness, but how Julia Wolf kept the twists coming. I loved that she did so in a subtle manner, not needing to knock readers over the head with revelations, instead leading me to whisper "whoa" or inaudibly gasp with each one. Callum and Wren may have had to endure a few years of misunderstanding, but those thoughts, feelings, and emotions they had of and for each other remained. Yes, Callum's love may have been obsessive and possessive, but there was an honesty and dedication to it that made it clear how much Wren meant to him. Plus Wren's love, which was more understated in comparison yet just as committed, brought balance to their devotion to each other. Stone Cold Notes was EVERYTHING! Five-plus stars.
bigsteve5000's review
3.75
Cute as a story would be absolutely horrific if this happened outside of fantasy
cfarbie67's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
themooser's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
quietbookworm's review
1.0
In Love with a psycho
I actually read the whole thing because I was hoping against hope Callum wouldn't be as big a creeper as I thought he was. But it was worse. And Wren valued herself so little that she took his actions as love. It was control. It was unhealthy and way too obsessive. I wanted her to come into her own. Not a fan.
I actually read the whole thing because I was hoping against hope Callum wouldn't be as big a creeper as I thought he was. But it was worse. And Wren valued herself so little that she took his actions as love. It was control. It was unhealthy and way too obsessive. I wanted her to come into her own. Not a fan.