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allingoodtime's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The character of Ben has always been in the background of this series, but doesn’t have that in your face personality of the others in the band. In Lick it was hard to know if he was even likable. We don’t get to know him enough in that one to really make a decision on that. But by the time I read Lead I really liked Ben a lot. It’s kind of like he’s the backbone of the band without them even realizing it.
It’s been no secret throughout the series that there was something going on with Ben and Lizzy, we just didn’t know what it was. Were they just flirting from afar or were they hooking up behind everyone’s backs? This book answers those questions and it was a great story…not quite what I expected.
Ben really tugged at my heart-strings. I understood why he tried to keep his distance from Lizzy and I even understood how that came off as him running hot and cold with her. I absolutely loved the text messages between them throughout the story. They were very sweet and helped me, as the reader, watch their feelings grow. I also loved how protective Lizzy was of Ben, even when he was being a jerk. He was so blind to how his sister treated him and it killed me!
Kylie Scott did a wonderful job of helping me feel Lizzy’s emotions. The push and pull between her and Ben was palpable. The emotions between everyone else in the band and their significant others were so intense, there was really a lot going on. But the author kept it all under control and the story never got away from itself.
The bad news: This was the last book in the Stage Dive series and I’m caught up in the Dive Bar series with the next book not due out until next Spring! The good news: I’ve been hearing wonderful things about Ms. Scott’s newest book, so I can still hunt down a copy of Trust and enjoy her writing. Not to mention the other books in her library that aren’t part of the Stage Dive/Dive Bar universe I haven’t read yet.
Update after reading audiobook 6/26/24:
I originally gave this one 4.5 stars and rounded up to 5, but I'm going to change that. I don't know if it's the narration or if I'm just a different reader now, but I found myself much more disappointed in Ben this time around. There definitely wasn't enough grovel at the end! The parts with Ben's sister also bothered me as that dynamic was never really resolved. I'll keep the 4.5 since I can't say if I would have felt the same if I had read a physical copy, but I am going to round it down to 4 now.
It’s been no secret throughout the series that there was something going on with Ben and Lizzy, we just didn’t know what it was. Were they just flirting from afar or were they hooking up behind everyone’s backs? This book answers those questions and it was a great story…not quite what I expected.
Ben really tugged at my heart-strings. I understood why he tried to keep his distance from Lizzy and I even understood how that came off as him running hot and cold with her. I absolutely loved the text messages between them throughout the story. They were very sweet and helped me, as the reader, watch their feelings grow. I also loved how protective Lizzy was of Ben, even when he was being a jerk. He was so blind to how his sister treated him and it killed me!
Kylie Scott did a wonderful job of helping me feel Lizzy’s emotions. The push and pull between her and Ben was palpable. The emotions between everyone else in the band and their significant others were so intense, there was really a lot going on. But the author kept it all under control and the story never got away from itself.
The bad news: This was the last book in the Stage Dive series and I’m caught up in the Dive Bar series with the next book not due out until next Spring! The good news: I’ve been hearing wonderful things about Ms. Scott’s newest book, so I can still hunt down a copy of Trust and enjoy her writing. Not to mention the other books in her library that aren’t part of the Stage Dive/Dive Bar universe I haven’t read yet.
Update after reading audiobook 6/26/24:
I originally gave this one 4.5 stars and rounded up to 5, but I'm going to change that. I don't know if it's the narration or if I'm just a different reader now, but I found myself much more disappointed in Ben this time around. There definitely wasn't enough grovel at the end! The parts with Ben's sister also bothered me as that dynamic was never really resolved. I'll keep the 4.5 since I can't say if I would have felt the same if I had read a physical copy, but I am going to round it down to 4 now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
ylime620's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I was going to give this five stars, but the 3rd act breakup was unnecessary and unearned.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
the_disreputable_dog's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The texting at the beginning was killing me. It goes on for so long, and while I understand it's because they meet much earlier than when very much happens, I really thought this whole book might have been micro-fiction and I just want forewarned. So forewarning, there's text conversations only for quite awhile at the start, ending around the page forty mark, and then another text section as well, but the whole book is not micro-fiction, thank God. It honestly took quite awhile for me to like Ben in this, because he really was such a shit. I felt like Liz should've run up to Jimmy and given him a huge thank you hug for finally saying exactly that, but grumpus Jimmy did not get thanked. I liked that Liz was telling Ben how hard it was for her to trust him, but I almost feel like this book could've been longer, partially so he could earn her trust. Instead, it felt a bit like she said "I can't trust you" and then he said "I'll show you that you can trust me" and immediately went down on her, aka oral sex buys trust in his eyes. Also, I do hope Martha gets a book, because she has been haunting these guys like a ghost, and the scene in the epilogue does make it seem like maybe she's not a total piece of garbage. I wish Liz had stood up for herself a little earlier, and that she had yelled at Ben, rather than allowing Jimmy, Mal, and everyone else to do so for her, but I do see that that's her character growth in this story. All in all, I'm glad to be going back and checking out Dive Bar now, and still really enjoyed the whole series. If I were rating Stage Dive as a whole, I'd give five stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Abortion, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
emilinkaa's review
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Accidental pregnancy is one of my least favorite book tropes, and the way this one was handled was really meh. The two characters - Lizzy and Ben - didn't feel as complete as many of the other characters in the previous 3 books, and the whole relationship made me roll my eyes. Maybe I'm getting old? I didn't feel that out of touch reading the other three books, but this one? Whoa, boy. Lizzy and Ben have a relationship mostly of texts back and forth because Ben is committed to the music and Lizzy isn't supposed to be around him because she's the little sister of Anne, who's hooked up with Mal. But Lizzy is convinced she's in LOVE with Ben, and when one night leads to a positive pregnancy test, she gives up on school and follow the band around on tour (honestly, very very impractical, as someone who's been pregnant, but hey, we like suspending reality) waiting for Ben to realize he loves her too. Drama ensues and once again, a grand gesture is made, but at the end of the book, I didn't really feel like I knew either of the two main characters much better than at the start. Not nearly as well written, spicy, or enjoyable as the previous three. Glad I finished the series, but I won't reread this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pregnancy
high_lady_of_the_night_court's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content and Pregnancy
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