snchard's review
4.0
Honestly, this book had me at Motion City Soundtrack. I love it when a short story anthology has stories that connect with each other and have overlapping characters. I especially liked Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson, A Small Light by Jenny Torres Sanchez, and Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian.
loonyruni2's review
4.0
So i found this book cute, but not full 5 stars because of two things mainly.
One, it is highly unlikely that so much drama and unpredictable things would happen all at the same time, and two… all the stories had twisty love story’s in them… again, so unbelievable/unlikely/impossible that it would all happen at once! Even spaced out over a schoolyear that would have been unlikely. But yes, I did like the individual stories… but I think 3-4 characters in one book spaced out over longer time would have been more believable
One, it is highly unlikely that so much drama and unpredictable things would happen all at the same time, and two… all the stories had twisty love story’s in them… again, so unbelievable/unlikely/impossible that it would all happen at once! Even spaced out over a schoolyear that would have been unlikely. But yes, I did like the individual stories… but I think 3-4 characters in one book spaced out over longer time would have been more believable
rkcraig_24's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ejdavis98's review
5.0
I’m giving this a 5/5 not because it was flawless, but because reading it was a blast. Ever since a lesson on it in middle school, I’ve been a sucker for the interconnected anthology format. I barely read the first sentence of the summary before buying this book, I needed next to no convincing. It had everything I like, teenage shenanigans, concerts, and an out of the box concept beautifully executed by a diverse group of contributors that all share a common love of writing and music. By the end of the book I found I didn’t even care who won the contest the entire book was based around. But then again, I think that was the point.
Is this book “perfect” in a technical sense? Probably not, but I haven’t taken an English class since 2015 and I admittedly don’t know how to properly use a comma making me one unqualified critic.
Might some people think Battle of the Bands feels disjointed and inconsistent? Maybe. There are 16 authors involved here with all varying degrees of experience in writing. I personally find that to be a beautiful thing, but there are always people who will find something to nitpick.
TL;DR- While some might not find this collection of stories to be a technical 5 star piece of literature, this is my account and I make the rules. What isn’t to love about a revolving door of fun characters through the perspectives of a bunch of music lovers? Bonus points for amazing references ranging from great bands to great anime and multiple jokes poking fun at ska.
Is this book “perfect” in a technical sense? Probably not, but I haven’t taken an English class since 2015 and I admittedly don’t know how to properly use a comma making me one unqualified critic.
Might some people think Battle of the Bands feels disjointed and inconsistent? Maybe. There are 16 authors involved here with all varying degrees of experience in writing. I personally find that to be a beautiful thing, but there are always people who will find something to nitpick.
TL;DR- While some might not find this collection of stories to be a technical 5 star piece of literature, this is my account and I make the rules. What isn’t to love about a revolving door of fun characters through the perspectives of a bunch of music lovers? Bonus points for amazing references ranging from great bands to great anime and multiple jokes poking fun at ska.
stenaros's review
4.0
Interwoven stories for the win! I love this new (to me, at least) trend in short stories. All stories relate to a high school battle of the bands contest. I like how some of the stories varied the angle of their focus away from the battle itself. We didn't hear from all the bands on the roster, and that worked for me.
terriaminute's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoyed like, 85% of this interlinked stories anthology. It flowed fairly well from one story to the next. I skimmed only two, which is high praise from me.
pawsomereads2's review
4.0
Individual story ratings:
Miss Somewhere by Brittany Cavallaro: 3⭐️
Cecilia (You’re Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston: 4⭐️
Sidelines by Sarah Nicole Smetana: 3.5⭐️
Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian: 3⭐️
Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson: 3⭐️
You Found Me by Ashley Woodfolk: 3.5⭐️
Adventures in Babysitting by Justin Courtney Pierre: 3⭐️
Peanut Butter Sandwiches by Jasmine Warga: 4.5⭐️
Reckless Love by Jay Coles: 3⭐️
The Ride by Jenn Marie Thorne: 3⭐️
Three Chords by Eric Smith: 4⭐️
Merch to Do About Nothing by Preeti Chhibber: 4.5⭐️
All these Friends and Lovers by Katie Cotugno: 5⭐️
A Small Light by Jenny Torres Sanchez: 4.5⭐️
Set the World on Fire by Lauren Gibaldi: 4.5⭐️
The Sisterhood of Light and Sound by Jeff Zentner: 4⭐️
General thoughts:
This anthology was such a fun collection of interwoven short stories for music lovers or anyone looking to enjoy the drama and romance of a night spent at a high school production.
I’ve never read a story collection like this one before! I loved that the stories were interconnected and they each pulled small elements from each other. It made for one whole cohesive story with so many different voices. I’d love to know what the writing process was like and how the authors pulled this off! Each story was good on its own but the way they all created a larger narrative together was so special.
Everything came really full circle in the end which was fitting for the theme and inclusion of feel-good stories with happy endings. I also really appreciated the diversity within the stories from race to gender identity to sexual orientation. This is always so important in literature, especially in a coming of age book like this one.
This was such a fun read and I hope to find more books and anthologies like this in the future!
Miss Somewhere by Brittany Cavallaro: 3⭐️
Cecilia (You’re Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston: 4⭐️
Sidelines by Sarah Nicole Smetana: 3.5⭐️
Battle of the Exes by Sarvenaz Taghavian: 3⭐️
Love is a Battlefield by Shaun David Hutchinson: 3⭐️
You Found Me by Ashley Woodfolk: 3.5⭐️
Adventures in Babysitting by Justin Courtney Pierre: 3⭐️
Peanut Butter Sandwiches by Jasmine Warga: 4.5⭐️
Reckless Love by Jay Coles: 3⭐️
The Ride by Jenn Marie Thorne: 3⭐️
Three Chords by Eric Smith: 4⭐️
Merch to Do About Nothing by Preeti Chhibber: 4.5⭐️
All these Friends and Lovers by Katie Cotugno: 5⭐️
A Small Light by Jenny Torres Sanchez: 4.5⭐️
Set the World on Fire by Lauren Gibaldi: 4.5⭐️
The Sisterhood of Light and Sound by Jeff Zentner: 4⭐️
General thoughts:
This anthology was such a fun collection of interwoven short stories for music lovers or anyone looking to enjoy the drama and romance of a night spent at a high school production.
I’ve never read a story collection like this one before! I loved that the stories were interconnected and they each pulled small elements from each other. It made for one whole cohesive story with so many different voices. I’d love to know what the writing process was like and how the authors pulled this off! Each story was good on its own but the way they all created a larger narrative together was so special.
Everything came really full circle in the end which was fitting for the theme and inclusion of feel-good stories with happy endings. I also really appreciated the diversity within the stories from race to gender identity to sexual orientation. This is always so important in literature, especially in a coming of age book like this one.
This was such a fun read and I hope to find more books and anthologies like this in the future!
clairelorraine's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
claudiastaggs's review
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
myfictionaloasis's review
5.0
This was one of my most highly anticipated 2021 releases, so I was thrilled when Candlewick Press responded to my email and accepted my review request. I had high expectations for this book, and still it exceeded them. This is the first short story anthology I've read that I 100% loved. There's usually at least one or two stories that I don't love nearly as much, even in Stephen King's anthologies - and he's my favorite author! Everything about this one, however, was brilliant.
This is the first anthology I've read that had interconnecting stories, and that may be why I loved it so much, in all honesty. I just loved how every individual story flowed easily with the rest, despite everyone having different writing styles. I've previously found that anthologies with multiple authors can feel a bit rocky and I eventually lose interest in the book itself. With BOTB, I was completely hooked from the first page til the last, and I couldn't stop thinking about it after I had finished it.
Battle of the Bands opened me up to a lot of new YA authors that I'd never read before. I have one of Jeff Zentner's books and one of Jay Coles' on the way, but I haven't been able to squeeze them in yet. I will definitely be moving those up on my priority list, though! I've also added books by the other contributors to my TBR, and I'll be keeping an eye out for those when I go to bookstores.
This was such a feel good read that I highly recommend to anyone who loves music, YA books, and anthologies! You definitely won't regret picking this one up. This was my favorite book for August, and I truly hope it gets the hype and recognition it deserves with the release!
Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first anthology I've read that had interconnecting stories, and that may be why I loved it so much, in all honesty. I just loved how every individual story flowed easily with the rest, despite everyone having different writing styles. I've previously found that anthologies with multiple authors can feel a bit rocky and I eventually lose interest in the book itself. With BOTB, I was completely hooked from the first page til the last, and I couldn't stop thinking about it after I had finished it.
Battle of the Bands opened me up to a lot of new YA authors that I'd never read before. I have one of Jeff Zentner's books and one of Jay Coles' on the way, but I haven't been able to squeeze them in yet. I will definitely be moving those up on my priority list, though! I've also added books by the other contributors to my TBR, and I'll be keeping an eye out for those when I go to bookstores.
This was such a feel good read that I highly recommend to anyone who loves music, YA books, and anthologies! You definitely won't regret picking this one up. This was my favorite book for August, and I truly hope it gets the hype and recognition it deserves with the release!
Disclaimer: I received a gifted copy of this book from Candlewick Press in exchange for an honest review.