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A review by abigailnoack
Open Road Summer by Emery Lord
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Well my luck with Emery Lord books continues and I'm falling so in love with her writing and just in general her style that I'm seriously wondering why I didn't love the first book I read by her.
The cast of characters is fantastic. I was kind of expecting this to be a dual perspective book because Dee being a country music star is such a main-character role. I was glad we stuck to Reagan, but it was also interesting to see how Dee's fame was perceived form an outsider. I loved the friendship and loyalty between Reagan and Dee and how they relied on each other. I wish the author had spent a little less time telling me how great friends they were, and more time showing. They definitely had their rough moments, but there was no girl drama and I appreciated that!
I know Reagan isn't necessarily the most likeable character ever. It's a bit of the typical "not-like-other-girls." Reagan is on the path to turning her life around after a history of drinking, smoking, careless relationships, and recently being cheated on. She has a lot of terrible subconscious thoughts towards other girls (hello slut-shaming and girl hate) but it's obvious to the point that it's definitely purposeful by the author. Reagan has internalized the slut-shaming that she has received and is also hurting in a lot of ways (past boyfriends and having her mother abandon her family) and it manifests as girl hate. I'm not saying anything she says/does is okay, but it helped make her a more realistic character. She is deeply flawed and hypocritical but so am I and every person I've ever met. I think it almost makes it easier to understand her, to realize that even when we try our best, the moments when we are actively trying to do better, we still have deep flaws that can hold you back. I think it's important that character development doesn't mean everything is perfect or easy by the end.
I adored Reagan and Matt. One of my favourite tropes will always be the boy in a band/musician as the romantic interest and this one checks the box. It also made me really want to go to a country concert (or any concert for that matter #covid). It's totally a case of insta love which we all know is unrealistic, right? I didn't even mind it. There is nothing I want more than to have an instant connection with a musician boy and since this is fiction I enjoyed it, no regrets. Matt is a songwriter supporting Dee's tour for the summer. He writes beautiful, sentimental, and honest songs. He was also really charming and flirty, but he's got more than a few broken pieces underneath his carefully curated career. I loved watching him try to break down Reagan's walls and show her that he was worth the risk of love. It was nice to see a YA couple that doesn't just automatically fall into a relationship as soon as feelings are admitted - Reagan and Matt spend the whole summer trying to figure out if it's really right for them, and they actively work towards their relationship. There's no automatic forgiveness or easy love, it's tough but that make it more beautiful.
I was actually a bit surprised at the way things wrapped up for Dee.You spend the whole book with Reagan watching Dee still mourning an old break up, and I was starting to expect for Dee and Jimmy to continue going their separate ways because that would be the most realistic - not every tough break up ends in a reunion. And even though the final scene with Dee and Jimmy isn't very detailed or conclusive, I liked that it was open ended and left you wanting more. I was happy either way.
This book had its fare share of cliches, but it was more charming than anything, and it was the perfect book to tide me over till summer is actually here. This book is about the pain of people not being there when you need them but it's also the saving grace of finding the people who will show up when it matters most, the beauty beneath the mess, fighting for the relationships you want, struggling towards better choices and ending it all with a little more love in your heart.
The cast of characters is fantastic. I was kind of expecting this to be a dual perspective book because Dee being a country music star is such a main-character role. I was glad we stuck to Reagan, but it was also interesting to see how Dee's fame was perceived form an outsider. I loved the friendship and loyalty between Reagan and Dee and how they relied on each other. I wish the author had spent a little less time telling me how great friends they were, and more time showing. They definitely had their rough moments, but there was no girl drama and I appreciated that!
I know Reagan isn't necessarily the most likeable character ever. It's a bit of the typical "not-like-other-girls." Reagan is on the path to turning her life around after a history of drinking, smoking, careless relationships, and recently being cheated on. She has a lot of terrible subconscious thoughts towards other girls (hello slut-shaming and girl hate) but it's obvious to the point that it's definitely purposeful by the author. Reagan has internalized the slut-shaming that she has received and is also hurting in a lot of ways (past boyfriends and having her mother abandon her family) and it manifests as girl hate. I'm not saying anything she says/does is okay, but it helped make her a more realistic character. She is deeply flawed and hypocritical but so am I and every person I've ever met. I think it almost makes it easier to understand her, to realize that even when we try our best, the moments when we are actively trying to do better, we still have deep flaws that can hold you back. I think it's important that character development doesn't mean everything is perfect or easy by the end.
I adored Reagan and Matt. One of my favourite tropes will always be the boy in a band/musician as the romantic interest and this one checks the box. It also made me really want to go to a country concert (or any concert for that matter #covid). It's totally a case of insta love which we all know is unrealistic, right? I didn't even mind it. There is nothing I want more than to have an instant connection with a musician boy and since this is fiction I enjoyed it, no regrets. Matt is a songwriter supporting Dee's tour for the summer. He writes beautiful, sentimental, and honest songs. He was also really charming and flirty, but he's got more than a few broken pieces underneath his carefully curated career. I loved watching him try to break down Reagan's walls and show her that he was worth the risk of love. It was nice to see a YA couple that doesn't just automatically fall into a relationship as soon as feelings are admitted - Reagan and Matt spend the whole summer trying to figure out if it's really right for them, and they actively work towards their relationship. There's no automatic forgiveness or easy love, it's tough but that make it more beautiful.
I was actually a bit surprised at the way things wrapped up for Dee.
This book had its fare share of cliches, but it was more charming than anything, and it was the perfect book to tide me over till summer is actually here. This book is about the pain of people not being there when you need them but it's also the saving grace of finding the people who will show up when it matters most, the beauty beneath the mess, fighting for the relationships you want, struggling towards better choices and ending it all with a little more love in your heart.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Cursing