REVIEW: Drummer Girl by Bridget Tyler

It was supposed to be the summer of her life. Instead, 17-year-old Lucy finds her best friend Harper shot dead in an LA swimming pool. How did it come to this? Lucy Gosling is the drummer in Crush, a rock band formed by five London schoolgirls that has just won the UK semi-final of an international talent contest. But when the band lands in Hollywood for the big final, things are not quite as they seem. The band's lead singer, Harper, has just one thing on her mind - using sex, drugs and rock and roll, not to mention Crush itself, to win back her bad-news ex-boyfriend. Lucy must decide whether she's playing to Harper's tune, or setting the rhythm for the rest of the band 

I really, really loved Drummer Girl! It's a really fantastic book. I loved the way it was told, from the perspective of all of the main characters, and some of the minor ones. I thought it was a great way to get an insight into lives of other characters, not just Lucy, and it definitely made the story move fast-paced and exciting! I haven't read many books that tell a story from multiple points of view, but after reading Drummer Girl, I'm definitely going to be looking for more! Recommendations, anyone?

I think my favourite element of Drummer Girl was the setting. It was so much fun to read about the girls lives in the music scene in LA! It was something different, and really interesting! It was so glamorous and exciting, but I liked the way we were also shown the dark side of the music business, and how the different girls dealt with the pressures. It made the whole idea of the girls being celebrities seem more real - we saw it wasn't just all fun parties and adoring fans, there was a negative side to the girls new lives, and this made it feel more personal.

There was a large cast of characters in Drummer Girl, too many to go through fully, so I'll just talk about a few of my favourites. I liked all of the five main girls, Lucy, Toni, Harper, Iza and Robyn, but Toni and Robyn were the most interesting - I enjoyed their stories the most and they were my two favourites. Harper was a great character too, and Lucy and Iza were nice, if a little boring... Skye really grew on me as a character, and Alexander was another fantastic supporting character.

The only thing I didn't like about Drummer Girl was the ending. I thought it was too rushed, and Lucy's ending was all a bit to perfect and convenient. And, also, nobody seemed very upset about the big thing that happened in the end, which really annoyed me. If the ending had been wrapped up better, I think this would have been a brilliant standalone, but I have a feeling there might be a sequel - I have mixed feelings about a sequel! I probably would read it though - I couldn't resist.

I loved Drummer Girl, definitely get your hands on a copy ASAP if you haven't already! It's is a brilliant book, the perfect summer read.

                                                               4.5/5

Source: For review
Format: Proof copy

Age group: 13+

Official Publication Date: 1st May 2013
Publisher: Templar