In Erin Hahn's You'd Be Mine, Clay Coolidge is one of the hottest young country music stars out there. Sexy and talented, he’s perfected the frat-boy, everyone-have-fun, check-out-the-pretty-girls type of music that has netted him a Grammy for Best New Artist, and has crowds following his every move, especially women, despite his only being 18.
But Clay’s fun-loving style barely hides his drinking problem, his emotional issues that push anyone away who tries to get too close, and his penchant for getting into fights. After one raucous evening, his label gives him an ultimatum: convince Annie Mathers to tour with him or everything is canceled.
Annie Mathers is country music’s sweetheart. The daughter of two legendary entertainers who died tragically, Annie is more talented than they were but she's deathly afraid of falling into the same patterns her parents did. Still, she’s itching to perform and make her music public, so she and her band, made up of her cousin and a childhood best friend, agree to be Clay’s opening act.
From the very get-go, the two are drawn to each other, and the record label wants to take advantage of those sparks and their chemistry at every turn. Even though there is some truth to their feelings for one another, Clay knows he’ll drag her down, while Annie hopes she can save him. They both have demons to fight, but can their careers—and any chance at being together—survive?
I enjoyed this book so much from start to finish. I love music and celebrities so the subject hooked me completely, but so did Hahn’s storytelling. It was melodramatic and soapy without being ridiculous, predictable without being frustrating. I loved these characters despite their flaws.
The one thing that felt weird was that Clay was supposed to be 18, but he seemed so much older and so damaged that you’d think he was 10 years older. I had to keep reminding myself of his age throughout the book, but it didn’t dull my love for it at all.
Romance, drama, and country music—can you ask for anything more? Can’t believe this was Hahn’s debut!!
No comments:
Post a Comment