Release Date - April 18, 2017
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 336 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received for an honest review from publisher**
Here is the Goodreads synopsis
From Katie Cotugno, bestselling author of 99 Days, comes Fireworks—about a girl who is competing with her best friend to become the new pop star of the moment—and all the drama and romance that comes with it—set in Orlando during the late-'90s boy-and-girl-band craze.
It was always meant to be Olivia. She was the talented one, the one who had been training to be a star her whole life. Her best friend, Dana, was the level-headed one, always on the sidelines, cheering her best friend along.
But everything changes when Dana tags along with Olivia to Orlando for the weekend, where superproducer Guy Monroe is holding auditions for a new singing group, and Dana is discovered too. Dana, who’s never sung more than Olivia’s backup. Dana, who wasn’t even looking for fame. Next thing she knows, she and Olivia are training to be pop stars, and Dana is falling for Alex, the earnest, endlessly talented boy who’s destined to be the next big thing.
It should be a dream come true, but as the days of grueling practice and constant competition take their toll, things between Olivia and Dana start to shift . . . and there’s only room at the top for one girl. For Olivia, it’s her chance at her dream. For Dana, it’s a chance to escape a future that seems to be closing in on her. And for these lifelong best friends, it’s the adventure of a lifetime—if they can make it through.
Set in evocative 1990s Orlando, New York Times bestselling author Katie Cotugno’s Fireworks brings to life the complexity of friendship, the excitement of first love, and the feeling of being on the verge of greatness.
When I heard Katie Cotugno was releasing a novel that focused on female friendships and used the 90s boy/girl band craze as its backdrop, I knew I needed to read it immediately. I was hoping it would be drenched in nostalgia and filled with everything I love about Katie Cotugno's books. Luckily, that is exactly what I got when I picked up Fireworks. It's the kind of book that will immediately make you want to have a 90s music dance party in your house. It is also the kind of book that will make you thankful for the female friendships in your life - flaws and all.
Many people snidely make fun of boy/girl bands. They assume they are frivolous and that the members of these groups do not work hard for their success. These groups are often dismissed simply for being something that teenagers, generally teen aged girls in particular, enjoy. This book is here to set you straight on that assumption. The determination, and hard work that goes into one of these groups is meticulously detailed within Dana and Olivia's story. Nothing about it is easy, and I loved that the novel took the time to address that. There are plenty of perks too, and these are addressed right along side the negative aspects.
The novel may be set in the 90s but it also feels current and relevant. This is largely because the issues that Dana and Olivia are facing are not limited to a specific time frame. The problems that arise in their friendship are ones that people will always struggle with. This is a well developed look at a friendship that is often one sided with one person taking more than they are giving. Combine this with jealously, drifting away from each other, and growing up and you have issues that anyone is able to relate to. The connection between Dana and Olivia is the most important relationship in the novel, even more than the romance found within these pages, and that fact is never forgotten.
The ending is the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. There is hope for the future, but also a sense of loss. The fact that the novel highlights that sometimes things cannot be saved was something I appreciated. Sometimes you cannot mend things, or make your way back to each other. It also shows that you can love someone and be disappointed by them at the same time. The good memories and the bad parts can co-exist. You can still want the best for them, even if they've hurt you. This complexity is at the heart of this friendship and it is something Katie Cotugno does flawlessly.
Fireworks offers up a nostalgic read for anyone who remembers the boy/girl band craze of the 90s. Katie Cotugno once again portrays imperfect female characters who are nuanced, and realistic. If you are looking for a read that focuses on friendship, especially ones that are not perfect, I highly recommend picking up this wonderfully written read.
Many people snidely make fun of boy/girl bands. They assume they are frivolous and that the members of these groups do not work hard for their success. These groups are often dismissed simply for being something that teenagers, generally teen aged girls in particular, enjoy. This book is here to set you straight on that assumption. The determination, and hard work that goes into one of these groups is meticulously detailed within Dana and Olivia's story. Nothing about it is easy, and I loved that the novel took the time to address that. There are plenty of perks too, and these are addressed right along side the negative aspects.
The novel may be set in the 90s but it also feels current and relevant. This is largely because the issues that Dana and Olivia are facing are not limited to a specific time frame. The problems that arise in their friendship are ones that people will always struggle with. This is a well developed look at a friendship that is often one sided with one person taking more than they are giving. Combine this with jealously, drifting away from each other, and growing up and you have issues that anyone is able to relate to. The connection between Dana and Olivia is the most important relationship in the novel, even more than the romance found within these pages, and that fact is never forgotten.
The ending is the perfect blend of bitter and sweet. There is hope for the future, but also a sense of loss. The fact that the novel highlights that sometimes things cannot be saved was something I appreciated. Sometimes you cannot mend things, or make your way back to each other. It also shows that you can love someone and be disappointed by them at the same time. The good memories and the bad parts can co-exist. You can still want the best for them, even if they've hurt you. This complexity is at the heart of this friendship and it is something Katie Cotugno does flawlessly.
Fireworks offers up a nostalgic read for anyone who remembers the boy/girl band craze of the 90s. Katie Cotugno once again portrays imperfect female characters who are nuanced, and realistic. If you are looking for a read that focuses on friendship, especially ones that are not perfect, I highly recommend picking up this wonderfully written read.
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