Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

Title: Rockoholic
Author: C.J. Skuse
Format: Hardcover, 358 pages
Pub. Date: November 1st 2012
Source: Goodreads First Reads

★★★★

3.5 Stars, rounded up.

I received this book through Goodreads First Reads.

Jody lives, eats, sleeps, and breathes The Regulators. They are the single greatest band ever, and she owns it all- the DVDs, the albums, the magazines. All because of beautiful, brooding American front man Jackson Gatlin. He's so deep and gorgeous, she would give everything just to meet him face to face. One of the highlights of her life is when her best friend Mac gives her his ticket to go see them in concert.... Only things don't go exactly as planned. Through a series of mishaps, Jody... Kind of... Well, accidentally kidnaps Jackson. They hide him out in her garage, but... He doesn't want to leave. Mac and Jody have to figure out a way to discreetly get him away and avoid the paparazzi, and in Mac's eyes, Jody's hero can't leave fast enough.

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Before you get this book, you should know that it's not realistic. At all. I understand that this is a fiction book, but it's almost like superfiction. Know this before you start reading, otherwise it will skew your feelings of the book, like it did with me.

-Jody is one of the most insufferable female characters I have ever read, right up there with Bella Swan and Anastasia Steele. She is the fan girl that gets picked on at concerts, in real life. She supposedly hangs with the outcast/gothy stereotype crowd... And yet she knows nothing about drugs. Like, at all. At one point, Mac makes reference to a rock. She asks if you get high by licking it, thinking it a stone outside. I don't know if this was done to build an air of naivety or what, but it made me wish that she'd get caught in her shenanigans.

-She thinks in acronyms. Such as OMG. In her own head. This bothered me a bit, though it was easy to look past.

+Mac, on the other hand, has been added to my list of fictional boyfriends. He is constantly reminding Jody that her plans and actions are stupid. He's a great supportive friend and a great big brother to his baby sister, Cree. He's the lead in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Ugh. He is just yummy. I pick him over Jackson any day.

+Jackson is portrayed well. He's coming down from a high at one point, and is angry and throwing things and barking orders. I feel this was at least semi-accurate, as opposed to an easy "oh, he's clean" instant fix. I give props for that. I hated him at first, and grew to love him with time.

+ There was no instant love. Thank god, a book without it, finally!

+I love the cover of this book. It's what initially drew me in, and I think it stands out on a shelf.

The only major downfall with this book is my irritation with the lead character, Jody. Other than that, this is a music fueled, quick read that any fan girl can relate to, if only a little bit. I know personally, I was imagining my own band of obsession in place of The Regulators in this story. It took me awhile to get into it, but overall I was very glad I stuck it out and finished this novel.

I recommend it for any girl who has had a celebrity obsession and fans of YA literature. If you want a realistic fiction or a strong female lead, then pass this.