Rockoholic Review

I’m going to start this review by saying that Rockoholic by C. J. Skuse is one of the funniest, most entertaining and highly original books I’ve read in a long time. Just check out the synopsis...

"Jody loves Jackson Gatlin. At his only UK rock concert, she’s right at the front. But when she's caught in the crush and carried back stage she has more than concussion to contend with. Throw in a menacing manager, a super-wired super-star, and a curlywurly, and she finds herself taking home more than just a poster. It’s the accidental kidnapping of the decade. But what happens if you’ve a rock-god in your garage who doesn’t want to leave? Jody’s stuck between a rock-idol and a hard place!

From the pen of C.J. Skuse, author of last year’s super cool debut Pretty Bad Things, comes a tale of rock star obsession gone nuts. Hilariously and sharply explores the fantasy and reality of celebrity obsession through a teenager’s eyes. C. J. Skuse has been billed as the new Nick Hornby for teens".

To be quite honest, when I first read the synopsis I thought the book sounded good but I honestly didn’t know whether I’d like it. I mean, I’m a bit past my boy band loving days although I do remember what it was like to have a crush on Ronan Keating *cringing as we speak* and I won’t tell you about the time I had front row tickets to a Boyzone concert and went deaf for three days. Oh wait, I just did. Anyway, I took Rockoholic with me to my super intensive residential training course and I’m so glad I did as it provided me with some much needed light relief, just when I needed it! Rockoholic was laugh out loud funny and I totally “got” Jodie. She is a walking disaster and always manages to get caught up in the most ridiculous and outlandish situations. But she’s also funny, witty and fiercely loyal to her friends.

Standing by her side is her best friend Mac who has a streak through his hair and is heavily involved with the Dramatic Arts. He knows Jodie like the back of his hand and together, they’re an unstoppable force. I LOVED the interaction between Mac and Jodie which provided a lot of the humour but also some of the most touching parts of the book too.

Initially, I thought that rock star God Jackson was a bit of a prat but as the plot unravels, you realise that he is merely a victim of circumstance and in a world where it seems everyone wants to be famous, I think this book is a nice reminder that fame definitely isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!

Now, I’m not a huge fan of British writers, especially in the YA genre but I think after this I’m going to have to change my stance. I thought Rockoholic was a brilliant read, both hysterically funny and incredibly moving at times which is a sign of a skilled writer and I will definitely be reading more of C.J’s books in the future.

I can’t recommend Rockoholic highly enough and now that I’ve given the ARC away to a stranger on the train (book love should definitely be shared) I’m definitely going to invest in my own copy. I strongly suggest you do too. Go get it!

C.J. Skuse does not appear to have her own website but you can find her author page at Chicken House Publishers here. She has facebook pages for both Pretty Bad Things and Rockoholic.