Review: The Road to You

Info: 

Title: The Road to You
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Series: Wildflower #2
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: July 14, 2015
Source: I received a complimentary ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
The second book in the Wildflower series--full of drama, heart, and that country music spirit.

Bright lights... Screaming fans... Cute roadies... Country music sensation Bird Barrett is officially on tour. The months flash by in an exciting whirlwind, due--in no small part--to a certain dreamy lighting tech named Kai. 

After the tour wraps up, Bird makes the move to LA, finding herself at the center of a trumped-up rivalry with another country music starlet she barely knows. Meanwhile, Kai's out on tour again with an indie rock band and growing distant, and Bird has the label breathing down her neck for a new hit song. Finding true love is supposed to be inspiring, so why does penning the next great country pop ballad suddenly feel so hard? 

ABC's hit show Nashville meets The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Review:
So far, the Wildflower is one of my favourite contemporary series! I find Bird to be so likable and relateable, even though her life is so much crazier than mine!

This installment starts with Bird going on tour as the opening act for a country superstar. It's there that she meets Kai, the intense indie roadie that Bird immediately feels a connection with. Once the tour wraps up, her label suggests that she move to LA and attempt to be a crossover artist.

Bird deals with a variety of issues this time around: a long distance relationship, navigating the pitfalls of the LA media, dealing with friends (both good and not-so-good) and trying to assert her independence with her parents.

I wasn't a huge fan of the love interest, Kai. He's a bit too hipster for my taste and I just didn't think he and Bird were a great match, despite their chemistry. But he really does seem like a nice guy and I can see other readers liking him a lot.

The other new character we meet is Devyn, a Hollywood actress who strikes up a friendship with Bird. I wasn't a big fan of her; she lives a bit too much a crazy Hollywood starlet lifestyle, compared the Bird's down-to-earth personality.

Despite me not being crazy over the love interest, I did really like this book and can't wait for the next one to be released!

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Review: Wildflower

Info: 

Title: Wildflower
Author: Alecia Whitaker
Publisher: Poppy
Publication Date: July 1, 2014
Source: I received a complimentary ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Synopsis:
The best songs come from broken hearts.

Sixteen-year-old Bird Barrett has grown up on the road, singing backup in her family's bluegrass band, and playing everywhere from Nashville, Tennesee to Nowhere, Oklahoma. One fateful night, Bird fills in for her dad by singing lead, and a scout in the audience offers her a spotlight all her own.

Soon Bird is caught up in a whirlwind of songwriting meetings, recording sessions, and music video shoots. Her first single hits the top twenty, and suddenly fans and paparazzi are around every corner. She's even caught the eye of her longtime crush, fellow roving musician Adam Dean. With Bird's star on the rise, though, tradition and ambition collide. Can Bird break out while staying true to her roots?

In a world of glamour and gold records, a young country music star finds her voice.

Review:
Wildflower is a fun, light read and would be perfect to bring along to the beach. With a relateable main character, lots of music references, Wildflower was good, clean fun to read.

Bird is a likeable main character and seems pretty realistic, despite her unusally upbringing. She and her family are a traveling bluegrass band and Bird has lived in a Winnebago for the past five years. She definitely fits in the "good girl" category, which I enjoyed. I find that sometimes contemporaries focused on more rebellious teens (because it makes an interesting story), but I found myself much better able to connect with Bird, since she was more like me growing up, other than the country music star part.

Wildflower covers a lot of contemporary bases. Trying to get the attention of the boy you like, family drama and finding out more about who you are. I liked Adam a lot. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy and I though him and Bird's quest to find the best fountain Coke in America was adorable. Bird also faced some family problems, which I thought were super realistic and it would be felt weird if they hadn't happened, given the situation the family was in. 

It was interesting to watch Bird learn about the rest of the music industry beyond playing shows with her family. It seems super tough and stressful, although very fulfilling if that's what you love.

I enjoyed the ending of this one. I felt it was realistic, but still hopefully. I think I read somewhere that this is part of a series, which I'm excited about, since I liked Bird a lot and want to see what the future holds for her.

I think it's also worth mentioning that this book definitely fits into the clean teen fiction category. Like I mentioned about, Bird is a good girl and there's no cussing, drinking or sex in this one. 

I really enjoyed Wildflower. If I went to the beach, this is the exact sort of book I'd like to bring along.

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