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Rockoholic
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 curly-wurly, 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 2010's super cool debut "Pretty Bad Things", comes a tale of rock star obsession gone nuts.
368 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2011
About the author
C.J. Skuse
14 books630 followersC.J. SKUSE is the author of the Young Adult novels PRETTY BAD THINGS, ROCKOHOLIC and DEAD ROMANTIC (Chicken House), MONSTER and THE DEVIANTS (Mira Ink). She was born in 1980 in Weston-super-Mare, England. She has First Class degrees in Creative Writing and Writing for Children and, aside from writing novels lectures in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. C.J. is currently working on adult novel SWEETPEA for HQ/HarperCollins (out April 2017).
C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. She hates carnivals, hard-boiled eggs and coughing. The movies Titanic, My Best Friend's Wedding and Ruby Sparks were all probably based on her ideas; she just didn't get to write them down in time. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
You can find C.J. Skuse on Facebook or on Twitter www.twitter.com/CeejaytheAuthor.
C.J. loves Masterchef, Gummy Bears and murder sites. She hates carnivals, hard-boiled eggs and coughing. The movies Titanic, My Best Friend's Wedding and Ruby Sparks were all probably based on her ideas; she just didn't get to write them down in time. Before she dies, she would like to go to Japan, try clay-pigeon shooting and have Ryan Gosling present her with the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
You can find C.J. Skuse on Facebook or on Twitter www.twitter.com/CeejaytheAuthor.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 248 reviews
November 15, 2012
This is one of those books that would require the reader's patience to fully appreciate all its quirky nuisances. It was touch and go there for a while. You need to practice self-control and curb your judgments until you've read the entire book. Needless to say, I made a fool of myself on Goodreads again.
Here's the Story, Morning Glory:
Jody's obsession with Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators reached new heights as she found herself inadvertently kidnapping her dream man, the love of her life, her hero. What would've been a simple error easily corrected by handing over the rock god back to his manager turned into an epic game of hide-a-rock-star-from-the-world. This is just what she's been praying for, right? To spend all her precious time with her idol and serve him hand and foot. But it doesn't take long until Jackson shows his true colors: diva extraordinaire, abusive and a celebrity on the brink of a drug withdrawal. Jody gets the butt of his temper tantrums. She gets puked on, gets food thrown at her face, and worse, peed on. When she had had enough, Jody threw him out but to her chagrin, Jackson refused to leave the sanctuary of her garage. She soon realized that the Jackson she's known all her life doesn't come close to the real Jackson in her garage. Stuck with a temperamental jerk whose personal vocabulary did not include the words, thank you and sorry, Jody will learn a few home truths about herself, about Mac and which Jackson was worthy of her devotion.
Like I said, you need to be patient with this book. Jody was a hard person to like in the beginning. She was an insipid, sniveling girl who took all of Jackson's abuse. She was blinded to everything about Jackson that she didn't appreciate the extent of her best friend's devotion to make her happy until it was almost too late. Truthfully, I would've given up by say, third chapter. But I didn't. I don't know. I think it's the Pearl Jam's Black quote at the beginning of the book that held me back. That alone gave the book so much promise and it's what saw me through.
If you persevere to read this book until the end, you will appreciate the growth Jody went through. You will see that moment when she realized that Jackson is just a man, not a god, not an idol. He's a scared boy - a terrified, tired, burnt-out rock star who wanted none of the life his celeb status afforded him. He wanted to get clean - free of an addiction that his manager got him hooked on. When at first you will be annoyed with him, you will find yourself sympathizing for the mess of a man he turned out to be and rooting for the person he wanted to be.
This book boasts some pretty lovable secondary characters: there's grandpa, whose own funeral involved a rock anthem and a food fight of epic proportion. He's been Jody's rock god even before Jackson came into the picture. His death tore her apart but his life lessons are the edict that Jody follows like the law. There's Cree - adorable, lovable, sweet Cree. She's a two point five year-old girl toddler who provides all the honey with her innocence and unconditional love - for her brother, for Jody and for Jackson. Jackson found a certain closeness to this little girl because according to him, Cree didn't know any better. And then there's Mac - black nail polish, skinny jeans, guy-liner. Jody has always perceived her best friend gay but Jackson opened her eyes and showed her a Mackenzie she was all too blind to see. All of a sudden, she realized that if all else fails in her life, Mac will be the one constant she can't live without. Le sigh.
The author used humor and sweetness to tell a story that's otherwise deceptively heavy. It dealt with grief, a teen's feeling of alienation, drug abuse, love, family and friendships where you least expect it.
Here's the Story, Morning Glory:
Jody's obsession with Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators reached new heights as she found herself inadvertently kidnapping her dream man, the love of her life, her hero. What would've been a simple error easily corrected by handing over the rock god back to his manager turned into an epic game of hide-a-rock-star-from-the-world. This is just what she's been praying for, right? To spend all her precious time with her idol and serve him hand and foot. But it doesn't take long until Jackson shows his true colors: diva extraordinaire, abusive and a celebrity on the brink of a drug withdrawal. Jody gets the butt of his temper tantrums. She gets puked on, gets food thrown at her face, and worse, peed on. When she had had enough, Jody threw him out but to her chagrin, Jackson refused to leave the sanctuary of her garage. She soon realized that the Jackson she's known all her life doesn't come close to the real Jackson in her garage. Stuck with a temperamental jerk whose personal vocabulary did not include the words, thank you and sorry, Jody will learn a few home truths about herself, about Mac and which Jackson was worthy of her devotion.
Like I said, you need to be patient with this book. Jody was a hard person to like in the beginning. She was an insipid, sniveling girl who took all of Jackson's abuse. She was blinded to everything about Jackson that she didn't appreciate the extent of her best friend's devotion to make her happy until it was almost too late. Truthfully, I would've given up by say, third chapter. But I didn't. I don't know. I think it's the Pearl Jam's Black quote at the beginning of the book that held me back. That alone gave the book so much promise and it's what saw me through.
If you persevere to read this book until the end, you will appreciate the growth Jody went through. You will see that moment when she realized that Jackson is just a man, not a god, not an idol. He's a scared boy - a terrified, tired, burnt-out rock star who wanted none of the life his celeb status afforded him. He wanted to get clean - free of an addiction that his manager got him hooked on. When at first you will be annoyed with him, you will find yourself sympathizing for the mess of a man he turned out to be and rooting for the person he wanted to be.
This book boasts some pretty lovable secondary characters: there's grandpa, whose own funeral involved a rock anthem and a food fight of epic proportion. He's been Jody's rock god even before Jackson came into the picture. His death tore her apart but his life lessons are the edict that Jody follows like the law. There's Cree - adorable, lovable, sweet Cree. She's a two point five year-old girl toddler who provides all the honey with her innocence and unconditional love - for her brother, for Jody and for Jackson. Jackson found a certain closeness to this little girl because according to him, Cree didn't know any better. And then there's Mac - black nail polish, skinny jeans, guy-liner. Jody has always perceived her best friend gay but Jackson opened her eyes and showed her a Mackenzie she was all too blind to see. All of a sudden, she realized that if all else fails in her life, Mac will be the one constant she can't live without. Le sigh.
The author used humor and sweetness to tell a story that's otherwise deceptively heavy. It dealt with grief, a teen's feeling of alienation, drug abuse, love, family and friendships where you least expect it.
May 1, 2011
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.
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!
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!
November 19, 2012
This book is kind of hard to review because my feelings for it are kind of inconsistent. I started reading this book about a month ago, and the first chapter was entertaining enough. The second chapter was just okay, and by the third chapter rolled around, I was really bored. So I decided to set it aside for a bit.
Well, I picked it up again early this morning, and it got better. By the end of chapter five, I was smiling and laughing out loud. Jodie's antics were so crazy, and Mac's dramatic outbursts were hilarious.
But then it got weird, and then irritating, and then serious, and then back to irritating. And the rest of it was entertaining enough, but I was just ready for Jodie to realize what's really important and for the end to come together as I had predicted all along.
The characters in this book were okay - not boring characters, but not memorable either. With the exception of Mac, only because he had some great lines. "I can almost hear the soap dropping in the shower." But I think Skuse tried a little too hard to throw readers off course, but because it was so blatantly obvious, I think most readers will be able to see right through it.
So yes, this book was really cliche and totally predictable, but it was an entertaining, cute read. I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if it was a little shorter, but it wasn't a bad read either.
Well, I picked it up again early this morning, and it got better. By the end of chapter five, I was smiling and laughing out loud. Jodie's antics were so crazy, and Mac's dramatic outbursts were hilarious.
But then it got weird, and then irritating, and then serious, and then back to irritating. And the rest of it was entertaining enough, but I was just ready for Jodie to realize what's really important and for the end to come together as I had predicted all along.
The characters in this book were okay - not boring characters, but not memorable either. With the exception of Mac, only because he had some great lines. "I can almost hear the soap dropping in the shower." But I think Skuse tried a little too hard to throw readers off course, but because it was so blatantly obvious, I think most readers will be able to see right through it.
So yes, this book was really cliche and totally predictable, but it was an entertaining, cute read. I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if it was a little shorter, but it wasn't a bad read either.
October 1, 2012
This and other reviews on Book Thoughts by Marielle!
Just know that this book emotionally depleted me. I mean, I only have so much emotion that I can let out and all of it for the next month was unleashed today, when I finished this book. I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN'T CRY ON MY BIRTHDAY. But I did. In a good-ish kind of way.
I went into Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse thinking that it would be a light, fluffy read. I was kind of right.
You know that one celebrity that you would give anything just to meet? To talk to him for one minute, receive one smile? Well, for Jody, that one guy would be Jackson Gatlin, lead singer of The Regulators, the new popular American rock band. When Jody scores a ticket to his concert, she’s right in the front row, and after a series of events, he ends up… in her garage? Recovering from withdrawal and the brightness of fame, Jackson is not who Jody thought he was, much to her dismay. It becomes apparent that Jackson doesn’t want to go back to his celebrity, but how can someone as famous as Jackson hide for so long? As Jody and her best friend, Mac, try to cope with this raging rock star, the media is searching for the elusive celeb. Will Jody get Jackson to safety before the media finds him, or will he be thrust back into the spotlight?
There is only one that that I didn’t absolutely love about this book, and that was Jody. She was incredibly stupid; she made horrible decisions at every turn, but I have to admit that she did have guts. I mean, I wouldn’t be brave enough to actually try to steal a rock star from his own concert. But at the same time, I liked Jody, despite her stupidity. She was quite endearing. Mac was my favorite character because he was such a good friend, plus he was into theater (as am I). He was reliable and really funny and his little sister, Cree, was adorable. Jackson, at first, was horrible, but by the end, I came to love him. He was kind of sweet by the end.
This book was incredibly funny. I actually had to stifle laughs while I was reading it into the wee hours of the morning. I could barely put it down and it captivated me right away. I understood how Jody felt about Jackson (maybe not to that extreme level, but a much more mild one) and that helped me connect to her thought process on why it was okay to abduct a superstar. It was kind of a fluffy read, but I didn’t expect to cry at the end. But I did cry. And on my birthday, of all days! Gah. But anyway, it wasn’t quite as fluffy as I first thought it would be. It also made me a lot more interested about books that are not about supernatural things; It made me branch out more, and for that, C.J. Skuse, I thank you! I also thank you for entertaining me endlessly with this book of yours!
Just know that this book emotionally depleted me. I mean, I only have so much emotion that I can let out and all of it for the next month was unleashed today, when I finished this book. I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULDN'T CRY ON MY BIRTHDAY. But I did. In a good-ish kind of way.
I went into Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse thinking that it would be a light, fluffy read. I was kind of right.
You know that one celebrity that you would give anything just to meet? To talk to him for one minute, receive one smile? Well, for Jody, that one guy would be Jackson Gatlin, lead singer of The Regulators, the new popular American rock band. When Jody scores a ticket to his concert, she’s right in the front row, and after a series of events, he ends up… in her garage? Recovering from withdrawal and the brightness of fame, Jackson is not who Jody thought he was, much to her dismay. It becomes apparent that Jackson doesn’t want to go back to his celebrity, but how can someone as famous as Jackson hide for so long? As Jody and her best friend, Mac, try to cope with this raging rock star, the media is searching for the elusive celeb. Will Jody get Jackson to safety before the media finds him, or will he be thrust back into the spotlight?
There is only one that that I didn’t absolutely love about this book, and that was Jody. She was incredibly stupid; she made horrible decisions at every turn, but I have to admit that she did have guts. I mean, I wouldn’t be brave enough to actually try to steal a rock star from his own concert. But at the same time, I liked Jody, despite her stupidity. She was quite endearing. Mac was my favorite character because he was such a good friend, plus he was into theater (as am I). He was reliable and really funny and his little sister, Cree, was adorable. Jackson, at first, was horrible, but by the end, I came to love him. He was kind of sweet by the end.
This book was incredibly funny. I actually had to stifle laughs while I was reading it into the wee hours of the morning. I could barely put it down and it captivated me right away. I understood how Jody felt about Jackson (maybe not to that extreme level, but a much more mild one) and that helped me connect to her thought process on why it was okay to abduct a superstar. It was kind of a fluffy read, but I didn’t expect to cry at the end. But I did cry. And on my birthday, of all days! Gah. But anyway, it wasn’t quite as fluffy as I first thought it would be. It also made me a lot more interested about books that are not about supernatural things; It made me branch out more, and for that, C.J. Skuse, I thank you! I also thank you for entertaining me endlessly with this book of yours!
![Profile Image for Yves V.H. [Slow reading].](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/users/1710076694i/170151541._UY200_CR5,0,200,200_.jpg)
October 30, 2023
I have mixed feelings about this book. One, a kid falling for a rockstar that's definitely older than her but hey, I guess every teenage girls are so I'll let this pass. But the guy also (somewhat) falling in love with the young girl...I--...no. Two, the FL is on her rebellious age which makes me annoyed with her...the plot is tolerable. Lastly, poor friend but luckily, seems like the FL finally noticed him but idk, that part seems a bit forced or too instant.
November 6, 2012
This book is sweet, and at times heartbreaking, but you need to know something else: this book is also h i l a r o u s!
During the first like...7-8 chapters (before and during the kidnapping and the aftermath of it) I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
The whole book is funny, though. My sister kept glancing over at me worriedly because every now and then I would crack up so much.
Jody is half-mad. I mean, I get her, she is grieving, she is lonely, she doesn't fit in, . It's all very sad, but she has this childlike quality about her and absolutely doesn't filter in her head anything she does or says! I really, really loved her. Her logic was logical to me too.
And Mac - oh.my.god.
I cannot put it in words how much I loved him. To everything that Jody does or says, he is the voice of reason. The perfect Yin to her Yang, someone that keeps her grounded (as much as he can). Every single thing he says, I clung onto his words, he is just such a wonderful character (I'm fighting myself here not to quote in this review everything he says). He has a bit of a dramatic flair which is very likable, but he is also calm and collected when he needs to be and overall such a sweet guy. I loved him with Cree.
Actually, I wouldn't have minded a whole book just about him, that's how much I liked him.
You know, what makes this so great is that we've all been there! I cannot name a single person who wasn't in some sort of love with a celebrity - but Jody just takes it to a whole new level (even if it's unintentional). She is, quite literally, obsessed with Jackson and this combined with a simple chocolate bar misunderstanding gets her into so much trouble! Mac is always there to help her along, being whatever she needs him to be.
I felt so sorry for Jackson, even though he also made me laugh with his antics. He is a great character, in that brotherly kind of way (once he's off the drugs he is quite likable). Sometimes celebrity stardust is just cheap glitter and you can definitely see that when you look at his life, he is a pretty deep character.
So if you're looking for something that has a little weight, has an array of amazing characters, and will also make you laugh, this is definitely the book I would recommend.
During the first like...7-8 chapters (before and during the kidnapping and the aftermath of it) I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.
The whole book is funny, though. My sister kept glancing over at me worriedly because every now and then I would crack up so much.
Jody is half-mad. I mean, I get her, she is grieving, she is lonely, she doesn't fit in, . It's all very sad, but she has this childlike quality about her and absolutely doesn't filter in her head anything she does or says! I really, really loved her. Her logic was logical to me too.
And Mac - oh.my.god.
I cannot put it in words how much I loved him. To everything that Jody does or says, he is the voice of reason. The perfect Yin to her Yang, someone that keeps her grounded (as much as he can). Every single thing he says, I clung onto his words, he is just such a wonderful character (I'm fighting myself here not to quote in this review everything he says). He has a bit of a dramatic flair which is very likable, but he is also calm and collected when he needs to be and overall such a sweet guy. I loved him with Cree.
Actually, I wouldn't have minded a whole book just about him, that's how much I liked him.
You know, what makes this so great is that we've all been there! I cannot name a single person who wasn't in some sort of love with a celebrity - but Jody just takes it to a whole new level (even if it's unintentional). She is, quite literally, obsessed with Jackson and this combined with a simple chocolate bar misunderstanding gets her into so much trouble! Mac is always there to help her along, being whatever she needs him to be.
I felt so sorry for Jackson, even though he also made me laugh with his antics. He is a great character, in that brotherly kind of way (once he's off the drugs he is quite likable). Sometimes celebrity stardust is just cheap glitter and you can definitely see that when you look at his life, he is a pretty deep character.
So if you're looking for something that has a little weight, has an array of amazing characters, and will also make you laugh, this is definitely the book I would recommend.
November 5, 2012
MY THOUGHTS
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Bristol teen, Jody, has a major crush on US rock star Jackson Gatlin. She has his posters plastered on her wall, eats what he professes to eat and just generally fangirls out at his concerts. Her best friend, Mac, wants to be on Broadway star and genially puts up with her Gatlin rants with a stoic front. They spend most of their time together at his family's pub and taking care of his little sister, Cree while his parents work. Her divorced mother has moved the family in with her father and Jody develops a special relationship with her grandfather. When he passes away, Jody is left bereft and slowly spins out of control. The only bright spot in her life is seeing Gatlin's band preform, so when she angers her mother and her mother in turn rips up Jody's ticket to the show, things get desperate.
Mac graciously gives Jody his ticket and even drives her to the show, even waits for her to finish. When she ends up injured at the concert, Mac tracks her down and finds her with Jackson, in a bizarre and accidental kidnapping. They find that Jackson doesn't want to go back to his band and evil manager and also has a horrible drug addiction to uppers and downers. So what is super fan Jody do? She takes him home to nurse him, hiding him in her grandfather's garage and rehabing him. What ends up happening in the story is truly heartwarming, bittersweet and funny enough to make this one of my favorite reads of the year.
Although the characters are in England, this story should resonate with any young adult just coming of age and trying to deal with what they want to do with their lives. The fact that Jody is so clueless about Mac's feeling for her really was a sweet moment when she realizes that Mac is and has been in love with her forever and it is the right kind of love. Both of them have families with major issues and the fact that these two aren't more messed up is amazing. Parents: there is language, some kissing, alcohol mentions, drug abuse. Please note that this book takes place in England where the drinking age is different. The drug abuse is shown in a bad light.
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT
Bristol teen, Jody, has a major crush on US rock star Jackson Gatlin. She has his posters plastered on her wall, eats what he professes to eat and just generally fangirls out at his concerts. Her best friend, Mac, wants to be on Broadway star and genially puts up with her Gatlin rants with a stoic front. They spend most of their time together at his family's pub and taking care of his little sister, Cree while his parents work. Her divorced mother has moved the family in with her father and Jody develops a special relationship with her grandfather. When he passes away, Jody is left bereft and slowly spins out of control. The only bright spot in her life is seeing Gatlin's band preform, so when she angers her mother and her mother in turn rips up Jody's ticket to the show, things get desperate.
Mac graciously gives Jody his ticket and even drives her to the show, even waits for her to finish. When she ends up injured at the concert, Mac tracks her down and finds her with Jackson, in a bizarre and accidental kidnapping. They find that Jackson doesn't want to go back to his band and evil manager and also has a horrible drug addiction to uppers and downers. So what is super fan Jody do? She takes him home to nurse him, hiding him in her grandfather's garage and rehabing him. What ends up happening in the story is truly heartwarming, bittersweet and funny enough to make this one of my favorite reads of the year.
Although the characters are in England, this story should resonate with any young adult just coming of age and trying to deal with what they want to do with their lives. The fact that Jody is so clueless about Mac's feeling for her really was a sweet moment when she realizes that Mac is and has been in love with her forever and it is the right kind of love. Both of them have families with major issues and the fact that these two aren't more messed up is amazing. Parents: there is language, some kissing, alcohol mentions, drug abuse. Please note that this book takes place in England where the drinking age is different. The drug abuse is shown in a bad light.
July 8, 2019
"Man sollte niemals seine Helden kennenlernen, Jody. Das gibt immer eine Riesenenttäuschung."
2,5 Sterne
Okay. Der Anfang, den will ich am liebsten verdrängen! Am Anfang war dieses Buch total miserabel. Jody war einfach nur furchtbar und am liebsten hätte ich sie erstmal zu einem Therapeuten gebracht. Ich meine, ich bin auch ein fangirl und kann viel nachvollziehen, was das angeht. Aber das hier war echt nichts mehr, was noch irgendwie gesund war. Bei Jackson ging es mir genauso!
Aber irgendwann dreht sich das und es beginnt eine großartige Charakterentwicklung und ein wirklich schöner Selbstfindungsprozess. Der rettet das Buch vor einer 1*- Bewertung. Die Story hält einer genaueren Betrachtung nicht stand, aber alleine die Art, wie sich die Figuren entwickeln, macht das alles ein wenig wieder wett. Die Szene, in der Jody Macs Eltern ihre Meinung geigt, war mein absoluter Höhepunkt!
February 16, 2022
One of my fave books when I was younger! But somehow I just can't imagine picking up a YA book currently, (I NEED the smut!!!😂) even though i would literally take this book out from the library every week and reread it 😱😱
Just HOW was that possible?! I can rarely read the same book more then twice nowadays...
Just HOW was that possible?! I can rarely read the same book more then twice nowadays...
October 31, 2012
First off, my lovelies, I must give props to Ms. Skuse for nailing the obsessiveness and slightly scary factors of being a female fan of a rising idol. Especially a hot male idol. Jody, our main character, as much as I may try (but I won't) to deny it, is a lot like quite a few people I know.
Quite a few One Direction obsessed friends I know, to be exact. And if I said that Jody's lack of sense and brain cells annoyed the hell out of me, and I couldn't stand her as a character - I'd also be saying that to 99% of the female population.
99% of the female population of obsessive girls in love with One Direction currently, or any other band.
And I have to say, in all honesty, I don't belong in that 99%. Sure, I like One Direction's songs and I may on occassion play one of their songs and maybe even sing along, but I'm not obsessed like Jody is. And I certainly would. NOT. Kidnap. A. Boy.
Not even a popular boy.
Nope.
And I also have no problem handing that insult of lack of sense and brain cells to every One Direction fan I know. So HA. Cause I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAY THE BOY IS GONNA BE YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A DAMN AND IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. But yeah...
So you can only imagine all the thoughts and little talks I could think up for Jody on the spot the moment shesaid DECLARED screamed to the world, "I MUST GET JACKSON TO DATE AND MARRY ME."
Or something along those lines...
I didn't like it. I didn't understand it. I didn't care for it. But oh, was she realistic. And I give credit where credit is due. And Jody's character deserves some sort of messed up credit. Because while I didn't understand where she was coming from (Me being from the 1% of the female population that does not appreciate One Direction and theirnoisy annoying fans), I'm sure many of my friends - and even fellow bloggers - could and would relate to Jody's obsession with Jackson. Obsession is becoming a very common word in this review, isn't it? *sighs* But it is what it is. And what Jody's connection with Jackson is as simple as it can be:
OBSESSION.
No, it is not love. And yes, I do think the only character who had some sense (Not including the parents) was Mac, who was my favorite character. And no, I do not approve of Jody's conclusion that her best friend was gay because he likes to sing and dance. And yes, I admit this book did make me laugh often and appreciate it's honesty.
Rockoholic, which may seem light and silly, and depending on your reading tastes, may seem like a book to dismiss - it is actually so much more than that.
This book explores what fame can do to people, and the stress it can have on regular people. How it can easily alter a boy who used to love to sing and perform to a boy who needs to take drugs to perform and then calm himself down afterwards. Jackson's feelings and the reasons behind his refusal to return to his band was understandable, and after the initial experience and idea I had of him (which was nothing more than JERK, JERK, JERK), I began to grow accustomed to him and wanted to learn more.
But Jody has a story of her too, one that doesn't just include Jackson and her infamous boy kidnapping, that's worth telling. One that isn't so obvious to the eye, one that may be overshadowed by the general plot but is still a tale of loss, search, and realization. One that includes a grandpa who Jody loved dearly that just couldn't stay with her. And just because of one little gift that was left to her from him, a moonstone, Jody is able overcome many difficulties and trials.
Funny as it was senseless and without story at times, I still think that this is a story you won't want to miss. Do I recommend throwing this to the top of an already way too big TBR pile? Probably not. Do I recommend reading it eventually?
Without a doubt.
An advance copy was provided from the publisher for review via NetGalley. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.
Quite a few One Direction obsessed friends I know, to be exact. And if I said that Jody's lack of sense and brain cells annoyed the hell out of me, and I couldn't stand her as a character - I'd also be saying that to 99% of the female population.
99% of the female population of obsessive girls in love with One Direction currently, or any other band.
And I have to say, in all honesty, I don't belong in that 99%. Sure, I like One Direction's songs and I may on occassion play one of their songs and maybe even sing along, but I'm not obsessed like Jody is. And I certainly would. NOT. Kidnap. A. Boy.
Not even a popular boy.
Nope.
And I also have no problem handing that insult of lack of sense and brain cells to every One Direction fan I know. So HA. Cause I DON'T CARE IF YOU SAY THE BOY IS GONNA BE YOUR FUTURE HUSBAND BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A DAMN AND IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN. But yeah...
So you can only imagine all the thoughts and little talks I could think up for Jody on the spot the moment she
Or something along those lines...
I didn't like it. I didn't understand it. I didn't care for it. But oh, was she realistic. And I give credit where credit is due. And Jody's character deserves some sort of messed up credit. Because while I didn't understand where she was coming from (Me being from the 1% of the female population that does not appreciate One Direction and their
OBSESSION.
No, it is not love. And yes, I do think the only character who had some sense (Not including the parents) was Mac, who was my favorite character. And no, I do not approve of Jody's conclusion that her best friend was gay because he likes to sing and dance. And yes, I admit this book did make me laugh often and appreciate it's honesty.
Rockoholic, which may seem light and silly, and depending on your reading tastes, may seem like a book to dismiss - it is actually so much more than that.
This book explores what fame can do to people, and the stress it can have on regular people. How it can easily alter a boy who used to love to sing and perform to a boy who needs to take drugs to perform and then calm himself down afterwards. Jackson's feelings and the reasons behind his refusal to return to his band was understandable, and after the initial experience and idea I had of him (which was nothing more than JERK, JERK, JERK), I began to grow accustomed to him and wanted to learn more.
But Jody has a story of her too, one that doesn't just include Jackson and her infamous boy kidnapping, that's worth telling. One that isn't so obvious to the eye, one that may be overshadowed by the general plot but is still a tale of loss, search, and realization. One that includes a grandpa who Jody loved dearly that just couldn't stay with her. And just because of one little gift that was left to her from him, a moonstone, Jody is able overcome many difficulties and trials.
Funny as it was senseless and without story at times, I still think that this is a story you won't want to miss. Do I recommend throwing this to the top of an already way too big TBR pile? Probably not. Do I recommend reading it eventually?
Without a doubt.
An advance copy was provided from the publisher for review via NetGalley. However, all opinions remain honest and my own.
February 12, 2013
3.5 Stars
The characters are pretty good, the delivery a bit sloppy and the plot even worse but it made me laugh. As in really LOL.
I'm starting a theory. I think British writers have a knack for writing beautifully flowing natural dialogue. It might just be that I'm Australian and British speak is more familiar than American to me, but this is a budding theory. So there.
Jody has this attitude that I really like when she's not being completely stupid over Jackson. When she's being gaga over him, she's like an 8 year old. But when her silliness turns sensible, it's all the more satisfying. It's just like, “Yes! Now you're catching on how to deal.”
The thing about Jody is that she constantly surprises me. She is completely unpredictable and I'll be reading a sentence and she'll take a totally different turn that makes me burst out laughing. I mean, it's just so ridiculously hilarious.
How can you not love Mac. He is the most sensitive, shopaholic straight hero you will ever meet. He just takes Jody in his stride. A real picture of true love. Seriously, love is the only earthly explanation as to why he puts up with Jody. She is a NUTCASE.
Towards the end, I kind of lost interest. I just wanted Mac and Jode to get it on.
The characters are pretty good, the delivery a bit sloppy and the plot even worse but it made me laugh. As in really LOL.
I'm starting a theory. I think British writers have a knack for writing beautifully flowing natural dialogue. It might just be that I'm Australian and British speak is more familiar than American to me, but this is a budding theory. So there.
Jody has this attitude that I really like when she's not being completely stupid over Jackson. When she's being gaga over him, she's like an 8 year old. But when her silliness turns sensible, it's all the more satisfying. It's just like, “Yes! Now you're catching on how to deal.”
The thing about Jody is that she constantly surprises me. She is completely unpredictable and I'll be reading a sentence and she'll take a totally different turn that makes me burst out laughing. I mean, it's just so ridiculously hilarious.
How can you not love Mac. He is the most sensitive, shopaholic straight hero you will ever meet. He just takes Jody in his stride. A real picture of true love. Seriously, love is the only earthly explanation as to why he puts up with Jody. She is a NUTCASE.
Towards the end, I kind of lost interest. I just wanted Mac and Jode to get it on.
August 1, 2018
Omg, this book was SO GOOD!!!!
Honestly, it was the best realistic-fiction I have ever read. I loved the protagonist and all of the secondary characters too. The relationships in the book felt so real and the plot was really interesting. Plus, it was super funny; I could not stop laughing. Overall it was an awesome read. I wish I could take this adventure all over again :)
Honestly, it was the best realistic-fiction I have ever read. I loved the protagonist and all of the secondary characters too. The relationships in the book felt so real and the plot was really interesting. Plus, it was super funny; I could not stop laughing. Overall it was an awesome read. I wish I could take this adventure all over again :)
January 22, 2019
This is just not for me. :/
November 5, 2012
She's got it bad, and he ain't good -- he's in her garage?
"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me..."
Gonna have to face it: Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, and after her best bud Mac scores tickets, she's front and center at his sold-out concert. But when she gets mashed in the moshpit and bodysurfs backstage, she's got more than a mild concussion to deal with. By the next morning, the strung-out rock star is coming down in her garage. Jody -- oops -- kind of kidnapped him. By accident. With a Curly Wurly candy bar. And now he doesn't want to leave.
defrrrrrrr-0xs/pd
It's a rock-star abduction worthy of an MTV reality series...but who got punk'd?! (GoodReads)
Doesn’t the above summary make you think this will be a silly light hearted read? I sure thought so. I was expecting some hilariously ridiculous misunderstanding between two people that looks like a kidnapping but really isn’t one. Boy was I wrong. Sure, our rock star, Jackson, is so wasted and high that he mistakes the Curly Wurly Jodie is trying to offer him for a knife. But our heroine, Jodie, realizes his mistake right away and instead of correcting him, she recognizes an “opportunity” and ACTUALLY kidnaps him. Which I guess could be silly had she been a fun and silly character (Stephanie Plum comes to mind) but she isn’t. She is a teen in a bad place and she does this bad thing that left me completely flummoxed.
We learn a few things early on in this story. One, Jodie’s granddad was one of the funniest free spirits ever. Two, Jodie is very insecure and has a penchant for making really bad decisions. She is also unhealthily obsessed with her favorite band The Regulators and their lead singer, Jackson Gatlin. And three, if it wasn’t for her best friend Mac (Mackenzie), Jodie would be even more of a mess (if that’s even possible).
When Jodie decides to liven up Granddad’s wake, her mom rips up her ticket to the Regulators concert. Jodie runs away and moves into the spare room behind the pub owned by Mac’s parents. Being the amazing friend he is, Mac gives Jodie his ticket and drives her to the concert. A concert that should have been an epic one time chance to see her hero in the flesh becomes a series of disasters that ultimately land her in a makeshift triage room. When a very high Jackson makes an unexpected appearance and speaks to Jodie personally, a misunderstanding between them gives Jodie the idea to kidnap the love of her life and take her home with her. What starts out as a thoughtless crime ends up being a lesson in life, reality and love for Jodie and her hero, Jackson.
This book just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was in the mood for light hearted and silly. And I was disappointed. So disappointed that I sent a message to my fellow Bibliojunkies bitching about it. I even considered putting it aside to read something else. But I decide to move forward and keep reading.
And in the end…as much as I tried to resist liking this book and as disappointed as I was in the beginning (simply because it wasn’t what I was expecting)…I caved. At every turn of the page I became more and more sucked in. It was as if C.J. Skuse was saying, “You WILL read this and you WILL like it!”
I surrender, Ms. Skuse, I surrender. I read it. And not only did I like it, I LOVED it. And when I say I loved it, I mean that Rockoholic has a guaranteed spot on my Top 10 of 2012. So there you go. Thank you giving me a brilliant dramatic novel (with admittedly hilarious moments) that I had no choice but to embrace. That was very sneaky of you, dear author. I applaud your sheer awesomeness.
Nat
"I'm your biggest fan, I'll follow you until you love me..."
Gonna have to face it: Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, and after her best bud Mac scores tickets, she's front and center at his sold-out concert. But when she gets mashed in the moshpit and bodysurfs backstage, she's got more than a mild concussion to deal with. By the next morning, the strung-out rock star is coming down in her garage. Jody -- oops -- kind of kidnapped him. By accident. With a Curly Wurly candy bar. And now he doesn't want to leave.
defrrrrrrr-0xs/pd
It's a rock-star abduction worthy of an MTV reality series...but who got punk'd?! (GoodReads)
Doesn’t the above summary make you think this will be a silly light hearted read? I sure thought so. I was expecting some hilariously ridiculous misunderstanding between two people that looks like a kidnapping but really isn’t one. Boy was I wrong. Sure, our rock star, Jackson, is so wasted and high that he mistakes the Curly Wurly Jodie is trying to offer him for a knife. But our heroine, Jodie, realizes his mistake right away and instead of correcting him, she recognizes an “opportunity” and ACTUALLY kidnaps him. Which I guess could be silly had she been a fun and silly character (Stephanie Plum comes to mind) but she isn’t. She is a teen in a bad place and she does this bad thing that left me completely flummoxed.
We learn a few things early on in this story. One, Jodie’s granddad was one of the funniest free spirits ever. Two, Jodie is very insecure and has a penchant for making really bad decisions. She is also unhealthily obsessed with her favorite band The Regulators and their lead singer, Jackson Gatlin. And three, if it wasn’t for her best friend Mac (Mackenzie), Jodie would be even more of a mess (if that’s even possible).
When Jodie decides to liven up Granddad’s wake, her mom rips up her ticket to the Regulators concert. Jodie runs away and moves into the spare room behind the pub owned by Mac’s parents. Being the amazing friend he is, Mac gives Jodie his ticket and drives her to the concert. A concert that should have been an epic one time chance to see her hero in the flesh becomes a series of disasters that ultimately land her in a makeshift triage room. When a very high Jackson makes an unexpected appearance and speaks to Jodie personally, a misunderstanding between them gives Jodie the idea to kidnap the love of her life and take her home with her. What starts out as a thoughtless crime ends up being a lesson in life, reality and love for Jodie and her hero, Jackson.
This book just wasn’t what I was expecting. I was in the mood for light hearted and silly. And I was disappointed. So disappointed that I sent a message to my fellow Bibliojunkies bitching about it. I even considered putting it aside to read something else. But I decide to move forward and keep reading.
And in the end…as much as I tried to resist liking this book and as disappointed as I was in the beginning (simply because it wasn’t what I was expecting)…I caved. At every turn of the page I became more and more sucked in. It was as if C.J. Skuse was saying, “You WILL read this and you WILL like it!”
I surrender, Ms. Skuse, I surrender. I read it. And not only did I like it, I LOVED it. And when I say I loved it, I mean that Rockoholic has a guaranteed spot on my Top 10 of 2012. So there you go. Thank you giving me a brilliant dramatic novel (with admittedly hilarious moments) that I had no choice but to embrace. That was very sneaky of you, dear author. I applaud your sheer awesomeness.
Nat
October 23, 2012
My original review for this title can be found
HERE
at The Book Hookup.
When the blurb says that Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, that was putting it mildly. She's quite obsessed, believing that if they were to meet, he'd fall hopelessly in love with her because he's the only person in the world that could ever possibly begin to understand her as a person. Jody's almost positive that she'll get her chance at the concert, she just has to get him to notice her in the crowd. They'll make eye contact, stars will align, and he'll be hers forever because they're soul mates.
Well, that's not exactly how things worked out. As we all know, real life has a way of taking your dreams and tossing it to the wind sometimes. Jody makes it to the concert, but it's only after waiting in a queue all day, getting thrown up on by a drunk guy, racing to the front of the mosh pit and getting squeezed to death by the rambunctious crowd, and pummeled by security that she finally gets her moment with Jackson and it doesn't last long at all.
In a crazy tangle of events, Jody ends up kidnapping Jackson, but he's nothing like the guy that she had built him up to be in her head. In actuality, he's a desperate junkie and an incredibly rude asshat who ends up clinging to Jody because he wants away from the spotlight, his suffocating manager, and his life as a rockstar. However, with the whole world missing their favorite frontman, how long can she keep him hidden in her grandpa's old garage while he detoxes?
♥ My Opinion: Man, when I read the blurb for this book on Goodreads and saw the cover, I was desperate to get my hands on it. Luckily for me, Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes: The "Pusher" of Books & Cupcakes , allowed me to borrow the ARC she received from Scholastic and I was over-the-moon excited about it. Sadly, though it was a relatively good novel, this book turned out to be nothing that I thought it was going to be. I suppose I had imagined it to be this tale of a struggling rockstar battling with his inner demons and the outlandish string of events that lead to this girl kidnapping him and when they fell in love, she'd help him see the good in the world again. Well, in a way, that was almost the story I got, but the love was more of a brotherly-sisterly bond and the journey to his recovery was one hell of an uphill battle. Even if I was able to suspend belief and realize this was a work of fiction, some aspects of the story were so out there that I found it rather challenging to connect with the story and the characters, particularly Jody and Jackson.
I did appreciate the focus of how we generally place people, especially celebrities, on pedestals and how we forget that at the end of the day, they're human just like the rest of us. Furthermore, the idea that we can become so infatuated with someone that we fail to see that we have the best potential love right in front of us. Luckily, Jody wised up to Mac before it was too late and their declaration at the end gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings. Mackenzie and Cree were the best things about this story!
♥ A very special thanks to Jen for allowing me to borrow her ARC. You should check out her blog, it has fantastic reviews and she teases me mercilessly with her cupcake recipes!
When the blurb says that Jody's addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, that was putting it mildly. She's quite obsessed, believing that if they were to meet, he'd fall hopelessly in love with her because he's the only person in the world that could ever possibly begin to understand her as a person. Jody's almost positive that she'll get her chance at the concert, she just has to get him to notice her in the crowd. They'll make eye contact, stars will align, and he'll be hers forever because they're soul mates.
Well, that's not exactly how things worked out. As we all know, real life has a way of taking your dreams and tossing it to the wind sometimes. Jody makes it to the concert, but it's only after waiting in a queue all day, getting thrown up on by a drunk guy, racing to the front of the mosh pit and getting squeezed to death by the rambunctious crowd, and pummeled by security that she finally gets her moment with Jackson and it doesn't last long at all.
In a crazy tangle of events, Jody ends up kidnapping Jackson, but he's nothing like the guy that she had built him up to be in her head. In actuality, he's a desperate junkie and an incredibly rude asshat who ends up clinging to Jody because he wants away from the spotlight, his suffocating manager, and his life as a rockstar. However, with the whole world missing their favorite frontman, how long can she keep him hidden in her grandpa's old garage while he detoxes?
♥ My Opinion: Man, when I read the blurb for this book on Goodreads and saw the cover, I was desperate to get my hands on it. Luckily for me, Jen from Jenuine Cupcakes: The "Pusher" of Books & Cupcakes , allowed me to borrow the ARC she received from Scholastic and I was over-the-moon excited about it. Sadly, though it was a relatively good novel, this book turned out to be nothing that I thought it was going to be. I suppose I had imagined it to be this tale of a struggling rockstar battling with his inner demons and the outlandish string of events that lead to this girl kidnapping him and when they fell in love, she'd help him see the good in the world again. Well, in a way, that was almost the story I got, but the love was more of a brotherly-sisterly bond and the journey to his recovery was one hell of an uphill battle. Even if I was able to suspend belief and realize this was a work of fiction, some aspects of the story were so out there that I found it rather challenging to connect with the story and the characters, particularly Jody and Jackson.
I did appreciate the focus of how we generally place people, especially celebrities, on pedestals and how we forget that at the end of the day, they're human just like the rest of us. Furthermore, the idea that we can become so infatuated with someone that we fail to see that we have the best potential love right in front of us. Luckily, Jody wised up to Mac before it was too late and their declaration at the end gave me all the warm and fuzzy feelings. Mackenzie and Cree were the best things about this story!
♥ A very special thanks to Jen for allowing me to borrow her ARC. You should check out her blog, it has fantastic reviews and she teases me mercilessly with her cupcake recipes!
November 23, 2012
Rockoholic isn't the book I thought it would be, but kudos to C. J. Skuse for trying something different. Still, I really thought this was one of those premises where the main character does this crazy rock star kidnapping thing and hilarity ensues - except, it's really not all that funny. I guess I liked the serious turn, teaching a life lesson to one obsessed fangirl, it just wasn't the story I expected.
The summary's entirely accurate though, Jody's obsessed with this dude Jackson Gatlin and his music, until she finally gets him to herself - then her entire world view comes crashing down because he's not at all like what she expected. I just thought the whole thing would be, I don't know, funnier? - and it's really not. Between the way she treats her best friend Mac to that entire chapter about waiting in line for the concert, it's ... kind of sad, actually. Although I am amazed Skuse's managed to write enough material to fill an entire chapter about waiting in line, but there's obsessed fangirl for you. In the meantime, even Jody knows what a terrible friend she is (actual admission: I don’t like it when Mac talks to other girls. It just reminds me there are girls out there who’d be a better best friend for him.) and, well ... poor Mac. At least until he calls her a stupid cow, and, even if she deserves it, not cool dude.
So after the concert (random WTF line: The stage goes dark and some midgets run on with sparklers.), she does her thing, and even though I really didn't find her new found stuck with a rock star predicament all that funny, at least it's poetic justice. Cause Jackson suffers from all the stereotypical problems of an eighties rock star, temperamental, drug habit, and yes, he's not even a real vegetarian. I can just see the lights going out in Jody's eyes. So even if I'm neither amused nor sympathetic, I keep reading because I am curious if and when her self-styled miserable, empty, dried-up husk of a life would hit rock bottom. (Also, I have to admit it is a little gratifying to read about the fallout from Jody's collapsing delusions.)
And that's when Rockoholic loses me, somewhere between the rehab for Jackson and Jody's realization that her life doesn't suck so much (thanks to a convenient assist from her dead granddad). I'm sure the goal was to have Jody stop living in her fantasy, but I got the feeling Skuse was trying to tackle too many problems, and between Jody's mom, her sister, Mac's parents, and Jackson's band problems, all of it seems to be resolved way too easily, all thanks to Jody's one crazy split second decision and a candy bar. There just seems to be too many problems, too many solutions, too many tense moments, and not enough light hearted, actual laugh out loud scenes.
For me, the funniest scene was the food fight at Jody's grandpa's funeral and it was all downhill from there. The rest of Rockoholic is actually fairly serious. Nothing wrong with that, I just wasn't expecting it.
The summary's entirely accurate though, Jody's obsessed with this dude Jackson Gatlin and his music, until she finally gets him to herself - then her entire world view comes crashing down because he's not at all like what she expected. I just thought the whole thing would be, I don't know, funnier? - and it's really not. Between the way she treats her best friend Mac to that entire chapter about waiting in line for the concert, it's ... kind of sad, actually. Although I am amazed Skuse's managed to write enough material to fill an entire chapter about waiting in line, but there's obsessed fangirl for you. In the meantime, even Jody knows what a terrible friend she is (actual admission: I don’t like it when Mac talks to other girls. It just reminds me there are girls out there who’d be a better best friend for him.) and, well ... poor Mac. At least until he calls her a stupid cow, and, even if she deserves it, not cool dude.
So after the concert (random WTF line: The stage goes dark and some midgets run on with sparklers.), she does her thing, and even though I really didn't find her new found stuck with a rock star predicament all that funny, at least it's poetic justice. Cause Jackson suffers from all the stereotypical problems of an eighties rock star, temperamental, drug habit, and yes, he's not even a real vegetarian. I can just see the lights going out in Jody's eyes. So even if I'm neither amused nor sympathetic, I keep reading because I am curious if and when her self-styled miserable, empty, dried-up husk of a life would hit rock bottom. (Also, I have to admit it is a little gratifying to read about the fallout from Jody's collapsing delusions.)
And that's when Rockoholic loses me, somewhere between the rehab for Jackson and Jody's realization that her life doesn't suck so much (thanks to a convenient assist from her dead granddad). I'm sure the goal was to have Jody stop living in her fantasy, but I got the feeling Skuse was trying to tackle too many problems, and between Jody's mom, her sister, Mac's parents, and Jackson's band problems, all of it seems to be resolved way too easily, all thanks to Jody's one crazy split second decision and a candy bar. There just seems to be too many problems, too many solutions, too many tense moments, and not enough light hearted, actual laugh out loud scenes.
For me, the funniest scene was the food fight at Jody's grandpa's funeral and it was all downhill from there. The rest of Rockoholic is actually fairly serious. Nothing wrong with that, I just wasn't expecting it.
April 27, 2015
Review can be seen
here
on
Books and Swoons
.
**I received a copy of this book as an egalley from Scholastic through NetGalley but it did not influence this review in any way.**
Now, I'm a fangirl at heart so I was very excited about starting this book. Accidentally kidnapping your celebrity crush + the funnies it bound to ensues = excitement in starting this book! However right from the beginning, Jody, the main character, was a bit too much for me to handle. I understood her devotion to Jackson Gatlin and The Regulators but what she continues to do with and for Jackson, and how she treats Mac (the best friend) really bothered me.
I will admit that Jody starts off as a really immature, irritating and weak girl but she grows into this strong, mature person. She gets her act together by the end of the book but by then it was just too late for me. I just couldn't muster up any sympathy for her. She made Mac believe she was leaving with Jackson until she knew how Mac really felt. She continue acting really petty and was lying until the last possible moment and it became the last straw for me with Jody. I had hoped she would have redeemed herself earlier in the story but it just didn't happen.
Jackson Gatlin, what can I say about Jackson Gatlin? Well, he certainly left a lot to be desired. He was just one big hot mess of a human being and who need a lot more help. I think even some therapy would do him some good.
My favorite character of the whole book is Mac's little sister, Cree. She is super cute and adorable. I totally loved it when Jody would call Mac "Mackenzie" and Cree would be like "No, my Kenzie." So territorial over her big brother, she was so endearing.
I found the book to be a little unrealistic with Jackson's detox, it happened way too fast for me to consider it realistic. And the problem with the reporter, Sally Dinkley, and her causing trouble for Jody and Jackson feels like extra conflict just for the sake of word count.
I thought the book was enjoyable, a little far-fetched at times, but the concept was really fun but since I couldn't click Jody, I can't give this book a higher rating.
**I received a copy of this book as an egalley from Scholastic through NetGalley but it did not influence this review in any way.**
Now, I'm a fangirl at heart so I was very excited about starting this book. Accidentally kidnapping your celebrity crush + the funnies it bound to ensues = excitement in starting this book! However right from the beginning, Jody, the main character, was a bit too much for me to handle. I understood her devotion to Jackson Gatlin and The Regulators but what she continues to do with and for Jackson, and how she treats Mac (the best friend) really bothered me.
I will admit that Jody starts off as a really immature, irritating and weak girl but she grows into this strong, mature person. She gets her act together by the end of the book but by then it was just too late for me. I just couldn't muster up any sympathy for her. She made Mac believe she was leaving with Jackson until she knew how Mac really felt. She continue acting really petty and was lying until the last possible moment and it became the last straw for me with Jody. I had hoped she would have redeemed herself earlier in the story but it just didn't happen.
Jackson Gatlin, what can I say about Jackson Gatlin? Well, he certainly left a lot to be desired. He was just one big hot mess of a human being and who need a lot more help. I think even some therapy would do him some good.
My favorite character of the whole book is Mac's little sister, Cree. She is super cute and adorable. I totally loved it when Jody would call Mac "Mackenzie" and Cree would be like "No, my Kenzie." So territorial over her big brother, she was so endearing.
I found the book to be a little unrealistic with Jackson's detox, it happened way too fast for me to consider it realistic. And the problem with the reporter, Sally Dinkley, and her causing trouble for Jody and Jackson feels like extra conflict just for the sake of word count.
I thought the book was enjoyable, a little far-fetched at times, but the concept was really fun but since I couldn't click Jody, I can't give this book a higher rating.
August 6, 2014
Funny, Original and yet completely and utterly Frustrating.
I think that sums up Rockaholic well..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m going to marry Jackson Gatlin one day.”
Just take a few seconds to really reflect on that sentence. Done? Okay..
Now, I don't know about you, but I personally am not a fan of people claiming to be 'In Love' with people they've never met. I agree that people can have crushes.. I'm not a stranger to fangirling over certain musicians or actors..
Oh, hey there Ian ♥
But I draw a line at claiming you're 'In Love' with them.. Because let's face it, that's just going too far and there's nothing healthy about becoming obsessed the way the protagonist, Jody, of Rockoholic was about her favourite singer.
Because boy was she obsessed..
She actually went as far as to accidentally kidnap him..
I'm not kidding. She accidentally kidnapped Jackson. With a Curly Wurly none the less.
A. CURLY. WURLY.
Just saying.. That wasn't super believable, but whatever.. I could deal with that.
What I could not however deal with, was the fact that this Jody was very, very shallow. I'm not kidding. Based on the way her best friend Mac dressed, she assumed he was gay.
Sadly, I am not kidding..
Mac, the bestfriend and alleged 'gay' was the best thing that happened in this book. I utterly adored his character. He was witty, caring and just downright amazing!
But obviously, Jody being the idiot she was didn't seem to realise how frikin' amazeballs this guy was..
Sigh..
--MORE TO COME--
Over & Out, T xx
I think that sums up Rockaholic well..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I’m going to marry Jackson Gatlin one day.”
Just take a few seconds to really reflect on that sentence. Done? Okay..
Now, I don't know about you, but I personally am not a fan of people claiming to be 'In Love' with people they've never met. I agree that people can have crushes.. I'm not a stranger to fangirling over certain musicians or actors..
Oh, hey there Ian ♥
But I draw a line at claiming you're 'In Love' with them.. Because let's face it, that's just going too far and there's nothing healthy about becoming obsessed the way the protagonist, Jody, of Rockoholic was about her favourite singer.
Because boy was she obsessed..
She actually went as far as to accidentally kidnap him..
I'm not kidding. She accidentally kidnapped Jackson. With a Curly Wurly none the less.
A. CURLY. WURLY.
Just saying.. That wasn't super believable, but whatever.. I could deal with that.
What I could not however deal with, was the fact that this Jody was very, very shallow. I'm not kidding. Based on the way her best friend Mac dressed, she assumed he was gay.
Sadly, I am not kidding..
Mac, the bestfriend and alleged 'gay' was the best thing that happened in this book. I utterly adored his character. He was witty, caring and just downright amazing!
But obviously, Jody being the idiot she was didn't seem to realise how frikin' amazeballs this guy was..
Sigh..
--MORE TO COME--
Over & Out, T xx
August 1, 2011
Jody, Rockoholic’s main character, is Jackson’s biggest fan. When her best friend Mac gives Jody a ticket to The Regulator’s gig she jumps at the chance to go. After queuing up outside all day Jody gets to see just three songs before she hits her head and is taken to the nurse’s room.
Mac drives her home, plus one – Jackson , who is so high on drugs at the time he thinks that Jody's Curly Wurly is a knife. Yes, you read that right!
Honestly, I found the concept of this novel to be very bizarre. I mean, a fan kidnapping her idol and stashing him away in her sound proof garage is a little strange, right? But I loved it.
Rockoholic is filled with humour and various references which had me laughing out loud. Skuse has an original and unique writing style which drew me in straight away. She also deserves bonus points for the Harry Potter references!
Mac was a fantastic character. I loved it when Mac was looking after his younger sister. I also loved the fact that he stars as Frankenfurter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show in a play.
Now, the parts of the book that I didn’t like were Jody and Jackson. Both characters were immature and got on my nerves – Jackson more so than Jody.
Jody kidnaps a rockstar and thought it was completely okay to keep him for a few days, and Jackson was a 27 year old drug addict living in a 16 year old’s garage.
I don’t know if Jody’s behaviour was realistic – as realistic as it could be, anyway – or not, but I would have never acted like she does at sixteen. Then again, my stepmum does say I’m abnormal, haha. I admit that Jody did grow on me after a while, and there was a hell of a lot of character growth there.
That said, the book does send out a good message towards the end and I feel that this is important amongst the teen hysteria.
Overall, I liked the book. I loved Mac and Cree and Skuse’s writing, but I just couldn’t connect with Jody. Although, there are probably lots of teenage girls out there who can
Mac drives her home, plus one – Jackson , who is so high on drugs at the time he thinks that Jody's Curly Wurly is a knife. Yes, you read that right!
Honestly, I found the concept of this novel to be very bizarre. I mean, a fan kidnapping her idol and stashing him away in her sound proof garage is a little strange, right? But I loved it.
Rockoholic is filled with humour and various references which had me laughing out loud. Skuse has an original and unique writing style which drew me in straight away. She also deserves bonus points for the Harry Potter references!
Mac was a fantastic character. I loved it when Mac was looking after his younger sister. I also loved the fact that he stars as Frankenfurter from The Rocky Horror Picture Show in a play.
Now, the parts of the book that I didn’t like were Jody and Jackson. Both characters were immature and got on my nerves – Jackson more so than Jody.
Jody kidnaps a rockstar and thought it was completely okay to keep him for a few days, and Jackson was a 27 year old drug addict living in a 16 year old’s garage.
I don’t know if Jody’s behaviour was realistic – as realistic as it could be, anyway – or not, but I would have never acted like she does at sixteen. Then again, my stepmum does say I’m abnormal, haha. I admit that Jody did grow on me after a while, and there was a hell of a lot of character growth there.
That said, the book does send out a good message towards the end and I feel that this is important amongst the teen hysteria.
Overall, I liked the book. I loved Mac and Cree and Skuse’s writing, but I just couldn’t connect with Jody. Although, there are probably lots of teenage girls out there who can
April 28, 2015
Oh Man - I loved this book! I really liked the look of it when I first heard about it but I wasn't expecting it to be that good!
The story follows Jody and Mac. Jody is completely obsessed with a band called The Regulators and their lead singer Jackson Gatlin. Mac is her best friend and when Jody goes to see The Regulators preform she manages to accidentally kidnap Jackson, making Mac an accomplice in the process. But will Jackson be everything Jody thinks he will be?
Jody really is an awesome character. She so funny and gets herself into so many ridiculous situations but at the same time she can say and do just the right thing - what you wish you had the guts to do if you were in her situation. Mac is absolutely adorable and I liked him from the get-go. I loved the relationship between the two - they obviously care for each other - and they have such great banter. And of course I have to mention Mac's sister Cree who is too cute for words! Utterly adorable!
Jackson was presented really well. At the beginning he is the famous rock star and everything you pretty much expect that to be - but underneath that you start to see him as a human being. With faults, but also a good heart. I came to really like him and there are a couple of really great scenes between him and Jody. I also found the whole 'dealing with fame' really interesting - both from Jody and Mac's perspective and from Jackson's as well.
The book is definitely quirky, but in a really relatable way. It had me laughing out loud and I really didn't want it to end. I really can't think of anything negative to say - I just loved it! I have already purchased a copy of C J Skuse's other book Pretty Bad Things and I can't wait to read it. Superb!
The story follows Jody and Mac. Jody is completely obsessed with a band called The Regulators and their lead singer Jackson Gatlin. Mac is her best friend and when Jody goes to see The Regulators preform she manages to accidentally kidnap Jackson, making Mac an accomplice in the process. But will Jackson be everything Jody thinks he will be?
Jody really is an awesome character. She so funny and gets herself into so many ridiculous situations but at the same time she can say and do just the right thing - what you wish you had the guts to do if you were in her situation. Mac is absolutely adorable and I liked him from the get-go. I loved the relationship between the two - they obviously care for each other - and they have such great banter. And of course I have to mention Mac's sister Cree who is too cute for words! Utterly adorable!
Jackson was presented really well. At the beginning he is the famous rock star and everything you pretty much expect that to be - but underneath that you start to see him as a human being. With faults, but also a good heart. I came to really like him and there are a couple of really great scenes between him and Jody. I also found the whole 'dealing with fame' really interesting - both from Jody and Mac's perspective and from Jackson's as well.
The book is definitely quirky, but in a really relatable way. It had me laughing out loud and I really didn't want it to end. I really can't think of anything negative to say - I just loved it! I have already purchased a copy of C J Skuse's other book Pretty Bad Things and I can't wait to read it. Superb!
October 18, 2012
This is definitely not book that is realistic at all. It's a fun take you away for the day read. Jody goes to the Regulators concert and after being kneed, banged around and ultimately fainting, she wakes up at the end of the concert in the infirmary room backstage. She's upset that she's missed the concert while she was unconscious, and that's when the band members come in. They go from bed to bed talking to their injured fans and then Jackson makes his way to Jody's bed, she offers him a curly wurly (some kind of candy) and because the wrapper is silver, he mistakes it for a knife. Before you know it she has Jackson in the back seat of her best friend Mac's car with her jacket over his head. What follows after is a story about a girl taking care of her idol who's going through withdrawals in her garage. Like I said, not really realistic but still entertaining.
I did find some of the language to be difficult. I understood the wankers and the mum's, but some of it was really unfamiliar to me and then you add their slang on top of it... I just sort of skipped over those words. I had to look up what a curly wurly was which is apparently a line of squiggly caramel that is covered in chocolate.
The author definitely has an imagination. You are taken on a crazy adventure throughout the entire book. Not only are the situations strange but the characters are so colorful that they definitely stick with you well after reading the story. If you want a story that will take you away from the real world, a story that is as crazily entertaining, then you've got to give this book a try.
I did find some of the language to be difficult. I understood the wankers and the mum's, but some of it was really unfamiliar to me and then you add their slang on top of it... I just sort of skipped over those words. I had to look up what a curly wurly was which is apparently a line of squiggly caramel that is covered in chocolate.
The author definitely has an imagination. You are taken on a crazy adventure throughout the entire book. Not only are the situations strange but the characters are so colorful that they definitely stick with you well after reading the story. If you want a story that will take you away from the real world, a story that is as crazily entertaining, then you've got to give this book a try.
August 15, 2012
http://librarytalker.blogspot.com/201...
Jody is completely and totally in love! He's the most amazing guy ever!! He's the only one who truly understands her!!!
He's rock GOD Jackson Gatlin, lead singer of The Regulators, and Jody knows that if she can just get to the front of the crowd at his next concert, he'll see her and fall head over heels in love with her.
Of course, nothing ever turns out the way Jody hopes.
Sure! She gets the rock god back home; he's now living in her garage. But it wasn't true love that brought him there; it was her accidentally kidnapping him that did it.
Things are looking pretty bad.
They look even worse when Jackson refuses to leave...
Final thoughts: Cute concept poorly executed. Jody is a complete idiot. From start to finish, she can't seem to make a single decent decision. The big question is really why anyone would put up with her. The circumstances of the "kidnapping" all the way through to the end had no believability. Thank goodness for Mac and Cree!
Jody is completely and totally in love! He's the most amazing guy ever!! He's the only one who truly understands her!!!
He's rock GOD Jackson Gatlin, lead singer of The Regulators, and Jody knows that if she can just get to the front of the crowd at his next concert, he'll see her and fall head over heels in love with her.
Of course, nothing ever turns out the way Jody hopes.
Sure! She gets the rock god back home; he's now living in her garage. But it wasn't true love that brought him there; it was her accidentally kidnapping him that did it.
Things are looking pretty bad.
They look even worse when Jackson refuses to leave...
Final thoughts: Cute concept poorly executed. Jody is a complete idiot. From start to finish, she can't seem to make a single decent decision. The big question is really why anyone would put up with her. The circumstances of the "kidnapping" all the way through to the end had no believability. Thank goodness for Mac and Cree!
May 24, 2020
I'm highly ambivalent towards Rockoholic. Tl;dr: If you like contemporary humour and are forgiving r.e. credibility and naivety, it could be worth a try.
The Good
- The humour - yes, you will need to suspend disbelief but it's well worth it. I do, however, feel the humour wanes about midway.
- The characterisation - thorough, and some really likeable characters - Mac, Cree and Jody's grandad, who, despite having died before the book starts is still a major character. They are the heart and soul of Rockaholic
- The sense of family, for both Mac and Jody and the recognition that, for the most part, even when our parents don't understand us, they're trying.
- The "never meet your heroes" aspect - something a lot of fangirls - and boys - need to accept IMHO; that we're all complicated and no one is ever as perfect as they seem
- The recognition that a man who wears makeup and tights isn't necessarily gay
The Bad
- The assumption that a man who wears makeup and tights is gay. I'm looking at you Jody! Yes, she eventually realises that she was wrong... but come on! This was published in 2011! Wise up, girl!
- Speaking of, Jody's degree of idiocy. There are times when Mac just looks at her like "...seriously?"
and I feel the same. It's not even her admitting to flunking her GCSEs. It's her behaviour and the things she says. It blows my mind how stupid she is. Amongst other things, why, when you send an email about a missing celebrity to a news outlet, wouldn't the news outlet look at who sent the email? It's fucking obvious, isn't it?
- And... yep, I'm still talking about Jody. This time, her work ethic. Not turning up for days on end. Showing up late and then throwing a tantrum when she isn't allowed to leave early. Getting time off by pretending to have been mugged. Not bothering to phone when she isn't going in. Convincing a child to pretend to have diarrhoea so she can skip the rest of the afternoon...
- Jackson's level of diva behaviour. I don't care how hard done by or strung out you are; don't be a dick, alright?
- The BFD and how stereotyped he is - poor, fat, unwashed, drug dealer. I didn't expect him to turn out to be a nice guy but he was a bit of a cartoon bad guy.
The Indifferent
- I appreciate that I'm a little older than Jody and from a different part of the country than her, but why the hell does she keep saying "bargain"? Do people IRL actually say bargain to express approval or happiness?
The Good
- The humour - yes, you will need to suspend disbelief but it's well worth it. I do, however, feel the humour wanes about midway.
- The characterisation - thorough, and some really likeable characters - Mac, Cree and Jody's grandad, who, despite having died before the book starts is still a major character. They are the heart and soul of Rockaholic
- The sense of family, for both Mac and Jody and the recognition that, for the most part, even when our parents don't understand us, they're trying.
- The "never meet your heroes" aspect - something a lot of fangirls - and boys - need to accept IMHO; that we're all complicated and no one is ever as perfect as they seem
- The recognition that a man who wears makeup and tights isn't necessarily gay
The Bad
- The assumption that a man who wears makeup and tights is gay. I'm looking at you Jody! Yes, she eventually realises that she was wrong... but come on! This was published in 2011! Wise up, girl!
- Speaking of, Jody's degree of idiocy. There are times when Mac just looks at her like "...seriously?"
and I feel the same. It's not even her admitting to flunking her GCSEs. It's her behaviour and the things she says. It blows my mind how stupid she is. Amongst other things, why, when you send an email about a missing celebrity to a news outlet, wouldn't the news outlet look at who sent the email? It's fucking obvious, isn't it?
- And... yep, I'm still talking about Jody. This time, her work ethic. Not turning up for days on end. Showing up late and then throwing a tantrum when she isn't allowed to leave early. Getting time off by pretending to have been mugged. Not bothering to phone when she isn't going in. Convincing a child to pretend to have diarrhoea so she can skip the rest of the afternoon...
- Jackson's level of diva behaviour. I don't care how hard done by or strung out you are; don't be a dick, alright?
- The BFD and how stereotyped he is - poor, fat, unwashed, drug dealer. I didn't expect him to turn out to be a nice guy but he was a bit of a cartoon bad guy.
The Indifferent
- I appreciate that I'm a little older than Jody and from a different part of the country than her, but why the hell does she keep saying "bargain"? Do people IRL actually say bargain to express approval or happiness?
January 28, 2018
Eine nette Geschichte für zwischendurch, aber für mich leider nichts Besonderes, werde es wahrscheinlich auch nicht noch mal lesen.
3.5/5
3.5/5
July 14, 2014
I got this book to review on the Amazon Vine program as I’d heard lots of fab things about it from my blogger friends. I started reading this book when I was having a pretty miserable day and needed cheering up and boy did it do the job!
Rockoholic starts off with main character Jody at her beloved granddad’s funeral her granddad was Jody’s idol. Not the typical grandfather figure he loved rock and roll, would moon bathe and wanted his funeral to be called a “body barbeque” and we automatically get to see just how barmy Jody is when in the middle of her mums carefully laid out funeral arrangements Jody starts a food fight because she knows it’s the kind of thing her granddad would have loved. I started this late one night and I had to literally clamp my hand over my mouth to stop my hysterical laughter at Jody’s expense from waking everybody up. Jody is a carefree, fun loving, free spirit and her crazy ideas and mishaps make for a side splittingly funny book. Jody’s funny without even realising she is, without even trying to be and I automatically liked her and wanted to know what crazy plan she’d come up with next.
The strongest aspect of this book I think is definitely the characters. I can’t think of one character I didn’t like and who wasn’t well developed. I loved Jody and her best friend Mac, rock god and lost soul Jackson and Mac’s adorable baby sister Cree who has some of the funniest heart-warming lines in fiction. Even Jody’s granddad who we as readers never actually get to “meet” was a total legend and I could happily live inside this book forever being bffs with all of them.
Although Rockoholic is by the majority a fun read it also deals with serious themes such as bereavement, drug addiction and let’s face it kidnapping! But C.J. Skuse never makes the book feel heavy or depressing handling the matters respectfully with a side of funny. But ultimately this is a book about living your dreams but not forgetting the people who hold you rock steady when you come crashing back down to earth. It’s a book about reaching for the stars but never forgetting your reality and where you came from, it’s about knowing it might be impossible but going for it anyway.
Even if you’re not a huge music fan I still think everyone can relate to and enjoy this book. Whether you’re a fan girl of a certain author or if you’ve ever had a crush on a celebrity or someone out of bounds I think everybody can relate to that feeling of being so passionate about something but feeling like you’re just one in a million never having a chance to shine. Well Rockoholic is a story about a girl who MAKES her dreams come true something I think a lot of people can take inspiration from.
I could go on about Rockoholic and how much I loved it all day. It’s the perfect mood boosting, funny, feel good read and is definitely one of my favourite books of 2011. I can’t wait to check out C.J’s debut novel Pretty Bad Things and will be recommending/forcing everybody to check out Rockoholic.
Rockoholic starts off with main character Jody at her beloved granddad’s funeral her granddad was Jody’s idol. Not the typical grandfather figure he loved rock and roll, would moon bathe and wanted his funeral to be called a “body barbeque” and we automatically get to see just how barmy Jody is when in the middle of her mums carefully laid out funeral arrangements Jody starts a food fight because she knows it’s the kind of thing her granddad would have loved. I started this late one night and I had to literally clamp my hand over my mouth to stop my hysterical laughter at Jody’s expense from waking everybody up. Jody is a carefree, fun loving, free spirit and her crazy ideas and mishaps make for a side splittingly funny book. Jody’s funny without even realising she is, without even trying to be and I automatically liked her and wanted to know what crazy plan she’d come up with next.
The strongest aspect of this book I think is definitely the characters. I can’t think of one character I didn’t like and who wasn’t well developed. I loved Jody and her best friend Mac, rock god and lost soul Jackson and Mac’s adorable baby sister Cree who has some of the funniest heart-warming lines in fiction. Even Jody’s granddad who we as readers never actually get to “meet” was a total legend and I could happily live inside this book forever being bffs with all of them.
Although Rockoholic is by the majority a fun read it also deals with serious themes such as bereavement, drug addiction and let’s face it kidnapping! But C.J. Skuse never makes the book feel heavy or depressing handling the matters respectfully with a side of funny. But ultimately this is a book about living your dreams but not forgetting the people who hold you rock steady when you come crashing back down to earth. It’s a book about reaching for the stars but never forgetting your reality and where you came from, it’s about knowing it might be impossible but going for it anyway.
Even if you’re not a huge music fan I still think everyone can relate to and enjoy this book. Whether you’re a fan girl of a certain author or if you’ve ever had a crush on a celebrity or someone out of bounds I think everybody can relate to that feeling of being so passionate about something but feeling like you’re just one in a million never having a chance to shine. Well Rockoholic is a story about a girl who MAKES her dreams come true something I think a lot of people can take inspiration from.
I could go on about Rockoholic and how much I loved it all day. It’s the perfect mood boosting, funny, feel good read and is definitely one of my favourite books of 2011. I can’t wait to check out C.J’s debut novel Pretty Bad Things and will be recommending/forcing everybody to check out Rockoholic.
August 9, 2011
www.booksforcompany.com
I picked up Rockaholic having heard a lot about it from my fellow UK Book Bloggers about how funny it was and at the time, that was just what I wanted! I have to admit I do hardly laugh at books, even when they are funny and I find it funny I don’t actually LOL I just have a little giggle inside! Well Rockaholic did make me LOL, not as much as I hoped as half way through things turned a bit more serious but at the beginning I was giggling quite a lot.
Rockaholic has quite a few different sides to it. For example at the beginning Rockaholic is a very light hearted read with a lot of funny moments in but as the book gets further in things begin to get a bit more serious in a few ways. I really enjoyed both sides of this book and felt they fitted well together, although I will say I do wish C.J. had included a bit more of her great humour further into the book when the book seemed to slow down. At some points it felt not much was really happening and I did feel certain chapters weren’t really ‘required.’
The plot is great, yes sometimes it’s very far retched and I wouldn’t recommend picking up this book if you can’t ‘let yourself go’ and see past that but it’s very imaginative. To me it felt like C.J. had this small little idea and things quickly grew from there. I loved this and felt it really added to the humour of this book. Amongst this the serious side of the story brought everything back ‘down to earth’ and while I felt the things which this book deals with are important I wished at times there was more funny parts further in.
The characters, especially Jody, are all great! They all added to the book in a special way and contributed to how things turned out. I liked how some of the things in the plot seemed to change the characters themselves, especially the rockstar, Jackson. Jody reminded me of myself sometimes and not just because we have the same name! I loved her ‘blondness’ it was just perfect for this book and her voice throughout the book made her a very strong and real character to me.
Overall Rockaholic is a great book which is both a light heart read which will have you laughing out loud to also dealing with more serious things and showing the consequence of certain things such as fame. I definitely recommend reading this, even if you weren't sure about Pretty Bad Things as Rockaholic is very different!
I picked up Rockaholic having heard a lot about it from my fellow UK Book Bloggers about how funny it was and at the time, that was just what I wanted! I have to admit I do hardly laugh at books, even when they are funny and I find it funny I don’t actually LOL I just have a little giggle inside! Well Rockaholic did make me LOL, not as much as I hoped as half way through things turned a bit more serious but at the beginning I was giggling quite a lot.
Rockaholic has quite a few different sides to it. For example at the beginning Rockaholic is a very light hearted read with a lot of funny moments in but as the book gets further in things begin to get a bit more serious in a few ways. I really enjoyed both sides of this book and felt they fitted well together, although I will say I do wish C.J. had included a bit more of her great humour further into the book when the book seemed to slow down. At some points it felt not much was really happening and I did feel certain chapters weren’t really ‘required.’
The plot is great, yes sometimes it’s very far retched and I wouldn’t recommend picking up this book if you can’t ‘let yourself go’ and see past that but it’s very imaginative. To me it felt like C.J. had this small little idea and things quickly grew from there. I loved this and felt it really added to the humour of this book. Amongst this the serious side of the story brought everything back ‘down to earth’ and while I felt the things which this book deals with are important I wished at times there was more funny parts further in.
The characters, especially Jody, are all great! They all added to the book in a special way and contributed to how things turned out. I liked how some of the things in the plot seemed to change the characters themselves, especially the rockstar, Jackson. Jody reminded me of myself sometimes and not just because we have the same name! I loved her ‘blondness’ it was just perfect for this book and her voice throughout the book made her a very strong and real character to me.
Overall Rockaholic is a great book which is both a light heart read which will have you laughing out loud to also dealing with more serious things and showing the consequence of certain things such as fame. I definitely recommend reading this, even if you weren't sure about Pretty Bad Things as Rockaholic is very different!
March 7, 2011
Jody is a massive fan of a band called The Regulators, in particular their lead singer, Jackson Gatlin. And by massive fan, we're talking OBSSESSED. She's vegetarian because in an interview Jackson says he is, she reads the same books Jackson reads, she buys zebra things because on Wikiepedia it says Jackson likes zebras; she truly believes he's the guy for her ... if only he knew she existed. Maybe he'll notice her when she goes to a Regs concert.
Really Jody's only hoping for a smile from the stage or something to that nature but somehow she finds herself bundling the rock star into her friend Mac's car at the end of the night and ends up hiding him in her garage. The problem is the missing singer is all over the international news and to make things worse Jackson doesn't want to leave.
While based on a completely unlikely scenario, Rockoholic is very realistic. Not only does it deal with the "OMG I've accidently kidnapped a rock god" issue, Jody is also coming to terms with the death of her grandad, her feelings for Mac and realising that Jackson's not the person she thought he was. It also deals with the less glamorous side of fame that Jackson doesn't want to return to.
The writing in this book is fast paced and funny, with many laugh out loud moments. The characters are all well developed and loveable. Jody's easy to identify with. She doesn't really know what she's doing most of the time and many of the things she does as a Regs fan will be things that a lot of readers will have also done. Mac's the caring best friend; the sensible one who gets Jody out of a whole load of trouble all of the time. Jackson's the bad boy, dealing with depresssion and a drug addiction. He doesn't know how to really relate to people and even when he starts to become the 'real' Jackson rather than the public Jackson, he can still be a bit selfish and arrogant. One of the most adorable characters in the book is Cree, Mac's baby sister, who's innocent enough to put everyone in their place without knowing she's doing it.
I really enjoyed reading Rockoholic and will definitely be looking out for other books by this author.
Really Jody's only hoping for a smile from the stage or something to that nature but somehow she finds herself bundling the rock star into her friend Mac's car at the end of the night and ends up hiding him in her garage. The problem is the missing singer is all over the international news and to make things worse Jackson doesn't want to leave.
While based on a completely unlikely scenario, Rockoholic is very realistic. Not only does it deal with the "OMG I've accidently kidnapped a rock god" issue, Jody is also coming to terms with the death of her grandad, her feelings for Mac and realising that Jackson's not the person she thought he was. It also deals with the less glamorous side of fame that Jackson doesn't want to return to.
The writing in this book is fast paced and funny, with many laugh out loud moments. The characters are all well developed and loveable. Jody's easy to identify with. She doesn't really know what she's doing most of the time and many of the things she does as a Regs fan will be things that a lot of readers will have also done. Mac's the caring best friend; the sensible one who gets Jody out of a whole load of trouble all of the time. Jackson's the bad boy, dealing with depresssion and a drug addiction. He doesn't know how to really relate to people and even when he starts to become the 'real' Jackson rather than the public Jackson, he can still be a bit selfish and arrogant. One of the most adorable characters in the book is Cree, Mac's baby sister, who's innocent enough to put everyone in their place without knowing she's doing it.
I really enjoyed reading Rockoholic and will definitely be looking out for other books by this author.
June 13, 2016
Before picking up this book I had not heard of the author before so started it with no real expectations about what it would be like.
The story follows Jody a teenage girl who goes to see in concert her favourite band, and more importantly, her idol Jackson Gaitlin. A variety of things go wrong and by the end of the evening Jody ends up kidnapping Jackson and taking him home to hide out from the press in her Granddad's garage.
I liked several things about this book. Firstly it was really funny. The one thing I was told about CJ Skuse was that she writes really funny stuff and it's definitely true. The scenes where Jody tries to sort out Jackson when he is in a bad state were really funny (I won't tell you what happened for fear of spoiling it).
I also thought the characters were done really well. I thought the author captured that mad teenage hysteria well and all the crazy things teenagers do (and then probably don't admit to later on!) in order to be a little more like their idols. I thought Mac was a gorgeously brilliant character and I loved his loyalty to Jody and to his younger sister. Jody herself is a real mised bag and you definitely see her grow as the story progresses.
I also liked the moral this book had to tell about fame and the falseness of it all. Once Jackson came around and started interacting with the other characters you saw how profoundly it had affected everything about him.
All in all a fab little read with a nice and pacey story line and laugh out loud moments combined with a nice moral to the overall story.
The story follows Jody a teenage girl who goes to see in concert her favourite band, and more importantly, her idol Jackson Gaitlin. A variety of things go wrong and by the end of the evening Jody ends up kidnapping Jackson and taking him home to hide out from the press in her Granddad's garage.
I liked several things about this book. Firstly it was really funny. The one thing I was told about CJ Skuse was that she writes really funny stuff and it's definitely true. The scenes where Jody tries to sort out Jackson when he is in a bad state were really funny (I won't tell you what happened for fear of spoiling it).
I also thought the characters were done really well. I thought the author captured that mad teenage hysteria well and all the crazy things teenagers do (and then probably don't admit to later on!) in order to be a little more like their idols. I thought Mac was a gorgeously brilliant character and I loved his loyalty to Jody and to his younger sister. Jody herself is a real mised bag and you definitely see her grow as the story progresses.
I also liked the moral this book had to tell about fame and the falseness of it all. Once Jackson came around and started interacting with the other characters you saw how profoundly it had affected everything about him.
All in all a fab little read with a nice and pacey story line and laugh out loud moments combined with a nice moral to the overall story.
December 11, 2012
Summary:
Jody loves The Regulators. Her walls are plastered with pictures of the band and her idol Jackson Gatlin, the frontman of the band. But at the concert she ends up backstage with a concussion and accidentally kidnaps him along with her best friend Mac. Mac who may or may not be gay (but that is a whole ‘nother story!)
Not knowing what else to do with her drugged out idol, she takes him home and keeps him in her garage. Every time she tries to return him he tells her he doesn’t want to go back, so she starts plotting to do something that puts her past exploits to shame.
Thoughts:
So, this one started out pretty slow. I probably would have given it a 2 at the beginning. But, as the story picked up steam, I really started to get into the story and started to follow along with Jody, Mac, and Jackson, and I almost wanted to give it a 4 or 5 at times. It would have great peaks at times and then seem to bottom out at other times. A real hard story to follow! I went with a 3 for the reason that it was kind of in between.
I really began to enjoy Jody’s character later in the book. She had a lot of spunk and charm, it seems that over the years she really has gotten into a lot of trouble and done all kinds of crazy things (there was something about a turkey farm and all the turkeys escaping!) But at the same time, she was kind of a spaz, calling into work, or just not calling at all. Mac on the other hand was great and did so much for his family. There is a great scene later in the book where we see Jody finally seem to get it together, but I won’t spoil it for you!
Overall, a fun enjoyable book!
Rating:
3.5/5
Jody loves The Regulators. Her walls are plastered with pictures of the band and her idol Jackson Gatlin, the frontman of the band. But at the concert she ends up backstage with a concussion and accidentally kidnaps him along with her best friend Mac. Mac who may or may not be gay (but that is a whole ‘nother story!)
Not knowing what else to do with her drugged out idol, she takes him home and keeps him in her garage. Every time she tries to return him he tells her he doesn’t want to go back, so she starts plotting to do something that puts her past exploits to shame.
Thoughts:
So, this one started out pretty slow. I probably would have given it a 2 at the beginning. But, as the story picked up steam, I really started to get into the story and started to follow along with Jody, Mac, and Jackson, and I almost wanted to give it a 4 or 5 at times. It would have great peaks at times and then seem to bottom out at other times. A real hard story to follow! I went with a 3 for the reason that it was kind of in between.
I really began to enjoy Jody’s character later in the book. She had a lot of spunk and charm, it seems that over the years she really has gotten into a lot of trouble and done all kinds of crazy things (there was something about a turkey farm and all the turkeys escaping!) But at the same time, she was kind of a spaz, calling into work, or just not calling at all. Mac on the other hand was great and did so much for his family. There is a great scene later in the book where we see Jody finally seem to get it together, but I won’t spoil it for you!
Overall, a fun enjoyable book!
Rating:
3.5/5
November 24, 2012
Rockoholic was an interesting book. The plot kept me captivated until the end. The British slang terms got a little confusing. At the beginning, they took away from the story. The further I progressed into the story, the more they were reused and I think I got a general understanding of what most of them mean. The story focuses on Jody who is in love with Jackson, the lead singer of The Regulators. There is a small problem with that. Jackson doesn’t know she exists. When she gets a chance to go to a Regulator concert, she kidnaps Jackson with the help of a Curly Wurly bar. The book got a little silly at times, but in a good way. It made me chuckle quite a few times. I think the book accurately portrays withdraw and detoxing. Although, I wish the author would have given a little more detail about the process. I liked most of the characters. At first I couldn’t stand Jackson. Towards the end of the book he redeems himself and becomes a cool person. My favorite character was Mac. I liked how loyal he was to Jody. Even though he could have walked away from the epic mess Jody got him into, he still helped her out. He was very passionate in everything he did. He put 100 percent into his acting and his relationships with friends and family. The book will definitely make you want to watch Rocky Horror Picture Show, whether you’ve seen it or not. I recommend this book for anyone who has ever wanted to meet their favorite celebrity.
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