Saturday 11 May 2013

Blog Tour: Drummer Girl by Bridget Tyler (Young Adult, 10/10) Review, & Guest Blog Post

May 2013, Templar
368 pages, Paperback
Review copy 

Themes: entertainment industry, what the public expect from singers, personal image, appearing to be something you aren't, the value of true friendship, misunderstandings, support matters, fighting for what you believe in - no matter what happens, not entirely ethical morals, discovering who you really are, betrayal, forgiveness, getting in hot water very quickly, grief, finding the truth, wishing to turn back time,the evil in the world
Content: some drinking, drugs, teen romance, discrimination

Summary from Templar
It was supposed to be the summer of her life. Instead, 17-year-old Lucy finds her best friend Harper shot dead in an LA swimming pool. How did it come to this? Lucy Gosling is the drummer in Crush, a rock band formed by five London schoolgirls that has just won the UK semi-final of an international talent contest. But when the band lands in Hollywood for the big final, things are not quite as they seem. The band's lead singer, Harper, has just one thing on her mind – using sex, drugs and rock and roll, not to mention Crush itself, to win back her bad-news exboyfriend.

Lucy must decide whether she's playing to Harper's tune, or setting the rhythm for the rest of the band…

Nayuleska's thoughts 
Lucy's story definitely shows the reality behind all the glitz of the music industry, the lengths some people take to be the best and cover their mistakes. Many times I wanted to tell her not to do something, but she had to do it for the story to reach it's dramatic conclusion. You'll be gripped when you read this, and shocked by the truths revealed. 

You can find out more on the dedicated website.

Suggested read 
For another music industry based filled with mystery and drama check out You Don't Know Me by Sophia Bennett


Guest Blog Post by Bridget Tyler


I really enjoy writing YA fiction because coming of age stories are my favorite – to write and to read. No matter what world coming of age stories are set in - vampires, werewolves, fairies… reality show competitions - they’re all about people who are just discovering what makes them special and finding the courage to use their extraordinary talents. I find that journey to be the most exciting one in literature because I just love creating a character and then exploring their potential, and that’s exactly what a coming of age tale lets you do. 

Lucy Gosling, the protagonist of Drummer Girl, thinks she’s just an ordinary girl when the story begins. An ordinary girl who isn’t all that interesting, actually, and she’s happy to be generally ignored by the world at large. But when Lucy is put to the test, she’ll find that she’s actually all sorts of extraordinary. She doesn’t develop magical powers, or discover she’s secretly an elf or a superhero, but what I discovered while writing Drummer Girl is that learning that you’re a natural leader and an extraordinary musician isn’t all that different than discovering you have magical powers. Learning that your special is scary, no matter what it is that makes you special. In some ways it’s much easier to just blend in and be “normal” – you have to be brave enough to stand out, if you want to be more than ordinary.

I think that’s why so many people of all ages really enjoy YA. We’re all extraordinary, in some way, and we’re all just a little bit frightened of standing out of the crowd. Reading stories about people who find their gifts, and have the courage to use them, reminds us all that it’s worth it to do the same. What’s your super power? How can you show it to the world?

Bridget, thank you so much for writing an awesome book and for an insightful post.  Hmm, what's my super power? Well, that's a secret! ^u^

UK only Competition 

You can win this!
The lovely people at Templar have got a fantastic prize for give away. Not only will one of you win a copy of the book, but you'll also when some make up! 
And a selection of this! (UK only)
 Please note you will not receive everything in this picture - just a small selection. 

The prize: 1 copy of Drummer Girl to a UK resident.

The rules: 1 entry per person, winners will be chosen by a random number generator, please make sure you read my protection policy.  

This competition is now closed 
International Competition


To all you who live outside the UK, don't despair! You can still get your hands on a copy of Drummer Girl! I'm giving away my ARC plus a finished copy I got sent.  Sadly I'm not giving away any make up. 

The prize: 1 copy of Drummer Girl will go to 2 winners living outside the UK. 

The rules: 1 entry per person, winners will be chosen by a random number generator, please make sure you read my protection policyNote: once the two winners are chosen, they will be put in a second draw to see who gets the ARC and who gets the finished copy.

This competition is now closed.

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