Review: 3.5 stars. Sensual, but I was put off by one secondary character
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2012
3.5 stars.I liked it very much, but first what I didn't like: the stalking psychotic neurotic ex-girlfriend. Why? I know she was the one who made one of the main things happen, but an ordinary, disappointed, jealous ex-lover who's just too desperate and lonely to let the guy go would be enough. It made me distrust one of the main characters, and I found his explanations of why things went wrong too mild and unconvincing. Aaron was right when he expressed his doubts. The plot involves rockstars trying to break out, it's already big enough, so the psychotic stalker made the story a bit unbelievable. And predictable, I have to admit.What I loved loved loved was the eroticism of the love scenes. The author paid a lot of attention to the details of love making. When you are physically close to someone, sensations get more intense, the images blur and become out of focus, while your other senses explode in hyper-awareness. I confess that the scene where Bastian was teaching Aaron to play is enough to recommend the book.The story between the main characters developed very fast at the beginning, on the heels of their physical attraction. I thought it dragged a bit in the middle, some of the situations felt repetitive and at the end I had the impression the characters were creating the obstacles to their relationship on their own. It was as if the author almost gave us an explanation, but not quite, so I was a bit dissatisfied.There were parts I loved very much, I liked that the author tried to make them real musicians, including rehearsals, performances, the life around a band trying to break out, and not only insisting on the clichés of the promiscuous artists. Aaron and Bastian, and everyone in Schadenfreude, are ordinary people who love their music and have a dream.If you like rockstars, it's recommended. Worth a bit of frustration.