Review: My new favorite rocker series!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 21, 2014
I can't get over how much I like each of the characters in this book, especially Lily and Alfie. Lily is an English girl attending college in Florida with hopes of having her music career take off. She's surrounded by a lot of musical artists, including her roommate Saffy and friends like Will, Neil and Mandy. There's also Alfie, but he's not exactly a friend. Lily was such a fantastic character because she was adventurous and talented and although she wasn't insecure, she was completely unaware of how attractive she is and her musical talents. She also has this sweetness and innocence about her that is endearing rather than annoying. Her emotional vulnerability was partly due to her inexperience but also her authenticity. She craved love and affection but she wasn't unrealistic about it either. She's exploring her openness to sexuality, initially guided by Alfie into an arrangement that she finds addicting but can't keep up with because of the stipulation of no commitment, emotions or love. Alfie is actually a fascinating guy because he has so many sides to him - magnetic, playful, funny, seductive, poetic, sentimental and charming. Apparently he's a good actor, too, because the public Alfie is not the same as the private Alfie where Lily is concerned. Lily gets so many mixed messages from Alfie and she knows that putting distance between them is necessary to preserve her heart. Alfie can definitely be a jerk, but I couldn't help but fall for him, too, because he was somewhat mysterious and Lily disarmed him in certain ways that confused him. He said he couldn't love yet his gestures or subtle displays of jealousy suggested that he was capable of feeling more than he would admit to but Alfie keeps emotions buried pretty deep without coming off as brooding. Max and Will also help Lily to realize how much she wants to be cherished and in a true romantic relationship because now that she has tried the no strings attached approach, she knows it's not for her. Lily makes mistakes, but I never looked at them as being significant flaws because she already reprimands herself harshly enough and she takes responsibility for them. She also has a forgiving nature and gives people wide berth and multiple chances. I think it's funny that when she's particularly frustrated, she blames it on her not adapting well to the U.S. culture when in fact she is cooler than everyone else around her. There's a lot of push and pull between Alfie and Lily that reveals the complexity of their chemistry and dynamic, because Alfie is so frustrating about his limits. Lily puts him in his place but yet makes no apologies for enjoying what they did share. At the same time, I applaud Lily for protecting herself and hope to see Alfie come to his own realizations as the series progresses.