Paradise

Paradise
By Jill S. Alexander
Feiwel and Friends, 2011. 250 pgs. Young Adult fiction

Paisley Tillery is dead set on achieving her dreams of becoming a drummer, and she'll do anything to help her band be able to play in the upcoming Texapalooza music festival--including accept new boy Gabe, a.k.a. Paradise, as their new lead singer. Paradise has a way of getting under her skin that Paisley doesn't really know how to handle. Besides dealing with all the sexual tension between her and Paradise, Paisley also has to keep the fact that she's in a band a secret from her mother, who definitely wouldn't approve. But there comes a point where Paisley is tired of hiding who she is.

If I don't let myself think about it too much, I really enjoyed the book. Paradise is pretty sexy, Paisley is pretty spunky, and the book moves well. But when I start thinking deeper, there are some things I don't like. For example, Paradise gets pretty touchy-feely pretty darn fast, despite the fact that Paisley is wearing a purity ring. While he tells her he'll respect her saying no, he's still perfectly willing to try to change her mind. Next, interspersed throughout the book, there are lyrics written by Cal, one of the fellow band members, that make it pretty clear that he's in love with Paisley, and it's kinda weird. I mean, it doesn't fully go anywhere; it's never made clear if Paisley ever realizes how he feels. The end leaves it a little open, and I think it does work, but not necessarily for all readers. And there's a twist at the end that I think just happened too late and didn't have quite enough resolution. Still, I think a lot of readers will enjoy it. The Southern charm is as strong in this one as in Alexander's first novel, The Sweetheart of Prosper County, but it's not as clean.

AE