Paradise by Jill S. Alexander

Summary:
Paisley Tillery is the drummer for a country rock band. If they can make it to the stage at the Texapalooza music fest, then Paisley will be closer to her dream of a career in music and a ticket out of her small Texas town.

Drumming and music are what Paisley has always wanted. Until the band gets a new lead singer, the boy from Paradise, Texas. With Paradise in her life, what Paisley wants, and what she needs, complicate her dreams coming true. (from GoodReads)

Review:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started Paradise - the cover is pretty generic. I had no idea this was going to be about music; it seemed like a plain romance by the cover. So I was pleasantly surprised when I found that the protagonist, Paisley, is the drummer of a band, but she was keeping it a secret from her mother. However, I did not think Paradise was executed that well, and had a horrible ending.

I liked the premise and setting a lot. Paisley lives in rural Texas, so it has that country feel. Her mother is really strict with Paisley and her sister, and would not approve of Paisley drumming in the band. I definitely understand where a parent like that is coming from, but it made no sense that Paisley's mother would push her sister, Lacey, to be a singer. Lacey has no desires to be a musician, but Paisley's mom doesn't care. I thought it was odd that she would support one daughter who wanted to be a singer but wouldn't support the other who wanted to be a drummer. I could see if her mom was pushing Lacey to be in science fairs or something, but the entertainment business?

The book is called Paradise, and that's because The Waylon Slider Band (Paisley's band) hires a new lead singer named Gabe. Paisley calls him Paradise because that's the town he's from. They have an "instant romance" that was based mainly on lust. There's a lot of kissing, which is fine, but I honestly don't think there was one scene where they have a serious conversation. Light flings are fun, and I wouldn't care too much about that but...there's the ending.

No spoilers, but the ending would have worked better if Paradise and Paisley had had a real relationship. But since they didn't, the ending came out of left field (in a bad way). I was not impressed at all with how the author concluded this book.

Even though Paradise has some good points, like focusing on music in rural Texas, the actual story and ending make it hard to sing the praises of this book.

Rating: 6 out of 10.
FTC: received from the publisher

2011/Feiwel & Friends/256 pages.