Book Review: This Beats Perfect by Rebecca Denton

This Beats Perfect by Rebecca Denton

Pages: 288
Publish date: February 2nd, 2017
Publisher: Atom Books
ISBN: 034900272X
Purchase: Book Depository – Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU – Dymocks

Amelie Ayres has impeccable taste in music. Bowie. Bush. Bob. So when she finds herself backstage at The Keep’s only UK gig she expects to hate it; after all, they are world’s most tragic band. In fact, she feels a grudging respect – not (obviously) for their music, but for the work that goes into making them megastars. And when lead singer, ‘Maxx’, is not dressed up as a cross between Elvis and a My Little Pony, he is actually rather normal, talented and has creative struggles not too dissimilar to her own.

But the next morning she wakes up rolls over and discovers a million new @’s on social media. Overnight a photo of her backstage has made her a subject of global speculation. Suddenly the world needs to know #Who’sThatGirl? – but for all the wrong reasons.

All Amelie wants is to play her music. She’s got the guitar, the songs, the soul and, in the safety of her bedroom, she’s got the voice. But when it comes to getting up on stage, she struggles with self-doubt.

This Beats Perfect:

I received an ARC of This Beats Perfect by Rebecca Denton from Hachette Australia in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my thoughts and feelings about the book.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started reading this book. I wasn’t expecting much, I just felt like a good read for summer. But, I was pleasantly surprised with the outcome. I sat by the pool for a couple of hours and finished with a smile on my face.

This Beats Perfect follows protagonist Amelie Ayres a music lover, who isn’t into your ‘typical’ teen music. But, when she’s allowed backstage at The Keeps only UK concert, it’s not what she expected. She doesn’t love their music, but respect them as musicians. And then she finds herself connecting with lead singing ‘Maxx’ over creative struggles. However, before all this – she is thrown to the sharks – or the media with the hashtag of #Who’sThatGirl. And boy bands, fans, new girls and social media don’t really mix.

I really enjoyed Amelie as the protagonist of This Beats Perfect. She has this love for music that is so strong, but her nerves always get the better of her. She feels like she home with the music and you can feel it while reading. The passion that she has shines through, but also the anxiety that comes with it. It’s nice to see anxiety presented in this way, as I don’t see it much in YA. Amelie is totally relatable, and the reader feels for her the whole way through.

I really liked the sense of family and friendship throughout This Beats Perfect. I adored Amelie’s relationship with her dad. Even though he was always away for work and her parents weren’t together – it worked. They cared for each other and nice to see. The friendships that Amelie has before and builds throughout the book were also really nice to see. It’s getting g more and more comma to have these amazing friendships in YA nowadays and I am loving it.

The romance in This Beats Perfect was a little shaky for me. I really enjoyed them together but felt it moved a little too fast. They had some beautiful scenes together and I loved how Amelie and Max connected through music and what they believe in. It was nice and different to see.

I’ve read so many books (mostly on Wattpad) about girls and boy bands – but this was something different. There was something more than the girl and boy falling in love. It’s about finding yourself.

Something that would have been love the book, even more, if there wasn’t as many characters. This Beats Perfect felt overcrowded. I kept on forgetting who was who, what their jobs were. There was just a little too much.

Just a quick note, I really don’t like the cover – at all. It seems so outdated to me. The ARC cover, on the other hand, I loved.

Overall, I was so surprised with This Beats Perfect. It was fun, addicting and put a smile on my face. It explores the notions of finding yourself, loving what you do and finding those who will stand by you. It’s about family, friendship and those you love.

Have you read This Beats Perfect yet? Did you like it? Are you planning to read it? Are there books similar to this one that you love. Let’s Chat!

Bec @ Readers in Wonderland

· Reply

February 17, 2017 at 7:58 PM

I only learnt about this book a couple of days ago but it’s already on my list of “fluffy books I need to read some day” because the two reviews I read (including yours) have sold it to me. I’m not too keen on a fast developing romance BUT if I’m in a contemporary/ romance reading mood at the time I’m usually okay with it.

Brittany

February 18, 2017 at 6:10 AM

This is my first time hearing about this book, so thanks for putting it on my radar! It sounds interesting 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it! Fantastic review 😀

Brittany @ Brittany’s Book Rambles

Katiria Rodriguez

February 25, 2017 at 12:39 PM

Ohh great review I do absolutely love books that have music in them I especially love when they have family and friends dynamic in it as well. This book looks and sounds absolutely fantastic and right up my alley. Thank you so much for your awesome post.