Began reading: 5.4.2015
Completed reading: 10.4.2015
Overall rating: 4.2 stars
After twenty years of marriage, Cat feels as though she is getting old. To make matters worse, her beloved husband, Ivan, has fallen for a much younger woman. There is only one person Cat can turn to for comfort. Kendall has it all: beauty, fame and wealth, but beneath her tough exterior, she is vulnerable and stuck in a one-sided love. Will the success of her career get her what she wants? Ava is an innocent young woman, who is quickly plucked from obscurity to become Kendall's key competition in the music business. With all eyes on Kendall and Ava, who will survive?
Friends and Rivals is a contemporary fiction novel with hints of romance and drama. I enjoyed reading this book more than the previous time. There was so much to love!
Firstly, the plot was unique. I have never read a book that focuses on the pressure of being in the music business. This novel highlights the relationships between music stars and their managers, as well as their contracts with record companies. Mixing romance and drama into the plot adds intrigue, making the novel a whole lot more appealing.
The use of figurative language was really good! Bagshawe added a lot of metaphors, similes and imagery to enhance the meaning behind the character’s thoughts. Some of my favourites include:
Being in business with Ivan Charles was like walking through life with a bomb strapped to your chest. The unpredictability, the selfishness, all wrapped in a lethally charming package (p. 20).
…there was still something luminous about her. Her flushed, youthful skin, soulful blue eyes, but most of all the immense kindness and warmth that seemed to seep out of her pores like sap oozing from a tree (p. 235).
But like Lucy stepping back through the wardrobe and leaving the magic of Narnia behind, reality reasserted itself unpleasantly now as the car sped away (p. 325).
I didn’t like how often the perspectives of characters changed in a paragraph or chapter. I found it too confusing at times. It would have been better if there were two perspectives per chapter, at most.
All of the characters had their flaws or did something to irritate me, but if I had to choose my favourite character, it would be Ava. Although she was clingy (which annoyed me), she was sweet and innocent, as well as relatable.
Ava had leapt out of bed literally shrieking with delight when she saw the snow, and it was hard not to share at least some of her childlike enthusiasm (p. 369).
…all she wanted to do was go home…, crawl under the sheets of her own bed in her own room, and never, ever leave (p. 271).
I didn’t like how Ava’s story ended. She deserved a good ending, something sweet, but no. I would have loved to know what happened to her after the Christmas holidays. Did her career skyrocket, or flop?
My favourite part of the novel would have to have been during the Christmas holidays, when Kendall and Ava had to battle in order to reach number one on the UK music charts. So many revelations occurred during this section of the book, and gave us an insight into what ever character was thinking and going through.
In the beginning of the novel, I despised Kendall. She was annoying and spoiled, but I guess someone had to be hated. As the story progressed, I started to pity her. She went through quite a bit (maybe I thought she deserved everything she got). Unfortunately, I didn’t think she deserved to get the ‘happy ending.’ Maybe she was misunderstood, but really?
If you like the Sheet Music series by Ann Lister, you will love this book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes “The Wedding Singer”, “While We’re Young”, the Pitch Perfect series, and “Begin Again”.
Happy reading!
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