You'd Be Mine

February 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-Teenage heartthrob Clay Coolidge recently won best new artist at the Country Music Awards, but his bad boy image (fueled by the death of his brother who was fighting overseas) needs to be cleaned up as he is about to begin a U.S. summer tour. His record label has him invite Annie Mathers and her group to be his opening act. Annie is the child of country music royalty, but she has her demons too. Her mother died of an overdose, and her father committed suicide. As a tween, Annie was the one who found them dead. Annie's music eclipses Clay's as they make their way across the country, and both of them try very hard not to fall for the other. Romance may or may not be in store for Clay and Annie, but two of their band mates make a connection. Annie and Clay offer their views on the tour in alternating chapters, chronicling the ups and downs of the music and the band members' platonic and romantic interactions. The characters are very likable and seem true to life. The difficulty of having a normal life in the face of celebrity is addressed many times in this layered and fun romance. VERDICT Readers do not have to be fans of country music in order to root for Annie and Clay to find their way to love. A strong choice.-Elizabeth Kahn, Patrick F. Taylor Science & Technology Academy, Avondale, LA

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February 1, 2019
Teen music stars get romantically involved.Clay Coolidge is the flashy heartthrob of the Nashville country music scene, content to make songs people drink and hook up to but never saying anything meaningful with his music. Annie Mathers is country music royalty about to embark on her own career five years after her legendary parents tragically died. The teens tour together in an effort to boost Clay's sales and launch Annie's career. Managers and record producers push them together as a fake couple, but it doesn't take long for the artists to spark and spread fire. Annie and Clay bring out the best in each other, building each other up as musicians and people. Their romance is well-plotted and sweetly drawn: Readers (particularly those listening to the recent A Star Is Born soundtrack on repeat) will delight in the story's rhythm and musical backdrop. The author makes sly observations here and there about the recording industry, but there's affection here for the uniquely American style of music and the stories that come out of country music culture. The palpable endearment for its setting and characters makes for a warm read. While not thuddingly original, this is still a good ol' fashioned love story, and there's something to be said for a song we all know being sung with tenderness and care. All main characters are white and there is some diversity in background characters.A solid romance buoyed by engaging protagonists and a charming backdrop. (Romance. 14-17)

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March 11, 2019
This satisfying romance about two teens in country music offers a glamorous backdrop of music and stardom. After a bar fight and some embarrassing publicity in Nashville, 18-year-old heartthrob Clay Coolidge needs to win his way back into his record label’s good graces by persuading 18-year-old Annie Mathers, a YouTube sensation and daughter of country music royalty, to join him on tour. Alternating between Clay and Annie’s first-person accounts, the chapters chronicle the teens’ shared love of music, initial spats, mounting attraction, and struggles with personal demons as they tour the country. While Annie confronts the memory of finding her famous musician parents dead after a double suicide, Clay (whose real name is Jefferson, a name only Annie earns the right to call him) drinks in order to forget his deceased brother. A magazine feature casts the stars as Johnny Cash and June Carter, and their story mimics that one—Clay crashes from fame just as Annie’s career begins to ascend. Though the plot follows familiar and somewhat predictable lines, the talented duo proves winning as Hahn depicts the highs and lows of life on the road. Fans of country music and romance will find much to cheer for in this bighearted debut. Ages 14–up. Agent: Kate McKean, Howard Morhaim Literary.