“I can never close my lips where I have opened my heart.” ― Charles Dickens
Title: Echoes of Us
Author: Teegan Loy
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Pages/Word Count: 230
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb: Most people think falling in love is a wonderful thing. For Rylan Blake, love only complicates his life. After a disastrous trip home, Rylan and his best friend, Maggie, head back to Chicago to meet their new roommate, Jade Marin, and prepare for their final year of college.
Love is the last thing Rylan expects when he meets Jade. But as the two men get to know each other and discover their mutual love of music, friendship becomes more. They compose songs and, at Maggie’s urging, post their work on YouTube—where the videos go viral and a music producer discovers them.
But hitting it big isn’t always a good thing, especially when it comes with a price. When Rylan and Jade sign a deal with a big music company, they’re ordered to hide their relationship from the public and take fake girlfriends. At first, it’s a game, but as their fame grows, Rylan feels forced to choose: Does he stay and live a lie, or does he walk away from a life of fame—and from Jade?
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Review: I instantly fell in love with this book. I love any rocker tale that is well executed, filled with emotion and just overall fun. This is that story.
After coming back from a not so pleasant trip to visit his family, Rylan and his best friend Maggie meet their new roommate, Jade. Rylan is not looking for a relationship, and Jade is recently coming to terms with his attraction to men, but they bond over their mutual love for music. They quickly develop feelings for each other and before too long, become lovers. Maggie puts a video of them singing on YouTube. They get so many hits they decide to play a local club, where they become a huge success. Nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen.
I fell in love with Rylan and Jade from the get-go. I loved their passion for music as well as their passion for each other. The author didn’t need their getting together intimately dragged out, the attraction between the two was immediate. And even though neither was looking for a relationship, they just let their feelings guide them to what felt natural. I feel it was very well done and believable. It was fantastic to follow this young couple’s journey, from when they first meet to their rise to fame. The one thing I thought was missing from this story was Jade’s POV. I would have loved to have gotten inside his head. He just seemed a little too accepting of the secrets and hiding they both had to do. I know it bothered him, we just never knew how much.
The author does a great job in showing the progression of Rylan’s emotional and mental breakdown. It was frustrating to me that he wasn’t a little more aggressive in communicating how he was truly feeling to Jade. He was having a hard time hiding who he was and felt as though he was losing himself. Keeping their relationship a secret was an added pressure they definitely didn’t need especially when they’re trying to get used to the touring, writing and recording music, and everything that goes with being a pop star. I really enjoyed how the author showed us how differently and realistically each character personally dealt with fame. One was almost nonchalant about it and went with the flow, enjoying every minute, while the other was almost screaming on the inside and couldn’t get anyone to hear him and just wanted out.
What happened towards the end of the story was heartbreaking. Rylan had to keep his sanity and be true to himself, even if it meant leaving behind the one person he loved the most. If nothing else, I thought it showed how much Rylan loved Jade; he would’ve sacrificed everything to keep Jade happy.
Even though this book centers around Jade and Rylan’s relationship, there was a lot of behind-the-scenes looks at the positive and negative aspects of being famous. I didn’t mind reading about the internal workings of the music industry either. It was fascinating and I quite enjoyed it.
Overall, this was a fast paced read that moved fairly quickly. I loved the secondary characters, especially their next door neighbor, Mrs. Morgan. I adored her. We do get our HEA, and it was really sweet all the way around. Rylan’s family issues come full circle, which was an unexpected treat.
You can buy Echoes of Us here:
