The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes: A Story of Love, Loss, and Rock-And-Roll
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- Create Date：2021-06-18 06:51:28
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Xio Axelrod
- ISBN：1492698768
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
They say the road to stardom is paved with broken dreams。
Growing up， Antonia "Toni" Bennett's guitar was her only companion。。。until she met Sebastian Quick。 Seb was a little older， a lot wiser， and he became Toni's way out， promising they'd escape their small town together。 Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back。
Now， Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene。 When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country， she decides to take a chance。 She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb。 Toni can handle it。 No problem。 Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart， not to mention the key to her future。
Growing up， Antonia "Toni" Bennett's guitar was her only companion。。。until she met Sebastian Quick。 Seb was a little older， a lot wiser， and he became Toni's way out， promising they'd escape their small town together。 Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back。
Now， Toni B is all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie rock scene。 When a friend suggests she try out for the hottest new band in the country， she decides to take a chance。 She's in for a surprise when one of the decision-makers turns out to be none other than Seb。 Toni can handle it。 No problem。 Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart， not to mention the key to her future。
Reviews
Brianna
，
Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Steam Level: 2🌶️ Toni Bennette has grown up on the stage。 Her mom is a famous musician but really isn't the nicest person。。。 Toni is shipped off to stay with her dad - who she has never really seen。 She meets Sebastian who is around her age （of 12 years old） and they both share a deep love of music。 But things separate them and they come back together years later。 I immediately was sucked into this story- Xio Axelrod's writing is incredible and I love that I got immediately im Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Steam Level: 2🌶️ Toni Bennette has grown up on the stage。 Her mom is a famous musician but really isn't the nicest person。。。 Toni is shipped off to stay with her dad - who she has never really seen。 She meets Sebastian who is around her age （of 12 years old） and they both share a deep love of music。 But things separate them and they come back together years later。 I immediately was sucked into this story- Xio Axelrod's writing is incredible and I love that I got immediately immersed in the story。 I don't feel that the romance was the BIGGEST portion of the book， but regardless loved their story！ I look forward to reading more of Xio's books in the future！tropes: rockstar romance 。。。more
Kait Smith
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I love this book SO much。 I can’t wait for the rest of the series
Mya R
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A smoothly written slow-burn romance about two people with their individual baggage from childhood poverty & neglect。 They are trying to make good decisions and adjusting their distorted perceptions of themselves。 Bonus points for multiple casually bisexual/queer characters among the cast。 I recommend the review by KJ Charles for an additional take。 Content notes: childhood trauma （mostly in glancing references）， on-page alcohol and drug abuse， parental gambling addiction， casual misogyny/sexism A smoothly written slow-burn romance about two people with their individual baggage from childhood poverty & neglect。 They are trying to make good decisions and adjusting their distorted perceptions of themselves。 Bonus points for multiple casually bisexual/queer characters among the cast。 I recommend the review by KJ Charles for an additional take。 Content notes: childhood trauma （mostly in glancing references）， on-page alcohol and drug abuse， parental gambling addiction， casual misogyny/sexism （called out on page）。 。。。more
Court
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Shel: I inhaled this novel; I was reading it every second I could--on my planning periods， as my students were studying for exams （shhhhh）， and every spare second I could。 I was completely sucked in to the story of Toni and Sebastian。 Shel: Toni was such a unique character in that she was a working musician that didn't necessarily crave the limelight。 She loved playing and loved the craft but didn't want to necessarily be on stage 。。。and all the stuff that comes with being on stage。。 and getting Shel: I inhaled this novel; I was reading it every second I could--on my planning periods， as my students were studying for exams （shhhhh）， and every spare second I could。 I was completely sucked in to the story of Toni and Sebastian。 Shel: Toni was such a unique character in that she was a working musician that didn't necessarily crave the limelight。 She loved playing and loved the craft but didn't want to necessarily be on stage 。。。and all the stuff that comes with being on stage。。 and getting to know her and understand her made for a lot of interesting reading。 'Seeing' her evolve and open up to different experiences that put her out of her comfort zone and yet in the driver's seat for her future was inspiring。 And then add to that her past with Sebastian and all of the hurt feelings that came with that and I was completely hooked。 Shel: Not only did I enjoy all of the backstory of Toni and Sebastian and the story of the present， I also enjoyed the secondary characters and all that they added to their story。 I'm excited that we'll get to see more of these characters and I'm eager to get to know them all a little bit better。Shel: Buy this rock star romance--you will not regret it！ 。。。more
Carrie （Rotten Banana）
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3。5 starsStarted as an audiobook but couldn't continue because the male narrator's voice for ladies was atrocious！ Switched over to ebook。I dug the flip of the lady rock stars and Toni's overall story。 Her and Seb's backstory is told through a few flashbacks - not enough to really solidify them as super tight （as far as I'm concerned）。 The romance was the weakest point because I didn't really get the connection。The ladies of the novel， however， are fun and engaging。 Mostly， this is a story about 3。5 starsStarted as an audiobook but couldn't continue because the male narrator's voice for ladies was atrocious！ Switched over to ebook。I dug the flip of the lady rock stars and Toni's overall story。 Her and Seb's backstory is told through a few flashbacks - not enough to really solidify them as super tight （as far as I'm concerned）。 The romance was the weakest point because I didn't really get the connection。The ladies of the novel， however， are fun and engaging。 Mostly， this is a story about music being a part of one's soul。 You can definitely tell that the author is a musician。 While this book didn't wow me， I enjoyed it and I would read another from this author。 。。。more
Jess Cintron Henry
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3。5
A， the library rat
，
I think the thing that stands out the most to me about this story is how cool it is that the author combined her passions and made it multimedia。 A couple of the Lillys’ songs are available on Spotify， and they’re good tunes。 They fit with the story’s vibe really well。 The main reason why I don’t delve much into musician romances is that， IMO， music doesn’t translate very well on the page。 The lyrics work like poetry， sure， but something’s lost there if the reader can’t hear the tune。 （NB: I rea I think the thing that stands out the most to me about this story is how cool it is that the author combined her passions and made it multimedia。 A couple of the Lillys’ songs are available on Spotify， and they’re good tunes。 They fit with the story’s vibe really well。 The main reason why I don’t delve much into musician romances is that， IMO， music doesn’t translate very well on the page。 The lyrics work like poetry， sure， but something’s lost there if the reader can’t hear the tune。 （NB: I read this in print and don’t know if the music is included in the audiobook。 Audio may be the best way to consume this book。） Anyway， the fact that the original music is real intrigued me and made me like this musician romance。Toni， one of the MCs， is the star of the show， and she deserves every bit of happiness that comes her way。 With her talent， she was in danger of being a Mary Sue， but she is layered and lovably flawed。 Seb， the other MC， makes heart eyes at her from their first interaction， and it’s delightful。 Kayla， Tiff， and Lilly， the other band members， are deftly characterized。 All of them together round out the lovely sense of found family。 Gotta love a girl band that rocks together through thick and thin。The reason that this is only a 3 star read for me is that Candi， the main agent of chaos， irritated the HELL out of me。 I appreciate the good writing necessary to achieve that effect， but AGH。 She gets wayyy too much page time。 The toxicity that oozes from her every interaction with the others， especially Seb， gives me so much cringe。 She makes everyone around her suffer because she’s suffering， and it’s not fun。 I’m hooked enough to read the next installment， but I’m really hoping that it will feature far less Candi。 。。。more
Back to the Bookish aka Nicole
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I absolutely loved this book。 The storyline and the characters were all great。 It had a great flow and the characters were all likeable in their own way。So far one of my favourite reads this summer。 Will definitely read more from this author。
Cora
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3。5 stars， rounded up。 I absolutely loved the music references， as I'm a huge Alice in Chains fan。 I also enjoyed how the backstory and heartfelt moments made for a strong connection with the MC; her character is really admirable and easy to root for。 The pacing of the romance is good too; not too fast， nor overly dramatized。 But the focus is really more about the main character's development and growth， not the romance （which the title of the book conveys well）。 Comparatively， the bandmates are 3。5 stars， rounded up。 I absolutely loved the music references， as I'm a huge Alice in Chains fan。 I also enjoyed how the backstory and heartfelt moments made for a strong connection with the MC; her character is really admirable and easy to root for。 The pacing of the romance is good too; not too fast， nor overly dramatized。 But the focus is really more about the main character's development and growth， not the romance （which the title of the book conveys well）。 Comparatively， the bandmates aren't particularly well fleshed out， and as the reader， I really only felt tenuous connections with their characters。 That said， I think the weaker side characters worked for this story; the main character thinks she is only going to work with them for 6 weeks and she has a hard time trusting people， so since the novel is written from her POV， it seems logical that the main character would remain detached from the other characters。 All-in-all， I did enjoy this book and would love to keep reading from this author。 The reason it wasn't 5 stars for me was because I wanted more from the main character; and ironically， this is a fairly long book， but the length had more to do with the many discussion about chords and riffs， not displays of raw emotion。 。。。more
Ryane Lee
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I gave this book 3。5 ⭐️
Jennie
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Xio Axelrod's The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes is the story of Toni Bennett and her journey to find what she wants。 Toni is the daughter of a singer and guitarist who sent her to live with her father at his small town bar。 After years of begin abandoned， first by her mother and then the friend she made in her new home， Toni made her why to Philadelphia to start a new life playing the guitar。 While trying to save up to buy into a music studio， a chance encounter brings her past to her present and Xio Axelrod's The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes is the story of Toni Bennett and her journey to find what she wants。 Toni is the daughter of a singer and guitarist who sent her to live with her father at his small town bar。 After years of begin abandoned， first by her mother and then the friend she made in her new home， Toni made her why to Philadelphia to start a new life playing the guitar。 While trying to save up to buy into a music studio， a chance encounter brings her past to her present and helps her discover what she is really meant to do。 This is a story of a girl with nothing getting everything that she wants and needs and even finds desires she never thought she wanted。 I definitely enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it。 。。。more
Caitlin Murray
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3。5？？？
Katie
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I don’t remember where I heard about this book from but it was good。 I love books with a musical component and it had a touch of erotica thrown in too （which had I read a bit more of the reviews wouldn’t have been a surprise）。 I felt it was a bit too long but it was a good story。
Nadine
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I’m not sure what to make of this book。As it started out， I got sucked in。 There was a sort of addictive quality to it and I wanted to know what happened next。But I find myself at the end feeling underwhelmed。 During childhood， Seb and Toni were going to escape a town together to live out their dreams。 Instead Seb leaves without Toni without an explanation and they don’t see eachother for 7 years。 Fast forward and their paths are crossing in present day。But here’s the thing， Toni has been angry I’m not sure what to make of this book。As it started out， I got sucked in。 There was a sort of addictive quality to it and I wanted to know what happened next。But I find myself at the end feeling underwhelmed。 During childhood， Seb and Toni were going to escape a town together to live out their dreams。 Instead Seb leaves without Toni without an explanation and they don’t see eachother for 7 years。 Fast forward and their paths are crossing in present day。But here’s the thing， Toni has been angry for 7 years about being left behind， she’s angry until she hears the reason why he left。 And in the space of 60 seconds， she forgives him and no hard feelings。 I’m not sure about you but realistically if you’ve been mad at someone for so long there will be some level of lingering pain or resentment， you don’t just wipe out your feelings during a conversation。 It was unrealistic。Secondly， I found the romance shallow。 If you literally look at Seb and Toni’s present day conversations， there is literally nothing in them ， no depth no bonding， nothing except asking how the other person is doing & then wanting to rip each others clothes off。 I don’t buy it。 Their relationship relies wayyy to heavily on flashbacks， but take their current conversations alone and there’s nothing there。 Dhhdhdhdhdj And finally， as I read the book I felt that we were just sort of floating through。 Like it wasn’t really moving forwards towards anything， I’m not sure how to explain， but after reading that the author “tends to pants” her way through a book and it’s “all improvisation anyway”， it’s safe to say I felt that。 Eventually I started counting down until I finished the book so I could start something new。 Not the best sign， anyway maybe it’s a “it’s me not you” sort of thing？ 。。。more
JJ
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DNF @ 17% I'm just having a hard time getting invested in this。 This far in I should know something of the stakes of the story， or enough about the character to root for her but it's moving at a snail's pace and I'm finding not much to latch on to t carry my into this world。 DNF @ 17% I'm just having a hard time getting invested in this。 This far in I should know something of the stakes of the story， or enough about the character to root for her but it's moving at a snail's pace and I'm finding not much to latch on to t carry my into this world。 。。。more
Sharon L
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3。5 stars rounded upI can tell how much I like a book based on my reaction to hearing it's part of a series。 This one gets a thumbs up。 Axelrod does a good job building the stage for an interesting set of rockin' women to perform in future books。 I'll definitely be a roadie for this book series。Only beef I had with this book: the romance felt forced， and distracting。Listen up， book publishers: A woman can be the center of a novel without needing a romance。 We're cool with that。 Give her an outst 3。5 stars rounded upI can tell how much I like a book based on my reaction to hearing it's part of a series。 This one gets a thumbs up。 Axelrod does a good job building the stage for an interesting set of rockin' women to perform in future books。 I'll definitely be a roadie for this book series。Only beef I had with this book: the romance felt forced， and distracting。Listen up， book publishers: A woman can be the center of a novel without needing a romance。 We're cool with that。 Give her an outstanding personality， maybe a struggle or two， and let her shine。Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Nikki Fry
，
This was more of a 4 star read for me， but the PA/Philly rep made me biased。 I'm so glad to see some queer rep in more minor characters， so that's also affecting the rating。 Rounding up because I'm hopeful future books will feature the bi/nonbinary characters introduced in this book， or we get queer MCs later。 This was more of a 4 star read for me， but the PA/Philly rep made me biased。 I'm so glad to see some queer rep in more minor characters， so that's also affecting the rating。 Rounding up because I'm hopeful future books will feature the bi/nonbinary characters introduced in this book， or we get queer MCs later。 。。。more
Emily
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I enjoyed this， but it definitely didn’t need to be 440 pages long。
Melissa
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I listened and fell in love with the characters。 An all girls band called the lilies needs a place filler。 Turns out antonia is just the girl。 After being abandon by her mother and a fairly absent father she makes her dreams come true without them。 Toni's and Sebs chemistry is intense。 I can't recommend this book enough I loved it。 I listened and fell in love with the characters。 An all girls band called the lilies needs a place filler。 Turns out antonia is just the girl。 After being abandon by her mother and a fairly absent father she makes her dreams come true without them。 Toni's and Sebs chemistry is intense。 I can't recommend this book enough I loved it。 。。。more
Kaitlin
，
Talk about going through all the emotions man！ “Seb frowned。 “I didn’t… I couldn’t leave you with nothing， Nia。”Toni tilted her head to the side， confused。 “But， Seb， you did，” she said。 “That’s exactly what you left me with。”“I remember everything，” Seb replied，”Dear god this book was good！ The characters were so unique and thought out， their character development was absolutely amazing， and the pace of the book was fast enough to keep you going， but slow enough so you didn’t feel like you miss Talk about going through all the emotions man！ “Seb frowned。 “I didn’t… I couldn’t leave you with nothing， Nia。”Toni tilted her head to the side， confused。 “But， Seb， you did，” she said。 “That’s exactly what you left me with。”“I remember everything，” Seb replied，”Dear god this book was good！ The characters were so unique and thought out， their character development was absolutely amazing， and the pace of the book was fast enough to keep you going， but slow enough so you didn’t feel like you missed anything！ The worst part about this book is the fact I found it now when there is only one published and not the whole series！ 。。。more
Casey Telford
，
A slow-burn read told from two perspectives， readers are given narrations of the lives of musician Toni Bennet and band manager Seb Quick。 Seb also happened to be Toni's teenaged crush back in the small town in which they'd been raised， until he ran away， leaving her behind。 Now， years later， Toni & Seb find themselves reunited in Philadelphia， first with a chance encounter at a recording studio and again when she's auditioned for a band， the band Seb happens to be working with not realizing she A slow-burn read told from two perspectives， readers are given narrations of the lives of musician Toni Bennet and band manager Seb Quick。 Seb also happened to be Toni's teenaged crush back in the small town in which they'd been raised， until he ran away， leaving her behind。 Now， years later， Toni & Seb find themselves reunited in Philadelphia， first with a chance encounter at a recording studio and again when she's auditioned for a band， the band Seb happens to be working with not realizing she'd been called to try out until she's already impressed the rest of the group。After losing the historic musical fiction show Vinyl on HBO to cancellation years ago， I was excited to read a rock story with a similar feel。 It just felt a little like work getting through it。 Much of the story felt like it could have been edited down， and it was hard to connect with some of the characters， whose instances， feelings and dialogue were always covered in great， great detail。 I ended up swapping reading the ebook for listening to the ebook on walks， just to get through it in a timely fashion; although the male voice chosen for the Seb chapters is far too Hollywood / cinema listings hotline for my liking， but the voice for Toni's chapters was perfect。 I almost wish Toni's story had been one book， and Seb's story had been a 2nd perspective release。 I adored Toni most and just wanted to hear more of her experience when getting through the Seb moments。 It definitely gets better overall after the halfway mark though， so keep at it。 A good book， and I'll certainly keep an eye out for future releases by Xio Axelrod， especially follow-ups about the Lillies。 Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for the advance reading copy。 。。。more
Margaret Gerberding
，
Tony B。 had a tough childhood， but that is not going to stop her from making it in the music industry。 She gets a great opportunity to work as a temporary replacement in an up and coming band， but it means working with someone from her past who left her without a word。 An interesting look at what it is like for woman。 especially women of color in the music industry。
Lindsay Hughes
，
I thoroughly enjoyed this！ The writing was great and I really felt like I was in the world with all these characters。 I loved our main character， Toni—she went after what she wanted but also had such a good character arc throughout the course of the novel。 I’ve seen this mostly marketed as a romance， but I would hesitate to call it that。 There is a romance element but it is definitely in the background for most of the book （and honestly， I might have preferred it without the romance plot line）。 I thoroughly enjoyed this！ The writing was great and I really felt like I was in the world with all these characters。 I loved our main character， Toni—she went after what she wanted but also had such a good character arc throughout the course of the novel。 I’ve seen this mostly marketed as a romance， but I would hesitate to call it that。 There is a romance element but it is definitely in the background for most of the book （and honestly， I might have preferred it without the romance plot line）。 If you like a second chance/friends as kids romance then you’ll like it， and there’s a little steam thrown in too。I loved the band storyline of this so much more than the romance。 It was vibrant and a little messy and touched on industry problems while still highlighting these badass women。 I’m excited to see how the rest of the band mates stories play out in future releases。 。。。more
Samantha
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COULD NOT PUT THIS BOOK DOWN！！！ What a delightful story with such lovable characters😍😍😍
C
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Not bad contemporary fiction。 It had small shiny moments， but I didn't quite know where it was going。 I'm all for strong （women） and imperfect characters， especially those who are experts or very good at what they do， but it was sketched in a little too broadly。 I didn't feel entirely grabbed by the romantic lead either， as I think forgiveness needs to be deeper。Overall I think it was a nice feel-good contemporary fiction with a side serving of romance。 Not bad contemporary fiction。 It had small shiny moments， but I didn't quite know where it was going。 I'm all for strong （women） and imperfect characters， especially those who are experts or very good at what they do， but it was sketched in a little too broadly。 I didn't feel entirely grabbed by the romantic lead either， as I think forgiveness needs to be deeper。Overall I think it was a nice feel-good contemporary fiction with a side serving of romance。 。。。more
Sophia
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The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes: A Story of Love， Loss， and Rock-And-Roll by Xio Axelrod The Lillys Series， Book 1Published May 4， 2021 <3 This was quite entertaining。 lolololHer name's Antonia "Toni" Bennette （yeah， she's heard all the jokes before） and she's not a rock star。 Neither are the Lillys—not yet。 But the difference between being famous and being almost famous can be a single wrong note。。。 or the start of something that'll change your life forever。Growing up in dive bars up and down t The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes: A Story of Love， Loss， and Rock-And-Roll by Xio Axelrod The Lillys Series， Book 1Published May 4， 2021 <3 This was quite entertaining。 lolololHer name's Antonia "Toni" Bennette （yeah， she's heard all the jokes before） and she's not a rock star。 Neither are the Lillys—not yet。 But the difference between being famous and being almost famous can be a single wrong note。。。 or the start of something that'll change your life forever。Growing up in dive bars up and down the East Coast， Toni Bennette's guitar was her only companion。。。 until she met Sebastian Quick。 Seb was a little older， a lot wiser， and before long he was Toni's way out， promising they'd escape their stifling small town together。 Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back。Now， Toni's all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia's indie scene。 When a friend suggests she try out for a hot new up-and-coming band， Toni decides to take a chance。 Strong， feminist， and fierce as fire， Toni B。 and the Lillys are the perfect match。。。 except Seb's now moonlighting as their manager。 Whatever。 Toni can handle it。 No problem。 Or it wouldn't be if Seb didn't still hold a piece of her heart。。。 not to mention the key to her future。 。。。more
Grace
，
Second chance romance with a fun music industry setting。 I thought the reason for the separation made sense， and when the MCs met again， they communicated - there were other impediments to the relationship。 All the things that make me enjoy a second chance， instead of getting frustrated！
Delynn Thompson
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This was a really good book！ I loved the rock star aspect and the heroine is just perfect。 She's relatable and a little shy but still doesn't take shit from anybody。 Can't wait to read more about the Lilly's😊 This was a really good book！ I loved the rock star aspect and the heroine is just perfect。 She's relatable and a little shy but still doesn't take shit from anybody。 Can't wait to read more about the Lilly's😊 。。。more
Andrea Larson
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When Antonia "Toni" Bennett auditions for an up-and-coming all-girl band， she has no idea it will bring her back into contact with Sebastian Quick， her high school crush who abandoned her eight years earlier。 Sexy and heartwarming， with an insider's look at the music industry， this is a fun summer romance read。 When Antonia "Toni" Bennett auditions for an up-and-coming all-girl band， she has no idea it will bring her back into contact with Sebastian Quick， her high school crush who abandoned her eight years earlier。 Sexy and heartwarming， with an insider's look at the music industry， this is a fun summer romance read。 。。。more
Kayleigh
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