Amber Oliver's When the Music Hits was a hard one for me to get into. I was never compelled to keep reading, hence why it took me over a month to finish it. I didn't think things really picked up and got interesting until a little over halfway through, and then everything turned out just as you'd imagine with a quick, tidy ending.
The main character Billie dreams of working in the music industry. She's got a masters degree, so you'd think companies would be pounding down her door to hire her. Not so much. But she finally gets a job at a music label with hopes that she'll get herself promoted so that she can start bringing in artists. She has lots of ideas. Unfortunately, her boss is kind of "Devil Wears Prada"-esque, and there aren't many other Black co-workers. Billie does befriend an older Black employee who becomes a mentor, but for a hot second there, I was thinking there was going to be some elements of The Other Black Girl.
I read an e-ARC, and there were definitely some mistakes that I hope didn't make it into the published version. I also hope that a little more editing was done to make the dialogue less stilted. Some of the things the main character said felt so unnatural. I like the premised of a young woman trying to work her way up in the music industry, but the delivery of the story was kind of meh. I also really would have liked a playlist from the author at the end.
When the Music Hits is published by Ballantine Books and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free e-ARC in exchange for my review.
Comments
Post a Comment