Battle of the Bands Hardcover – September 7, 2021

Well written book with various authors who all take a unique perspective in the story. Good read!

I enjoyed like, 85% of this interlinked stories anthology. It flowed fairly well from one story to the next. I skimmed only two, which is high praise from me.

I enjoyed the theme of this book, centering around a battle of the bands competition. Some characters are members of the band, some are stage crew or ticket takers, one is even a judge. There are cute romances, terrible exes, and some pretty good songs. Each story interconnects with the others, showing us the bands in the show and who wins it all.I think there were too many stories in this, making each one very short. Some didn't seem to have a lot going on and I wanted to get to know the characters more. It was difficult keeping track of so many people and how they all fit in to the story. If there were half the stories, they could have taken more time to develop and I would have enjoyed this more.I did love that so many of the stories had LGBTQ characters. Some of them got together with someone they'd been crushing on and it was pretty adorable. There's also a theme of going for what you want, not letting others hold you back, and living your true self. This is a fun book and super quick to get through.The audiobook has several narrators to help differentiate each story, which helped a lot. There's also some music which fit the theme well and brought a bit of rock into the book.I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the copy

An impressively cohesive series of short stories with a central theme, a band competition at a New Jersey High School. The authors have woven their individual players in a way that not only keeps them unique, but gives readers a sense of how many of them are connected, whether it be by romantic relationship, competitive energy, or musical history. The characters span the spectrum from likable/sympathetic, to completely self-absorbed and ego driven. In sum, there's a story (or several) for every reader in hers and it's a collection deserving a spot on most library shelves.

This anthology was so enjoyable. Love that the book is interconnected stories that all occur at the same high school battle of the bands. Also, love seeing the reappearance of some of the characters and callbacks to earlier stories. Each chapter is fresh and fun, and it was interesting to see certain moments play out from other perspectives.Battle of the Bands definitely does a great job at capturing the messy and complicated drama of high school. Love the diversity here, especially the LGBTQ characters. <3 Cecilia (You're Breaking My Heart) by Ashley Poston was adorable and definitely my favorite, but all the stories were great to experience.

As a devoted music fan and someone who was briefly in a band in high school, there’s no way I could pass up requesting Battle of the Bands. It’s been on my radar for quite a while.This book was so much fun. If there had been a Battle of the Bands when I was in high school, you can bet I would have been there. Fifteen amazing YA authors contributed to this anthology, but the overall feeling is one cohesive story. Some characters make brief appearances or are casually mentioned in other stories. I can’t imagine the level of coordination and organization that went into this. At the beginning of the book is a list of the participating bands and their members – something that was very helpful. Some of the creative and unusual band names and their songs sure put a smile on my face.Most of the narratives are about finding love, but stories of revenge, self-realization, sibling disputes, finding your people, and a heartwarming coming out are also included. The character diversity is outstanding, and one of my favorite aspects of this anthology. Being high school students, a lot is going on with these teens, and not every disagreement or doubt is left behind once they take the stage. You can feel the vibe of excitement over the event from every musician and the enthusiastic audience and the determination of each band to win. I had my favorites and couldn’t wait to see who took the prize at the end. Not every story is about the musicians. Some feature the students who work behind the scenes at merch tables, on tech/lighting crews, and the stage manager. Even being short stories, it was so easy to get invested in these characters and their lives.As with all anthologies, readers will enjoy some selections more than others, but this is a pretty quick read. I had a difficult time putting it down after finishing a story, and I’m thrilled someone finally put together a book like this.I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.