Four stars because I couldn't put this book down, but not five because the sections in Louisa's point of view were soapy and melodramatic. The Louisa sections kept my interest, but her characterization wasn't as in-depth as Emily, the protagonist whom the book follows. This character, Emily, drives the story. Emily is passionate about music, and talented. She becomes something of a rock star. This is believable because her music is written about in a believable way. The author either has a knowledge of music or did her homework. And I loved her relationship with her dad. Emily kept messing up but she kept learning from her mistakes, and she stayed loyal to/returned to the good things in her life: her dad, her music, her best friend.
This book has great momentum, and I had sympathy for Emily from the beginning since she was momless, but I really became endeared to her when she and her friend dressed up like Rizzo and Frenchy for Halloween. That scene was so cute.