Review: Center Stage! (Center Stage! #1) by Caitlyn Duffy

Center Stage! (Center Stage! #1) by Caitlyn Duffy

Blurb from Goodreads:

Allison Burch’s wildest dream is to become a famous singer. She can hardly believe her own good luck when she auditions for the reality television singing competition, Center Stage!, and is chosen as a contestant. She finally has a legitimate shot at fame, fortune, and a chance to go on tour as the opening act for her favorite boy band on their world tour. 

However, Allison wasn’t counting on one of the celebrity coaches being Chase Atwood, the famous rock star father of her former best friend. Allison’s terrified that Chase is going to find out that she and his daughter have been in a fight for months, and it’ll ruin her shot at the grand prize. Making matters worse, Allison’s own coach, Country Western star Nelly Fulsom, intends to groom her into a Nashville superstar. 

As Allison struggles to decide if she really wants to win on the show if it’s by resorting to dirty tricks and assuming the image that Nelly wants to create for her, she find herself falling hard for her biggest competition on the show: a brooding songwriter named Elliott Mercer. She’s not sure if Elliott’s interest in her is genuine, or if he’s just playing along with the producers’ strategy. 

It’s up to Allison to decide: how much is she willing to lose in order to win? 

Fans of Caitlyn Duffy’s The Rock Star’s Daughter will enjoy this tale about Taylor’s friend Allison and her journey to fame. 

My Review:
I really, really enjoyed this latest book from Caitlyn Duffy -- it was a fun twist on American Idol/The Voice from behind the scenes and from a YA perspective.  The characters were well developed, the writing was great and the scene-setting was perfect.  I love Caitlyn's descriptions and references to pop culture -- the entire book felt so genuine and real!!  Lastly, Allison was a great MC -- you were definitely rooting for her the entire book and I could imagine and understand all of her feelings throughout the book.

I highly recommend this book to fans of contemporary YA along with every single other book that Caitlyn Duffy has written.  Her books remind me a lot of Miranda Kenneally, only not as mature -- true YA not something close to NA.  I have often called her Treadwell Academy series the best YA contemporary series you don't know about and that statement is still true.  I can't wait for more in this new series since I really liked the prequel and this book, especially as a spin-off series from The Rock Star's Daughter (book #1 in the Treadwell series).  What I love about both authors is the authenticity of their characters -- they are never perfect and both authors are able to capture the everyday existence of being a real teenager so, so well.

Center Stage! came out recently, you can purchase HERE, and I highly, HIGHLY recommend it!  Right now, the prequel to Center Stage!, Backstage, is FREE for kindle!!

In the bathroom, I splashed a little water on my face and carefully dabbed it off with a towel, not wanting to mess up the black eyeliner I had meticulously applied at home.  There was no good reason at all why I should have been hiding myself away in the bathroom during Lee's birthday party when everyone wanted to talk to me, I knew.  But the whole night just seemed so completely unfair.  I stared at myself in the mirror and demanded that my reflection tell me what I'd have to do to to one day outshine Nicole since clearly not even becoming famous had done the trick.  I'd never be four inches taller, or wake up one morning and magically have the right kind of shiny, straight hair.  I'd never learn how to giggle in just the right way to make a boy think I was the cutest girl in the room.  The acceptance of that fact felt like a gut punch.