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mehsi's review
4.0
A new book in the VIP series, and I am so delighted, I love this series.
Though I did enjoy this one a bit less than the previous one. Sorry, I am not really that big of a fan of the things that happen in here. I hated those Thunder/Lightning (copycat boyband) guys. Lola was annoying again (though I did love the portion of karma she got at the end). There wasn't that much Kyle x Sam, and I am shipping these two like crazy. Plus I hated how 2 of the 3 guys in the band were just pretty much being rude towards Sam because what happens in this book.
I mean really, you guys think that she would just sell your secrets? Or give away your lyrics? Can't you guys think for one moment? Can't you guys just activate your brains. This is your #1 fan, this is the girl who did all those things for you in the previous book. She would do anything for you in this one as well. Yet, you are distrustful and at times quite mean.
Now before I go back to various other things that made me go RAGHHHHH, I want to talk about the good things.
We are touring again! Though this time there is less focus on that, but still, I was happy that Sam and her mom were going to all those places with the band again. We see much more of backstage, and we even see a recording session. It just made the band so much better.
Mac faces her fears! I love it when a character in a book does something brave. Faces their fears, or stands up against someone, oh, well you get the idea. :P
There is a ton of Jilly, and also enough Scarlet and Iris (either they are around or Mac/Jilly is talking to them on her phone). I really love these girls, they are so sweet and fun to be around.
Mac Attack/the comics. I just adored those in the previous book, and we get a whole bunch again in this one. I really wouldn't mind a whole book dedicated to this character. *puppy eyes*Please?
Even though it didn't have a lot of Kyle x Sam (or well, not as much as I had hoped), it did have some moments, and I was just squeeing and cheering. Mac was adorable. I know the feeling of melting in a puddle at the thought of the one you love/like. I also like how she is still daydreaming about Paris. I hope that the next book will have much more Mac and Kyle (maybe they can get together, aww please?).
There was a whole prank-war going. And while I found it going to far at times, I did had a laugh at what both bands did. From toothpaste in oreos to putting alarm clocks all over the hotel.
The ending was just perfect, and I was doing a fist-punch in happiness. Go Sam!
The mystery (or how did things get leaked even though Mac has a guard to watch her diary + who is the Kitty) was a delight, though it was quite easy to see who it was. Still I quite enjoyed it, and it was also fun to see the characters slowly figure things out.
The illustrations! Next to the comic there is a ton of illustrations and they make the book even more awesome to read. Sometimes I just laughed so hard at what happened in the illustrations.
Now for some stuff I didn't like (next to the one I already mentioned).
I hated Lightning/Thunder. Really, so your favourite band (Perfect Storm), the one you look up to, doesn't have time for you RIGHT THIS MINUTE, because oh hey, maybe they have been working for 10+ hours and they want to do something else for once, they have made plans? Yeah, of course that means that they hate their fans, and that they are bad guys. Really, why do you even think that? Why is that the first thing that comes into your mind. Why can't you understand that maybe, after 10+ hours, the last thing they want is do more stuff. I was just rolling my eyes at that stupidity.
And then there is Lola. I already despised her, but she didn't make it better in this one. That girl needs to learn how a fan needs to act. You can CLEARLY see your favourite band doesn't want you around because you are so obnoxious, you worm your way in their FREE TIME, you force yourself on them and their plans, and you offend people they care about. Maybe you need to just step back and do something else instead of obsess so much. Thanks. Bye.
So, those were my bad points.
One last thing: I did feel sorry for Kyle for what happened to his song, and how the record label reacted to it. Poor Kyle. :(
All in all though I did enjoy this book, and I flew through it. Before I knew it the book was over. I hope that there will be many more VIP books in the future, because there is still enough I want to see.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
Though I did enjoy this one a bit less than the previous one. Sorry, I am not really that big of a fan of the things that happen in here. I hated those Thunder/Lightning (copycat boyband) guys. Lola was annoying again (though I did love the portion of karma she got at the end). There wasn't that much Kyle x Sam, and I am shipping these two like crazy. Plus I hated how 2 of the 3 guys in the band were just pretty much being rude towards Sam because what happens in this book.
I mean really, you guys think that she would just sell your secrets? Or give away your lyrics? Can't you guys think for one moment? Can't you guys just activate your brains. This is your #1 fan, this is the girl who did all those things for you in the previous book. She would do anything for you in this one as well. Yet, you are distrustful and at times quite mean.
Now before I go back to various other things that made me go RAGHHHHH, I want to talk about the good things.
We are touring again! Though this time there is less focus on that, but still, I was happy that Sam and her mom were going to all those places with the band again. We see much more of backstage, and we even see a recording session. It just made the band so much better.
Mac faces her fears! I love it when a character in a book does something brave. Faces their fears, or stands up against someone, oh, well you get the idea. :P
There is a ton of Jilly, and also enough Scarlet and Iris (either they are around or Mac/Jilly is talking to them on her phone). I really love these girls, they are so sweet and fun to be around.
Mac Attack/the comics. I just adored those in the previous book, and we get a whole bunch again in this one. I really wouldn't mind a whole book dedicated to this character. *puppy eyes*Please?
Even though it didn't have a lot of Kyle x Sam (or well, not as much as I had hoped), it did have some moments, and I was just squeeing and cheering. Mac was adorable. I know the feeling of melting in a puddle at the thought of the one you love/like. I also like how she is still daydreaming about Paris. I hope that the next book will have much more Mac and Kyle (maybe they can get together, aww please?).
There was a whole prank-war going. And while I found it going to far at times, I did had a laugh at what both bands did. From toothpaste in oreos to putting alarm clocks all over the hotel.
The ending was just perfect, and I was doing a fist-punch in happiness. Go Sam!
The mystery (or how did things get leaked even though Mac has a guard to watch her diary + who is the Kitty) was a delight, though it was quite easy to see who it was. Still I quite enjoyed it, and it was also fun to see the characters slowly figure things out.
The illustrations! Next to the comic there is a ton of illustrations and they make the book even more awesome to read. Sometimes I just laughed so hard at what happened in the illustrations.
Now for some stuff I didn't like (next to the one I already mentioned).
I hated Lightning/Thunder. Really, so your favourite band (Perfect Storm), the one you look up to, doesn't have time for you RIGHT THIS MINUTE, because oh hey, maybe they have been working for 10+ hours and they want to do something else for once, they have made plans? Yeah, of course that means that they hate their fans, and that they are bad guys. Really, why do you even think that? Why is that the first thing that comes into your mind. Why can't you understand that maybe, after 10+ hours, the last thing they want is do more stuff. I was just rolling my eyes at that stupidity.
And then there is Lola. I already despised her, but she didn't make it better in this one. That girl needs to learn how a fan needs to act. You can CLEARLY see your favourite band doesn't want you around because you are so obnoxious, you worm your way in their FREE TIME, you force yourself on them and their plans, and you offend people they care about. Maybe you need to just step back and do something else instead of obsess so much. Thanks. Bye.
So, those were my bad points.
One last thing: I did feel sorry for Kyle for what happened to his song, and how the record label reacted to it. Poor Kyle. :(
All in all though I did enjoy this book, and I flew through it. Before I knew it the book was over. I hope that there will be many more VIP books in the future, because there is still enough I want to see.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
I'd had [b:VIP: I'm With the Band|25318821|VIP I'm With the Band|Jen Calonita|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1441302903s/25318821.jpg|45051615] on my to-read list for a while but hadn't realised there was a second book, so it was just good luck that I'm visiting my parents and my mum happened to be going to one of the big library branches, and this was very conveniently there.
The series remains both cute and too young for me. In Battle of the Bands, Mac's beloved boy band is threatened by the rise of another boy band—one willing to stoop to stealing unreleased songs and breaking into the tour bus. To be fair, the stakes for these kids are legitimately pretty high (if the band doesn't take off, there's no guarantee that they'll ever have the same chances in the music industry again), but, uh, I am maybe too old to be especially amused by a bunch of kids getting in very public spats with the competition? You'd think it would be enough to sour public opinion.
At its base, though, this is simple pre-teen wish fulfillment: girl gets to become besties with [insert favourite band here]; whichever ones do not provide romantic potential are like the cool (and nice, and playful) older brothers she never knew she wanted. As a bonus, Mac seems like one of those kids who is normally somewhere in the middle, neither the picked-upon dork nor the super-pretty Queen of the Populars; it gives her more room to be an interesting character without falling into a very standard type. I imagine the series going over like gangbusters in middle schools.
The series remains both cute and too young for me. In Battle of the Bands, Mac's beloved boy band is threatened by the rise of another boy band—one willing to stoop to stealing unreleased songs and breaking into the tour bus. To be fair, the stakes for these kids are legitimately pretty high (if the band doesn't take off, there's no guarantee that they'll ever have the same chances in the music industry again), but, uh, I am maybe too old to be especially amused by a bunch of kids getting in very public spats with the competition? You'd think it would be enough to sour public opinion.
At its base, though, this is simple pre-teen wish fulfillment: girl gets to become besties with [insert favourite band here]; whichever ones do not provide romantic potential are like the cool (and nice, and playful) older brothers she never knew she wanted. As a bonus, Mac seems like one of those kids who is normally somewhere in the middle, neither the picked-upon dork nor the super-pretty Queen of the Populars; it gives her more room to be an interesting character without falling into a very standard type. I imagine the series going over like gangbusters in middle schools.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the first volume of this series, and the second volume is also good, albeit maybe a little more unrealistic and boy-band-fantasy-oriented (which I suppose is the point). Lessons about trust and honesty abound here, and it's a nice companion to the other volume on a whole, but, like the first, hardly essential. Also closer to a 3.5.
fairytale42's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, so this is for middle schoolers, and some of that showed - I could tell who the "villain" was long before the characters did - but you know what? It was so cute, I loved it anyway. There's that first-crush going on, and the coolness of seeing the behind-the-scenes of fame. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
imjustcupcake's review against another edition
5.0
So, I have to admit, I kind of love this series. It is a bit of a guilty pleasure I guess as I am definitely not in the intended age range for it...but it takes me back. It makes me feel like I am a 12 year old girl again.
I should probably point out that I was never one to be totally obsessed with boy bands like our heroine Mackenzie, but if I had been I am sure I would have been a good bit like her.
So, what is Battle of the Bands all about you ask? Well, this time there is a competing boy band in the midst! And whats worse is that this other boy band has stolen a song from Perfect Storm! Oh but it doesn't end there. The song was written in Mac's journal which means some one snooped into her private thoughts without her knowing and took them! Talk about having your privacy invaded! So now they have to find out who is stealing things written in Mac's journal and how and keep the evil other boy band from ruining Perfect Storm!
Talk about a super fun ride!
Like I stated before and in my review for the first book in the series, Jen Calonita really captures the essence of a 12 year old fangirling over a boy band and trying to figure out life. It is kept light hearted and fun, but it is still relatable and relatively real (I say relatively because really how many of us in this world get to go on tour with our favorite band?).
In this story we get to see a lot get tested: friendships, a budding preteen romance, various other relationships.
But that isn't all we get to see. We get to see and take a look at bullying. We get to see what happens to those we bully and to those that do the bullying. It really is an important thing for preteens to take a look at and learn about. And this book does a nice job of it.
I cannot wait until another installment of this series comes out. It is just so much fun! Each adventure has been an absolute blast and I need more!
This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
I should probably point out that I was never one to be totally obsessed with boy bands like our heroine Mackenzie, but if I had been I am sure I would have been a good bit like her.
So, what is Battle of the Bands all about you ask? Well, this time there is a competing boy band in the midst! And whats worse is that this other boy band has stolen a song from Perfect Storm! Oh but it doesn't end there. The song was written in Mac's journal which means some one snooped into her private thoughts without her knowing and took them! Talk about having your privacy invaded! So now they have to find out who is stealing things written in Mac's journal and how and keep the evil other boy band from ruining Perfect Storm!
Talk about a super fun ride!
Like I stated before and in my review for the first book in the series, Jen Calonita really captures the essence of a 12 year old fangirling over a boy band and trying to figure out life. It is kept light hearted and fun, but it is still relatable and relatively real (I say relatively because really how many of us in this world get to go on tour with our favorite band?).
In this story we get to see a lot get tested: friendships, a budding preteen romance, various other relationships.
But that isn't all we get to see. We get to see and take a look at bullying. We get to see what happens to those we bully and to those that do the bullying. It really is an important thing for preteens to take a look at and learn about. And this book does a nice job of it.
I cannot wait until another installment of this series comes out. It is just so much fun! Each adventure has been an absolute blast and I need more!
This review is based on an ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine and mine alone.
Find more of my reviews here:
http://readingwithcupcakes.blogspot.com/
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