Rock On

Oct 14, 2012 April rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, ereader, ya, contemporary

Books with music as their main theme are hard for me to resist. They take me back to a time when I was a teen in choir, marching band and learning to play guitar (mind you I was not good at any of these things). Also, like most people with a pulse, I like music. Rock On by Denise Vega is all about the music.

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Sep 01, 2012 Sam Hutcher-Felton rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: eh-ish, music-band-real-life-crap, fictional-non-fiction

Personally, I have to say this book was such a bore. I don't even know why I'm giving it an extra star but maybe it was because of the fct that I actually managed to finish it -no matter how painfully slow the process may have seemed- but what can I say? It's just not my kind of book and my attempt at trying to enjoy -key word being TRYING- a book outside the realms of fantasy by giving this book a shot was definitely the wrong choice.

There was once a time wherein it was my dream to make it big...more

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Aug 15, 2012 Tammy Walquist rated it 4 of 5 stars

Okay, I came into this book off a high from finishing two other fantastic books. I had a bad attitude about it and when it started by featuring a website with posts about a high-school band, I must confess I almost put it down. However, it only took me about a chapter to get completely caught up in the world of Orion Taylor and his band, working hard to prepare for the Battle of the Bands in months, looking for a bass player, oh and a name for their band too. I was instantly caught up in the dra...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

Orion has a dream of being a rock star, but in the meantime, he's playing with his high school band and gearing up for the Battle of the Bands against other local groups. Music is his life and he gets completely lost in it, which is a nice distraction from what's going on at home. His older brother, once the golden boy who could do no wrong, has moved back home after dropping out of college and aggravates Orion at every opportunity, seeming determined to steal everything good out of Orion's life...more Orion has a dream of being a rock star, but in the meantime, he's playing with his high school band and gearing up for the Battle of the Bands against other local groups. Music is his life and he gets completely lost in it, which is a nice distraction from what's going on at home. His older brother, once the golden boy who could do no wrong, has moved back home after dropping out of college and aggravates Orion at every opportunity, seeming determined to steal everything good out of Orion's life.

This book was a lot of fun to read. I liked the balance between Orion's family life and his music life; they mixed together well, and kept the plot moving forward because it never seemed stuck in one of these two parts. Orion and his band mates played off each other well, with fun conversations and inside jokes. I definitely got the feeling that they'd known each other for years and were just that comfortable together. One of his friends got a little irritating at times because she seemed to be constantly interfering, wanting to know everything, even though no one in the book seemed to care.

The relationship between Orion and his older brother was very well portrayed. There were flashbacks to the brothers in the years past, giving a nice glance at the way things used to be between them; my only complaint about these flashbacks is that they were told in third-person while the rest of the book was in first-person, and it really threw off the flow. I liked the fact that things weren't constantly terrible between the two of them and that things didn't magically become perfect again all of a sudden. Their relationship felt natural and realistic because of this.

I'm not quite sure who the target audience of the book is, since the narration felt young and girlish (the cover seems targeted more toward girls as well), yet the characters are in high school and a male character provides the narration. Readers who like music and fun stories with underlying family tensions will probably enjoy this the most. (less)

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Jun 21, 2012 Doris Madsen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I empathize with the reviewer that says she has trouble with books speaking from a male voice but for a female audience. Male teens will not go for this book. The other problem I had was the texting text. Kind of boring.

Other than that I think this is a good book for early highschool or older middle school. It is a good boy/girl high school story of "guitars, gigs, girls and a brother" the more I read of YA literature the more I realize that the resolution of the issue, whatever it may be happen...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Greta is Erikasbuddy rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Team Disney Girl

Shelves: book-publisher-sent-me-to-review

I have a problem with books written by women that are told by boys. Especially if it is told in 1st Person POV. I think the reason might be because I have a son who is a freshman in high school. I'm always comparing the literary boy with the real thing. And folks... my son doesn't have a swoony sensitive bone in his body. Sometimes I'll read passages out of these books and he just laughs at me and tells me that he would NEVER think like that.

But is it because my son isn't musical?

Nah... he has f...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is such a fun book. I always enjoy books that are all about music, and this was no exception. What I really liked was that this was really more about the music and the band and took a nice hard look at the family dynamics at play in Ori's life. Ori has always been best buddies with his older brother Del, who was basically big man on campus. Now Del is back from a failed stint at college and he's a completely different person. It was really interesting to see how Ori is affected by his broth...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Frishawn Rasheed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Thoughts
This contemporary read was a welcome breath of fresh air after the seeming never-ending influx of wings, fangs, and fur that seem to be the staples of YA at present.
This is the simple story of a boy, his music, his friends, and his brother.

The first half of the book focuses on Orion Taylor, high schooler, lead guitarist for a band that has no name, and younger brother to a golden boy who has lost his shine. The sibling conflict is only eluded to for the first 45% of the book; giving...more

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May 02, 2011 Ken Kugler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought that this was a fun book that is more realistic than many that try to be. The growing up under the shadow of an older brother idol who becomes a screw up is painful to watch and touching. Also, Ori or Orion, does not realize his own worth having been the little brother for so long. The need to grow and separate from a childhood to independance is always painful. The help of his friends, Alli, Nick and Troy are right on. Alli adds the insight that Ori does not have, having the wrong chr...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Kelly Hager rated it 4 of 5 stars

Ori and his band are pretty good. Yes, they're high school students and no, they've never really had a gig before, but still...they're pretty good. (Also, there's the small problem of Ori's stage fright and the fact that they don't have a name...yet.) But even so, he's sure they'll win the Battle of the Bands.

Ori's other problem (no band name and stage fright being the two big ones) is that his older brother Del is home from college. Normally, that'd be great, because Del's his best friend. But...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Kris rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-reviewed, contemporary, ya-books

This is a fun book filled with music, family, friendship, and teen angst. Ori has lived in his brother's shadow for so long that he doesn't know his own worth, and he is now in the process of growing independent. Ori is a likable narrator. Ori's brother Del has changed since coming home from college, not having been able to handle the change. In order to feel better about himself, Del wants to make Ori look bad just when Ori is trying to create his own identity through his band. At the same time...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Chrissy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Rock On by Denise Vega is a very natural story. It's one of those "moment in time" stories that I love because of the realism and character study. While I love watching how the characters grow, develop, and change (oh, and make mistakes...lots and lots of mistakes), Rock On is also a fun contemporary read even if you don't like contemplating character development.

The full title of Rock On is Rock On: A Story of Guitars, Gigs, Girls, and a Brother (Not Necessarily in that Order). That pretty much...more Rock On by Denise Vega is a very natural story. It's one of those "moment in time" stories that I love because of the realism and character study. While I love watching how the characters grow, develop, and change (oh, and make mistakes...lots and lots of mistakes), Rock On is also a fun contemporary read even if you don't like contemplating character development.

The full title of Rock On is Rock On: A Story of Guitars, Gigs, Girls, and a Brother (Not Necessarily in that Order). That pretty much sums it up. It captures the easygoing nature of Ori and accounts for all the major stuff that goes on in the book. Basically, it's one teenage boy's life as he's on the cusp of creating a good band, getting a girlfriend, and working through a rocky patch with his brother.

I enjoyed reading Rock On because of the realism. Yes, there was a plot and it did move forward. If you take the band aspect (which is the most prominent, plot wise), Ori's newly formed band is trying to prepare for a Battle of the Bands. If they win, they'll get more exposure and possibly be put in touch with "the right people." While it's accurate to say not every teenager is talented enough to put together a successful band, it's also not out of the realm of possibility. This isn't some I'll-go-from-nothing-to-something-with-a-big-record-deal-that-will-launch-our-career-and-make-us-millions-of-dollars type of scheme. It's a realistic Battle of the Bands with realistic prizes. This keeps the book grounded and fits in all the other aspects (gigs, girls, & brother) in check.

While I'm a sucker for music, I'm having a hard time deciding whether my favorite storyline was the music aspect or the brother (SHOCK: It wasn't the Girls/romance!). Del and Ori's relationship is fairly typical, but they are definitely having a hard time with each other right now. Both Del and Ori are at different points in their lives and they both have a lot of changes occurring. That's hard to adjust to by yourself, let alone figuring out how everything fits in with other relationships. I really enjoyed reading about their relationship and how it shifted throughout the story. As a person with many siblings, this aspect felt particularly close to my heart.

Overall, Rock On is a cool, fun read for anyone who enjoys any of the things listed in the title (guitars, gigs, girls, and brother). It's definitely a boy friendly read and I'd say it'd probably be good for some reluctant readers too as long as they're interested in those topics.

Final thoughts: Borrow. It's worth the read.(less)

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Apr 29, 2012 Britta rated it 3 of 5 stars

What comes off as a story of a high school band is really much more. It is a story of brothers trying to make their own names for themselves while struggling to stay friends. This book was sweet, definitely, and fun how it tried to be unique, but somethings I wish the author left out.

This book is narrated by the lead guitarist, Ori Taylor, which was nice. But in between some chapters there would be pages that would be as if the reader was looking at the band's blog. That was cool and different a...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Amanda Long rated it 4 of 5 stars

While I love a vampire, werewolf, dystopian society book, I found that I REALLY liked this one too! It is about time for some more realistic YA stuff to surface. Rock On: A Story of Guitars, gigs, Girls, and a Brother by Denise Vega was a perfect break from all of the current popular YA books on the market. We meet Orion, our somewhat shy and very girl-clueless main character who just happens to be a guitar god. We follow him along the typical boy/girl and boy/family struggle but it isn't a drag...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Wdebo5487 rated it 3 of 5 stars

Realistic YA books are always ones I seek out. I love seeing the development between characters and observing the interactions and relationships that can blossom. That is just one of the reasons I decided to pick up "Rock On." (And the fact that it was a novel about music just made me little heart pound with excitment). This novel was definitely a fun and enjoyable read; however, it seemed like it was lacking some sort of attractive element.

There is something about YA music stories that just se...more Realistic YA books are always ones I seek out. I love seeing the development between characters and observing the interactions and relationships that can blossom. That is just one of the reasons I decided to pick up "Rock On." (And the fact that it was a novel about music just made me little heart pound with excitment). This novel was definitely a fun and enjoyable read; however, it seemed like it was lacking some sort of attractive element.

There is something about YA music stories that just seems so fresh and intoxicating. Even if many of them follow the same storyline of underdog making it big or growing with music or so on, most of these novels have a distinctive quality to it that just makes it stand out and really stick with me. Sadly, I cannot say that for "Rock On."

The story follows a garage band that has amazing potential to make it big and yes, there are a few mess ups but, all in all, everyone believes them to be the next big thing. The story is broken into parts with the actual story and narration,"screenshoots" of their website with news updates and chats from a few dedicated fans and also a small amount of media articles. I do have to admit that I enjoyed the screenshots and articles, they helped add some interesting elements to the story since it's always fun to see different points of the story from different perspectives.

My thoughts on the characters mirror my thoughts about the book itself. They were nice to read about but truthfully they could all be boxed up and easily labled. Orion is the adorkable, lead singer and semi-music prodigy, whose biggest dream, a part from being a superstar, is to finally get a girl. (Underdog). His brother was a high-school star who, during his first term of college, learns that the world is not at all like the tiny enclosed community of high school. (Messed-up-his-life-but-has-a-revelation character). "The Girl" character appears and, of course, they a few meetings, incluing some embarassing accidents. "The Girl" is a bubbly ball of excitment and also clumsyness who brings, not only happiness to said underdog's life, but also confusion. Alli is the cool girl-next door who is always there for her friends. And so on and so on. The only character I actually truly truly liked was Gwyn. She is the only character that is not instantly captivated by Del's charm, but she has already been boxed into a "goth" character, an outsider in a way with a badass personality. But I definitely enjoyed reading about her the most.

I also found the poetry and song lyrics to not be as amazing as they perceive them in the book. They seemed kind of...bland. I did; however, enjoy how Ori and "The Girl," Jane, were able to connect through art. (Him with his music and her with her poetry). I found that to be sweet but their interactions towards the middle of the story pissed me off and just had me playing "Grow a Pear" by Ke$ha repeatedly in my head.

Cafe Cover Chat: I do really like the positioning of the models. I have to admit that the usage of wires to spell out "Rock Out" is pretty cool but they seem to distract from the cover's feel. It just seems like two different feelings for the top part of the cover and the "Rock Out" part. I feel like it would have been better to just have used a bold letter formating as opposed to the wires, or else, if they wanted the wires, they could use a less cluttered background picture. (B+)

All in all, yes, it was a fun read, but truly nothing too special that will stay in my memory for a long time.

Grade: B-

Wdebo :) (less)

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Mar 29, 2012 Maggie Hargrave rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: boy-books, multicultural, ya, crafty

Rock On by Denise Vega was such a fun and fast read. Ori Taylor is the lead singer, songwriter, and guitarist for his band which doesn’t have a name. The band is hoping to win Battle of the Bands, but they need a name, and a bass player, and to make sure they can rock during the performance. Ori just wants to rock, hopefully get the girl, and understand why his big brother isn’t acting normal.

This isn’t your typical guy, gross jokes, just wanting sex book. It’s about music and family and friends...more

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Aug 04, 2012 Chelsea K. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ga-peach-maybe

This was a solidly good book. Probably a 3.5 on the peach scale.

Ori, lead singer of TBTBNL (the band to be named later. NOT their actual name), works towards winning the Battle of the Bands. But his brother Del, once his biggest fan, seems to have turned against him. Good brotherly love story.

Things it has going for it:

1. Boy narrator
2. humorous narration
3. Fun rock band plot line
4. Extra stuff in the form of e-mails, chat messages & webpages. I love extra stuff. It's visually appealing.

Thin...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Riv rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic

[Review to come.]
I wasn't enjoying it, at first. Sure, it was cute, but why was Orion sucking up to his brother so much? It was so unrealistic!
And then I got it. I got Ori. I realized the whys, and I saw myself in him.
It was a fantastic book. I've only got two complaints:

1) Of course, Del explains to Ori why he's been acting so rude, lately. And it was kind of predictable. I knew why from the beginning, and I was just waiting for the truth to get out. (There's so much more, though, which was gre...more

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Dec 19, 2011 Jessi (Reading in the Corner) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Stepping into the world of high school friendships, romance, and sibling drama that Denise Vega has created is like walking into a world that you're already familiar with. The characters are very realistic and easy to relate to--they could just be another group of kids at your high school--and the story has something for everyone. Whether your in it for the romance or the rivalry, you won't walk away disappointed.

Ori always looked up to his brother going up, but after being put on academic proba...more Stepping into the world of high school friendships, romance, and sibling drama that Denise Vega has created is like walking into a world that you're already familiar with. The characters are very realistic and easy to relate to--they could just be another group of kids at your high school--and the story has something for everyone. Whether your in it for the romance or the rivalry, you won't walk away disappointed.

Ori always looked up to his brother going up, but after being put on academic probation and returning home from college, Del has been a different person and Ori doesn't want to live in his shadow any more--especially not when it comes to Jane. Ori is a very typical high school boy with lots of talent and big dreams I enjoyed him as the narrator quite a bit and I think he would be a difficult character NOT to like.

Del, his brother, was interesting to try to figure out. From the beginning it's obvious that Ori used to practically worship him and something has clearly changed. I felt like the mystery behind his actions made me curious about him. At the same time, there were definitely moments when I simply couldn't stand the guy. By the end, however, he did some redeeming things that made me glad I didn't give up on him entirely.

Ori's group of friends were also fun to read about and I loved the little insights that we got throughout into their characters. While they weren't as developed as some side characters are, I didn't feel like they were throwaway characters at all. Each character has a role to play in Ori's story and there would have been holes had they not been present. Alli was probably my favorite side character. I loved that she was the girl next door who'd been friends with the MC forever but she wasn't the love interest. It took away that predictable angle. The actual love interest was cute and sweet...and made me want to strangle her a little at points. I did like the unique angle of their new bassist being a girl and a little different but what makes her different seemed like a detail just thrown in there for the sake of having it there.

Rock On is a fun YA contemporary read that comes off as a very realistic story without seeming forced. Even the parts of the story that are told via blog entries and comments don't seem out of place in the story and while I initially thought I would find them annoying, I ended up liking them--they didn't interrupt the flow the way I thought they would. I think that this is another great YA entry with a realistic male narrator and a fun storyline. I guess the only thing that strikes me after reading this is that I don't find it to be an overly memorable read. The story is fun and the characters are enjoyable, but the novel as a whole didn't leave that big of an impression on me.(less)

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Jul 05, 2012 Jay Jason rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog, kindle

The more I think about Rock On, the more frustrated I get with it. I was expecting so much more than what I got. The more I read, the more annoying the characters got, and the more predictable the plot became. What I wanted was some kind on victorious retelling of a high school bands rise from preforming in their lead singer's garage to making millions and playing music in front of thousands. What I got was a bad disney-esque situation comedy about a lead singers angst to his brother and crush.

Y...more The more I think about Rock On, the more frustrated I get with it. I was expecting so much more than what I got. The more I read, the more annoying the characters got, and the more predictable the plot became. What I wanted was some kind on victorious retelling of a high school bands rise from preforming in their lead singer's garage to making millions and playing music in front of thousands. What I got was a bad disney-esque situation comedy about a lead singers angst to his brother and crush.

Yikes.

Rock On is filled with excerpts from the mock fan page of The Band to be Named Later, text, chat room, and e-mail conversations, and web articles about the band. These are all well and good in the beginning but get steadily more obnoxious as the book progresses. For instance, the fan page quickly to turns from a news feed for the band to a badly-scripted comment conversation about who has a girlfriend and who doesn't. The conversations do nothing for the story and often use cheesy phrases in an attempt to read like something a teenager would like.

To say the dialogue is bad would be an understatement. Keep in mind that all characters quoted here are about sixteen years old.Let me give a few examples:

"What fun is that? Holding auditions makes us look big, legit."
"That's the tragedy of dorkdom. Residents don't recognize each other."
"You're, like, a real rock star."
Rock On spent a little too much time trying to be hip with for the young folk and not enough time working on the framework of the novel.

The characters, how I hated them. Orion, like I said before, is filled with angst. Angst that no one wants to hear about. His brother is a jerk, so I hated him to. His sister is a brat who declares herself "unhateable". Orion's friends remind me of a middle school clique. Jane, Orion's love interest, has about as much of a personality as an rat's tail and her only purpose is to serve as eye candy for Orion, who lusts over her too much. All we know about the poor girl is that she likes poetry.

Was I a little harsh on Rock On? Probably, but I was very disappointed with the story I got. If your not a middle school girl, stay away.

Grade:D(less)

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Aug 27, 2012 Suelibevg rated it 4 of 5 stars

I don't play a musical instrument, but can imagine anyone who has ever played a guitar or drums or bass guitar sees themselves in a band. Especially if you are in high school. That's the premise of this book. Orion is in a band, and their dream is to win the Battle of the Bands. They don't have a name, which is a nice twist to a plotline. They do have a website, which is part of the book, fans and band members leave comments. Orion's older brother, Del, had left for college, but came back after...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Kapri rated it 4 of 5 stars

I am a big fan of books that have to do with any kind of music, which is what drew me to Rock On in the first place. That, and that it has a male main character, which is very refreshing. Rock On was a very cute and fun read. I quite enjoyed Ori and his story.

I really liked Orion. He was kind of nerdy but he was very sweet. At the beginning of the book his whole life is centered around his guitar and band. As the book goes on he starts to focus on other things, his music always right behind him...more

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Mar 07, 2012 Book Sp(l)ot rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-release, arc, own, challenge-sarc-2012

Orion, "Ori," Taylor lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Band to Be Named Later (that's not their named, they don't actually have a name yet), has always been Del Taylor's little brother. The big-star's ignored little brother. That was supposed to change now that Del was in college. Sure people would still ignore him, but at least he'd be able to concentrate on his band and their music.

Just as Ori's starting to listen to his friend that maybe he's not the dorky, ugly, rightfully-overlo...more Orion, "Ori," Taylor lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Band to Be Named Later (that's not their named, they don't actually have a name yet), has always been Del Taylor's little brother. The big-star's ignored little brother. That was supposed to change now that Del was in college. Sure people would still ignore him, but at least he'd be able to concentrate on his band and their music.

Just as Ori's starting to listen to his friend that maybe he's not the dorky, ugly, rightfully-overlooked brother of Del Taylor, Del returns from college with no explanation as to his sudden appearance. Is Ori going to be able to focus on his band and get it together with Del back in the picture?

If there had been more explanation as to why Del was home, sooner, or more exploration of the relationships, I think I would have enjoyed Rock On more. I kept waiting for just a little bit more about why Del was back. Even more so when another relationship was affected and we didn't get much explanation there, either.

While, in retrospect, I do think the lack of examination and talking things out really did fit with Ori and Del (teenage guys aren't usually going search out the chance to talk things out and find out what's going on with each other), as a reader it was slightly frustrating to have that part of the story left unknown.

I did really appreciate the story being outside of the norm, though. Not only is it about a high school band -it's also about Ori's attempts to deal with his all-star brother suddenly home from college without reason. As much as we learn about the band progressing toward Battle of the Bands (and finding a band name), we also learn about Ori trying to find where he fits. He's not the big athlete his brother was and now with that brother back and making things unbelievable difficult he's just trying to make his band work and make the music he loves.

The ending of Rock On was great and I love the way things came together for the different characters and wrapped things up.

egalley provided by the publisher and NetGalley, thank you :)(less)

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Mar 23, 2012 Waiting For Wentworth rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun book and a very realistic story. 16 year old Ori and his friends have a band, and they have a dream of making it big. Their first major goal is to come up with a name for the band as they work towards getting ready to compete in the High School Battle of the Bands. Ori is musically gifted and loves to write songs, and what is going on in his life is reflected in his lyrics.

I really enjoyed all of Ori's friends and band mates. They were all unique characters, and even though none o...more This was a fun book and a very realistic story. 16 year old Ori and his friends have a band, and they have a dream of making it big. Their first major goal is to come up with a name for the band as they work towards getting ready to compete in the High School Battle of the Bands. Ori is musically gifted and loves to write songs, and what is going on in his life is reflected in his lyrics.

I really enjoyed all of Ori's friends and band mates. They were all unique characters, and even though none of them were well developed, they all played a part in the story. I especially liked Ori's friend Alli. She had a refreshing voice as she subtly steered the band and it's members towards their ultimate goal.

When Ori's older brother, Del, unexpectedly returns home from college, he is so moody and volatile that Ori never knows what to expect from one minute to the next. They tiptoe around each other and Ori starts to resent Del's presence. This part of the story was hard to read - knowing that the 2 brothers used to be so close and were now like strangers. I was glad that Del finally got around to admitting to Ori why he was acting the way he was. While I knew what the problem was all along, I think Ori was too close to the situation and couldn't see what was right in front of him. I really like that Ori got the chance to grow and be his own person without always being in the shadow of his older brother.

The beginning of chapters had excerpts from the band's website and snippets from their message board. You could follow along with their quest for the perfect band name, keep up to date on the countdown to Ori buying his new Les Paul guitar, and meet some of the band's crazy fans. These items really put the teen vibe into the book. This is one YA book that I would actually recommend to teenagers.

I really like that this book is so realistic in depicting the ways that Ori has to balance school, work, and playing his guitar. Both parents are present and active in Ori's life. His older brother is a pain, but Ori really likes his younger sister. I thought it was cute that Ori liked when she brought her friends to rehearsals and shows - they were his biggest cheerleaders and really helped him feel more at ease while onstage.

Rock On is all about Ori finding himself and where he fits in the world. Throughout the story we see Ori deal with his struggles - from being the insecure younger brother of a well liked all-star, to having to overcome his fears of being the front man of a rock band, and learning how to deal with girls. Overall, this was a really good book, especially if you are a fan of music.(less)

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Aug 11, 2012 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ori, a young teenager and skilled guitarist, dreams of making it big in the world of rock-n-roll. He and his friends have a band and enter contests. Like many siblings, Ori and his older brother Del experience sibling jealousy. Although the protagonist is a male, the story seems written for a female audience, most likely girls dreaming about finding a boyfriend like Ori or Nick. This harmless story will become dated rather quickly due to its frequent contemporary references to pop culture like F...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Katrina Huffman bacon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: late-middle-school

I really enjoyed this book. It was sweat and clean. It was a quick read.

Orion Taylor has a band that has auditions for a bass player and plays gigs while trying to figure out a name for said band. All while his older brother who comes home from college after less then 1 semester with a huge chip on his shoulder and gives Ori a hard way to go.

Ori also meets a girl and Del comes between them.

Great story, however I would say it for more middle school then for YA.

Enjoy the simple conflict betwee...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: music-lovers, people, people who like love, or love love.

Shelves: 2012, best-couple, best-friends, coming-of-age, favorites, love, music, realistic-fiction, violence

I LOVED this book. I read it waaaay more than once, and i don't really know why. Let me think:
1. <3 Orion Taylor
Ori is the main character in the story. He is a master of the guitar and the lead singer of his (for now) nameless band. He's cute, and he's sweet, and i'd like permission to marry him, please. Like, right now.
2. Gwen
I can appreciate a wicked cool girl like Gwen- a deaf bass player who applies for a spot in Ori's band and gets it. Her fashion sense is edgy and her sound, as far as...more

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May 10, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary-young-adult

Few things things please me more than a story about a young band. When you add in the fact it's written from a guy's point-of-view, has an awesome cast of friends, a sweet, but halting love story, and a troubled family dynamic, well that's practically a siren song for a girl like me. I couldn't resist reading ROCK ON.

Ori Taylor is a musical prodigy, playing by ear since the age of seven. His band, a band with no name and no bassist, is comprised of his best friends and managed by another best f...more Few things things please me more than a story about a young band. When you add in the fact it's written from a guy's point-of-view, has an awesome cast of friends, a sweet, but halting love story, and a troubled family dynamic, well that's practically a siren song for a girl like me. I couldn't resist reading ROCK ON.

Ori Taylor is a musical prodigy, playing by ear since the age of seven. His band, a band with no name and no bassist, is comprised of his best friends and managed by another best friend, Alli. I loved these kids. They were cool, focused, had each other's backs, and had confidence (without being cocky) in their future success. I was relieved that there wasn't a rivalry amongst Ori, Nick, and Troy. Their only worries are deciding on a name, finding a bass player and beating out their Battle of the Bands competition. But when Jane shows up with her bassist cousin, Ori's world is truly about to be rocked.

It seems like Ori has it all, yes? His older brother, Del, thinks so, too. And he's not happy about that. Del was a high school star athlete, and he's lost it all. When he moves back home, he sees Ori moving into his territory, the guy all the girls are interested in. Del, no longer the protective older brother, is determined to make Ori as miserable as possible, taking everything Ori wants. Maybe even the girl. Let me make my feelings for Del clear. I HATED HIM. I know, I know... He's hurt, and lost. Whatever. He was so freaking mean. I haven't been as angry at a character in forever. Sure, I've know characters who've done worse. I think my anger stems from the fact that Ori is just so stinking sweet. If he was my brother, I would have whaled on Del endlessly. (ask my brother, I'm capable.)

Besides the awesome, can't-stop-reading story, I also loved the format of the book. There are posts from the band's blog "Colorado Rocks", complete with comments from fans and haters. There are online articles from a local journalist, chronicling the band's journey. We also have texts and messages between the characters that help move the story along. The most poignant, though, were the "fast-forwards" and "rewinds", complete with icons, that show the slow change in Ori and Del's relationship. How they went from best buds to hostile strangers.

So yeah... as you can probably tell, I loved ROCK ON. It was such a fast read for me. I had to know what would happen with Ori and Del, Ori and Jane, would they win the Battle of the Bands? Vega wrote this book with such sweetness, charm, and the perfect amount of teen angst. ROCK ON is a book I will surely read over and over again.

Favorite Quote:

"And then I was gone, catapulted outside of myself, to that place the music took me so hard and fast I couldn't do anything but go along for the ride. I was teetering on the edge, at the top of the roller coaster, hovering for a second before crashing down, feeling the rush as I flew across the rails." (pg14)

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Jan 18, 2012 Laura Ashlee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, young-adult

http://owltellyouaboutit.com/2012/03/06/rock-on/

This book was a lot of fun. It definitely contained a conflict, but it was one of those books I knew would turn out fine. What's so great about it is that there's some nice character development and it's perfectly suitable for younger teens. So if you're one of those parents who stays very conscious of what your child reads, this one is perfect. There's a few curses and that's it.

Orion is serious about music. It's his passion, but he also hides beh...more http://owltellyouaboutit.com/2012/03/06/rock-on/

This book was a lot of fun. It definitely contained a conflict, but it was one of those books I knew would turn out fine. What's so great about it is that there's some nice character development and it's perfectly suitable for younger teens. So if you're one of those parents who stays very conscious of what your child reads, this one is perfect. There's a few curses and that's it.

Orion is serious about music. It's his passion, but he also hides behind it. That's something he has to work out in the book. I thought it was a great direction for this book to go. He's pretty insecure when he's around his brother, Del. Del's always been the "cool" one, the smooth talker. Music is sort of the only thing Ori has that's all his own. Things are rough between Ori and Del at the start of this book. Del has somehow screwed things up at college. Ori and his band are really starting to take off. These two things create some animosity between the brothers. I'd say that's the main plot line of the book. There are a couple of side plots that are somewhat related to Ori and Del's problems. Ori meets a pretty cool girl, but he doesn't have much experience in that department. There's also a little band rivalry going on as they gear up for a Battle of Bands competition.

There are some stellar supporting characters. Alli, Ori's childhood friend, is definitely the smartest one of the group. I'm going to credit that to the fact that she's a girl, and girls mature faster than boys. She sees a lot that the boys don't and she tries to give Ori a lot of guidence. Now, if only he would listen. Gwyn was a big favorite of mine, mainly because she was a deaf bass player. How cool is that? She loves to rock because the music is actually loud enough for her to hear/feel. It's pretty cool. Jane was a good one too. Though, she was a little bit of a mystery. I also thought she made some questionable choices for someone who seems so intelligent. Either way, she seemed pretty cool, the kind of girl I could hang out with.

Okay, so the plot isn't exactly gripping or anything. It's not even original, but it was well done. It's meant to be a fun book with a littl bit of a message and it accomplishes that. The main characters grow up and learn something. That's all you could really ask from a book like this. It's also kind of refreshing to read a teen book that I would actually recommend for a teen. Those are pretty rare these days. Well done, Denise Vega.(less)

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Jul 03, 2012 Ambur rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've mentioned that I love music, so I pretty much jump at the chance to read anything music-related that I can get my hands on, and in the case of Rock On, I'm extremely glad that I did! :D

One thing that I absolutely loved about Rock On was that it was from a teen boy's perspective, which I found really interesting...I also absolutely loved Ori (or Orion) and his passion for music! :D Ori was pretty much a prodigy and had been playing guitar for years. I was never a prodigy myself and only play...more I've mentioned that I love music, so I pretty much jump at the chance to read anything music-related that I can get my hands on, and in the case of Rock On, I'm extremely glad that I did! :D

One thing that I absolutely loved about Rock On was that it was from a teen boy's perspective, which I found really interesting...I also absolutely loved Ori (or Orion) and his passion for music! :D Ori was pretty much a prodigy and had been playing guitar for years. I was never a prodigy myself and only played the saxophone for a brief while, but Ori's passion totally made me wish that I could play like that...or that I had actually tried to learn to play better. :P

I also loved that Rock On didn't stick to one type of storytelling. Instead there were blog posts and updates for the band through the Battle of the Bands website, which I thought was a fantastic touch! I especially loved that you could see the comments of the people visiting their site...it made me wish that it was an interactive website that I could've actually checked out. :P There were also flashbacks, which I didn't enjoy as much as the blog, but they were alright. I found the switch to a different type of perspective a bit strange, but I did like getting to see into Ori's past and to see how his relationship with his brother, Del, was like before.

My favourite part about Rock On was Ori himself. I just loved his character. I did want to nudge him in the right direction every once in a while though. :P His relationship with his brother, Del, was probably the biggest conflict throughout the book, and like one of his best friends, Allie, I just wanted him to talk to his brother and work things out. His brother was kind of a big butthead, but being closer to Del in age, I could totally understand why he was acting out. It still didn't justify it though. I really felt for the two brothers, and I liked that the conflict between them was realistic. It added a completely different side to the story, one that I didn't really expect to be so prominent, but still thoroughly enjoyed. I also really liked the side characters, and getting to see Ori stop being so awkward with girls. It was great seeing him get out of his shell. :)

Overall, I really liked Rock On. I thought that it was an interesting perspective on music, and I liked that it was unique. I've definitely never read another story that was anything like this one. I especially enjoyed the characters. Not only was Ori a great main character, but the supporting characters were fantastic as well. Right from all of their entrances, each of the characters were so fully defined, and I thought that was fabulous. :D I'd recommend this one if you like music, and if you're into stories that cover all the bases from romance to sibling drama, to stage fright, to trying to come into yourself and out of your sibling's shadow. (less)

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