Diary of a Rocker’s Kid by Haley Despard
Diary of a Rocker’s Kid by Haley Despard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review***
The Diary of a Rocker’s Kid is an edgy story about a girl discovering her identity and trying to come to terms with who she is. It follows the story of Madison when she learns about her father’s secret identity as a rock star. She has to abandon her Kentucky life and is thrown into the rocker’s lifestyle, to both her stress and happiness. Along the way, she meets one of her favorite celebrities, Gio, and a romance ensues.
Overall, I thought Ms. Despard did a great job at capturing Madison’s character realistically. I truly felt like I was reading about a “real” teenager. All of her hangups on small details and her obsessions over her love life felt genuine. I also thought the dialogue was very realistic. The conversations flowed smoothly and helped drive the plot. I liked Madison’s character and found things I could connect with her about, despite our age difference. Overall, I thought the plot was interesting. I would describe it as an edgy Princess Diaries kind of feel, which was neat. Madison lives out many of our dreams–she becomes a wealthy celebrity overnight. However, she also shows us the price of fame, which was interesting to think about.
The only thing I did not like in this book was the character of Gio. He had some redeeming moments throughout the book, but overall, I found him to be a bit smug. I just felt like Madison could do better. I felt like Gio was sort of a disaster waiting to happen for her…but perhaps that was part of the point. I also wasn’t crazy about the ending because I felt like it was way too abrupt.
Overall, this book is a great young adult read. Ms. Despard does not shy away from the sometimes harsh realities of teenage life and celebrity life, which I applaud her for. Her book speaks to contemporary youth, famous or not, and highlights identity issues everyone faces at some point. Ms. Despard forces the reader to explore the idea that sometimes our lives aren’t what they seem.
