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My Year of Epic Rock

Andrea Pyros (Goodreads Author)

3.97 · Rating details · 149 ratings · 48 reviews

If Life Was Like a Song

Nina Simmons’ song would be “You Can’t Always Eat What You Want.” (Peanut allergies, ugh). But that’s okay, because as her best friend Brianna always said, “We’re All in This Together.”

Until the first day of the seventh grade, when Brianna dumps her to be BFFs with the popular new girl. Left all alone, Nina is forced to socialize with “her own kind”– ...more

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Paperback, 195 pages

Published September 2nd 2014 by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky (first published January 1st 2014)

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Rating details

· 149 ratings · 48 reviews

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Jan 02, 2017 K. rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2017, audience-middle-grade, contemporary, disability-or-medical-condition, setting-usa, own-it-kindle

Quick and cute middle-grade book about a 7th grader with anaphylactic allergies to peanuts and eggs. First of all, OMG YES. There are SO many kids these days who have food allergies, who have to carry Epipens everywhere, and it was awesome to finally see some representation for those kids and how difficult their lives can be, particularly if their peers get all "OMG WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T EAT _____???"

But really, this is a book about dealing with what happens when your BFF suddenly decides ...more

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Apr 05, 2018 Sinead Anja (Huntress of Diverse Books) rated it liked it

Check out my book blog for more book reviews and other bookish posts!

I have a peanut allergy and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character also had a peanut allergy. Thus I was intrigued in My Year of Epic Rock. I wanted to have some kind of representation for once – I am not anaphylactic though, which the main character is. Another part that intrigued me was that a group of children decide to start a rock band.

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It meant so much to me to read about a character who worries abo Check out my book blog for more book reviews and other bookish posts!

I have a peanut allergy and I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the main character also had a peanut allergy. Thus I was intrigued in My Year of Epic Rock. I wanted to have some kind of representation for once – I am not anaphylactic though, which the main character is. Another part that intrigued me was that a group of children decide to start a rock band.

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It meant so much to me to read about a character who worries about what’s in her food when she’s out of the house. Sometimes people forget, sometimes they act all angry and annoyed when you mention you have to be careful. Sometimes you yourself forget because you are so used to eating the nut-free version, that you forget that the more common version has nuts in it. These experiences were mirrored by the ones that Nina had in the book.

I liked the humour that was interspersed throughout the book. Nina uses a lot of dry humour which is right up my street.

The rock band was a great storyline. I was so invested in the band and I wanted them to really rock the show at the end of the book. The other storyline was way more sad. When your friendship starts to tear apart, and your former best friend leaves you for someone else – I’ve been there. However, the story shows that the world isn’t going to end just because your friendship is over. Life goes on and you will find friends who support who you are. Nina was becoming more and more confident through the book, and I was so emotional when she started to believe in herself.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the mother, as I felt that she would often use her daughter for her job. The mother never wondered whether Nina was happy with having to try all of the allergy-free recipes or whether she was comfortable being used as promotional material. I really wish that this would have been discussed in more detail in the book.

At time I thought that the book focussed a bit too much on romance. Considering that the premise of the story was a broken friendship, I was disappointed that friendship was not a more central theme to the story. Especially, towards the end, the friendships were mentioned less and less, and the love interest was mentioned more and more.

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My Year of Epic Rock is a nice middle grade novel. I felt that it could have focussed a bit more on the friendships that Nina had been developing through the school year.

Trigger warnings: ableism, panic attack. ...more

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Mar 02, 2017 Mehsi rated it it was amazing

Shelves: away-laughing-on-a-fast-camel, children-s-books, cover-love, romance, warning-english-books, 5-twinkling-stars, it-is-just-all-so-real

I am sooooo happy I bought this book on a whim, it was fabulous! It was fun, it was sweet, it was hilarious. And also, for me at least, very relatable.

Yes relatable, I may not have an egg allergy, but I do have a peanut-allergy (and some other stuff as well, yay). I also have an epipen with me on hand at all times. I know that it at times can be difficult to ask what the ingredients are in x recipe. I know also that people will look at you weirdly, or will treat you different if you mention you I am sooooo happy I bought this book on a whim, it was fabulous! It was fun, it was sweet, it was hilarious. And also, for me at least, very relatable.

Yes relatable, I may not have an egg allergy, but I do have a peanut-allergy (and some other stuff as well, yay). I also have an epipen with me on hand at all times. I know that it at times can be difficult to ask what the ingredients are in x recipe. I know also that people will look at you weirdly, or will treat you different if you mention you have allergies. So yeah, I could understand the girl, I could also understand her frustrations and her fears. The author really did a terrific job on describing how it was to have an allergy. But not only that, also when our MC eats something bad, what happens. I am not sure if she has an allergy, knows someone nearby who has an allergy, or if she just did a lot of research, either way, I am clapping my hands because it was well-written.

I loved the fact that the mom did such wonderful things for her kid. Sure at times she was a bit overreacting, and at times I was wondering why she was so invested in knowing everything about her daughter's friends. But mostly I just loved her. She took up to writing cooking books to help her kid and also others like her. She does all sorts of research, and I was just amazed. Not many parents would go to such lengths.

Next to the allergy and how that finds our MC new friends, we also have an old friendship that went into pieces before the school started, though our MC had no idea until school started. I felt so sad for her, and I was so angry at Brianna for being such a total wart. Then again, I do know the feeling of a friend who, without saying anything, just turns away from you or changes drastically. Like our MC I also tried talking, but nothing came of it. In this case I just want to wish that Brianna would have just talked. Even if it was just a bad thing, even if it was dismissive, it would be anything over the ignoring and being quite mean towards the girl you were friends with for years.
Our MC was understandably quite sad about it, and I just wanted to hug her.

The new kids, the new friends for our MC? I loved all of them. Shane was a bit extreme at times with his ideas, but Tiernan, oh Lord, I loved him to pieces. He was sweet and supportive. Of course from the start I knew that he would just be a friend. Hey, no spoiler, there is absolutely no romance between these two. Our MC actually has another guy she quite likes, but isn't sure he likes her back, I will talk about that in a bit.
I also quite liked that the kids, all but one, had allergies. This may sound bad, but this way they all had an understanding of what was going on. They could help each other, and if one wanted to check ingredients they understood. If one needed help, they helped because they understood what to do. It created a bond that I immediately saw, and which to my delight, got stronger and stronger.

We do find out a bit about the MC before she got friendless, apparently she wasn't always that nice, she truly followed her ex-friend Brianna and did some things she is now embarrassed about. When I first read about it, I was quite confused, this girl, doing that? Wow... I just didn't see it in her.

The romance was adorable, and I was truly shipping for these two to get together. They had quite a bit of chemistry going on, so most of the book I was shipping them like crazy. :P I won't tell you if they got together, you will just have to read the book and find out.

Her idea to make a band? Loved it, and I also loved the response of the group. The parts with them practising were fun, as was the talent show near the end. I do hope that they will continue rocking and won't stop now that the show is over.

There are many other good things in this book that I really enjoyed, and I really flew through this book. I am actually hoping for a second book, it would be perfect as there is still some story to tell.

All in all, highly recommended!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/ ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Emily rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, middle-grade

I wish I had this book when I was younger. See, younger me had all these allergies (peanuts and eggs like Nina, but also lots of others) and was constantly told, "OMG, you can't eat shrimp?! Or peanut butter?! Or ice cream?!?!?! I feel so bad for you. You're really missing out." And I'd just nod my head and turn back to my allergy-friendly food. I never had anyone my age that could relate, but my friends were always kind enough to not pack peanut butter sandwiches or at least warn me when they d ...more

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Jan 15, 2019 Chantal Aurora rated it liked it

Shelves: 2019-reads

3.8 stars
This was so freaking cute. I loved reading about Nina moving on and finding true friends. The rock band part of this book was so fun to read. I learned so much about what its like to live with a life threatening allergy. I genuinely laughed out out at some parts. Overall this was a super sweet and fun read.

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Jul 13, 2014 Brandy Painter rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, contemporary-fiction, galleys, 4-6-realistic

Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

When I saw My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros show up on NetGalley, I knew immediately that I had to read it. I love books about music, friendship, and fitting in. These are the type of realistic books that appeal to my daughter and her friends right now, and that I have no trouble selling to kids looking for recommendations. It is always nice to find one that is especially well done and is truly relatable to the kids who read it. I thi Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.

When I saw My Year of Epic Rock by Andrea Pyros show up on NetGalley, I knew immediately that I had to read it. I love books about music, friendship, and fitting in. These are the type of realistic books that appeal to my daughter and her friends right now, and that I have no trouble selling to kids looking for recommendations. It is always nice to find one that is especially well done and is truly relatable to the kids who read it. I think My Year of Epic Rock is one of those for sure.

Nina's voice is spot on seventh grade girl. It is genuine in every way possible, as is Nina's journey of self-discovery through the rocky start of the school year. Who hasn't weathered the pain and heartbreak that comes from a friendship changing or ending due to the trials of growing up? It is a story so many people can relate to, and that a good deal of the target audience may be experiencing as they read this. Pyros does such a great job of depicting the emotions and confusion involved so well. I particularly liked this thought of Nina's: I felt like the way girls feel in songs when they sing about a boy leaving them. How come no one ever sings a song about a friend leaving you for a newer friend.? This had to hurt as much as a romance ending, right? Or maybe a guy breaking your heart was worse. In which case, remind me never, ever, to fall in love. Because losing your best friend IS as devastating if not more so, particularly at this age when everything feels like it is spinning out of your control anyway. What I really like about Nina's story, is that it is just her story. Readers may find in it that they are not alone and they may find some inspiration for making it through a similar situation, or it can be read just as an interesting look at this one girl's life and journey through middle school. Nina is also awkward, an ordinary student, makes some normal mistakes, and tries to make up for them the best way she knows how. She is incredibly easy to relate to, and yet her voice is also strong and so assuredly hers, that she comes across an actual real person in her own right. (Not so flat and lacking nuance that the reader can just insert themselves into her position.)

The cast of supporting characters is equally engaging. Nina's parents are supportive and active. They are typical parents who love, annoy, and embarrass their middle school daughter. She appreciates them for all these things. The other EpiPen members each have their own distinct personalities and contribute to the story as well. Some more than others, but as a team they are all essential. I also appreciated how the personalities of Brianna (the former best friend) and Shelly (the new super popular girl) are handled. They say some mean and snarky things as 7th grade girls are wont to do, but they are not superficially inflated into caricatures of middle school villains. I also love how diverse the cast of characters is, and how that diversity isn't remarked on, it just is.

The book is mostly a school and friendship story that uses the plot of the band to move things along a set timeline. I do like the way the band stuff was handled. All of the kids come into it already knowing how to play their instruments. When they start out, they are terrible. They actually have to work hard and practice to be able to perform. There was no magic, "hey we're suddenly awesome" moment. And while their performance goes well, it is accompanied by the awkwardness and nerves typical of a middle school talent show.

This is a novel I will be recommending to the kids I know who love these sorts of books, my own daughter being top on my list. She will definitely enjoy it. It is certainly one I would recommend having on hand in a school and classroom libraries. It is written in a way that the 4th-5th graders who want to read (and there will be lots) will be a able to, and at the same time middle schoolers will enjoy it and relate as well. ...more

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Aug 14, 2014 Luna rated it really liked it

Shelves: publisher-review-copy-arc

My Year of Epic Rock was supposed to be my escape for a couple of hours fun-time read. Don’t get me wrong it completely fulfilled that part of the deal but I was surprised but how much I enjoyed this book.

After the summer holiday’s Nina’s best friend has replaced her with the allergy-free new(ish) girl. I had a ‘friend’ (term applied loosely) like that when I was growing up so I completely understood Nina. It really hurts, particularly because you never get an explanation.

What I liked about Andr ...more

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Dec 13, 2014 Kate Forest rated it it was amazing

A great book for the 10-13 year old, about a girl who gets dumped by her BFF and struggles with food allergies.

But any kid that age can relate to the friend dramas, the politics of middle school and the seemingly endless struggle to find the balance between fitting in and finding your own identity.

The characters are realistic, the dialogue fun, and the conflict so close to home for anyone who's been an adolescent. ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Valerie McEnroe rated it it was ok

Shelves: friendship, middle-grade, health-issues, art-dance-music

Nina is no longer Brianna's best friend. After Brianna and Shelley's families coincidentally end up vacationing in Italy together, they have been inseparable. Nina continues to try and salvage the friendship despite the obvious. After being pretty much ignored at lunch, she decides to join the allergy table. Besides having food allergies in common, they all play instruments. They decide to form a band for the talent show. Nina plays drums. Besides the girl drama, Nina rekindles her friendship wi ...more

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Nov 22, 2017 Nina rated it really liked it

I adore My Year of Epic Rock!

Nina, don't you just adore the name?, is a insecure young adult who can't for the life figure out why her best friend isn't her best friend anymore. I thought Brianna was a horrible person. Who would do that to a friend? I loved Ninas family. Her parents are so caring. Her mom is super sweet and loves to bake. When they were talking about cookies, I wanted to go to the supermarket and buy cookies. I needed cookies. I needed the cookies her mom baked. All of the othe ...more

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Jul 01, 2018 Kimberly Sabatini rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mg-ya

I loved everything about MY YEAR OF EPIC ROCK! This is the first book I've read that took on the lives of kids with food allergies and it was so well done. Food allergies weren't the focus of the story, but an natural extension of the lives of several students who carry Epi pens as a safety measure.

But this book was also about the delicate balance that comes with the evolving friendships of middle school. What relationships are healthy? And what motivates the people in our lives to behave the w ...more

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Jan 20, 2019 T Grace rated it it was amazing

Read This for Epic Fun

This heartfelt and funny book perfectly captures the feelings of the roller coaster that is middle school. Nina has merged with a best friend who then changes and leaves her feeling lost. Nina also has to contend with serious food allergies. The ups and downs Nina goes through navigating her world, make the reader laugh and cringe right along with her. When she and her new friends, who all sit at the food allergy table in the school cafeteria, create their own band, you are ...more

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Jul 27, 2018 Judith Taylor rated it it was amazing

My 9 year old loved this book. Lots of friendship situations her age can relate to, and important messages about standing up for yourself. She really found it addictive to read, and normally finds it hard to get into chapter books but the story was very compelling to her. She immediately asked for more by this author!

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Aug 11, 2017 Milana Waller rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 18, 2019 Alice Kaltman rated it it was amazing

Absolutely loved this book. I adored Nina and all her EpiPen pals. The description of her interior life was fantastic. And so real. And what a great sense of humor she (and Andrea Pyros) clearly have. All the right messages about friendship, loyalty, finding your true self.

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Jul 31, 2017 Joana rated it really liked it

Shelves: kindle-reads, diversitybingo2017, diverse-reads

A cute, fun and sweet middle-grade novel about anaphylactic shocks, friendship, family, finding oneself and first love

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Aug 06, 2017 Juli rated it liked it

Shelves: diversity-bingo-2017

Quick read, for #diversitybingo2017. Cute story about a 7th grade girl, that helps you understand the experience of someone with food allergies.

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Oct 20, 2017 Leah rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebooks-kindle, m-f, 4-stars, twitter-bingo, middle-grade

Rep: MC with anaphylactic allergies

Warnings: ableism, panic attack, allergic reaction

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Dec 29, 2017 Krystal rated it really liked it

This engaging novel explores how an anaphylactic allergy complicates one's life from a young age with insight and creativity! ...more

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Feb 06, 2018 Olivia rated it liked it

An enjoyable, short, humorous book.

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Sep 29, 2018 Selena Benavides rated it really liked it

It was mazing and how there friendship grew.

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Apr 13, 2017 Aurora rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: physical-mental-illness-disability, middle-grade

For as common as food allergies are, books about people with food allergies are shockingly few and far between. I'm pretty sure I've seen more books about people pretending to have one than about people who actually do.

That's an easy point in favor of this book, but honestly, it's pretty good across the board. In many ways, it's a standard best-friends-growing-apart middle-grade novel, as well as a standard figuring-out-who-you-are novel. But I think it goes a bit deeper than a lot of similar no For as common as food allergies are, books about people with food allergies are shockingly few and far between. I'm pretty sure I've seen more books about people pretending to have one than about people who actually do.

That's an easy point in favor of this book, but honestly, it's pretty good across the board. In many ways, it's a standard best-friends-growing-apart middle-grade novel, as well as a standard figuring-out-who-you-are novel. But I think it goes a bit deeper than a lot of similar novels (while still being a pretty fluffy book), because it ties together Nina trying to figure out who she is without Brianna, developing a sense of her personal interests and personality, and starting to take ownership of her allergies and what they mean for her life.

There are just three small issues I have with it. First, while it is made clear that she loves and worries about her daughter, the way Nina's mother deals with her allergies goes largely unchecked. Nina has been used as a test subject for her mom's recipes and paraded around for marketing her cookbooks, without any regard to how she might feel about that, and while it's easy to imagine Nina eventually using her new-found self-assurance to draw attention to this, it doesn't happen here.

Second, the pacing of the book is a bit odd. I don't think I really noticed so much the first time I read it, but the second time I kept flipping back to see if I'd missed something because I felt like I'd somehow skipped ahead a chapter or three. Everything happens so quickly and I really don't understand why, because it makes everything seem much less serious than it actually is. Even though there should some pretty strong emotions in this book, they get brushed aside very quickly as the plot races forward to the next thing. It's not bad--like I said, I don't think I even noticed the first time--but it's not ideal.

Finally, and for some reason this is the thing that bothers me the most, it seems like Nina has never experienced an allergic reaction in her memorable life. She's allergic to peanuts and eggs, and we're expected to believe she's never once accidentally consumed either of these? It's true that her parents have always been super careful, and she's pretty cautious herself, but eggs especially are everywhere. In fact, I feel like her mom's allergen-free cooking actually puts Nina in more danger here, because at home she regularly eats things like French toast that she may not realize are usually made with eggs. But she doesn't seem to know what would even happen if she did eat something she was allergic to, and she explicitly says she's never had to use her Epi-Pen, so I have to assume she's somehow managed to completely avoid them her entire life (or at least since she was old enough to be aware of it). But...just...how? Even when she was little, she never grabbed candy from one of those bowls businesses have without her parents noticing, or tried a bite of a friend's snack without thinking, or ate something with egg wash? It just doesn't seem probable, and it was bugging me the whole time. ...more

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May 30, 2014 Jenna rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, middle-grade

I received My Year of Epic Rock from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had forgotten when I sat down to read My Year of Epic Rock that it’s a middle grade book. I was pleasantly surprised because I’m on a middle grade kick right now but I haven’t actually read one in a few weeks.

Nina’s just beginning to realize that her best friend Brianna has ditched her for a cooler girl when seventh grade starts. At first Nina attempts to hang out with Brianna and Shelley, but she doesn’t understan I received My Year of Epic Rock from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I had forgotten when I sat down to read My Year of Epic Rock that it’s a middle grade book. I was pleasantly surprised because I’m on a middle grade kick right now but I haven’t actually read one in a few weeks.

Nina’s just beginning to realize that her best friend Brianna has ditched her for a cooler girl when seventh grade starts. At first Nina attempts to hang out with Brianna and Shelley, but she doesn’t understand their inside jokes and it’s not long before it becomes clear to her that she’s being excluded. It’s been just Nina and Brianna for so long, and now Nina is friendless.

How come no one ever sings a song about a friend leaving you for a newer friend? This has to hurt as much as a romance ending, right?

At home, Nina spends a lot of time crying and moping around because who wouldn’t (or hasn’t) when faced with that situation? Of course I felt sorry for her, losing her best (and only close) friend, but Nina is resilient. At school, she soon finds herself spending her lunchtime at the table with kids for allergies, just for lack of any other options. Nina herself is allergic to peanuts and eggs (and other foods, I think, but those are the big ones) and her new group gets it. They all have certain foods to avoid, too. One day she jokingly suggests that they form a band to perform at the Halloween talent show and the next day she’s the drummer.

As the band struggles to find its groove, Nina discovers that her new friends, who are kids she’s actually known for years, are a fun group. They each have their own strengths, and conveniently play the correct variation of instruments to make up a band. Some of them are maybe a little weird, but they make her feel comfortable right away. She fits in better with them than she ever did with Brianna, and to her surprise, she has a lot of fun with them.

All of the characters, from Nina to her friends (new and old), to her parents and younger brother are realistic. They’re people I might know, or have known in middle school. Nina’s parents embarrass her, her brother is annoying, and while Shelley and Brianna are mean girls, they’re not Mean Girls. In fact, they don’t seem hugely popular either. Their Halloween party is well-attended, but I didn’t get the idea that they had a big following otherwise.

Nina’s experience is something most of us can relate to in one way or another. Maybe we didn’t all join bands to make new friends, but we’ve all lost friends and had to find new ones. Kids in middle grade or younger now who read My Year of Epic Rock will be able to see that it’s not the end of the world, even if it sometimes feels like it. ...more

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Sep 27, 2014 The Styling Librarian rated it really liked it

Shelves: realistic-fiction, kids-books, favorites, middle-school

I heard about My Year of EpicRock by Andrea Pyros from the author herself when she wrote to see if I’d like to participate in a book giveaway… I thought, well, this is a premise that is quite interesting, think I’ll check it out on Netgalley! And wow, so glad I did. It is a wonderful middle read book that will connect to most readers, especially those who have ever had friendship issues. Now, I’ve had a friendship issue like the main character but not as many allergies as her, or allergies as dr I heard about My Year of EpicRock by Andrea Pyros from the author herself when she wrote to see if I’d like to participate in a book giveaway… I thought, well, this is a premise that is quite interesting, think I’ll check it out on Netgalley! And wow, so glad I did. It is a wonderful middle read book that will connect to most readers, especially those who have ever had friendship issues. Now, I’ve had a friendship issue like the main character but not as many allergies as her, or allergies as dramatic and life threatening as hers. In fact, by the time I was done with the book, I was quite grateful that the school that I teach at is nut-free because I never want to see one of my students go through what Nina, Andrea’s main character, goes through.
The beginning of the story starts at the beginning of a school year where this girl named Nina is wondering what is going on with her best friend. Her friend has returned from a trip to Europe and hasn’t communicated with her since. They normally send one another texts and emails constantly but there was no communication. Then on the first day of school, Nina finds out why. Her friend has completely dropped her for another new friend…. I appreciated the awkward way that this character grows, learns how to communicate and how to connect with others. I also enjoyed the school setting and was quite intrigued with one of the class assignments.
Now, Nina is terribly allergic to peanuts and eggs. I cannot eat either so I can understand how challenging and difficult it is to deal with that allergy and how others interact with me about my limits. Nina’s school has a table at lunch for the allergic students and after a few frustrating lunches, she goes to sit there… She then eventually suggests that the table group start of a rock band called the Epipens (medicine to use when someone is going into anaphylactic shock) and the story soars with wonderful interactions. I appreciated that most of the communication and resolution came from other wonderful friends versus having her parents help her sort things out, although the parents are there. Highly recommended book!
A quick snippet from the book:
“Then go wail on the drums to get rid of all your righteous anger.” Dad pretended to do a drum solo.
Want a sneak peek of the book? Go here: http://www.andreapyros.com/books/
Book Giveaway and author interview here: http://thestylinglibrarian.com/2014/0... ...more

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Dec 29, 2016 Olivia Chanel's Stories in Space rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 05-stars, books-i-own, genre-contemporary, diverse-books, read-die-read-again, you-will-go-down-in-history, made-me-cry, genre-realistic-fiction, crushed-my-soul, 2014-release

"Bringing my EpiPen with me everywhere I went was like having a stupid pimple that never went away! Besides, like I was going to have the guts to stab myself with a giant needle in the leg if I ate something I was allergic to anyway. Wouldn't I bet too busy barfing or fainting or something else awful to be my own doctor?"

I've had severe allergies since the day I was born, and it haven't really been easy or fun most of the time. Having allergies can be extremely lonely, and pretty scary too,

"Bringing my EpiPen with me everywhere I went was like having a stupid pimple that never went away! Besides, like I was going to have the guts to stab myself with a giant needle in the leg if I ate something I was allergic to anyway. Wouldn't I bet too busy barfing or fainting or something else awful to be my own doctor?"

I've had severe allergies since the day I was born, and it haven't really been easy or fun most of the time. Having allergies can be extremely lonely, and pretty scary too, especially when your allergies can kill you in the matter of minutes. This book is a book I wish I had when I was younger. We all know that representation matters, and as I read My Year of Epic Rock it was as for the first time someone else had all the same fears and quirks as I did about my allergies.

Thank you Andrea Pyros for giving a peanut allergic girl like me a book where I got to laugh, cry and just enjoy a whole gang of kids with different allergies just being themselves. No one dies in this book, the squad are all supportive of each other and to be honest having a band called The EpiPens is the most genius idea ever. I honestly hate my Epipen but I can't go anywhere without it, and Nina just totally gets that, among other things like kissing and eating at a friend's house. Nina's mom also reminds me of my mom, which honestly makes me cry all over again. Because yes this book made me cry multiple times. I've never had anyone truly understand what I go through on a daily basis, and this book just hits right where it hurts.

All in all, what I wanted to say is this, if you are looking for a cute book about friendship and a group of kids starting a rock band together then pick this book. There are middle school crushes, lots of fun parts with all of the gang, and characters that feel completely genuine. The book community needs more books with main characters that have allergies, and if nothing else will convince you, I hope you might pick this book up to spread awareness about allergies. I know I will recommend this book to anyone that listens as I scream into the void. I want allergic teens to have what I didn't. ...more

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Sep 01, 2014 Mary rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-that-rock, contemporary, young-adult, 2014

ABSOLUTLEY LOVED IT

Nina Simmons is twelve and just starting the new school year in an epic downward spiral. Her BFF, Brianna, has always had her back and protected her from the evil food she is allergic too. But now, Brianna has moved on and is now besties with Shelley, the most popular girl in school. As Nina is exiled to the "allergy table", she starts to interact with her fellow outcasts and when the group realizes they all play instruments, the decide to form a band for the Halloween talent ...more

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May 08, 2018 Laina SpareTime added it

Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and everything.

Well now this was really cute. It's a short, quick read and not too deep, but it's a lot of fun and a nice light read that's a bit fluffy but doesn't erase the realities of a pretty serious situation. I honestly think this is great for the age range. It was still a lot of fun for me as an adult, but it reminds me so much of books I read as a kid. It's just sweet and fun and not too heavy.

The author has ...more

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Dec 03, 2014 Sahar Sabati rated it really liked it

They used to be two peas in a pod. Being inseparable from Brianna made a lot of things easier, including navigating middle school with lethal food allergies. Her friend is the reason why Nina was able to avoid sitting at the table reserved for others like her – other students with food allergies, who presence at said table labelled them as pariahs of sorts.

Then Brianna goes to Italy and doesn’t call Nina upon her return – the first sign that something has gone wrong. And it takes very little tim ...more

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Jul 25, 2014 Debbie rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley-books, ebooks

Thank you Net Galley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I truly requested this book just for the cover and title!

This was such a good little short story, having finished it in a little over two hours. Nina starting seventh grade has had her BFF turn her back on her to be BFF's with the popular girl at school. So...she has no one to hang with. It doesn't help that she has food allergies and has to sit at the "special" table. Ugh.

I loved her character from the begin ...more

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Oct 14, 2014 Taylor rated it it was amazing

One of the best books I have ever read in my entire life, this book had me at hello and continued to have my attention the whole time I was reading it! I absolutely love this book, Nina and the Epi Pens! I hated Brianna but really enjoyed reading about their friendship troubles. I went through an experience very similar and it's very upsetting having to go through that.It made me feel do happy that someone could go through the same experience I went through and that I'm not alone. My experience ...more

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About Andrea Pyros

Andrea Pyros

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I was born and raised in New York, but spent summers and school breaks with my father and his family in Tarpon Springs, Florida, a small Greek fishing community on the Gulf Coast. As the child of divorced parents, I was alone quite a bit, so I read... a lot.

I went to Vassar College and then grad school at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Now I live in New York's Hudson Valley and work as a freelan ...more