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Fireworks

Katie Cotugno (Goodreads Author)

3.42 · Rating details · 1,838 ratings · 401 reviews

From Katie Cotugno, bestselling author of 99 Days, comes Fireworks—about a girl who is competing with her best friend to become the new pop star of the moment—and all the drama and romance that comes with it—set in Orlando during the late-'90s boy-and-girl-band craze.

It was always meant to be Olivia. She was the talented one, the one who had been training to be a star her ...more

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Paperback, 336 pages

Published April 18th 2017 by HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray (first published April 11th 2017)

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· 1,838 ratings · 401 reviews

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May 01, 2017 Heather rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-contemporary

This is a perfect summer read. Lighthearted, fun,revolving around becoming a girl band and set in the 90s!
Overall I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it.
If your looking for a quick, summer read I would recommend this!

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Dec 12, 2016 Cristina Monica rated it liked it

Olivia was meant to become the IT girl, not Dana.

She was supposed to get everything she ever wanted, but the day Dana accompanied her to an audition changed everything.

Dana was invited to become part of a girl band. She’s a natural singer and dancer, apparently. Without any professional experience whatsoever. No classes, either. Ever.

Basically, she’s been ‘‘discovered.’’

I thought this was a romantic and fairly revealing contemporary book that shows both the good and bad side of being in the show ...more

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Apr 03, 2017 Sarah Elizabeth rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, read-2017, r2r-read, romance, as, contemporary, young-adult

(I received an advance copy of this book for free. Thanks to HarperCollins and Edelweiss.)

“What are you going to do if you don’t do this?” she asked. “I mean it. I’m sincerely asking. Are you just gonna stay here forever?”

This was a YA contemporary story, about two girls auditioning to be pop-stars.

I liked Dana, but I felt like her relationship with Olivia was a bit one sided. Olivia seemed to always be the one deciding what they were doing and pushing Dana to do things that she mayb ...more

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Mar 30, 2017 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: adult-content, own-paperbook, young-adult-genre, read-2017, stand-alone-novel, goodreads-giveaway-winner, arc-harper

Thank you goodreads Giveaways and Harper for the opportunity to win an advance reader's edition of Fireworks.

Fireworks is a standalone, young-adult novel written by Katie Cotugno. The fictional plot line consists of two best friends who earn a spot in a major singing competition. Life lessons include the strain on friendship during competition, the shifting of group dynamics, sacrifices and boundaries, self-image and confidence issues when in the spotlight, and how to keep your head up when peop ...more

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May 19, 2019 Aj the Ravenous Reader rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reality-bites, contemporary, physically-owned-books, easy-read, young-adult

3.5 stars

There is usually something so realistic, convincing and compelling in Ms. Cotugno’s novels. It’s like she’s out to taunt the reader with these unspeakable truths but which actually do happen and she writes about them without restraint and without fear of readers’ disapproval. I kind of like her attitude.

Fireworks is a story about two best friends, Dana and Olivia, where they came from, how close they are and then with their common goal and dreams, circumstances suddenly seem to pit t ...more

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Apr 10, 2017 The Candid Cover (Olivia & Lori) rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2017-releases, young-adult, arc

Fireworks is the 90s stardom book I never knew I wanted. The hard work and intense training shown in the story is exactly what I love to see, and the main character has a complex backstory and is so likeable. What I especially adored is the female friendship between the two main characters, since it is actually goals. Fans of Katie Cotugno’s previous books will not be disappointed with her latest work!

As a sucker for any book related to the arts, I naturally loved this one. What I especially enj ...more

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Apr 12, 2020 Tijana rated it really liked it

I think I'm crying angry tears.
This book was absolutely HORRIBLE!
Not the writing, nor the story, not even characters. But a horrible, horrible, horrible friendship and betrayals. Oh, the betrayals...
I swear I physically felt that last knife in the back as if I'd experienced it myself.

BEWARE! FULL SPOILERS AHEAD!

So we've got two best friends: one a spoiled rich brat who got accepted into a good college and doesn't have to worry about paying for it; the other poor, with no future and an alcoholic ...more

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Apr 18, 2017 Jen Ryland marked it as setting-aside-for-now

Sososo excited about a story about boy bands and girl bands set in the 90s. Unfortunately, the part of the book I read did nothing for me. Dana is pretty but an average singer, yet still gets picked to be in a new girl band for her looks. She's a pretty unexciting narrator and a girl who doesn't even seem to care about the band, except that her (talented) best friend gets picked too and they can do this together - cue squealing. But ugh of course they both like the same boy. Who is in a boy band ...more

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Aug 21, 2017 Maria (Big City Bookworm) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2017-new-releases, read-2017

*Disclaimer: An ARC of Fireworks by Katie Cotugno was provided to me by Indigo Books & Music in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinion in any way.

Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars

--

Initial post reading thoughts:

Yeah...I don't think this one was really for me. Things just moved too unrealistically fast and the insta-love was just a no for me. While it was fast paced and it kept me intrigued, I was never really full invested in this story and its characters. And that ending? Not a f ...more

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Feb 09, 2018 Grace {Rebel Mommy Book Blog} rated it liked it

Shelves: arc

I received this book for free from Publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Rebel Mommy Book Blog ...more

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Jul 02, 2017 monica kim rated it it was ok

This book was cute, and I definitely plan to read more books by the author. I sort-of just felt like the romance in this book was kind-of unnecessary when the real star here should have been the friendship between the two girls.

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Apr 16, 2017 Tiff at Mostly YA Lit rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, friendship, for-review, contemps, arc-to-read, historical, romance, 2017-releases, pub-harper-teen, pub-harper-collins

Review originally posted on Mostly YA Lit:

Fireworks by Katie Cotugno features Olivia and Dana, best friends who live in small town Georgia in the 90s. Dana is poor, with a mother who drinks too much, and no prospects after high school. Meanwhile, Olivia has been dreaming of being famous her whole life. When the opportunity to audition for a new girl group by a famous producer comes up, Dana accompanies Olivia to Orlando - and ends up being picked as part of Daisy Chain as well.

I'm a sucker for a ...more

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Oct 25, 2018 Megha Patel rated it really liked it

Shelves: audiobooks

3.5 out of 5

I really enjoyed this!

Going in I didn’t expect to enjoy it as much as I did. I was just expecting some crazy girl band drama but got much more than that. Yes, there was definitely drama but there was also friendship. Granted that the ending didn’t really sit well with me in terms of the friendship but it happened for a reason. Dana now will have lots of possibilities for her future.

Dana was a wonderful main character. She has seen a lot of struggle at an early age. Having to tak ...more

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Dec 27, 2016 Andi (Andi's ABCs) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss, challege2016-contemporary-romance, kindle-archive, would-recommend, favorites, amazon-review, 2016-best-of

This review was originally posted on Andi's ABCs

Sometimes you pick up a book and you just don't know how it is going to go for you. You've read books by the author and enjoyed one and was conflicted on the other. You like the premise but know it has the potential to go in a different direction than you expect. Because of these things you are almost scared to pick up the book. This was me with Fireworks. I was worried how I would feel about it. I was scared I wouldn't love it. I was scared I woul ...more

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Oct 13, 2016 Dahlia added it

Shelves: 2017-releases

This was exaaaactly what I wanted it to be. Loved it. And for anyone who approaches 90s-set books with apprehension, this did not give me any "author trying to relive her childhood" vibes; there's nothing that should be remotely difficult for a current teen to connect with here. Those of us who were kids in the 90s will recognize this as being O-Town/Eden's Crush-esque, but for kids who weren't, it'll just feel like being behind the scenes at a slightly tweaked American Idol.

Also, I ship it har ...more

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Mar 14, 2017 Jennifer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: edelweiss

Fireworks is a standalone Young Adult contemporary romance.

The narrator is Dana Cartwright. The book is told in 1st person POV.

The book starts off in 1997 in Jessell, Georgia. Dana and her best friend Olivia are 18 and have just graduated high school.

Dana lives with her mom and they are very poor. Her mom is a drunk who is never there for her. Olivia is in an opposite situation. She comes from a loving family and they don't struggle with money the same way Dana and her mom do.

Olivia has been pe Fireworks is a standalone Young Adult contemporary romance.

The narrator is Dana Cartwright. The book is told in 1st person POV.

The book starts off in 1997 in Jessell, Georgia. Dana and her best friend Olivia are 18 and have just graduated high school.

Dana lives with her mom and they are very poor. Her mom is a drunk who is never there for her. Olivia is in an opposite situation. She comes from a loving family and they don't struggle with money the same way Dana and her mom do.

Olivia has been performing her whole life. She brings Dana with her to Orlando to an audition. Everything changes after that audition.

The book was a cute YA story. I enjoyed it very much. The characters are 18 years old. There is some drinking and sex in the story. But it just read like YA to me. But it's probably not appropriate for anyone too young.

I liked Dana. I liked boy-bander Alex. There was a lot of stuff about pop stars in this story. And I really enjoyed that part of the book very much. It was fun to read about and I did not want to put the book down.

For the most part I enjoyed Dana and Olivia's friendship. It seemed genuine and I loved how close the author made these two girls. But there were definitely things that I didn't love, especially the ending. It really did not work for me. There were a few things that were resolved. But there were other things that I wish had been addressed.

Also, the book blurb makes it very clear that the story takes place in the 1990s. But unfortunately I did not read the book blurb right before reading this book. There is only one mention in the book of it being the 1990s. I saw that but then it was never mentioned again. That really didn't work for me at all since I completely forgot about it. In retrospect there were obviously some current things like cell phones that were not in the story. But Dana was so poor that it didn't click for me. I wish that the time period had been mentioned a few times.

Overall, this was a cute YA story. And I did enjoy it for the most part. I just didn't love where the story went at the end and I needed more of a conclusion than I got.

Thanks to edelweiss and Balzer + Bray for allowing me to read this book. ...more

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Apr 24, 2020 Danielle (yaallegiance) rated it it was ok

I wanted a cute lighthearted read and I've been meaning to read this forever, so naturally I picked it up.

This book confuses me to be honest.. because I actually liked the story and the plot but I am SO disappointed with how everything wound up.

The people in this book disappointed me, the relationships were either unrealistic or toxic.

Rating this was difficult because the story was good.. but everything else fell short. Super super disappointed with how everything ends.

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May 16, 2017 Nadwa @PainfullyFictional rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-owned, summer-reads, young-adult, contemporary

When I read Katie Cotugno’s books, How To Love and 99 Days, I instantly fell in love with her writing-style and the home-y and cozy worlds she built. I couldn’t help but compare this book to her previous ones, and realize how to different it was -and not exactly in a good way.

What I realized was how important Dana and Olivia’s friendship was in the story. But here’s the thing; what we got was a recap of a couple of memories showing how ‘close’ they were/are. I personally didn’t see anything spec ...more

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Feb 19, 2019 Emily rated it it was amazing

Oh, this book made my heart hurt. I admire a lot of things about Cotugno's writing, but in this one, I especially admire her resistance to wrapping everything up too neatly. There is such a familiar bittersweetness to Dana and Olivia's story.

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Apr 19, 2017 Rose rated it liked it

Shelves: better-than-i-expected, contemporary, drama, great-premise-lacking-execution, realistic-fiction, young-adult, coming-of-age, audiobooks, romance, netgalley-read-challenge-2017

Quick review for a progressive read. Katie Cotugno's "Fireworks" was a struggle for me to read in places, but in the end, I'm glad I read it, especially considering the turns it took in the story. The ending was bittersweet and not quite the impression and direction I thought it would go given the beginnings of the story. Yet even saying that, I'll admit I struggled to hold interest in the novel for a while.

The story is told through the viewpoint of Dana, a young woman stuck in a small town wit Quick review for a progressive read. Katie Cotugno's "Fireworks" was a struggle for me to read in places, but in the end, I'm glad I read it, especially considering the turns it took in the story. The ending was bittersweet and not quite the impression and direction I thought it would go given the beginnings of the story. Yet even saying that, I'll admit I struggled to hold interest in the novel for a while.

The story is told through the viewpoint of Dana, a young woman stuck in a small town with a mother who drinks too much, a job that ended upon her graduation, and a struggle to decide how to escape what seems an inevitable future. Dana's best friend Olivia seems to have everything that Dana doesn't: a supportive family, a college career, and a chance to go to be a part of a pop group in what seems to be like an X-Factor music competition. Olivia begs Dana to accompany her to the competition, but Dana gets the shock of her life when she's asked to be a part of the group after an impromptu competition. Alongside a budding relationship with a guy that's a part of rising boy band maintained by the same manager, things seem to be going well in Dana's circles despite rivalries with her group and rising tensions between herself and her best friend as the practices and training roll on.

One might think this is the kind of novel in which Dana is a special snowflake who gets everything she asks for (the prospective accidental singing career, the boy, the supportive best friend through thick and thin with some moments of emotional tension, etc.) and has a talent that makes her the TCO of the work: but that would be far off the mark, especially as the novel finally hits the ground running in a different direction after the midpoint of the novel. I appreciated that it wasn't so predictable and unrealistic as to paint Dana as a practically perfect underdog heroine. She was selfish and immature on many fronts, but the novel showcases places where she makes mistakes, growing and learning from those decisions/interactions on her own accord. Her emotions are palpable to the encounters/betrayals/relationships she has.

Like Cotugno's other novel "99 Days", the decisions and interactions between the characters aren't so much glorified as they are put into perspective relative to the interactions and passions of the characters within. For another point against the narrative, though, I felt an odd sense of detachment throughout the novel that kept it from being a more meaningful experience for me. For one, the pacing was very slow and the setup in the beginning is so cliche ridden and predictable that it was hard for me to feel invested in Dana's experience. I mean, I got that she got the chance of a lifetime, something that seemed to offer an out to the downcast spiral her life seemed to be. Dana's character, I understood, was incredibly passive and going with the flow, being the odd woman out among vocalists - including Olivia - who had been training their entire lives for the opportunity in this 90s-era singing competition (the novel takes place in the late 90s when boybands/girlbands are all the rage. There are spot references to frame the era, but they're not superfluous. I'd argue that they also weren't as immersive as they could've been, though.)

Dana's narration through the novel is at an odd distance and lacks a passion/immersion that I would've thought could've grown with each experience she had with respect to her experiences in Orlando. The romance in this wasn't poorly done for intent, but again - I felt like I couldn't fully invest in it because of the way it was presented: telling more than it showed. The showcasing of the competition and relationships within was weirdly mechanical in dictation and I wish it could've been more intimate and invested.

The latter part of the novel was actually when I finally became invested as I watched the interactions between Dana and Olivia move in some fluctuating high and low tensions, ultimately culminating in something that was less than ideal. I had a feeling it would likely turn out that way after a point, but I was still surprised. I liked the direction, but I didn't like the execution, and I almost wish that Olivia could've had a narrative perspective to see what she thought on the other end of the events that transpired in this story (because I feel like that would've held my attention by being a different take).

In the end, it was an okay novel, but not really one that I loved from Cotugno. I feel like it could've had much better execution for the intent and premise.

Overall score: 3/5 stars. ...more

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Jun 01, 2017 Brittany S. rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley-edelweiss, ya, audiobook, from-pub-listening-library, contemp-realistic-ya, 2017, time-period-80s-90s-2k

Initial Impressions 6/1/17 and full review as posted on The Book Addict's Guide 6/5/17: 3.5 stars
Heads up, talking about specifics so there will be SPOILERS.

This book wasn't quiiiite what I thought it would be and that was okay but there were things that just didn't quite fit. I liked Dana a lot but it never really felt right for her to be a part of this pop star world. I feel like it would have been a little different if there had been an expressed interest in singing before she took Olivia to Initial Impressions 6/1/17 and full review as posted on The Book Addict's Guide 6/5/17: 3.5 stars
Heads up, talking about specifics so there will be SPOILERS.

This book wasn't quiiiite what I thought it would be and that was okay but there were things that just didn't quite fit. I liked Dana a lot but it never really felt right for her to be a part of this pop star world. I feel like it would have been a little different if there had been an expressed interest in singing before she took Olivia to her audition. It just felt so off of Dana to even enter the world of singing and show business without even wanting any part of it before she got there. Maybe that's just me as a big choir nerd not understanding how you can jump into this without a passion for music or performing... I have no idea. Not staying that you HAVE to have experience in order to get into the music industry but trying to think about it as someone who was only a part of choir was overwhelming, not to mention voice lessons, dance lessons, and all of the show biz type stuff that you have to do. I don't know... I just felt like Dana didn't belong there, which I guess was the point, but it felt wrong to take that opportunity away from someone else just because she wanted to get out of her town. There are so many people who have that DREAM and while she may have been a natural performer, I don't know... It just didn't click for me and I actually was not rooting for her to make it in the industry. It really bothered me throughout the whole book and despite the fact that she was actually putting a great effort forth to grow and listen and perform... I still didn't think that was the right place for her and I knew it the whole time.
Aside from that, let's not even tap into the fact that four girls are chosen for this girl group and out of four in the whole country, Dana is selected ALONG WITH her best friend, even when she sings Happy Birthday and... that's it. No other auditioning process? No other callback? No tests to see if she even knows how to read music or if she's a good dancer or if she doesn't have an attitude, etc etc etc?? I 100% understand selecting someone for their star quality but people aren't selected because of that alone. There has to be something else going there to make someone think they can turn that person into a star and that the work is going to be worth it. They flat-out didn't see enough of Dana to even know that.

The friend thing bothered me too. One of the reasons I loved Open Road Summer so much was the fact that the best friends were supportive and things didn't get catty. One was the star, one was not, and it wasn't a competition. I didn't like that Olivia sort of abandoned her best friend for the other girls because they had more experience and were, for lack of a better word, cooler than Dana was. I didn't like that this book pitted the two best friends against each other and then Olivia stabbed Dana in the back!!! Ugh UGH UGH. I couldn't stand that.

I also just had more hope that this was going to have some more 90s/early 2000s type feelings with all of those shows like Making the Band and Popstars. That was what I immediately went to when I heard the girls were going to audition for a girl group and there were some feelings of it there but I would have loved to get a little more of that feel. There wasn't much of a time era feel aside from music references, which I would have loved to see more of because HELLO 90S, like the best time ever (ha)! There wasn't that nostalgia that I had hoped for at all.

There were other feelings I got from this book though, in so many ways. I actually felt a lot of Center Stage because of all of the industry moments and things we got to see that happen in closed-door meetings. People get cut from groups, deals are made, people get stabbed in the back, images are created. I also felt some That Thing You Do! and Selena with some of those musical moments about trying to get your music out there and be heard, so that was a fun feeling.

The book was entertaining but I feel like I had a totally different image going in. FIREWORKS is a cute title for it but the cover is pretty misleading for what the book is about (despite the fact that I love it). Things were not really fun and friendly... they were kind of catty. And the fireworks were a small part of the book although related to kind of a big concept. I feel like it made the book seem so much lighter and easy-going and it was intense show business work!

When it comes down to it, I enjoyed the read and it was quick but I can't quite give it four stars because I didn't feel like Dana ever fit into this world and it stuck out to me the whole time. I just felt like everyone was forcing her into that role even though SHE knew it wasn't the right place for her either, even if she did have that star-quality. It made it hard for me to root for her to succeed because I didn't feel like even she wanted it. ...more

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Jun 09, 2017 Jenna rated it it was ok

Shelves: read-2017

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

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Jul 31, 2018 Jaye Berry rated it did not like it

Shelves: contemporary, ya, 2018

Well I know not to pick up a book by this author again.

Fireworks is about a girl named Dana and her best friend Olivia leaving their hometown for a shot of being pop stars. Dana's dream isn't stardom- it's just a way out of her town with her alcoholic mom. Olivia has dreamed of this her entire life and Dana joining her should have been a bonus. That is until Dana is the girl that is picked out as being special, and they have to go against each other for a single touring spot. Soon Dana is fallin Well I know not to pick up a book by this author again.

Fireworks is about a girl named Dana and her best friend Olivia leaving their hometown for a shot of being pop stars. Dana's dream isn't stardom- it's just a way out of her town with her alcoholic mom. Olivia has dreamed of this her entire life and Dana joining her should have been a bonus. That is until Dana is the girl that is picked out as being special, and they have to go against each other for a single touring spot. Soon Dana is falling for a boy in a fellow group and her friendship with Olivia is suffering.

It's bad, okay? I'm sorry but it is. I can't think of anything good to say so I'm just going to move on with that. The writing was like, so annoying like, I don't know why everyone talked like this or whatever but like, they did. I thought a setting of late 1990s in the boy/girl band craze would have been interesting but it was never really a thing. I know the times weren't that wild from now but this book could have said it took place today and nothing would have changed.

The main part of the book is supposed to be Dana and Olivia's friendship and how close they are and how important they are to each other in the situation of this fight for stardom. Uh no. I've never seen such a crappy and backstabbing friendship. Early on I realized that all of the characters in this book were awful, even our heroine of the story Dana. Maybe the romance could have spiced it up but.... no. It was boring and the guy was just so perfect, supporting, and everything Dana ever dreamed for. He had no personality besides what he felt about Dana. But don't worry, you get to hear about how attractive Dana is all the time.

Throw in some weird eating disorder that was handled so badly that I wonder why it was even in here, an alcoholic parent that had about 3 pages total only to never be seen again, and a really bad ending that made me more angry than I should have been, and I think I'm done talking about this book.

Maybe this authors other books are better but my favorite thing about this one is how I get to unhaul it now. ...more

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Apr 15, 2017 Kristin Hackett (SuperSpaceChick) rated it really liked it

Originally posted on Super Space Chick:

Personal Thoughts: As I may have (definitely) mentioned, Katie Cotugno is one of my favorite contemporary YA authors. In fact, she’s definitely in the top three. I love her words to pieces so when I heard that her newest novel would be set in Orlando in the 1990’s during the boy band craze, I couldn’t possibly be more on board. And the cover! And the endpapers! While Fireworks didn’t end up being my new favorite of her’s (the number one spot still belongs t ...more

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May 28, 2020 Sara marked it as dnf

I always feel bad dnf-ing a book because so much hard work and talent has gone into writing/publishing the book. However, with this one I decided to stop while I was ahead.

I dnf-ed at 25%. I think that's a fair assessment of the book and enough to make a decision about it. At where I was at the book, it was probably going to get 3 stars, but I could tell that if I kept reading it then I would've dropped it down to 2 stars. Also, I shot my shot yesterday and got rejected to so I really wasn't in I always feel bad dnf-ing a book because so much hard work and talent has gone into writing/publishing the book. However, with this one I decided to stop while I was ahead.

I dnf-ed at 25%. I think that's a fair assessment of the book and enough to make a decision about it. At where I was at the book, it was probably going to get 3 stars, but I could tell that if I kept reading it then I would've dropped it down to 2 stars. Also, I shot my shot yesterday and got rejected to so I really wasn't in the mood to continue reading a romance novel.

I know that when reading there's supposed to be a suspension of disbelief. Plus, what happened in the novel is totally possible (sometimes). The main girl (I forgot her name. I think it's Dana? I'll just call her Dana) accompanied her friend Olivia to an audition and got chosen even though she didn't audition. I know that's totally possible, it's how the boy who played the main character in the movie Little Boy got cast. But I do think there was something fundamentally different about why they got cast even though they didn't audition. Reportedly, the little boy got cast because the director saw him and the little boy just gave off the right "innocent child" vibes (that's my own words btw). I don't know much else besides that, but that's very different than Dana getting selected. The casting director stormed out screaming about how everyone is wasting his time, he targets Dana and asks if she's auditioning and when she says no he's like "WELL WHY THE HELL NOT?!" So he basically forces Dana to audition even though she didn't want to. She sings "Happy Birthday" but she says her voice cracked while singing it. She does the dance audition, and then for some reason she's chosen.

Suspension of disbelief and all that, but what? If there's more talented girls there then why would they chose Dana? This book also does 2 really annoying things:
1) It's constantly like, "Dana is poor. She is trapped by her life. Her friend is rich. The friend can and should help."
2) It constantly complained about people with actual equipment and clothes designed for performance and dance. What I mean by that is that Olivia (I think that's her name) is like, "Ugh, they're all total snobs" when talking about girls who have dance clothes and shoes and stuff. It's kinda like, yeah, some girls may own all this stuff just for the name and stuff, but others own it because they are passionate about the art and can afford it. It was kinda like if people who use Artist's Loft markers were constantly complaining about people who use Copic markers. They're both good and do what they're supposed to. Just because some people can afford Copics doesn't mean they're snobs, they're utilizing what's availible to them and what's in their price range.

And to relate those two points back to the whole thing of Dana getting cast, it was just weird. It felt very much like a deus ex machina but it didn't make sense. It was like the author was saying, "Wow, Dana has such a crappy life. I wonder what would happen if she was handed not-poverty on a silver platter." And I'm not trying to be rude or blunt here, because I know that many people struggle financially and in other areas of life. I don't want to minimize that problem. I'm just saying that the author seemed to use Dana's home life as an excuse for Dana getting cast and for Dana to agree to it.

Dana and Olivia's relationship was interesting. They're best friends but one is going to leave soon (until she doesn't because, you know, the plot of the book). Olivia has anorexia (I think) and their whole friend group knows that, but they don't do anything about it. If I remember correctly, this is also a relapse because she'd gone to counseling before but then relapsed. Now, I've never had a friend with an eating disorder (that I know of anyway) so I can't confidently say, "This is what I would do" and I will not say, "This is what they should do." But I am a little concerned that her friends don't seem more concerned? Yes, Dana will prompt Olivia by saying stuff like, "Aren't you hungry?" or "Do you want some of my fries?" but at the beginning of the book Dana also says something like, "Olivia's shirt showed her collarbones. They looked sharp. Almost too sharp" (I don't remember the exact wording). Also, they all refuse to tell Olivia's mom or any other adult. Even though I didn't finish the book, I'm guessing that Olivia's condition gets worse. I'm also going to guess that it's because Alex "chooses" Dana over Olivia and Olivia has had a crush on him for years. That's just my guess anyway (remember, I didn't finish the book).

One more thing that discouraged me from continuing the book was the writing style. Something just felt...off? The book takes place in the 90s and I was not alive so obviously I can't really understand the culture and the atmosphere of the time, but something just felt off about the book. The vibes were a mix of the 90s and the 2010s. Also, the character dialogue was trippy. For the most part, they spoke like teens but every now and then the characters would say some really fancy word that straight up sounded like it was from the SAT. But then again, who knows. Maybe students in the 90s casually peppered their speech with SAT words. It was just weird and it didn't vibe right.

Like I said, I always feel bad dnf-ing a book. But this time, I didn't dnf it out of rage, but rather more out of sadness and disinterest. I'm sure it's a fine and dandy book, it just wasn't fine and dandy for me. ...more

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Feb 19, 2020 Lisa (Remarkablylisa) rated it it was ok

Shelves: feb-2020

I'm going to give this a 2.5 because the end was very unsatisfactory. Katie Cotugno tends to write the most problematic main characters who are deeply flawed and make a lot of bad choices or morally conflicting choices that make you wonder who you should cheer for. I saw my friends review and was very confused as to why she hated Olivia but then I finished the book and I can say that both of them are horrible people. This is not a bitter sweet ending. It's a bitter ending.

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Apr 08, 2017 Tanya (Girl Plus Books) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc, young-adult, contemporary, edelweiss

Having just graduated high school, Dana is faced with a bleak future: a lousy home life in a dead-end town. When she tags along with her best friend Olivia for an audition for a new girl group, no one is more shocked than Dana when she's chosen. Now thrust into a new situation with girls who are hungry for fame, Dana finds the bonds of friendship tested in ways it never was before.

I was excited for Fireworks because (1) I really enjoyed Cotugno's 99 Days and (2) the 90's setting screamed nostal Having just graduated high school, Dana is faced with a bleak future: a lousy home life in a dead-end town. When she tags along with her best friend Olivia for an audition for a new girl group, no one is more shocked than Dana when she's chosen. Now thrust into a new situation with girls who are hungry for fame, Dana finds the bonds of friendship tested in ways it never was before.

I was excited for Fireworks because (1) I really enjoyed Cotugno's 99 Days and (2) the 90's setting screamed nostalgia. I was well beyond the girl/boy band craze during their heyday but I still remember the time well. While the 90's vibe wasn't particularly strong, Fireworks was still a (mostly) enjoyable read.

Dana was a likable character for the most part and I empathized with her feelings of inadequacy when she compare herself to the other girls who had years of training and practice behind them. She felt as though she was the weakest link and, well, she was. And yet she seemed almost belligerent when this was pointed out or when the coaches were hard on her. Dana seemed to vascillate between "I'm only here to make some bank and stay close to my BFF" and "I'll show them, I'm going to be the best!" So her motivation seemed murky and could change chapter to chapter. Dana also seemed to have a chip on her shoulder about coming from the wrong side of the tracks and made snap judgments about others, assuming they all had charmed lives and came from perfect homes.

Dana had always been able to count on Olivia but as the competition heated up their friendship felt the strain. Instead of keeping them together, the new adventure seemed to be tearing them apart. Dana turned to boy band member Alex, who lived in the same apartment complex and was coached by the same Svengali-like producer. Even though Alex fell into the TGTBT (Too Good To Be True) category, it was impossible not to fall for his good guy charm. He was sweet and funny and genuinely supportive of Dana.

It was hard to understand why Dana was chosen to be part of the group. With no training, no experience (and apparently no real desire to perform), how did she manage to be plucked from obscurity? More than one character made reference to her having "that certain something" but I never fully understood how she managed to pull it off and what made her so special. A despite the girl band theme, there definitely wasn't any evidence of girl power. These girls turned on one another in the blink of an eye and it was all about climbing to the top.

Fireworks was interesting and entertaining but overall a pretty middle of the road read for me. I appreciated the potential but ultimately felt a disconnect with the main character.

Note: This title was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

This review was originally published at Girl Plus Books. ...more

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Jun 01, 2019 Jessica (The Psychotic Nerd) rated it it was ok

Shelves: harper, read-in-2019, released-in-2017, contemporary-realistic, read-multiple-book-series-by-author, pov-girl, historical-fiction-realistic, stand-alones, not-quite-3-stars, cover-vs-cover

This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

Actual Rating: 2.5
MY THOUGHTS
I picked this book on a whim. It was available to read and I had liked Cotugo's How to Love , so I decided to go ahead and read this one. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

Dana and Olivia have been best friends forever. When Olivia wants to go to Orlando to try out for a girl band, Dana tags along for support. But while waiting for Olivia's audition, Dana is called out to audition. She gives a BS p This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

Actual Rating: 2.5
MY THOUGHTS
I picked this book on a whim. It was available to read and I had liked Cotugo's How to Love , so I decided to go ahead and read this one. Unfortunately, this one wasn't for me.

Dana and Olivia have been best friends forever. When Olivia wants to go to Orlando to try out for a girl band, Dana tags along for support. But while waiting for Olivia's audition, Dana is called out to audition. She gives a BS performance--after all, Olivia is the performer, not Dana--but then Dana gets the call that she made the group. Olivia made it all well and while it sounds like it will all be fun and games, hanging out with her best friend, Olivia starts to distance herself from Dana. Dana cannot sing as well as the other girls and Olivia makes it known that Olivia should be the star and Dana is "stealing" from here. Also, Dana keeps bumping into Alex, one of the members of a boy band living in the same complex. The problem: Olivia has a crush on Alex. And, to make matters worse, it turns out there may only be room for one girl in the band.

This book is not bad, it's just not the type of book I would normally read. I didn't read the synopsis before picking this book up. If I did I might've decided to pass on it because it just says drama drama drama. I'm also not the biggest fan of books about becoming a celebrity. It could be interesting, but it usually goes in the drama direction. I like books featuring female friendships, but this book was mainly focused on a female friendship being torn about by drama. Drama just stresses me out and I definitely don't need any more stress.

This book takes place in the late '90s and that was one of the things that I thought was done well in this book. A lot of YA books I read that take place in recent decades go overboard on the pop culture references which ends up becoming less believable. Despite the music scene in this book, it wasn't overly peppered with pop culture references which made it easier to get into the setting. While the setting felt real, the plot itself was not very realistic and there wasn't really much to it. Its main plot is Dana, Olivia, and the other girls training for the pop star lifestyle. The scenes just went so quickly and there wasn't really much interest in their lifestyle because a lot of it was hardcore voice lessons, dancing, interviews, etc.

There was a lot of focus on Dana as she was trying to deal with this lifestyle and being called a "product". I do think there were interesting themes here that the book was trying to show. Dana always felt like Olivia was the one for the spotlight and that she would never escape her small town. When Dana had difficulty keeping up with the group, she was ostracized by the others (including Olivia), but Dana kept practicing on her own. I liked her perseverance. We're lead to believe that she has the talent and that she could do things if she sets her mind to it, but this fell flat at points. I want to believe this, but she literally got in for singing "Happy Birthday". She's told that they "saw something in her", but what did they see? Someone giving a BS performance? I honestly don't believe that someone would take in someone with absolutely no training and really did not give a crap because these folks care about money and they have to pay loads of money to train Dana without knowing it will pay off.

As for the romance, I had difficulty with the romance. Dana meets Alex by chance and then shortly after realizes that Alex is Olivia's crush. She keeps saying to herself that she has to stop talking to Alex because of Olvia, but she's not true to that. She even tells Alex that she can't be with him because a friend likes him. Alex thinks that is ridiculous and continues to pursue her after she says no. Yeah, I realize that Alex wants to choose who he likes and yeah, Dana does like Alex, but I did not like how he kept forcing a relationship after Dana kept telling him that she couldn't. It did not seem respectful to me. As I said, I don't like drama and the whole romance thing just seemed to add drama, some of which was entirely avoidable. I also just had difficulty understanding why Dana could not step back from Alex and I just really wanted her and Olivia to actually talk to each other about things!

IN CONCLUSION
Overall, this was a meh book for me. I actually think some of these ideas could have been interesting, but the plot just did not feel there at times and there was too much drama. The ending itself also was unsatisfactory and did not make sense (view spoiler). I may read more from Katie Cotugno in the future but I may be pickier about which books I read by her. ...more

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Jun 15, 2017 Stephanie rated it it was ok

So this was strictly a nostalgia read for me, although I'm sad to say the (surprisingly few) references to mid/late-90's pop culture weren't nearly enough to salvage what ended up being a disappointing read on multiple fronts.

Let me start with what I did like:

*The '90's vibe. It was nice seeing references to Alanis Morissette, TLC, and other popular artists/songs I listened to in high school and college.

*Cotugno's writing style. Simply put, I like it. A lot.

Unfortunately, I disliked just about ...more

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Apr 15, 2017 Meliss rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: pub-harpercollins, own-and-read, acquired-in-2017, read-in-2017

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

I loved Katie Cotugno's other novels. They're about teenagers in uncomfortable, polarizing scenarios. Like cheating or teenage pregnancy. They are stories about love and forgiveness. They make you think hard about what it would be like to live in their shoes and wonder how you would deal with the hardship.

Fireworks is nothing her other books. And I was disappointed. It felt less complex. It lacked the uniqueness or something. I wasn't as emotionally invested in the charac ...more

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About Katie Cotugno

Katie Cotugno

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Katie Cotugno is the New York Times bestselling author of messy, complicated, feminist love stories. She studied Writing, Literature and Publishing at Emerson College and received her MFA in Fiction at Lesley University.

Katie is a Pushcart Prize nominee whose work has appeared in The Iowa Review, The Mississippi Review, and Argestes, among others.

The great loves of her life include child's pose, ...more