I’m excited to share a great review of Leaving the Beach today from gpangel at the ClueReview Blog.

You can read the entire review here.

Or, if you’re in a hurry, here’s my favorite excerpt:

I thought this book was awesome. Pop culture mixed in with some very heavy issues wouldn’t seem like a winning combination, but it was perfect. There really was a time when people looked for deeper meanings in music and it touched lives in a profound way. I knew people that could talk for hours about an album or a singer or guitarist or lyrics. So, Erin’s obsessions may seem over the top for some today, but back then it wasn’t all that crazy. Yes, Erin was over the top and certainly showed signs of mental instability. However, the book touched on a time when there were a lot of Erin’s out there and not just those that became obsessed with rock stars but it was also a time when eating disorders were being addressed in the media for the first time and a lot misfit girls like Erin derived a feeling of control and even comfort from food. We are certainly not the same people today. Album oriented FM radio, transistor radios, albums and even CD’s are a thing of the past. So, are profound musical lyrics and soul searing guitarist and lost is the great harmonious groups that could actually carry a tune and play an instrument. So, this story is one of nostalgia, of music, of obsession and self delusion, but also of an awakening and finding what really matters most in life. 

Thank you, gpangel for taking the time to read Leaving the Beach and to review it so thoroughly. I’m so glad you liked the book!