MIA AND THE BAD BOY (Backstage Pass #2) by Lisa Burstein-a review
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ABOUT THE SERIES: Five guys thought winning a making-of-the-band reality TV show would be the pinnacle of their career…until their band scored a sell-out stadium tour and became the hottest group in the country. Trying to keep their personal lives out of the tabloids while they maneuver media near-disasters and dodge rabid fans leaves little time for romance—not that their manager would allow it anyway.
But maybe, if their luck holds out, a summer on the road might lead each guy to that one girl he’s been waiting his whole life to sing for…if fame doesn’t get in the way.
Join The Heartthrob, The Bad Boy, The Big Brother, The Shy Guy, and The Cute One as they hit the road in search of their one true love. Could it be you?
About the book: Release Date May 19,2015
This good girl’s about to meet her match…
Ryder Brooks is living the dream—he’s famous, loved by millions of girls, and miserable. All he really wants is to write his own music, not Seconds to Juliet’s sugary sweet pop. In order to do that, though, the “bad boy” of the band will have to play by the rules. And that includes behaving with his new—and super cute—über-good-girl tutor.
Mia Reyes is in fangirl heaven. Tutoring her favorite member of her favorite band? It’s a dream come true…until it turns into a complete nightmare. Ryder is nothing like she thought. He’s crude, arrogant, and pretty much a total jerk. And the worst part? She’s roped into pretending to be his girlfriend so that no one finds out he’s being tutored. Fake kisses, plenty of PDA, and even sharing his hotel room…
But sometimes even the baddest of bad boys needs a little redemption.
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REVIEW: MIA AND THE BAD BOY is the second installment in Entangled Teen Crush’s contemporary, young adult Backstage Pass romance series focusing on the boy band Seconds to Juliet. Each installment will be written by a different author focusing on a different member of the band. This is seventeen year old bad boy rocker Ryder Brooks and sixteen year old Mia Reyes’s storyline.
Told from third person perspective MIA AND THE BAD BOY follows shy, quiet, nerd girl Mia as she is hired to tutor Ryder Brooks for his high school GED. Ryder has kept secret his failure to complete high school ( among other things) and in this Mia is hired by the band’s manager to help prepare Ryder for his final test. Without alerting the media or the other members of the band, Ryder suggests Mia pose as his girlfriend in the hopes of fending off the nosy paparazzi who make it their business to uncover everything about the band. What ensues is a quick build up of friends to lovers between a bad boy, and a good girl who is afraid to do anything wrong. But Ryder hides another an even bigger secret and when the truth is revealed, Ryder accuses Mia of betrayal and breaking his heart.
The relationship between Mia and Ryder begins as employer and employee. Ryder is desperate to complete his GED in the hopes of attending a prestigious music college and Mia is the last in a long line of tutors who must get past Ryder’s bad boy ways. When our couple must make public their relationship, what was once pretend becomes something more; something real. Because MIA AND THE BAD BOY is a young adult storyline, the lone $ex scene is implied and fades to black.
The secondary and supporting characters include all of the members of SECONDS TO JULIET as well as the band’s smarmy manager LJ Pearl. There is a mention, in the story, as it alludes to the real-life boy band NSYNC and in this, the series reflects some of the issues encountered by JT and the boys with their own success and controlling business manager. From a ‘making of the band’ type scenario to worldwide success, the comparisons are many including the name of the band’s manager which is too close to NSYNC’s original manager Lou Pearlman. There is a slight One Direction feel to the boy band make up as well.
MIA AND THE BAD BOY is a quick and easy read without the usual drama of the YA triangle –thank goodness. The characters are engaging and animated; the storyline interesting and predictable but familiar. There is little to no foul language; and no suggestive or graphic imagery. If you are a fan of the YA storyline, you may enjoy MIA AND THE BAD BOY and the Backstage Pass series, but saying that, the storyline is geared to a younger reader, perhaps teen girls who thrive on the boy band phenomenon.
READING ORDER
1. Aimee and the Heartthrob by Ophelia London (April 2015)
2. Mia and the Bad Boy by Lisa Burstein (May 2015)
3. Daisy and the Front Man by Rebekah Purdy
4. Anya and the Shy Guy by Suze Winegardner
5. Abby and the Cute One by Erin Butler
Copy supplied by the publisher (Entangled Teen Crush)
Reviewed by Sandy