Battle of the Bands by Ashley Poston, Ashley Woodfolk, Brittany Cavallaro, Eric Smith, Jasmine Warga, Jay Coles, Jeff Zentner, Jenn Marie Thorne, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Justin Courtney Pierre, Katie Cotugno, Lauren Gibaldi, Preeti Chhibber, Sarah Nicole Smetana, Sarvenaz Taghavian, Shaun David Hutchinson
on September 7, 2021
ISBN: 1536214337
Pages: 320
Genres: Realistic Fiction, Romance, Short Stories
Format: Fiction
Goodreads

Battle of the Bands is a clever idea for an anthology; fifteen high school age bands are competing to be the best in a New Jersey high school auditorium. Each band, or more accurately, a band member from each band has story to tell and they intertwine as we get glimpses into other stories. The book is inclusive and full of (mostly) likable characters. Unfortunately, most of the stories revolve around romantic entanglements. I wanted to know more about  the music, and while some of the stories did focus on it, overall the bands  and music were outweighed by all of the relationship drama. Even my favorite chapter, one about the people running the sound and lighting, had to awkwardly include a crush sub-plot.  Not a must-have, but it will probably circulate.

Reviewed by Sarah Maciejewski, Patten Free Library, Bath