Jessica Martinez

I had honestly never heard of Virtuosity, and I initially began reading this book simply because I play violin. I thought it would be more about the music, but I was instantly sucked in by the plot. While a sappy, predictable, boy-meets-girl type of romance, the main character's internal conflict was the main focus, It was an easy read, yet is still gripping and heart-wrenching. I read this book in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down! But I definitely highly recommend this to anyone looking for a good, quick read and it is something I would definitely re-read.… (meer)

Egalley thanks to Simon & Schuster

Absolutely beautiful book!

I usually stay away from contemporary romance be that adult or YA literature, but I always make exception for books about dancers or musicians. They fascinate me.

I read this book in one go. The writing sucks you right in, the pace is breathtaking and totally engrossing.

Carmen is a very likable character who is n the verge of breaking under her mother's demands and unbearable pressure of music competition. She is a child prodigy, who toured around the world playing as a solo violinist in the most prestigious venues for years.

She also started suffering from anxiety and panic attacks few years ago. And what did her ambitious mother do? Put her on Inderal instead of helping her with the therapy.

Now, off topic - I've worked in the pharmacy mainly dealing with psychiatric hospitals and rehabs, I also wrote quite a few articles on anxiety and depression. There are a lot of wonderful therapies, like cognitive-behavioral therapy which helps dealing with anxiety. Drugs just suppress it, but the causes of your problem stay until you learn to deal with them.

So whatever Carmen's mother was doing was destroying the girl's life. Until she met her adversary and main competitor, a brilliant violinist Jeremy.

These two were wonderful for each other, snarky and paranoid in the beginning, they got together on a dare, defying Carmen's mother and with the ulterior motives on Jeremy's side.
But what Jeremy did for Carmen is showed her that she forgot the joy music brought her without her drugs, how it used to make her feel alive.

Meeting Jeremy made Carmen re-evaluate what's important and take a step towards being independent, defy her mother and her teacher, and just live.

I loved her courage, her struggle to do what's right. Jeremy was just as complicated and multi-layered. He, um-m reminded me of Alex Pettyfer in Wild Child - cocky, but nice.

I loved that these two saw music in each other, but the romance wasn't the driving force in this book, - finding one's way was.… (meer)

This is an great story! From the very first chapter I was intrigued by what surrounded Valentina yet she didn’t know.

Plot: This is about a girl who finds out her father is not who he says he is. She runs away only to discover more secrets. One thing that really pulled me into this plot was Valentina herself. She was blissfully unaware of her fathers actions and left so thinking she was done for. The plot carries this deep power struggle of facing her past as well as what she can do for her future.

Friendship/Love: This area totally caught me by surprise because I thought this was a safe haven for Valentina. After discovering so much about her life, truly this area has to be good for her. Instead it bit her…bad. It crept up on me since I was so caught up with Valentina and her discovering her fathers secrets. I honestly didn’t second guess it and even fell for every word he said.

Ending: I like the ending. After coming to a conclusion, Valentina takes matters into her own hands. Which I really enjoyed. I liked seeing her prove everyone wrong. She took what power she had left and made it work for her. You go girl!

This is a spectacular story that completely captured me. I really enjoyed the secrets, the action as well as the development of Valentina.… (meer)

Seventeen-year-old Carmen has always been obsessed with playing the violin. It’s her life and breath. She is nothing without it, which is why she has to be the best. After being discovered as a child prodigy, her whole life has revolved around touring, concerts, recordings, lessons, and planning everything around her next competition. Read the rest of my review on my blog: http://shouldireaditornot.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/virtuosity-jessica-martinez/… (meer)