Rock Star, Superstar by Blake Nelson

High school junior Pete has always been a straight arrow. He’s a smokin’ bass player, but he likes the notes to stay on the page, and no improvising, please. Pete believes that control and precision are what define “good” music. Until he joins up with the Carlisle brothers and their band, The Tiny Masters of Today. Billy Carlisle is a complete improvised terror on the mic, and he and Pete are constantly at each other’s throats. But somehow, someway, the music they make is amazing, even if it never is quite the same song twice. As their local reputation grows, the guys find themselves being hailed as bona fide rock stars, complete with hot girl groupies and record deals in the making. But can Pete handle school, his growing relationship with his quirky girlfriend, Margaret, and being in one of the coolest garage bands in Portland? This book is not for you if you loved Rachel Cohn’s Pop Princess, or Meg Cabot’s Teen Idol, or are glued to the TV set when Simon Cowell speaks. This book is for those who dig bands like The White Stripes, Pearl Jam, Nirvana or even the old school G & R (before Axl got all Botoxed) and wonder what it was like for those guys when they were first getting started. I have a feeling that it was a little like this perfect gem of a book. All music aside, this is also one of the finest books I’ve ever read about the development of a romantic teen relationship (between Pete and Margaret) that depicts it like it really is. This book rocks, HARD!