Tuned Into You by Cindy Dorminy is available NOW! To celebrate, Cindy has put together a very cool swag pack, so stay tuned for more information on that! For now, let's talk Tuned...
Author: Cindy Dorminy
Genre: YA Romance
Release Date: June 21, 2016
About Tuned Into You
A summer party is the last place Lydia Flowers wants to be. Beer pong? Stupid, foot-wrecking shoes? Random hookups? No thanks. Lydia would rather be in her cleats practicing her bat handling skills.
Enter Abe Fischer, the Nashville Teen Idol superstar. He’s a lip-syncing party animal with a short fuse; or at least that’s what the tabloids say. Except, Abe turns out to be nothing like the guy Lydia’s read about online. He’s sweet, and the way he talks to his horse…sigh.
Then life throws Lydia and Abe a curveball. They are wrongfully arrested for destruction of property. Their choices? Either work on the Fischer Farm for the summer earning nothing more than blisters and a sunburn, or have the arrest go on their records, which would ruin Lydia’s shot at a softball scholarship. It’s a no-brainer. Lydia picks up a pitchfork, pulls out the SPF 40, and prepares for the worst two months of her life.
When the press gets wind of a big secret Abe’s family has been keeping, things become even more complicated. Now Lydia has another choice to make: stick around for Abe’s messed-up life in the spotlight, or go for the scholarship of her dreams.
Review
*May Contain Spoilers*
Cindy Dorminy introduces young adult readers to her novelly famous musician, Abe Fischer, in her novel Tuned Into You. He's labelled as the new bad boy of country music and is selling records like hot cakes while making the front cover of every tabloid. And he hates it, but has no clue how to change it. Except for, maybe, a summer at home, where he meets Miss Lydia Flowers.
Abe and Lydia are the two main characters of this book and they take turns telling the story. Each chapter is labelled with one of their names, as readers experience the thoughts and feelings of both of them. This gives the readers a chance to connect with each on different levels all while meeting in the middle. Abe is a pretty typical teenage boy with an atypical job. Being a famous musician at seventeen makes Abe's life pretty hard. He struggles to balance being a kid while maintaining an adult career. He also deeply struggles with his family life. Readers will definitely sympathize with Abe over his father's disapproving attitude and his loneliness. Overall, Abe is a sweet kid, but he does make some stupid mistakes when it comes to his love life. I'm sure a lot of readers will feel whiplash after he breaks up with Lydia before they even start their relationship.
Lydia Flowers is the daughter of a pastor and a lawyer and has four siblings. She comes from a family that's full of love. Lydia dreams of playing softball for the University of Georgia and has kept her head on straight for the most part. She knows where she wants to go in life and it's commendable. Readers will like Lydia's feisty attitude and loving personality. Readers will connect with both characters as they witness them falling in love for the first time in their lives. It's cute, a little sappy, but sweet combined with teenage betrayal, scary choices, and uncertainty.
The plot begins with Lydia and Abe officially meeting and getting arrested together. Lydia was at the wrong place at the wrong time, while Abe was misinformed by his best friend about the size of a "little" get together. As punishment, they have to work together on the Fischer farm everyday for no pay. But for these two teenagers, that punishment becomes paradise as their relationship blooms. However, every summer has storms. Namely, Neil Storm who keeps showing up at random places making rumors surge about Abe and his family. With all the stress, the relationship Lydia and Abe have started building suddenly becomes rocky.
Tuned Into You is a young adult novel that addresses teenage choices, family lies, and self-definition. Dorminy wraps all the tough topics into her story, reaching and connecting with her audience. The writing style is definitely for young adult readers, full of hope, teenage insults, and some adult language.
Rating: 3/5 Cups
About Cindy Dorminy
Cindy Dorminy grew up on a steady diet of popcorn (the kind you pop in a sauce pan), Tab (pre-Diet Coke), and movies for teenagers. She can’t let a day go by without quoting a line from one of her favorite films, so quirky dialogue is a must in her stories. When she’s not at her research coordinator day job, Cindy is writing funny love stories, walking her dog, or slinging iron the old-fashioned way. She shares her house with her musician husband, her awesome daughter, and a cool, four-footed child that would eat all the cheese ifshe could figure out how to open the refrigerator. Cindy is a member of Romance Writers of America and Music City Romance Writers. She resides in Nashville, TN where live music can be heard everywhere, even at the grocery store.
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