Title: Drummer Girl

Author: Ginger Scott

Genres: Mature Young Adult, #MusicLoverAlert

Release Date: July 28, 2019

Arizona Wakefield was a beat without a melody. Living a half-breathing life in a half-finished neighborhood with parents who always wore half-hearted smiles, the high school senior only had one thing that let her color outside her family’s perfectly drawn lines—her drums. 

Jesse Barringer was a song without a chorus. The son of a washed-up rock star who’s also one hell of a deadbeat dad, he was given two things from his father—musical genius and a genetic link to the bipolar disorder that drives him mad. 

One night in a garage at the end of a cul-de-sac in the middle of a bankrupt California neighborhood, Jesse’s melody found Arizona’s rhythm. An angry boy with storm-colored eyes found a blonde angel in Doc Martens with missing lines in her own story. Where her rhythm stopped, his words took over, and together, they wrote one hell of a story.

** Drummer Girl is a mature YA/New Adult romance that touches on mental health, drug abuse and includes mature sexual situations.

5 iScream Cones

“—a boy I find dizzyingly perfect despite all of his crazy. He doesn’t pretend to be something he isn’t. He’s a genius, he’s a wreck—”

I was so intrigued, dying to read this story. I’m very drawn to music-themed stories and especially to the author’s talent with touching on touchy subjects in a beautiful way. Drummer Girl was all that and more.

Arizona is not the most outgoing, but for some reason, Jesse brought out her sass. She found herself pushing her comfort levels and standing up to him, speaking with truth and conviction. How could he not notice her? She’s used to standing in the shadow of her beautiful best friend, letting her do the talking. But, he sees her…

Jesse is a troubled teen with more talent than he knows what to do with. His music is how he copes with his overactive mind. It helps him channel his thoughts and feelings…most of the time. Though sometimes the anger gets the best of him. He’s trying to put together a garage band when his new neighbor shows up and catches his attention. She feels his music and understands more than he’s comfortable with. She sees him…

I can’t express to you how much I love this story. These characters touched my heart so deeply with their pain and promise. They have so much talent and I yearned for them to get past the problems holding them back and to get a break, a chance to fulfill their dreams. Mostly, I wanted them to heal each other and provide the kind of support that only another person in their situation would understand.

I might have also committed a mental felony or two during the reading of this tale. It’s a good thing my Kindle is wearing a pretty red rubber case to protect it from my wrath. I must also give a shout out to the awesome support characters. I don’t know if this story will lead into a series or not, but I sure hope it does. The line forms here…