Off the Record

Off the Record was so much fun. I'm a big music buff, so it was fun to read all the "fake" articles about Teddy Rock when he was a big star, and then watch him try to make a come back. Jane was someone who was likeable, if flawed, and I liked how Teddy's attempt to come back paralleled Jane's own realization that maybe she needs to make a sort of come back, too. Jane's family and her friends rounded out the story to create a really fun book.

With the dancing girl on the cover, I sort of expected a rock n' roll romp type of story, but that's not what I got at all. I was prepared for Jane to be the good girl who always did what was expected of her, but I got a lot more. I always got the feeling she cared for her friends and family, and when Teddy showed up I liked that he made her life a mess. But even more so than Teddy, I liked that there were different types of things going on so the story didn't revolve around the rock star (coming to terms with her dad's death, shooting for partnership, attraction to a co-worker even though she knows better, a brother who is the opposite of her) even though that seemed to force Jane to make a choice of what kind of person she wanted to be. I really liked this book and thought it was a lot of fun.

What would you do if you found out a childhood schoolmate had named a famous love song after you? When Jane Marlowe, a highly organized lawyer about to be made partner at her firm, finds out from her brother that the kid that grew up across the street from them has written a song about her, she is confused. After all, she had never gone out with Teddy, the now-famous rock star in question. She doesn't want to believe it. After all, she likes to keep her life organized and complication-free. She doesn't have time for this. But unfortunately her brother is determined to push her into the spotlight and shed light on the fact that yes, she is the "Janey" in the song. Jane meanwhile decides one night on a whim to live it up. After all, how often is a famous love song written for you? Her life quickly turns into talk shows and interviews. But are things what they really seem? And what about Drew, the guy at her office that seems sort-of interested in her? I thoroughly enjoyed Off the Record. The characterization is excellent, the plot believable and fun, and the story line unique and refreshing. O'Connell's writing style is fast becoming one of my favorites- she has a knack for telling an excellent story with just a hint of subtle romance and uncertainty present in the background. Best of all, Jane was a great main character. She was smart, funny and quirky enough for anyone to like. Other than a tiny bit of predictability found in the story, I couldn't find much I didn't love about this book. Overall, I highly recommend this book for a fun abd thoroughly enjoyable read.

I have been wanting to read a good music chick lit novel for so long now. This one truly delivers. The characters are so funny and it takes you back in time in some ways. I felt like a college student again. I loved Janie -- she is a lot like me. This is for any music lover, or any girl who has always dreamed of breaking out of her shell and becoming a rock goddess.

This book was fantastic. From the main character who discovers, years after the fact, that she inspired a hit rock 'n roll song, to her brother who sets her up her public unveiling, the story kept me glued to the pages. The newspaper clippings at the beginning of each chapter give the reader a great and amazingly real life-like (he supposedly broke up a Julia and Keifer's engagement) glimpse into the super stardom Teddy Rock is trying to get back. Janey is sweet, smart, and funny even as she's trying to figure out her increasingly perplexing situation. Drew, a lawyer in Jane's office, adds another problem for Jane, and throughout the book I didn't know who I was rooting to win - Teddy or Drew. From the start this book is a keeper, and the ending was absolutely perfect.