The Quirky Bookworm

There is a public library near where I live that I just love. There is a calming pervasiveness inside the building that drowns out noise from outside. As I’m lazily browsing the new fiction shelf, my eyes are drawn to a book spine. The color is vibrant, and the title is intriguing. I keep browsing, and my eyes keep returning to the same book. I pick up the copy of Girls with Bad Reputations, wondering what the novel could possibly be about. Was it a novel about teenage girls gone wild? Perhaps a group of women that bonded together on exhaustion of life and relationships so decide to toss all cares to the wind? A Sweet Magnolias without the sweet? I read the summary and find out it’s about a strong woman named Kayla whose fighting her way in the world through music, and in the process finds a new relationship with her bus driver, Ty. Their relationship faces intense scrutiny from the press, and leaves Kayla wondering if stardom is worth the sacrifice. The summary draws me in, and I decide to take the copy home with me.

I Google the author, Xio Axelrod, and discover that Girls with Bad Reputations is book #2 in a series, and also find a social media post from Axelrod letting all her readers know that The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes, #1 in the series, is now available on Kindle Unlimited. I decided to download and begin there.

Axelrod’s main character, Antonia, is well written and personable. She’s strong, smart, and talented. Axelrod grew up in the recording industry and is now a musician, so she is able to write from personal experience on the challenges musicians face when breaking into a competitive, often cruel, industry. I not only was entertained by the novel, yet also felt I was learning based upon the writer’s knowledge of the music industry. Axelrod’s character development is excellent for all of the characters in the novel, not just Antonia. Each character kept me engaged throughout the entire novel.

I’ve started reading the second novel in the series, Girls with Bad Reputations, and am enjoying the novel just as much. I’m so appreciative that I found her novel at the library.

I recommend her novels for readers that are fans of romance, enjoy rich character development and a curiosity to learn more about the music industry.

About the Author

Xio Axelrod is a bestselling author of contemporary fiction and talented musician. For more information, visit the author’s website at https://xioaxelrod.com/.