Monday, October 17, 2011

Review: Virtuosity by Jessica Martinez


Title:Virtuosity
Author:Jessica Martinez
Publisher:Simon & Schuster
Imprint:Simon Pulse
Pub. Date:10/18/2011
ISBN:1442420529 (ISBN13: 9781442420526)
Pages:304




Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better?
Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.
Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall....

(Summary and cover via Goodreads)

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Carmen is a child prodigy on the violin. She's had world tour, CDs, even a Grammy. The last thing she needs to really make it is the prestigious Guarneri prize. She really only has one person to worry about beating her, and when she hears him play she becomes quite worried. However, when Jeremy, the other violin player, e-mails her out of nowhere, things take an interesting twist. Soon Carmen and Jeremy are spending more time together, and Carmen's mom is not pleased. Carmen will have to decide who she's playing for and why she plays. Her decisions could change her life forever.

I enjoyed this book a lot! I found the contrast between Carmen and Jeremy fascinating. Who has it better? The one who has more natural talent but has everything handed to them? Or the one who has to fight for everything because of their passion for music? Somewhere in the middle of becoming violin famous, Carmen has forgotten about her love of music. I wanted so much for her to be able to rediscover her passion for playing. Although Jeremy was competitive, he was still very nice. Not perfect by any means, but someone who will certainly have readers swooning.

I was honestly surprised with where the plot ended up going. There were some twists and turns that made the book even more exciting. Through it all you really feel the author's passion for music. This was translated so well throughout the book. I highly recommend this book. It's an interesting study on music, competition, romance, and true motivations.

Galley provided for review.

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