A few weeks ago, on my drive home from work, I heard the solo releases of four of the former One Direction guys and was not sad about it. I am absolutely streaming ABC’s Boy Band as I write this. And anyone who says they didn’t dream about running into “the shy one” (yes, 2ge+her is on the playlist) and having him fall in love with them is a dirty liar. Shoot, I still wouldn’t turn most of them down (sorry, B).
So, of course there is a very special place in my heart for the books about boys in bands. Here are just a few that I’ve enjoyed; you must listen to *NSYNC while you read them. (And stay tuned for when this boy band fan goes to Riot Fest for the first time in September. It should be a delightful mess!)
Stage Dive Series by Kylie Scott
We’ve told you about Stage Dive before, but they deserve to be shared again because they are my FAVORITE. Seriously. I’ve been wanting to reread them for ages and need to just buy them so I can finally decide which of the boys are my favorite. In the four book series, we get a woke-up-married-to-a-stranger story, a fall-in-love-with-my-fake-girlfriend story, a love-to-hate-you story, and an accidental-pregnancy story. In other words, everything would could ever need.
The Heartbreakers Chronicles by Ali Novak
Ali Novak is one of those lucky souls that was discovered sharing her stories on Wattpad. When she was 15. In the first book of this YA series, The Heartbreakers follows Stella as she wins the eye of the lead singer of her sister’s favorite band, The Heartbreakers — a band that she loathes, As a budding photographer, Stella is invited to tour with the band as their official photo blogger, eventually taking the first member of the notoriously single band. The second book in the series, Paper Hearts, was just released in paperback at the beginning of July (since being on Wattpad, it has been completely reworked). Here we follow Felicity as she takes a road trip to deal with her broken family with her two best friends and Alec, the Heartbreaker’s bassist (Yes, they play their own instruments. Think more 5 Seconds of Summer, less Backstreet Boys). There is no word yet on when/if the books about the two remaining Heartbreaker’s will arrive, but we can hope it is soon.
Kill the Boy Band by Goldie Moldavsky
Four Fangirls accidentally kidnap “the ugly one” from their favorite boyband, The Ruperts, in this dark YA comedy. There are the typical hijinks that occur when three basically-good girls are roped into a devious plan by the fourth. It is perfect for both a nostalgic trip to your teen years and as a reminder that it is a good thing to have been in college when Facebook launched so that 1) you had to go to the grocery store to get your celeb gossip and 2) there isn’t a digital record of your obsessions. And if you want some real fun, take a look at the reviews from the fangirls who take the book way too seriously while you sip your wine because you are an adult and you can.
Where She Went by Gayle Forman
If you read If I Stay around when it was a big a few years ago (please don’t judge it on its movie), Where She Went is the sequel and, quite frankly, way better than the original (which was only a little better than mediocre). Taking place three years later and from Adam’s point of view, Adam is now a quickly rising music star and even bigger tabloid star. But, this is not a light, bad-boy-sees-the-light-when-the-good-girl-comes-back book. No. This book is an emotional ride that made even me ugly cry and go through a half a box of tissue. If you are the kind of person who uses books for therapy (I can’t be the only one), this is the book that will help you deal with any lingering heartbreak.
Tell me, what would you add to the list? More importantly, which boy bands have you gone to see lately? Which would you still pay to see?
