Merch Girl by Rebecca Lewis ~ Blog Tour

The Sarcastic Palmtree is thrilled for our stop on the Merch Girl blog tour!

Title: Merch Girl

Author: Rebecca Lewis

Date of Publication: May 1, 2013

Genre: contemporary YA romance; music

Seventeen-year-old Lacey Kind doesn’t have the guts to talk to cute boys, isn’t a size two, and would rather stay home and listen to music than go to a party. But in the summer before her first year of college, she ends up thousands of miles away from home, in the back of a tour bus, underneath the half-naked body of the hottest teen rock star in the country.

When Lacey and her best friend Trina sneak into a Boston nightclub to see their favorite band, they not only get to watch their rock gods perform for the first time, but score a chance to meet the band too. Lacey’s heart races as she comes face-to-face with her idol, nineteen-year-old lead singer, Logan Shire.

The girls charm their way into being hired to sell merchandise on Lansdowne’s first summer tour. As “merch girls” Lacey and Trina quickly find themselves transported from their ordinary, suburban life to an exhilarating few months on the road. But they soon realize that life on the road isn’t always a smooth ride...

Add to Goodreads    

Merch Girl is a fun YA novel, set in the world of Rock and Roll.  It was enjoyable to follow best friends Lacey and Trina on their way around the country with their favorite band Lansdowne.  Lansdowne is a group that is just starting to get some big attention in the music world at the time of the tour and it was fun to read as they go from city to city with the crowds getting bigger and bigger.  Who wouldn't love the chance, right after high school, to tour with their favorite band for the summer and get paid in the process?

It was fun to follow how the girls and the band end up interacting and become friends, and sometimes cases more than friends. There is plenty of drama surrounding the relationships in the book which I'm sure will make this book realistic and appealing to the YA crowd.  My favorite character in the book was Devin.  She is a blogger that is sort of a voice for the fans that the girls meet and make friends with while on tour.  I found her character added another dimension to the book and often wondered if she was to truly be trusted which kept me on my toes which I always enjoy in a book.     

Merch Girl is definitely aimed at a younger audience and while I enjoyed it, I didn't find that I would most likely read it again.  I do however think that any teenager will be thrilled to have Merch Girl in their collection to read and enjoy.  

Here is an excerpt from Merch Girl:

I turned my head to find who the voice belonged to and my body instantly froze. It was Logan Shire, and he was walking straight towards us. Even though I’d just seen him on stage, it was entirely different to see him up close. He looked too perfect; like there was absolutely no way he was part of the same species all the other males on this planet were part of. His long, shiny, dirty blonde hair was impeccably tousled, and his eyes were so bright blue that I could see them glisten, even in the dark. He wore tight, deep blue jeans and a snug black t-shirt. He was thin, but I could see the outlines of defined muscles on his chest and upper arms. He’d appeared in the majority of my dreams during the past few months, and now I was finally seeing him in the flesh. 

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Flamingo gives "Merch Girl" 

Concert Tickets to 7 of your favorite bands

About Author Rebecca Lewis

Rebecca Lewis is the author of the Young Adult novel, Merch Girl, and a lover of all things music! She's been writing stories since middle school and penned her first fanfic about a semi-popular boyband in 1997. Her passion for music and writing brought her to Boston University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Communication. During her college career, she interned for various record labels in Boston and New York City, sold merch for local bands, worked at record stores, and did a whole lot of grassroots marketing. She currently resides in Florida with her husband and puppy.

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Rebecca has been gracious enough to offer a free ebook copy of Merch Girl.  

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Justin Bieber ~ Believe Movie Review

The continual controversy that seems to revolve around Justin Bieber is one of the most annoying things I can think of.  No one ever seems to have anything nice to say about him, just that he continually is screwing up this, that or the other.  As much as I think that he is far from perfect, I do think he is a good person with a kind heart that tries his best to do good for other people.  I am a HUGE fan of his music and think he is beyond talented.  He can sing yes, but he also plays drums, piano, and guitar.  He went from being a kid singing on the front steps at a local theater to this big huge entertainer and honestly who of us are perfect all the time?  I venture to say if we took my fairly grounded 16 year old and gave him millions of dollars and put him in front of the world as an entertainer he would be scrutinized and wouldn't be able to do much right in the eyes of the world either.  I wanted to start this review by making sure everyone understands where I come from when it comes to Justin.  For me, it is more about the music than anything, but at the same time, I honestly feel the way I stated in this paragraph that we are looking at a 20 year old kid that really isn't all that bad if we take him as a normal person rather than someone that we are placing unrealistic expectations on because he is in the public eye.

I took my 8 year old Coconut to the movie with me.  Last Christmas she was given tickets to the Believe tour and her and I got to go last January.  We are both big fans of Justin and his music.  

It's hard to believe it's been a year since all of that happened.  I asked Coconut if she would help me with the review so I'm going to do a little Q&A with her so you can get an 8 year old super fan's take on Justin Bieber: Believe.  

Why did you want to go see the Justin Bieber movie?

Because I love Justin Bieber!!!

Why do you love Justin Bieber?

Because his hair is cute and he is really nice to other people.  He loves his fans and I love his music.

What was your favorite part of the movie?

This is a hard one because I loved it!  I liked when he was with the little girl Avalanna and when it was at the concert part and he sang "As Long As You Love Me".

Was the movie as good as the concert?

Yes.  The movie was a little, tiny bit better because it had more detail to it.  I liked seeing behind the scenes stuff like with the dancers and I thought they were just some of his friends that could dance I didn't know they had to audition to be dancers.  I liked how they made the stage because I didn't know if they just got that stuff from someone else and then they put it all together.  

Did you like the music concert clips?

Yes! Because it showed me more of the stuff I didn't know or that we couldn't see up close at the concert.

Would you recommend this movie to your friends, even if they aren't a fan of Justin Bieber?

Yeah, because I think it could turn someone into a Belieber like Never Say Never did for me.

Thank you Coconut.  

You're welcome mom.

Now you get my take on the movie.  

I wanted to go to the Believe movie because I love Justin Bieber (not in a creepy stalker kind of way) I think he is a mega talented musician and entertainer. It was a very interesting backstage look at the entire Believe tour from director and dancer selection to choreography and also into the creative process that Justin goes through for his music.  Music is something so essential to my life that I literally have to listen to it every single day.  I myself am an accomplished pianist and I understand the craft of making music and putting your heart an soul into playing a piece of music even if it isn't something I have written myself.  The movie also shows some of what Justin and his more well known staff goes through on a daily basis just to try and go out in public which is near impossible.  It is something that comes with the territory and they understand that but at the same time it makes me feel for them not being able to just be a normal person maybe ever again.  Justin talks about some of the personal things that have gone on in his life from being hounded by the paparazzi and being in love and also when love doesn't last forever.  

As with all music, some of us prefer one kind over another.  I have always loved and been able to listen to pretty much anything.  I love pop music a lot and always have.  I love Justin Beiber's music and I love the fact I can let my 8 year old listen to it uncensored.  I love the fact that she comes to me and says "Mom, I love Justin Bieber's song Believe because it means you can do anything as long as you believe in yourself". Justin's Believe album has quite an array of music on it, some fast dance type numbers, some slow, some even with a touch of mo-town.  I loved being able to revisit the concert experience through the movie and enjoy the ride of his performances for each song and how the songs are interpreted through the dance numbers and the music combined.  

Coconut mentioned Avalanna.  If you want to research the story about her and Justin (or just go see Believe for the story) it is quite incredible. In short, she was a sick 6 year old that Justin visited and they immediately formed a pretty tight bond.  He talked about her and they dedicated a whole segment of the movie to her and her story.  It was very incredible and very moving (yes I forgot my tissues and had to use buttery popcorn napkins).  These are the things that help you see Justin as just a kind person trying to do something good for someone and not a mega pop star.  There is defiantly more to him than most would think.

I sincerely enjoyed Believe from start to finish and if music is your thing, I would suggest taking the time to go see it.  It is a great look at Justin, his music and the powerful force behind it. 

I give Justin Bieber's Believe 

8 Music Notes

Sarcastic Song Suggestions ~ 2013 Christmas Edition

MERRY CHRISTMAS!






We are starting an exciting new series at The Sarcastic Palmtree called
Sarcastic Song Suggestions
We will be posting on a regular basis what Banana and Flamingo are listening to on their playlists right now, kind of like a Top Ten Favorites for the current time period.  This week, in honor of Christmas, Banana will be doing his top 10 favorite Christmas Songs, both old and new!


Let's start with some old favorites...

1. Last Christmas

I love almost every single version of this song I hear!  My favorite three versions are the original by WHAM! (of course), a version from Darren Hayes (from Savage Garden) off of the CD "A Rosie Christmas", and the newest version I've heard this year by Ariana Grande, featured on her new Christmas EP "Christmas Kisses" which you can buy on iTunes by clicking here.  

2. All I want For Christmas Is You

Okay... Even though Mariah Carey isn't one of my favorite people... I LOVE this song!  It's one of my favorites to listen to every year!  I will also admit to liking the duet version she does with Justin Bieber... Who has a couple of good songs on his Christmas album... But, as always, the original is the best!

3.  Nuttin' For Christmas

I've been growing up with this album my whole life so I don't know how well it originally did.  I know that it is pretty awesome and it's a Christmas album that everyone must buy or at least listen to in their lifetime.  I love this song, and it makes me sad to say that this song, along with the rest of the album, can't be purchased on iTunes.  It's such an amazing song and I love the rock twist on a holiday classic.

4. Fa La La 

Okay... so I'm not a Justin Bieber fan by any means... but I know that I like a couple of songs off of this Christmas album!  This song is a duet he does with the group Boys II Men and I honestly wouldn't have given this song a try if it wasn't for them... I LOVE the a cappella version of this song more than the original version because it sounds better and it's pretty cool to listen to 
a cappella music.

5. Merry Christmas From The Family

This is the other AMAZING song off of the album "Another Rosie Christmas".  This is a duet that Rosie O'Donnell does with famous country group the Dixie Chicks.  This song is awesome because of how funny the lyrics are... if you can even understand half of them!  I love this song SO MUCH and I know that I'm placing it at #5 but it's a tough competition...

6. Gonna Eat For Christmas

You HAVE to go out with a BANG and that's why I saved this song for the final "old" spot!  I get a kick out of this song every time I listen to it!  It's something that most of us can probably relate to because Christmas is the one time of year that, as far as food is concerned, you go big or go home!  Plus I love all the harmony between Rosie O'Donnell and Gloria Estefan in this song... I'm a sucker for any songs with good harmony.

Please go out and buy this album... It has too many good songs to miss out on you can find the link to iTunes here.

That concludes the old list of  my top 10 favorite Christmas songs this year... now on to the top 4 brand new Christmas songs...
(If you wish to take a look at it on iTunes... click on the name of the song)

1. Underneath the Tree

 I loved this song the first time I heard it!  I've been waiting to listen to her Christmas album for awhile now and just started to a couple if weeks ago.  This song is probably my favorite off of the album because it's just fun and happy AND she performed it on Ellen... Which is always a bonus!  ;)

2. Jingle Bells

  I have too many nice things to say about this guy... I loved him when he was on American Idol and I admire the fact that he stood up for what he believed in even though the producers said it could cost him the win he VERY much deserved (he was on one of the worst seasons EVER and it should've been a runaway win for him).  ANYWAY... I love his twist on such a cool holiday song that everyone knows at least the chorus to... Plus I liked the Batman part in the song because it makes everyone crack up and smile every time my family listens to it!  

3. Sleigh Ride

Alright... So I was a little on the fence about buying this song because almost every single version I've heard of this song SUCKS!  I was willing to give Karmin a chance because they're British and I like a couple of their other songs.  I never thought I could like a version of this song... They always seem to have their own awesome sound that they put in their music and this song was no different... They did a great job of providing a modern twist to an old song.

4. Love Is Everything

Ariana Grande is probably my favorite new artist of the year... She has proven to be very successful with just her debut album "Yours Truly" and for the past month she has been releasing Christmas singles, following in the footsteps of Justin Bieber (whose album FINALLY came out this week after a lot of single releases), all the way up to the release of her Christmas EP "Christmas Kisses"... This song reminds me a lot of a song she released a year or two ago called "Put Your Hearts Up" which basically is a good, upbeat song with a good message- "If we give a little love we can change the world".  The same theme of love applies here where she talks about giving love and spreading cheer to everyone.  I liked her debut album, her Christmas EP, and I can't wait to see what she has in store for all of us on her next album! 

Banana and Flamingo wish everyone...
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!