Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled by Bert Murray

Received from author.

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Createspace (26 Jan 2011)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1439275300
• ISBN-13: 978-1439275306

Meet Colin Preston. 19 years old and a student at Elerby University in upstate New York.

He drinks too much. Lives for the Beatles, John Lennon and classic rock. 

Falls for the most beautiful sophomore on campus.

His life is about to change forever.

Funny. Moving. Honest. Raw.

An entertaining coming of age novel about friendship,

music, first love and betrayal.

From Colin Preston Rocked And Rolled:

"Maybe she was out of my league. What made me think I could get a girl like her? What made me think I could keep her?"

"How far is too far? When you love a band so much that its songs fill the empty spaces inside your head and heart, is that too far? A band could become more important than your family or friends. John, Paul, George and Ringo spoke to me. Jasmine would see when she'd been with me a little longer. She'd understand me completely. I had to give her time."

This is not a YA novel and is recommended for ages 18 and up.  Contains sex and drug references, and adult language.

Thanks to Bert Murray for sending this to meet.  It's different to what I normally read and I found that I enjoyed it, probably for this reason.


Cover:  Ok so the people on the cover kind of scare me, I think that it's because to me they look unreal...almost like stepford wife type robots.  So it's not my favourite cover.

Plot:  Colin Preston Rocked and Rolled is a story packed full of life, love, betrayal and loss all set to a Beatles soundtrack.  

It's i985 and Colin can't believe his luck when he starts going out with Jasmine- the hottest girl in school.  It's too good to be true.  Soon they start to argue all the time and Colin can't keep up with her mood swings.

When he's deceived he finds himself struggling to cope, falling behind in his classes and an emerging friendship with the Spanish Lit teacher teaches him the lessons taught within the lyrics of his favourite band's music and eventually leaving him able to feel and love again.

Characters:

Colin- An average teenager.  When he gets with Jasmine he's happy and proud to be with her, as well as worried that she's too good for him and so won't stay with him. so he takes their break up hard.  He has a deep love and appreciation for the Beatles.

Jasmine- A beautiful sophomore.  Loves her health food and is a believer in Buddhism and karma.  Has a 'slightly' unstable personality.  She reacts badly to her father keep cheating on her mother.  

Karl- Colin's 'best friend'.  A blue eyed, blond haired, womanising star football player.

Chester- A guy with issues.  After his father died when he was young he ran away and got involved with drugs.  He has a fascination with Napoleon, is very intelligent but comes out with some crazy stuff. 

Liz- Another girl around college.  Colin considers her plain compared to Jasmine but she's kind and cares for Colin.  A more stable personality.

Mrs. Vesquez- The middle ages Spanish Lit teacher that Colin forms a friendship with.  They bond over their losses and love of the Beatles.  

Writing Style- Bert Murray has a really simple, easy to read and follow writing style.  The chapters are really short and so the story is well paced and doesn't have the chance to become slow or dull.

Rating- 4/5 stars.  The last sentence in the books sums this book up nicely- "An education in the geography of the human heart".  I like that this book is realistic, and I felt as I was reading that I knew someone like each of the characters which made them relatable and the story seem even more realistic.

I sussed Karl from the beginning, I took an instant dislike to him and I was proved right there.  Jasmine's mood swings really irritated me and I felt compelled to slap her (an author managing to evoke such an emotive response deserves a round of applause).  I really felt for Colin and I found myself really wanting him to get over it and move on, and WAKE UP and see that Liz was everything he needed and that Jasmine was nothing more than a shallow, self-absorbed nut case.      

Chester really made this book for me.  He was hilarious but at the same time I really felt for him and wanted him to get better and I really wanted him to be with Susan.

I loved the references to the Beatles.  For me it made the book stand out and be a little bit different.

It may be set in the 1980's but I think the lessons are timeless and teenagers do go through this.

I would definitely recommend this for fans of realistic fiction and also Beatles/ Classic rock fans.