Tiffanie DeBartolo

How to kill a rock star

Noelia Abreu

You know when you start reading a book and you love it and you have a strong feeling that it's going to be a 5 star read, and then halfway through everything turns to shit and you end up hating it and thinking 'why the fuck did the author decide to take the story there?'. That's what happened to me with How to Kill a Rock Star. 

I really liked the first half of the book, I was hooked since the beginning. I absolutely adored the theme, I love anything that is related to music and I really liked that aspect of the book. I also loved the writing, and the Paul's POV when he was talking to his recording thingy. And the first encounter between Paul and Eliza? God, that was the moment I thought 'this is going to be great'. 

So, I was really enjoying the book and highlighting so many quotes and then... around 55%... the heroine decided to make the most stupid decision ever, and all the consequences of that decision just made this book unbearable. I was so close to DNF-ing but I held on because I wanted to know what happened, and silly me was hoping that things would get better but NOPE, not even the ending was worthy. Eliza was basically the fucking worst and I pretty much hated her the entire second half. She was selfish and a coward and honestly, after years of reading romance I'm fucking tired of reading the same type of decision over and over and over and over again. I really need a break from this genre. 

Another thing that bothered me a lot was Eliza's use of the "expression" 'don't be gay' as a substitute of 'don't be stupid' or something like that. I don't know if that was a thing back in 2005 but it was really fucking hard to ignore and I should have taken it as a sign and stop reading when I first saw it.

Allyson Marrs

There's not much better than a book that hooks you hard with its characters. I was instantly drawn into our leads and gripped with the possibility of how things would unfold. This is a charismatic, surprising story from cover to cover, and I'm truthfully still a little aghast that the author got away with what she did, and as a reader I'm kind of proud of her for it. These are characters you'll connect with, and a story you'll easily be a fan for.

Kattia

Written in her wonderfully honest, edgy, passionate and often hilarious voice, Tiffanie DeBartolo tells the story of Eliza Caelum, a young music journalist, and Paul Hudson, a talented songwriter and lead singer of the band Bananafish. Eliza's reverence for rock is equaled only by Paul's, and the two fall wildly in love. When Bananafish is signed by a big corporate label, and Paul is on his way to becoming a major rock star, Eliza must make a heartbreaking decision that leads to Paul's sudden disappearance and a surprise knock-your-socks-off ending. Praise for Tiffanie DeBartolo's God-Shaped Hole "From highs to heartbreak, DeBartolo conjures an affair to remember."—People "Honest, raw, and engaging."—Booklist "This generation's Love Story."—Kirkus Reviews God-Shaped Hole was a Book Sense Top 10 Paperback Selection.