Series ~ Single Title
Author ~ Jessica Martinez
Release Date ~ October 18, 2011
Publisher ~ Simon Pulse
Source ~ A Good Addiction
GOODREADS SUMMARY
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....
REVIEW
Virtuosity is all about addiction. There are so many different layers of addiction wound into this book that I could list them all day long. Addiction to music, winning, competition, drugs, winning, forbidden romance, winning, violin, and did I mention WINNING? All of them are mashed together into a big addictive mess! And it’s addicting to READ about. I could not put this one down y’all. It’s, well, ADDICTING!
Carmen and Jeremy are preparing for THE BIGGEST violin competition in their lives, the Guarneri competition. To win means sudden fame and fortune. To lose means the virtual end of your violin career. Carmen and Jeremy are the favorites to win. They are competing directly against each other and they are both addicted to WINNING. To top it off, they have a huge crush on each other. The competition brings anxiety, tension, disappointment, frustration, anger, hopelessness, fear of failure and anything else you feel when faced with such a tremendous trial. I felt anxious just reading the descriptions that Jessica Martinez writes. Like that feeling of butterflies in your stomach and a sense of warmth coming over your body and then you feel like you might pass out. Yeah, that’s the one!
Carmen’s mother is MADDENING! She is the most annoying stage mom EVER. First, she gets Carmen started on anti-anxiety pills. But then, when Carmen starts taking more and more pills and becomes addicted, her mother only wants her to take more. What kind of mother DOES THAT? I really could not stand Carmen’s mother, her motives, or anything about it. Her own unfulfilled dreams are no excuse for how she treats her daughter. This is one of those times where it was deeply satisfying to completely despise a character.
I think the best part of the Guarneri competition is that it didn’t go at all the way I expected. I was stunned by the outcome and especially the aftermath. Jessica Martinez, you are a fabulous author and this book is AMAZING!
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