TW substance abuse, loss of a loved one. This one was definitely an interesting read that went in a direction I was not expecting. I'm not sure I enjoyed how the second half of this book went. I felt like there was so much unfinished and I'm left wanting so many answers. We were leading towards a moment that was super important for Blade, but it had such a big build up and such little time spent on it when it actually happened. And we're supposed to believe Blade found closure and that's exactly...

4.5 stars. This was fantastic. I highly recommend the audio (available on hoopla) read/sung by the author.

I kind of have mixed feelings on this one. I loved the writing style and the tone of the story, but I wasn't a fan of the plot or the characters. Both elements fell flat for me. I did enjoy seeing how this story wrapped up, though it did end on a rather devastating note.

Nicely written, but. Blade is every bit as self-absorbed as his parents, and never quite seems to realize that, even though it sucks that his mother is dead and his father is an addict, he's also privileged in that he has enough money to have virtually unlimited options in life and, more importantly, a family who is as loving and supportive as they are damaged. There's also a bit of a believability problem when it comes to his family secret: his family is so damn rich and famous that it strains

This was my first contemporary novel in verse. And YA, no less. So, how did it go?For me, Solo was this big on poetry:and this big on drama:WHAT I LIKED:- The novel-in-verse format was unusual and intriguing in its own way. It had an interesting influence on the narrative.- Music plays a big role in the book. I'm a music lover and a rock lover. Also, discovered some great songs that were mentioned in the book.- It was light and easy to read. An enjoyable book, really.- It made me curious about G...

Thank you to the #kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own. SOLO is a rip-through-the-pages, can't-put-it-down poetic YA masterpiece. Told in text messages, song lyrics and conversations in verse, it tells the story of an alcoholic and addict rock star's son. Blade has been burned by his father time after time and is still actively mourning the death of his mother years before, when he receives life-changing news that sends him on a quest across the world...

#mystrangereading has made it's annual switch for the summer season. I will be posting reviews here but also back on my Bookstagram ❤️📚🤗#strangesummerreading No. 1 is Solo by Kwame Alexander ☀️☀️☀️This book--as all of Alexander's--is written completely in verse. I have come to really enjoy his writing style and very much enjoyed this book. Blade is the son of a rockstar/drug addict who just wants to play his own music and find his own path. When a shocking family secret is revealed, Blade sets o...

I absolutely loved this book. It was so beautiful and moving, and I'm really happy I listened to the audio. Not only is Kwame an excellent writer, he's an amazing reader as well. I really fell into this story. There was so much passion and emotion behind the words: the way music heals, the force of family, and the magic of finding oneself. I can't wait to recommend this book to everyone.

Enjoyed this story of a young man dealing with his father’s addictions and other pressures, as well as lingering grief over his mother’s death years earlier. Blade’s family is famous and wealthy, thanks to his father’s music career, so Blade has a level of comfort and privilege in his life, giving him time and the means to travel to Ghana when a long held family secret comes to light. Blade is grieving and confused and angry when he arrives in a small town in Ghana, looking for answers. There, h...

Loved it. Prose. Poetic. Beautiful. A son. A father. Rock and Roll. Addiction. Africa. Finding home and family...

This review is late HAHA. I definitely finished this two days ago. TW: substance abuse, some parent neglectI am so ashamed to say that this is the first time that I've ever read Kwame Alexander. I see his works a lot at my job and he's come highly recommended, but I've never read his books. Let me tell you right now. This book was really good. I had a hard time relating to Blade at times, but I think the story's focus on family, love, grief, and forgiveness was great. Blade spends a long time tr...

I think what gets me in Kwame Alexander's books is how relatable the characters are, even if their lives and interests are completely different from mine. This book, however, had characters who were so outlandish I found it hard to even want to care about them. I understand that the book is about Blade's self-discovery, but does he really need to travel halfway across the world to realize he's got a good thing at home? His sister calls him out on "first world problems" almost immediately, and th...

I read this book for part of a YA reading challenge for the month of September. I had heard good things about Kwame Alexander and how he makes poetry accessible to younger readers, and writes appealing male characters. For me, the book was a bit too convenient between the privilege of the main character to the over the top badness of his father and the strange events that unfold, that really can unfold because of the considerable wealth. The songs at the end, well... I didn't think they were ver...

Kwame Alexander has a thing, poem (or in this case lyric) packed books with particular appeal to teenage boys. That is such a wonderful thing! The boys at my school lap up his books, he writes sport so beautifully and he has such great things to say to his audience, thing like, you can be great even if you are not the greatest at this one thing, it is ok to show weakness, you don't have to be That Guy all the time - you can be you and it will be fine. This particular book is the story of a young...

This was so unexpected. I still maintain my stand against novels written in verse that mainly, I am not a fan. But like this recent novel I’ve read, One by Sarah Crossan, Solo worked quite well. In fact it probably worked better for the entire theme of the story to be written in verse especially since Blade’s life story is a good narrative poetry with a good dose of tragedy and sprinkles of comedy and a little romance all combined. Being the son of the famous rockstar-gone-wild, Rutherford, Blad...

4.5/5A brilliant novel told in verse. Blade has a complicated relationship with his rockstar father, Morrison Rutherford. But he refuses to let that come in between his other relationships. Things with his girlfriend, Chapel, seem to be going better than ever even though her parents disapprove of him and has forbidden their relationship. A secret about Blade's parentage comes to light and leaves him questioning everything about his life. It has him scrambling for where he belongs and in a desper...

This book was all over the place, just like my feelings towards it. I loved The Crossover, but this book seemed to be overly dramatic with the plot. I didn't connect with these characters much at all because they felt much more like caricatures instead of genuine people. Positives & Negatives - + I love the way real songs are scattered throughout the book. I pulled them up and listened to them while reading and it made for a really interesting experience.+ The idea that this is a music family fi...

Phew. What a ride. I listened to the audiobook and, man, it's SO good. Highly recommended.

I listened to the audiobook version. I liked the story but didn't care for the author being the narrator. I felt like his voice was pleasant, but often I felt like his voice all blended together while he was narrating. So he would say a chapter title and go right into the story, but I wouldn't have known it was the title without looking. I was like, 'why is he saying a random word', then I realized he was saying the title. It just all mashed together.That's the thing with audiobooks, and also wh...

3.75/5 stars Solo tells the story of seventeen-year-old Blade Morrison, the son of rock superstar Rutherford Morrison. He's kind of have a lot going on his hands, like trying to juggle sneaking with his girlfriend (her parents hate him) and keeping up life with his father and his many addictions. Paparazzi bombard his life one embarrassing news of his father after another, making their family a tabloid laughingstock. Blade can barely keep up, what with the turmoils of young love and family pr...