What Happened To Evie Del Rio

 

Rating...3.5⭐

361 pages

You can buy "What Happened To Evie Del Rio"...Here

You can follow Sarah Watts on "X" at @SKWattsWrites

• The Blurb...

Evie Del Rio was the one, as far as Ed Nash was concerned.
Growing up in the 80's, their teenage love was the inspiration for his song 'Used to Be' and helped Ed's indie band, The Mountaineers, to international fame.
But when Evie and her family suddenly up sticks and leave their London home without a forwarding address, she leaves a heartbroken Ed behind too.
Over thirty years later, washed up rocker Ed is suddenly back in the limelight when Evie's love song is used as the theme tune for a new TV drama. Once the song is later featured on TV documentary 'Musical Muses: The Girl in the Song' it's suddenly not just Ed who's asking...
What happened to Evie Del Rio?

• Our Review...

I have undertaken this review as part of the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. See link

This week's prompt was a book from at least 4 differing view points.

Let me start this review by saying that the beauty of following a challenge like this is that it takes the reader out of their comfort genre. I was definitely out my lane reading this novel. I am an ex rugby playing 56 year old steelworker so really am not the target audience for a generational, middle class, family melodrama.

However, I did enjoy this well told tale. It could have been very confusing with numerous viewpoints and two of the main characters even changing their names. The author keeps control by dedicating each chapter to a different person and the name of that person is the chapter title. Simple but effective. 

Evie was a teenage wild child following a local band, and falling for the charismatic but dangerous lead singer. The lead singer is infatuated with her too and even writes a catchy tune about her. Suddenly one day Evie's family up sticks and move without any warning. Years later the song is a hit and the paparazzi fuelled by the lead singer are on a quest to find out all about what the teenage temptress is up to now. However Evie is now a respectable married woman with teenage kids of her and a dark secret...

A thoughtful piece about destiny, family and the shifting sands of love over 30 years. It's very hard to talk about the main theme of this book without giving a spoiler. The author unfolds the narrative at a perfect pace. Always leaving the reader wondering what the next mini crisis will bring to Evie's life.

• Selected Quotes...

I, on the other hand, can’t believe that Mum never told us about the song. I mean, how cool must it be that someone was so completely in love with you that they wrote a song about you? It’s like having your own “Wonderwall” moment.

I remember him telling me that all the songs he’d written about me would one day make him famous, and I suppose he was right. Although unfortunately they’ve also made me somewhat infamous,

We didn’t know about real life back then. Everything was about the next big thrill— where the next drink, smoke or shag was coming from. It was all- consuming, but it felt so real at the time.

Every step of dating someone and every situation you watch them experience shows what sort of person they are.

• If You Liked This Then You May Like...

The Memory by Judith Barrow. click here for review

The Dream Home by TM Logan

One Christmas Eve by Shari Low

• About The Author...

I've always enjoyed the written word and I have a great passion for music so I decided to put the two together and the result is my debut novel 'What Happened to Evie Del Rio?'

I like to think I'm enjoying my 'middle youth' rather than my 'middle age'. I'm married and Mum to two sons and a black rescue cat called Hector.

I enjoy going to gigs and discovering new music. I also love reading women's fiction but I do have a bit of a penchant for crime and psychological thrillers! If I'm not on social media, reading or listening to music then you will probably find me on a football pitch cheering on my youngest son and his team.