I have to apologize, because I just noticed today that there are comments from as far back as 2022 that I never was notified of, so that's why I've never responded. I'm not sure why I stopped getting notifications. This being a far less used blog than my VVD one, I tend to think no one is commenting, so I don't end up in the comments section often.
So I'm very sorry if you left something and I didn't reply! It was not intentional.
Wow, I haven't posted since January! To be fair, this has been a weird year so far.
I just finished this and had to write about it right away.
Set in 1985, We Built This City is a coming-of-age novel featuring 12-year-old Stephanie, who goes by Stevie. Stevie is part of a performing troupe made up of 13-18-year-olds. Her older brother is part of the troupe and her best friend's mom runs it, which is how she got to go on tour a little early.
Stevie is a shy girl who only has the one best friend. His name is Wes and there are never any romantic feelings going on between them, which is always a nice touch. Genuine boy-girl besties. Wes has a crush on Tuesday, another member of the troupe who's one year older. Stevie has a crush on Joey, who I think is also one year older.
Stevie's plan is to write a letter to Casey Kasem every day of the tour and mail it, trying to get hers read as the Long-Distance Dedication so she can reveal her crush on Joey. Wes has agreed to also tell Tuesday by the end of the trip how he's felt about her for ages.
The troupe is unique in that they're basically a lip-synching dance group. They never actually sing and their skill levels vary, which is why Wes's mom created the troupe in the first place. She wanted there to be a place for everyone. Possibly the most unrealistic thing is that the troupe is never presented as some sort of thing other kids think is dorky. There are like high school junior boys on this tour and they're not concerned about how that looks to their classmates who aren't in the troupe. I wasn't quite that old in 1985, only 7, so these sorts of troupes were probably more accepted then, but it still feels a little fantasy worldish. They perform songs from movies and it actually sounds pretty cool, but you know how people can be about teasing.
There are 26 kids and a few adults on this month-long cross-country tour. I've always loved books where there's lots of travel, so this was right up my alley, as well as being set in my childhood decade.
As the tour progresses, Stevie learns how to come out of her shell. She befriends some of the girls she was convinced would never be her friends. Christy, her idol, is older and she has deaf parents, so she does sign language sometimes. Amy, who's Chinese and adopted, loves wearing black and is obsessed with horror stuff. (I predictably love Amy.) Tuesday, Wes's crush, has red hair that's half-shaved. She's a badass and my favorite of the secondary cast. I wonder if the author was a fan of That 80s Show, because I loved Tuesday from that as well.
As she spends so much time somewhat in his presence, Stevie's feelings for Joey evolve. I'm going to stop here, so I don't do the spoiler thing. You've got to read it to find out if Stevie's dedication ever gets played, if she gets what she wants, if Wes ever tells Tuesday how he feels, etc. But this book is way more than young romance. It's just plain awesome. I highly recommend it if you're a fan of YA stuff and especially if you're around my age.
