Scar Girl

Picking up where The Scar Boys (2014) left off, this sequel uses an interview format to reintroduce the four members of the band: lead guitarist Harry Jones, whose burned face continues to affect the way he relates to his bandmates and the world; Johnny McKenna, the charismatic leader and boyfriend to bass player Cheyenne Belle; and Richie McGill, the drummer and band anchor. When we last saw them, Johnny was dealing with the loss of his leg after a car accident, but now it's Cheyenne's turn to wrestle with life-changing issues. The interviews are a good vehicle for giving the characters their own voices. But while the title suggests this is Cheyenne's story, the overlapping narratives give readers a look at how all four deal with various unfortunate events while still producing music that stands audiences on their heads. The many included lyrics didactically explain motivations rather than seeming like words that could be set to music, but the sometimes melodramatic story will offer satisfying closure to the first book's many fans who want to know what happened next.--Booklist

-- "Journal"

A collection of interviews with members of the band Scar Boys conducted 'while the band was in the studio recording the follow-up to the debut album, Minus One, ' Scar Girl picks up where The Scar Boys (Lerner, 2014) left off. Cheyenne, Harry, and Richie tell their stories of the band's journey to its first recording, beginning with their return after Johnny McKenna, the band's first singer, lost his leg in a car accident. Initially, Richie is the only band member visiting Johnny, as Johnny will not let Chey visit, and Harry is grappling with his unrequited love for Chey and his guilt over Johnny's accident. After Harry runs into Chey and sees how torn up she is about not being able to see Johnny, he patches up his friendship with Johnny, making it possible for Johnny and Chey to get back together. As Harry and Johnny take their 'tattered friendship to the only place where it would have a chance to heal: music, ' Chey finds she and Johnny are not quite the same: 'we were the same people, the same couple, but we were no longer we' --and she does not know how to tell him she is pregnant. With plenty of human drama, strong character development, and more than its fair share of tough topics (amputation, pregnancy, abortion, suicide), Scar Girl will appeal to mature readers of realistic fiction, whether or not they read The Scar Boys.--VOYA

-- "Journal"

Through an interview format, the members of the Scar Boys recall from their own perspectives the events that take place leading up to the release of their first album in 1988. The recollection begins where The Scar Boys (2014) left off; the band has completed its first packet tour, and frontman Johnny McKenna has been in a terrible accident in which he lost his leg. Immediately, readers will notice the ominous absence of Johnny's voice; he is discussed only in the third person. As the title indicates, the narrative largely centers on bass player Cheyenne Bell. A painful loss, which she suffers in secret, sends her crashing down a dark spiral, unraveling her relationship with Johnny and spilling over into the band dynamic along the way. Even though it is apparent from the onset that tragedy is inevitable, when it strikes, readers will feel as blindsided as the band. Vlahos, a finalist for the Morris Award with The Scar Boys, has succeeded in creating a sequel every bit as compelling and emotionally charged as its predecessor. The pulsating energy formed by creating music is what bonds the band together. This current will pull readers in in hopes that each one of the Scar Boys will find his or her way to resilience through the darkest of times. Like its predecessor, this novel will leave readers aching for an encore.--starred, Kirkus Reviews

-- "Journal"