Slanted and Disenchanted

by Lisa Czarina Michaud

4 out of 5

Synopsis

She hates her family. He’s hiding behind his teenage sex life. They form a band as an escape.

On tour, can they start over....or will all secrets come out on the open road?

Carla Bucchio never cared about things like boyfriends and SATs. If she did, maybe life at 20 would be more exciting than developing photos on Long Island. When she chooses the guitar over a social life, it only makes sense because no one talks to her anyway.

Music may be Pete Albrecht’s life but what good is his talent if he has no one to share it with? When he’s not getting bitched about coffee at work, he’s getting nagged about college by his girlfriend. What would they say if they really knew about him?

At the outset of the new millennium where boy bands and backup dancers have saturated pop culture, the two college dropouts start a rock band. Despite his girlfriend’s manipulations and her mother’s drunken disapproval, they form a secret connection through the music.

Before heading out on their cross-country tour, tragedy turns the world upside down forcing them to decide if the band is just a teenage dream or their gateway to freedom…and to each other?

Slanted and Disenchanted is the provocative first book in Lisa Czarina Michaud’s coming-of-age 3-part Disenchanted series. Told with wry humor with nostalgic 90’s undertones, it explores sexual tension in friendships, the confusion of adulting, the love and chaos of family….and the soundtracks that get us through it all.

Review

Carla and Pete were at the same high school, but didn't really know each other. Now, at 20, they find they have an insane amount in common, and start their own band.

I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Carla is the invisible daughter from an Italian family. Her mother is an emotionally-abusive drunk, getting worse as Carla gets older.

Her best friend has gone to college, but there's nothing Carla cares to study for four years. She issues a vague interest in photography, so she can work in peace at the local photo shop; but her real passion is music.

Pete has a french family, who don't care if he goes to college or not, as long as he's happy. So whilst his friends and girlfriend continue their education, Pete works a dead-end job in Starbucks, with no real idea of what he wants to do with his life.

He loves music, and has been training on the drums from a young age. He's a skilled and devoted drummer, but is a little disenchanted by the mediocre bands from school. He finally meets his match in guitarist, Carla.

This book is set in New York 2000/2001, and is filled with lots pop culture of the time.

It's also a complete love note to music. Throughout the narrative, you really get the sense of deep knowledge and passion for different bands and music styles. Carla and Pete spend a lot of time thinking and talking about music (as this is their passion) ; dissecting why certain songs are important to them, and how they make them feel; or looking at the current trend for boy bands, and how some music is losing its soul.

The first book follows Pete and Carla reconnecting as friends; having an insane amount of chemistry, and putting their two-man-band together. They also go on their first tours, and get to discover who they are and what they want from life.

In the background, they each have their own issues.

Pete's girlfriend Allison gets increasingly demanding, as she suspects that Pete and Carla are more than just friends.

I thought Allison was a very interesting character, and she did have a right to be concerned. She's the perfect young woman, she's educated, and ambitious, and sees their lives going on an upward trajectory.

It's so realistic and relatable to how people change, and how their paths alter from what they dreamed of as teenagers.

I know that I did the same - as a kid, I thought 21 was an adult, and I'd have a degree, a house, a husband, a career... All the traditional stuff that we're programmed to want. How very wrong and stupid I was!

It was so easy to connect with these characters. As well as the big, important stuff; there was also a lot of banter, and all the little stuff that builds a friendship/relationship. Both were so easy to read, and (except for some of the deep-dive music debates) I never got bored.

I'm interested to see where the series goes next.

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