Musical Megan falls for the local bad boy in this romantic teen drama. A young-adult story packed with emotion, desire, and pain of first love.The harder you love, the higher the stakes.Jazz is everything to Megan Hollis. When her hands clasp the saxophone, melodies flow with each breath.Music carries her from Copperwood to London, with university on the horizon. Set on attending London’s … university on the horizon. Set on attending London’s prestigious School of Jazz, all elements of her life harmonize.
Then she meets Vincent Turner, the mysterious guy with a dangerous reputation. Intoxicated by his possessive charms, Megan’s love shifts from melodic bliss to a dissonant nightmare.
While the future promises stardust dreams, her new relationship takes a turn for the worse. Megan becomes caught between what she wants and what everyone believes is best for her.
Will Megan learn to dance to the beat of her own rhythm?
Recommended for those looking for realistic stories about following your heart and standing on your own two feet.
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Around Midnight by Zarina Macha is a young adult story about love and dreams.
This is the first book that I have read by this author and it is one I can say I thoroughly enjoyed. The whole book was well written and had an easy pace about it. The characters were well developed. They had chemistry and it was easy to picture them together.
This is one of those stories that you can’t imagine every young adult going through in one way or another – love and the effect it has on your life.
This was a very good book and I am looking forward to reading more of this authors work.
4 Stars
“It’s not every day you meet a girl who plays jazz. Most musical girls I know just want to be the next Taylor Swift or Beyoncé.”
“I…erm, guess I’m not most girls.” She giggled weakly.
“One evening, she gazed at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her usual happy-go-lucky demeanour had tumbled off a cliff. She felt uneasy, uncertain, on edge, like she was walking very delicately on eggshells placed over poisonous snakes that would bite her at the slightest touch.
She had no idea what was happening to her or why she was so uncomfortable. None of it made any sense.
Unless…
Could it have something to do with Vince?
No. It made no sense. She adored Vince. He made her so happy.
Didn’t he?
Around Midnight by Zarina Macha is a YA drama- with lots of angst, emotion, well developed character, first love, romance, manipulation, and more. As this is my first book by Zarina Macha, I really didn’t know what to expect- but the title and cover intrigued me enough to want to find out. I soon found myself pulled in all directions as things started being revealed. My intrigue for the characters soon turned to sympathy for one and hate for the other. I really didn’t like Vince- he was a real piece of shi(p)!!! I don’t think I have disliked another character as much as I do him- at least not for a long time. Don’t get me started on his manipulative and horribleness- BAH!!! But the fact that I got so wound up over a fictional character is a testament to Ms. Macha’s writing skills. She crafted her characters into fully realised individuals with their own personalities, quirks, and FLAWS. They were entirely believable. Highlighting all the teenage drama, angst, pressure, need for acceptance and fitting in, and other problems- in this emotive story.
What happens when a gifted music student meets a bad boy with a dangerous reputation? After all, she is warned about him- but something about him draws her in. Pretty soon he’s consuming her thoughts- and her life begins unravelling….
“She leaned against the sink, blonde hair surrounding her face. She’d not touched her saxophone in a week. Last time she’d tried to play, she hadn’t been able to hold more than a few notes, then ended up collapsing onto her bed.
What was wrong with her? Was this love? Was this normal? People said love made you feel crazy, like you were losing your mind, like your whole body was spiraling. But they also said it felt wonderful. This…felt…
unbearable.”
A coming of age story with more impact than I had first imagined. So, if you like Young adult dramas, complex characters, a little intensity, emotive and intriguing developments- then this is definitely the book for you.
I would definitely like to explore more of Ms. Macha’s work, soon!
Thank you, Zarina Macha!
The words flowed like music right off the page. My artist’s soul recognized the artistic heart behind this story immediately. There is a certain cadence to this story that somehow reaches deeply and resonates loudly. I thoroughly enjoyed my first encounter with Macha and hope to read more from this author. Excellent book!
Around Midnight by Zarina Macha
4-Stars
Around Midnight by Zarina Macha was a unique and fun read. Megan was a fascinating character. She was well thought out. I loved her personality and creativity. I also enjoyed how she broke out of her norm to see Vince. He was also an interesting and fascinating character. I love reading about the different interactions between the two. This was a great novel and I loved how easily the story flowed from beginning to end. I enjoyed this book.
This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it from cover to cover. This is a well written, engaging young adult story about following your heart and the struggles that go along with it. Megan and Vincent are great strong characters that bring the story to life. They have great chemistry which kept me turning pages. Megan has a future playing her saxophone which is something she has always dreamed of. When she meets Vincent things change for her and not necessarily for the good. Will she follow her heart and which way will it take her? I highly recommend their story.
Around Midnight
By Zarina Macha
5 out of 5 stars
The story Around Midnight by Zarina Macha is a YA book. It is a story that I enjoyed reading. I loved reading about the character of Megan Hollis. She is a young girl who loves jazz. She has moved with her parents to London and has her heart set on attending the prestigious School of Jazz. Then she meets Vincent Turner. With their meeting comes new feelings and also a relationship that takes a turn for the worse. What does the future hold for Megan? Will she give up her dreams in order to be with Vincent? What does she really want? Read this book to find out. Reading about Megan had me thinking back to when I was her age and how emotions/feelings can change very quickly. I grew to care what happened to Megan and I couldn’t help but want her to find happiness whatever she wants to do. This story is about how to be true to yourself and not allowing others to manipulate your feelings and decisions. Peer pressure is very strong and can sometimes lead you to make hurried choices. I enjoyed the references to jazz music and musicians that are made throughout the story. Don’t miss out on a book that you won’t want to put down until you have read the final page.