Rayland has big dreams of Broadway superstardom and the spunky determination to get her there. Sometimes feisty and aggressive but that’s part of her charm. Her two best friends, Dario and Gavin, have their own opinions about this charm. Chasing her dreams comes naturally. The harder task is dealing with Dario’s depression and helping him realise his worth. But when his friendship with Gavin … breaks up for the second time and Dario starts to spiral out of control will she be enough? Is it her fault the second split happened? Can she help him without Gavin, or will she lose Dario to depression and anxiety forever?
This series should be read in order due to different vantage points over the same timelines.
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Samuel Alexander does an uncanny job of continuing the time line of I see in Blue from Rayland’s POV. You really need to read Dario and Gavin to understand the relationship and how the three amigos, who have “pictures dating back to the three in a bathtub together,” fit together. Although there are overlaps in the storyline, you will get it first person POV from Rayland. In this story you learn about the dynamic trio’s #3 member. This is important because each member plays a unique and vital role. Dario is the center, Gavin is the support, and Rayland is the glue. This is the first time in their lives that they are separated on a consistent basis. While Gavin and Dario are going to the same high school, Rayland is attending a special school for performing arts. We learn about her relationship with her siblings and her feelings about her position in the family. We learn that her siblings are all brainiacs. Although Rayland is equally smart, she doesn’t have as much confidence in her intelligence as she does in her singing ability.
When Gavin and Dario’s friendship goes on the rocks after the first day of high school, it is Rayland that serves as their respective confidant and does he best to smoothie ruffled feathers until they are able to mend.
What I love about Samuel Alexander’s take on these mini books that introduce you to the the main attraction book is that each character has a unique backstory. They are not just sidekicks or extras in Darios life, they are fully evolving independent entities.
Samuel Alexander continues to give us rich characters with dynamic dialogue. The layers of complexity in this friendship and the continuing support of Dario is absolutely captivating.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Samuel Alexander does an uncanny job of continuing the time line of I see in Blue from Rayland’s POV. You really need to read Dario and Gavin to understand the relationship and how the three amigos, who have “pictures dating back to the three in a bathtub together,” fit together. Although there are overlaps in the storyline, you will get it first person POV from Rayland. In this story you learn about the dynamic trio’s #3 member. This is important because each member plays a unique and vital role. Dario is the center, Gavin is the support, and Rayland is the glue. This is the first time in their lives that they are separated on a consistent basis. While Gavin and Dario are going to the same high school, Rayland is attending a special school for performing arts. We learn about her relationship with her siblings and her feelings about her position in the family. We learn that her siblings are all brainiacs. Although Rayland is equally smart, she doesn’t have as much confidence in her intelligence as she does in her singing ability.
When Gavin and Dario’s friendship goes on the rocks after the first day of high school, it is Rayland that serves as their respective confidant and does he best to smoothie ruffled feathers until they are able to mend.
What I love about Samuel Alexander’s take on these mini books that introduce you to the the main attraction book is that each character has a unique backstory. They are not just sidekicks or extras in Darios life, they are fully evolving independent entities.
Samuel Alexander continues to give us rich characters with dynamic dialogue. The layers of complexity in this friendship and the continuing support of Dario is absolutely captivating.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Growing up is hard. Rayland is trying to do her best and be her best person. She is trying to help herself and be strong and present for her friends. Juggling many life elements has her catching many and dropping a few. Can she maintain her pace? Can she be what every person needs without compromising her dreams? Good story. Life is throwing lemons and Ray must learn to make pie, cake, or cookies. Nicely done. I received an ARC and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Light and quick sketch from Rayland’s point of view, with a bit more about the environment and background of the families and community in this series. Absolutely necessary to have read at least the first part, the beginnings of Dario’s story, and better understood after also reading the second part, from Gavin’s POV.
All three parts so far cover various aspects of Dario’s life and the difficulties of growing up with expectations pressed into a child’s life, often forcefully. All three end at the same turning point in Dario’s life, with his only two friends at his side, preparing the reader for something momentous.