Review: Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take A Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

April 1st, 2012 · Point
Source: Won
Format: Hardcover
Page Count: 278

From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

Review:

Juggling four different POV’s might be tricky for some people but have no fear, Elizabeth Eulberg is here! Right from the get go, the author establishes and carefully introduces each character, with their own short introduction, before throwing the reader into the present time of senior year.

It can be hard to distinguish one character from another when there are multiple POV’s to consider, however Elizabeth has carefully thought this out and given each character a unique voice, personality and aspiration. I’ll let you meet the gang for yourself but I’ll just give a quick mention to a few of the characters that made an impression on me, whether good or bad. Emme, whilst quiet and shy, really shines throughout the story and steals the show. She’s talented, sweet, caring, and considerate, not to mention a great friend, so to see her do well was great. I’ve met plenty of spoilt, mean girl types of characters over the years but I haven’t had much experience reading from their POV… Introducing: Sophie. She’s got a goal, which is great, wise and healthy even, but she’s just a little too eager to achieve it. Sophie’s dream is to win a Grammy before she turns 20, even if it means having to step on others to get there. She thoroughly frustrated me and had me wishing that I could crawl through the pages, give her a slap and the wakeup call she so clearly needed.

The arts, along with the acting and music business interests me, so to be able to get a greater insight and experience it, even if through fiction, was enjoyable and eye-opening.  The way the author captured the energy when Teenage Kicks were performing on stage was accurate and simply captivating.

Take A Bow is a fun, short read that I enjoyed getting lost in. This is my first experience with Elizabeth Eulberg but it sure won’t be my last. I’m looking forward to checking out The Lonely Hearts Club, along with the author’s future work.

3/5