Hi there and welcome to my stop on the HEART SHAPED ROCK blog tour sponsored by YA Bound Blog Tours. For other stops on the tour click here. This YA Romance is the debut novel from Laura Roppe–and it’s a heartbreaker.

Summary from Goodreads:

“If you liked the music collaboration of Maybe Someday, you’ve got to check out Heart Shaped Rock.” — New York Times best-selling author of Maybe Someday, Colleen Hoover

“Laura Roppé has written a moving and emotional novel of first love, accurately capturing the voice and mind of a dramatic and emotional sixteen year old girl caught in a maelstrom of grief and loss, love and heartbreak. And then there’s Dean…you’ll just have to read the book, ‘cause I can’t do him justice in a few short sentences.” –Jasinda Wilder, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of Falling into You

Sometimes a shattered heart needs to sing to love again . . . Sixteen year old singer-songwriter Shaynee Sullivan hasn’t so much as touched her guitar since her mom died six months ago. In fact, Shaynee hasn’t felt like doing much of anything lately, except maybe playing Whack-a-Mole on her “emotionally intelligent” brother’s head. But when she meets a gorgeous and surprising rocker named Dean, her shattered heart begins to mend . . . and then burst at the seams. Heart-wrenching, heart-warming, and sometimes even heart-racing, Heart Shaped Rock will leave you laughing through tears and rooting for love in all its forms.

My Review:

My heart absolutely broke for Shaynee! Six months ago her mom died of cancer. Her mother was one of those magical people–the kind who can coax a smile out of a sulky teen. She was a vibrant woman–a singer and songwriter. In death she is mourned steadfastly. Shaynee’s father grieves terribly–working too much and enlisting Shaynee to care for herself and her younger brother, Lennox. Lennox is 11, and vastly better at coping with his mother’s death. He delights in listening to her recordings and openly discusses their mother–as if she’s keeping watch over the family.

Shaynee, on the other hand, can’t bear to even speak of her mother. She’s so angry–she lashes out at Lennox, her dad and even her BFF Tiffany.  Nor can she pick up her guitar. Shaynee’s always been into music. Has written countless songs and performed since she was little, but the music died with her mom, and so did Shaynee’s social life. Tiffany has tried to be there, but Shaynee won’t let her in. So, Tiff tricks Shaynee into getting a job at the coffeehouse where she works.

The freedom of finding new social connections–people who know nothing about about her personal tragedy–liberates Shaynee’s spirit for the first time in months. Meeting first surfer Jared, and then singer Dean, sparks the long-dead beat of Shaynee’s heart. She falls for Dean hard–but Dean has secrets that shatter the tenuous peace Shaynee had established. Jared alternates between confidante and c*ckblock. He’s every bit as smitten with Shaynee as Dean is–and thinks his affection is returned. Well, not so much, but Shaynee is quick to tell Jared she’s mean. So, when she acts mean, he’s been properly warned.

Truthfully, Shaynee knows that Dean is her better match. He’s a singer and plays three instruments. Oh, and he’s kind and understanding. If only he’d been honest from the start. Then again, Shaynee hasn’t been honest much, either. In fact, her denial is crippling her. It’s a long road to acceptance–but it’s great to see Shaynee walk it under her own power.

Shaynee could clearly play the grieving child card to win Dean’s forgiveness–but she wises up, and ‘fesses up, too. I was grateful. In lots of parts of the book, Shaynee’s struggles are so suffocating, she falls into panic attacks. By the end this girl walks tall and strums a bold tune. Lennox (and her mom) would have been proud to see it. I liked it. You might too.

Interested? You can find HEART SHAPED ROCK on Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and iTunes. Hear the original music performed in Heart Shaped Rock at http://www.LauraRoppe.com. All music available on iTunes.

About the Author

Laura Roppé is an award-winning singer/songwriter, author, audio book narrator, speaker, and former attorney from San Diego, California. In 2011, Billboard Magazine ranked her as Number Three on its chart of the Top 50 “uncharted” artists in the world. In May 2013, Laura began hosting Amazon’s weekly podcast, “Kindle Love Stories,” for people who love hearing about love stories, romance, and happily ever afters.
Her first book is the non-fiction memoir, Rocking the Pink. Her latest is a YA-teen romance novel entitled Heart Shaped Rock, featuring a soundtrack.

You can find Laura on her website, Goodreads, twitter and Facebook.

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