What comes off as a story of a high school band is really much more. It is a story of brothers trying to make their own names for themselves while struggling to stay friends. This book was sweet, definitely, and fun how it tried to be unique, but somethings I wish the author left out.

This book is narrated by the lead guitarist, Ori Taylor, which was nice. But in between some chapters there would be pages that would be as if the reader was looking at the band's blog. That was cool and different at first, but for me it kind of got annoying. The pages of comments just went off on little tangents, which I guess happens sometimes on the internet, but I didn't want to read a blog - I wanted to read the book. The comment fights were really unnecessary. Some of the comments were fun, because they became involved in the story as well, but the others (like the "bad" commenters, vs. the "good" commenters) got old fast. However, I did enjoy the pages that were like newspaper articles. I appreciated how the book was "stepping out of the box" so to say.

If I was to say "this book is about...." I'd say "brothers". Yes, there is a band, there is romance, there are friends, but the story of brothers is really the most essential plot point. Ori used to be best friends with his brother, but all of sudden it is like he is a different person. He is struggling to get along with him, heck, he's struggling just to be near him. This, lets call it the "hate your sibling stage", is very common (I may be going through that right now...) so it's sometimes nice to read that type of happy ending.

Over all, it was not the story I was expecting, but it was very sweet. ( )

This is a fun book filled with music, family, friendship, and teen angst. Ori has lived in his brother's shadow for so long that he doesn't know his own worth, and he is now in the process of growing independent. Ori is a likable narrator. Ori's brother Del has changed since coming home from college, not having been able to handle the change. In order to feel better about himself, Del wants to make Ori look bad just when Ori is trying to create his own identity through his band. At the same time, Ori trying to find the confidence to stand on the stage in his own right, find a bass player and a name for the band, and talk to the girl he likes. Every teenager has gone through this process of changing, growing independent, and finding one's identity and will be able to relate to Ori. Even Del is relatable in his own way.

It's cute how the story includes blog posts, texts, and emails. They give us insight into how the characters interact with each other and share information. I do feel that it is a bit overdone, at least to maintain my interest. You can't read a chapter or two without coming across digital media as told through print. With the format and the way the story is told, I feel that this is a story more for tween girls. No boy I know would want to pick up this book after reading the synopsis, much less the first page. Older girls might pick up this book for a quick, fun read. ( )

Orion, "Ori," Taylor lead singer, songwriter and guitarist for The Band to Be Named Later (that's not their named, they don't actually have a name yet), has always been Del Taylor's little brother. The big-star's ignored little brother. That was supposed to change now that Del was in college. Sure people would still ignore him, but at least he'd be able to concentrate on his band and their music.

Just as Ori's starting to listen to his friend that maybe he's not the dorky, ugly, rightfully-overlooked brother of Del Taylor, Del returns from college with no explanation as to his sudden appearance. Is Ori going to be able to focus on his band and get it together with Del back in the picture?

If there had been more explanation as to why Del was home, sooner, or more exploration of the relationships, I think I would have enjoyed Rock On more. I kept waiting for just a little bit more about why Del was back. Even more so when another relationship was affected and we didn't get much explanation there, either.

While, in retrospect, I do think the lack of examination and talking things out really did fit with Ori and Del (teenage guys aren't usually going search out the chance to talk things out and find out what's going on with each other), as a reader it was slightly frustrating to have that part of the story left unknown.

I did really appreciate the story being outside of the norm, though. Not only is it about a high school band -it's also about Ori's attempts to deal with his all-star brother suddenly home from college without reason. As much as we learn about the band progressing toward Battle of the Bands (and finding a band name), we also learn about Ori trying to find where he fits. He's not the big athlete his brother was and now with that brother back and making things unbelievable difficult he's just trying to make his band work and make the music he loves.

The ending of Rock On was great and I love the way things came together for the different characters and wrapped things up. ( )

Ori is a talented high school musician. His band, as yet unnamed, is becoming well known locally. His brother Del, unfortunately, has just flunked out of his first semester of college, and is home making Ori's life miserable just when everything should be looking good. ( )

Rock On by Denise Vega is a very natural story. It's one of those "moment in time" stories that I love because of the realism and character study. While I love watching how the characters grow, develop, and change (oh, and make mistakes...lots and lots of mistakes), Rock On is also a fun contemporary read even if you don't like contemplating character development.

The full title of Rock On is Rock On: A Story of Guitars, Gigs, Girls, and a Brother (Not Necessarily in that Order). That pretty much sums it up. It captures the easygoing nature of Ori and accounts for all the major stuff that goes on in the book. Basically, it's one teenage boy's life as he's on the cusp of creating a good band, getting a girlfriend, and working through a rocky patch with his brother.

I enjoyed reading Rock On because of the realism. Yes, there was a plot and it did move forward. If you take the band aspect (which is the most prominent, plot wise), Ori's newly formed band is trying to prepare for a Battle of the Bands. If they win, they'll get more exposure and possibly be put in touch with "the right people." While it's accurate to say not every teenager is talented enough to put together a successful band, it's also not out of the realm of possibility. This isn't some I'll-go-from-nothing-to-something-with-a-big-record-deal-that-will-launch-our-career-and-make-us-millions-of-dollars type of scheme. It's a realistic Battle of the Bands with realistic prizes. This keeps the book grounded and fits in all the other aspects (gigs, girls, & brother) in check.

While I'm a sucker for music, I'm having a hard time deciding whether my favorite storyline was the music aspect or the brother (SHOCK: It wasn't the Girls/romance!). Del and Ori's relationship is fairly typical, but they are definitely having a hard time with each other right now. Both Del and Ori are at different points in their lives and they both have a lot of changes occurring. That's hard to adjust to by yourself, let alone figuring out how everything fits in with other relationships. I really enjoyed reading about their relationship and how it shifted throughout the story. As a person with many siblings, this aspect felt particularly close to my heart.

Overall, Rock On is a cool, fun read for anyone who enjoys any of the things listed in the title (guitars, gigs, girls, and brother). It's definitely a boy friendly read and I'd say it'd probably be good for some reluctant readers too as long as they're interested in those topics.

Final thoughts: Borrow. It's worth the read. ( )