[Blog Tour Review & Giveaway] Play For Me by Celine Keating

Summary:

Middle-aged Lily impulsively joins a touring folk-rock band, leaving her job and marriage behind in an attempt to find a second chance at life, passion, and art.
It happens without warning: At a folk-rock show at her son s college, Lily becomes transfixed by the guitarist s unassuming onstage presence and beautiful playing and with his final note, something within her breaks loose. After the concert, Lily returns to her comfortable life an Upper West Side apartment, a job as a videographer, and a kind if distracted husband but she can t stop thinking about the music, or about the duo s guitarist, JJ. Unable to resist the pull of either one, she rashly offers to make a film about the band in order to gain a place with them on tour. But when Lily dares to step out from behind her camera, she falls deep into JJ s world upsetting the tenuous balance between him and his bandmate, and filling a chasm of need she didn't know she had. Captivating and provocative, Play for Me captures the thrill and heartbreak of deciding to leave behind what you love to follow what you desire."

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 231 pages (Kindle)

Source: Review Copy

Series: N/A

Genre: Women's Fiction

Available Formats: Print/Kindle

Publication Date:  April 21st 2015 by She Writes Press

Buy Links: B&N AMAZON KOBO

Add To Goodreads

Every now and again I really enjoy reading a book that isn't out of my comfort zone but isn't my usual type of read you know what I mean? Play For Me by Celine Keating definitely fit that bill for me because the main character is middle aged (I'm 27), and is dealing with both empty nest syndrome (I have pets not kids) and a romance. Lily's life and mine are drastically different, but that is really what I felt was compelling me to read Play For Me. I wanted to know why she decide to make such a profound change to her life trying to fulfill what she thought was missing while she was a wife and mother for the last 23 years.

Play for me was a real page turner. I couldn't get enough of the authors writing but I was very conflicted as I didn't agree with Lily on a great many things but I thought the book provided an interesting perspective into a life that will never be mine. It was rich in detail and was certainly very well written and was rife with emotions and I found myself battling a lot of turmoil on Lily's behalf because it seemed she was so wrapped up in her newfound love and adventures that the toll they were taking on her and those around her fell by the wayside. 

I found it interesting, and refreshing though that the author was able to convey such a wide range of emotions and keep my reading if not for the pure cathartic release of seeing how Lily's decisions were going to effect her long term. I was really invested in the outcome and I usually don't get that way if it's not a character that I love. Not that Lily wasn't a good character, she was very much so however, I didn't agree with so many things she did that I didn't love her. 

Celine Keating provided a wonderful departure from my recent reading choices and I thought she wrote beautifully conveying a story about one woman's choice to find out "what if?". Fast paced, realistic and captivating from page one this is one I will definitely be passing on in terms of recommendations and absolutely put Keating on my list of authors to watch out for. If you love women's fiction or chick lit with more substance I can't tell you to give this one a try enough. So give it a try folks!

4 1/2 Stars

Author Bio:

Céline Keating is the author of novels Layla (2011) and Play for Me (2015), which was a finalist in the International Book Awards, the Indie Excellence Awards, and the USA Book Awards. Céline is also the co-editor of On Montauk: A Literary Celebration (2016).

Her short fiction has been published in many literary magazines, including Appearances, Echoes, Emry’s Journal, Mount Hope, The North Stone Review, Prairie Schooner, and the Santa Clara Review. Céline’s short story “Home” received the first-place 2014 Hackney Award for Short Fiction. Céline is also a music journalist whose work has appeared in Minor7th.com, Guitar World, and Acoustic Guitar magazines.

Website Facebook Twitter

Giveaway: 

 The giveaway is for the choice of one Print or ebook.  Print is open to the U.S. only. 

All you have to do to enter is follow me on instagram by clicking here and leaving me your user name in the comment section below. Giveaway is open until 12:01 a.m. May 31st.