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Sophie Valentine’s life has always revolved around music; she has a talent for singing, and her uncles are founding members of one of the biggest bands in the ‘60s. So, when Sophie’s father suddenly announces that her family is moving from Solano Beach, CA, to Brooklyn, NY, she doesn’t know what to expect. However, Sophie quickly befriends her neighbors and classmates, a group of boys that just so happen to play in a band. Things are going great until Sophie starts to get involved with Ben, and suddenly their relationship is a security risk to Sophie’s family. What secret is Ben hiding, and how is Sophie’s family connected?
A story that combines the sweetness of a high school relationship with the drama of an action-mystery, this novel is slow to start, but once the plot is developed, the story falls into place. At the start, the mystery of the story is the common thread that ties Sophie’s family to Ben and his friends. Sophie is unclear what her dad’s exact profession is, which leads readers to believe he is a government agent of some sort. Readers can guess that the move to Brooklyn deals with his job. The interesting twist comes in an intriguing revelation about Ben and company as well as Sophie’s father, a situation that makes the drama of the story much more personal and complicated.
The author also spends a good amount of time developing the relationship between Sophie and Ben so that when danger does strike, the impact is more high-stakes and emotional. The author manages to balance both the sweet, common moments of Sophie and Ben’s relationship with the more intimate, explicit moments to give an accurate picture of a high school relationship.