Review of Faded

This was such a BEAUTIFUL book with raw, tears evoking emotions. It was a pleasure to read it from start to end.And that ending was just soo heartbreaking!! I had to finsih it with such a heavy heart BUT the best part is I got the ARC for the second part of the duet, so that was a HUGE consolation for my crying heart. Can't wait to dive into that, but I wanted to review this book prior to that, without letting the second book change my opinion of the first. This story was just so sweet and painful at the same time. When I first started, I kind of expected it go along the usual Rockstar storylines with the paparazzi, media and stardom creating a wedge between our lead characters. But I was so glad that it took a different and more unconventional route with quite a few surprising elements but never going over the top with anything. Julie has established herself as a writer with a unique writing flare. But this particular book has a different touch to it, especially with the writing style and tone, setting it apart from her other books. I loved how the story unfolds as Felicity recollects her past and that's how the story, mainly set in Nashville begins. The way the whole city has been described, imbibed with country music, I feel like booking a ticket to there and just breathing in that place!! Beautiful descriptions, setup, and even more beautiful story. It has this simplicity element in it, which is interwoven with love and kind of an innocence and passion to follow ones dreams. The love story between Felicity and Ryder flows seamlessly, and had me glued to the pages. I loved both Felicity and Ryder. Their love was tangible and their connect was music. The way Julie used music to toe these two souls together is really fascinating. The songs are so amaaaaziing!!! I loved faded as well as the song that he writes for her. Ryder is truly an amazing character. I understood the decisions he took and hats off to his guts. His decisions weren't easy, and yet he always stood by what he wanted no matter how difficult it was compared to the easier alternative. I really felt for Felicity and the kind of agony that she has to go through her whole life. And that's the aspect that bothered me a little, making me give this 4.5 stars. I never got a clear picture about Felicity's past. There were lot of hints and it was told and not shown, making it less effective in a sense. If it were shown as a flashback, it would have painted a better picture and also that storyline was left hanging towards and wasn't mentioned again owing to the new turn her life took. That's made me want to dig deeper and learn more, but an explanation wasn't offered in this book. But nonetheless, this book was an amazing read and I really hope that the second book provides more clarity and answers regarding her past.