Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

book cover of Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse

Title: Rockoholic
Author: C.J. Skuse
Release date: November 1, 2012
Publisher: Chicken House
Pages: 368
Source:  Bookstore
Reading level: YA

She’s got it bad, and he ain’t good — he’s in her garage?

Gonna have to face it: Jody’s addicted to Jackson Gatlin, frontman of The Regulators, and after her best bud Mac scores tickets, she’s front and center at his sold-out concert. But when she gets mashed in the moshpit, loses her precious moon rock, and bodysurfs backstage, she ends up with more than a mild concussion to deal with. By the next morning, the strung-out rock star is coming down in her garage. Jody — oops — kind of kidnapped him. By accident. And now he doesn’t want to leave.

It’s a rock-star abduction worthy of an MTV reality series . . . but who got punk’d?!

Rockoholic has been on my wishlist for quite some time.  C.J. Skuse is a British author who received high praise for both this book and her previous book, Pretty Bad Things.  After reading this one, I will definitely be checking out her previous and future books.
Jody is a confused teenage girl who is obsessed with rock idol, Jackson Gatlin.  And I mean like stalkerish obsessed.  When chances places them together she decides it would be a good idea to kidnap the star.  Needless to say, shenanigans ensue and things get very crazy, very quickly.  Jody is hilarious but most of the time she doesn’t mean to be.  She’s angry at the world (and her mother), she doesn’t think anyone understands her, and she just wants to be loved (preferrably by Jackson Gatlin.)  She doesn’t think things through, that’s for sure, but her impulsive nature was one of the things I loved best about her.  I think every girl has a bit of Jody in her which makes her very easy to relate to.  As for Jackson, well let’s just say that he wasn’t all he was cracked up to be.  He was a very confused guy who needed help and in a way, Jody definitely helped him.  Jody’s best friend, Mac, was probably the best character in the book (along with his little sister.)  He was sweet, funny, smart, and very level-headed.  He balanced out Jody’s craziness.  There was just a really good cast of characters.
Rockoholic is probably one of the most awkwardly funny books I’ve read.  Jody’s stalkerish tendencies make for some very funny scenarios.  Almost every situation seems impossible to get out of but she and Mac always find some hilarious way out.  There is a lot of humor in this book and readers will definitely laugh out loud quite a few times.  However, what surprised me about Rockoholic were the more serious undertones having to do with drugs and alcohol.  There is certainly quite a bit of lightheartedness to this book but that’s not all it is.
Overall, Rockoholic is a very fresh contemporary young adult book.  There are some heavier topics touched upon and I would have to put a warning as far as younger readers giving this one a shot but other than that, I highly recommend it.

Looking for more reviews of Rockoholic by C.J. Skuse?
Books and Swoons review
The Book Belles’ review
Bewitched Bookworm’s review

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13 comments

  1. Haha, “awkwardly funny” is the perfect way to describe this book, Katie. I agree that Mac was the best character in the book—he was so nice and patient with Jody. And I agree—I was surprised by how serious this book was in the end. It was still a little unrealistic and fantasy-ish, but at the same time it dealt with real-world issues. Interesting combination, in my thoughts.

  2. This one looks absolutely adorable! Like a light read if you want that type of story. Great review! I think I’ll have to reserve it at the library!

  3. Im glad you enjoyed this one. I’ve had my eye on this book for a while and was always questioning whether I should buy it. Awesome review =)

  4. I’ve seen this book around. I can’t decide if I want to read it. I love funny books, but I am not sure if Jody would drive me too crazy. I should look into it though. Glad you liked it.

  5. Oooh, I definitely have been wanting to read it but I wasn’t so sure. I saw it in the bookstore the other day, and next time I go back, I’m going to grab it.

  6. I didn’t like this at all! I thought its was a lot like a movie I saw, and I didn’t find it realistic or funny.

    I am happy you enjoyed it because it did have potential, so it’s probably just me and my mood.