Wildflower audiobook

For the past several years, Bird Barrett has travelled the American heartland in an RV with her family. By day, her parents homeschooler Bird and her two older brothers. By night, they light up honky-tonks and local bluegrass/country music festivals as the Barrett Family Band.Seventeen-year-old Bird can sing, but feels best playing her fiddle—she loves her instrument so much she named it (Maybelle). But when her dad gets a cold, Bird, the second strongest vocalist in the family, has to do lead vocal duties at the next gig. Her father’s minor illness changes the course of her life.For there are two talent scouts in the audience: one from the (in-universe) giant label of country music, Great American Music, and the other from the (also in-universe) indie label Open Road Records. Both think Bird could be the next big thing and want to sign her. Our heroine wants a bit of artistic control and opts for Open Road, although she’s quick to learn that even a small indie label will force her to change some things…A well-timed music video propels Bird to sudden superstardom. She’s thrilled to earn money for her family and share her original music with the world, but she’s not prepared for how the change will affect her family, especially her brothers, and their friend Adam, the boy she’s had a crush on for as long as she can remember.Content AdvisoryViolence: None.Sex: Bird and her friend Stella giggle themselves silly over Adam and several other boys. The male model costarring in Bird’s music video has his shirt unbuttoned and his chest oiled at one point, which makes our heroine feel a bit awkward. When Bird’s brothers inform Stella that they’re sick of her rhapsodizing over her celebrity crush and his beautiful eyes already, she retorts, “Okay, then, I’ll talk about his cute butt.”Language: A few uses of “freaking” is about as strong as it gets.Substance Abuse: None.Nightmare Fuel: Bird quickly learns that, having become a celebrity, she has absolutely no privacy. Everything she does will be taken out of context, sensationalized or outright lied about, and judged. That said, there are absolutely zero frightening images or instances of gore in this book.Bird tells us that the Family Band got started (view spoiler)[as a coping mechanism when the youngest Barrett sibling, Caleb, drowned at age five, ten years ago. Seven-year-old Bird was with him at the swimming hole, but had no idea what a real-life drowning looked like and did not recognize that her little brother was in trouble until it was too late. If you’ve lost a sibling or child, this might stir up some painful memories. (hide spoiler)]ConclusionsThis is a very cute book. It set out to be a light-hearted look at the rise of a fictional teen star who is not unlike many real teen stars of recent memory, and it does exactly that. It also manages to address the pitfalls of young fame without wallowing in—or even bringing up—drugs, sex, and alcohol. It doesn’t have a whole lot of darkness or depth, and sometimes seemed more like a Disney Channel movie from the late 2000s than a novel in its own right. But still, it’s cute and very good at what it does. The part that bothered me most was when Bird gets assigned some stylists, whose first job is to determine if her naturally strawberry-blonde hair should be dyed pure blonde or pure red. Is this something that really happens in Hollywood and at music labels? Do they think that people are too stupid to accept that there are intermediary shades of hair color? And when this is someone’s natural color, why on Earth would you mess with it?[image error]Anyway. This was a nice, breezy, clean little story, and a welcome break from all the angsty stuff I’ve been reading lately. I think a lot of young teen girls will enjoy it, and I will happily read more stuff by Alecia Whitaker. ["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>["br"]>

A very fun read! Can't wait for Bird's next adventures!

I really enjoyed this book! The theme in this book was to follow your dreams. Bird, the main character, was in a band with her family for her entire life since her younger brother died. It was a way for her and her family to distract themselves. But the band gets split when the president of the biggest music label notices her, but only wants her and not the entire family band. The author passes the theme throughout the entire book by making Bird make choices that could change her entire life. Rate: 5 stars

This was such a fun, quick read! As a music lover, I really enjoyed this book. Bird was very likeable and I was rooting for her the whole time. I loved it!

Short review because I am tired/not feeling well, but I still want to let people know what I thought about the book.This book was great! However, the ending sucked. I won't spoil anything, but sadly the ending is what made me give this book 4 stars instead of the planned 5 stars. I felt the book was cut off at the last point, it could have elaborated on things, now it felt a bit inconclusive. I did love Bird, however she was sooooo naive at times. I was just shaking my head at it. She was a wonderful girl though, and gifted. I wouldn't want to listen to her singing in real life (I hate country music) though. I did like all the details on the recording, the publishing stuff and all other things surrounding it. We also got some romance, though it is not that much, and I expected more from it. The side-characters (her family, the boys, her friends, the recording studio/company) were all great and made the story even more wonderful. I loved how supportive her family was, though I wanted to smack her brothers at times. All in all, I would recommend this book. It is a great, fluffy summer read. Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

This book is so good!It's about a sixteen year-old fiddle player named Bird Barrett, and her rise to country music fame. There's young love, songwriting sessions, the Bluebird Café, and cute flirting between Bird and Adam at the Pancake Pantry!AND IT'S IN ... ... ... N A S H V I L L E It's only my favorite place in the world, and honestly, it's what led me to purchase this book from my local Books-A-Million. Speaking from someone who'd like to be in Bird's shoes herself, I loved this story. Sure, it seemed a little easy how she got where she did, and that's the main reason why I withheld one star. But I still adored this novel. It was the epitome of sweet and innocent. I'd like it even more if Stella and Bird had had a conversation that didn't involve Adam, but that's a minor complaint. I think, if you prefer contemporary YA, then this should be up your alley. Also, if you like music and are more artistically inclined in that respect, then you should love this book just like I did!4/5 stars!

I recently got back from a trip to Nashville and it was so cool to see all the references to locations that I had been to or heard of while I was there in this book. I really enjoy stories like this one where someone is plucked from obscurity and thrust into the limelight. We get to see Bird balance her new fame along with her friends and family. It reminded me of Taylor Swift's story in a way. Now that I've finished this book the cliffhanger has me excited to see more of Bird's journey. I also enjoyed how Alecia Whitaker actually shared the sheet music to Bird's hit song. If you're in the mood for a fun, quick, and light hearted read and/or love the country music scene, then Wildflower is for you. I really loved this book and couldn't put it down. I can't wait to go pick up the sequel!YouTube | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Website

The novel Wildflower by Alecia Whitaker is an amazing story about a young girl's rise to fame and how she copes with all the new attention and all of the problems that it brings with it. I love how all of the characters are easy to connect to and many problems mentioned in this story happen all the time in real life. The reader can easily understand the point of view of everyone in the book, and can understand the reasons behind their actions. Something that I loved about this book that seemed extremely unique was that not only did the author show some lyrics throughout the book, but there is a full song along with sheet music provided in the back. I have heard that this book is part of a series, and I cannot wait to read it. I definitely recommend this novel to music lovers and anyone looking for a great book that they can make connections to.

I really like this book. This book is like Nashville but from the point of view of Scarlet. Can't wait to see what happens next!

Loved this book!!

Soooo cute, but I don't think the resolution was great. The ending felt a bit too open.

Wildflower by Alecia Whitaker is a realistic fiction novel. The story follows Bird Barrett and her journey after being discovered in the music business. Bird Barrett is a sixteen-year-old girl who grew up on the road. She has been on the road for seven years, playing in small bars and hotels with her family. Her family found music as a way to cope with the death of her baby brother, Caleb. Bird has always been the backup singer for her family’s bluegrass band, but one night, when she fills in for her dad singing lead, a scout in the audience offers her a chance to be the next big country singer. Caught in a whirlwind of recording sessions, meetings, and video shoots, Bird starts to realize what being a part of the music business is really like. When her first single hits the top twenty on the charts, Bird is being caught by fans and paparazzi everywhere. When she finally is “noticed” by her long-time crush, and family friend, Adam Dean, Bird feels as though she has everything she has ever wanted. Soon, though, life in the spotlight starts to be too much for Bird. She is caught on the wrong side of the tabloids, and while her best friend, Stella, keeps reminding her that “All publicity is good publicity,” Bird still doesn’t know if she can take all of these lies. When these stories cause Bird to lose Adam too, she has to decide if she can handle both, her famous self and the version of herself that only her friends and family know. Also, when everything she used to know has changed, Bird wonders if she can really become a star while staying true to her roots. My favorite part was when Bird was recording the last song for the album. She said, "I sing for what I almost had with Adam but lost. I sing for the years when I lived on the road with my family and for the months to come, on the road with a whole new family of sorts. And for once, instead of worrying about what the label will think, I sing for me.” This part is when Bird realizes how much things have changed from the beginning of the story. I like this part because it shows how different things are going to be, while also staying the same. She sang for everything that has changed in the last few months, and because of this, she was able to get it right on her first try. This moment showed how far Bird has come, and it also shows how much farther Bird will go in the future. I would recommend this book to young musicians who are just being discovered in the music business. It covers how to survive in the music business while staying true to yourself, and it also talks about taking some time for yourself and not overworking.