Dahlia's Backstage Pass

Ethan Cobalt

Dahlia has her entire life planned. In a few weeks, she and her on-again/off-again boyfriend will go to college. She will become a nurse, he a doctor. Together, they'll volunteer for Doctors Without Borders and see the world. Most importantly, she'll be able to leave the trailer park she calls home. But when an old friend calls out of the blue, Dahlia realizes she can't turn down his offer to work with his band. Suddenly, her world is turned upside-down and she must question everything from her career goals to her relationship.

I enjoyed this story, although I did spend much of the book wondering if Dahlia stepped out of one manipulative relationship just to enter another one. I think this was ultimately because I didn't really get to know the character very well. I would have liked to have seen him developed a little more. I also would have liked to know Finn better as well. I saw some potential for a great buddy character, but he felt very flat.

Although this story claims to be a romance, it felt more like a "slice of life". The author did a great job setting up the relationship between Dahlia and her ex, but I really wanted to see more between her and the new guy. Ultimately, it almost felt if it were more about the drama between Dahlia and Sesame than about her blossoming relationship.

One question I never felt was answered, even though Dahlia did ask it more than once, was why now? According to Dahlia, she and Tai were never very close, so I was curious why chose her for this position. He gave a few half-hearted reasons, but they never felt genuine and I never felt this question was answered satisfactorily.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from this author. I would rate this story four quills and place it on my middle shelf.