Book Review: Take A Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Take a Bow
Author: Elizabeth Eulberg
Reading Level: YA
Genre: Contemporary
Released: April 1st 2012
Review Source: Point
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school.

Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admit that he'd rather paint than perform. The Senior Showcase is going to make or break each of the four, in a funny, touching, spectacular finale that only Elizabeth Eulberg could perform.

I loved this book! Elizabeth did it again!!! Absolutely brilliant!

This book follows the lives of Carter, Sophie, Ethan, and Emme as they go through high school at a performing arts school. Many times when I read books where the author writes from many different points of view I get easily confused, but not with this book. I even felt like I could hear some of these characters reading their parts in this story out loud to me.

I really enjoyed tagging along on this journey through high school with these talented teenagers. We start out by learning a little bit about each of the characters:
~Emme is a songwriter, one of the best, and she feels indebted to her best friend, Sophie, for putting a voice to her words. Emme is perfectly happy being in Sophie's shadow and ends up at CPA because of her.

~Sophie has her eye on the prize. She is a great singer wants to be a star, and will stop at nothing to reach that goal--even if it means damaging a relationship, or two, along the way.

~Carter is a former child star who cannot seem to get out of the spotlight. He decides to attend high school because he wants to be more normal. Sophie manages to snag him as her boyfriend, but does she really like him or is it his fame and fortune she is after?

~Ethan is a songwriter, too, and he is AMAZING! He and Emme are best friends and he seems to have this problem of messing up his relationships.

There are a few other characters, who are really good friends with Emme and Ethan, but I'll let you enjoy them for yourself when you pick this book up.

This book took me on somewhat of an emotional roller coaster. I was yelling at a few of these characters at times, and crying or laughing with or at them at other times. I love it when an author can write characters that are so believable and stories that draw out my emotions and make me root for some of them and curse others. This book also took me back to my own high school experience, and even childhood, a bit. I wasn't talented enough to attend a performing arts school, or brave enough to be the star of the show. I did, however, enjoy helping in the background getting sets ready for plays that our school put on and was a proud member of our school's drama club. From the age of 4, I was in dance class (tap, ballet, jazz-you name it) and I really looked forward to our dance recitals every year when we could dress up in great costumes and be a part of the fabulous productions we put on for 100s of family members, friends, and the public. I miss those days sometimes. So I really identified with Emme in this book-how she was okay with being in the background...and yet, I enjoyed performing at times, too.

My favorite part of this story, besides the ending (of course), is seeing how the characters changed and grew as the story progressed. Well, most of them changed anyway. You'll see what I mean when you read it. And you must pick it up as soon as it is available!!! You will not be disappointed! If you are a fan of Elizabeth's other books, you'll love this one, too. And if you haven't read any of her books yet--what are you waiting for? I'm not kidding, you won't be sorry! Love them!!!