Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Arcadia Blog Tour hosted by Irresistible Reads Tours. Please click here to follow along with the tour schedule.
Title: Arcadia
Author: Mandana Towhidy
Publication date: July 8th 2013
Genre: New Adult
Source: Review copy
Tour organized by: Irresistible Reads Tours
~ Synopsis ~
Populated by rockers, Deadheads, misfits, skinheads, Goths, surfers, preppies, cheerleaders, and jocks, ARCADIA by Mandana Towhidy is a Fast Times at Ridgemont High for the Metal years. It's an honest story of Ronnie and her friends (Ezze, Tess, Ash, and Syd), teen girls in the heart of the Hollywood Metal scene during the late 80s/early 90s, ruling it in their own way, with or without the boys, and having the time of their lives: scrounging dimes for burritos, ducking the hallway narcs, getting stoned in the parking lot, and hitching rides to the next party to get wasted, all before noon on a school day. And in the world of Hollywood where more is all you need, Ronnie discovers happiness in Metal and friends and learning to see through the games and the "perfect-ness" of it all. Long Hair Rocks...Again!
~ My Thoughts ~
My Rating: 4 / 5
Arcadia took a minute for me to get into with the slang, but once I was in, I was in and there was no going back. This was a fresh and entertaining read that kept me up late because I didn't want the party to end. I grew up in the early to mid-90's grunge era, and at times, I almost wished I had grown up in the metal scene.
I couldn't help but wonder if any school could be the way Ronnie describes hers where students ditch class daily and come back drunk or high. Whether it's realistic or not, it didn't bother me one way or the other. I was a little jealous of the way Ronnie lived without caring what others think. She's young and free with seemingly little to no consequences dealt to her.
There is so much description that it'd be impossible to not picture Ronnie and her friends, but it was also sometimes a problem for me. There is a LOT of description, which at times made Ronnie go off on long tangents. Once I realized she had brought me back to the present, it took me a moment to remember where I was in the story. On the other hand, some of the most fun parts of Arcadia were the lengthy character descriptions.
If you like the 70's of Dazed and Confused and the 90's of My So-Called Life, then you need the 80's of Arcadia!
~ Purchase Links ~
~ About the Author ~
MANDANA TOWHIDY is a writer, editor, and art director whose work has been featured in pop culture magazines Dazed & Confused, Tokion, Oyster, and numerous other print and online publications. She writes daily with her little Chihuahua, Lotte, sleeping by her side.
~ Social Links ~
