Playing Along by Rory Samantha Green

Image credit: Rory Samantha Green/The Daily Quirk

Playing Along by Rory Samantha Green, pub. 2012

Rating: 5/5 stars

I am a sucker for romantic comedies. Any story with a sense of humor and a couple who may or may not know that they are meant to be together is right up my alley, which is probably why I loved Playing Along by Rory Samantha Green.

George is the lead singer of the popular British band Thesis. Even though he’s made it big and his name is adored by women around the world, his sweet and sensitive demeanor makes it hard for him to form lasting relationships with anyone. Lexi is a born and raised Californian. She’s always had a plan of how she wanted her life to go – marry her high school sweetheart, have a few babies, get a dog, and hold a meaningful part-time job that leaves her enough time to care for her kids – but her life has no intention of following that plan. A twist of fate brings the two together in what is probably one of the cutest love stories I’ve ever read.

Reading this book felt like sitting and gossiping with an old friend. Lexi and George’s lives are so realistic and so ordinary (even though one lives in LA and the other’s a rock star) that it didn’t take long before I felt like I knew them. The story alternates between their perspectives, so you get an inside look at what they are thinking and feeling.

The characters are genuine and adorable and hilarious. George is a dreamboat: a sweet, sensitive British musician. I’m pretty sure that’s a combination that is impossible to resist. Lexi is really fun and totally relatable. She’s got an attitude that can go from sweet to sarcastic with the flip of a switch.

The supporting cast of characters are just as loveable. Russell, Lexi’s hippie boss, and his cat, Boris, create some of the most entertaining scenes of the book. Likewise, George’s bandmates (sandwich-obsessed Simon, Australian bad boy Duncan, and Mark, the quiet, married guy) are hilarious and add a distinctly goofy element to the story.

Music lovers will enjoy the many cameo appearances by popular musicians. I loved how real bands and singers were tied into the story. It’s always fun when you can catch a reference in a book to something else you enjoy.

One of my favorite things was how short and sweet the chapters were. Each section is only a few pages long, so it was easy to pick it up and read a section or two when I didn’t have enough time to sit and read without interruption. As a college student who doesn’t have a lot of free time between classes, the short chapters were a blessing because I could get my fix of Lexi and George being adorable and feel good about ending at a convenient place instead of having to stow my book away while in the middle of a page.

But let’s get down to the good stuff: the love story. READ THE FULL REVIEW AT THE DAILY QUIRK!