On the Right Track (Vocal Growth)

Sam Kadence's "On The Right Track" tells the story of Ryunosuke "Ru" Nakimura, a pop star jilted from his boy band success after an ex-boyfriend outs him to the media. Needing to get away and deal with his broken heart, Ru inadvertently meets Adam, a closeted gay student, at a library. Sparks fly and soon they're in a relationship. I think that was my first issue with the book--things moved so fast. I could get along with the whole love at first sight thing, but it felt like they managed to fall into each other's lives so easily that it left me wanting some more struggles for them in the beginning.Tensions do rise with the homophobia at Adam's school (save for Bas, an outgoing openly gay student) and Ru's bandmate AJ making things hard for him. Honestly, the side characters caught my attention more than the main ones. I loved Ru's best friend, Tommy, straight and also in the band Ru used to be in, who always sticks up for Ru even in the midst of paparazzi-fueled rumors about the two of them, and AJ and Kris (the ex) throwing hurdles at Ru. And Bas was a fireball of energy all his own that developed into an interesting character. Even Nate, whose arc seemed pretty obvious given the clues, felt more flushed out than Adam in particular.When it's just Adam and Ru, it feels like the things that should incite some tension just dissipate too quickly. Adam's fear of coming out to his parents, Ru being afraid to reveal his true identity to Adam--there were lots of opportunity to give these two more to deal with, and moreso than anything, they had to deal with other people rather than each other.That's not to say I disliked the story, but I wanted to be more invested in Adam and Ru, and ultimately, I was never able to. I actually think a sequel to this story, in which we see more tension between Ru and Adam, would be nice and a way to flesh out their characters more.

3.5-3.75 stars.I love m/m romances that include aspects of music and/or are set in the music industry and I have a thing for Asian characters, so I was excited to try this book as it contained both. Overall this was a very nice, pleasant read that didn't involve too much angst and wasn't overburdened by superfluous sex scenes. The writing was very good and the plot line was interesting without making me roll me eyes at overused tropes present in many m/m romances, although there are a few presented here. I liked that the author switched between POVs and this technique was masterfully handled in this book, giving us distinct insight into each characters' head during important plot developments.That being said, let me explain what made this just an okay read as opposed to an astounding one. My biggest complaint is that I had to suspend disbelief throughout a majority of the book. I expected to do this some, based on the fact that a famous, international singer takes up a relationship with a nobody from a small town, but not to such a great extent. While there was some struggle to accept Ru's fame and star status, I thought that Adam--and more significantly his parents--far too easily came to terms with it. I'm glad that the parents put some restrictions in the boys' initial relationship endeavors (such as allowing Ru to stay over but requiring that he sleep in a separate bedroom) as that helped bring this story back to earth. It was also hard to believe that no one recognized Ru given his stardom and recent heavy press coverage that occurred shortly before the story took place. However, these are elements that you just have to accept in order to enjoy the story; in doing so, it doesn't become a big plot nuisance. Another thing I found unbelievable was how quickly the boys' relationship progressed and I felt there could have been more tension and buildup. Finally, there were some stock characters (particularly the antagonists) and stereotypical scenes that felt artificial and seemed to be added because the author felt like it was expected in a m/m romance and which didn't really add to the genre as a whole.As far as this book goes, it was a light and enjoyable read but it's not one I would rush to purchase. I suggest putting it on your to-be-read list and waiting for the price to drop. The author has a great writing style and I'll keep an eye out for her new releases, but I feel there are other books that stand out more in my mind than this one. For a similar type of m/m romance, I suggest checking out Catch My Breath by M.J. O'Shea as it seems more believable and relatable, despite the extraordinary plot line, and brings something new to the genre.

I originally didn't want to purchase and read this as it didn't sound too interesting, but I am really glad I did. This is a great story of two boys finding themselves and each other when there is a lot of turmoil around them. The characters are well formed and the author makes you want to know them better and just hang out with such great guys. I highly recommend not passing this one up--buy it and read it!

I'm not used to this.not this genre. I practically swim in this s@!t.light fluff (though there's nothing light about bullying. being bullied sucks.)kinda surface writing at best.emotion was written more than felt for me.wasn't terrible.wasn't amazing.three stars because it was cute.

3 stars for being an average M/M romance plus 1 star for being about a rock and roll star = 4 stars.

I loved this book. It was very sweet. and watching the 2 characters come together was so beautiful. great author. can't wait for more!

LOVED the characters in this book. They were incredibly likeable and well-written. My only issues with the book had to do with the plot--some aspects of it just felt too unbelievable. Overall, though, I really, really enjoyed this book, and I will definitely be recommending it for the teenagers in my life.

Good story. I enjoyed it very much.

This is one of my absolute favourite books in the LGBT romance category. The characters are loveable and relatable. I bought this book and finished it the same day. I'm trying so hard not to give out information, all I can say is this is a definite must read.