Sophie's Turn (The Rock Star Romance) [Kindle Edition]

Sophie's Turn poses the question do you follow your head or your heart?

How many of us have dreamed of being proposed to by a rock star, especially one that we have idolised since our teenage years? For most of us that's as far as it gets, but for Sophie Penhalligan it went further. Not only did she dream it but it actually happened to her. Dan from rock group Tuscq is her dream come true, or is he? There is of course the small matter of her boyfriend Tim who has also proposed to her.

Sophie's Turn is a delightful story of moral dilemma and conscience, throwing caution to the wind and reality checks told in a light hearted way with a great insight and understanding of human nature.

Sophie is a fun character who kept me amused and as the story unfolded, I got to know her better and found that there was a lot more to her than first appeared on the surface. She is a girl with a conscience that she is constantly battling with, trying to justify her actions with varying degrees of success. To help Sophie in true BBF style, Rachel is always there to offer advice and a shoulder to cry on. Then there's the Accountant boyfriend; rock steady [yes the irony is intended] slightly anal Tim. And, of course, there is Dan the rock God, lead singer of Tuscq who Sophie has loved from a far for over ten years. The two worlds of reality and fantasy collide and Sophie is stuck between the two until something far more important happens, the ripple effect of which brings her to a point where she has to face up to the good and the bad and take the right turn in life.

The book is set in three parts with the first setting the backdrop to the story by way of several flashbacks which, I have to admit, I wasn't sure about initially but once I got into the story I was able to slip back and forth with ease. The flashbacks work because that part of Sophie's life is not what the story is about but are essential to understand and move the plot forward.

I loved the second part of the book and how the relationships between Sophie and Tim and Sophie and Dan developed and evolved. Part three was just as good, giving rise to some moral dilemmas, making you route for Tim one minute and then Dan the next and made you wonder how you would handle the same situation.

The outcome, well what a great ending - not what I expected but totally satisfying. All in all a fab story told in a refreshing way.

Easily a 4.5 star

I won a copy of this book a few months ago in a competition. I had recently read another 'rock star' type book, so wanted to wait a while before reading this one, as I had really enjoyed the previous book I'd read and didn't want to confuse the two. I need not have worried. They were very different. Sophie's story you could imagine having happened, if you were part of that music scene and a groupie. The original meeting 10 years previously wasn't so OTT that it was unbelievable. I immediately didn't take to Sophie's boyfriend, or the way in which he dealt with important events, or the way he shunned her and made her views seem unimportant. That doesn't mean I condone Sophie's actions, but many of us couldn't blame her for her choices and let's face it, who gets to 'meet' their idol and spend time with them as adults?
Crossing the fine line between removing herself from the 'danger zone' and going to a gig alone, without her boyfriend in the end, as a meeting had come up, was a turning point - in the end, one of no return.
Sophie's best friend egging her on and her boss putting her in a position where she didn't have a decision to make, but which put her in dangerous territory, were also well portrayed.
I found the decadent lifestyle enjoyed by rock stars credible and it was clear the author had some knowledge of the music industry, whether through research or because she was a groupie/rock chick herself, who knows?!
The additional complication of her fiance's ex-girlfriend and the way he reacted around her, simply added to the mind games and right up until the end I didn't know how she was going to choose.
The characters were well depicted and diverse and although I didn't agree with all of Sophie's decisions, I liked her.
I enjoyed the unpredictable ending, just the type I like - none of this foregone conclusion stuff!
There's a sequel I believe, or next instalment, Sophie's Run. I haven't downloaded it yet, but I will be doing so soon. Sophie's Turn is well written and I read it in only a few days - always a good sign.

I don't really know how I ran into Sophie's Turn, what I do know is that I am really happy that I did!
Sophie's Turn is the first book in the rock star romance trilogy. And Nick Wells does a great work presenting the characters. In my point of view the characters are really well developed. She truly makes you feel them, understand them, identify with them and love them.

The book starts with a marriage proposal, and it is not any proposal. He is the amazing rock star that she's been loving since she was a teenager, how she could say no? There is a teeny tiny problem though; she is already engaged to Tim, a handsome accountant. How did she get into that situation? What should she do now?

The lucky girl is Sophie (I love her!). She is the one between these two loves. In the beginning, she tells us how happy she is with her life. She has a good job, a handsome and successful accountant as a boyfriend (future fiancé), what else can she ask for? But from the very start, she is remembering something that happened 10 years ago. She goes back to the time when she met the amazing rock star that she as a teenager loved. So you start wondering why, if everything is so great with her life, all those memories keep coming uninvited to her mind. Picture then what happens when Dan (the rock star) reappears in her life and tries to be a part of it.
I have to say that I loved the book, and here are the reasons why. Sophie is a normal, common girl. She is a young woman still trying to find herself, even when it appears that everything is settled down. She is trying to decide what she wants, not only in her lover life, but in life in general. She is someone that realizes that somewhere along the road, she lost herself; she lost a part of her. Now she is realizing that, and that she misses the person she used to be. She noticed that there is something missing in her life, even when everything seems perfect.
I loved the fact that, even when she does things that you may not approve (neither does she), she struggles with that and tries her best to make it better. She doesn't want to be that kind of person, the cheating kind, and she understands how difficult it is sometimes to be true to herself without hurting other people. She is always in conflict with her conscience and she is trying to do what is right, and also what feels right. She ends up doing things that she always thought she would never do, and that makes her think, and question herself. And she makes decisions and makes mistakes, just like we all do. She is real, and with her two feet on the ground. She doesn't let luxury, trips, 5 stars hotels, diamonds and fame cloud her judgement, and she always remains the small town girl.
Dan, what can I say about him (I could easily fall for him!)? Imagine that the rock star that you've loved and adored during your teenage years and for more than a decade appears in your life. And he turns out to be an amazing man, loving, caring and he seems to really understand you and he knows you better than you know yourself and he wants you in his life (who haven't dreamt about it?)...What would you do? For me it was all said and done, but of course, things didn't end as I thought, what makes this story genuinely great. Luckily for me, when I finished Sophie's Turn I already had Sophie's Run, the second book in the trilogy, so I could go on enjoying Sophie's adventures!
Hope you enjoy this book as much as I did! A must read!