Live Out Loud (Toronto Collection)

Live Out Loud is not your average girl-turned-superstar story. Amy is a songwriter with dreams of opening a center for teenage girls. It is to honor her deceased best friends memory and to carry out their plan. All she needs is start-up money. Then Amys friend posts a live performance on her blog and suddenly Amy is an internet sensation. She had gone viral. Becoming a pop princess was the perfect, quick solution to raising money for the center. It isnt long before Amy comes to love her music career, Mistys crazy colorful costumes and the media attention. But everything isnt so great off stage. Vague faxes are sent with creepy messages. Her boyfriend seems distant and clearly not supportive of his pop princess girlfriend. And someone from the past exposes her secret through blackmail. Meanwhile, Amy struggles to maintain her true identity, in the midst of Misty stardom. This was my first book read by Heather Wardell, but not the last. Ive already downloaded another one of her eBooks titled Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo (currently free for Kindle or NOOKbook). Her writing style is clear, organized and easy to read. The main characters situation seemed unrealistic though. I understand how easy it is to get famous after going viral. But getting signed so quickly, releasing new music every week and touring North America and Europe happened a bit too fast. Putting that aside, I enjoyed reading Live Out Loud. The eBook can be purchased for only $.99 so download a copy today. I recommend it for light reading, music industry lovers and those who seek a dream. Amys determination in reaching her ultimate goal and working for her dream is inspiring. Disclaimer: This book was received from the author for review purposes. In no way does it influence my review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Literary Marie of Precision Reviews

First, get a list of her books so you can order them all in a row. I wish I knew where she lives so I could bring her coffee so she can keep writing. Funny and they made me start running again . If you buy you will understand. Five stars.

this entire series is an incredibly fun, light read to put you into good spirits. i definitely recommend them all!

Ah, another Heather Wardell book on the blog. Im happy to announce I have read and reviewed all of her books, and she is at the top of my Favorite Authors list. Live Out Loud captures the story of Amy, hobbyist songwriter with a heavy goal on her mind - honor the memory of her late childhood friend. Amy thinks the way to do this is to start a support center for teenage girls, but when Amy suddenly catapults to fame thanks to a video of her singings blows up the internet, Amy is faced to realize that maybe the center isnt meant to be. Amy - now posing as Misty Will, hit pop star - has fame at her door and teenage girls following her every move. Can Amy really give up being Misty - or is the call of fame too strong for her to ignore? Another book I highly enjoyed from Wardell. Amy is such a confused character, so sure that she knows what she wants just unsure how to reach it, but at the same time - shes hopelessly lost. She knows she wants to honor her friend, but its fairly obvious that she has no idea how to go about the center. I loved the pop culture twist in the book - how to become an overnight sensation with just an uploaded video, the pressures celebrities have on them when their considered to be role models, and the great content that gets delivered in each book from Wardell. There are some hard hitting topics discussed - from teen death to abortions - but the story is very touching and I would definitely recommend Live Out Loud.

When I first read Planning to Live, I didnt think that I would ever love a Heather-book as much or identify with a character more than Rhiannon. Live Out Loud completely blew me away from the first chapter. It is a beautifully written, eye opening tale of a woman (Amy) torn between living the life she wants and the life she thinks she should want. The truth is, sometimes we dont know how much we want something until its within our grasp and all pretenses are dropped. Misty Will learn to live her dreams, if she can forgive herself and let go of the past.

Ive read the whole Toronto series to date and have enjoyed them. They are fun, easy reads that have a good message of figuring out who you want to be and not who others expect you to be. And of course the predictable romance, but lets be honest thats why we really read these.

Amy has always been a big dreamer, not just her own dreams, but the dreams of her childhood friend who tragically died. But never in her wildest dreams did she think she would become a singing sensation, yet that is exactly what happens. Amy becomes the pop princess Misty Will. But the biggest question is.... Misty will what? Once again Heather Wardell gives us a winner. Wardell has a way of creating characters and situations to which her readers can relate wholeheartedly. I just love watching Amys character catapult to fame, and to watch her flounder when fame is a little too much for her to handle. I liked that this story has a modern feel to it. Typically, I dislike a lot of pop culture in literature, but in this story it just fits. This is a story that we can imagine happening in todays world of pop music. I could totally imagine a singer like Misty rocketing to fame thanks to youtube. And as a lover of social media, I really enjoy how it factors into Mistys situation. I was a little surprised at some of the more serious themes at work, dealing with abortion, teen death, and teen sexuality. I liked that this story had this meat to it, yet was still able to remain so positive. Well done.

Ive been reading a few of Wardells books for some light summer reading and this is my favorite so far. The main characters had depth and developed with the story. The storyline was tight and had something interesting going on most of the time. Mistys internal struggles were believable and made me care what happened to her. The ending was satisfying and was what the story was leading up to all along. There was a surprising amount of depth to this one and addressed some tough issues. Amy/Misty also has her own issues to work through and comes shining through with the help of good friends. It is a positive story of overcoming, of discovering and following your dreams.

Just as Mistys songs were written to inspire and change lives for the better, so was this book. To some, Mistys character, though with flaws, may come across as too good to be true. I would probably have thought so myself, but I chose to look past that and focus instead on what I believe is the books real purpose. Theres a handful really: be yourself, learn from your mistakes, move on, pursue what you believe in especially if its something good, choose your friends, take time to stop and relax, etc. Its a great book for young people to draw inspiration from; not preachy at all, and very easy to read. A few months back, I did a marathon reading of Ms. Wardells books, going through the Toronto series in chronological order. I stopped and left three more books unread. Now Ive got two more left, and I will definitely read the next one right after I hit submit for this review.

Once again, Heather Wardell did not disappoint me. I just loved this story. I love the way she inserts characters from other books into new books, even if the stories arent connected. Theyre all Toronto residents. I do the same thing. I loved Misty, especially because she didnt let her fame taint her values (too much). Imagine becoming a pop star overnight, having people screaming when they hear your name, and crying when they see you because they are so desperate to touch you. Then imagine how great it must feel to know that your songs reach out and touch young people in a good way. Well done. Although I have never been to Toronto, I am in love with the city--thanks to Heather Wardell. Carole McKee, author