DNF 24%
2.5 stars.
it just was not my type of book. The chapters were sometimes so short and boring to me. It jumped back and forth, i did not feel like we got to know the characters well enough this way.

Thank you so much to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me access to this book. Unfortunately my tastes have changed and I am no longer interested in this book but once again thank you so much for the opportunity!

*3.5 STARS

"Slipping from my fingers, you leave / we'll meet again, I have to believe."

I'm slowly making my way through all of my Netgalley ARC's from last year and this one was up next on my list. I'm not sure why I requested this one, maybe I was just in the mood for some contemporary with music as a big part of the storyline. If that's what I wanted then I definitely got it.

Spin is mainly Dizzy's story. She's a fifteen year old who dreams of becoming a DJ star but has always felt a hole in her life due the fact that her mother abandoned the family when Dizzy was very young. Now, her mother is a worldwide singing superstar and her latest tour has brought her to the city Dizzy lives in and she's determined to get some answers whatever it takes.

There were a lot of components that I really liked about this book. Firstly, we do actually get three POV's; Dizzy, her older brother Lou and their dad Ray, which I wasn't expecting. It worked really well as we got to see how Georgia's departure affected the whole family and how they're dealing with their own problems. It meant the story had a few layers to it but they came together to make a whole picture. I think all three perspectives were all really strong as well. There wasn't a time where I just wanted to get back to another POV because I was interested in each of the characters individually.

Another element I really liked was the relationship between Dizzy and her best friend Maya. It really spoke through the pages how much Maya cared for Dizzy and the lengths she would go through to help her friend. She was a really selfless and kind character and she's someone I wished appeared more in the book. I also really liked Ray's group of friends, they were like a group of fun uncles that gather at the family's record store to jam out all the time.

Music obviously plays a big part in this story. Dizzy's mum Georgia is a singer, her day Ray always has his saxaphone ready to play a tune and Dizzy is beginning to find her rhythm with spinning records. The way music flows through this family is pretty special and it really spoke of how much they live and breathe music and use it to tell stories and create messages. I enjoyed seeing how music had a different meaning for each of them whether it's an escape, a way of life or a way of expressing themself.

Dizzy was an interesting character too. It's her story and she was an incredibly determined and passionate individual that really wanted to find her roots and discover who she really is. She refused to give up on what she wanted and could be a little sneaky in getting it too. I think her age definitely showed through at times though. She could be very rash and naive with her actions, she often didn't think through what she was doing or the consequences for her dad and brother. Whilst these scenes did frustrate me, I think it also made her pretty realistic. As a teenager your emotions are definitely overwhelming and can lead to some pretty bad decisions at times!

"She had that spark that made her special. Maybe it was guts, or just being ballsy, but failure was not an option for Dizzy."

I think teenagers will really connect with the characters in this book, it's got a lot of heart and emotion at it's core with really strong writing. It's fun to see three characters at different stages of life and their family bond. It has really strong themes of family, frienship and of course, music, that will speak to a lot of people.

Spin is not only a coming of age story for Dizzy, but it is also a strong young female empowerment story. Dizzy has grown up with only her older brother and her dad. All three have gone through their lives, struggling to find themselves, knowing that their mom intentionally left them to pursue her signing career. All while keeping it a secret that the biggest artist in the world should be a part of their lives.
Dizzy feels as if she cannot find who she really is until she confronts her mom to ask her why she left. She is an aspiring DJ but can she actually become successful without her mom's influence?
I found this young adult book intriguing. The strength Dizzy finds within to do things that are scary, to repair poor mistakes she made, and confront her demons is an important example for young girls in this day and age. We need to encourage our girls to make decisions based on their own growth and I think Spin exemplifies this.

Spin by Colleen Nelson was a really interesting novel about a young DJ who has to forge her own identity away from her celebrity parent and despite the different situation I could really identify with it.

Spin is not the right book for me. I love ya books, but I am the wrong audience for this one. It was a DNF.

Spin is a really quick read which I would say would be particularly enjoyable for younger readers in their teens.

One of my favourite parts of the story is the main setting of the record store, ‘The Vinyl Trap’, which Dizzy and her family run/live in. This book in general really appealed to the music lover in me and I loved all of the music references throughout.

I say this book would appeal mostly to teenagers as it feels quite childish at certain points. Overall it was a good story and kept me entertained easily. Although at times it almost felt a bit like reading a fanfiction story which I didn’t love, and this is why I gave it a rating of three stars.

3.5 stars - this was cute. Starts off a little slow but I got interested in the characters a little way into it. It’s a shifting perspective (dad, and 2 different kids) which seemed off putting at first but I see why it was needed to get the plot where it was going. The main character is a 15 year old DJ named Dizzy, who at times is super frustrating and makes some questionable responsibility decisions, but that’s just my adult brain showing.
Overall I enjoyed the story and the characters and read most of it in one sitting. I recommend this for a light read.

Spin introduces Dizzy Doucette, an aspiring DJ, who lives with her father and older brother above their used record story, The Vinyl Trap. Her father once toured with her mother, Georgia Waters, an internationally known singer, who left the family to pursue a music career. Dizzy, who is learning to spin records from her brother's best friend, is gaining a reputation as a real talent and wonders if her mother will hear about her. Then signs advertising a Georgia Waters performance in town appear, intriguing Dizzy. Will her mom want to see her? Can she help Dizzy's career? When her relationship to Georgia becomes public knowledge, Dizzy's life spins out of control. The story is told from various family members' points of view. Although the story involves the music industry, it is ultimately a story about family. The author prefaces the story with a letter to the reader about her research on DJing and the music she discovered in the process.

I give Nelson credit: the plot of this book has an air of realism, particularly when it comes to individual character arcs. Decision have consequences, often devastating ones. The character's desires are clear to the reader, even when they are unclear to the character. And they are so driven by these desires that they dismiss potentially serious consequences. Each individual is so wrapped up in desires they can't see what they are doing to the people around them. I didn't much care for the multiple perspectives. The father's sections gave me particular trouble, mostly because the things we learn in those pages could easily have been relayed in Dizzy and her brother's pages. It didn't add anything to the plot to explore the father's inner thoughts, didn't even give him more depth. Instead, his perspective feels like and intrusive narrator.

A contemporary young adult book about a young girl with dreams of becoming a DJ , while hiding a secret that could make or break her dreams. Delilah " Dizzy" Doucette has grown up surrounded by music, her father owns a record store and her brother's best friend has been teaching her how to spin records. When she agrees to open for a guest DJ at her dad's store , the experience and the response she gets shows her that her dream of doing it for a living might be a possibility after all.. Everything is not running quite so smoothly at home however. Dizzy's mom left her, her Dad and her brother years ago to pursue her musical career and is now a world famous singer. She has never publicly acknowledged the family she abandoned, and despite her father and brother telling her not to get her hopes up, when Dizzy finds out that she will b performing nearby, she is determined to see her., no matter the consequences.
This is an enjoyable and well written book, with good characters. The pace moves well and the plot is well thought out and executed. My favourite thing about it was the family dynamic between Dizzy, her brother and her Dad, it seemed really natural and completely believeable.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

I could not finish this book unfortunately. It just didn't interest me. Possibly I'm a little too old for an audience.

Title: Spin
Author: Colleen Nelson
Genre: YA
Rating: 4 out of 5

Dizzy Doucette lives with her brother and dad above their vintage record store. She’s learning how to spin records, and realizes she has talent. But the one thing that haunts her every day is thoughts of her mega-famous singer mother who abandoned them when she was a baby. And no one knows her mother’s identity, as keeping that secret has always been a part of Dizzy’s life.

Struggling to deal with thoughts of her mother, Dizzy incorporates some of her music into one of her own pieces, and the next thing she knows, it’s everywhere and her secret is out. Dizzy never expected people to react to the news of who her mom is like this. She just wanted her mom to acknowledge her.

I know nothing about DJing and spinning records, so this was a completely new world for me. Spin was a quick read, and, surprisingly for a YA, this isn’t a romance-influenced story (except a bit for Dizzy’s brother). The story is about Dizzy and her struggles to accept her mom and her actions as Dizzy reaches for her future and her identity.

Colleen Nelson is a writer, a runner, a mother, a librarian, and a teacher. Spin is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Dundurn via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

This is the third book by Colleen Nelson that I've read, and I can now say with certainty that Nelson's writing style is one I enjoy. While the two before this one had been hit or miss with me story-wise, the writing is consistently beautiful, and it always flows well.
But Spin is by far my favorite Colleen Nelson book. The story focuses on family and music, and it's so beautifully executed. All the characters are well developed, the relationships set very dynamic and organic. I enjoyed how the plot was paced, and the multiple POVs were very well pulled off, they didn't bleed into one another and cause any confusion.
Spin is captivating. A YA/contemporary book that you shouldn't miss.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a good book. I enjoyed the music element. However, I didn’t enjoy the book being told from different characters’ perspectives. It wasn’t done well and I didn’t see the point. I enjoyed Dizzy’s character, her bond with her best friend, and her love for music. I think she goes through an important journey that was something that she just had to do. Although this wouldn’t be at the top of my recommend list, I would still recommend this book to other readers.

Spin centers around Delilah "Dizzy" Doucette, an aspiring DJ living above her family's vintage record store. Dizzy's love of music stems from her parents. Her father plays the saxophone while her mother is a singer. However, her mother isn't just any old singer. She's the famous Georgia Waters. She's also the mother who left her family years ago for stardom. Leaving behind her husband and children who continue to remain a secret to the public. When Dizzy's big family secret is out, her life spins out of control. Dizzy wants her mother to know her, but will she lose herself in the process?

Hands down, the most underrated YA book I've read yet. Why is no one talking about this book? It's coming out very soon and I'm wondering why there aren't people shouting from the rooftops to tell people to Read. This. Book! This is a YA book worth reading. There was no romance and no need for one. Just a story about family, music, and being brave. This is why I love contemporary fiction so much. You get to see inside someone's life. See what their wants and fears are. See inside their soul. And you get all the good and the bad of life in this one character who even though is fictional, you can't help but want them to have a happy ending.

Nelson did the smart thing and had three POV's - Dizzy, Lou, and her father. I got so much insight into each family member's life. As this is a book centered around family as well as music, this was such a key factor in why I enjoyed Spin so much. Dizzy herself is reckless, passionate, and fights for what she wants. The music she spins was a perfect addition to the story. It's different. It's creative.

Dizzy's brother, Lou, is going through an identity crisis just like his sister. I thought his POV was perfect because he wasn't a musician. He was kind of the black sheep of the family even if he helped with the record store marketing. He wants something different then what has been handed to him, he just doesn't know what yet.

When Dizzy's father's POV came around, it gave me insight into him being a single father, his love for Georgia, and his love for his kids. I love positive parenting in YA. Usually you don't see the parents around or they are cruel towards their children. Dizzy's dad was none of those things.

I felt the emotion that Dizzy felt. I could feel her want for her mother to know her. I could feel her notice-me attitude when she got on stage. She wasn't obnoxious or anything like that. She was a hurt teenager who fought for her family.

Spin was a beautifully told story about what makes a family. If you love YA contemporaries you will love Spin. Highly recommended!

How do you figure out who you are when one of your parents is the most famous singer in the world? Dizzy and Lou live with their Dad above his record store. Dizzy at only 15 is becoming a well known DJ. But Dizzy and Lou share a secret, their Mom is the Georgia Waters! I enjoyed this coming if age story. I loved how music played such an important part of their lives. The author captured teen feelings perfectly.

This was a great YA contemporary read. The author did a wonderful job writing this book. Her writing reminds me a lot of Nicola Yoon and Angie Thomas's writing. It takes a little bit to get to the conflict of the story, but once you're there you do not want to put this book down. While some of the story may not be too relatable it's still a great read.

Thank you, NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Fifteen-year-old Delilah “Dizzy” Doucette lives with her dad and brother above their vintage record store, The Vinyl Trap. She’s learning how to spin records from her brother’s best friend, and she’s getting pretty good. But behind her bohemian life, Dizzy and her family have a secret: her mom is the mega-famous singer Georgia Waters. When this secret is revealed to the world, Dizzy’s life spins out of control. She must decide what is most important to her — the family she has or the family she wants.

Spin is so different all of the YA I usually read because there's no romance, no angst, just family.

*Book received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Thanks to netgalley for an ebook copy of Spin before publication date.
Rating- 4 stars.

I loved the cover of this book with the main character depicted with a mass of curly hair.

While I was reading I pictured famous mother Georgia to sound like Adele, look like Carrie Underwood, with natural curls like Zendaya.

Dizzy is a teenager with musical parents who lives above a record store with her father and older brother, Lou. Having a DJ deck in store, her musical abilites soon shine, where she creates old school record mixing and sampling, and posts them online.
But having to also navigate teenage family dynamics Dizzy, and the people in her life, make choices and we read about their decisions and the after effects of them.