A wonderful nostalgia filled book by Chad Alan Gibbs. Likeable characters and while a familiar and simple plot, it was a gripping book of friendship, football, high school, and how things you do in this era can be carried into adulthood.

I really liked this book and the 90’s nostalgia was fantastic. . Gibbs did a wonderful job with keeping me wanting to turn the pages. I will definitely read more.

I really enjoyed Chad Gibb's first book Two Like me and You, but this fell short by several yards, the alternative time-line was quite enjoyable but the book just didn't hold my interest and references kind of bounced off..

This was my second book by Mr Gibbs. To be honest, I preferred Two Like Me and You. However, he does write very well. He switches very easily between past and present narration, which some authors have trouble with, or it gets a little more difficult to follow. This book, in my opinion, should be aimed at a slightly older audience, as it follows the main character more as an older adult, with flashbacks to his teen years. Some of it I did enjoy. The ending was just a bit too weird for my liking though!

without a doubt a musical legend in the more tumblr style that i could have read in a story; iconical characters, (90's) pop references added to a stastic very fluid but dynamic that doesn't stop interspersing the challenges of these guys during their musical tour

(thanks netgalley)

I thought that I was going to like this book, but I ended up disliking it. I was born in the 80’s so growing up in the 90’s I loved the nostalgia if the book because it was packed with some terminology that I have forgotten that I may have to use now lol. A side from that I didn’t connect with the characters at all.
For me this book was only relatable for the 90’s references.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Sometimes a book just doesn't do it for you - I enjoyed previous work by this author, but this one? Not so much. Everything just seemed a little too "too much"...

While I really enjoyed Gibbs’ first novel I just couldn’t get into this one. The language and subject matter were a bit of a turn off and I didn’t end up finishing it. I think the dual timeline concept is fun but I just couldn’t really connect to the characters. Well written but just not for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the plot or writing so I decided to put it down.

*I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

A brilliant grunge contemporary "romance" depicting real life.

When I was at 25% of the book, I was pretty sure it was going to become a 2 stars. The reason for this was that I had been expecting this literary piece to be the story of a band and their issues. I however found it a secondary school story, intially full of inappropriate language and American football -far from being my cup of tea-.

The fact that I had received this book in exchange for a review kept me going and I am now thankful to the author and the platform for having been the reason I continued reading.

I found it impossible not to love Marcus Brinks, our main character. I believe most members of the bookish community would agree with me on the lack of probability not falling in love with a nerdy literature teacher who, like Jim Morrison, gave a literary name to his band -at least I believe it was named after a stoy written by J.M. Barrie- and, as most talented grunge musicians, had no idea of music theory, but turned out a genious at making it happen.

Many would think this book does not end well, which I would fiercely deny; life is not perfect. In my opinion, this could not have ended in a better way. I guess you will have to read it in order to find out!

This book was so good that a close friend of mine who is a great graphic designer and illustrator, artistically named "el evangelio según Juan San" (name in Spanish for "the gospel according to John San"), decided to create the four illustrations found throughout this post (on my blog) that feature an imaginary tour of this band. Let me know if you need to contact him!
https://thebookdreamersalley.home.blog/2020/04/20/the-rome-of-fall-by-chad-alan-gibbs-a-review/

I hope you have enjoyed this review and, if you like the crude reality grunge represents, reading this book is a must.

Thanks for reading me!

Bear hugs!

Anne

Friday Night Lights meets 90's nostalgia. Loved the alternating past/present timelines. I would've liked to know more about his days in his 90's band.

This novel felt heavy, and spiteful. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but it ended up feeling like I was watching the second half of Carrie in the end. I don't know that I'd recommend it for YA readers, but for adults who like YA, it hit that mid-90s memory foam hard.

I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book brought back memories of high school which I hated and the 90’s which I loved. I can totally identify with all the drama that is high school. This is a bit over the top drama but I loved it all the same. The scheming, backstabbing, sports mania, god complexes, dysfunctional families, cheating, lying, violence, bullying .... it’s all part of it.

The story was told in 2 different times, past in 1994 and present 2017 by Brinks our main character. He’s fiesty, funny, sensitive and just really awesome. He comes to Rome with his mother after his family fell apart. He becomes involved in all the chaos that is a high school addicted and obsessed with football.

Personally I prefer the adult Brinks. He’s a bit more mature and confident. He’s sarcastic, witty and doesn’t take any crap from anyone. This part of the story has a more depth as well.

I really enjoyed it and I’m definitely checking out this authors first book. Looking forward to reading more by Gibbs.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. I loved Gibb’s first book. I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. The story was interesting, but it seemed like it took a long time to tell.

While I enjoyed reading The Rome of Fall, it was miscategorized as a YA. The storyline tells the story of adult Marcus Brinks, while flashing back in alternating chapters to Brinks as a teenager. A YA book is not about adults flashing back, but actual TEENS.

That being said, the parallels to Julius Caesar were pretty obvious. Jackson Crowder the obvious Julius Caesar, Marcus Brinks standing in for Brutus (Even you, Brinks? the telltale line). As an adult book, it was an okay read.

3/5 stars - 90s nostalgia + William Shakespeare: It worked really well for 10 Things I Hate About You, so I had high hopes for The Rome of Fall. Here, the play is Julius Caesar and in alternating time lines we learn the story of Marcus Brinks, former lead singer of 90s indie band Dear Brutus. Brinks has accepted a teaching job at his old high school where all is not well. Rebellion is afoot and Brinks finds himself caught in the middle of it all. The 90s references were great. Some of the teacher humor was also great. I love Shakespeare. What was hard for me to get into was all the football. (But if you’re a fan of 90s references, Shakespeare, and Friday Night Lights, this book might really be for you!) In my perfect world, I would have been able to see a lot more of Marcus making the magic happen musically. It was hard for me to believe that he turned into a music star, because his life didn’t really revolve around his music in the 90s portions of the novel. It was mentioned periodically almost as an after thought.
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I really enjoyed this. The characters were all interesting and believable. I loved the dynamics between all of them, in the past and present day settings. It truly showed how people can grow up but still remain the same, especially in a small town setting. I wouldn't say most of the characters were likable, but they genuinely felt like people, despite some cliches.

I enjoyed the plot; It was unique. The dual timeline really worked in it's favor and added the perfect level of light mystery and suspense. The football elements really worked in creating stakes on multiple levels. The ending was a bit over dramatic but it tied in nicely with the Julius Caesar references. I loved the 90's references. They were woven seamlessly into the story and helped the world feel real. I also really loved the music review excerpt between the chapters. I love little touches like that.

Overall this was a really great story that blended small town life, regret, grief and ambition into an engaging story. I would definitely recommend .

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I liked this book okay... What I enjoyed most is the 90's nostalgia. It was packed full of 90's references and terminology. I loved that. What it didn't enjoy was the fact that the story didn't feel like it had much depth. It was just a lot of teen angst that while relatable to me... I could see how it might not be to the youth of today.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

Title: The Rome of Fall
Author: Chad Alan Gibbs
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5

Twenty years ago, Marcus Brinks left Rome, Alabama behind quickly, quietly, and mysteriously. The small town worshiped its football gods—back when Marcus was in high school, that was Deacon Cassburn—and allowed them to get away with anything short of murder, including bullying Marcus and his best friends, Silas and third-string quarterback Jackson. So Marcus and his friends decide to take down Deacon—state championship on the line or not.

Now Marcus is back in Rome to care for his dying mother. Things have changed in Rome…or have they? Marcus is a teacher and former indie rock star and Jackson is the football god/coach, while Deacon and his buddies plot to take him down. Things are ugly in Rome, and Marcus just wants to keep out of the drama and maybe have a bit of romance with his high school crush. But the past has a way of shaping the future, and even in Rome, it will catch up to you.

I’m not a football fan, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying every page of this. I graduated in ’95, so all the references the author made brought that back to life for me. I’m from Texas, so I get the Friday Night Lights hoopla—even though my high school didn’t have football until just a couple of years ago, the basketball coach back then could have gotten away with murder—and it was so vivid and realistic in The Rome of Fall.

Marcus isn’t entirely likable, but he’s relatable. The whole teen angst storyline in the ‘90s was vivid, angry, and full of pain. The present-day storyline was more nostalgic, but also angry and painful. I loved how everything resolved at the end, bringing Marcus full-circle and the reader hoping he finds happiness along with his dreams.

Chad Alan Gibbs is an award-winning author. The Rome of Fall is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Borne Back Books in exchange for an honest review.)