I love anything that had to do with music - definitely would add this to your list if you're looking to scratch the Daisy Jones or Songs in Ursa Major itch.

Like Daisy Jones & the Six, this is set as a kind of documentary approach. Sex, drugs and rock 'n roll abound and lots of 70's issues are raised and kept me entertained!

“The easiest thing in the world is to be yourself.
The hardest thing in the world is to be yourself.”

Those two sentences were appropriate for one of the two major characters, Opal Jewel, in Dawnie Walton’s excellent debut novel, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. Walton told the story of the early 1970s punk rock duo of Opal Jewel and Nev Charles. Opal was an unconventional, outspoken black woman from Detroit and Nev was a white singer/songwriter from Birmingham, England. Nev discovered Opal in a bar on amateur night and the two began a journey into near rock-n-roll fame and infamy.

Years later, Opal was considering having a reunion with Nev and music journalist S. Sunny Shelton wrote a book about the duo. Sunny thought knew most of the stories about the duo’s musical journey, but learned that Nev’s outspoken and frank nature caused an incident that derailed their chance at stardom.

The story is told from Sunny’s perspective as she interviews everyone involved with Opal and Nev at that time. Also, she learns her father’s connection to Opal and his tragic end at the incident that nearly destroyed the duo’s career.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev read like a music documentary film in book form. Opal reminded me of Grace Jones and Nev Charles brought to mind George Harrison. The story revealed how the racism and sexism of the time wanted to keep a woman like Opal in a prescribed box for the white audience.
This quote from Sunny’s father brought home the issue with labels:
“The music itself don’t have a color. It’s a continuum that starts with the drum & branches out from there. The industry and the money, that’s what can mess everything up. See, this is what I say about America–we always gotta be assigning shit, always labeling it and stuffing it in a box. Always dictating who’s allowed to own what. But end of the day, that don’t have nothing to do with the music, you dig? The music is fire and passion and soul, and however you express it is how you express it.”

That rant might be crude but there’s wisdom in those words and when you are a trailblazer, you will always resist being labelled and packaged for easy entertaining consumption. Opal learns that the hard way while Nev has a successful solo career and reap the benefits of his privilege.

The Final Revival of Opal and New was honest, raw, and profound. I rarely jump on new books, but I’m glad I trusted my reading instincts and read this novel.

I enjoyed the format and storyline of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. The characters are multi-dimensional and the twists, especially at the end of part one, caught me by surprise.

We are told from the beginning that the narrator, Sunny Shelton, the editor of Aural Magazine, has a vested interest in the story -- it was her father, Jimmy Curtis, that was killed at the Rivington Showcase that shotput Opal & Nev to stardom (or at least infamy). The story/oral history includes many characters, each with their own quirks. Some of the standouts for me were Pearl (Opal's sister) and Virgil (Opal's best friend and stylist).

This book would have been a five for me, save for the end. I didn't love how the story concluded and found it a bit abrupt (and surprising) especially given the characters' histories, which we follow from the beginning of their careers.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for my free ARC!

This was chosen for our Mayor's Book Club here in Austin and for good reason. I love the oral history format, and it was rich in history with unforgettable characters

I am so mad at myself for waiting so long to pick up this book. Opal & Nev was wonderful, lyrical, poignant, and so unbelievably relevant to things happening now. Both Opal and Sunny are bad-ass Black women in times when Black women are still being forced to be quiet and small. But they refuse to. Honestly, by the end of the book I wanted to knock Nev's veneers out because his behavior was so gross, portraying himself as an ally and then being the exact opposite. This book made me laugh, cry, broke my heart, and then gave me hope for the future. And let's be honest, we all need that hope right now. I adored this book and can't wait for more from Dawnie Walton!

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton is a captivating, polyphonic novel. It chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional 1970s rock duo, exploring themes of race, identity, and the music industry. Walton’s storytelling is both immersive and thought-provoking. A must-read for music lovers.

Such a compelling and fun read! Opal is the best character, I would have read a full book just about her and her past, her rise to fame, etc.

Ever since Daisy Jones and the Six, I love interview style stories. It’s such a fun medium and really allows you to step back in time through their storytelling and interviews. Is it a little tired after Daisy Jones? Maybe. But is this a completely different story? Yes.

This story goes much deeper, delving into racial injustice, sexual inequality, etc.

I didn’t like so much the editor’s notes and the focus on Sunny. I feel like that took me out of it, and all the notes broke up the story making it feel disjointed. I could have done without! Otherwise, I had a roaring good time!

Dawnie Walton tells the story of Opal Jewel and Nev Charles, a fictitious Afropunk rock ‘n roll duo who rise to fame in the 1970s. The pair are a complementary contrast consisting of a strong, powerful Black woman and a pale, gangly British man whose story peaks at a music festival where a racist biker gang starts waving a confederate flag, causing a deadly clash to ensue.

Walton’s storytelling is bold and gritty while effectively highlighting race relations, feminism, and other social issues in the ‘70s. This book was my first foray into oral history storytelling and it left me wanting more! The audiobook enhanced the reading experience, and Bahni Turpin (Opal) has become one of my favorite narrators.

ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton is a good fit for readers who appreciate poignant and enlightening stories that explore the complexities of race relations, music, and oral history, and are drawn to strong, independent female characters who challenge the status quo and speak their truth.

In The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, we meet these two as they are about to embark on a tour after 20 years of being apart. The story takes you back and forth from the present to the past to get to meet these characters from the beginning of their careers up until the end. There is a lot they have to go through to be the people they are today. They made music during the height of the civil rights movement. Nev a white British male and Opal a black woman from the south. The way things were handled when they were together was a lot of miscommunication and turmoil.

Overall the book was good. It was hard to follow along with this style of book as it was done like multiple interviews with several people. It took me about half way through the book to get used to it. I think my rating may have been different if the story was told in a different way.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is written like a real account. It's the type of book that I think would shine best in audio form, after all, it's a story about music and listening to it adds a much needed layer to the experience.

This was an enjoyable read and a fun twist on the oral history music format (like Daisy Jones). The author did a great job highlighting the racism Opal faced and social issues of the era (and today). I look forward to reading her other work.

I really liked this book, but I felt that there were lulls in the story that needed some help.. However I found this to be really enjoyable and entertaining and would recommend.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev follows the rise of a 1970s rock duo, their split, and their reunion for a final tour, years later. Nev Charles is a white British musician who comes to NYC seeking to build his career. Opal Jewel is a Black woman from Detroit, performing at an amateur night when Nev sees her. Despite their differences, Nev knows they’re a musical match and Opal agrees to join him.

The story, told largely in interview format to a journalist, with her own connection to Opal & Nev’s career, details the duo’s music, issues with racism including another band on their same label, addiction, tension, and secrets.

I’m drawn to fictional music stories with Daisy Jones & The Six set as my high bar — The Final Revival of Opal & Nev gave me similar vibes yet was different enough to still feel original. It did not shy away from intense topics, in the 70s and in current times. The audiobook includes a full cast, among them, Bahni Turpin who narrates Opal. I enjoyed this format.

SUCH AN INCREDIBLE BOOK!! I cant believe it took me this long to read it. I wish it was real and so many times I thought it was! I wanted to google search this story so many times!

So much better than Daisy Jones. Highly recommend!

In an unusual twist, readers of this book seem to have taken away differeing viewpoints and opinions on what the book is trying to say. That truly is the mark of an accomplished author. Instead of feeding their own opinion to the crowd, he/she allows the story to sink into the collective minds and become a legendary experience. The 1970's and 80's were very different from the current time. I know, I lived through all of them. Protests for protests sake were common so when Opal pushed back against the ingrained racism and sexism, she started to change her own corner of the world, which in turn broadcast the change outwards.
A great read for me but I would hesitate to classify it as any specific genre. I'd consider it more of a hard, frank look at how music can and has changed the world for the better.

This was a good book, but I was under-enthused reading this on the heals of Daisy Jones and the 7 Husbands.

I really recommend reading this novel along with audio as it brings up all the imaginative descriptions to live.

On one level this is a very entertaining and upsetting of a 1970s Anglo American pop duo thst depicts important topics such as racism, sexism and capitalism on both sides of the Atlantic.

I think fans of Daisy Jones and the Six would really like this as they are similar in both Audio and print.

I've tried reading this book three times, but can never make it past the first few chapters. I'm not willing to call it a hard DNF right now, because the writing is good and the storyline is interesting, but for some reason, I find that I am unable to connect with the characters. I think, for me, it felt too similar to Daisy Jones & The Six, which I also found to be just okay. I definitely think this is a case of me not being the right reader for this book, as the book itself is not bad at all and I can definitely see it being a compelling read for someone else. I have seen other reviewers recommending the audiobook, so I may choose that format if I decide to try reading this one again in the future.