Wow. I loved reading this book. It is written so well that one would think it was the true life story of Opal Jewel. I wish I was able to listen to this one on audio, as I did with Daisy Jones and the Six, if only to have a voice to go with the characters. If you are into the history of a band along with their part in a resistance movement, I highly recommend this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and 37ink for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

"The more things change, the more things stay the same" couldn't more perfectly sum up this cinematic and timely novel. I did feel that certain parts of the story dragged and that having the editor/author telling the story (although I know she was personally invested) took away from some of the character development of Nev & Opal. But the story line was incredible, entertaining, and relevant.
Sidebar: I can't be alone here...Virgil Lafleur was by far my favorite character!

A interesting take on a journalistic style. At first I thought they may have been an actual musical group. Interview style was interesting. Slow character development.

David Bowie, is that you?

At least, that's who I kept picturing as we meet Nev Charles, the quirky Brit who writes quirky music featuring quirky characters in the 60's and 70's. Later, our flame-haired superstar writes more mainstream 80's ballads, but not before we go through his entire history with Opal.

To deliver this narrative, the reader is introduced to SarahLena Shelton, editor of Aural (Spin/Rolling Stone/etc) - and the daughter of Jimmy Shelton, a premiere drummer in the 1970's. Jimmy dies at a showcase at Rivington Records, a showcase which featured Opal + Nev - and a band brandishing the confederate flag. An adult SarahLena "Sunny" Shelton decides to write a book as the world anticipates a possible revival of our featured duo.

Through a series of interviews, articles, notes and recollections, Sunny takes us through Opal's beginnings. Opal describes growing up Black in Detroit in the 60's, and how thrilled she was when Nev picked her to be his duet partner. A record deal and a move to NYC quickly followed. Opal started an affair with Jimmy, Opal + Nev put out an album, and Rivington booked a showcase.

The events that led to Jimmy's violent end and the aftermath are thoroughly explored in the rest of the book, including new information that comes to light. Who's telling the truth, and who has carefully crafted his or her own image?

Set against the backdrop of the tumultuous 60's and 70's and all that followed, this is the story of Opal + Nev.

Thanks to Netgalley for this preview!

Wow this book is absolutely spectacular. Written mostly in oral-interview format, it is reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. It's historical fiction, but addresses contemporary issues head-on. I got to what I thought was the climax of the book, only to realize that I still had over half of the book to go. The story and characters are profoundly written. Absolutely loved.

This is a new author for me, but I couldn't help requesting it due to my love of all things music!

I will say that this book is written in the same style as Daisy Jones & The Six , in that it uses interview-type responses to tell the story rather than narrative. It’s an interesting choice and I’ll admit at first I felt it was a little too copycat for me, but ultimately it worked for the story.

However, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev tackles the more sinister topic of racism, so while they shared certain themes, this isn’t quite as lightly entertaining, although it is thoroughly engaging - if horrifyingly relevant.

Missing concerts? Get front row tix for this Afro-punk 70’s duo. Available today, please welcome to the stage, Opal & Nev!

🎸Opal & Nev has been compared to Daisy Jones and the Six. Sure, they both have an interview format and a rock and roll theme and secrets. That is where I see the similarities end. I actually googled this band because it’s history reads like an accounting of real events (it’s fiction that thrilled me even when a few parts had a slower pace.)

🎸Black women have always been in rock and roll. In *this* story, a Black woman gets a voice in the conversation. Young and soulful, Opal is a misfit performer always donned in a riot of colorful bold ensembles (I would love to see these couture costumes in real life!) She is a champion for the marginalized and the bullied. Nev is her red headed British bandmate and this duo reaches brief stardom at a cost. The social activism and energizing music (listen to the Spotify playlist the author curated) magnetized me to the page. This is a story about humanity and mistakes and perseverance and forgiveness. It is a reckoning. It tells the truth and I am here for it. Get 👏a 👏copy!👏 (Please consider purchasing from a Black-owned indie bookseller.)

A fictional oral history that tells the story of an unlikely rock and roll duo in 1970s New York. Opal and Nev are planning a reunion show and reporter Sunny is doing interviews of them and the people involved in their career for a feature. The characters are great! I loved Opal and she seemed like a real artist. She was fierce, confident and entertaining. I loved hearing from her best friend, Virgil, and the crazy outfits he made for her during her career. I enjoy the interview style and thought it was a well done debut. It deals with racism and sexism and how things are always harder for a woman, especially a black woman, who speaks her truth.

Wow! This book takes the reader on such a wild and emotional journey! Initially I was comparing this book to Daisy Jones and the Six, but by the end of the story, I decided it is both more and less than Daisy (which I also loved.)
Opal’s story starts out as an interview story but the historical and racial elements add an extra punch to the read that sometimes feels like an actual punch to the gut. While many events take place fifty years back in time, it is relevant to today as well.
I did feel my interest wane a bit in the middle of the story, as it seemed to meander a bit during Opal and Nev’s time apart- it just felt like it lost its way for a while. Fortunately it didn’t last long and the book ended with me excited to read the next efforts by this author as well.
Bottom line- I recommend The Finsl Revival of Opal and Nev!

Daisy Jones & The Six is one of my favorite books of all time so I dove right in on this one. Unfortunately, I never got immersed in the story like I thought I would. It got to the point where it was a struggle to finish it. All that said, it was still an impressive debut novel by the author. Maybe my expectations were too high going in? Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Dawnie Walton's debut novel, the Final Revival of Opal and Nev is written in an unusual format. She uses the interview format of a journalist chronicaling her subjects. In this case, the journalist is Sunny, a woman who has a complex relationship with one of the main characters, Opal. The story documents the rise of Opal and Nev and how they came to be a cultural icon. As Sunny tries to understand her relationship with her father, and her father's relationship with Opal, we follow the journey of Opal and Nev to fame and ultimately to the violent event that Sunny has tried to understand. Issues of race, class, and misogeny are all raised in the novel. The author really brings all of the characters and the time period to life. You can really envision that these were true events. While this is a strength of the novel, its also a weakness. At times, there is too much detail making the novel feel more like a non-fiction biography. There are definitely parts that drag and are overly detailed. However, the novel was fascinating, the characters compeling, and the author's writing was terrific. I think this format will lend itself really well to an audiobook format, where different voices can really bring this book to life. Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.

Reviewing as LAJ9 on BN and amazon.

This vibrant book tells the story of famous rock’n’roll duo who shot to fame in 1970s New York City. Through love, loss, riots, racism, sexism, and more, we learn the story of Opal and Nev through this interesting oral history format. Despite this taking me nearly 3 weeks to read, I really enjoyed this one!

I’ve never read a book like this before, and I loved it! I enjoyed the settings and reading about the music industry during this era. Parts of this were so heavy to read and really makes you sad.

Throughout reading this, I was dreaming of the imaginary soundtrack. It would be so killer. I would love to see this turned into a movie or series and hear the music come to life.

I first ran across 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐎𝐏𝐀𝐋 & 𝐍𝐄𝐕 way back in the fall in an Edelweiss newsletter. I was immediately intrigued both by the obvious comparison and its own unique story. I held myself back from reading this book for MONTHS, but finally last week, it was time. Now my expectations were high. Very high. So did 𝘖𝘱𝘢𝘭 & 𝘕𝘦𝘷 live up to those expectations. Mostly, yes.⁣
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For those of you living under a rock, 𝘖𝘱𝘢𝘭 & 𝘕𝘦𝘷 uses an oral history format to tell the story of a short-lived 1970’s rock duo. (A duo that's considering a long awaited reunion.) Nev grew up involved in the music scene in England, but had come to NYC to see if he could finally gain some traction. He’s eventually paired with Opal, a surprise choice from Detroit. Why a surprise? Well, she’s Black, bald, outspoken, and not quite the ballad lover that Nev is. Still, Opal moves to NYC and the two make a go of it. That’s the part of the story I liked best.⁣
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Things slowed down for me in the second part, which I’m not going to talk about, not wanting to ruin the story for anyone. I went into the second half of the book blind, and am glad I did. Just suffice to say, I thought some of the interviews went on a little long and added little to the overall story. By the third part of this book, the pace had really picked up, leaving me flying through the pages until the very end. I’m left feeling very impressed with debut author Dawnie Walton. She seamlessly wove together BIG personalities, serious issues of race in America, and the world of music, all in its own unique package.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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This book was amazing. While the story was narrated by one character, the reader reaped the benefits of multiple perspectives due to the clever use of interviews interspersed with editor notes. The story itself was deep and compelling and timely. Not just a memoir of a musical duo but a story of racism and struggle. Definitely a recommended read!

I couldn't get into this one. I thought maybe it would be better than Daisy and Jones since I didn't like that one but I dont know.

4 STARS

A poignant fictional oral history of the beloved rock ‘n’ roll duo who shot to fame in the 1970s New York, and the dark, fraught secret that lies at the peak of their stardom.

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First of all I want to make it clear that I am not an #ownvoices reviewer, so please take this as such.

After reading and absolutely LOVING Daisy Jones, I knew that I had to get my hands on a copy of OPAL & NEV! I was (and still am) super interested in the "faux biography" style of writing and had heard early reviews comparing the two. Unfortunately, I think that reading this in hopes of it being "another" Daisy Jones negatively impacted my enjoyment, as I was consistently (and completely unfairly) comparing the two.

OPAL & NEV is NOTHING like Daisy Jones. Less focused on the relationship between the characters and more centred around the blatant racism and white supremacy that is so ingrained in the rock 'n' roll scene. It was a powerful read, especially with the increase in visibility and support of the BIPOC movement. I highly recommend OPAL & NEV to all readers, but caution you to leave your comparisons to other "faux bio" fiction at the door.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my review copy! OPAL & NEV is out now.

Simply described, this is the story of a young Black American woman and a young white British man who dream of becoming rock stars in the 1970s. But there’s so much more here.

Yes - there are similarities to Daisy Jones and the Six: 1) it’s told in long-form interview format, and 2) it features musicians and their lives on and off stage. That’s where the comparisons end.

The Last Revival of Opal & Nev examines racial prejudice, white privilege, gender and sexual orientation prejudice, and more. Sadly these issues are as relevant now as they were 50 years ago when this novel is set.

Congratulations to author Dawnie Walton on her compelling debut novel, available March 30. Thank you to 37 Ink for the review copy; all thoughts are my own.

Loved this book! I fell in love with Opal right off the bat! I’ve heard many compare this to Daisy Jones and the Seven but I think Opal and Nev beat it hands down! The characters felt so real and I honestly was sad when I realized I couldn’t listen to their songs. It was a quick and thoughtful read! I could have read 300 more pages on this duo!

Opal is a young black woman with a lot of ambition as far as her music is concerned. Nev is a songwriter and guitar player from England looking for a partner. I don't think you could find two more different people but the collaboration works. Opal has an afro-punk style which probably wasn't a defined genre back in the 70's. The book is presented as a series of interviews by Sunny Shelton, who happens to be the daughter of Opal's lover, Jimmy Curtis. At first the writing style through me off but then it grew on me, hearing how others perceived the events leading to the end of the story while pretty much maintaining a linear time line. The focus is a showcase concert with Opal and Nev and a band called the Bond Brothers. A riot ensues and Opal is felt to be the cause of the whole thing.

I think I would have enjoyed the story so much more if I knew the songs. Different songs that Nev wrote and explained his motivation for writing them, Opal's reaction to certain lyrics but not knowing the song I felt left out. Same with the characters of Opal and Nev, as people talked about the riot and their career paths I never felt like I knew who Opal and Nev really were, especially Nev.
I felt like I was just on the tip of understanding them but it was just a wisp and then it was gone.

I felt it was a compelling story and I'm glad I read it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is written as an oral history, which is highly effective in telling this unforgettable story. While the format makes the comparison to Daisy Jones & The Six inevitable, make no mistake - this book is very different. I loved Daisy Jones so if a comparison gets more people to notice Dawnie Walton’s impressive debut, that’s a good thing. Her rich and bold tale aptly presents the music and grittiness of 1970s NYC providing a backdrop for social issues - race relations, feminism and more.

I'm so appreciative that I had the opportunity to read an advance of The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, a fictional story that feels very real. I expect many will be singing this book’s praises when it is released on March 30, 2021.