The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is a captivating gem of a debut.

This fictional story of Opal and Nev starts out in the early ‘70s as a rock duo with an unusual style. Nev is a white flamboyant British songwriter of crazy lyrics, and Opal is a black independent and free- spirited Afro-punk singer. Due to circumstances, they go their separate ways.

Fast forward to 2015, Opal and Nev are contemplating a reunion concert, and SarahLena (Sunny) has been assigned to interview them for a book for Aural. She is the first black female editor in chief of Aural who happens to be the daughter of Jimmy Curtis, the band’s drummer who was killed in 1971 when a racially charged riot broke out during a concert. This event occurred before Sunny was born so she never knew her father. Opal and Jimmy were lovers during this time.

Throughout this novel, we hear excerpts from Opal and Nev as they tell their story. We also get conversations by family members, friends, band members, managers, photographers and promoters, etc. and even a taping of the Dick Cavett Show. I love this style of oral history storytelling of this iconic band with a format similar to “Daisy Jones and the six” and “Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk.”

This story was well told as the many voices contribute to the telling of this story. In the course of these interviews, Sunny discovers the truth behind her father’s death and wrestles with disclosing this information. Opal’s character was particularly interesting to me. She was a strong, independent and provocative woman deeply convicted to the cause of equality for women, specifically black women who have been marginalized throughout history. A quote from the book that particularly resonated with me was by Sunny,

“That the voices of black Women like Opal should not be discounted or diminished in deference to those who have highjacked our shine whenever it suits.”

That is so powerful!

This just seemed so real to me in light of current racial tensions. Opal and Nev were equal members of the band in their creativity but Opal was treated differently simply because of her color.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and 37 Ink/ Simon and Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.


5 Reasons You Should Read The Final Revival of Opal & Nev (Mostly Because My Brain is Scrambled and My Thoughts Incoherent)

1. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a kind of technical masterpiece. Written as a rock and roll oral history, this novel uses interview formats and chapters written from the perspective of the journalist to tell the story. If you don't think this is hard to achieve, just think about how each interview voice (Opal, Nev, their producer Bob, their old friends, the fans and other people commenting on them) all have to be distinct and realistic to who those people would be. And then there's Sunny's voice, which is the guiding force of the entire narrative as she tries to reconcile her own family history with Opal's legacy. I mean, it's just spectacular.

2. Speaking of the format... The way this novel is constructed worked incredibly well for me. It's engaging and very easy to read. I practically flew through it because I was so enraptured by the story and eager to find out what would happen next.

3. Who doesn't love a complicated history of rock stars that deals with feminism and race? Opal Jewell gave me Grace Jones/Nina Simone vibes, and Nev Charles gave me big Paul McCartney vibes, and their partnership/collaboration is bound to be interesting.

4. There is a twist in the narrative that I did not see coming, and it completely transforms the narrative and what I expected the story to be. I will not spoil it because it shouldn't be spoiled, but it does complicate the narrative in a way that's unexpected and interesting.

5. Opal's story is certainly front and center, but Sunny's story might be the most compelling part. She's a Black female editor at a Rolling Stone type magazine trying to put together this oral history of two artists she really admired who have history with her family, and she's trying to unpack all of that while being a journalist. Also, just the insights into what being a music journalist are like? *chef's kiss*

I liked Daisy Jones and the Six but I LOVED The Revival of Opal and Nev. The first half read almost like a murder mystery to me... I was captivated and couldn’t wait to find out what actually happened at the Revival and put all the pieces together. The second half was a bit more of a slow burn but by that point I was so in love with Opal I just wanted to spend as much time as possible with her and see what happened to her. I probably would not have picked this one up if it weren’t for the ARC but I have already recommended it to a few people and will be for awhile!

GUT PUNCH
Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2021
What a story!! It took me a while to finish this as 2020 was stacked with trials & tribulations. I kept having to put it down and return, not only to reflect but also to digest its truth. Read the rest of the reviews to "whet your whistle" on the context, but what's more important is what you take away from it. America is steeped in systemic racism and bigotry-our history is rich with it. This quasi re-telling is effective and unsettling as the time period adds its raw glamour. I see Grace Jones as Opal in my "mind movie".

THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV by Dawnie Walton is a novel showcasing the rock and roll musical duo of Opal and Nev, with their rise to fame in the 70's and their final revival in 2016. This was very similar to Daisy Jones and The Six with it being written in interview style. Comparing the two, I loved Daisy and I liked Opal. Opal was a tougher, more combative character and she had a very different relationship with her bandmate. I liked this okay, but it dragged a bit in the middle and I didn't form any attachment to either Nev or Opal.. I also think this would be better as an audiobook with a full cast, just because of the format in which it was written. A solid 3.5.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is reminiscent of Daisy Jones and The Six in that it's a book about a now defunct duo ( rather than a group ) that once made great music together ( afro punk rather then rock and roll ) and is written in the form of an oral history. The oral history is written by a band outsider but she has a distinct and important connection to the duo. I loved both books but this one definitely took it up a notch by covering important current topics ...making the book a little more weighty than the former. I think the author did a great job looking back at the 60's-70's, bringing tow very different artists together ( independent, flamboyant Opal with a British singer/songwriter whose dream is to make it big in the music industry) to create a story with tension that examined the line between integrity and the fulfillment of our dreams at any cost. I'm glad I got to read this one and am pretty sure it will remain among my favorites this year. Loved it !

This is a brilliant book, combining the inside baseball oral history of a rock act with editorial perspective from someone personally connected to and evolving from the story and key players. Add to that the fraught sexual and racial politics from the 60s that are still not resolved today, and you get a great mix of entertaining narrative and depth.
It is very well crafted and interesting to see people look back on their lives and whether they were successful or not isn't as critical to their impressions as their self-confidence and identity.
The depictions of concerts and wardrobe details is especially interesting.
Great story and exploration of how people spiral towards and away from huge defining moments, especially ones that aren't in their control.

There were definitely four and five star moments for me while reading "The Final Revival of Opal & Nev" but they were few and far apart. I was surprised after finishing to see that the book isn't particularly long, the plot just dragged so terribly that it felt much longer. The bulk of the story between the characters felt like it was there to serve a political message, and while that message is important, when the story is missing otherwise it's difficult to enjoy as a reader.

From the first few pages of this book, it felt more like a memoir than a work of fiction. The fictional characters blend in so well with history and real people that I had to keep reminding myself that this was fiction!

The book is written in the same oral history format as Daisy Jones and the Six, but let’s be clear, this is not that book.

This one, in my opinion, is better.

Set in the early 70s of NYC, this book details the story about the overnight rise and fall rise and fall of the iconic fictional rock duo:

Opal, an Afro Punk from Detroit and Nev, a Red Headed singer from the UK.

The story gives us background and the history behind the duo that leads up to the reveal the truth of what actually happened one night at one concert when a rival band signed to their label brandishes a Confederate flag. Opal’s Protest and the violence that follows sets off events that changed the lives of each of the book's characters forever.

Even though it is set in the 70s, the messages of race, feminism, sexism and politics are still relevant RIGHT NOW.

There is so much to unpack in this book, it is impossible to do it in a few paragraphs here.

I recommend it for sure, predict that Opal and Nev is going to be on everyone’s best of 2021’s lists!


Thank you netgalley for the complimentary e-galley in exchange of my honest review! All opinions are my own.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton is a fabulous book written in interview format about the fictional proto-punk duo Opal and Nev who formed in the early 1970s. Because of its similar interview format with a 1970s rock group, obviously it will be compared Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid. While Daisy Jones focuses more on relationships between bandmates, Opal & Nev focuses on relationships and political and cultural elements of the time periods. (1960s-70s and 2016) Nev, a pale, red-headed, up-and-coming musician from England seeking a female counterpart for his group. While on tour to recruit a singer, he encounters Opal, a striking and enigmatic dark-skinned African American woman in Detroit.

The novel illustrates their personal and professional backgrounds and struggles. Through interviews about events and background, we learn so much about Opal and Nev, their character and motivation. From the beginning, the editor inserts herself into the story. Her father was a African American drummer in the band murdered during a racially-motivated brawl that ensued at their concert. I really liked that the editor was part of the story as it was interesting to see the complex nature of her relationships play out with those she interviews, especially Opal Jewell. This book touches on so many issues, pervasive racism in the US and allyship, politics, complicated relationships, drug addiction, etc. Though the book itself was fascinating, the last chapter really tied everything together and made me love it.

Thank you 37 Ink / Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

The scene is set early on: a finally established journalist interviewing Opal and Nev. Nev has been in the spotlight forever however; Opal has taken a break. An upcoming tour with both artists is on the horizon and the journalist will set the stage. Stakes are high to get this interview out and do justice.
This story reads like a Daisy Jones and the Six or even The Seven Husband's of Evelyn Hugo. I loved the multi interview format however, this book would have caught my attention more in an audiobook format. I would have been able to appreciate the characters more and the interactions they had with the outsiders.

An amazing debut novel that reads like a history of a famous rock and roll duo, Opal Jewel and Neville Charles, in the 1970s in New York.
Written in alternating chapters from Opal, Nev, family members, and past band members, each voice brings light to their lyrical journey. Music lovers will wish the duo was real. Walton writes an immersive story about a woman compelled to speak her truth – whether about politics or feminist power - regardless of the consequences.

I wanted to love this - I did.

I just wasn't a fan of the the huge author notes. I did like the daughter's POV, it was compelling as she was shocked and angered when she learned the secrets she was searching for. My problem was I compared it too much to Daisy Jones and the Six..

#TheFinalRevivalofOpalNev #NetGalley. Now available as of 3.30.21

WOW. ALL THE WOWS.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a lyrical commentary on race and feminism in the United States. Set in the 1970s, so many moments in this story could easily be happening right now, and Walton's active comparison of race relations and police brutality in the late 60s and into the 70s to 2016 showed an acute awareness of the
issues the Black community faces on a daily basis. Walton's deep dive into history, mixed with her own perspective as a Black woman in America today, allowed her to highlight the astounding period in America history that is the modern Civil Rights Movement.

There was absolutely nothing I didn't love about this one, and it is definitely one of my favorites of 2021 so far. This debut novel captivated my heart and soul, and I want everyone to read it. I have seen so many comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six, but aside from the 1970 time period/music scene and the interview style, these two books have very little in common. Opal & Nev is truly its own work of magic and should absolutely be viewed in that way.

I finished this one up today (nothing like cutting it close to pub day!) and listened to part of it on audio. The audio was unbelievable and is narrated by a full cast that includes my favorite narrator - the amazing Bahni Turpin - and I cannot recommend it enough. An extra huge thank you to NetGalley, 37 Ink, & Simon and Schuster for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

4/5 📚

As good as this book is, I feel like it could have been 10x better. There was something about the ending that was just unfulfilling. The entire story makes sense, it wraps up everything nicely, but for the punch that this novel packs, it just seems like it ran out of steam towards the end. That being said, it's still one of my favorite reads for 2021.

Thanks to @netgalley @37InkBooks and @dawniewalton for providing a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

#TheFinalRevivalOfOpalAndNev #DawnieWalton #37Ink #NetGalley


#WellReadBlackGirl #ReadersOfInstagram #2020Reading #ReadMoreToLearnMore #Bookworm #DiverseReading #BlackBookstagrammer #BlackBookstagram #Bookstagram #Read365 #ReadingIsLife #UnchartedAuthorsWithLulu #AvidReader #HonestReviewer

Dawnie Walton’s debut novel reads so smooth and easy, not that the topics are sweet or all character arcs redemptive, but the immersive narrative experience may leave readers Googling if Opal and Nev really did exist. (I may have searched a time…or few!)

Multiple-narrators, decades, and locations abound in Walton’s novel, but her most authentic voice sings loudest and clearest in Opal Jewel. Whether defending her right to sing on stage without a Confederate flag unfurled, commanding confidence with her unique album cover and stage clothing and hairstyles a la Virgil LaFleur, or singing rock-n-roll via Afro-punk, she knew what she her value was, even when public opinion, or record labels, did not offer continuous supports.

I did note the similarity in structure to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six (2019) (oral history with interviews regarding 1960s and 1970s music), but I also realize that it is common for books, movies, and tv series to be released in the same time frame about related topics, or in similar formats. Additionally, Walton utilizes her voice as a Black woman to further develop the experiences of her characters, for example, at the Rivington Showcase, smaller in scale than the real-life Rolling Stones at the Altamont Free Concert in 1969, but where the only death at either was still a young Black man.

I work with older adults, and The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is the rare contemporary fiction book that we could discuss, even those who are no longer reading as frequently due to cognitive challenges, such as dementia. Music is intrinsically tied to memory, and songs, clips, sections developed from this title would perhaps offer some excellent fuel for memory lane.

***Thank you to NetGalley and 37 Ink (Simon and Schuster) for the free advance copy***

Title: The Final Revival of Opal & New
Author: Dawnie Walton
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Rating: Four
Review:
"The Final Revival of Opal & Nev" by Dawnie Walton

My Opinion:

It is an interesting mythical read where one can be drawn to Opal and Nev's rock and roll duo history. Be ready for some unique characters that are well-developed and well-defined in each of their own ways. I liked how this author uses a journalistic style [Sunny] who wrote the biography of these two... Opal and Nev. Opal Jewel was some amazing character who defied the accepted views of the 1970s and refused only to be herself!

The author gives us quite a read from the 1960s through 2016 of 'the history of Detroit, the religious sister, manager and promoter, other record artists, family connections, romance, systemic racism, integument, mystery, and a good look behind the scenes of the music industry.' This was definitely controversial looked that showed the racism and sexism that was very prevalent at that time with a unique way that tells a story from many POV's. Can one believe many of these deals with some of the same racial injustice issues that we still see today?

'The Final Revival of Opal & Nev' will be one of those reads that will definitely keep you are reading where you will find some humor, heartbreak, and still thought-provoking long after the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon, and Schuster for the ARC!

THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL & NEV may sound quite a bit like the uber popular 2019 novel Daisy Jones & The Six. And in many ways, it is ... Both feature a fierce female protagonist, a unique narrative structure of interviews, and the intriguing world of 1970s rock & roll. But don’t breeze past this one, thinking you’ve read one, so you don’t need to read the other!

In this debut novel, Dawnie Walton brings to life not only the story of the rise and fall of the iconic fictional rock duo Opal and Nev, but she settles this story down within the larger social context of racism in America. With social commentary that is just as sharp and relevant today as it would have been in the ‘70s, Walton slowly peels away the public image of this duo to reveal the truth about what happened one horrific night that changed each character’s life forever.

Many thanks to NetGalley and 37 Ink for gifting me an advance copy of this book.

Title: The Final Revival Of Opal & Nev
Author: Dawnie Walton
Publisher: 37 Ink/Simon & Schuster
@37inkbooks
@simonandschuster
Genre: Historical Fiction (Oral History Format)

Happy Publication Day to The Final Revival Of Opal & Nev! I was able to read this one early thanks to the “Read Now” option on @netgalley and early release from @bookofthemonth. This one is being compared to “Daisy Jones & The Six”. While that is very much true for the oral history format this one is a little deeper exploring racial issues in the 1970s. I predict this one is going to wildly popular. Don’t miss out!

Opal is all style and attitude and a black punk rock artist before her time. Coming of age in Detroit, she can’t imagine settling for a normal 9-5 job, despite the urging of her Mother and sister, Pearl. Opal believes she is destined to be a star, so when she is preforming in a dive bar’s amateur night and in walks British singer/songerwriter Nev Charles, she takes up his offer to make rock music together for the up and coming Rivington Records. She leaves behind just Opal and becomes Opal Jewel.

But picture this: It’s the early 1970s in NYC and a rival band signed to the same label brandishes a Confederate flag at a promotional concert. Opal’s bold protest then that follows sets off a chain of events resulting in violence that change the lives that they love forever.

Then, when the dust settles decades later Opal considers a 2016 reunion with Nev when a music journalist seizes the chance to write about her idols.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It took a little bit for me to get into this book. I found Part 2 and Part 3 more enjoyable. While I like the oral history format, I found the editors notes and the short breaks by the journalist, Sunny, to make it a little choppy. Also, I think the author chose to interview too many characters and that’s why it took me longer to focus and get into the book. I still really enjoyed this one and think others will too! This is one of those books that will appeal to multiple genre’s.

NetGally ARC - Dawnie Walton's debut The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a historical fiction novel written as an oral history. It tells the story of an infamous rock duo that got its start in 1970s New York City.

Newly immigrated to America, Neville Charles aspires to fulfill this mother's dream of becoming a star. Meanwhile, in Detriot, Opal is performing at open mic nights, already a star in her own mind. When Nev hits the road with his record label in search of a young Black woman to partner with to complete his act, he's undecided about whether this venture will result with any success. Then, he meets Opal and is immediately taken with her boldness: the way she sings, the way she dresses, the way she carries herself.

Once in New York City, the pair begin recording songs for the new album and playing at small venues to uncertain crowds. Trying to recoup the costs of Opal & Nev's album, the label signs The Bond Brothers, a boisterous band with strong Confederate roots. When the two acts clash on the night of the Rivington Showcase, their worlds are forever changed.

Fast-forward to 2016: Opal is considering doing a reunion tour with Nev, and S. Sunny Shelton, editor at Aural magazine, is writing a book on the history of the duo. Shelton, however, has her own personal connection to Opal & Nev that she battles with continually, trying not to let it influence her as she interviews those that were there and tries to capture these historical events as another story begins to unfold.

My interest in this novel was piqued when I read that is was being compared to Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones and the Six, which I enjoyed but wasn't completely enthralled by. I can confidently say that The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is superior. It is far more readable and I found myself more invested in the characters and their circumstances. I laughed. I cried. I would recommend this to anyone that enjoys reading about music, historical fiction set in New York City, or novels about women that truly and fully themselves.

In my opinion, the characters were entirely flushed out; they had their own unique voices. In contrast to Daisy Jones and the Six, it is written more as a final version of the book that S. Sunny Shelton is writing and the larger pieces of dialog, as well as the Editor's Notes, allow for the characters to come through. I found it easier to follow than Daisy Jones and the Six because each character has several paragraphs of dialog about a certain topic or question, instead of the numerous side characters having snippets of interview dialog continually throughout the book.

I also fell in love with Opal Jewel as a character. Nothing is better to me than reading a novel with a fierce female character that uses her voices, takes no shit, and always stands up for what she believes in. I also loved her interviews with Shelton and reading about the relationship that they formed.

Regardless if you loved Daisy Jones and the Six, pick up this novel when it's released on 3/30/2021. It's a stunning debut that draws you in from the first page and doesn't let off the brakes.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and 37 Link for the Advanced Readers Copy.