The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is an oral history of the beloved rock & roll duo who shot to fame in the 1970s. This book gives off serious Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones & the Six (due to the way the oral history is written) and Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (because of the way the interviewer was involved) vibes. I bet this book will be great on audio!

There was a slow (and confusing) start to the story. The editors note at the beginning threw me off because I didn’t realize it was part of the story until I was three pages in. It was a really attention grabbing start and I loved it. It took a long time to get to the event that I assumed most of the story would be based on. I loved hearing all of the different perspectives but sometimes there were seemingly random people thrown in and it lost me for a second. The book picked up around part 2 for me. I was expecting a little bit more for a resolution for the ending. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to people who enjoy an oral retelling and also don’t get distracted during slow starts.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton is an engaging oral history about Opal Jewel, a singer who for a short time in the 1970s was the duet partner of Nev Charles. Nev is a skinny red-headed Brit and gifted songwriter. His studio, Rivington Records, feels something is missing and decides he should have a female partner. Nev discovers Opal at an open mike in her hometown of Detroit and is immediately smitten by her. Even though she has never been in a studio, Opal manages to get a good contract and moves to New York. Opal is a tall, proud black woman with a gay friend, Virgil, who dresses her in outlandish clothes. She suffers from alopecia and either goes bald or wears big wigs, turbans, or other headdresses. Together Opal & Nev struggle to find rock-n-roll success after their first album was a flop. A tragic event fueled by racism causes the death of their drummer, Jimmy Curtis. This finally puts the duet in the limelight. Opal becomes very politically outspoken during national television interviews. The duet has some success but they soon go their separate ways. Nev finds long-term fame and fortune as a solo artist. Opal does not, and eventually retires from the music scene.

The oral history is recorded by S. Sunny Shelton, the first African American and first female editor of Aural, a rock magazine. Sunny is also the daughter of Opal and Nev’s aforementioned drummer, who died before her birth. Soon after she gets appointed editor, Sunny literally runs into Opal. Of course the more we learn about Opal, we know that was not an accidental meeting. Opal tells Sunny that she is seriously considering doing a revival show with Nev at the 2016 Derringdo Festival even though it had been more than 25 years since she has performed. Opal wants Sunny, through her editorial position at Aural, to write a book about Opal & Nev’s career so it can be sold at the Festival. Aural will also have the exclusive right to announce the reunion tour. Of course, Sunny jumps at the chance to learn even more about the duo.

The interviews are done with Opal, Nev, Virgil, Rivington Record’s owner and employees, other recording artists, band members, photographers, Pearl’s family members, Sunny’s Aural employees, and so forth. What is revealed is the portrait of a strong, independent African American woman struggling to make it in the music business run by white males. She remains true to her political beliefs and is always willing to make a statement against racism. Years later, Opal is still seen as a heroine and a role model for African Americans. When the possible truth of what caused the tragic accident is revealed, Sunny is placed in the uncomfortable position of telling Opal. Opal must then decide whether to go ahead with the Opal & Nev Revival and once again be on center stage.

4-plus stars. I was surprised to learn that this is Dawnie Walton’s first novel. She is a gifted writer. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published next week on March 30, 2020. The hardcover is 368 pages.

All I needed to hear was that this book compared to “Daisy Jones & the Six” and I was sold! This book over performed for me in several aspects. I absolutely loved the storytelling & narration of this book. The author’s talent truly shines through the writing. I soaked in every word!

Thank you SO much to Netgalley for allowing me to read this amazing novel. What drew me in to this book was the comparison to Daisy Jones and The Six which is one of my all-time favorite books. That premise of a book in a book retelling the fictional history of a Afro-Punk band in the 1970’s told in interview format was a hit for me. I was born after the 70s but everyone knows that the 70s was an iconic time. I appreciated how this book was more political than DJ&TS, tackling race which is a huge part of the book and is very relevant today. At times, I had to remind myself that this was a fictional book because it felt so much like I was reading a biography about a real band. I also got The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes vibes as the book pieces together what happened to the band post tragedy and how everyone handled the aftermath. Major themes include race, class, gender, the music industry, our perception of ourselves and other's perception of us. THANK YOU!

The best book I’ve read this year! I loved the oral history format. It made it much more readable than a regular narrative. All the characters were interesting, even the unlikeable ones. There was never a moment when I didn’t want to know where the story was going next.

I went in to this expecting something along Daisy Jones & The Six vibes and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed it. This might be the best book I’ve read in 2021

When I first read the description of this book, I was thinking Daisy Jones & The Six, and I though oh yes, I would definitely like this book. What I forgot was that when I read Daisy Jones I hated it in book format, but loved it in Audiobook format. I feel the same exact way with this reading experience. For some reason reading an entire book in interview format does not work for me.

If you loved Daisy Jones than I am sure you will love this one. Taking place in the 70’s Opal & Nev rise to fame, but come across many racial issues especially when on tour that affects them forever.

I might give this another chance when I can get an audio version, but for now, I must leave it at that.

Thank you NetGalley and 37 Ink for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an oral history following a fictional Afro-Punk band in the 1970’s. Highlighting issues of sexism and racism in the music scene, Opal and Nev tell their story to Sunny, the newly named and first African American editor-in-chief of Aural magazine who happens to be the daughter of Opal’s murdered lover.

Overall I felt bogged down by too much information: too many characters, too much detail about things that didn’t propel the storyline and way too many interruptions via “editor” comments and footnotes. The story was choppy and at times, uninteresting.

Again I find myself in the minority in my opinion of this book. Looking at Goodreads and reading reviews on Bookstagram, this book is consistently getting 4-5 starts. Unfortunately I have to blame timing for my lack of enthusiasm. Having recently finished The Songbook of Benny Lament, another fictional account of a band rising to fame during turbulent times, I simply preferred that book. Without a doubt Opal and Nev will be compared to Daisy Jones and the Six, the first in this oral history trend, and I preferred Daisy’s story to Opal’s.

This book will be great for readers that enjoy oral history, historical fiction and music.

I loved this book! I really enjoyed the journalist style writing. The characters were well developed and were so dynamic! It was fun to picture them living out their story lines in my head. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC copy.

"Isn't that the kind of story we should aim to be telling - how it is that this rock-and-roll music could reach a sheltered Black girl like me, and make her feel not just seen and heard but empowered?"

This book will inevitably be compared to Daisy Jones and the Six because it's the story of a revolutionary female singer told through an oral history. It also has similarities with The Songbook of Benny Lament which focuses on an interracial duo whose music and lives make a significant impact during the Civil Rights era. But debut author Dawnie Walton, with her sharp and provocative writing and larger-than-life characters, has created a unique take on sex, drugs and rock 'n roll that should be judged on its merits alone.

Opal, a fine singer with a huge personality, and Nev, a dorky Brit songwriter, are two wrongs that combined make a right. After they rise to fame as the faces of a horrible tragedy, they go their separate ways - Opal to an avant garde life in Paris followed by failed attempts to regain her former glory and Nev to rehab before becoming a solo sensation. Decades later, the duo consider a reunion appearance and music journalist Sunny Shelton pitches an oral history of the icons, who also have a connection to the death of her father.

I loved how Walton structured the story and who she had tell it. She does an incredible job of capturing each of the characters' individual voices, giving them unique quirks in what they say and how they say it which brought them all to life. She also incorporates actual celebrities into the narrative (a "quote" from Trent Reznor about Opal is one of my favorites moments in the book) making their story feel that much more real. The lyrics to Opal & Nev's songs are also terrific (you can almost hear them in your head) and there are social and political aspects of the plot that are expertly examined without feeling preachy. Cultural appropriation, racism, feminism - it's all part of Opal & Nev's history.

There are a lot of wonderful things in The Final Revival of Opal & Nev and Opal is a protagonist I won't soon forget. The first two-thirds of the book had me hooked but the last bit, which focuses a bit more on Sunny, started to drag - for me, Opal was the star. I plan to give this audiobook a listen as well because I'm sure hearing her story will be even more powerful than reading it.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a copy to review.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, by Dawnie Walton, is a nostalgic fictional history of a musical duo who was famous in the 1970s, and a dark secret that shrouds the height of their stardom.

Told in a narrating interview style, the story is slowly uncovered of a band reuniting ten years after a tragedy. Their success was brief and fleeting and peeling back the layers you gradually find out why.

The plot is an important one, especially in our current political landscape which is why I continued to read. It is a story that needed to be told. However, I could not connect to any of the characters and it never held my attention. I wanted to love this story – so, so much. Not only for the importance of the message, but also as a music fan, I truly did!

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster and Dawnie Walton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. ❤️️

3.5 stars. This book is written in the same style as Daisy Jones & the Six and is being compared to it, but while Daisy had romantic elements this story brings up race and social justice issues. Opal is a Black woman, Nev is a British white man, and together they formed an unlikely musical duo in the 1970s. I’m not someone who is very into music or who cares much about celebrities, so I think other people will enjoy this story a little more than I did.

While reading this book, I felt transported to all the scenarios it retold. From concerts to recording studios to the early tales of Opal and her sister Pearls upbringing singing in the church, it all felt tangible. The story outlines the rise to fame of an unlikely duo, Opal and Nev in the early 1970’s. Opal, an eccentric and bold black woman from Detroit, and Nev, a white British male, seemed the most unlikely duo, however their story, told through interview transcripts and editors notes, felt so real.

I am a big fan of this novel. I generally enjoy historical fiction but usually about direct social themes. This novel did the same and more by incorporating music. It is ugly, honest, raw, provocative and endearing. The characters, the plot, the writing style and the themes were all well developed and brilliantly written. If a bit of rock n roll mixed in with equality is up your alley, then you should definitely check this book out once it is published on March 30th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing me with an ARC copy in return for my honest review.

At first I know what you are all thinking...didn’t we just do this story? You will be happy to learn that no we did not. Other than format and the fact that it is about a band, the similarities end there with Daisy Jones and the Six. This story delves much deeper. It brings to light societal injustices at the time and that are still affecting us today. The interwoven story of actual people leave you wondering if Opal is indeed an actual person. A strong, powerful debut novel from an author who is poised to go far.

I was so excited to get this ARC from Simon and Schuster & NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The Final Revival Of Opal & Nev is an oral history format based on the formation and career of an Afro-punk duo making it big in the 1970s. Nev Charles grew up in the U.K, took a chance and flew to the U.S to make a shot at fame. Opal Jewel, coming-of-age in Detroit, is discovered performing in a sister-duo act. Together they join forces to create something big. In 2016, Sunny S. Shelton begins writing an aural history of the band, with talks of a reunion between the two looming. However allegations and secrets begin to emerge, and all is not how it seems.

I could not put this book down. It was exactly what I needed. This book is often compared to Daisy Jones & The Six, from what I’m seeing between bookstagram and NetGalley. While the format is similar, I think this book is more hard-hitting in the historical fiction aspect. From civil rights to the anti-war movement, this book tells the story of a band making waves during a turbulent era. There’s the duo’s own complicated history tied in with the happenings of the world. This book hits on racism, sexism and activism in a thought-provoking way. It is done really well. I was a massive fan of Daisy Jones & The Six too, but I think this book shouldn’t be compared too closely as it isn’t *exactly* the same vibe.

I loved Walton’s characters. They leapt off the page, making this fictional oral history a gripping read. Opal in particular is such a fierce protagonist that caught my interest from the very start. Not to mention the sheer (fictional) history of “the photo”. It almost felt the group was real and it made me want to go and Google them and buy their vinyl haha!

The only thing was that there were some elements that felt slightly unresolved for me personally, making this a 4.5 instead of a 5. A very minor thing. However, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is brilliant, clever and unputdownable. Highly recommend for any historical fiction and music lovers!

I was very excited given the comparisons to Daisy Jones and the Six (which I loved) - they are both musical groups/duos told in an aural style to a reporter. This one certainly focused itself more on race and a violent incident at one of her concerts when she took a stand against a racist symbol. Some parts were hard t oread, but the author portrays the various thoughts on race issues in a way that feels very true to the culture and positions in America. I thought this started off incredibly strong and ended very strong as well too, but I found my concentration dipping a little in the middle when there was a lot of editor's notes or the stretch about Paris could have been a little shorter. I loved the pop culture references and it feels like they were a real duo and this very very could have been a real story, so incredibly well written that way!

Thank you to Netgalley for this advanced copy. I thoroughly enjoyed this and readers of “Daisy Jones and the Six” will love this too.

I loved watching Opal and Nev’s careers play out. It felt so real and authentic!

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster / 37 Ink for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sex, drugs, rock and roll? Say no more. I was originally drawn to The Final Revival of Opal and Nev because of how it has been compared to Daisy Jones & The Six (which I loved), but Walton’s novel takes this oral history to a whole new level. The descriptions of the clothes, the music, and the sultriness of New York in the 1970’s were enough to keep me hooked, but the character of Opal Jewel pushed this novel to the top of my favorites in 2021.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev dives into tough topics, and forces the reader to consider how today’s political and societal climate compares to that of the 1970’s. “I regret that the world can be so unkind, so ungenerous. That people still haven’t learned how to love, in 1971 or 2016.” It is at once a powerful depiction of systemic racism, and a beautiful account of the pursuit of justice.

Wow! What a book! "The Final Revival of Opal & Nev" by Dawnie Walton reminded me a bit of "Daisy Jones and the Six," but it is really so much more! Though it starts slow, the story soon sucked me in and I absolutely could not put it down. I was positively riveted. This is so much more than a fictional story of a rock duo, it is a commentary on sexism, race relations, and the problem and prevalence (and dare I say passive acceptance) of white supremacy in the United States. It is way more than just a story of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll! The story and the characters are so realistic, I admit I googled Opal Jewel to see if she actually was a real person! The oral history format, told through the viewpoints of several major and minor characters, and fictitious editor's notes made it seem even more real. The author's character development is second to none and her descriptive writing is top notch. This really is an impressive debut novel and I look forward to reading more from Dawnie Walton!

A thousand thank yous to NetGalley, Dawnie Walton, and the publisher for the incredible privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this absolutely magnificent book. This is a book that I will read several times!

First off: wasn't quite sure what to really expect when I was offered this book to read (thank you so much Simon & Schuster and 37 ink - the publishers) but it sounded like something that I would enjoy, the tie to the music side of the story grabbed my interest. Honestly I didn't know anything about the book and was looking for something to read inbetween waiting for the Stand to be available from the library again to be able to finish it up.

Dawnie Walton is an Iowa Writing Workshop MFA graduate and worked at Tin House (RIP). I am more jealous of her than I thought I would be while reading the linked article. It is so completely apparent what a formative talent she is. Reading this book was a history lesson, wrapped in a rock and roll history lesson, wrapped in a civil rights story, further and finally wrapped in a box of Black History all in one... and it's truly fabulous (just like the character Opal's fine dressage).

So, there you have it. Not going to front here... the first part of the book, being a compendium of oral history for me was a little distracting, the history that was dialoged what a little hard to discern character to character while I was reading it (except Virgil... his voice was very there).

Yet, for me at least, when the author moves to a more traditional style they come more alive... and this is where the story shines. There are many people posting that the book is like Daisy Jones & the Six, but really it isn't. Nor is it like any of the other oral history books out there, it's a cop out to compare it so stop it y'all.

Yes there is the oral history component but it's not the crux of the style or even the story. Get past it people, it's a super different experience.

Here is a line that was in the book that shows what a talent Dawnie Walton is (and forgive me publishers, I know I am not supposed to quote the book without permission, I will remove it if you wish)...

"...a million speck of dust exposed and floating in the light, telling stories on you"... this is a line that just slayed me... it is so incredibly beautiful, scene setting and telling. Wow wow wow... Dawnie Walton had me in her story at that point. Honestly... that was the sentence that grabbed a hold of me.

This is a full story of a journalist who is on a journey to discover her family truth, cover the music industry and career of a strong woman and her obstacles. Along the way some unknown truth doors are opened and those inevitable feelings that are underlying with all the characters. These are strong people we are reading about and honestly I want to know where these characters live in real life because I want to buy all the records, read all the magazines and know them better. It's a story about strong women and some weak people facing their truths.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is a great read... really a great read. No spoilers of course, but I thought the "gotcha" at the beginning was the one that would follow the story through, nope, there are some great twists and turns. Also a lot of history that is forgotten about how marginalized black people were (and still are) in the entertainment and music industry at all levels. Lots to imagine and learn with this fine novel.

The folks raving about this book are right and I am joining that chorus too.

Additionally if you read this prior to April 1 2021, there is an online booktour opportunity for you to hear the author talk with the author of Daisy Jones and the Six, I am sure it will be amazing!