I liked this book. It is very powerful and chilling. I would definitely recommend it to those that like thrillers!

The innovative and vibrant structure the author devised for this book taught me a lot. The voices were distinct, compelling, a great read alongside Daisy and the Six or other "mock rock histories", but also a nod to struggle and racial history in the music industry. But I was completely hooked by the oral history concept. Loved that and want to use it!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
💬 ❝I was twenty-one years old and 'suffering for my art,' as they say. I wanted to feel morose and romantic; I wanted to do penance at the alter of greatness.❞
📖 In the early 70s, a morose yet quirky British singer/songwriter is trying to get his music career off the ground. He and his producers, searching for a black woman to sing on his record, snag Opal Jewel from an open mic night in Detroit. Opal is the blueprint for what will become Afro-Punk and an absolute star in her own right. Together they make music, pop-culture, and political history together. Fast-forward to 2016 and the pair are floating the idea of a revival tour together and S. Sunny Shelton, a music journalist with a personal connection to the famous duo, creates a puts together a deep dive oral history of the most intense years of their careers.
👍 So, let me start by saying that I will literally always pick up any fictional biography/mock journalism story about a fictional band. I have a deep, deep love of pop-culture and pop-culture history. So any time you tell me a book is historical fiction about music, film, comics, etc I am 100% game, and generally I'm going to love them. This book is absolutely no exception and probably the best version of this I've read in a long time. I know a lot of people are going to want to jump in and compare it to Daisy Jones but I really want people to push that out of their heads. This book interacts with history, politics, and identity in so many interesting ways. And generally, the one turn off I have with these kinds of stories is that there's always the twist that the person writing the history or conducting the interview has some familial or personal connection to the subject and that always takes me out of the story. But here, it is not used as a plot twist at the end of the book, Shelton tells you up front in the first editor's note what her connection is and I think that saved a whole star on my rating for this book. Not only is this an exemplar of the genre, it's also a poignant read for our contemporary moment in history. Opal Jewel is a character who is going to stay with me for a very long time.
👎 I have almost no notes for this book, I loved every second of it. I do wonder what this book would have looked like as a straight biography, rather than an oral history. Especially since I know that format is going to draw those comparisons to Reid's work. But that's not a critique so much as it is a curiosity.
📚Pair with: They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib and Meet Me in the Bathroom by Lizzie Goodman
⚠️Racial slurs, racism, drug use, sexual assault, police brutality. (via @the.storygraph)

The best way to read this book is as a Non-fiction, but knowing it's a fictional story.

I find this story very complex with a few storylines to it. There is the story of Opal & Nev who collaborate of a rock and roll album. One is avant-garde and one is looking for fame. They play at the Rivington label's showcase. Then there is the story of Rivington Label itself, which is a small label who signs a few artists, some become famous and others not so much, they put on the Rivington Label showcase. Finally, the story of S. Sunny Shelton, who is the daughter of Jimmy Curtis, who died at the showcase, and who is trying to find out what happen that night. And while Sunny Shelton is finding out about what happen she finds a world of very interesting and well developed characters who are living extraordinary lives.

I was mixed about this book at times I really enjoyed and wanted more and other times it drag, but over all it is a very good book about the recording world.

I want to thank Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for my honest opinion.

My first thoughts when reading The Final Revival of Opal & Nev were that this feels an awful lot like Daisy Jones and the Six. And they are both similar in that they both are the retelling of the histories of 2 fictional bands told through interviews and excerpts. This book felt more personal with Sunny's connection to Opal and Nev. It was an interestingly laid out story and deep in its discussion on the very current topic of race in America. Overall a good read!

This book definitely has “Daisy and The Six” vibes with the way it was written like an interview and the storyline of once happy musical duo went sour; however, I liked this book more than I liked “Daisy and The Six”. I found this storyline bit more interesting than the other: instead of reading about bunch of brats being mad at each other after not being able to keep their love story alive, this book brought in more meaty topics like race, feminism and equality. We got to see more about the interviewer’s point of view and her share and effect in the way this storyline developed.

Nev is an English boy who has some talent but was pushed into music more because of his mother. Opal is her quiet and more reserved sister’s crazy pair in musical journey. One guy took a chance on Nev knowing he meant nothing with his solo career. Opal joined the party when producer and Nev found her in a little Detroit club. Nev was infatuated with Opal. He wanted her to be his better half. Opal was farming the emotions but she wasn’t as crazy as he was. They were a good duo until things went south... Opal lost someone very near and dear in a riot that started as a musical showcase. Nev lost Opal...

Opal wasn’t the only one who lost someone during that riot. Our interviewer also lost someone she had never met since she was still in her mum’s tummy. She made it her life goal to understand this duo, what happened that night during what was supposed to be a concert and what lead to her father’s death... I liked how this story incorporates interviews and narrative while depicting the political and social atmosphere of the era. I highly recommend this story!

"Our show for our fans ain't have a thing to do with their show for theirs."

-------------------------

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev recounts the story of a musical duo and their struggles to rise to fame and maintain a presence in an era where a racially mixed group was not the norm. Nev adores Opal from the moment he meets her and would do anything to make their partnership successful. The truth of how far he would go is recounted throughout the story of their rise and fall in popularity.

The story is narrated in a series of interviews and news clips with all of the parties surrounding their musical career. Opal and Nev each tell their own stories to Sunny, the editor of a music magazine who is also the daughter of their former drummer. A drummer who is killed during their most famous show and the circumstances that lead to that death and the repercussions of it are the meat of the story. We see the harsh truth of prejudice and racism in their day to day interactions with their label, other musicians, their fans and one another. The truth that defined their success and every aspect of their lives after stardom is slowly revealed and will leave you shaking your head in frustration.

The last third of the book dragged a bit for me. I am not sure I get some of the allusions to Daisy Jones other than in narrative style. Daisy was all about drama and attitude while this story dealt with real substantial cultural issues.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC! I was interested in this book as soon as I saw the comparisons to <i> Daisy and the Six</i>. However the only things these two stories have in common are the format and the time period they are set in.

Opal and Nev is about so much more than just the inner dynamics of a rock band. Nev, a carrot top Brit, comes to America to chase is rock and roll dreams. However, his record label feels he needs someone to sing with. He goes on a search for a duet partner and meets Opal, a black girl from Detroit. Opal isn't conventionally pretty or even a great singer, but she has a star quality that people are instantly drawn to. Nev writes an album worth of songs and they record it. The release does not receive the acclaim they hope for and they are depressed. In the mean time the label finds another band to sign. This band is from Florida and are very proud of their southern roots. When the label puts together a showcase for all their bands to perform at things go very wrong. The new band waves around a Confederate flag making Opal extremely upset, and rightfully so. A riot ensues that has deadly consequences. Now it's 2016 and Opal is considering a reunion with Nev. Enter Sunny, a journalist who has a personal stake in that long ago riot. Opal wants her to write a book about that time and what followed.

This was extremely well written. Walton does an excellent job of showing the underlying racism in America culture. I did feel sometimes it had too many extra details and wandered from the main story. However the writing was engaging and the story felt fresh. I look forward to reading more of her work!

If you enjoy books set in the music world and stories with strong female leads then check this out when it hits shelves at the end of March 2021!

Remember VH1’s “Where Are They Now?” And/or “Behind The Music”? That’s exactly what this book is! It’s an interview-style retelling of a musical career as told by the industry insiders and the main characters dishing out the scoop of what went right and how it fell apart. The juicy tabloid-type stuff fans love to hear. Music lovers and/or fans of “Daisy Jones & the Six” will enjoy this new fictional story from Dawnie Walton!

With the unique descriptions of Opal’s wardrobe and the tough-as-nails fierce appearance I kept envisioning Opal to look like Grace Jones! I was convinced Opal & Nev were real-life performers that I somehow never heard of! There’s many references to recognizable names from the entertainment industry which adds to the fun of bringing the characters to life. The tragedy the book focuses on, also is very realistic and well developed, again leaving me feeling as if it really happened and somehow I never heard about it.

To sum it up, this fictional story set-up in an interview-style retelling has so many perceived truths it’s impossible not to be a star-struck fan sucked into the re-telling of something great that just missed its mark. If you enjoyed Daisy Jones, you’re going to LOVE “The Final Review of Opal & Nev.”

Thank you to #NetGalley #DawnieWalton and #Simon&Schuster for the chance to read The Final Revival of Opal and Nev in exchange for an honest review.

This is an amazing debut novel that hits on some hard issues and it's one of those books that sticks with you. Loved this book and definitely recommend it!

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is the debut novel by Dawnie Walton following the lives of the 1970s “rock n roll” duo Opal Jewel and Nev Charles. While there are Daisy Jones and the Sic vibes, Opal and Nev is a story with much more depth, historical context and emotion.

Told by the daughter of a former band member of Opal and Nev, lends an outside perspective into the duos rise and falls and everything in between. Once you learn of the narrator’s connection to the band, especially Opal, you are able to emotionally connect to the story. Until Daisy Jones, Opal and Nev has many layers since we are able to read the editor’s notes on the interview process as well as her take on events that transpired.

While Opal and Nev is a great story, it was one that I kept walking away from and forcing myself to return to. For me, this book was not unputdownable and I struggled to get through many sections, not because of the story line, but perhaps the way it was written. I definitely cannot put my finger on what exactly allowed me to put this book down so many times but ultimately, I am glad that I pushed through to the end because Opal and Nev is a story that should not be passed up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this book.

Sunny Shelton is a young journalist that is trying to reconstruct the true story of the 60's afro punk diva Opal and her music partner Nev, who gained notoriety due to a violent night in which Sunny's father (the band's drummer) was brutally killed. She interviews all the living members of the band and other interesting characters, and in doing so, she uncovers a dark little secret about that tragic night of Rivington Showcase.

The book is very similar to Daisy Jones and the Six. It is also structured as an oral reccount of the things that happened but this book also have a lot of foot notes and editor notes. In my opinion, that wasn't a good idea. I'm not very fond of footnotes, and when you are engaged in the narrative, these notes can be extremely disruptive. At one point, I started to skiping them. I understand that is a fiction book that reads as a non fictional piece, but it is still fiction and I want it to feel like it. I think that the characters pay the price of it all. They are interesting, at least most of them, but they are interrupted and this prevents the reader from engaging with them in a more emotional level.
There is no doubt that is a great debut novel though. Dawnie Walton knows how to write indeed.
I thought that I was going to love it. But sadly I didn't.

“People are real sometimey.” (Opal Jewel/Opal Robinson, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, Dawnie Walton) This quote, it struck me as a way to really sum up the main themes of the oral history, if not the fuller book (the story of the oral history). We often take what we want from people, make memes and GIFs, we see people use others garner fame or see how we expect people to behave in ways for us without allowing them to be complicated people, some claim ownership of a fandom and then move on to the next thing and then…while we wait for the revival or reboot so that we can reclaim a person, people, or event for ourselves once more. These are to me big themes and ideas captured thoughtfully in The Final Revival of Opal & Nev.

I loved this fictional oral history, it was captivating, grounded in wonderful and at times surprising ways with actual events and real people (e.g., faux interviews with real people) and as many will say, timely in ways that are frustrating and very real. People will want to say if you liked Daisy Jones and The Six** then you will like this… that may be true but for me they are very different in terms of story, narrative goals, and focus. This book was big and dealt with topics on race and gender and Black lives in important ways; Daisy Jones was more internal, more focused on the story of the band and didn’t have the same tension and epic feeling that Opal & Nev did, though I recommend both books.

This book impressed me by the tension built throughout, surprising for an oral history as you were of course supposed to “know what had happened” and yet waiting for the event with Jimmy Curtis’ death was for me filled with strong development of how that night felt. How I wish there were generated photos that were in this book as there would be with a real oral history, I felt I needed to see the photo(s) and images discussed to better see the tension, events talked about. There was similar tension near the end of the book, waiting to understand how the author would circle back to that event and also bring it into 2016. I felt that the author allowed the reader to understand on their own the importance of the story, of Opal alone and Opal & Nev as a duo, and to appreciate the points, both obvious and yet nuanced, about how this country has and continues to dismiss and hurt and undervalue Black women. The points were more powerful for not being overexplained.

This book did not disappoint! It was marketed as similar to Daisy Jones and the Six, which is true in the format but different in a lot of other ways. Set up in an oral history format, this book follows the rise of rock duo, Opal and Nev and the impact they had on history. The author tackles tough issues and Opal and Nev to shine a light on politics, racism, sexism, and other important topics.

I loved Opal, she was such a strong and complex character. I loved everything about her: her flaws, her insecurities, her colorful, avant-garde wardrobe. Nev was a bit ambiguous to me. I feel like since his interview time in the book was relatively short I didn't fully understand him except through Opal's eyes. I know that the goal was to focus more on Opal but I would have loved a bit more insight into Nev.
My only other complaint is the editors notes that were throughout the book. These gave us a look into Sunny's story and process of documenting Opal and Nev's career. On the flip side, these breaks took us out Opal's story and it was a bit jarring at times and I felt myself wanting to skim those parts to get back to the rock and roll.

Overall, a successful, thought provoking, and entertaining debut!
Thank you to NetGally and Simon and Schuster for an ARC of this book.

Straight up: Yes this is very similar to Daisy Jones & the Six, taking on almost an identical interview-style format and plot set up. Is this Daisy Jones & the Six? Not at all. Opal & Nev takes us on a deeper and, oftentimes, uncomfortable journey as Walton expertly navigates a story exposing systemic racism in North America - paralleling the problems of the past and the almost unchanged same discriminations and inequalities of today. She unflinchingly discusses and seamlessly melds the racial tension conversations of then & now with a scalpel precise narrative and complete, detailed historical fact. More so, she writes one compulsively readable story to surround it that held me breathlessly captivated and immersed in the narrative.

Opal Jewel is such a fabulously flawed character - selfish, demanding, unfailingly honest, and unapologetically herself - she simply leaps off the page with her fiery passion and anger. It’s contagious. But while the pulse of this story is angering and upsetting at the injustice of it all - I came away with a feeling of hope. As long as women of colour continue to be given the microphone and pen their stories we can continue the fight towards racial equality. I was simply captivated and won’t soon forget this fabulous debut.

I was first introduced to this oral history format via Daisy Jones and the Six. I listened to Daisy Jones & the Six via audiobook, as I had been urged to listen to the audio. I wasn’t sure if I would struggle with reading this book, since I was so used to the audio format for this type of book. I’m not sure if it was the excellent writing, fully developed characters, or the fact that I was already familiar with the format, but I really enjoyed reading this book. What a remarkable debut from an author I’m sure we will see great things from in the years to come.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.

I was a little skeptical when I heard everyone saying this book is a read-alike to Daisy Jones & the Six (which I loved). And it is true that it is also written as an oral history of a musical act. That's really where the comparison ends because The Final Revival of Opal & Nev more than stands on its own. It takes the story to another level by addressing the inequality of races and sexes then and now. Throughout the book, Walton throws in little twists and turns that keep the reader guessing about what really happened and whether a "final revival" will really happen. Although I know nothing about the music industry, the storyline seemed so realistic at how different people were treated through the years. And by the last part of the book, I could see where it was heading and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the resolution/conclusion! I wholeheartedly recommend this book, especially for those who liked the oral history format of Daisy Jones & the Six.

I am a fan of music biographies, and I really enjoyed this fictional biography of Opal and Nev, a black American woman, and a white British man with dreams of musical stardom.

Told interview style by the daughter of a session drummer who worked with the duo and was having an affair with Opal, the book is an interesting pictures of the early 1970s in music and America. I really enjoyed the authors style, which made me feel as a reader that I was there.

I will be recommending this book.

One of my biggest pet peeves in books (or movies, etc) is when the book breaks its own rules. This book is formatted and (sometimes) narrated as if it were an interview-style rock tell-all (see: Daisy Jones and the Six). But, at various points, the book breaks the fourth wall, without a wink, and just straight narrates what’s happening with the tell-all’s author, making it a mixed up mess of tell-all and narrative about how the tell-all came to be. The result is confused and confusing. Because, if a book can’t even follow the rules it sets for itself, you know there are other problems (and there are).

Other problems include, but are not limited to: the tell-all’s author being a rock mag editor-in-chief but only ever referencing the most well-known acts, never a lesser-known, more cool band (even a fictional one); same author being ridiculously naive about how the industry and fame works despite being an editor-in-chief (also, a lack of hyphens in that phrase in the book); a weird fictionalized version of Altamont that loses heft because of it’s obviousness; and a completely uncompelling musical act at the center.

All of this is a major shame because I was totally on board for a Black Daisy Jones and the Six. I didn’t need originality, but I needed cohesion.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the digital ARC. The book is out on March 30, 2021.

I love a good debut novel but this one topped Daisy Jones & the Six! It’s not often that I can read about some of the heavy things tucked into this book without it slowing me down but the plot of #TheFinalRevivalOfOpalandNev really carried me through this one! I loved this fresh take on oppression, systemic racism, sexism, and finding your voice. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5! Must read!