I loved that this was told in an interview format with editor's note. It made the story feel real to me. I liked how flawed and real the characters felt. Though the pacing was a little slow at times, overall, I really liked this book. I know it's compared a lot to Daisy Jones & the Six because of the formatting and because it's about music, but to me it felt more like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

All of the "Daisy Jones & The Six" vibes and it made me so happy. The writing style is similar to Taylor Jenkins-Reid but very much unique to the author. This book has my heart. I enjoyed it so much that even though I got this copy from NetGalley, I also got it from Book of the Month so that I could have a hard copy. I can't recommend this book enough!

This is going to be a short review.

I'm not sure what The Final Revival of Opal & Nev was trying to be. I was very excited for its oral history format, but the extensive editor notes throughout the book and the short breaks from Sunny's perspective kind of killed that feeling for me. It felt a little like Walton was undecided about how she wanted to tell this story and, to me, that hurt the narrative and my reading experience.

The characters were all pretty interesting and well developed, but I didn't really connect with them due to the point above. It was difficult to feel close to them when they were getting interrupted by editor notes when telling their own stories. The ending was also a bit underwhelming because of that.

I don't know. I guess the writing style wasn't for me.

This book is so much more than was described in the introduction. First, I want to comment on the writing. I think that the author's choice in her method of presenting the story was novel and great. I appreciate creativity in writing. Second, the real story here is about racism that existed in the 1970's and the racism that still exists in the USA today. That is what really brought this story alive for me. Bravo to the author!

Wow. Dawnie Walton has created a story not just of a certain time, but for all times. It reflects a struggle of race in the larger sense, but also to be seen for who you are on a personal level. It reflects the struggle inside a person to embrace a path in life and decide who you want to be.

Opal Jewel (a name that is part given to her at birth and part created for the stage) has always been different, but she leans into that difference in New York as half of the afro-punk duo Opal & Nev. Nev Charles, who started as the sensitive storytelling songwriter, leans in to the rock and roll lifestyle after tragedy occurs at a showcase that makes them famous.

The oral history format worked so well for this story, like there was no other way for Opal to get her story across. Her voice needed to be heard, and you can HEAR it as you read Dawnie Walton's words. The words resonated, the images played in my mind, I looked up afro-punk because I didn't know what that sounded like. Walton made the world of Opal & Nev alive, made you want to know more, know everything. I wanted to finish the story, but I wanted to savor the language. Seriously, all the stars. Amazing debut!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster/37 Ink and NetGalley for the e ARC of this book!

I am calling it early. This is going to be one of the best books this year. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is the story of a fictitious rock n roll duo from the 70’s. Opal is a fiercely independent young woman trying to find her footing in NYC. Neville is a young musician trying to make it in America. The duo is working to create something of themselves, when another band wields a Confederate flag at a promotional concert they’re both performing at. The events of that night and the chaos that follows have a trajectory that no one can predict.
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I am in awe that this is a debut. The writing is phenomenal. Walton takes an oral history format, and a dual timeline story and makes it her own. I was enthralled from the very first page and didn’t want the story to end. Dawnie Walton successfully created a vivid story that felt real, and multifaceted, and flawed. Opal & Nev were so raw and authentic. Each of them was written with such full personalities. Flaws and all. Walton deftfully navigated conversations on how Black women are perceived, the power of symbols, and the persistence of racism. I was at the edge of my seat multiple times as I was trying to figure out exactly what happened that night at the promotional concert. Fascinating and thought provoking, The Final Revival of Opal & Nev will keep you hooked till the very end.
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CW: racial slurs, drug use, infidelity, police brutality, death

I loved the fact that it came close to Daisy Jones, one of the most compelling books I‘ve read in years. Sadly, the characters and their development didn’t reach the heights of Daisy Jones and actually fell quite flat in comparison. Nonetheless, this was an okay read I would still recommend to Daisy Jones lovers and those who can’t get enough fictional oral history stories.

First, let’s discuss the elephant in the room. Is this written in the oral history format like Daisy Jones & The Six? Yes. Does it have sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll? Yes. Will it take you back in time like Daisy Jones & The Six? Yes.

Is this the same story as Daisy Jones & The Six? Nope. It is not. Opal is nothing like Daisy, and as much as I loved Daisy Jones, I will say I loved this one even more.

The book starts in 2016, when S. Sunny Shelton is the editor in chief of Aural Magazine. She is writing a book about Opal Jewel and Nev Charles. She plans to interview them and all of those around them. But who are Opal and Nev?

In the 1970’s, Nev, a white Brit, comes to New York to try his hand at becoming a successful singer. He’s looking for a yin to his yang, and happens to find Opal, a Black American woman, on amateur night at a bar in Detroit. Opal is fierce. She’s not classically beautiful and is not the best singer in the world...and yet, she has star quality and the ability to enhance rock music with her powerful voice.

Opal agrees to record an album with Nev, and they sign a deal with Rivington Records. Although their first album doesn’t set the world ablaze, they have high hopes for their future. Things come to a head when the record company signs a new band that proudly displays Confederate flags and has a crude following. A promotional event leads to a chaotic, dangerous, and fatal situation that literally had my blood boiling. Even so, that event put Opal and Nev in the news, and things were never the same for them.

So why is Sunny writing about them? They are in talks to reunite for a special concert. In addition to that, her own father was the man who was killed at their promotional event in the 70’s. On top of that, he was having an affair with Opal while his wife was pregnant with Sunny.

This is a story that is rich in atmosphere, has fully dimensional characters with faults, and masterfully weaves in real events to add to the authenticity of the time periods of past. I couldn’t get enough. I had to stop reading at one point and let my mind adjust to a shocking revelation. I cared about the characters, felt their wounds, hurt when they hurt, and felt uplifted when they experienced joy.

Mark my words: Author Dawnie Walton is going to be a star! While this is her first book, her talent is outstanding. She has tons of experience under her belt, and I will eagerly follow her writing career and grab her next novel as soon as possible.

Opal and Nev felt so real and authentic. If they had been, I would’ve spent the next few days diving into their Wikipedia page(s) and digging out old interviews and footage on YouTube.

The novel doesn’t shy away from tough topics, and Walton doesn’t mince words. It’s a true gem and reflection of the 70’s era (good and bad) and our current era (good and bad).

I have no doubt that this will be on my top of 2021 list. Do yourselves a favor: Grab a copy when this is published on 3/30/21.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster/37 Ink and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

Poignant fictional oral history of 1970s rock and roll and a coming of age story. The characters are well developed.

Highly recommended for fans of Daisy Six.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev follows rock duo Opal Jewel and Neville Charles, and the story of their rise to fame. But a chain of disastrous events begins when a rival band under their label brandishes a Confederate flag at their concert; a constant reminder of the issues Opal will continue to face as a Black woman in the music industry. Decades later, music journalist S. Sunny Shelton has the opportunity to write their oral history when a huge allegation threatens to change everything.

Despite my heavy involvement in music, I don’t really pick up books on music too often. But the synopsis for The Final Revival of Opal and Nev grabbed my attention, and I’m so glad I read it.

From the start, this book feels so real. A few pages in, I had to remind myself whether this was a work of fiction or a memoir because of how well it ties into history. The characters themselves blend with other famous figures and historical events and it is just so well-researched. Additionally, the characters are so well-developed, making it easy to mistake this book and its characters for a non-fiction account.

This holds true for the rest of The Final Revival of Opal and Nev as we learn more about the character’s backstories and introductions to the music industry. I think one reason why I don’t read music fiction as often is because of the characterization. Often, the characters would only be shown at the height of their career and behind-the-scenes parts are just from being on the road. But this is not the case with The Final Revival of Opal and Nev. We get to know the characters from the beginning, which gives so much insight into their values and actions.

The format of this book worked so well. It’s a combination of accounts between the characters in chronological order, with editor’s notes in between. I’m not always a fan of this either, but I loved the execution here. The editor has close ties to the other characters, and as the book progresses her notes give more and more insights into the context of the stories being discussed.

I also really liked how discussions of race relations were at the forefront of The Final Revival of Opal and Nev. While there are so many popular Black artists and groups from the sixties and seventies, their own histories and issues combatting racism are seldom discussed. But in this book, this is openly discussed from before the group’s inception to the present day, and the many impacts that it had on everyone from the group themselves to the band’s following.

Overall, The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is such a well-written account of the fictitious duo that feels so real. Whether you’re a fan of books on music or not, I think music lovers alike will come to appreciate this story.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev follows is written as a book within a book written by the fictional character writer/editor SarahLena. SarahLena is given the opportunity of her career to write a book about the enigmatic Opal of 1970s rock history, but doing so is going to cause her to dig deep into the story of her own family- or more specifically her father. She never met his father due to his untimely murder that occurred during a riot at a musical festival where Opal & Nev where playing.

There is a lot to appreciate in this book: a strong female character, and a story that illuminates the double standards women STILL face; a story that brings to light race issues that mind boggling can be described too similarly in the 1970s compared to today, and a rock and roll vibe. The writing makes you want to google and listen to songs that it's easy to forget don't actually exist, and a wardrobe that you'd pay to see on exhibit.

I will say there are times I wanted something different from Opal, particularly in the ending. I also feel like I would've liked this more without first having read Daisy Jones & the Six, because the style being so similar it is tough not to compare.

Overall an entertaining book and excellent debut by author Dawnie Walton. I will look for more works from her in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dawnie Walton, and Simon Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #netgally #thefinalrevivalofopal&nev #bookofthemonth

I wanted to love this novel so much considering its premise and comparisons to Daisy Jones & the Six. Unfortunately, none of the characters felt real to me and I didn't feel compelled to pick up the novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for making this available for review.

When I started reading, I was afraid this would end up too much like Daisy Jones—an interesting enough band bio, but not something I couldn’t see in a rock doc on VH1. Luckily, I hung in, and it became so much more.

I felt the author handled a number of heavy topics well, and while I wanted a little more from the ending, it was satisfying enough to bring the book together. Definitely recommended!

Wow wow wow. What a beautiful book. I can already tell this will be in my top 10 for 2021. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the chance to preview it. I will certainly be seeking out anything Dawnie Walton writes in the future!
In The Final Revival of Opal & Nev, Dawnie Walton has created incredibly rich characters through interview snippets and editor's notes. It is a creative way to tell the story from different perspectives and get to know them in their own words. All the while, we are also learning about the interviewer through her editorial comments interspersed throughout. The book's structure kept things fresh and never felt like it was jumping around too much.
Overall, Opal & Nev is a beautiful, sad, triumphant story of black love, black joy, and black pain in America. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Told in the form of interviews for a book, this story follows Opal Jewel and Nev Charles and their music careers. They are a unlikely pair, Nev being a white Englishman and Opal being a Black woman from Detroit. The story is told from the point of view of them playing a reunion show in 2016 after not having worked together since the 70’s.

I enjoyed this book, it was a little slow at some parts but it kept me intrigued. The pacing felt slightly unbalanced. It would have a lot happen and then nothing really happen for 50 pages or so. I appreciated how I felt that I truly got to know each character. Overall a good book that discusses some very relevant and important topics including racism and police brutality.

It's no real secret that Daisy Jones & The Six is one of my favourite books of all time. So, it comes with a strong recommendation that you absolutely need to pick this book up if you loved the aforementioned book. Primarily, the oral history format was done very well and works for the non-fiction narrative it is trying to replicate. In my opinion, Walton's writing really added to the novel because I feel as though the characters really leaped out of the page - not to mention how their voices and personalities matched the time period they were in. Because of this, I really felt as though I was with them and even found myself wanting to Google them on several occasions - which is exactly how I felt reading Daisy Jones. Everything felt like an interview with real people and I loved how we stepped between Opal & Nev's backstories and careers, while also learning about Sunny's life and backstory. Something I think it does better than Daisy Jones is how intersectional it is. The novel, much like Daisy Jones discusses sexism in the industry as well as drug addiction, but it also discusses classism and racism that I think was lacking from the former. Additionally, I think the relationship between the narrator and the rock duo was a bit more interesting and I enjoy that it was revealed at the beginning of the novel, adding a nice sense of tension to the interviews that I think was really engaging. All in all, this was fantastic novel that I believe everyone needs to read if you enjoy the oral history format and the 60s/70s rock period.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a fantastic debut by Dawnie Walton. I was drawn to the similar style of Daisy Jones and the Six and this book did not disappoint. Told through oral history narration, the novel introduces us to the unlikely duo of Opal and Nev and explores what it meant to be Black in the music industry in the 70’s. Definitely a thought provoking novel, one that I highly recommend!

Thank you to #netgalley, Dawnie Walton, and Simon & Schuster for the chance to read this ARC of #thefinalrevivalofopalnev

If you loved “Daisy Jones and the Six,” you’ll almost certainly love “The Last Revival of Opal and Nev” even more, as it’s told in a similar oral history format.

Journalist S. Sunny Shelton is writing a book about Opal and Nev, who helmed an up and coming band in the 1960s. The twist: Sunny’s father was the drummer and had a torrid affair with Opal while Sunny’s mother was pregnant with her. Her father before she was born.

This book was not for me, tho I desperately wanted it to be. I loved Sunny and Opal, but the Nev parts were just not as engaging for me. My favorite scene was when Sunny shares her perspective of pitching the story to her white publisher and colleagues.

I really enjoyed the book. Very different from my usual reads.

The book focuses on much more than just the history of Opal and Nev's rock and roll duo. It is filled with many characters, each unique in their own way, I enjoyed the history of Detroit, and the religious sister, the manager and promoter, the other record artists, the family connection, and the behind the scenes look at the music industry.

This book addresses many topics culturally relevant today through the voice of a reporter with a personal connection to the characters and events of their story. I give this book a solid 3.5 stars and would recommened to those who enjoyed Daisy Jones and the Six.

Dawnie Walton’s novel The Final Revival of Opal and Nev tells the story of a 70’s “Afro-Punk” duo and the trials on their way to fame. For me, I think the fact that it “tells” the story is one of the key issues with the book. I want my novels to show me—not tell me.

The novel uses a journalistic style—Sunny is a journalist writing a biography of Opal and Nev. We are reading that “biography.” I’m not a big fan of this style of writing. It’s very reminiscent of 2019’s Daisy Jones and the Six, which was another 3⭐️ read for me.

The Revival of Opal and Nev was an okay book. While the idea of the title characters was intriguing—the characters lacked development. I know what happened, but I didn’t feel it—I didn’t get excited by it. The idea of Afro-Punk is exciting, but beyond clothing and forceful vocals, I have no idea what makes this band “Afro-Punk.”

Opal had so much potential—I’d like to read a novel from just her perspective—I’d like to live with her for a while, instead of just hearing her talk about her life. In the end, this is not a poorly written novel; it just want for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced copy of this book.