In all honesty I didn’t finish this book- I was bored all the way up to 25% and just couldn’t push through.

I’ve seen this compared to Daisy Jones & The Six a lot which I get but I think Opal & Nev does a much better job at creating nuanced and complex characters and situations. Would definitely recommend to a friend and plan to reread over and over!

5 Stars! The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is in my top 10 favorite books of 2021. Wow! This historical fiction/romance was so real and raw and relevant to so much that is still happening in our present day. Opal is funky, fierce and so very talented and Neville is sweet and creative. This story was daring, scary, heartbreaking and beautiful.

This was a fantastic read and I encourage everyone to get it...especially if you like Daisy and the Six.

I tried to read this one multiple times and it took me awhile to really get into it. After the first few chapters though it started to pick up for me. I enjoyed the interview style and the different time frames this took place in. The author did a great job with the details of this book!

Walton’s debut novel has all of the dishy ingredients you’d want in a story about a scrappy rock duo that came to fame in the 1970s: Sex! Drugs! Scandal! Bell-bottoms! But this is a clever Trojan horse of a plot that contains a powerful critique of racism and sexism. It also, thankfully, includes Opal: a flawed, fierce, force of nature asserting herself in a world that makes it more difficult for women to thrive, especially women of color. So, come for the 70s fun, but stay for a bold new voice in fiction that skillfully serves some much needed medicine with just the right amount of sugar.

Thank you for sending an ecopy of this novel. It was not for me at the moment and I'm not able to finish the book at this time so won't be leaving a full review.

There was so much buzz about this book and I really wanted to like it, but I trudged through the first few chapters and got to about 20% of the book and was so bored that I couldn’t continue. This was one of my first DNF’s in a long time. I read and loved Daisy Jones and The Six and this can’t compare in any way. The writing is weak and the story is just not compelling at all. Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I adored Daisy Jones and the Six and I can see the comparison between that book and this one. But ultimately, this just felt like the author was ripping off the format idea and then falling way short of the execution of it. It wasn't terrible and if I hadn't read Daisy Jones I may have liked it more. The first half was kind of a slog but I zipped through the second half. I just kept waiting to feel something for these characters and it never happened.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev covers the tumultuous relationships and impact of a short lived duo - Opal and Nev. They may have only had a couple of hit songs, but their relationship, lyrics, and interactions as part of an incident incited due to racial tensions left waves.

Journalist Sunny Shelton, whose father was killed during said incident, wants to understand what really happened - what she learns goes far beyond what she expected, and tests out who she really wants to be.

The format of Opal & Nev was unlike anything I've read before. I felt like I was watching an old "VH1 Behind the Music" documentary. It look me weeks to read it, and I was savoring it. I look forward to more books by Dawnie Walton!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, 37 Ink, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review. I also purchased this book and am glad to have it as part of my personal library!

#TheFinalRevivalofOpalNev #NetGalley

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is a debut work from Dawnie Walton. It is framed as a retrospective of a former 70s band.

It's reminiscent of the format of Daisy Jones and the Six, but not derivative. Take overall tensions and pressures and then add race dynamics and a hint of mystery as the events surrounding a key moment are exposed. It translated well to the page, but I suspect a full-cast audiobook would also be a delight. The interviewer/editor of this project is framed as the daughter of a former bandmate. It was captivating and relevant, asking questions of our responsibilities to our past actions, particularly when to dredge up these moments could cause tensions to flare anew.

(I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

I had high hopes for this book because of loved Daisy Jones and the Six and the interview style. I understand they are not meant to be compared. The Final Revival of Opal & Nev did not seem to capture my attention. I tried to read the book, listen to the audio, and do a combination of reading and listening at the same time. The author did a great job with all the details she added to this fictional story. I kept having to remind myself this story was fiction. I gave this book three stars for the amount of detail the author wrote into this book. Unfortunately, this book was not for me.

Thank you for this gifted copy for my honest review.

Wow, what a powerful debut! This was excellent. Very much Daisy Jones vibes but grittier and more complex storytelling. Loved it!

I went in skeptical, because I loved Daisy Jones & The Six so so much, and I was worried that this was going to be a carbon copy of that book. Historical fiction rock n roll? Sounds a little bit familiar.

But this is NOT THE SAME STORY. The unlikely duo of a young black singer from Detroit and a red-headed singer from the UK created an engaging fictional story of Opal & Nev.

This book discusses racially charged events of the 70s with strong, characters, and it gave the feel of a real interview. It truly felt like something I could be reading in an edition of Rolling Stone.

I appreciated the discussion of social issues, and the events that led to the fall-out of Opal & Nev. As a former political science student, American historical events and presidents was something that I felt really added to the overall story, putting the rest of the plot into context.

I felt occasionally that the story dragged, and the chapters were long, but that criticism is so trivial that I didn't feel the need to take off a star for that.

This book was not only super fun and entertaining, but it was so well researched and impeccably accurate. At times I forgot I wasn't reading a music biography! Walton's ability to create such detailed imagery out of such understated writing is a rare talent indeed; her characters felt real and dynamic and so complexly shaded. This book was funny, moving, educational, nostalgic, and satisfying, and I eagerly await whatever this author decides to write next.

3.5 * I wish I had read The Final Revival of Opal & Nev prior to Daisy Jones and the Six. While I love this style of writing it was harder for me to get into and I kept comparing it. I do think it would have been much better as an audiobook. The beginning was slow to me and it took me awhile to get into it. It did pick up for the second half.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev is a book about the forming, touring, and eventual breakup of a fictional 1970s band, told in an oral history format, similar to Daisy Jones and The Six.

Sunny Shelton, a journalist and the daughter of the band's drummer, Jimmy Curtis, interviews members and other musicians from the Rivington Records label in anticipation of a final reunion tour in the present day.

We get to know the main musicians, Opal Jewel, a Black Afro-punk singer from Detroit who is an independent, fierce, style icon unafraid to speak her mind, and Neville (Nev) Charles, a white British guitar player who started playing in clubs at a young age and is well known for his songwriting ability.

Other main characters in the books are Opal's wonderfully flamboyant costume designer and closest friend, Virgil LaFleur, who accompanies her from time-to-time, Jimmy (the drummer), and Opal's sister, Pearl.

The first half of the book introduces readers to the characters and builds toward an incident and its aftermath. It took awhile to get there, but then I wanted to keep reading to find out what happened to those involved. The book's main twist, later on, took me by surprise. Was it true? Will it all be revealed in the end?

I enjoyed this story. It's a well-written, remarkable debut and the topics covered are timely in our current Black Lives Matter and Me Too movement era. I did find it to be long and the pacing off at times, but overall, I really liked it. If the book sounds interesting to you, do not read online reviews or even the Goodreads description (too many spoilers!). Just give it a try! I think you'll be pleased.

4.5 stars. TW: racism, n-word, murder of a black man, trauma, drug use, addiction, police brutality, mention of sexual assault
I went into this book thinking it would be a fun story about a band in the 70s reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six. It certainly was that, but it only made up a small part of the story. Dawnie Walton made sure to drive home the point in regards to racism and “allyship”. The only thing holding back my rating by half a star is the fact that the beginning dragged a bit and there isn’t really a clear plotline. Outside of that I think this is an absolutely brilliant read and I highly recommend it.

THE FINAL REVIVAL OF OPAL AND DEV is a triumph! Lately, the have been a lot of good books about bands - UTOPIA, DAISY JONES AND THE SIX and others, but FINAL REVIVAL really delves into the difficulties of being a black female musician and the emotional costs of being one. It was both beautiful and tragic and I loved it all.

Going into this book I had heard so much that it was very similar to Daisy Jones & the Six and while there are some stark similarities. There are also so many really amazing and distinct differences. I loved that this maintained that amazing band dynamic, but instead of it focusing solely on a romantic relationship, it focuses on Opal’s life and the trials and tribulations of being a black women in the spotlight and music industry. This one has a slow start, but once you get going it turns into such an incredible and beautifully written story. HIGHLY recommend!