4☆ The Final Revival of Opal and Nev takes a look back to the 70's, to this odd duo trying to make it big in the music business. The story is told interview style by Sunny Shelton, who is writing a book on Opal & Nev. And what a story they have! This book, the setup, is certainly a reminder of Daisy Jones and the Six, however the story couldn't be more different.
I really enjoyed this, Ms. Walton made these characters feel so real and authentic, at times I had to remind myself that the story is fiction.
Thank you to NetGalley, Simon& Schuster/37Ink and Dawnie Walton for my ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book intrigued me, not only for its exploration of a fictional 1970’s music duo and its rise to fame, partly spurred on by a terrible incident,, its commentary on race relations in America, but, especially, its constant comparison to Daisy Jones and the Six. Although such comparison, given the subject matter and narrative style, is obvious, it may be a bit counterproductive. Although an intriguing and engaging novel, its comparison to Taylor Jenkins Reid’s popular book raises expectations to a level that the Final Revival of Opal and Nev can’t quite attain. However, it does shed further light to the inequalities in America and offers compelling characters. Overall, it’s a satisfying read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC.

I enjoyed the interview format of this book, interlaced with editor's notes. It felt, just like Daisy Jones, like an authentic non-fiction interview. This book felt heavier than Daisy Jones because it tackled many issues of sexism, racism, and hate. Unfortunately I had a harder time getting through this book and I found it to be a slow read. The characters lacked some development for me, and the story was a bit drawn out.

How is this amazing novel written by a DEBUT AUTHOR?? Dawnie Walton is an absolute force and I cannot WAIT to see what she gifts us next.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a powerful commentary on race, full of beautifully layered characters and atmospheric writing. It is flawed and messy and gut wrenching and absolutely wonderful.

The Final Revival of Opal and Nev reads like a behind the music interview, following an iconic pairing from the 1970’s and the obvious drugs, sex and rock roll that come with a narrative of that era.

Opal and Nev is a retelling of the duo’s catapult to fame and the controversy of a tragedy that plagues them still, decades later. However, it is the story of Opal, a vibrant and strong Black woman that draws the narrator, and thus the reader, into its fold. Opal is described as wearing elaborate and grandiose outfits, reminiscent of the likes of Grace Jones and Lady Gaga, that work both to create stage presence and function as armour to shield her.

Walton’s writing is hypnotic and lyrical - truly a seamless marriage of fact and fiction; and upon the story’s conclusion, the reader must come to terms with the notion that the characters are only products of the author’s imagination.

If you liked Daisy Jones and The Six, are a fan of the dark and gritty coming of age story, or enjoy an unveiled and personal “Behind The Music” documentary, then don’t hesitate in adding this to your list.

Full review on IG: @theworldishers_forthe reading.

Perfect for fans of Daisy Jones and the Six.

A deeply personal and interwoven tale of love, loss, family, identity, and voice. Of knowing your worth, and of forging your own path when you don't fit clearly into a pre-determined box. Of consequences, and of truth. Of race and racism.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev had me googling a few times - did this really happen? It didn't, but I can see how it easily could have.

This story is anecdotal, meant to be told from the perspective of the journalist who is writing a book and doing the interviews. It has a raw-ness about it, in some ways intimately personal, and in others, detached observance. A little confusing at times as the perspective and timeline shift, but not so confusing as to make it un-readable.
I can see this translating really well to an audio-book.

Highly relevant, energetic and engaging. Worth the read.

Thank you Simon & Schuster Canada/37 INK and NetGalley for this gifted ebook.

I’m a sucker for journalistic style in books and thought I enjoyed Daisy Jones & the Six until reading The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. They’re both written in an oral history format about fictional musicians (including strong females with male partners) so everyone will be comparing them and this book is SO GOOD that it actually ruined Daisy Jones for me.

This story is fiction but with its focus on race, it feels so real and important. It’s written with such clarity that I could picture Opal’s elaborate costumes and feel the tension building at concerts. I could totally see this getting turned into a TV series.

Part One was a little slow for me, but the rest was fast paced and I couldn’t put it down.

CW: Racism, racial slurs, violence, death, infidelity, sexual assault, addiction

I love fiction that reads so believably that I have to remind myself the story is not real. The oral history writing style lends itself perfectly to the story of Opal Jewel and Nev Campbell, looking back at the development of their music, their activism, and their struggles. The comparison to Daisy Jones and the Six is inescapable, but this one gets darker, grittier, and more impactful. By openly adding the interviewer’s story and connections to the story, Walton has added another level of insight, that kept me flipping pages. Walton astutely examines the racism, sexism, and disparities that exist in the music industry, with a full view of the after-effects of fame. Zero hesitation on recommending this book!

Just like Daisy Jones & The Six, Opal & Nev initially present similar stories. Both are about bands in adjacent, fictional music history. Both present a hook for the story and pick at it via an oral history interview-style transcript. But similarities end there.

The music scene is different, Nev being a British acoustic act coupled with the Motown and gospel Opal. And the interviewer has a more interesting lens too, planted in the forward. We know that, for some reason, the story as the interviewer envisioned it never came to be for some reason. We know this is "as close to the truth as she was able to get." And we know that she is the daughter of a band member we don't even know about until things start going.

Though it takes a bit to do so, once it gets going, this is very addictive and consumable. I love this format for how dynamic it can be. Threads and tangents are more likely and forgivable--even encouraged!--in this format. When it lands well, you really feel like these are real-life people, meandering about the 70s, ribbing each other as they interject with anecdotes or elucidate events others have brought up.

What is really smart about this is how it uses it as a vehicle for the dark sides of the scene, as well as the overall times. Opal talks about her childhood and the context gets a footnote where it talks about a historical event in the neighborhood that expands on what Opal was talking about. Riots, race-relations, and racism inform this story, and it works in reiterating a theme, educating the reader in a historical context, and buttresses the fiction with actual events. Through much of it, Opal feels immediately more vibrant and alive and real than Nev, who feels fairly generic for a while. His voice is distinct... yet I only got a clearer picture of him later because his story feels like something I've read often in biographies.

The hook does the initial work, then, around 20% of the way in, and you know the character's relatively well, things start to really get going and that is when it becomes very hard to put down. Highly recommend this one. What is even more exciting for me is that an audiobook with a full cast of this is going to be out. I'll be picking that up for sure. The audiobook was the perfect way to consume Daisy Jones as an oral history, and I imagine that will hold true for this as well. If done right, this has the potential to be more stylish, prescient, and moving than Daisy--and I don't say that lightly; it was one of my favorite books of that year.

I received this advanced copy through Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eArc. I enjoyed this story very much!

If you're looking for an interesting story about a proto-punk band through the 1970's-present, this was a good read. It was presented in an unusual format, but I think it worked for the novel.

This book is so much more than that, though. It would be a disservice to the author and her novel to ignore all the "politics" included.

With the renewed conversation around #BlackLivesMatter, and the horrible stories coming out of the USA, this serves as a fictional take on a Black woman's experience from the early 1970s onward. It weaves the fictional story so beautifully around real world events and intertwines them remarkably. The story avoids any preachiness and almost focuses on other parts of the story instead. But, of course, it cannot be totally off-centre.

The characters, especially Opal Jewel, were well drawn and life-like. Opal is so fierce and flawed and extravagant, but she sticks to what she believes in. And, she does it with flair and certainly to the beat of her own drum. I don't know if I'd say she owned her mistakes, but she certainly looked them straight in the eye. I was absolutely rooting for her. I liked Virgil the best, though. He was just a wonderful mentor and friend and without him Opal wouldn't have had the confidence she needed.

The style is a series of interviews that allow the author to move through the timeline, while jumping easily from point of view to point of view. We get to hear from almost everyone. This may bother some readers, but I found it seamless and I think it enhanced the story. I really liked that our narrator is a journalist with a personal tie; she's on the "outside", except, she's not really and most of the other characters know that too. She's invested and not because she's a fan.

Part one of the story was a bit slow, but the paced picked up. I had trouble engaging at the beginning, but I blasted through part two and three. This is a debut, which is incredible. It felt really real to me. The writing is fluid and detailed without being too wordy or flowery,

I have just one issue with the plot. The narrator seems to be telling the story from 2016, pre-Trump. I think this did a disservice to the novel. It is used as a plot device at the end and I think it runs counter to the overall message. I am not an American, I am Canadian; so I am close and have heard tons about him, but he was never running my country. The addition of Trump's pending election seems to shift all the blame onto him, onto his followers, because the reader knows what happens after he is elected. However, the book also shows that racism isn't new and isn't unique to Trump followers. It contradicts itself. The struggles of Black people in America have always existed; it's not new. The novel does such am amazing job of giving a non-Black person a view to that experience, so the reader can develop empathy. I think it's cheapened by the suggestion of "here we go again" when Trump is elected. It's never stopped, even if sometimes it's gotten better; that's such an important point. To end it, to reach a more egalitarian society, it can't be viewed as a new problem. That being said, it will probably work for many readers.

I definitely think this should be read. Both because it tells an important story, but also because it tells a great story.

Thank you NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and the author, Dawnie Walton for giving me the opportunity to read this great book. This book has been compared to Daisy Jones & The Six which I see but this one is a lot darker. This was a good read which I do not want to give any of it away during my review. I just want to say people go through a lot, some passed down by family history and some by inexperience of seeing bad situations are lurking.

It was great, very readable, sad but a read that felt real. Thanks again!

Thank you Simon & Schuster, Dawnie Walton & Netgallery for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. This book has a publication date of March 30, 2021.

Brief Synopsis:
Opal is a strong and independent young woman who doesn't want to settle for a 9-5 job & believes she can be a star. Aspiring British singer/songwriter Nev, discovers her at a bar in Detroit and urges her to take up his offer of making rock music together.
Set in 1970s New York, Opal and Nev are finding their niche in the entertainment industry and making a name for themselves in the Afro-Punk scene. Flash forward several decades where journalist, Sunny, wants to write a piece on the duo when a reunion is considered. Secrets are uncovered, stories are told & more details emerge about the night where a tragic incident that changed their careers forever.

Thoughts/Opinions:

WOW. That was a wild ride, but in a good way! I don't even know how much I can say without giving away parts of the book however you will love and hate Opal & Nev, which I think is brilliant. The author ensures that the characters feel 'human', in the sense that they have good qualities yet also bad qualities. Let's not pretend that everyone is perfect in books!
It's told through interviews with multiple characters & there are times where I forget that this is fictional and I can't look up the song that the book is talking about or see Opal's fashion creations (which I really wish I could visually see them!)
The book touches on race issues, feminism, politics, etc. It has a 'Daisy Jones & the Six' by Taylor Jenkins Reid style to it but this is a lot darker and grittier.

The one thing about the book that I had a hard time with was the length. It just seemed very long & that the story could have wrapped up a little quicker. However this is Dawnie Walton's debut novel and I am very excited to see what else she will be creating!

This is definitely one of my favourite books of the year so far. Fans of Daisy Jones and the Six will adore this book as it takes the genre and kicks it up a notch. It has sex, drugs, rock n' roll and a reckoning. It's a great commentary on the NEED for intersectionality in feminism, and how society did and has continued to put down Black women. I wanted Opal especially to be this real artist I could google and listen to, she felt that real to me. Dawnie Walton is a rockstar debut author that you don't want to miss.

PURE BLACK FEMINISTIC EXCELLENCE!!!

TW: racism, use of the N-word (by non-black people), use of the (homophobic) f-slur, police brutality, violence

This was amazing! if you loved Daisy Jones & The Six you'll love this; it was Daisy Jones but make it Black. This will transport you back in time in the same way and make you wonder if Opal and Nev were a real duo. It's intricately pieced together and, although historical fiction, is extremely relevant to today. I absolutely loved the rich Black history, musicality, fashion and culture that surrounded this book.

This was full of interesting, infuriating, and likeable characters; some of them being all three throughout different points in the book. There were times when I liked Opal but also wanted to strangle her, yet I also deeply empathized and related to her.

My only issue with the book was the pacing at times. I was definitely intrigued by the story the entire way through but I felt the climax happened a little too close to the middle. Once we got to the part of the Showcase, I found things de-escalated quickly, and, although there were other plot-twisty things driving the story that were related to the climax, I kept finding myself hoping for something else just as big to happen. I also wanted one of the characters to have to face the music (mind the pun lol) of their actions and while it kind of occurred, it didn't feel like enough but I understand that this served as part of the story's lesson.

Overall, I really enjoyed this; it was thought-provoking, infuriating, slightly heart-breaking, but it was colourful, unique, rock & roll and, quite simply, Black Excellence. A wonderful debut from the author!

4.75

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

There's nothing quite like a book that envelops you in it's world.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is fiction that doesn't feel like fiction.
Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for my eARC for review!
Didn't we all watch that YouTube video of reunited bandmates Opal Jewel and Nev Charles? I'm certain we know the album cover of the classic release Polychrome, plus all the songs. Who hasn't used that Opal GIF on social media?
And of course, we must be up on the infamous details of the death of their drummer during the Rivington Showcase.
No? But it feels like we should know of these elements as part of our entertainment history.
Author Dawnie Walton has created a work that the reader can't put down, in a world we are somehow part of. We know these musicians, their lives before music up to their final performance; and the journalist telling their stories. We remain in this world still, surrounded by talent and fame and racial injustice.
I compare this reading experience with that of Taylor Jenkins Reid's Daisy Jones & The Six. Which is a favorite of mine, so consider it high praise. The plots and characters differ greatly, but the overall feel - of having these anecdotes revealed to us - is the same.
The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is an exciting, noteworthy book to be savoured. Recommended!
For release on March 30.

“But aren’t we supposed to be better and smarter because of the challenging art that makes us uncomfortable? Isn’t the culture better for it? Or does that only apply when heterosexual cisgender white men do the challenging?”

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev is a complex and wholly unique piece of challenging art, taking the novelty format of an oral history and flipping it on its head. This is not some mere light-hearted story about the rise and fall of a fictional duo. Rather, Dawnie Walton’s debut novel builds off these familiar foundations, and elevates them with a searing critique of slacktivist armchair allyship, and the manner in which history continually, frustratingly repeats itself. While the story takes time to find its footing, it progresses in such a nuanced and fully realized direction, it is easy to forgive the admittedly slow start.

The story is narrated from the perspective of S. Sunny Shelton, a journalist turned editor-in-chief of Aural, a fictional music magazine. Shelton has a deeply personal connection (obsession really) with the work of Opal Jewel & Nev Charles, a rock duo whose brief collaboration in the early 1970s has attained cult status due to their controversial and enduring political legacy. After their split, Nev a white straight laced Brit went on to achieve superstardom, while Opal, a black unapologetic iconoclast, faded into obscurity. Now in 2016 they are on the verge of a reunion 40 years in the making, and Sunny Shelton has immersed herself in the task of uncovering the truth amidst all the mythology that has been built up around the duo since their split.

To divulge any further plot details would do the carefully plotted story and its big reveals a great disservice, but suffice it to say that the story goes in an unexpected and utterly captivating direction. Walton deftly weaves fictional events with real ones, creating a patchwork depiction of the 70s that feels authentic and never gimmicky. Some of the events depicted are violent and difficult to grapple with, but are vital to the story and force the reader to engage in important self-reflection.

I still can’t believe this was a debut novel, and I can’t wait to see what Walton writes next.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Final Revival Of Opal and Nev will be on the top of the bestsellers this spring

Opal and Nev are rock and rollers in the 1970's.

Opal is from Detroit and Nev from Britain. They could not be more different.

Sunny is the narrator who is telling the story of the duo with multiple interviews with people from their past . She too has a stake in the story.

The interview aspect works very well as you follow this troubled couple at the beginning and towards the end of their career

There is so much substance to this book: history plays a huge part as do all the characters.

Historical fiction at its best.

I won't give anything away , though I am tempted, just put this book to top of your TBR pile.

I will be thinking of Opal, Nev and all the others for a long time to come.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Canada for this thought provoking read!

I was a huge fan of Daisy Jones and The Six so I was so excited when I first heard about The Final Revival of Opal & Nev. The oral history aspect was very similar and I did enjoy that. I will say there was something from this book that was missing for me. I liked the characters but did not fall in love with any of them. I think this story was a great way to tell some of the issues with the music industry (although still present today) in terms of primary race but as well what the industry is like for women vs. men.

Overall I would recommend this book! I was also in a weird reading mood/having trouble reading on my kobo so that could be what prevented me from absolutely loving it! 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
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This fictional oral history is about a not so typical rock ‘n’ roll duo from the 70s who rise to fame. The two are so different yet when the come together to make music, it’s like making magic...but at what cost?
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First I would like to thank @netgalley and @simonandschuster for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this novel!
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This is a great debut that is so relevant in our world today. I was very engrossed in this tale and really appreciated the unconventional narrative/format from the usual books I read. It almost feels like you are reading an interview, except it was totally playing like a movie in my head, if that makes any sense!
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The story is rich, the characters are very dimensional and the plot is so engaging. Not fast paced, but engaging for sure.
I felt the emotions and traumas that the characters experienced and while I couldn’t always relate, the author made it so that I could understand and empathize. I love how she managed to weave in actual real life events into the story which just added to the depth and intricate layers of this book. Opal & Nev felt like very real and authentic people to me. Super cool to experience that.
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The book certainly doesn’t shy away from serious, tough topics including but not limited to oppression towards African Americans (specifically in the states), woman empowerment and equality, diversity..among others. Opal is an amazing representative for fierce black women who does not bow down to bullies!
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For those who’ve read Daisy Jones, this is similar in the sense that they share a similar oral history format about a band. The stories however are different -Walton takes it up a few notches with this one!
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I predict this being a very successful book for you @dawniewalton - well done! Also, I already have ideas for who should play some of the characters once this (almost certainly!) hits the screens.

Rating : 4.5 stars!

If you love Taylor Jenkins Reid's historical Hollywood books about fictional celebrities (think Daisy Jones and the Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo), this book will be another favourite. The messages about race in America that Walton expertly weaves into her book are really what makes this book stand apart and why I will think about it long after reading it.

This book tells the origin story of an Afro-punk duo, Opal & Nev. Nev is a redheaded British guy, who moves to America to be a songwriter and performer. When his label tells him he needs a partner, he is drawn to Opal's stage presence. An act of racial violence occurs during one of their performances and their Black drummer is murdered, which inspires a punk album. The main narrator of the book, Sunny, is the daughter of that drummer and is writing a book about their rise and fall.

I really enjoyed the character of Opal Jewel because she's entirely badass but also human. I didn't always like her actions but I understood her motivations. I really want to find some author interviews to see who her inspiration(s) were for Opal's character. Through Neville, you see him struggle with being an artist and how he kind of tries to be an ally for Opal. I also really enjoyed the scenes that took place in the present because I found Sunny's insights to be valuable to the story. The ending blew me away because it was so satisfying and powerful.