This is a must read for all the NKOTB fans out there! It was great reliving the history and I had a smile plastered to my face the entire time. My forever favorite is Joey

A must read for any New Kids on the Block fan. Fun information and a great nostalgic read for 80’s babies!

Well, okay, I am a NKOTB fan. I've seen them live, I have CDs, I have LPs, a sticker album and now I have this half-cocked book.

First of all, I was thrilled to get my hands on a quality coffee table book about New Kids, and it seemed that the 40th anniversary of the band's existence would be a cool moment to get it. Kudos for the author, Selena Fragassi, for being a literary hustler.

Unfortunately, it is quite mild, and it should of been wild. First of all, it is quite repetitive for a biography. There is a lot of info, but there is no clear chronological order, so when the author goes back-and-forth some facts are being repeated. There is clear indication that the pictures in the book are the ones they could get, and not the ones all of us fans wanted. Texts are sometimes illustrated with pics from a different period than the one mentioned. There are no album or single covers. No pictures of magazines or merch (there is one small picture actually). Even facts about sold albums/singles are not complete, like they've been extracted from a Wikipedia or something like that.

So would I reccomend this book to a fan? Yes, young one maybe. But I think that the New Kids deserve much better illustrated history than this elaborate cash grab.

I’m a huge NKOTB fan from wayyyyyy back in the day (Team Joey then Donnie now don’t judge me) so I HAD to jump on this book. And I’m so glad I did. Totally nostalgic and amazing!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

This was so fun and brought back so many memories! I am excited to have this on my shelf to go back and look at from time to time.

As a Blockhead I could not let this book pass me by. Reading the New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration book by Selena Fragassi was a real treat. A great look into the history of the band which was fun to read through for a trip down memory lane. The book is designed for fans like me who want to read every detail and reminisce of times gone by.

My inner teenage girl is jumping up and down right now! This book is an awesome complete history and more of NKOTB! There are great pictures, both professional and candid.
It took me a minute to figure out why this was a 40 year anniversary since I know exactly when and where I was when I first heard The Right Stuff (oh, oh, ohohoh - good luck getting that earworm out of your head now) and it wasn't 1984. I didn't know that they had a first album that totally bombed!
Here's some other little fun facts I learned:
🌟 In 1991, the New Kids were the first pop act to play the Super Bowl halftime show. (Before that it was mostly marching bands)
🌟 Donnie Wahlberg's brother Mark (Marky Mark) was in the band at the beginning for a hot minute. He quit, got into some pretty serious criminal trouble, then, with Donnie's help, formed Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Now you can see him everywhere in major movies. Pretty excellent turnaround!
🌟 A fan held up a sign at one of their more recent concerts saying she needed a kidney. Donnie (the ultimate helper) made sure he found her a matching donor and she is healthy and well to this day!
🌟 April 24th is New Kids On the Block Day in their hometown of Boston.

This book is a no-brainer must have for any Blockhead!!

NKOTB were HUGE when I was very young. Apart from the music I didn't know much about the band. Within the first few pages I was shocked at how they formed and what was going on behind the scenes. A nostalgic look at the past & an eye-opening look into the music business. 3.5 stars.

What a stroll down memory lane this book took me on! I was a huge new Kids on the Block fan and spent every spare moment listening to their music, watching their videos and stalking them in teen magazines. It was all so wholesome when I think about it now. This book spoke to the fan girl in me and I enjoyed reminiscing through all the incredible photographs within. It was a trip! I highly recommend for every NKOTB fan out there!

This was so fun! It took me right back to being 13 years old, listening to Step by Step and playing with my Jonathan Knight doll. The pictures are gorgeous and the nostalgic, teen magazine feel was so fun! A must for any Blockhead!!

I feel Old!!!!!

New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration by Selena Fragassi was an interesting book. I wasn't a fan of boy bands when I was a teenager But WoW this was 40 years ago.......this bought back some good memories singing with my 2 sisters in front of a mirror with our hairbrushes doing the moves to their songs......then falling down on the floor laughing!

This is a must have book for every new and old fans of New Kids on the block! it is beautifully illustrated throughout with photos, and interviews, packed with fascinating facts.

Donnie, Danny, Jonathan, Jordan, and they are Boston’s own New Kids on the Block, an iconic boy band that sprang to the top of the charts and into the hearts of millions of global fans in the 1980s.

It was an enjoyable read back down memory lane.

This book will make a great Birthday present etc.

As a New Kids on the Block fan since the 80's this was a must read for me. Selena Fragassi did an amazing job writing this one!

This book was like going back in time! All the memories of my childhood came rushing back.
I actually learned a few new things about the group.
I suggest buying the hardback - I know I will!

The best part is NKOTB is still touring and it's great to catch them out on the road. They still have The Right Stuff! ;)

I couldn't click on REQUEST fast enough when I saw this book pop up!! My preteen self stopped breathing when it showed up on my computer screen...but my present self was a bit disappointed at the '40th Anniversary' part of the title - FORTY YEARS?! "New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration" by Selena Fragassi is a fantastic tribute to one of the most iconic boy bands in pop music history. In this comprehensive retrospective, Fragassi expertly navigates the band's four-decade journey, from their rise to stardom in the late 1980s to their status in popular culture today.

The book's best feature is its wealth of archival material and exclusive interviews with band members, offering readers unprecedented access to the inner workings of New Kids on the Block. Fragassi skillfully weaves together personal anecdotes, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, and insights from industry insiders, providing a rich tapestry of the band's evolution and impact. This book is a celebration of the band's enduring appeal and relevance. Fragassi explores how New Kids on the Block have continually reinvented themselves over the years, navigating shifting musical trends and cultural landscapes with ease. From their chart-topping hits to their sold-out tours, the band's journey is a testament to the enduring power of nostalgia and the resilience of artistic reinvention.

"New Kids on the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration" is a must-read for fans of the band and anyone interested in the intersection of music, nostalgia, and pop culture. If you were a NKOTB fan, you definitely need this book - it's a wonderful walk through your youth.

NKOTB fans! This book is for you! I had the honor of getting an e-copy of NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK: 40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION by Selena Fragassi (thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for this early access)! Perfect for any Blockhead (aka NKOTB fan). This one is filled with pictures that I would’ve probably cut out and hung on my bedroom wall when I was growing up. I feel like I knew a lot of the facts given in this book — no joke, I was obsessed with my Teen Beat and Pop magazines along with any NKOTB books or trivia that came out back in the day — but I still learned a bit. I mostly loved the pics in this book. This was a fun, nostalgic experience and I encourage any fan to grab it this May.

New Kids On the Block 40th Anniversary Celebration is a good book for anyone who liked NKOTB in the 80’s and 90’s. It’s a great nostalgia book. The pictures are good. I enjoyed flipping through it.

What an absolute treat for any Blockhead!

Nostalgia hit me hard. This book took me back to when my love for NKOTB started: the music, the merchandise, the magazines, the posters, taping interviews and their videos whenever they were on TV, the Hangin' Tough and Step By Step VHS tapes, the fan-crazed Oprah shows with not only the group but with their mothers as well, "the buttons and the pins and the loud fanfares", my love for Donnie Wahlberg - just everything!

Selena Fragassi has certainly done her research. Yes, there is lots of information that any fan already knows such as where the boys grew up, how the band was formed, their initial struggle and then their frenzied fame. But, there is also a plethora of information post-1994 break-up: their solo journeys, then getting back together and collaborations with other groups such as BSB.

There are quotes, timelines and many, many pictures. Fragassi has also acknowledged bands that came before the New Kids and the boy bands that came after.

Needless to say, I've been listening to NKOTB songs ever since reading this book. This book is a must-have for any New Kids fan. I will definitely be buying a physical copy of this book when it is published - a present for myself on my 46th birthday next month!

Don’t get me started. There is nothing in this book that I don’t already know. Sorry. Not a fan of the book.

This book has a lot of great pictures of the New Kids throughout their career with fun facts and stats throughout the book. You can tell the author really did her research.

The entire career of the group itself is chronicled here as well as chapters on each member’s career when the group broke up. I liked learning about how the group began, their rise to fame and the members themselves.

I’d recommend this to any fans of 80’s or 90’s pop music, fans of any of the members and, of course, Blockheads. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book. All opinions are my own.