IWSG and GRFF: VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez

Insecure Writers Support Group convenes the first Wednesday of every month. Established by Alex J. Cavanaugh it allows us to show our insecurities and buoy each other in the process. 

I'm so busy packing that writing is taking a back seat. I squeeze in a bit of time when I can (in those wee hours) but I don't feel the pressure to write. This move has been a good distraction from the reality of my writing life. So I have less time to dwell on my insecurities:D But check back with my in August once we're settled in. I'm sure my multitude of insecurities will rear their ugly heads again. In the meantime, if you missed Veronica Roth's inspiring speech at the BEA Children's Author Book Breakfast, may I encourage you to take the time to watch it. I hope she inspires you as much as she did me. She's the last speaker (skip the 1st 15 or so minutes, it's a loop of ads until the speeches start.)

Next up in my Golden Five Recent Reads is VIRTUOSITY by Jessica Martinez. This is one of the books I picked up at LDStorymakers last month, so I have a signed copy:D. (Jessica was one of the presenters at the conference.)

From Goodreads:

Now is not the time for Carmen to fall in love. And Jeremy is hands-down the wrong guy for her to fall for. He is infuriating, arrogant, and the only person who can stand in the way of Carmen getting the one thing she wants most: to win the prestigious Guarneri competition. Carmen's whole life is violin, and until she met Jeremy, her whole focus was winning. But what if Jeremy isn't just hot...what if Jeremy is better? Carmen knows that kissing Jeremy can't end well, but she just can't stay away. Nobody else understands her--and riles her up--like he does. Still, she can't trust him with her biggest secret: She is so desperate to win she takes anti-anxiety drugs to perform, and what started as an easy fix has become a hungry addiction. Carmen is sick of not feeling anything on stage and even more sick of always doing what she’s told, doing what's expected.

Sometimes, being on top just means you have a long way to fall...

My take: 
This one was another fast read. I kept pausing and telling my husband how utterly brilliant Jessica is. Talk about writer envy, I definitely had it. I played the viola (in addition to the piano) growing up, so I understood the jargin and though I was never that good, I understood the pressure to perform. I absorbed this book. Carmen's awkwardness, her relationship with her mother, everything about so hot, you-could-play me, Jeremy, I loved it all. My only complaint, it ended too abruptly for me. I could have used a few more pages, one more for sure on her last decision. Read this book, you will not regret it. Oh, and to my CP who'd heard it was racy. Jeremy is hot, but minimal language and no sex involved. 

I'll be reading The Space Between Us ASAP. I'm on a book freeze until we move. We're not even buying food, guys. We're seriously trying to get rid of everything.

 What's your favorite recent read? Have you read Jessica Martinez yet?