Strut

by Carole Hart, Bruce Hart

Ignored by her police chief father and feeling betrayed by her older brother, Bryan, seventeen-year-old Holly Hanna devotes all her energy to realizing her dream of becoming a rock star. Original.

Genres: Young Adult

233 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1992

Reviews

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a cute story - filled with a girl trying to fulfill a dream. Holly hasn't had it easy, the only girl, the youngest, and she was 13 when her mother passed leaving her in the hands of her father - a cop. Holly loves music and singing and she has a dream to be a rock star. She also has a guardian angel of sorts, a ghost - former musician Jasper Rollins. With the inspiration of Jasper, Holly starts the steps to her dreams and goes into a showcase showdown.
A cute quick read that makes the reader think that all dreams are possible.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved loved this book when I was a late teen.

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I fucking loved this book. So so so so so so much.
I was in love with Jasper and probably re-read the last chapter at least 100 times. I'm tempted to go dig it out at my mom's house but do I really want to know how bad my 13 year old taste was? Umm hell yes, I do. I will update this review soon with less 90's nostalgia and more jaded 30-something vibes.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh gosh, this is my final Bruce and Carole Hart book. Always possibly out there is some dusty used book store for me to discover. But I finally ordered it online, and I read it, and now there will be no more. Nothing will touch the Sooner or Later trilogy for adolescent adoration, but this was good. Sigh.

I don't do ghost stories, so that part is definitely weird. I appreciate that it's not a predictable YA romance. I thought after her transformation into a sexy rock star that her brother's friend may notice her, or that she'd get together with Stuey the roadie, and it didn't go either of those ways.

I really like the way she gets angry at Jasper about the double standard for girls and guys. That she doesn't see it as "giving herself" to someone but rather taking some of what everyone else seems to be getting. The end felt a little rushed to me though.

For me to really go with it, I wanted more between Jasper and Holly. I wanted more of him teaching her/advising her about being a rock star. We get one dance lesson, one critique of her looks, and one lesson on how to strut and be confident. It takes more than that to really learn. Well, on one hand I wanted more. And on the other hand, she really did it herself, with her bandmates. Which is cool. I just wanted them to get to know each other more.

I will most definitely be rereading in the future.

[Elizabeth Granstrand · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as a tween in the 90s. I recently came across it again in my stuff and I remembered how much I loved it.
Reading was a real escape for me as a kid who spent a lot of time sick in hospitals and this one allowed me to transport in my imagination into being a member of a rock band who hangs out with a ghost. For anyone who likes this plot, Julie and the phantoms is a great show on Netflix with a similar plot.