Finding Abbey Road

Exile #3

by Kevin Emerson

Catherine Summer Carlson has hit rock bottom. On the brink of a record deal, her band Dangerheart is in disarray. One member has gone rogue, and another is missing and wanted by the police. On top of that, Summer’s parents are pressuring her to choose a future that doesn’t include the music world she loves so much. She’s torn between wanting to stay with Dangerheart and her soulmate Caleb, and taking off in a different direction at her dream college.

Meanwhile, Summer and Caleb are closer than ever to finally unlocking the mystery of Eli White’s lost songs, but the last clues present an impossible challenge: can they outwit Candy Shell records, stay one step ahead of the police, and find a way to get to London before it’s too late? And if they can get there, will they be ready for what they may find? Summer’s dreams of the future, Dangerheart’s chances of becoming the band they’ve always dreamed of being: it all comes down to these next five days. Summer knows this would be the riskiest thing she’s ever done, that her relationship with her parents may never recover, but she also knows that this might be her last shot at figuring out what her heart really wants.

Packed with mystery and music, Kevin Emerson’s final volume in the Exile series is the pitch-perfect ending to Summer’s journey of self-discovery and love, and an ode to music fans everywhere.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Music, Young Adult Contemporary

240 pages, Hardcover

First published August 2, 2016

About the author

Author of sixteen novels for children and young adults, most recently LAST DAY ON MARS, BREAKOUT, and the ATLANTEANS series. His books have been published in ten different countries. Formerly a science teacher and a creative writing teacher, Kevin is also a singer and drummer. He has won a spelling bee, lost a beauty pageant, and once appeared in a Swedish TV commercial.

Reviews

[Stacee · Rating 3 out of 5]

After the ending of book 2, I was quite eager to see how it all ended.

Summer has definitely grown through the series. I struggled with her in the beginning. In this book, she's has definitely recognized that she needs to wear her manager hat a bit less. I didn't do a reread, so I couldn't remember a lot of the background with the label and management people. There was enough for me to get by on and really I just wanted more Caleb time.

Plot wise, it wasn't the epic finale it was expecting. It was a little quiet and subdued, yet somehow it really worked for the story. I would have liked a little more from the final chapter, but it's happy and hopeful and open.

Overall, this has been a fun and quick to read series.

**Huge thanks to Katherine Tegen Books and Edelweiss for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**

[Daphne M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. The other two books have been so good that i couldn't wait to read this one. I cant believe that Jon actually ditched them! That's so rude but its cool that Randy took his place. Overall, I would've liked if Matt was in this book more, but I get why he wasn't. I did not expect Jerrod to know to be keeping the secrets! The part where they played with Eli was so sweet!! And the Dangerheart Family Sessions! I wish the book would've said if he came out of hiding after the Dangerheart Family Sessions was released tho. I loved this book and though I'm sad this series is over I absolutely love how it ended.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A totally engaging and satisfying ending to the saga of Summer & Dragonheart. This is a series I have no hesitation recommending to teens, especially ones who love music or are in the stage of figuring out what they want to do in their lives.

[Myndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this was a very good ending to this series. I liked that it wasn't all about the romance, but more about what Summer decided to do with her future and how she went about following her own dreams.

I also was pleased with how the mystery unfolded and was somewhat resolved while still leaving an air of suspense in the sense that we still wonder what might happen next with that whole situation.

I was a bit disappointed with the Jon part of the story, but that made it more realistic. Things don't always end up the way you think they will, especially in High School.

I was impressed with how Val turned out as a character. I ended up really liking and respecting her and I didn't think I would when she first made her appearance in the series. It felt good to end up liking her.

I also think the portrayal of Summer's parents was very believable. As a parent, I know that we want our kids to follow their dreams, but also worry about their security. We want the best for them and sometimes that can come across as if we are not supporting them in the way they'd like us to.

All in all, I enjoyed the series and I would definitely read more of this author.

[Nora Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A satisfying ending to a great story of music, fulfilling dreams, and finding a future. Although everything isn't wrapped up into a tidy, little package, the ending is far more authentic with the way the trilogy is completed. Makes me want to listen to more Floyd and Beatles!

[Arianna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an ending to a great series! Even though I loved the book, I feel like the gang made a lot of really bad decisions this time around. I couldn't believe Summer actually just up and went to London after that huge fight with her parents. That was so reckless, but then again, what wasn't about their plan? I also couldn't believe that they gave the first two tapes over to Candy Shell. I can see why, because they wouldn't have gotten the money for the London trip otherwise, but it seemed like a really bad deal. I loved that Caleb and Val finally got to meet Eli. That was a really sad scene, but I loved that they played together and shared that night together. However, I didn't like that they released the family sessions. After seeing Eli and how little trust he had in people, I thought it was kind of low that they secretly recorded the session and released it. I feel like Eli would feel even more betrayed, by his own family that he didn't even know no less, and that wouldn't help him on his road of recovery. That part was left open-ended, so I guess there's a chance that it brought him closer to Caleb and Val, but I just kind of see it doing the opposite. Though I did have a few complaints about this one, hence 4 stars and not 5, I really loved this series and thought it was a good ending.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kevin Emerson is getting a standing ovation from me. Because the last book of the Exile trilogy really hit the mark for me.

Seriously, DAYUM! Almost everything was really good, and the problems in the last 2 books managed to decrease. For example, the romance feels much more genuine this time around, and is put on the back-burner for most of the book so that we can focus on the mystery at hand. That way, it doesn't feel as out of place and somewhat meh it can be.

Also, I feel like the characters have come a long way since the beginning, especially Summer. She's grown confident in her own self, and I'm really happy for that.

All in all, this was an amazing finale, and perfect for my first ARC copy. I just want to give all the hugs:

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

what a fast read and a great end to the series. No real chapter breaks but time changes and different locations. I enjoyed this ending to the Dangerheart & the romance. I loved Val :) I could reveal more but overall I enjoyed this book.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good teen read, kids set out to find their musician dad who supposedly died years ago.

[Billie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catherine has bottomed out in music and her band is in trouble. She is looking for a way to get to London and a solution to the dreams she has. If you like mystery and music you might like this third book in the Exile series. I received a copy of the book through Goodreads Giveaways for an honest review.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was great and encourage that other people read the book.

[TS · Rating 1 out of 5]

This shouldn't have been a trilogy. The author should have just added some more pages to the first book and left it as a stand-alone. The first book was good, the second book started to get boring, and the third was dragging. All the plot and writing and character development flaws and annoyances that I neglected to pay attention to in the first novel kept resurfacing in the later ones which consequentially turned my reading experience frustrating.

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the quickest read of all three books in the series. It also ended up being my least favourite of the three. There was a lot less focus on the band as a whole and on their story together and a lot more attention put on Summer and Caleb, their relationship, and the mystery of the hidden songs. I enjoyed the series more when the focus was more on the band and the mystery of Caleb's father and his hidden songs were in the background.

Summer was a character I had a hard time connecting with the whole series. I could understand her being unsure of what she wanted to do with her life and her frustration that her parents had a plan for her that she might not want. But she was also very pushy and very inconsiderate of everyone else's feelings around her. She was supposed to be the manager for the band but she never seemed to actually act in their best interest. She was so stubborn about the way she wanted the band to make it and maybe if she had paid more attention to them as a band instead of just Caleb and his mystery, the band wouldn't have been on the verge of falling apart by this last book.

Dangerheart, which was my favourite part of the first two books, were barely a blip in this one. All the great supporting cast that we'd met through Exile and Encore to an Empty Room were mostly background noise to a Summer/Caleb duet. Since my main enjoyment came from the band and the supporting characters, I found it harder to get into this book and read it more quickly to get to the end just to get to the end.

I liked the concept of this series but with the lack of connection to the main character and enjoying the band story line that fell to the background, this conclusion wasn't my favourite of the books.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Read InAGarden · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this fast paced conclusion to the Exile series, Summer and Caleb continue on their quest to locate Caleb's long thought dead father. The clues take them to London and down even more rabbit holes. There isn't much Dragonheart action and the book feels more like a coda to the series than a full fledged novel.

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straight up, this series is kind of awesome if you like contemporary books where music and bands and secrets play a strong role. Read my full review here

[Louisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading this book! It was a great ending to the series, and I enjoyed it so much after Encore to an Empty Room's cliffhanger ending!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy even though it lacked some of the surprising mystery and intese emotion of the first two books.

[Kelly Sierra · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great conclusion to a fun series.

[Roseanne LoGuirato]

A great end to a lovely trilogy. This series will stay with me always.