The Edge Of The World – Garrett Leigh

Shay Maloney is living his dream—on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in.

The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself.

But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realises he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.

A friends-to-lovers, rock star, road-tripping romance, with a guaranteed happily-ever-after

Given my obsession with music, I thought I would be all over this. Sadly, The Edge of the World was not engaging my attention as I would like it to. I tried to hang on for as long as I could but there’s no hook to keep me going.

A book about an indie pirate-folk band should be riveting stuff. And I am curious about life on the road for musicians. Turns out the everyday life on tour was tedium and boredom.

I suppose MCs Shay and Ollie were your typical troubled but likable Garrett Leigh leads but I wasn’t drawn to them. I didn’t dislike them or anything, it’s just that they’re forgettable. In addition, none of the other personalities stood out.

I also didn’t feel the connection between Shay and Ollie. They weren’t communicating properly. Both were mostly pining and speculating about the other. Ollie was too closed-mouth for his own good. There were also cryptic hints of his issues being dropped here and there, but I wasn’t intrigued enough to care.

One reason I stuck for as long as I could was narrator Dan Calley. I really like the way he voiced the conversations. His reading style matched the author’s prose perfectly. I think that’s why he narrates most of her books.

I feel bad about DNFing a book that’s right up my alley but when it’s becoming a chore, I think it’s time to throw in the towel. This could be very well be a Me problem. Many readers enjoyed this and I think it’s best to find out for yourself. Especially if you’re into angsty tales of genius musicians and ninja filmmakers.

P.S.

Thank you to Signal Boost Promotions and Audible UK for providing a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Garrett Leigh books here.

Rating:
2 Stars – it’s a struggle to finish the damn book

Soundtrack: Song From The Edge Of The World
Artist: Siouxsie & The Banshees
Album: Tinderbox