I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone by Stephanie Kuehnert

Emily Black’s mother left her and her father when Emily was only four months old. Even though she hasn’t had her mother, she’s had her mom’s best friend Molly, Molly’s daughter Reagen (who also happens to be Emily’s best friend) and of course her father. Then there is punk rock, which seems to just run in Emily’s blood. He mother claimed to have left to follow it, and it’s what brought her parents together.

Now Emily’s grown up and has a band of her own. Along with Reagen and Reagen’s boyfriend Tom, She Laughs is born. While the band sky rockets, Emily secretly hopes that her punk rock music will bring her mother back to her. Even though life may seem great at times, Emily takes the wildest ride of her life with all the classic ups and downs of a crazy roller coaster.

This book was beyond spectacular. I was definitely expecting a great book, but nothing as utterly amazing as I was presented. Now I must first start with the characters. Emily was by far my favorite. I felt like I could really connect and relate to her, even though I’m not into sex, drugs and rock & roll, I still felt like we shared something! Her emotion seeped through every page and she was just so real. I cannot even imagine what it would be like not to have a mother and growing up without that ever lasting best friend. It was also really cool that we share the same birthday!! Stephanie Kuehnert also did a great job creating her supporting characters. Reagen, Tom and Emily’s dad all had such life to them. They didn’t feel like they just faded into the background like some characters tend to, they popped right out of the book. Then there’s the time period. I loved how the book was set during the late ‘80s to late ‘90s, as it’s something completely different. It suits the book perfectly. Finally, I must address Stephanie Kuehnert’s writing style. I felt like she delivered the story point blank, but with enough detail to hold my interest. It is still hard to believe that this is her first novel, as it was one of the most poignant and incredible books I have ever read. I certainly hope that Ms. Kuehnert will continue writing as she definitely has an amazing talent! I highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone as it brings together the awesome world of music and reality to form a phenomenal story.