Is this self published? It does not seem like this book was edited. There were grammatical errors and the writing was basic and not engaging. In fact, it was quite repetitive. I read only 30% of the book and would have dropped it sooner had it not been for the ARC review.

Band On The Run by James Weems (the first in a prospective series about band Phoenix Rising) is set to be published by BooksGoSocial on the 22nd April 2025.

The story follows Ravynn St. John, lead singer of Phoenix Rising, the band that, in universe, knocked The Beatles off the top of the charts. On tour, Ravynn must deal with his own demons, his feelings for bandmate Benji, the threat of his ex, his ex's friend (a journalist given access to the band as roving correspondent for Rolling Stone Magazine) and society's stigma around queerness.

Weems creates a compelling cast of characters, from the members of the band (obviously Ravynn, Benji and Ravynn’s ‘brother from another mother' Sean are the most fleshed out but Wil, Clay and Theo also have their moments), manager Greg and his assistant Diciembre ‘DC’ Delgado, a Latina lesbian who is rarely without a cigar, and Dickie ‘Nuisance’ Newsome, the journo from Ravynn’s past back to haunt him.

Will Ravynn cope with all these pressures? Will he be able to balance the band with the relationship he clearly wants with Benji (and Sean's with Clay)? Will his lies about how things ended with Ronnie come back to haunt him, and will the Ravynn St John persona hold up if he has to face his past as Robin Smith he is so desperate to escape?

The prose is sometimes rather basic, and the dialogue and song lyrics don't always quite ring true, but Band On The Run is a fun, enjoyable read full of escapism that doesn't shy away from exploring how the era affected queer people, especially those in the public eye. I would say that the fact a book with such explicit sexual scenes has prose like it does (which would better suit a younger reader) makes me think the target reader is somewhat confused, however.

In spite of Weems’ initial disclaimer, I do feel that making Benji be so young is a mistake, I get that it adds another layer of tension, another obstacle for Ravynn to overcome, but making him even just a few months older would make things far less awkward and problematic. And reducing a raft of amazing women including Lulu, Dusty Springfield and Cilla Black to effectively backing singers is a bit much for a book about empowerment in my opinion.

This book told a fantastic story with great characters and an interesting setting (both in time and place/s). The underlying romances are prominent but the focus was truly on the growth and self acceptance journey of Ravynn which was both heart wrenching and heart warming in turn. The book starts off a little slow but hold you in and picks up pace delightfully through to the end.