Review Detail

LOU WITH THE BAND by Alexandra Leigh Young starts when Lou graduates from high school and embarks on a worldwide journey as production crew on a pop star’s world tour. On the clock, Lou works as a laundress within the wardrobe department. Off the clock, Lou gets to explore new cities and cultures for the first time in her life, sometimes with the company of Chris, the cute guitarist. Despite everyone telling her he’s bad news, she can’t seem to get him out of her system, and as the tour draws to a close, Lou has to reconcile who she once was with who she is now.

This book does a great job of capturing what it’s like to grow up, especially after moving away from home. Lou struggles a lot with blending her new life with her old one, even though she values all the people from before. While this particular circumstance is unique, almost anyone who has ever left home at some point can relate to her journey.

As someone who’s worked in film production, Lou’s experience in the crew feels very accurate — glamorous in the sense that she has so many opportunities she might not have gotten otherwise, but still manual labor. Young does a great job at capturing the “I’ve run away with the circus” energy, which can be both addicting and disorienting at the same time.

What I especially love about the plot is Young uses the foil of Molly, Lou’s best childhood friend, who gets stuck behind in their small town, and has a normal life. She works at a local shop and seems to expect a mundane existence without Lou, but that’s not what happens. Molly has just as much growth as Lou, proving that you don’t necessarily have to travel thousands of miles to come into your own.

Overall, LOU WITH THE BAND is a fun, young adult read, perfect for anyone who ever wondered what it’s really like on the road.