Novel Review: Radio Radio by Graham Marks

Rating (Out of 5): ~2-2.5

Genre: YA Contemporary; Script

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release Date: 2003

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository.

Goodreads Synopsis:

A group of kids want to start a radio station. They have known each other a long time and have shared their plans for years. And finally they do it - setting up in an empty flat they soon find themselves not only having to deal with the complications of running a pirate radio station but also fending off the attentions of competing broadcasters.

The Cover:

I don't mind the cover above, and think it fits relatively well, especially given the radio plot and that it's written in script, like you might hear it over the radio. It works. The cover on Amazon works just as well, too.

Review:

I picked this book up forever ago, and finally decided to read it, since it’s so short. But while it’s a short book, I did not really enjoy it.

It’s told in script format, which was okay. I suppose it went by fast because of it, but it also made it harder for me to connect to the characters. But I've always had that problem so that might just be me.

It’s about a group of characters who decide to make a radio show, during the time that radio is being heavily watched and censored. They’re doing it in secret, and trying not to get caught, because they can get in serious trouble for it. That part I found interesting.

But then there’s drama between the characters. Some of them are friends, some of them are exes and current boyfriend/girlfriend. One of the characters was unhappy in her relationship, in it just cause, and her boyfriend thinks she’s cheating on him. Then this other character thinks that her boyfriend is interested in his ex, and she gets seriously depressed about it. I just didn’t care, honestly. I didn’t care about any of them.

The ending was good, I guess, at least for the radio show part of it. But I’m glad it’s over.