Glee: The Beginning by Sophia Lowell

Title: Glee: The Beginning
Author: Sophia Lowell (based on the series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan)
ISBN: 9780316123594
Publisher: Poppy/ Little Brown and Company
Page #: 216
Source: From my public library

Summary:
"All great performers deserve a warm-up! Enroll early at McKinley High - before New Directions was even a glimmer in Mr. Schuester's eye. When did Rachel first decide Finn was more than just a jock? When did Puck and Quinn start their secret romance? And how did the fledgling Glee Club function without a fearless leader? Hint: It wasn't exactly a perfect melody.

Break out the gold stars and refill the slushies: It's time to find out what happened to all of your favorite characters before the show-mance began."
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First Lines:

"Rachel Berry paused outside the door to Principal Figgins's office just long enough to straighten her kneesocks and smooth down the sides of her corduroy skirt. Her bright white button-down and pink-and-green argyle sweater-vest seemed to scream overachiever - not that Principal Figgins needed to be reminded that Rachel Berry was special."
Page 1
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Review:

I can honestly say I've never read a book about a tv show that was written after the show or movie had been released. I've read a lot the other way - Pretty Little Liars, Lord of the Rings, etc. All books before the movies/shows. But this one? This one is written based on the hit tv show. And, I'll be honest, I picked up this book only because I love the show so much.

I wasn't sure how the story was going to pan out. I did realize that it was the before-hand stories before you get to episode one. I figured there would be a lot of territory to cover. There was a lot to love in this book for me - but I'm not sure if it's because of my fan-itude of the show.

I had to stop myself a few times while reading this book and remind myself that this book had to be written for people who haven't seen the tv show. It does a great job setting the stage, showing you the world of McKinley High and describing the characters down to their fashion sense. And I think someone who hasn't watched it will have a good idea about the lives of these characters.

There were a few times that I was sitting back and wondering if we hadn't pulled some topics straight from the first few episodes. I know there had to be some meat to the story, so I let that all go. One thing that I thought was great was the look into the home lives of more of the characters. On the show, you have a few families (and perhaps we will see more of that in the future), but it was very interesting to imagine the family of Mercedes and Artie and all.

I think I recommend this book. I hope my fan-dom isn't standing in the way of my judgment, but I had a lot of fun with this story and I look forward to more books based on this series. I think they are light and fun and easy reads that are perfect during the school year :). Hopefully some other fans will pick this one up and give their opinions.
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