This Beats Perfect

Amelie Ayres has impeccable taste in music. Bowie. Bush. Bob. So when she finds herself backstage at The Keep's only UK gig, she expects to hate it; after all, they are the world's most tragic band. In fact, she feels a grudging respect-not (obviously) for their music, but for the work that goes into making them megastars. And when the lead singer, Maxx, is not dressed up as a cross between Elvis and a My Little Pony, he is actually rather normal, talented, and has creative struggles not too dissimilar to her own. But the next morning she wakes up, rolls over, and discovers a million new mentions on social media. Overnight, a photo of her backstage has made her the subject of global speculation. Suddenly the world needs to know who that girl is-but for all the wrong reasons. All Amelie wants is to play her music. She's got the guitar, the songs, the soul, and, in the safety of her bedroom, the voice. But when it comes to getting up on stage, she struggles with self-doubt.

Alexia Falls is eighteen, living in her parents' New York penthouse and working with superstar boyband The Keep. But with her heart set on independence and a career behind the camera, she trades it all for a take-it-or-leave-it internship at London's Bright Star Productions. There, she meets fellow intern Greta. Greta's East End upbringing couldn't have been more different from Alexia's, but she's every bit as hungry for her big break. But both girls have secrets. While Alexia doesn't want anyone knowing about her privileged connection to The Keep, Greta has been anonymously running their #1 social fan-feed since she was at school. And when the gossip columns somehow get news of the band's latest scandals, suspicions and accusations start flying . . . Real art demands integrity. But staying in the music business requires the opposite. Can you stay true to yourself when your heart follows a secret beat?

Seventeen-year-old Frankie is obsessed with what everyone else is thinking. She can keep up with the chat-from feminism to boys with tattoos-but when it comes to her own ideas, it's not so easy to hide her lack of confidence. With the help of her best friend, Haruna, Frankie forms a punk-rock girl band to attract the attention of Doc-her spiky-haired, joint-smoking ex-boyfriend. She's got it all sorted: the Instagram page is live, the handmade posters are everywhere, and the band even has a first gig lined up (even if they are playing to a handful of retired bingo fans). But in her efforts to make the band a success and get Doc to notice her, Frankie starts to care less about what he thinks and more about how much she loves making very loud music. She finally feels a glimpse of who she can be, independent of anyone else. Then one day, Doc decides he is going to win her back...