The Edge of Great by Micol Ostow

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I am a huge fan of Julie and the Phantoms and have seen the show more times than I can count (I honestly don’t remember how many times it’s been. 🙃) I will say this took me way longer to finish than anticipated. That could be because I already knew the story and what was going to happen so I was less inclined to read, or something completely unrelated.

At just 200 pages, The Edge of Great by Micol Ostow is a must have for any Julie and the Phantoms fan. From song lyrics, to full color photo inserts, this book brings the story to life! We get to see POVs from Julie, Flynn, Luke, Alex, Reggie, and Willie throughout the book and it gives a little more insight into what characters were thinking during some pivotal scenes. It’s best enjoyed while listening to the soundtrack when the songs are mentioned. It adds a little extra dimension to the reading experience.

The first half of the book was spot on to the show. I don’t want to spoil anything in case you want to watch the show or read the book, but two of my favorite scenes were missing and the last half felt a little rushed because of that. I realize this is a novelization for young readers of a 9 episode show and not a complete transcript, but how could they not give us Luke’s thoughts during Unsaid Emily??? Like, I’d KILL to know what exactly he was thinking in that moment. We got the before and after, but the before was from Julie’s point of view and the after was from Luke’s, Even that wasn’t satisfying enough. My only thought is this particular scene either wasn’t originally in the script or they cut it from the book because of logistics. (I know Perfect Harmony wasn’t originally in the script as Charlie and Madi wrote the song together on set and pitched it to Kenny.) Also, the chemistry scene in the garage between Luke and Reggie was different in the book, but I believe that chapter is from Alex’s POV. However, that would have made it that much more hilarious if the scene made it in.

Aside from the semi rushed ending, I quite enjoyed this one despite it not being 100% the show. If you have young readers in your life, or if you’re simply a JatP fan, I highly recommend adding this one to your collection. Four star book, but a five star show!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐//5

Booksleeve and shirts are from Fandomsleeves! Tell you friends!
(There’s a Reggie and Alex version of the Luke shirt as well.)