The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana
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- Create Date：2023-03-02 21:21:44
- Update Date：2025-09-15
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Banash
- ISBN：B09XMD3VX3
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Summary
An electrifying novel about a woman in thrall to the exhilarating rhythms of Manhattan， lost in the dizzying promise of youth， and fatally naive to the dark pressures of fame。
When Rolling Stone journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story on pop icon Lexi Mayhem， Kayla stumbles across a startling new angle to the exposé。 Years ago， another rising star from Lexi’s past mysteriously leaped to her death。 Some things are better off forgotten， Lexi says。 Kayla disagrees。
It’s 2005 and Ava Petrova moves to New York with a notebook full of songs and a dream。 Then she meets Lexi， an up-and-coming singer who brands Ava with an enigmatic new stage name and introduces her to an intoxicating city alive with possibilities。 From fast friends and kindred spirits to creative muses and inseparable soul mates， Ava and Lexi embark on a parallel journey to stardom， but there is room for only one at the top。
As past and present converge， Kayla chases the ghost of a young woman doomed by betrayal and erased by a secret， and unravels the truth that it takes more than ambition to become a star。
When Rolling Stone journalist Kayla McCray is assigned a cover story on pop icon Lexi Mayhem， Kayla stumbles across a startling new angle to the exposé。 Years ago， another rising star from Lexi’s past mysteriously leaped to her death。 Some things are better off forgotten， Lexi says。 Kayla disagrees。
It’s 2005 and Ava Petrova moves to New York with a notebook full of songs and a dream。 Then she meets Lexi， an up-and-coming singer who brands Ava with an enigmatic new stage name and introduces her to an intoxicating city alive with possibilities。 From fast friends and kindred spirits to creative muses and inseparable soul mates， Ava and Lexi embark on a parallel journey to stardom， but there is room for only one at the top。
As past and present converge， Kayla chases the ghost of a young woman doomed by betrayal and erased by a secret， and unravels the truth that it takes more than ambition to become a star。
Reviews
Rachel Revill
，
This is a really well written delve into the lives behind the glamour of rock stars。 Set in the noughties the story of Ava and Lexi is told through the eyes of both Ava and a current day journalist who is researching Lexi Mayhem。 Its really a story female friendships and how men can come between good friends if ambition wins。 Interesting and sensitively written with characters you can really relate to。 Loved it。 Brilliant for fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid。
Rochelle Weinstein
，
You had me at music and Rolling Stone！ Gifted singers Ava and Lexi form a fast friendship， bonded by their shared dream of making it big。 But only one of them realizes that dream when Ava tragically falls to her death。Fast forward and RS reporter Kayla is working on a story about Lexi， now a music superstar， when she stumbles across a clue to Ava's death。 Did the young girl kill herself or was her death the result of something more sinister？This is my first book by Banash， and she does a great j You had me at music and Rolling Stone！ Gifted singers Ava and Lexi form a fast friendship， bonded by their shared dream of making it big。 But only one of them realizes that dream when Ava tragically falls to her death。Fast forward and RS reporter Kayla is working on a story about Lexi， now a music superstar， when she stumbles across a clue to Ava's death。 Did the young girl kill herself or was her death the result of something more sinister？This is my first book by Banash， and she does a great job crafting a fast-paced， entertaining story with compelling， thoughtful characters。 A perfect escape read。 。。。more
Laura Solar
，
Books about fictional celebrities are a favorite of mine， and The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana was no exception。 I loved the back and forth between Kayla and Ava’s timelines， and the slow burn mystery of Ava’s death had me hooked from the start。 I was absolutely sure I had the twist figured out， but I was blindsided and truly awed by the way all the pieces came together。 I wasn’t a huge fan of Kayla’s friendship backstory， but it was only a small part of the book。 There’s also some petty， eyeroll Books about fictional celebrities are a favorite of mine， and The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana was no exception。 I loved the back and forth between Kayla and Ava’s timelines， and the slow burn mystery of Ava’s death had me hooked from the start。 I was absolutely sure I had the twist figured out， but I was blindsided and truly awed by the way all the pieces came together。 I wasn’t a huge fan of Kayla’s friendship backstory， but it was only a small part of the book。 There’s also some petty， eyeroll-worthy drama， but overall this was a solid read for me and a great book for me to round out 2022 with！ （This was my final read of the year。） 。。。more
Stella
，
I'm 100% medium on this book。 The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is。。。。just that。 A book that could have had a huge rise but ultimately failed to meet the promise and expectations of such a title。 Told in two timelines and two perspectives， we meet Kayla， an up-and-coming reporter for Rolling Stone。 She's assigned the cover story， Lexi Mayhem， the biggest pop star。 A Lady Gaga-esque character， Lexi has shot to stardom from the bars of New York City。 Kayla was once a young fan and excited to have th I'm 100% medium on this book。 The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is。。。。just that。 A book that could have had a huge rise but ultimately failed to meet the promise and expectations of such a title。 Told in two timelines and two perspectives， we meet Kayla， an up-and-coming reporter for Rolling Stone。 She's assigned the cover story， Lexi Mayhem， the biggest pop star。 A Lady Gaga-esque character， Lexi has shot to stardom from the bars of New York City。 Kayla was once a young fan and excited to have the opportunity。 We also meet Ava， a young girl trying to make it in New York 13 years prior。 She gets a job at a cafe， meets a younger Lexi and the two young women hit it off。 There's a lot of story in between and then betrayal。 The build-up to the betrayal has SOME tension， but there are threads of backstory that should have been explored further but never really were。 More time was spent on working hours and useless drivel about cafes and hipsters。 I wanted to like - no， love this book。 I love a good music mystery， but this one kind of petered out at the end。 I wanted something else， a final twist。 Kayla's friendship backstory was dumb and added nothing。 Lexi's had more of an impact and explained everything， as did Jamie's。 Again， medium。 Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more
Bethany Hall
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This book follows a journalist Kayla who is writing a story on Lexi Mayhem， a popular recording artist who is starting her own label。 The book is told in alternating timelines and viewpoints from Ava and Kayla。 Ava was friends with Lexi when she was just starting out。 There were some points in this book where I couldn’t put it down， and others where I was rolling my eyes at the drama。 The jealousy Lexi had of Ava was pushed throughout the whole book。 Her manager falling for Ava and then for Kayl This book follows a journalist Kayla who is writing a story on Lexi Mayhem， a popular recording artist who is starting her own label。 The book is told in alternating timelines and viewpoints from Ava and Kayla。 Ava was friends with Lexi when she was just starting out。 There were some points in this book where I couldn’t put it down， and others where I was rolling my eyes at the drama。 The jealousy Lexi had of Ava was pushed throughout the whole book。 Her manager falling for Ava and then for Kayla also gave me the ick。 Overall it was an interesting story and the killer was who I thought。 If you can get past some of the drama， it’s decent。 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
a。
，
Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an Advanced Copy via Netgalley。"The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana" follows two girls who become best friends， both wanting to become important in the music industry。 The book is told in two perspectives， those are Ava and Kayla's， this latter one being a journalist that is working on an article 13 years after Ava's death。 This book follows not only the music industry and the problems that come between both friends due to that， starting a competit Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an Advanced Copy via Netgalley。"The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana" follows two girls who become best friends， both wanting to become important in the music industry。 The book is told in two perspectives， those are Ava and Kayla's， this latter one being a journalist that is working on an article 13 years after Ava's death。 This book follows not only the music industry and the problems that come between both friends due to that， starting a competition for who is better and who will sign a contract， but also other aspects。 There is a lot of jealousy and drama regarding love as well， and abuse and to what lenghts some people will go to achieve fame。 It was also really impressive how that was mixed with the 'thriller' aspect， where the reader will be left in suspense wondering what really happened with Ava and if she was killed， by who。 Overall， I think this is a book people need to read to better form opinions about what they think。 Now， being honest， I can't rate this book highly。 Unfortunately， the music aspect wasn't like I thought would be， and I did like reading Ava's point of view， but Kayla's chapters were just a pain for me， in all honesty。 This book started great， and the premise was really intriguing。 I think it is well executed and I did love the writing， so I will definitely read more books of the author。 However， as said before， I was really excited for this， and in fact I enjoyed the first half quite a lot， but I feel like it just became boring at some point and I could not even bother to continue， since I kept forcing myself to finish。 The ending was also better， when we see what truly happened with Ava and who killed her， and I did like the meaning of Lexi's final words when talking with Kayla after everything was uncovered。 This said， it was definitely not a book that kept me invested and with the need to read all day。 I do feel bad for feeling that way， since it is not a bad book by all means， it is just my personal opinion and the vibes I got when reading。 Ava's chapters were definitely way more interesting， and I feel like reading an entire book by her perspective would have made everything more entertaining and I would have been more invested， but I can totally understand why this was not possible。 It is a pity， but I hoped to like this more。 It was just boring for me， but I can see why other people would love it。 。。。more
Bev Dulson
，
This was a read that was very easy to get into centred around Lexi Mayhem's music career， with journalist Kayla documenting her rise to fame。However， it's the story of Ava Arcana that really piques Kayla's journalistic vibes。 She knows the real story lies with her。Kayla's determination to find the truth could be at her own peril。Like I said， a nice easy read， I had worked out Ava's part of the story and the final reveal， but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story。Thanks to netgalley for the op This was a read that was very easy to get into centred around Lexi Mayhem's music career， with journalist Kayla documenting her rise to fame。However， it's the story of Ava Arcana that really piques Kayla's journalistic vibes。 She knows the real story lies with her。Kayla's determination to find the truth could be at her own peril。Like I said， a nice easy read， I had worked out Ava's part of the story and the final reveal， but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story。Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book。 This is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Bev Dulson
，
This was a read that was very easy to get into centred around Lexi Mayhem's music career， with journalist Kayla documenting her rise to fame。However， it's the story of Ava Arcana that really piques Kayla's journalistic vibes。 She knows the real story lies with her。Kayla's determination to find the truth could be at her own peril。Like I said， a nice easy read， I had worked out Ava's part of the story and the final reveal， but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story。Thanks to netgalley for the op This was a read that was very easy to get into centred around Lexi Mayhem's music career， with journalist Kayla documenting her rise to fame。However， it's the story of Ava Arcana that really piques Kayla's journalistic vibes。 She knows the real story lies with her。Kayla's determination to find the truth could be at her own peril。Like I said， a nice easy read， I had worked out Ava's part of the story and the final reveal， but it didn't stop my enjoyment of the story。Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to review this book。 This is my honest opinion。 。。。more
Carmela Agatha Enriquez
，
Thank you Lake Union and @amazonpublishing for sending me an early copy of The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana by @jbanash。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 🤍The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana tell the story of Kayla， a Rolling Stone journalist， as she uncovers a mysterious death at the time of Lexi Mayhem's rise to fame in 2006， a pop star she's doing a story on。 The story is told through Kayla's and Ava's perspectives， as Kayle uncovers the truth s Thank you Lake Union and @amazonpublishing for sending me an early copy of The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana by @jbanash。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 🤍The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana tell the story of Kayla， a Rolling Stone journalist， as she uncovers a mysterious death at the time of Lexi Mayhem's rise to fame in 2006， a pop star she's doing a story on。 The story is told through Kayla's and Ava's perspectives， as Kayle uncovers the truth surrounding Ava's death in 2019， and Ava's city life with Lexi as they journey through stardom in 2005-2006。This book is beautifully written and has a lot of suspense even up to the epilogue。 There are 2 different perspectives at 2 other points in time。 I loved how as Kayla uncover bits and pieces of the mystery surrounding Ava's death， I got to see what has happened to Ava at that point， matching the newly discovered information by Kayla。 I also loved how naturally Lexi's and Ava's friendship was developed， and how the story highlights the struggles of friends who want stardom and the jealousy that comes with it。 I wish there were more opportunities for Lexi to touch base on her processing of Ava's death， even if the issue has been rehashed a few years later。 I would have loved to see that。 Lastly， I loved the pacing of the story。 It wasn't too fast or too slow。 I loved how with each mystery uncovered， there is a scene/s from Ava's perspective that would somehow explain how that mystery came about。 Rating this ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5。 If you enjoy a story on mystery， music， and friendship + a different kind of storytelling， pick this one up on April 4th， 2022！ 。。。more
Nicole
，
Kayla McCrae has been working towards a cover with Rolling Stone magazine for years， and her boss finally gives her one; a story with Lexi Mayhem， one of the biggest pop stars of all time。 Kayla goes to meet Lexi， even likes her， but when looking into Lexi's past， she discovers the tragic death of another rising star who came up on the club scene with Lexi。 Lexi doesn't want to talk about it， so there must be more to it， right？I liked how it alternated between Ava and Kayla's POVs。 It was cool t Kayla McCrae has been working towards a cover with Rolling Stone magazine for years， and her boss finally gives her one; a story with Lexi Mayhem， one of the biggest pop stars of all time。 Kayla goes to meet Lexi， even likes her， but when looking into Lexi's past， she discovers the tragic death of another rising star who came up on the club scene with Lexi。 Lexi doesn't want to talk about it， so there must be more to it， right？I liked how it alternated between Ava and Kayla's POVs。 It was cool to find out what happened to Ava as Kayla was piecing it together as well。 I think it was a little slow in places， and a lot of red herrings are thrown in to keep you guessing。 The plot twist was a little disappointing and I thought the motive was pretty weak。 3。5 stars。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kimberley
，
This book was exactly in my wheelhouse。 Two women on the verge of becoming rock stars in the mid-aughts until one of them， Ava Arcana， plunges to her death and the other goes off to become a legend。 I liked how the story alternated between the timelines of the journalist investigating the story and Ava’s experiences leading up to her death。 There were multiple possibilities for what might have happened to her so I wondered if we’d find out at the end。 I am glad to report that we were not left ha This book was exactly in my wheelhouse。 Two women on the verge of becoming rock stars in the mid-aughts until one of them， Ava Arcana， plunges to her death and the other goes off to become a legend。 I liked how the story alternated between the timelines of the journalist investigating the story and Ava’s experiences leading up to her death。 There were multiple possibilities for what might have happened to her so I wondered if we’d find out at the end。 I am glad to report that we were not left hanging and all is revealed in the fullness of time。 I did decide to ding it by one star because there were too many weird similarities between Ava and Kayla— best friend betrayal， the drugging of the best friends， both women having a relationship with the same man， etc。 I also think a lot of the drama at the end could have been avoided if Kayla had just gone back to talk to Ava’s mother again。 But I guess we needed the big dramatic ending for everything to be tied up in a bow （and on tape recorder）。 I haven’t read this author’s other works but I will check them out now！*Thanks to Lake Union publishing and NetGalley for this advance review copy。 。。。more
Dawn
，
If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six and Almost Famous， The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is for you。 The book is told from the perspective of Ava in the 1990s and a present day journalist writing a puff piece on a pop princess and songwriter。 While researching， Ava's story comes to light and takes over the story。 I loved this book which is full of rock and roll and friendship and betrayal and how hard it is to be talented best friends without jealousy。 The mystery is pretty thin， but the characte If you loved Daisy Jones and the Six and Almost Famous， The Rise and Fall of Ava Arcana is for you。 The book is told from the perspective of Ava in the 1990s and a present day journalist writing a puff piece on a pop princess and songwriter。 While researching， Ava's story comes to light and takes over the story。 I loved this book which is full of rock and roll and friendship and betrayal and how hard it is to be talented best friends without jealousy。 The mystery is pretty thin， but the characterization of Ava and Lexi， the present day star， make this a great read。 Would definitely recommend to anyone who ever loved music or felt a song spoke directly to them。 。。。more
Stroop
，
An engrossing read about a music journalist， Kayla， who stumbles upon a mystery while writing a "puff piece" about a music superstar， Lexi Mayhem。 Not much is known about Lexi Mayhem's career beginnings。 When Kayla sees a video of a young Lexi with her arms wrapped around another young woman， Ava， who looks just like her she is intrigued。 When she finds out that Ava died tragically at the age of 22， she senses there is more to the story。 Would someone like Lexi let anything or anyone get in thei An engrossing read about a music journalist， Kayla， who stumbles upon a mystery while writing a "puff piece" about a music superstar， Lexi Mayhem。 Not much is known about Lexi Mayhem's career beginnings。 When Kayla sees a video of a young Lexi with her arms wrapped around another young woman， Ava， who looks just like her she is intrigued。 When she finds out that Ava died tragically at the age of 22， she senses there is more to the story。 Would someone like Lexi let anything or anyone get in their way of success？ Kayla is determined to find out。。。This was great - there was a lot of suspense throughout as Kayla got deeper into her reporting and investigation。 The story unfolds from two perspectives - one in 2019 told from Kayla's point of view and the other in 2005 told from Ava's point of view。 There is a lot to enjoy if you are interested in music， mysteries， journalism， ambition， and the cost of fame。Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy。 。。。more
Trisha
，
I love this cover。I've read another book by this author and it was very powerful。 I can't wait to read this one！A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley。 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book。 I love this cover。I've read another book by this author and it was very powerful。 I can't wait to read this one！A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley。 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book。 。。。more
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the rise and fall of ava arcana