Confessions of a Karaoke Queen by Ella Kingsley

Maddie Mulhern is suddenly in charge. Her parents - former 80s pop duo Pineapple Mist - have left for the summer on a nostalgia tour, entrusting her to manage their struggling karaoke bar, Sing It Back. Panicking over the dodgy finances, Maddie takes a gamble: she signs up for a fly-on-the-wall reality TV series. With her faithful staff (divalicious drag queen Ruby, shy barman Simon and wannabe actress Jasmine) she'll transform the bar into a huge success. Simple. Right? Executive Producer Evan Bergman knows that scandal sells. It's no coincidence that he hires cool, attractive Nick Craven as director. Evan wants drama on screen - and he'll do anything to get it. As the series builds to a live finale, will Maddie see the truth in a Careless Whisper? Will Nick be able to keep his Poker Face? One thing's for sure: we all do things at karaoke that we regret ...

With a title like Confessions of a Karaoke Queen I was expecting a book full of karaoke sessions with cringeworthy performances which are governed by the high and low points of the characters life. However, I was pleasantly surprised, what this book actually is, is about a reality television show looking for a struggling bar to relaunch with a new interior and comical staff who will beam in to the homes of its millions of viewers and by the end of the series be a proper sucess. However, I don't think the show's producers/management knew what they were letting themselves in for with Maddie. Maddie is the daughter of an 80s pop duo, who have left Maddie in charge of their karaoke bar while they go on a nostalgia tour. Maddie is not pleased to be left in charge of the bar and once she gets into the bar and realises what a mess it is in, both financially and physically, when she sees the advert for the show, looking for a bar, she thinks this could be a great oppurtunity to turn the business around before her parents return. Of course, it is not as easy as Maddie thinks and the production company, although they seem kind and professional, have alot of tricks up their sleeves which Maddie does not see coming. Whether the bar is a sucess or not I will not reveal, you need to read the book to find that one out.

Each chapter of the book is a song title and is a great list of 80s memories to go through! 


I found that the setting for the book was interesting - a run down karaoke bar in desperate need of a makeover. I can not think of any books which has had karaoke as a main theme. The reality show was also a great storyline and lifted the lid on some of the 'tricks' these reality shows use to 'spice' up the show.   The book was not, however, all about karaoke. It had a great storyline - a bit of romance, a bit of sneekiness, bit of know he is up to something, but what? and a bit of will they, won't they, we all love.


I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted an easy read, and it will remind the reader of some great hits from the 80s and 90s! There is something for everyone in this book - I was laughing, crying and also remembering some of the more cringe-worthy hits of the 1980s!


This is another author I really hope I will be seeing more of and I will definitely be picking up her next book!


Thank you to the publishers, Sphere, for sending me the book to review.