For the first half of this book I was hooked. The set-up – forming the band, and having to flee sudden fame – is all entertaining. From the riot accidentally started by IBS, and their first groupie (only a spritely sixty-four) its just so much fun. Unfortunately once they leave the Philippines, the second half drops off notably. It is never a bad book, but it is never a great one and at points it is a boring one.

Some suspension of disbelief is required. The use of the internet and mobile cameras would have blown the band’s cover very quickly, but email and mobiles get limited use in this story. The use of real celebrities in cameos is both good and bad – it makes it more real, but it also means this will date quite fast. The author doesn’t appear to be too familiar with the way the modern BBC works, but that wouldn’t be a problem for anyone who hasn’t worked closely with the media.

There are grammar issues, usually stray commas and apostrophes, but no obvious spelling errors and the presentation is good. The writing style is easy to follow, but it is not brilliantly written: there’s a little too much exposition and the story stops and starts. While it is fun to be told that someone was verbally cut to size, it would be much more enjoyable to read it happening. There’s also a few too many cry-wolf moments spaced almost immediately before the actual event they fake for my liking and it took some of the impact out.

The last line is a total and complete let down, which is a huge shame. There are good reasons to break the fourth wall, but a dramatic “read my next book plea” is not – to my mind, at least – one of them. Kindle nearly met wall, and as I read on a PC that is saying something.

It gets a three. A great concept and setup, but some issues with writing and pace that let it down.