Girls with Bad Reputations

by Xio Axelrod

“Hot chemistry, fantastic writing, realistic character flaws, triumphs, and family drama―Xio Axelrod never misses a beat!” ―Rebecca Yarros, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author

All her life, Kayla heard the same refrain: Don’t be so loud. Don’t act so wild. Don’t take up so much space. Now she’s the beating heart of an up-and-coming rock band…and the whole world is going to know her name.

Once upon a time, the pressure to be the perfect daughter nearly broke Kayla Whitman. Desperate to find an outlet away from her controlling mother, she picked up a pair of drumsticks, forever altering the rhythm of her life. Since then, she’s been determined to make her own way, finding her home with her bandmates even as she fights to keep her past and her present firmly separate.

Things were simple enough when the Lillys were playing local gigs at dive bars, but now they’re on their first official tour—and all Kayla can see are warning signs. Desperate to escape the worry churning inside her, Kayla finds solace in quiet tour bus driver Ty Baldwin…and discovers in him a kindred spirit like no one she’s ever met before.

Their connection is immediate and intense, but when increasing scrutiny from the press threatens to destroy Ty’s newfound peace and Kayla’s carefully guarded secrets, Kayla’s forced to make an impossible choice: pursue her dream and risk destroying everyone around her? Or give in and lose the chance of ever becoming the person she’s always known she could be.

Follow the Lillys as they chase down their dream:
Book 1: The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes
Book 2: Girls with Bad Reputations

Hardcover | 448 pages | Sourcebooks Casablanca | 2024

Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes different flavors of contemporary romance and what she likes to call, “strange, twisted tales.”

Xio grew up in the recording industry and began performing at a very young age. A completely unapologetic, badge-wearing, fic-writing fangirl, Xio finds inspiration in everything around her. From her quirky neighbors to the lyrics of whatever song she currently has on repeat, to the latest clips from her favorite TV series.

When she isn’t working on the next story, Xio can be found behind a microphone in a studio, writing songs in her bedroom-turned-recording-booth, or performing on international stages under a different, not-so-secret name.

She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats. She occasionally writes erotica under the name Xio Nin. Find her at www.xioaxelrod.com.