Who doesn’t love a juicy story with behind the scenes gossip about the music world, filled with tempestuous singers, badly behaved drummers, stifled songwriters and giggling fans? Well, it turns out that young adult fiction is filled with these stories and they truly are a lot of fun. Here’s a few of our favourite musician and music themed YA stories.

Idol Gossip by Alexandra Leigh Young

Back in San Francisco, Alice took regular singing lessons. But since their diplomat mom moved them to Seoul, her only musical outlet is vamping it up in a private karaoke booth. Then a scout for Top10 Entertainment, one of the biggest K-pop companies, offers her a spot at their Star Academy.

Can Alice navigate the culture clashes, egos, and extreme training practices of K-pop to lead her group onstage before a stadium of 50,000 chanting fans—and just maybe strike K-pop gold?

Suitable for readers aged 11 and up.

If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales & Cale Detriech

Eighteen-year-olds Ruben Montez and Zach Knight are two members of a four person famous boy-band. They are teen heartbreakers in front of the cameras and best friends backstage.

Ruben and Zach come to rely on each other more and more, and their friendship evolves into a romance. But when they decide to tell their fans, Zach and Ruben start to realize that they will never have the support of their management.

Suitable for readers aged 12 and up.

When it Drops by Alex Dyson

Sixteen-year-old songwriter and aspiring social outcast Caleb Clifford fills his world with music, but - like most things - keeps his songs to himself. That is until his little brother leaks Caleb’s most personal track online; a track that’s quite obviously about his secret crush.

Having his innermost feelings (accompanied by a funky bassline) go viral is not Caleb’s idea of a good time. But is this the end of everything, or the start?

Suitable for readers aged 12 and up.

Girl Defective by Simmone Howell

It’s summer in St Kilda. Fifteen-year-old Sky is looking forward to great records and nefarious activities with Nancy, her older, wilder friend. Then a poster of a mysterious girl and her connection to Luke, the tragi-hot new employee at her dad’s record store sends Sky on an exploration into the dark heart of St Kilda.

If the world truly is going to hell in a hand-basket then at least the soundtrack is kicking.

Suitable for readers aged 15 and up.

Permanent Record by Mary H.K. Choi

Pop juggernaut Leanna Smart has enough social media followers to populate whole continents. She graduated from child stardom to international icon and her life is a queasy blur of private planes, aspirational hotel rooms, and strangers screaming.

When Leanna and college dropout, Pablo, meet at 5:00 a.m. at the bodega where he works it’s absurd to think they’d be A Thing. But as they discover who they are and who they want to be, Leanna and Pablo turn to each other and things get properly complicated.

Suitable for readers aged 16 and up.