FACING THE MUSIC

A soapy tale of two clashing teenage siblings who join a garage band for vastly different reasons. Since her mother's death three years ago, Lisa has had only her older brother, Mark, to lean on; now he's bristling at her dependence on him and has formed a band with friends Danny and Ron. He's understandably enraged when Danny invites Lisa into the band as vocalist. Danny is bankrolling the group, so gets his way, but his motives remain murky: Is he wooing Lisa for the band's sake (she has an extraordinary talent) or for himself? Prime-time contrivances and dialogue (""I was overwhelmed,"" says Lisa, and then, ""He's the one who first made me believe in myself"") match a plot dotted with secret trysts and heart-to-hearts. Willey (The Melinda Zone, 1993, etc.) focuses on her characters' feelings and reactions to one another, leaving the music--business and performance details--in the blurry background. Readers who prefer their novels neatly resolved, though, will appreciate that Lisa and the band part company at the end, her virtue intact and her future a bright promise.