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3.79 AVERAGE
3.79 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First of all I wanted to thank netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to discover this book !
"The songs You've Never Heard" is about Meg, a girl who lives in the shadow of her famous brother ! Everything in her home is about her brother... even people around her seems interested in her only for her brother ! In the shadow Meg writes and produces their own songs but she keeps that in secret. However everything changes when Meg starts working at a yogurt shop where she meets Alana who writes and sings her songs in public. Alana will help Meg to find her voice and a friendship quickly starts between the two girls !
I really liked this book and the characters ! The lyrics that we can find in the story were amazing and also I really liked the pop culture we can find in this story ! I loved the friendship between Meg and Alana and how they support each other ! It was a good reading and if you like story about music, this book is for you !
"The songs You've Never Heard" is about Meg, a girl who lives in the shadow of her famous brother ! Everything in her home is about her brother... even people around her seems interested in her only for her brother ! In the shadow Meg writes and produces their own songs but she keeps that in secret. However everything changes when Meg starts working at a yogurt shop where she meets Alana who writes and sings her songs in public. Alana will help Meg to find her voice and a friendship quickly starts between the two girls !
I really liked this book and the characters ! The lyrics that we can find in the story were amazing and also I really liked the pop culture we can find in this story ! I loved the friendship between Meg and Alana and how they support each other ! It was a good reading and if you like story about music, this book is for you !
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"Songs are funny like that. Sometimes they come into your life at the perfect moment. Just when you need to hear them the most"
Meg McCarthy hates her life. She's always being followed by her brother's fans and feels stuck. It seems like everyone who spoke to her just wanted a bit of her brother. She feels trapped in her brother's shadow, she feels hidden as if nobody notices her, and feels like she can never be enough.
That is until she meets Alana, her coworker, who also turns out to be a singer-songwriter and encourages her to share her talent with the world. Even though Alana seems confident at first, she has her own insecurities too: she hates her chubby body.
But together Meg and Alana will be able to find their voices in a world that's determined to keep them silent!
As someone who loves singing and songwriting, this story inspired me a lot! I write whatever comes up to my mind at any given moment, it's like there is no process, the ideas just flow into my mind. And "The Songs You've Never Heard" managed to describe that feeling perfectly! It also made me more confident to actually show my songs to others! + The book has its own playlist, how cool is that?!
"Here’s the thing. When I’m writing alone, my ideas flow so naturally that I hardly have to think about what I’m doing. It’s like a sudden rush of creativity takes over my body and I have no choice but to pour everything out via the piano or a guitar or my voice into a microphone. I don’t have to explain why I’m
writing what I’m writing. It just happens. I’m a lightning rod that conducts melodies and I have no control over how fast they strike. I don’t think the songs into existence. They simply
exist. Through me."
Overall a great story to share the joyous (and sometimes painful) world of singing, songwriting and fame with everyone!
"Songs are funny like that. Sometimes they come into your life at the perfect moment. Just when you need to hear them the most"
Meg McCarthy hates her life. She's always being followed by her brother's fans and feels stuck. It seems like everyone who spoke to her just wanted a bit of her brother. She feels trapped in her brother's shadow, she feels hidden as if nobody notices her, and feels like she can never be enough.
That is until she meets Alana, her coworker, who also turns out to be a singer-songwriter and encourages her to share her talent with the world. Even though Alana seems confident at first, she has her own insecurities too: she hates her chubby body.
But together Meg and Alana will be able to find their voices in a world that's determined to keep them silent!
As someone who loves singing and songwriting, this story inspired me a lot! I write whatever comes up to my mind at any given moment, it's like there is no process, the ideas just flow into my mind. And "The Songs You've Never Heard" managed to describe that feeling perfectly! It also made me more confident to actually show my songs to others! + The book has its own playlist, how cool is that?!
"Here’s the thing. When I’m writing alone, my ideas flow so naturally that I hardly have to think about what I’m doing. It’s like a sudden rush of creativity takes over my body and I have no choice but to pour everything out via the piano or a guitar or my voice into a microphone. I don’t have to explain why I’m
writing what I’m writing. It just happens. I’m a lightning rod that conducts melodies and I have no control over how fast they strike. I don’t think the songs into existence. They simply
exist. Through me."
Overall a great story to share the joyous (and sometimes painful) world of singing, songwriting and fame with everyone!
I got tricked into thinking it was gay and it wasn’t but it was still a very cute story
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not super interested in the plot, but the characters were interesting! Shed a tear at the end. Enjoyed the quote about creating being harder than destruction, that’s why everyone’s a critic.
emotional
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
i kid you not, this is one of the best books i’ve read this year! the soundtrack is to die for, and elevates the writing in the best way possible!
age — 12+
age — 12+
thoughts while reading
p32: i’m loving the musical accompaniment
p45: oh dear…
p75: it’s alana at last!
p78: as a theatre girlie, i approve of matt’s list
p199: i theorise that the way matt will find out the truth is by hearing meg and alana perform together
p213: OH. MY. GOSH.
p242: such a risky name choice, but a good one
p245: how is bro listening to this duet and not sussing her out immediately? ok actually to be fair they do sing together for most of the song, so i’ll catch him a break for not recognising meg’s voice
p254: oh yeah obviously. signing your life away? just sleep on it
p284: 😬 this is even worse than matt figuring out the truth
p304: wait…is tj black? how did i miss that/did the authors make that clear? oh my bad, i looked back to p83 where we first meet tj, and it does say he has dark skin
p363: i’m so proud of casper and meg, and how far they’ve come
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Abandonment
So so good! <3
Meg McCarthy has it all. An Influencer, with a super famous brother, a picture-perfect family, and everything a girl could want.
Or so it seems. In reality, she resents her brother. He is not the nicest person and fame didn't help either. The whole family was uprooted for him to follow his dream and parents are always at his beck and call no matter what. She is strongly encouraged to continue posting on social media, to promote the products, their family name and the picture they are trying to create. She doesn't like it. Especially the ugly comments that come with it, that are slowly eating away at her. She feels trapped by the image and is very lonely. It's hard to trust when everyone just wants to use her to get to her brother. So just assumes no one is there to talk to her, just to use her as a stepping stone.
Her only respite is her music. She writes awesome songs, but never shares them with anyone, except for her online best friend. Who is also her real-life crush. But somehow whenever he tried to talk to her at school, the meanest words come out.
When her mother encourages her to get a summer job, she meets Alana. She is everything she is not, confident, loud, outspoken. She is also a musician. The last thing she wants is to share her music, but it still happens. And they form a due. But the music world is hard and ruthless.
I was moved, I cried, I rooted for Meg, I wanted to shake when she was unreasonable. This book put me through are a roller coaster of emotions. It's so so good! It has music, female friendship, secret crush, strong emphasis on being who you are and going for what you want.
Can't recommend it enough!
Received from NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.
Meg McCarthy has it all. An Influencer, with a super famous brother, a picture-perfect family, and everything a girl could want.
Or so it seems. In reality, she resents her brother. He is not the nicest person and fame didn't help either. The whole family was uprooted for him to follow his dream and parents are always at his beck and call no matter what. She is strongly encouraged to continue posting on social media, to promote the products, their family name and the picture they are trying to create. She doesn't like it. Especially the ugly comments that come with it, that are slowly eating away at her. She feels trapped by the image and is very lonely. It's hard to trust when everyone just wants to use her to get to her brother. So just assumes no one is there to talk to her, just to use her as a stepping stone.
Her only respite is her music. She writes awesome songs, but never shares them with anyone, except for her online best friend. Who is also her real-life crush. But somehow whenever he tried to talk to her at school, the meanest words come out.
When her mother encourages her to get a summer job, she meets Alana. She is everything she is not, confident, loud, outspoken. She is also a musician. The last thing she wants is to share her music, but it still happens. And they form a due. But the music world is hard and ruthless.
I was moved, I cried, I rooted for Meg, I wanted to shake when she was unreasonable. This book put me through are a roller coaster of emotions. It's so so good! It has music, female friendship, secret crush, strong emphasis on being who you are and going for what you want.
Can't recommend it enough!
Received from NetGalley, all thoughts and opinions are my own and freely given.
Thank you to NetGalley, Sweet Cherry Publishing, and the authors for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest review