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bookmarklit's review against another edition
4.0
Phew, that was such a surprise and kind of a rollercoaster? I'm not a music-themed book kind of gal usually but wanted to push myself out of the comfort zone for another Jenn Marie Thorne book. I haven't read anything by her since loving THE WRONG SIDE OF RIGHT. In any case, this was wonderful! I felt thrown into it a little bit and it took some getting used to. However, I loved dropping in on this summer, with no knowledge of classical music or any references they made, and just following Ruby and Oscar along as they figured themselves (and each other) out. The ending made me tear up and then cheer for Ruby. Thorne's writing really was breezy and summery, which made the book so atmospheric. Not something I expected from this kind of story and yet another pleasant surprise for me. Overall, such a great book.
purpleviolin91's review against another edition
5.0
i enjoyed this book a lot. I especially enjoyed the classical music connections as i'm a classical music loving violinist. this was hard for me to put down!
swinnn's review against another edition
3.0
I found this book hard to put down but not for reasons you might expect. Though the developing relationship between Ruby and Oscar was cute and somewhat intriguing, I spent most of this book waiting for Ruby acknowledgement and attention she deserves. Since walking away from music, and likely even before, she plays second fiddle (ha! See what I did there) to everyone else around her. Yes, her dad may have started to come around in the end, but most of her relationship with Oscar is spent bending to his passion and process. She’s not a priority, she’s not shown what she’s worth. Don’t be with a man who’s so self involved that he can’t be bothered to clear off the couch for you to sit on!
sarahdworjan's review
3.0
3.5 stars. I enjoyed the story and the writing style, especially her descriptions of music, but the romance fell flat for me.
kiki_pegg's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
words cannot describe how much I love this book. honestly it’s so underrated and I don’t know why. ruby’s character is so relatable she’s trapped under all these expectations and it shows her grappling with her realization that she will always be looking at the music world from a distance. whenever I feel lonely or lost or just need to read a beautiful book I come back to this.
makaylanesbitt2006's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-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? No
5.0
literarypengwyns's review
1.0
DNF at Chapter 22 (50% through)
I wanted to like this book. I really really did. Premise sounded cute and different and interesting (YA summer romance set in NYC classical music scene). It just fell so flat and I couldn’t keep forcing myself to read something that I still didn’t care about half way into it (so many books, so little time)
Ruby is the youngest in a family of famous classical musicians/composers. She doesn’t make it into the summer program that all of her family have been in and decides to give up piano (I’m sure there is more to this, but half way through and you never find out more). Oscar is the “diversity checkbox” prodigy that is living with Ruby’s family so her dad can be his mentor. He is crazy talented and sees Ruby as his muse. They have a very forced on the reader romance. It didn’t have a slow build or even a quick jump into...it was literally just told to the reader. Ruby also is trying to find out what to do with her future now that she isn’t pursuing a classical music future and reconnects with her old friend, Jules. I think Jules is supposed to be the less privileged, grounding force of a friend, but really just comes off grumpy and snarky and I’m always uncomfortable reading their interactions because IS SHE BEING MEAN OR SNARKY??
Anyway, half way through (and I mean, I kept telling myself that I had to read up until that point...I didn’t want to) and there isn’t any clear plot definition and too much up in the air and a romance that feels so forced and a friendship that has me uncomfortable. Maybe this speaks to someone else, but not me.
AND I REALLY REALLY WANTED TO LIKE ITTTTTT
I wanted to like this book. I really really did. Premise sounded cute and different and interesting (YA summer romance set in NYC classical music scene). It just fell so flat and I couldn’t keep forcing myself to read something that I still didn’t care about half way into it (so many books, so little time)
Ruby is the youngest in a family of famous classical musicians/composers. She doesn’t make it into the summer program that all of her family have been in and decides to give up piano (I’m sure there is more to this, but half way through and you never find out more). Oscar is the “diversity checkbox” prodigy that is living with Ruby’s family so her dad can be his mentor. He is crazy talented and sees Ruby as his muse. They have a very forced on the reader romance. It didn’t have a slow build or even a quick jump into...it was literally just told to the reader. Ruby also is trying to find out what to do with her future now that she isn’t pursuing a classical music future and reconnects with her old friend, Jules. I think Jules is supposed to be the less privileged, grounding force of a friend, but really just comes off grumpy and snarky and I’m always uncomfortable reading their interactions because IS SHE BEING MEAN OR SNARKY??
Anyway, half way through (and I mean, I kept telling myself that I had to read up until that point...I didn’t want to) and there isn’t any clear plot definition and too much up in the air and a romance that feels so forced and a friendship that has me uncomfortable. Maybe this speaks to someone else, but not me.
AND I REALLY REALLY WANTED TO LIKE ITTTTTT
kaliishacole's review
5.0
This novel was a huge hassle to get through, but the experience was worth it. It is amazing when music is represented vividly in a novel to the point where you can visualize it without hearing it. This definitely shined bright on diversity and the distinction between stereotypes and reality. I hope everyone looks into the book if they are musical lovers or feel misrepresented by the people around them.
hanreadshardbacks's review
1.0
DNF @ page 302
I just could not force myself through these last 90 pages. So boring. Ugh!
I just could not force myself through these last 90 pages. So boring. Ugh!