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2.82 AVERAGE
2.82 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Waste of a book, do not read.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
quick paced book to listen too while i was unpacking!
was a fun listen but very predictable
was a fun listen but very predictable
*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Okay, so, I read the synopsis of this book and thought, "Ooh look, a book with a love triangle!" I have nothing against love triangles, in fact, if written well, most of them are right up my alley! So when I got accepted for this book on NG, let's just say... I immediately delved into it. The love triangle totally turned out to be more than what I expected, which I'll be discussing below.
I started reading this book at 11 pm and finished at 2 am even though that was a TERRIBLE decision considering the fact that I had school in three hours. Like, I didn't even notice the book go by - not once did I check which page I was on! That's how much I enjoyed this book.
Each character had such a unique & distinctive voice and the POVs alternatively switched between the three of them in a very well-paced manner. This pleased me... a lot! Also, the characters' personalities were amazing! Their evolution throughout the story was definitively something to read. Ramona was cheerful and quirky, Sam was adorable and soft-spoken, and Tom was just such a driven character!
This book turned out to be more than just a love triangle, I won't be spoiling, but there was such a positive outlook on so many things! The relationships, the experimental music...etc. There are many small and realistic life lessons hidden within the book, and many of them really resounded through me.
Part of what made this book such an enjoyable page-turner is the writing itself. The prose was beautiful and the metaphors had me rereading half the paragraphs again. The descriptions were flawless & flowed smoothly; they effortlessly allowed the reader to get an idea of what's going on without being excessive. It was just fantastic.
Overall, this was such a refreshing change from other books in the genre. This book had such a positive outlook of many things in life not usually reflected in typical YA books such as high school, relationships, and love. If you like reading atypical YA Contemporary books, then this book is for you. (Haha, that was accidental, but I'll go with it.)
Okay, so, I read the synopsis of this book and thought, "Ooh look, a book with a love triangle!" I have nothing against love triangles, in fact, if written well, most of them are right up my alley! So when I got accepted for this book on NG, let's just say... I immediately delved into it. The love triangle totally turned out to be more than what I expected, which I'll be discussing below.
I started reading this book at 11 pm and finished at 2 am even though that was a TERRIBLE decision considering the fact that I had school in three hours. Like, I didn't even notice the book go by - not once did I check which page I was on! That's how much I enjoyed this book.
Each character had such a unique & distinctive voice and the POVs alternatively switched between the three of them in a very well-paced manner. This pleased me... a lot! Also, the characters' personalities were amazing! Their evolution throughout the story was definitively something to read. Ramona was cheerful and quirky, Sam was adorable and soft-spoken, and Tom was just such a driven character!
This book turned out to be more than just a love triangle, I won't be spoiling, but there was such a positive outlook on so many things! The relationships, the experimental music...etc. There are many small and realistic life lessons hidden within the book, and many of them really resounded through me.
Part of what made this book such an enjoyable page-turner is the writing itself. The prose was beautiful and the metaphors had me rereading half the paragraphs again. The descriptions were flawless & flowed smoothly; they effortlessly allowed the reader to get an idea of what's going on without being excessive. It was just fantastic.
Overall, this was such a refreshing change from other books in the genre. This book had such a positive outlook of many things in life not usually reflected in typical YA books such as high school, relationships, and love. If you like reading atypical YA Contemporary books, then this book is for you. (Haha, that was accidental, but I'll go with it.)
My original review of this title can be found here on The Book Hookup.
**SPECIAL NOTE:** An eARC of this title was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 2.5-3 stars! It's been weeks since I've read this book and I'm still not quite sure how I felt about it. It was...slightly weird--sometimes even good weird--and I'm not really able to formulate my thoughts into something that's review-worthy, to be honest. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, and had some pretty great quotes and ideals worth sharing, but overall left me feeling generally indifferent about it all.
♥ The Lowdown: Ramona and Sam are best friends and bandmates, but also secretly in love with one another. When they find their missing sound in oddball artist, Tom, everything seems to be looking up for this duo. But then Ramona starts falling for Tom while she's still in love with Sam, and Tom loves Sam and Ramona, but has zero sexual interest in either and everything is suddenly...weird. But when the group has a major communication breakthrough, they manage to find a rhythm that suits their personal interests, the group's interest, and romantic interest all in one go that creates a perfect harmony and a satisfying ending.
♥ Review: I've spent the better part of a couple of weeks trying to untangle all the opinions in my head when it came to this book, and I still don't feel like I've successfully managed them at this point either, but I'm going to give it an honest-to-goodness go. In the beginning, I found it rather difficult to connect to the characters. The pacing was slow-going and each of the characters felt almost caricature-like and very one note: Romana was always hyper and cheerful, Sam was super pensive, and Tom appeared to be quiet despondent. For it to have been written in alternating first person POV between all three main characters, I felt a general lack of varying "voice" between them all. However, over time and as the story progressed, allowing their stories to finally intersect more, I came to appreciate the uniqueness of each character and the differences they brought to the story. I also enjoyed all the musicality that the story had in it, but I'd imagine for those that aren't aware of certain music elements or those that don't care to go in-depth about it will find it difficult to trudge through, even skim-worthy at some times because music seems to be at the heart of who these kids are. I also respected the way the author decided to handle the ending, and while it felt a little open, I can see the need for it to happen this way in this situation.
The biggest reason I feel like people need to read this book is because of Tom. He was the first asexual character I've read about, and while I would have loved to have delved into his character a little more, I liked the brief explorations into his mind when dealing with his sexual desires--or lack thereof--arose. I almost wish the author would have spent a little more time on this particular aspect, but seeing that sex didn't necessarily interest him that much, I can see why it wasn't in his thoughts a little more.
-♥-
♥ Rec it? Maybe. Certain elements in this book give me the perfect reason to push this on others (namely Tom and his asexuality), but other reasons (love triangle-y bits and music music everywhere!) make me a little more hesitant to tell people to jump on it. Mostly, I appreciate that with the setup, it could have been drama overload, but it was relatively light and ended on a good note (heh, see what I did there?).
Mostly I appreciated this book because it once again reminded me that love isn't quantifiable or can't be shoved into some tidy label, nor does it look or feel the same to everyone. We're all different with our own unique experiences, and that means that love is going to be expressed and accepted differently by each individual in our own way.
♥ A very special thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.
**SPECIAL NOTE:** An eARC of this title was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. However, that did not influence this review in any way. All thoughts, quotes, and opinions will be of this version and not of the published edition.
♥ Quick Thoughts and Rating: 2.5-3 stars! It's been weeks since I've read this book and I'm still not quite sure how I felt about it. It was...slightly weird--sometimes even good weird--and I'm not really able to formulate my thoughts into something that's review-worthy, to be honest. It wasn't bad by any stretch of the imagination, and had some pretty great quotes and ideals worth sharing, but overall left me feeling generally indifferent about it all.
♥ The Lowdown: Ramona and Sam are best friends and bandmates, but also secretly in love with one another. When they find their missing sound in oddball artist, Tom, everything seems to be looking up for this duo. But then Ramona starts falling for Tom while she's still in love with Sam, and Tom loves Sam and Ramona, but has zero sexual interest in either and everything is suddenly...weird. But when the group has a major communication breakthrough, they manage to find a rhythm that suits their personal interests, the group's interest, and romantic interest all in one go that creates a perfect harmony and a satisfying ending.
I am in love. With Tom. And with Sam, who I knew was my Sam as soon as I met him.
Some people don't think this could be true.
But I do.
I am.
I love.
~quote taken from the eARC of This Song is (Not) for You at 59%
♥ Review: I've spent the better part of a couple of weeks trying to untangle all the opinions in my head when it came to this book, and I still don't feel like I've successfully managed them at this point either, but I'm going to give it an honest-to-goodness go. In the beginning, I found it rather difficult to connect to the characters. The pacing was slow-going and each of the characters felt almost caricature-like and very one note: Romana was always hyper and cheerful, Sam was super pensive, and Tom appeared to be quiet despondent. For it to have been written in alternating first person POV between all three main characters, I felt a general lack of varying "voice" between them all. However, over time and as the story progressed, allowing their stories to finally intersect more, I came to appreciate the uniqueness of each character and the differences they brought to the story. I also enjoyed all the musicality that the story had in it, but I'd imagine for those that aren't aware of certain music elements or those that don't care to go in-depth about it will find it difficult to trudge through, even skim-worthy at some times because music seems to be at the heart of who these kids are. I also respected the way the author decided to handle the ending, and while it felt a little open, I can see the need for it to happen this way in this situation.
The biggest reason I feel like people need to read this book is because of Tom. He was the first asexual character I've read about, and while I would have loved to have delved into his character a little more, I liked the brief explorations into his mind when dealing with his sexual desires--or lack thereof--arose. I almost wish the author would have spent a little more time on this particular aspect, but seeing that sex didn't necessarily interest him that much, I can see why it wasn't in his thoughts a little more.
"I'm not gay. I'm not straight. I just don't really care about sex."
"You don't care. About sex." She said it like I'd said I didn't care about curing cancer.
"I don't know why," I said. I tried to gather together my years of puzzling over this and lay it all before her. "I just never developed this obsession with sex that everyone else has. It's never interested me, and it just seems to cause everyone else a lot of trouble. I love you, Sara. I think you're so smart and beautiful, and I love being with you. I just don't want to have sex with you."
~quote taken from the eARC of This Song is (Not) for You at 45%
-♥-
I have a lot of love in my life. I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything.
I don't know why I don't feel sexual urges, but I don't.
I didn't have anything horrible happen to me as a child.
I've told a doctor and been checked out. Nothing's wrong with me.
Except that something must be wrong, right?
Right?
So I should try to be with Ramona in the way she wants. I should try to feel sexual desire. Maybe it's like a muscle that can be exercised. Maybe I can be jump-started, and then I'll still be me, but I'll have this thing that everyone else feels.
~quote taken from the eARC of This Song is (Not) for You at 55%
♥ Rec it? Maybe. Certain elements in this book give me the perfect reason to push this on others (namely Tom and his asexuality), but other reasons (love triangle-y bits and music music everywhere!) make me a little more hesitant to tell people to jump on it. Mostly, I appreciate that with the setup, it could have been drama overload, but it was relatively light and ended on a good note (heh, see what I did there?).
Mostly I appreciated this book because it once again reminded me that love isn't quantifiable or can't be shoved into some tidy label, nor does it look or feel the same to everyone. We're all different with our own unique experiences, and that means that love is going to be expressed and accepted differently by each individual in our own way.
I love how they laugh together. I love how Tom is able to get mellow, dreamy Sam excited. I love making music with them in pairs and as a trio. I love listening to them as they make music together. I love how Sam can get hyper Tom to stop and think, just like he can with me. I love it when they tease me together.
I love them. Their friendship is at the center of my mind's maze, and their love is the highest-flying banner on my heart. Loving one does not take love away from the other. There isn't a limit to the amount of love I can feel.
There isn't a limit to how much I can love, and this knowledge makes me want to fly. Lying here on the couch, I feel as if I could lift off and away. The boys laugh and grin at each other.
This love makes me want to love everyone more. Everyone."
~quote taken from the eARC of This Song is (Not) for You at 74%
♥ A very special thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this title in exchange for my honest review.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The book was okay. Writing was cringe at times and why did she make sam focused on ramonas boobs it was weird. I feel like the relationship between the three of them was too forced and was introduced so quickly. It’s not realistic for high schoolers to have to reaction to the idea of polyamory like…. Also Tom was written too much like a girl who’s “not like the other girls”. It felt like the author was trying to break every single gender and societal role known to man. also wtf was the glitter bombing i didn't get it. I thought they were painting with glitter and then half-way through it was rubber cement???
This book... I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this book. I knew from the jacket summary that it wasn't going to be the kind of YA book that I usually read, so that obviously colors my opinion a bit. There were things that I really, really liked about this novel and things that annoyed me, but I'm wondering if the annoying parts were such just because this sort of book isn't my usual cup of tea. The YA I tend to read now (and, well, when I was a YA myself) tended to be on the sci-fi/fantasy/dystopian spectrum. I didn't read much of the "realistic fiction" YA and this book reminded me why: the characters tend to be holier than thou, "I am too good for high school and I am wasting my precious youth in a classroom," special snowflakes. The characters in this book can be like that, too... but they get called out on it or they learn to reshape opinions on things. So they grow, which I like, but the stuff before they grow was annoying. I guess - and this is occuring to me as I write this review - I guess I like the second half of the novel a lot more than the first. I acknowledge that the characters had to start where they did in order to grow and learn over the course of the book, but I like them - and the story - a lot more once the growth has occurred. Huh.
If you're wondering why I picked this book up in the first place, considering I said at the beginning of this review that the summary made it clear it was outside my usual reading zone, it's because I was doing some ordering for the library and trying to expand our LGBTQA collection and I read a review that said this book contained an asexual character and a polyamorous relationship. And really, that's what I wanted from this book. And it's what I got. And I loved all the stuff related to that. (Guys. Seriously. It's a YA book that turned a love triangle into a poly relationship that is honest and true and works for these characters. Holy smokes, I never thought I'd see that.)
So I guess I would say if you're looking for a novel with an ace character, or a polyamorous relationship, or teen characters who grow and mature, or you really like high school drama in your lit, then this was a fun, quick read. I like the author's writing style a lot, and the way the prose sometimes changes into freeform poetry; it surprised me at first, but it works well with the characters and what they are trying to convey. Huh, I guess I liked it more than I thought.
If you're wondering why I picked this book up in the first place, considering I said at the beginning of this review that the summary made it clear it was outside my usual reading zone, it's because I was doing some ordering for the library and trying to expand our LGBTQA collection and I read a review that said this book contained an asexual character and a polyamorous relationship. And really, that's what I wanted from this book. And it's what I got. And I loved all the stuff related to that. (Guys. Seriously. It's a YA book that turned a love triangle into a poly relationship that is honest and true and works for these characters. Holy smokes, I never thought I'd see that.)
So I guess I would say if you're looking for a novel with an ace character, or a polyamorous relationship, or teen characters who grow and mature, or you really like high school drama in your lit, then this was a fun, quick read. I like the author's writing style a lot, and the way the prose sometimes changes into freeform poetry; it surprised me at first, but it works well with the characters and what they are trying to convey. Huh, I guess I liked it more than I thought.