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2.81 AVERAGE
2.81 AVERAGE
This was cute. The story was told from three perspectives -- Ramona's, Sam's, and Tom's -- and it treated them pretty equally in terms of protagonists and character development. All three had side arcs that involved their relationships with other people (parents, classmates, friends) and figuring out how to pursue their own individual interests despite others' expectations for them. Tom was insufferably pretentious at first, but he did experience a LITTLE bit of character growth, although it didn't stick as well as I'd hoped. Ramona was pretty manic pixie dream girl-esque, but I could also see a lot of myself in her, and she didn't exist exclusively to further a male protagonist's emotional growth. She was repeatedly described as "fun and funny" instead of the author just, like, SHOWING that she is those things. Sam was kind of boring. I did appreciate the representation of asexuality and polyamory, although I kind of wanted the characters to know a little more about both. Teenagers have access to the internet and are consequently often very well-informed about this stuff, and I would have liked for them to be a little more knowledgeable and confident about who they are, even if it was just represented during their internal narration.
It has been AGES since I have seen both good asexual representation and polyamorous representation, and I LOVE this book for bringing both to light! Highly recommend!
This review appears on my blog: https://confessionsofabookwormweb.wordpress.com/2016/02/05/book-review-this-song-is-not-for-you/
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire.
This Song Is (Not) For You tells the story about a boy and a girl who are in a band together and they love each other but they haven't told each other how they feel. One day they meet another boy and invite him to join the band and Ramona (the girl) falls in love with Tom (the new guy).
There was so much I expected to happen in this novel that didn't happen. I expected the characters to struggle a lot more with their emotions which never happened. There were also certain things that happen near the end of the book and the author doesn't really give much of an explanation for those events. I felt like there wasn't any buildup at all, just things happen and that is that.
I did enjoy the fact that the author told the story from all three of the main characters points of view, however it fell kind of flat at times or there were times the story was being told from Sam's ( the first boy) perspective and I felt like I was in Ramona's head instead. There was almost no character development at all, at least in my opinion.
One other good thing about this book is that it is a quick read and could probably be read in a day or two.
I know my review has been kind of vague but there isn't really much I can say without giving away the whole entire novel. Honestly I didn't like it, I felt like there was so much more that could have happened or things that could have been explained better.
I am giving this book 2/5 Stars because even though it was a quick read, there were things that were left unexplained and none of the characters seemed to develop over the course of the novel.
I received this book as an Advanced Reader Copy from Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire.
This Song Is (Not) For You tells the story about a boy and a girl who are in a band together and they love each other but they haven't told each other how they feel. One day they meet another boy and invite him to join the band and Ramona (the girl) falls in love with Tom (the new guy).
There was so much I expected to happen in this novel that didn't happen. I expected the characters to struggle a lot more with their emotions which never happened. There were also certain things that happen near the end of the book and the author doesn't really give much of an explanation for those events. I felt like there wasn't any buildup at all, just things happen and that is that.
I did enjoy the fact that the author told the story from all three of the main characters points of view, however it fell kind of flat at times or there were times the story was being told from Sam's ( the first boy) perspective and I felt like I was in Ramona's head instead. There was almost no character development at all, at least in my opinion.
One other good thing about this book is that it is a quick read and could probably be read in a day or two.
I know my review has been kind of vague but there isn't really much I can say without giving away the whole entire novel. Honestly I didn't like it, I felt like there was so much more that could have happened or things that could have been explained better.
I am giving this book 2/5 Stars because even though it was a quick read, there were things that were left unexplained and none of the characters seemed to develop over the course of the novel.
This Song is (Not) For You was an interesting read. I loved Laura Nowlin’s book If He Had Been With Me so the second I knew she had another book on the way, I added it to my to read bookshelf.
The story focuses on three main characters. You have Ramona and Sam who are best friends and together they have a band. The added layer of complexity to their friendship is that Ramona has had a crush on Sam from the moment they met and Sam feels the same but neither of them has ever said anything to the other for fear that it would impact their friendship in a negative way.
When they go to audition for an art’s college, Ramona finds herself talking to Tom who just might be the person their band was missing. As he becomes integrated into Ramona and Sam’s friendship, Ramona finds herself attracted to Tom and Sam. What I liked about this book was the friendship these characters develop and the way they all decide that they won’t worry about what society will think about their relationships.
Overall I found this to be an interesting story with solid characters. If you are looking for something that has a focus on friendship, love, and music, consider checking this one out.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!
The story focuses on three main characters. You have Ramona and Sam who are best friends and together they have a band. The added layer of complexity to their friendship is that Ramona has had a crush on Sam from the moment they met and Sam feels the same but neither of them has ever said anything to the other for fear that it would impact their friendship in a negative way.
When they go to audition for an art’s college, Ramona finds herself talking to Tom who just might be the person their band was missing. As he becomes integrated into Ramona and Sam’s friendship, Ramona finds herself attracted to Tom and Sam. What I liked about this book was the friendship these characters develop and the way they all decide that they won’t worry about what society will think about their relationships.
Overall I found this to be an interesting story with solid characters. If you are looking for something that has a focus on friendship, love, and music, consider checking this one out.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy!
This Song Is (Not) for You by Laura Nowlin is a quirky but highly enjoyable young adult romance.
Ramona Andrews and Sam Peterson are best friends who are also in a band together. They are also in love with each other but neither is willing to admit it since they are afraid to ruin their friendship. After an accidental meeting with Tom Cogsworthy, they invite him to join their band and everyone's relationship unexpectedly becomes complicated when Ramona and Tom fall for each other.
Ramona is a very bubbly, energetic and enthusiastic young woman. She does not particularly care about other people's opinions of her and she definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer. An avid musician, she is an talented piano player but her true love is percussion instruments. She is surprised by her romantic interest in Tom and although they quickly become a couple, Ramona is confused by her continued feelings for Sam.
Sam enjoys making music, but unlike Ramona, he does not want to pursue it as a career. His parents are divorced and although his home life is a bit atypical due to his eccentric mom, he is fairly well-adjusted and happy. Although Sam is disappointed when Ramona and Tom start dating, he remains hopeful about a future with her.
When Tom first meets Ramona and Sam, he is rather depressed and lonely. Although well-liked by his classmates, he does not have any close friends and he is still upset over a recent breakup with his girlfriend. He has a penchant for glitter that has caused him a bit of trouble but overall, he is a quiet young man that blends into the background.
This Song Is (Not) for You alternates between the three main characters' perspectives but Laura Nowlin does an excellent job giving them distinctive voices and unique characteristics that make it easy to tell them apart. The storyline is engrossing and the romantic element is different than is typically found in young adult novels. All in all, a fascinating story with appealing protagonists that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.
Ramona Andrews and Sam Peterson are best friends who are also in a band together. They are also in love with each other but neither is willing to admit it since they are afraid to ruin their friendship. After an accidental meeting with Tom Cogsworthy, they invite him to join their band and everyone's relationship unexpectedly becomes complicated when Ramona and Tom fall for each other.
Ramona is a very bubbly, energetic and enthusiastic young woman. She does not particularly care about other people's opinions of her and she definitely marches to the beat of her own drummer. An avid musician, she is an talented piano player but her true love is percussion instruments. She is surprised by her romantic interest in Tom and although they quickly become a couple, Ramona is confused by her continued feelings for Sam.
Sam enjoys making music, but unlike Ramona, he does not want to pursue it as a career. His parents are divorced and although his home life is a bit atypical due to his eccentric mom, he is fairly well-adjusted and happy. Although Sam is disappointed when Ramona and Tom start dating, he remains hopeful about a future with her.
When Tom first meets Ramona and Sam, he is rather depressed and lonely. Although well-liked by his classmates, he does not have any close friends and he is still upset over a recent breakup with his girlfriend. He has a penchant for glitter that has caused him a bit of trouble but overall, he is a quiet young man that blends into the background.
This Song Is (Not) for You alternates between the three main characters' perspectives but Laura Nowlin does an excellent job giving them distinctive voices and unique characteristics that make it easy to tell them apart. The storyline is engrossing and the romantic element is different than is typically found in young adult novels. All in all, a fascinating story with appealing protagonists that fans of the genre are sure to enjoy.
This Song is (Not) for You was a bit strange. I was perfectly fine with the elements of the story that make this book unique (polyamorous relationship, asexual character). I think the strangeness comes from lack of direction. I guess This Song is (Not) for You could be a coming of age story and, therefore, could pass without as solid of a plot, but... eh, I don't know. I'm not sure that really works here.
The POV switches so frequently (there's three different POVs), I don't feel like we're given sufficient time to connect with any of the characters. I do believe that each character had a solid and distinct voice, so that was definitely a plus. I just wish we were given an opportunity to really connect with and care about these characters.
Decent book with potential to explore some interesting elements, but lack of plot and disconnection from the characters left me wanting more.
* This book was received from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
The POV switches so frequently (there's three different POVs), I don't feel like we're given sufficient time to connect with any of the characters. I do believe that each character had a solid and distinct voice, so that was definitely a plus. I just wish we were given an opportunity to really connect with and care about these characters.
Decent book with potential to explore some interesting elements, but lack of plot and disconnection from the characters left me wanting more.
* This book was received from Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *
Ramona and Sam are yin and yang. They make wonderful music together, but their band is missing something. When the two go audition at their choice art college, they meet Tom who likes to play with sound effects. The trio comes together to make some great music. Then Ramona starts having feelings for Tom, on top of the feeling she already has for Sam. Not wanting to ruin things with the band in the past, Ramona never took the step with Sam, but she is willing to take the chance with Tom. These characters are all special unique snowflakes, who thrive on being themselves.
I find them to be caricatures of edge teens. Sexuality comes into play in this story and it touches on narratives that I have never come across before. I know it is showing up on asexual lists, but I think it also applies to poly-amorous relationships. It wasn't a great book and I didn't have a bunch of fun, but it was unique and will stick out in my mind in the future.
I find them to be caricatures of edge teens. Sexuality comes into play in this story and it touches on narratives that I have never come across before. I know it is showing up on asexual lists, but I think it also applies to poly-amorous relationships. It wasn't a great book and I didn't have a bunch of fun, but it was unique and will stick out in my mind in the future.
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:
No
I liked parts of it that related to the characters' fear of the future and the conflict between what they want and what is expected of them. The final 30 pages, when they all talk with their parents, were the best.
Other than that... I found 2/3 main characters annoying. I get that the author wanted to portray them as a couple of weird kids doing their own thing, but they way there were written was kinda cartoonish? I just couldn't stand them pointing out every other paragraph how different and quirky they are.
Another thing is that the book doesn't have a plot - nothing hapoens there, it's all just their own monologues. If we want a book like that to work it has to be written extremaly well and have deep, fleshed-out characters and this book just doesn't have that. The characters are two-dimensional and lack depth and the same goes to the relationships between them. They don't grow, don't really change, things just sorta happen.
That being said, the book is not awful and I think some people (specifically teenagers) could still like it and relate, but it just isn't for me.
Other than that... I found 2/3 main characters annoying. I get that the author wanted to portray them as a couple of weird kids doing their own thing, but they way there were written was kinda cartoonish? I just couldn't stand them pointing out every other paragraph how different and quirky they are.
Another thing is that the book doesn't have a plot - nothing hapoens there, it's all just their own monologues. If we want a book like that to work it has to be written extremaly well and have deep, fleshed-out characters and this book just doesn't have that. The characters are two-dimensional and lack depth and the same goes to the relationships between them. They don't grow, don't really change, things just sorta happen.
That being said, the book is not awful and I think some people (specifically teenagers) could still like it and relate, but it just isn't for me.
*I received a copy of This Song is (Not) For You from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I thought this novel had potential to be really good, but the further I got into the story, the stranger the plot became. The story was missing depth. I didn't really "get to know" all three main characters until the last few chapters of the book as they were being honest with their parents about what they wanted in their future.
Even the love triangle between Sam, Ramona, and Tom was odd. The theme of love is carried throughout the whole novel, yet I struggled with how the relationships developed between these three. Sam loves Ramona, Ramona loves Tom and Sam, and Tom loves Sam and Ramona. And they are all okay with sharing the love amongst each other. Some may consider this mature; I found it lacking depth and honesty.
Will I book talk this to students? Sure. While I don't like it, I know there are some kids who will connect with the characters and enjoy the story.
I thought this novel had potential to be really good, but the further I got into the story, the stranger the plot became. The story was missing depth. I didn't really "get to know" all three main characters until the last few chapters of the book as they were being honest with their parents about what they wanted in their future.
Even the love triangle between Sam, Ramona, and Tom was odd. The theme of love is carried throughout the whole novel, yet I struggled with how the relationships developed between these three. Sam loves Ramona, Ramona loves Tom and Sam, and Tom loves Sam and Ramona. And they are all okay with sharing the love amongst each other. Some may consider this mature; I found it lacking depth and honesty.
Will I book talk this to students? Sure. While I don't like it, I know there are some kids who will connect with the characters and enjoy the story.